New Orleans Pelicans and Brooklyn Nets overcame Boston Celtics and Minnesota Timberwolves respectively. There were also wins for the Washington Wizards, Miami Heat and Detroit Pistons.
Tuesday 30 March 2021 10:11, UK
Zion Williamson scored 28 points while James Harden notched 38 on Monday night, inspiring their teams to victory.
Pelicans defeat Celtics for sweep of season series
Zion Williamson scored 28 points and Brandon Ingram added 25 as the visiting New Orleans Pelicans defeated the Boston Celtics 115-109.
Nickeil Alexander-Walker scored 17, Josh Hart had 15 points and 15 rebounds and Eric Bledsoe scored 13 as the Pelicans made 16-of-31 3-pointers and completed a sweep of the season series. New Orleans defeated Boston 120-115 in overtime Feb. 21, overcoming a 24-point deficit.
Jayson Tatum scored 34, Kemba Walker had 23, Marcus Smart added 15, Payton Pritchard 11 and Luke Kornet 10 for the Celtics, who were beginning a seven-game home-stand.
Celtics All-Star guard Jaylen Brown did not play because of a hip contusion.
Evan Fournier made his Boston debut after being acquired in a trade with Orlando last Thursday and missed all 10 of his shots, including five 3-pointers in 33 minutes.
Harden's triple-double carries Nets past Wolves
James Harden totaled 38 points, 13 assists and 11 rebounds as the host Brooklyn Nets held on for a 112-107 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Harden posted his 12th triple-double of the season, all since joining the Nets, tying the franchise record set by Jason Kidd in 2006-07 and matched the following season.
Harden scored 13 points in the fourth and shot 11 of 25 from the floor overall as the Nets shot 47.1 percent. His latest big game helped the Nets win for the 18th time in 21 games and survive getting outscored 9-4 in the final 2:07 of the game.
Kyrie Irving added 27 points and seven rebounds after missing the previous three games due to a family matter.
Karl-Anthony Towns paced the Timberwolves with 31 points, 12 rebounds, five assists and three blocked shots. He scored 14 points in the fourth quarter when Minnesota nearly came all the way back.
Wizards top Pacers behind Russell Westbrook's triple-double
Russell Westbrook collected 35 points, a season-high 21 assists and 14 rebounds to fuel the host Washington Wizards to a 132-124 victory over the Indiana Pacers.
Westbrook made 14 of 26 shots from the field, including 4 of 6 from 3-point range. The triple-double was Westbrook's NBA-leading 16th of the season and second in as many games.
Rui Hachimura had 26 points and eight rebounds and Chandler Hutchison added 18 points off the bench for the Wizards, who played without NBA leading scorer Bradley Beal (right hip contusion). Raul Neto scored 15 points off the bench to help Washington win their second in a row after losing eight of the previous nine.
All was not rosy for the Wizards, however. Recent acquisition Daniel Gafford rolled his ankle and left the court in a wheelchair.
Domantas Sabonis recorded 35 points and 11 rebounds and Malcolm Brogdon added 26 points for the Pacers, who were foiled in their bid to win three in a row for the first time since capturing the first three games of the season.
Butler and Heat top Knicks to snap losing streak
Jimmy Butler scored 15 of his game-high 27 points during a decisive third quarter as the visiting Miami Heat snapped a six-game losing streak with a 98-88 win over the New York Knicks.
Bam Adebayo had 20 points and 17 rebounds for the Heat, who won despite the absence of trade deadline acquisition Victor Oladipo, whose debut was delayed because of a head cold.
Tyler Herro scored 18 points off the bench while Duncan Robinson had 14 points for Miami, who ended their longest losing streak since a six-game skid from December 2016 to January 2017.
Julius Randle scored 22 points and was the lone starter in double figures for the Knicks, whose three-game winning streak ended. Derrick Rose scored 16 points and Immanuel Quickley added 12 points, while Nerlens Noel had eight points, 11 rebounds and four blocked shots.
Pistons roll past visiting Raptors
Hamidou Diallo had 19 points, 10 rebounds, three assists and two blocks as the host Detroit Pistons completed a sweep of a three-game season series with Toronto by thumping the Raptors 118-104.
Diallo was playing in his second game with Detroit since he was acquired from Oklahoma City earlier this month. Saddiq Bey and Saben Lee also scored 19 points apiece and combined for nine assists for the Pistons, who had lost four straight. Cory Joseph supplied 17 points, four rebounds and five assists, Isaiah Stewart added 14 points and Frank Jackson chipped in 12.
Detroit's reserves outscored Toronto's bench 65-24.
Fred VanVleet had 22 points for the Raptors, who have lost 12 of their last 13 games. OG Anunoby tossed in 19 points with five rebounds, Gary Trent Jr. contributed 15 points and five assists and Pascal Siakam added 14 points, six rebounds and five assists before fouling out.
The Pistons shot 50.7 percent overall and made half of their 30 3-point attempts. Toronto shot 40.7 percent from the field and made only 11 of 36 3-point attempts.
The Pistons led by as much as 21 in the first half and carried a 66-50 lead to the locker room. They took control with a 28-9 run spanning the first two quarters.
