Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 31 points against his former team and Jalen Williams added 20 as the Oklahoma City Thunder continued to solidify their playoff standing Tuesday with a 101-100 victory over the host Los Angeles Clippers.
Josh Giddey scored 13 points and Isaiah Joe added 12 as the Thunder won for the eighth time in their past 10 games.
Kawhi Leonard scored 21 points and Paul George added 18 against his former team before departing with a knee injury. George appeared to hyperextend his right knee after he was fouled by Luguentz Dort on a rebound attempt with 4:38 remaining. He did not return to the game.
Leonard had a chance to give the Clippers the victory on the last possession after a rebound of a Williams miss. However, after dribbling near the 3-point arc for 21 seconds, he was unable to get a shot off in time.
Celtics 132, Kings 109
Jayson Tatum scored 36 points, Jaylen Brown added 27 and Boston beat host Sacramento to finish 4-2 on a cross-country trek.
Derrick White added 20 points for the Celtics, and Marcus Smart scored 17. White completed a double-double with a team-high 11 assists, while Tatum was Boston’s leading rebounder with eight boards.
Domantas Sabonis tallied 16 points, 13 rebounds and 12 assists for the Kings, who lost their second straight. Sabonis’ triple-double was his 12th of the season. De’Aaron Fox led Sacramento with 18 points.
Cavaliers 115, Nets 109
Donovan Mitchell scored 31 points as Cleveland took control in the second quarter to beat Brooklyn in New York – the Cavaliers’ eighth win in 11 games.
Mitchell made 10 of 22 shots, including five of Cleveland’s 14 3-pointers. Former Net Caris LeVert added 18 points, while Darius Garland and Evan Mobley contributed 17 apiece for the Cavaliers, who shot 50.6 per cent.
Day’Ron Sharpe scored 20 points to lead the Nets, who tied a season high with their fourth straight loss. Spencer Dinwiddie added 19 points and 11 assists, while Mikal Bridges contributed 18 points.
Hawks 129, Pistons 107
Trae Young bounced back from his second-worst scoring night of the season to score 30 points as Atlanta finished off a four-game season sweep of Detroit.
Young added 12 assists for his 35th double-double and 24th 30-point game of the season. Bogdan Bogdanovic started at guard in place of Dejounte Murray (illness) and scored 18 points. John Collins added 15 points and eight rebounds, and Clint Capela had 12 points and 16 rebounds.
Detroit’s Marvin Bagley III scored a season-high 31 points, including a career-high four 3-pointers. The Pistons also got 21 points from Killian Hayes and 17 from Jaden Ivey.
Magic 122, Wizards 112
Seven players scored at least 14 points, led by Gary Harris’ 22, and Orlando dealt a blow to visiting Washington’s play-in aspirations.
Paolo Banchero finished with 18 points for the Magic on 6-of-9 shooting from the floor and matched Carter’s team-high total of nine rebounds.
Kristaps Porzingis returned to the lineup after missing Washington’s Saturday loss to Sacramento due to an illness, and he scored a game-high 30 points. However, Kyle Kuzma was a late scratch because of an ankle sprain.
Pelicans 119, Spurs 84
Brandon Ingram scored 32 points to lead five players in double figures as host New Orleans routed short-handed San Antonio.
Jonas Valanciunas added 19 points and 15 rebounds and Trey Murphy III scored 17 points as the Pelicans completed a four-game sweep of the season series.
Sandro Mamukelashvili scored 20 points for the Spurs, who played without Keldon Johnson (neck), Devin Vassell (knee) and Zach Collins (rest). San Antonio lost for the third time in four games.
-Field Level Media
