Fred VanVleet scored 13 of his game-high 37 points in the fourth quarter as the Houston Rockets won their ninth straight game, defeating the host Miami Heat 102-98 on Friday night.
After scoring just three points in the first quarter, VanVleet scored nine in the second and 12 in the third to get going.
He made 13-of-17 shots from the floor, including 9-of-11 on 3-pointers. He added 2-of-4 on free throws, and he had three assists.
Houston (46-25) has the longest active win streak in the NBA.
Miami (29-41), which has lost 10 straight games, was led by Andrew Wiggins, who scored 20 of his team-high 30 points in the second quarter. It was the best-scoring quarter of his 11-year NBA career.
Suns 123, Cavaliers 112
Kevin Durant scored 42 points, including a clutch 3-pointer that helped snuff out a late Cleveland rally, as host Phoenix won its third straight game.
Durant’s 3-pointer with 70 seconds remaining in regulation came as Cleveland was threatening after trailing by as many as 21 points. Devin Booker scored 17 points and Collin Gillespie adding 13 for the Suns.
Darius Garland led Cleveland with 18 points, De’Andre Hunter scored 17 off the bench, and Evan Mobley registered 16 points and 12 rebounds.
Timberwolves 134, Pelicans 93
Julius Randle scored 20 points on 7-for-11 shooting from the floor as Minnesota cruised to a win over New Orleans in Minneapolis.
Anthony Edwards and Jaden McDaniels added 17 points apiece for the Timberwolves, who bounced back from a home loss against the Pelicans two nights earlier. Rudy Gobert registered 15 points and 11 rebounds.
C.J. McCollum scored 15 points to lead the Pelicans, who have lost eight of the past 10. Bruce Brown scored 14 points.
Thunder 141, Hornets 106
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 30 points to lead Oklahoma City to a home win over Charlotte.
A night after the Thunder clinched the top spot in the Western Conference, Oklahoma City poured it on early to leave little doubt about the outcome. Eight Thunder players scored 10 or more points, the fourth time since the franchise moved to Oklahoma City that the team achieved that feat.
Miles Bridges led the Hornets with 20 points, while Nick Smith Jr. added 14. They each hit four 3-pointers.
Celtics 121, Jazz 99
Kristaps Porzingis compiled 27 points, 10 rebounds and six assists as Boston defeated Utah in Salt Lake City for its ninth win in its last 10 games.
Jayson Tatum added 26 points for Boston, which has won four games in a row. Reserves Payton Pritchard and Sam Hauser scored 18 and 14 points, respectively.
Collin Sexton led Utah with 30 points, while Keyonte George followed with 19 and Johnny Juzang put up 11. Walker Kessler tallied eight points, 11 rebounds and six assists for the Jazz, who have dropped 11 of 12.
Clippers 128, Grizzlies 108
James Harden recorded 30 points and nine assists and Kawhi Leonard added 23 points and 10 rebounds as Los Angeles extended its winning streak to five games with a victory over Memphis at Inglewood, Calif.
Ivica Zubac produced 17 points and 10 rebounds, Bogdan Bogdanovic had 16 points off the bench and Norman Powell added 14 as the Clippers improved to 8-1 since March 5 while extending their home winning streak to eight games. The Clippers won without head coach Tyronn Lue.
Jaren Jackson Jr. scored 23 points and Santi Aldama added 16 for the Grizzlies, who were without star Ja Morant for the fourth consecutive game because of shoulder and hamstring injuries.
Traill Blazers 128, Nuggets 109
Deni Avdija scored a season-high 36 points on 12-of-16 shooting to lead Portland to a convincing victory over visiting Denver.
Shaedon Sharpe added 23 points as Portland won its fourth straight game. Avdija made four 3-pointers and also had eight rebounds, seven assists and three steals during his fourth 30-point effort of the month. Dalano Banton added 19 points and five assists off the bench.
Aaron Gordon scored 23 points for the Nuggets, who were without three-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokic (ankle) for the third straight game. Denver is in fourth place in the Western Conference, three percentage points behind the Los Angeles Lakers. Russell Westbrook had 18 points, Michael Porter Jr. tallied 17 and Christian Braun had 15 points for Denver.
Spurs 128, 76ers 120
Jeremy Sochan racked up 23 points and Stephon Castle amassed 17 points and 14 assists as host San Antonio defeated depleted Philadelphia.
Devin Vassell added 20 points while Chris Paul had 18 points on 6-of-7 shooting from beyond the arc. Keldon Johnson also had 18 points and Barnes finished with 14 for San Antonio.
Quentin Grimes led the 76ers with 25 points and 10 assists. Edwards also scored 25 points, Guerschon Yabusele had 23 and Ricky Council IV hit for 20 as Philadelphia lost for the sixth time in its past seven games.
Magic 120, Wizards 105
Paolo Banchero posted 30 points and eight rebounds in three quarters as visiting Orlando downed Washington.
Six Magic players scored in double figures. Franz Wagner had 21 points while Wendell Carter Jr. had 16 points and 12 rebounds for Orlando, which has alternated losses and wins for eight games.
Rookie Alex Sarr had 19 points and 10 boards to lead the Wizards, who took their third loss in a row.
Mavericks 123, Pistons 117
Spencer Dinwiddie scored a season-high 31 points and P.J. Washington added 27 as Dallas snapped a four-game losing streak with a win over visiting Detroit.
Klay Thompson finished with 20 points and Naji Marshall amassed 19 points and 11 rebounds for the injury-plagued Mavericks, who had only nine available players.
Cade Cunningham led the Pistons with 35 points and added seven rebounds and six assists. Malik Beasley scored 16 points as Detroit’s two-game winning streak ended.
–Field Level Media
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