Spurs’ win streak at 8; Blazers lose McCollum to leg injury
SAN ANTONIO (AP) — DeMar DeRozan scored 21 points and the San Antonio Spurs extended their winning streak to eight games with a 108-103 victory Saturday night over the Portland Trail Blazers, who lost C.J. McCollum to a left leg injury.
Damian Lillard scored 34 points for Portland, which had won three straight.
McCollum exited under assistance with 7:03 remaining in the third quarter. He remained on the court for a few minutes clutching his left leg in great pain after tumbling out of bounds when his driving layup was blocked by Jakob Poeltl. McCollum appeared to roll his left ankle but was clutching his shin. There was no word on his status.
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Stephen Curry scored 33 points to help Golden State roll past Oklahoma City and clinch a playoff berth.
Klay Thompson scored 23 points and DeMarcus Cousins added 12 points, eight rebounds and six assists for the Warriors, who played without Kevin Durant for a second straight game because of a sprained right ankle.
Paul George had 29 points and 13 rebounds, and Dennis Schroder added 15 points for the Thunder. Russell Westbrook scored just seven points on 2-for-16 shooting and missed all seven of his 3-point attempts. He had nine assists and eight rebounds.
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Josh Jackson hit a tying 3-pointer with 2 seconds left in overtime, the Pelicans were assessed a technical foul when they called a timeout they didn’t have and Devin Booker hit the free throw to give Phoenix the lead for good.
Booker finished with 40 points to go with 13 assists, and Jackson, who had 19 points, scored the game’s final point on a free throw after he was fouled on an inbound pass with less than a second on the clock.
Elfrid Payton had 16 points, 16 assists and 13 rebounds in his fourth straight triple-double — all coming in the midst of New Orleans’ six-game losing streak.
DALLAS (AP) —Tim Hardaway Jr. scored 22 points, Dirk Nowitzki closed within three points of Wilt Chamberlain on the NBA scoring list and Dallas ended a seven-game losing streak.
Nowitzki got hot early in the fourth quarter and finished with 14 points to bring him to the cusp of Chamberlain for sixth place on the career scoring list. He has another home game on Monday before the team leaves on a three-game road trip.
With leading scorer Luka Doncic out with a right knee contusion, Hardaway led a balanced Dallas attack with seven Mavs scoring in double figures.
Collin Sexton scored 28 for the Cavaliers, the rookie’s fifth straight game above 20. Kevin Love and Cedi Osman each had 22 for Cleveland, which has lost three in a row.
DENVER (AP) — Paul Millsap hit a left-handed layup with 7 seconds remaining, Nikola Jokic scored 26 points before being ejected in the fourth quarter for arguing and Denver moved to the verge of its first playoff spot since 2012-13.
The magic number for the Nuggets dropped to one as they remained in the No. 2 spot behind Golden State. Denver ran its home record to a Western Conference-leading 30-6.
Millsap finished with 15 points and 13 rebounds for Denver, which overcame an 18-point, first-half deficit.
Thaddeus Young led Indiana with 18 points and 10 boards.
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Donovan Mitchell scored 24 points, Rudy Gobert added 23 points and 17 rebounds, and Utah beat Brooklyn.
Derrick Favors had 13 points and 12 rebounds for the Jazz. Jae Crowder and Ricky Rubio added 12 points apiece as Utah won its third straight game, holding Brooklyn to 35 percent shooting and finishing with a 65-44 advantage on rebounds.
Spencer Dinwiddie scored 22 points and D’Angelo Russell added 20 for Brooklyn. The Nets dropped their second in a row after winning four straight.
BOSTON (AP) — Kyrie Irving just missed his second straight triple-double with 30 points, 11 rebounds and nine assists, Jaylen Brown scored 23 points with a key 3-pointer and Boston held off Atlanta after blowing a 25-point, second-half lead.
Marcus Morris had 19 points and Jayson Tatum 18 for Boston, which has won six of eight.
Trae Young led the Hawks with 26 points, John Collins scored 20 with 11 rebounds, Taurean Price had 17 points and Vince Carter scored 16.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Bradley Beal scored 40 points for the second straight night and Washington beat Memphis.
Beal shot 12 of 17 from the field and made a career-high nine 3-pointers. The Wizards converted 17 of 35 from beyond the arc in a game that featured 20 lead changes.
The Wizards, 11th in the Eastern Conference, moved within three games of eighth-place Miami.
Mike Conley had 28 points and 12 assists for Memphis. Jonas Valanciunas scored 22 points and Avery Bradley added 21.
