Harden, Capella lead Rockets past feisty Hornets 118-113
By STEVE REED
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) _ James Harden scored 30 points, Clint Capela had 23 points and a career-high 17 rebounds, and the Houston Rockets beat the Charlotte Hornets 118-113 on Wednesday night for their third straight win.
In his first game since ending his streak of 30-point games at 32, Harden struggled from the field, missing his first eight shots from 3-point range _ even having one blocked by Nic Batum, who gave the MVP candidate fits all night with his defense.
Harden finished 10 of 29 from the field and 1 of 11 from 3-point range, but he made two clutch free throws with 14.6 seconds left to put the game away.
He had plenty of support.
Capela was solid throughout, and Chris Paul heated up in the fourth quarter and finished with 17 points and 10 assists for the Rockets (36-25).
Kemba Walker had 35 points for the Hornets, 27 in the first half. He was 3 of 12 from the floor after halftime.
The Rockets trailed by four entering the fourth quarter but opened with an 18-4 run behind six points from Paul, including four on fall-away mid-range jumpers.
The Hornets battled back behind Walker and Jeremy Lamb, who had 18 points and 14 rebounds, and had a chance to tie with 17 seconds left. Walker missed a leaning 3-pointer from the right wing and the Hornets fouled Harden, who made two free throws to make it a five-point game.
Walker missed another 3 with seven seconds left, and the Rockets escaped with the win.
Eric Gordon got the start for the Rockets over Kenneth Faried. Coach Mike D’Antoni said the move keeps Paul from covering the opposition’s point guard for the entire game, which could help preserve his health down the stretch.
Gordon had six points.
The loss leaves the Hornets a half-game ahead of the Magic in the battle for the eighth playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.
TIP INS
Rockets: Scored 41 points in the first quarter on 61 percent shooting. … Faried didn’t start but still managed to pick up his fourth foul by the middle of the second quarter.
Hornets: Walker became the first Eastern Conference player to reach 200 3-pointers when he buried a step-back jumper against Harden in the first quarter.
UP NEXT
Rockets: Host Heat on Thursday night.
Hornets: Visit Nets on Friday night.
Aldridge helps Spurs beat Pistons in return home, 105-93
By RAUL DOMINGUEZ
SAN ANTONIO (AP) _ LaMarcus Aldridge scored 24 points, DeMar DeRozan had 17 points and 13 points, and the San Antonio Spurs returned home after a 25-day absence to beat the Detroit Pistons 105-93 on Wednesday night and snap a three-game skid.
Detroit had won three straight and seven of eight but was facing a San Antonio team in desperate need of a homecoming.
The Spurs returned to the AT&T Center for the first time since Feb. 2 after going 1-7 on their rodeo road trip, the worst they have fared on their annual excursion.
Marco Belinelli added 17 points off the bench and Derrick White had 15 points, six rebounds and four assists.
Reggie Jackson scored 22 points for Detroit, which had not lost since Feb. 13 at Boston. Blake Griffin added 17 points and Andre Drummond had 10 points and 17 rebounds.
The Spurs opened the game 5 for 7 on 3-pointers in building a 12-point lead, but the inconsistency that plagued them on their trip made the return flight. The Pistons went on a 17-4 run to take a 48-47 lead. San Antonio missed two shots and committed five turnovers during the drought.
Belinelli’s off-balance shots helped steady the Spurs. The 12-year veteran was 3 for 4 on 3-pointers, giving San Antonio the lead on his first two shots and his final 3 extending the advantage to 75-64 late in the third quarter. His off-balance 16-footer gave the Spurs a 97-88 advantage with 3:39 remaining.
Belinelli’s jumper was part of a 9-0 run after Detroit point guard Ish Smith’s layup had cut it to 90-88 with 5 minutes remaining.
Jakob Poeltl added 11 points and 14 rebounds for the Spurs and also had a key block against Drummond with 2:21 remaining and the Spurs up 99-91.
TIP-INS
Pistons: Detroit has lost four straight in San Antonio with its previous win coming Jan. 6, 2015. . Spurs fans are still upset with Zaza Pachulia, who injured Kawhi Leonard in Game 1 of the 2017 Western Conference finals while with Golden State by stepping under the All-Star forward on a 3-pointer. Pachulia was loudly booed when he was introduced and touched the ball. … Wayne Ellington had 11 points, leaving him one shy of 5,000.
Spurs: Bryn Forbes exited the game with a bruised right calf with 5:34 remaining in the first quarter. Forbes needed assistance walking to the locker
room after he and Griffin got tangled up after diving onto the floor to corral a loose ball. . Forbes made a pair of 3-pointers before exiting, giving him 237 to surpass Manu Ginobili (236) for third among Spurs’ players in their first three seasons. Gary Neal tops the list with 301 3-pointers in his first three seasons, followed by Davis Bertans at 276.
UP NEXT
Pistons: At Cleveland on Saturday night.
Spurs: Host Oklahoma City on Saturday night.
Doncic helps Mavs beat Pacers 110-101 in final game as teen
By SCHUYLER DIXON
DALLAS (AP) _ Luka Doncic had 26 points and 10 rebounds in his final game as a teenager, fellow rookie Jalen Brunson scored a season-high 24 points and the Dallas Mavericks ended a five-game losing streak with a 110-101 victory over the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday night.
Doncic, the only teenager in NBA history with multiple triple-doubles, didn’t have a shot at his fifth late. But the first-year sensation who turns 20 Thursday had two of his seven assists on a pair of key 3-pointers while getting one from Brunson on a deep 3 to help Dallas hang on.
Wesley Matthews scored 20 points in his first game against his former team after going to New York in Dallas’ blockbuster deal with the Knicks. Matthews signed with the Pacers as a free agent.
Bojan Bogdanovic led the Pacers with 22 points as Indiana lost consecutive games for the first time since the last of a season-high four straight losses on Jan. 31. Indiana had won eight of 10 coming into the game.
The Mavericks held on by making their last six 3-pointers in the final six minutes, capped by another shot from well behind the arc by Doncic for a 110-101 lead with 40 seconds remaining.
Tim Hardaway Jr. had one of those late 3s and finished with 20 points, while Dirk Nowitzki hit one early in the fourth for a five-point lead and finished with 11 points in the 40-year-old’s first home start in his 21st season.
Indiana’s Myles Turner, a former high school standout in the Dallas area, scored 13 points. Thaddeus Young had 11.
TIP-INS
Pacers: C Kyle O’Quinn was given a flagrant 1 for a hard foul that sent Doncic to the floor in the first quarter. Doncic, who was going for a dunk when O’Quinn met him in midair, also lost a shoe on the play. … G Tyreke Evans was out with food poisoning, and F Domantas Sabonis was out with a sprained left ankle.
Mavericks: Doncic has 16 turnovers in two games. He had seven two nights after a season-high nine. … Dwight Powell scored 12 points.
UP NEXT
Pacers: Minnesota at home Thursday, with Timberwolves going for first two-game season sweep since 2006-07.
Mavericks: Memphis at home Saturday.