James Harden's 50-point triple-double leads Houston Rockets to victory over Sacramento Kings
Russell's third-quarter barrage leads Nets to win over Celtics; Bolden shines in Embiid's absence for 76ers; D-Wade says goodbye to the Garden with a win for the Heat
Sunday 31 March 2019 10:18, UK
James Harden blitzed the Sacramento Kings with a 50-point triple-double to lead the Houston Rockets to victory at the Toyota Center on Saturday night.
Sacramento Kings 108-119 Houston Rockets
It was The Beard's third 50-point game in his last six outings. He also made seven three-pointers to become the ninth player in NBA history to reach 2,000 career threes.
Harden had 50 points 11 rebounds and 10 assists in what was his NBA-record fifth 50-point triple-double - which is two more than second-placed Russell Westbrook, and his second this season.
Houston had a three-point lead when Harden re-entered the game with less than seven minutes left. Willie Cauley-Stein made an alley-oop dunk to cut the lead to one before Harden scored all of Houston's points in a 10-2 run that made it 111-102 with three minutes to go.
The 29-year-old then grabbed the rebound after a miss by Marvin Bagley and found Clint Capela for a dunk that pushed the lead to 113-104.
The Rockets center added 24 points and 15 rebounds, and Chis Paul had 22 points as Houston made it four wins in their last five games.
Live NBA: Dallas @ Oklahoma
Bogdan Bogdanovic had 24 points for the Kings who led by two to start the fourth before the Rockets' late run. Buddy Hield had 21 points, and Bagley added 20 for the California ball club who are much-improved this season despite missing out on the playoffs.
They travel to San Antonio on a back-to-back, while Houston will look to sweep the season series in Sacramento on Tuesday after some much-needed rest.
Boston Celtics 96-110 Brooklyn Nets
D'Angelo Russell scored 20 of his game-high 29 points in another blistering third quarter against Boston, leading the Brooklyn Nets to a 110-96 victory over the short-handed Celtics.
After a rough road trip put their playoff hopes in jeopardy, the Nets had a happy homecoming thanks largely to their All-Star point guard, who added 10 assists and finished with 25 points after halftime.
It was the third straight time he hurt the Celtics in the third, having previously had 18-point and 14-point third quarters against Boston this season, and the Nets needed this one after going 2-5 on the road and dropping into seventh place in the Eastern Conference.
Caris LeVert added 15 points for the Nets, who had dropped the final two games of that trip and still face a tough stretch now that they're home as they fight to hang on to their playoff berth.
Gordon Hayward scored 19 points for the Celtics, who rested Kyrie Irving and Al Horford on the second night of back-to-back games, following a big victory over Indiana on Friday night.
The visitors led early and trailed by only one at halftime before Russell heated up.
Russell hit his first three-pointer of the game to open the scoring in the second half - meaning he's now netted from beyond the arc in 56 straight games, passing James Harden and Paul George for the longest streak in the NBA this season - and then took over from there. Mixing in mid-range jumpers with 3-pointers, the Nets point guard scored 14 points during Brooklyn's 17-5 surge that extended a seven-point lead to 76-57.
After that the hosts didn't look back and they've now won four straight games at home. Next up, they will host the mighty Milwaukee Bucks, who boast the league's best record, whilst the Celtics return to the TD Garden against the Miami Heat. Both matches will be played on Monday night.
Orlando Magic 121-116 Indiana Pacers
The Orlando Magic continued their push to sneak into the Eastern Conference playoffs with an impressive 121-116 win over the struggling Indiana Pacers thanks to an excellent showing from Aaron Gordon.
It was Orlando's seventh win in their past eight games and they now sit just one game back from the Brooklyn Nets and a half-game behind the Miami Heat in the final two playoff spots, both of whom also won on Saturday.
For the Pacers, it was their seventh loss in eight games, dampening their bid to finish ahead of the Boston Celtics for the number four seed in the East and home court advantage in the series which is likely to be contested between both teams.
Khem Birch gave Orlando the lead for good with a dunk in the second minute of the fourth quarter and the visiting Magic outplayed Indiana down the stretch of a close game where neither team led by more than nine points - before a fourth quarter that began with five lead changes, the fifth of which was produced by Birch's dunk that created a 97-96 Orlando advantage.
Gordon had two hoops, including a three-pointer, and Terrence Ross bombed in a three of his own in an eight-point run shortly thereafter that allowed the Magic to put some distance between themselves and the Pacers at 107-98.
Indiana got as close as 117-113 on a three by Wesley Matthews with 20.1 seconds remaining, but Nikola Vucevic and Jonathan Isaac iced the win with a pair of free throws apiece.
Gordon led the Magic with 23 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists and D.J. Augustin (11 points, 10 assists) also recorded a double-double for Orlando.
Vucevic had 19 points, Ross 16 and Isaac 14 while Birch and Michael Carter-Williams both gave strong contributions from the bench defensively to help turn the game in the Magic's favour. They also scored 10 apiece for Orlando, who made it three wins from four against Indiana in the season series.
Myles Turner notched a 16-point, 12-rebound double-double for the Pacers, who saw a four-game home winning streak snapped with this defeat.
Darren Collison led Indiana with 24 points to go with nine assists, and Bojan Bogdanovic had 22 points.
They host the Detroit Pistons on Monday, whilst Orlando's four-game road trip comes to an end against the Toronto Raptors.
Portland Trail Blazers 90-99 Detroit Pistons
Reggie Jackson and Andre Drummond starred for the Detroit Pistons, who were without Blake Griffin, as they ended the Portland Trail Blazers' six-game winning streak with a 99-90 victory on Saturday.
Jackson scored 28 points and Drummond had 22 points and 19 rebounds for the Pistons who won their eleventh straight game at Little Caesars Arena to maintain a half-game lead over the Brooklyn Nets for the sixth seed in the Eastern Conference.
It was a slow start for the hosts, though, as they missed their first 13 field goal attempts and they trailed 34-31 at the half, following a poor two quarters of shooting from both teams.
At the interval, Detroit honoured the 30th anniversary of its 1989 championship - the first of back-to-back titles - with a halftime ceremony. Isiah Thomas spoke on behalf of his teammates and recognised Drummond, who came out of the locker room to watch.
Perhaps inspired by what he witnessed, Drummond teamed up with Jackson to drop 23 in the third quarter and the Pistons didn't look back from there.
Damian Lillard scored 23 points and Enes Kanter added 20 points and 15 rebounds for Portland, who fell a half-game behind the Houston Rockets for the third seed in the Western Conference with this defeat.
The Trail Blazers never seriously challenged in the fourth quarter and will hope to bounce back to winning ways in Indiana on Monday, whilst the Pistons are back on the road against the Minnesota Timberwolves on the same night.
Philadelphia 76ers 118-109 Minnesota Timberwolves
Jonah Bolden shone in Joel Embiid's absence as the Philadelphia 76ers beat the Minnesota Timberwolves 118-109 at Target Center to record their eighth win in the last 10 games.
Tobias Harris scored 25 points and Ben Simmons was one assist away from a triple-double as the visiting team closed out the game strong to take the victory.
Reigning Rookie of the Year Simmons had 20 points, 11 rebounds and nine assists as the 76ers won without All-Star center Embiid, who sat out for load management as head coach Brett Brown looks to ensure he is fresh for the playoffs.
That created an opportunity for Simmons' fellow Australian, Bolden, to shine from the start. And the 23-year-old, who was selected with the 36th pick in the 2017 draft did exactly that. He scored a career-high 19 points, going five for seven from beyond the arc in an impressive shooting performance.
There were also strong contributions from the other two starters, as JJ Redick added 16 and Jimmy Butler had 12 points and 13 rebounds. Mike Scott also had 10 points off the bench.
Andrew Wiggins paced the Timberwolves with 24 points, while Karl-Anthony Towns added 21 as they were without a number of key players such as former Sixer Robert Covington (right knee), Luol Deng (left Achilles), Taj Gibson (left calf strain), Derrick Rose (right elbow surgery) and Jeff Teague (left foot).
The Sixers built a 68-55 lead at halftime thanks in large part to going 10 for 18 from three in the opening two quarters.
Wiggins kept the Timberwolves close before rookie Cameron Reynolds hit a three-pointer and followed with a runner in the paint to cut the lead to 97-94 early in the fourth.
But the Sixers went ahead decisively 114-105 with 2:05 left after Bolden hit his fifth trey of the game to help close out the victory.
Philadelphia head to Texas to face the Dallas Mavericks on Monday night, whilst Minnesota host Portland.
Cleveland Cavaliers 108-132 Los Angeles Clippers
Montrezl Harrell and rookie guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander were the star men as the playoff-bound Los Angeles Clippers blew out the Cleveland Cavaliers 132-108 at Staples Center.
It was the Clippers' seventh victory in eight games and 12th in 14 as Doc Rivers' team moved within a half-game of San Antonio for the fifth seed in the Western Conference with five games remaining in their regular season.
Saturday's win typically saw the Clippers, a team without a superstar, get production from everywhere on the court as they shot a red-hot 62.4 percent overall and connected on 15 of 33 three-point attempts - whilst the Cavaliers went just 3 of 23 from beyond the arc.
Harrell scored a team-high 23 points off the bench and point guard Gilgeous-Alexander added 22 points and eight assists. JaMychal Green, starting in place of the rested Danilo Gallinari, and Lou Williams added 18 each.
The energetic Harrell had a scare when he went down hard and remained on the floor for several minutes in the second quarter, appearing to hold an ankle.
Almost the entire team left the bench to check on him. He finally rose, walked off on without help and ultimately remained in the game, apparently uninjured.
For the Cavs, Jordan Clarkson scored 26 points in 24 minutes off the bench whilst their starting rookie point guard Collin Sexton added 21 points, to ensure he scored at least 20 points for the 11th time in his past 12 games.
Next for Larry Drew's team is a clash with Phoenix on Monday, in the second instalment of a five-game road trip. The Clippers are on a back-to-back and host the Grizzlies on Sunday.
Toronto Raptors 124-101 Chicago Bulls
Serge Ibaka and Fred VanVleet top-scored for the Toronto Raptors as the Eastern Conference heavyweights defeated the injury-stricken Chicago Bulls 124-101 in the Windy City.
The pair each scored 23 points and Ibaka also grabbed 12 rebounds as Toronto made it nine wins in a row over the Bulls, and completed the season sweep once again.
Chicago continue to be without four key men: Kris Dunn (back), Zach LaVine (thigh contusion and patellar tendinitis), Lauri Markkanen (medical assessment) and Otto Porter Jr. (shoulder strain).
The Raptors, for their part, were without star man Kawhi Leonard as well as Pascal Siakam, OG Anunoby (concussion-like symptoms) and Patrick McCaw (right thumb).
Marc Gasol has been a solid pick-up for Nick Nurse's team since the Raptors traded for him before the deadline and finished with 17 points, eight rebounds and six assists for Toronto.
Norman Powell had 15 points, Jodie Meeks chipped in with 14 and Kyle Lowry had 10 points, eight assists and seven rebounds.
For the Bulls, Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot scored 18 points and added 10 rebounds, whilst Walter Lemon Jr. notched 19 points and Shaquille Harrison scored 15.
The Raptors led by as many as 24 in the third quarter after gaining control in the second and took an 18-point advantage into the fourth.
They closed out an easy win and return home to face the Orlando Magic on Monday night. The Bulls head to New York to face the Knicks.
Miami Heat 100-92 New York Knicks
Dion Waiters scored 28 points and Dwyane Wade added 16 in his last game at Madison Square Garden, as the Miami Heat beat the New York Knicks 100-92 on Saturday night.
Wade had back-to-back baskets in a key 8-0 run for Miami to start the fourth quarter after the game was tied through three. He shot 6 for 16 overall and added seven rebounds in 27 minutes off the bench.
The Heat had three players notch double-doubles as Hassan Whiteside finished with 17 points and 13 rebounds, while Kelly Olynyk chipped in 12 points and 11 rebounds and Goran Dragic had 10 points and 10 assists.
The Florida ball club have won six of their last eight games and hold a half-game lead over state rivals Orlando for the eighth and final spot in the Eastern Conference.
Emmanuel Mudiay scored 24 points for the hapless Knicks, who have lost six straight and 14 of 15, including eight straight games at home.
For a while, though, it seemed like David Fizdale's team were going to spoil Wade's last visit to one of his favourite arenas.
The three-time NBA champion received a nice hand from the Garden crowd when he walked to the scorer's table for the first time midway through the first quarter. Wade was then greeted with a standing ovation when he checked into the game with 4:37 left in the period.
New York honoured Wade's glittering career with a video tribute in the opening period after a Miami timeout.
Wade then drove to the basket for his first points of the night and late in the game he followed a Whiteside basket with two of his own before Whiteside made two free throws to make it 87-79 with 9:29 to go.
From there, Miami never relinquished control and next up for them is the Boston Celtics on Monday for the first game of a home-and-home series, whilst the Knicks conclude their six-game homestand when they host the Chicago Bulls.
Memphis Grizzlies 120-115 Phoenix Suns
Jonas Valanciunas scored 14 of his career-best 34 points in the fourth quarter and also collected 20 rebounds as the Memphis Grizzlies rallied from 18 points down to claim a 120-115 road win over the Phoenix Suns.
Mike Conley added 33 points for Memphis but the top scorer in the game was Phoenix's Devin Booker who filled it up for 48 on 19-of-29 shooting - just missing out on a third straight 50-point game after scoring 59 and 50 in his previous two outings.
Deandre Ayton had 17 points and 13 rebounds for the Suns before leaving with a sprained left ankle with 3:03 left in the third quarter. The rookie center exited shortly after scoring a basket and noticeably expressed his anguish on the way back upcourt.
The Grizzlies trailed by as many as 18 in the first half but whittled away at the deficit and moved within a point on a Conley basket with 9:55 left.
Both teams then battled for the lead before Memphis moved back ahead at 109-106 on Conley's three with 3:56 remaining.
A couple of layups by Valanciunas pushed the lead to 114-107 before Dragan Bender's three-pointer pulled Phoenix back within four with just over a minute to go.
With Booker needing two points on the Suns' last possession, Memphis double-teamed him and trapped him near half court, and Holiday stole the ball with 1.5 seconds left to prevent Booker's third straight 50-point outing.
In their next game, the Suns will host the Cleveland Cavaliers on Monday whilst the Grizzlies head to LA to face the Clippers on a back-to-back.
