THUNDER 133, 76ERS 100
Betting Results:
Head to Head: Thunder, odds 1.167
Line: Thunder (-12.5), odds 1.909
Total Points: Over (227.5), odds 1.931
Pre-game Prediction
76ers, 23.4%
Thunder, 76.6%
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Jaylin Williams scored a career-high 19 points and had 17 rebounds and 11 assists for his second career triple-double, and Oklahoma City cruised past injury-depleted Philadelphia with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and three other starters sidelined.
Gilgeous-Alexander, the NBA’s top scorer at 33.0 points per game and a leading MVP candidate, sat out for rest, while Lu Dort, Isaiah Hartenstein and Jalen Williams got the night off because of injuries.
Aaron Wiggins scored 26 points for the Western Conference-leading Thunder, who clinched the Northwest Division title and moved closer to wrapping up the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference. Thunder have now regained the position as the NBA's best team after Cleveland's run of three straight losses.
Isaiah Joe added 21 points and Chet Holmgren scored 19 for Oklahoma City, which led 70-56 at halftime and 103-74 after three quarters.
Quentin Grimes scored 28 points and Justin Edwards added 19 for Philadelphia, which was without injured starters Tyrese Maxey, Kelly Oubre Jr., Joel Embiid and Paul George. Embiid and George are out for the rest of the season.
NBA's Top 10 Plays of the Night - March 19
KINGS 123, CAVALIERS 119
Betting Results:
Head to Head: Kings, odds 3.13 - big odds upset
Line: Kings (+6.5), odds 1.933
Total Points: Over (229), odds 1.923
Pre-game Prediction
Cavaliers, 62.9%
Kings, 37.1%
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — DeMar DeRozan scored 27 points and short-handed Sacramento handed Cleveland their third straight loss.
DeRozan made back-to-back baskets down the stretch to give the Kings a 119-116 lead and they closed it out from there for their second consecutive win following a four-game losing streak.
Malik Monk added 20 points as the Kings won without stars Domantas Sabonis and Zach LaVine.
Evan Mobley scored 22 of his 31 points in the final 15 minutes for Cleveland but it wasn’t enough to help the Cavs get back on the winning track. Cleveland has matched its longest skid of the season following a 16-game winning streak.
Donovan Mitchell added 26 points for Cleveland.
PACERS 135, MAVERICKS 131
Betting Results:
Head to Head: Pacers, odds 1.19
Line: Mavericks (+10.5), odds 1.924
Total Points: Over (227.5), odds 1.917
Pre-game Prediction
Mavericks, 30.1%
Pacers, 69.9%
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Pascal Siakam scored 29 points, Bennedict Mathurin scored 16 of his 23 points in the fourth quarter and the Indiana Pacers rallied from an 11-point deficit in the final six minutes to beat the short-handed Dallas Mavericks 135-131 on Wednesday night.
The Pacers retook the lead with 14.7 seconds left when Siakam stole the ball and a wide open Andrew Nembhard knocked down a 3-pointer to make it 131-130. Indiana closed it out at the free-throw line.
Nembhard finished with 22 points and eight assists while Tyrese Haliburton sat out with a back injury. Mathurin also had seven rebounds.
The Pacers have won four of their last five games and now lead Milwaukee by one game for the No. 4 seed in the Eastern Conference.(backslash)
ROCKETS 116, MAGIC 108
Betting Results:
Head to Head: Rockets, odds 1.744
Line: Rockets (-2.5), odds 1.928
Total Points: Over (208.5), odds 1.92
Pre-game Prediction
Rockets, 56.8%
Magic, 43.2%
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Jalen Green scored 26 points, Alperen Sengun had 22 points and 12 rebounds, and Houston extended their winning streak to a season-best eight games, beating Orlando.
Fred VanVleet added 19 points for the Rockets, who maintained their second-place position in the Western Conference, ahead of — among others — the surging Los Angeles Lakers and Golden State Warriors.
Paolo Banchero led Orlando with 31 points. Franz Wagner added 20 points, eight rebounds and seven assists for the Magic, and reserve Goga Bitadze had 19 points and eight rebounds.
PISTONS 116, HEAT 113
Betting Results:
Head to Head: Pistons, odds 1.528
Line: Heat (+4.5), odds 1.909
Total Points: Over (216.5), odds 1.92
Pre-game Prediction
Pistons, 65.5%
Heat, 34.5%
MIAMI (AP) — Cade Cunningham banked in a 3-pointer with less than a second remaining, giving Detroit a win over Miami and sending the Heat to their ninth consecutive loss.
Cunningham had his ninth triple-double of the season — 25 points, 12 rebounds and 11 assists for the Pistons, who trailed for most of the second half and never led by more than two until the final second.
Bam Adebayo finished with 30 points, nine rebounds and eight assists for the Heat, who are stuck in their longest losing streak since an 11-game slide during the 2007-08 season.
Miami was ahead 93-88 going into the fourth quarter and led by eight in the final period. The Heat lost for the NBA-leading 12th time this season when holding a lead at any point in the fourth.
PELICANS 119, TIMBERWOLVES 115
Betting Results:
Head to Head: Pelicans, odds 6.61 - massive odds win!
Line: Pelicans (+13.5), odds 1.909
Total Points: Over (227.5), odds 1.916
Pre-game Prediction
Pelicans, 17.4%
Timberwolves, 82.6%
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Zion Williamson scored 29 points and CJ McCollum added 18 for New Orleans as the Pelicans surprised Minnesota a win.
The Timberwolves have lost two straight after winning eight in a row. Minnesota is in a battle with Golden State for the No. 6 seed in the Western Conference. Wednesday’s loss drops Minnesota a full game behind the Warriors.
After trailing 43-32 in the second quarter, the Pelicans went on a 14-0 run to take a 46-43 lead. The two teams went back and forth for most of the rest of the game but Minnesota never could establish a comfortable lead against the Pelicans.
Anthony Edwards led Minnesota with 29 points. Julius Randle added 17 and Mike Conley scored 16.
SPURS 120, KNICKS 105
Betting Results:
Head to Head: Spurs, odds 3.98 - big odds win
Line: Spurs (+8.5), odds 1.909
Total Points: Under (228), odds 1.909
Pre-game Prediction
Knicks, 74.8%
Spurs, 25.2%
SAN ANTONIO (AP) — Sandro Mamukelashvili scored a career-high 34 points on 13-for-14 shooting in 19 minutes to become the first player in NBA history to score 34 points while playing less than 20 minutes as San Antonio upended New York.
Mamukelashvili, who was 7 for 7 from 3-point range, had 13 points, seven rebounds and an assist in eight minutes in the first half as San Antonio rolled to a 28-point lead.
He had 21 points in the final quarter to help the Spurs secure the victory.
Stephon Castle added 22 points as San Antonio won for the third time in eight games. Chris Paul added 12 points and nine assists.
LAKERS 120, NUGGETS 108
Betting Results:
Head to Head: Lakers, odds 1.492
Line: Lakers (-5.5), odds 1.915
Total Points: Over (223.5), odds 1.923
Pre-game Prediction
Nuggets, 48.7%
Lakers, 51.3%
LOS ANGELES (AP) —Luka Doncic had 31 points, nine rebounds and seven assists in just three quarters of work, and Los Angeles routed Denver in a matchup of injury-depleted Western Conference contenders .
Nikola Jokic (elbow) and Jamal Murray (ankle) missed their second straight games for Denver, while LeBron James (hamstring) and Rui Hachimura (knee) continued their longer-term absences for Los Angeles.
Austin Reaves had 22 points and eight assists for the Lakers, who have won nine consecutive home games and three straight since finishing their 0-4 road trip last Friday with a loss at Denver.
Aaron Gordon scored 26 points for the Nuggets.
SUNS 127, BULLS 121
Betting Results:
Head to Head: Suns, odds 1.459
Line: Suns (-5.5), odds 1.909
Total Points: Over (235.5), odds 1.889
Pre-game Prediction
Bulls, 30.9%
Suns, 69.1%
PHOENIX (AP) — Devin Booker scored 41 points, including 20 in the fourth quarter, and Phoenix held off Chicago.
Kevin Durant had 26 points and eight assists and Nick Richards had 18 points, nine rebounds and three blocks as the Suns won for the third time in their last four games.
Coby White and Nikola Vucevic led the Bulls with 24 points each and Josh Giddey had 22.
Booker led the Suns by shooting 7 for 11 (3 for 4 from 3-point range) and 3 of 3 from the free-throw line on the way to his 20-point fourth quarter.
TRAIL BLAZERS 115, GRIZZLIES 99
Betting Results:
Head to Head: Blazers, odds 2.568
Line: Blazers (+4.5), odds 1.921
Total Points: Under (234.5), odds 1.909
Pre-game Prediction
Grizzlies, 69%
Trail Blazers, 31%
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Deni Avdija had 31 points, 16 rebounds and eight assists to lead Portland to a victory over Memphis.
Anfernee Simons added 22 points for the Blazers, who led by 21 in the third quarter and never trailed.
Desmond Bane led the Grizzlies with 20 points.
Portland moved within two games of the Dallas Mavericks for 10th place in the Western Conference and the final spot in the play-in tournament.
Memphis dropped a game behind the Los Angeles Lakers for fourth place in the West and home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs.
