Cliff Brunt, Associated Press | Posted March 14 - 10:51 p.m.
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Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had 31 points and nine rebounds to help the Oklahoma City Thunder defeat the short-handed Dallas Mavericks 126-119. Dallas guard Luka Doncic missed the game with a sore left hamstring. Kyrie Irving had 36 points and a season-high 12 assists, Tim Hardaway Jr. scored 23 points and Daniel Gafford added 19 points and 15 rebounds for the Mavericks. Gafford missed a putback attempt in the first minute of the game, ending his streak of consecutive made field goals at 33. He ended up two short of Wilt Chamberlain's NBA record of 35.
Anne M. Peterson, Associated Press | Posted March 14 - 10:30 p.m.
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Jalen Brunson scored 45 points and the New York Knicks rolled past the Portland Trail Blazers 105-93 on Thursday night. Donte DiVincenzo and OG Anunoby had 12 points apiece for for the Knicks, who have won four of their last six as they jockey for playoff position in the Eastern Conference with 16 games left in the season. Deandre Ayton had 31 points and 14 rebounds for the the Blazers, playing the second of a back-to-back and the last of a six-game homestand.
Rich Rovito, Associated Press | Updated March 14 - 10:01 p.m.
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Giannis Antetokounmpo had 32 points and 11 rebounds to lead the Milwaukee Bucks past the Philadelphia 76ers 114-105 on Thursday night. Brook Lopez added 19 points and seven rebounds and Damian Lillard had 17 points and nine assists for the Bucks, who won at home after losing three of four on a West Coast swing, which included a 129-94 drubbing against the Sacramento Kings on Tuesday. Tyrese Maxey scored 30 points for the 76ers, who closed out a 1-2 road trip. Tobias Harris added 15 points and Cam Payne had 13.
Andrew Seligman, Associated Press | Updated March 14 - 9:27 p.m.
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Paul George made six 3-pointers and scored 28 points, Kawhi Leonard added 27 and the Los Angeles Clippers beat the Chicago Bulls 126-111. Los Angeles regrouped after a 20-point lead late in the third quarter dwindled to eight in the fourth and stopped a two-game skid, beating Chicago for the second time in six days. Norman Powell scored 18 points and Bones Hyland added 17 points and 11 assists for the Clippers. DeMar DeRozan led Chicago with 21 points.
Kyle Hightower, Associated Press | Updated March 14 - 9:22 p.m.
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Jaylen Brown scored 37 points, Jayson Tatum added 26 and the Boston Celtics powered past the Phoenix Suns 127-112 on Thursday night. Al Horford finished with 24 points, including six of Boston's season high-tying 25 3-pointers to help the Celtics down the Suns for the second time in week. Boston improved to an NBA-best 52-14 and became the first team to clinch a playoff berth. Devin Booker led the Suns with 23 points. Bradley Beal finished with 22 points and seven assists. Kevin Durant and Grayson Allen both added 20 points. Meanwhile, Boston's All-Star duo of Tatum and Brown combined for 43 of the Celtics' 65 first-half points.
Kristie Rieken, Associated Press | Updated March 14 - 9:10 p.m.
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Jalen Green had a season-high 37 points as the Houston Rockets built a big lead early and cruised to a 135-119 win over the Washington Wizardson Thursday night. Fred VanVleet added 27 points for the Rockets, who won their fourth straight game. All of Houston's starters scored in double figures in the second game since star big man Alperen Sengun injured his knee and ankle Sunday. Jordan Poole scored 25 points off the bench for the Wizards, who dropped their second game in a row after winning their previous two.
The Associated Press | Posted March 14 - 8:04 p.m.
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Toronto Raptors guard RJ Barrett is mourning the death of his younger brother, Nathan Barrett. The Barrett family said in a statement that Nathan died Tuesday. The statement, released Thursday by the Raptors and Canada Basketball, did not disclose a cause of death or Nathan's age. RJ and Nathan's father, Rowan Barrett, is Canada Basketball's general manager. RJ Barrett, who is second on the Raptors in scoring at 19.5 points per game, did not play in Wednesday's loss at Detroit.
The Associated Press | Posted March 14 - 6:04 p.m.
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The Clippers and Bulls were missing key players Thursday, with Los Angeles' James Harden out with a strained left shoulder and Chicago's Coby White sidelined because of a sore right hip. Kawhi Leonard was available for the Clippers after leaving Tuesday's loss to Minnesota because of back spasms. Harden had played in 59 consecutive games since arriving from Philadelphia on Nov. 1. As for Leonard, coach Tyronn Lue wasn't sure if he would be on a minutes restriction. The Bulls were breathing a little easier after imaging showed White was not seriously injured. He is day to day after Pascal Siakam blocked his layup and landed on him near the end of regulation in Chicago's overtime win at Indiana on Wednesday.
Brian Mahoney, Associated Press | Posted March 14 - 1:58 p.m.
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Ben Simmons has had back surgery for the second time in three years, with he and the Brooklyn Nets hoping this procedure will provide the relief he needs to complete a full season. The Nets said Simmons had a microscopic partial discectomy on Thursday to alleviate the pinched nerve in his lower back. The surgery was performed at UHealth Jackson Memorial Medical Center by Dr. Timur Urakov, in consultation with Dr. Barth Green. The No. 1 pick in the 2016 NBA draft is expected to make a full recovery in time for training camp next season.
The Associated Press | Posted March 14 - 1:43 p.m.
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Dallas Mavericks star Luka Doncic won't play in Oklahoma City a night after leaving a win over Golden State with hamstring soreness. Doncic's seven-game streak of triple-doubles ended with 21 points, nine assists and three rebounds in a 109-99 victory over the Warriors. The NBA scoring leader exited midway through the fourth quarter with the left hamstring issue. The absence of Doncic on Thursday night will end a 17-game run with co-star Kyrie Irving. It's by far the longest since the Mavs acquired Irving in a blockbuster trade with Brooklyn in February 2023.
The Associated Press | Posted March 14 - 12:01 a.m.
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Atlanta visits the Utah Jazz after Dejounte Murray scored 40 points in the Hawks' 106-102 loss to the Portland Trail Blazers. The teams meet Friday for the second time this season. Utah is 19-13 at home, and Atlanta is 13-19 on the road.
Eric He, Associated Press | Updated March 13 - 11:44 p.m.
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Domantas Sabonis had 17 points, 19 rebounds and 10 assists, and the Sacramento Kings beat the Los Angeles Lakers 120-107. The Kings have won seven of eight against the Lakers, including a four-game sweep this season. Harrison Barnes made seven 3-pointers and scored 23 points, De'Aaron Fox added 21 and Keegan Murray had 19 as all five starters for the Kings scored in double figures. Sabonis' triple-double was his league-leading 23rd, with his last one coming in the Kings' victory at the Lakers last week. Austin Reaves led the Lakers with 28 points. Anthony Davis added 22 points and 10 rebounds, and LeBron James had 18 points and 13 boards.
Anne M Peterson, Associated Press | Updated March 13 - 11:30 p.m.
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Anfernee Simons had 36 points and the Portland Trail Blazers held off the Atlanta Hawks in the final quarter for a 106-102 victory on Wednesday night. DeAndre Ayton had a season-high 33 points and 19 rebounds for Portland, which had lost four of its last five games. Dejounte Murray had 40 points, one shy of his season high, for the Hawks in the first of an 11-day, five-game road trip, the team's longest of the season. The Blazers trailed by as many as 16 points in the first half but led 82-75 going into the final period.
Schuyler Dixon, Associated Press | Updated March 13 - 10:02 p.m.
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Luka Doncic scored 21 points while his triple-double streak ended at seven games, and the Dallas Mavericks slogged to a 109-99 victory over the Golden State Warriors. Doncic left the game in the fourth quarter with left hamstring soreness. Golden State was without Stephen Curry for a third consecutive game. It showed with sub-40% shooting almost the entire game in a fifth loss in six games this season without the star guard. Jonathan Kuminga led Golden State with 27 points. Daniel Gafford went 5 of 5 from the field for Dallas and has made 33 consecutive baskets, two short of Wilt Chamberlain's NBA record.
Brett Martel, Associated Press | Updated March 13 - 9:49 p.m.
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Donovan Mitchell scored 14 points in his return from a seven-game absence and the Cleveland Cavaliers combined for 20 3-pointers in a 116-95 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans. Mitchell, who made four 3s, was one of four Cavs with at least that many. Darius Garland finished with 27 points and 11 assists for his second straight double-double. Center Jarrett Allen had 17 points, 10 rebounds and two blocks. Georges Niang scored 16 and Sam Merrill 15. Zion Williamson had 33 points and nine rebounds for New Orleans.
Clay Bailey, Associated Press | Updated March 13 - 9:39 p.m.
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Miles Bridges scored 27 points, rookie Vasa Micic added a career-best 25 and the Charlotte Hornets defeated the Memphis Grizzlies 110-98. Micic shot 9 of 10, including 5 of 6 from 3-point range, and had eight assists. Grant Williams added 18 points for the Hornets. Tre Mann, who missed the previous three games with a groin strain, finished with 10 points, as did Brandon Miller. GG Jackson led the Grizzlies with 26 points, while Luke Kennard scored 17. The Hornets didn't get to the free-throw line until early in the fourth quarter.
Phillip B. Wilson, Associated Press | Updated March 13 - 9:27 p.m.
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DeMar DeRozan scored 46 points, including the go-ahead 3-pointer in overtime and the last three points in regulation to extend the game, and the Chicago Bulls outlasted the host Indiana Pacers 132-129 on Wednesday night. The All-Star forward's only 3-pointer at the 2:17 mark of overtime pushed the Bulls ahead 127-123. Pacers All-Star point guard Tyrese Haliburton missed a 3-pointer just before the final buzzer. The final 72 seconds of regulation were entertaining as Pacers center Myles Turner hit 3-pointers on back-to-back possessions with 1:12 and 56.7 seconds remaining for a 3-point lead. But DeRozan sank a free throw and swished a baseline fadeaway jumper with 0.3 seconds remaining to force overtime. The teams traded the lead 12 times in the fourth.
Dick Scanlon, Associated Press | Updated March 13 - 9:02 p.m.
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Paolo Banchero had 21 points and nine assists to lead the Orlando Magic to a 114-106 win over the Brooklyn Nets. Six other Orlando players scored in double figures including Wendell Carter Jr., who had 15 points and eight rebounds, and Jalen Suggs, who scored 11 of his 14 points in the first quarter to help the Magic take a 17-point lead that kept them ahead the rest of the game. Cam Thomas led the Nets with 21 points and eight rebounds. The Magic shot 51.9% for the game, moving to 20-1 on the season when they shoot 50% or better.
Tim Reynolds, Associated Press | Updated March 13 - 8:20 p.m.
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Michael Porter Jr. scored 25 points, Aaron Gordon added 16 and the reigning NBA champion Denver Nuggets took sole possession of first place in the Western Conference standings with a 100-88 win over the sliding Miami Heat in a finals rematch. Jamal Murray scored 14 points and Nikola Jokic finished with 12 points, 14 rebounds and six assists for the Nuggets (46-20), who moved a half-game ahead of Oklahoma City (45-20) and a full game up on Minnesota (45-21) in the West race. Denver is an NBA-best 10-1 since the All-Star break. Bam Adebayo scored 17 points and grabbed 13 rebounds for Miami, which has lost four in a row.
Dave Hogg, Associated Press | Updated March 13 - 8:11 p.m.
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a stretch of 145 games. Duren posted his second game this season with at least 20 points, 20 boards and five assists. Nikola Jokic and Domantas Sabonis are the only other players with two this season. Immanuel Quickley scored 25 points for Toronto, which matched a season high by losing five straight.