Harden scores 26, Rockets hit 20 3s to beat Clippers 122-103
LOS ANGELES (AP) _ James Harden scored 26 points and the Houston Rockets shot 20 of 52 on 3-pointers in a 122-103 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday night.
Ryan Anderson added 23 points, including a team-high six 3s, as the Rockets won for the seventh time in nine games and extended their NBA record to nine games with 20 or more 3-pointers this season.
Nene added 16 points, while Eric Gordon, Patrick Beverley and Clint Capela had 14 apiece for Houston, which outrebounded the Clippers 62-35.
In four games since the All-Star break, the Rockets, who lead the NBA in 3-pointers made and attempted, have hit 72 on 206 attempts, an average of 18 of 51.5 from beyond the arc.
Chris Paul had 16 points and 10 assists to lead the Clippers, who lost for the third time in four games. Blake Griffin added 17 points, Austin Rivers scored 16 and Luc Mbah a Moute 13 for Los Angeles.
Leonard’s 31 points lead Spurs to 100-99 win over Pacers
SAN ANTONIO (AP) _ Kawhi Leonard had 31 points and 10 rebounds, and the San Antonio Spurs returned from an eight-game road trip to beat the Indiana Pacers 100-99 on Wednesday night.
Leonard hit a turnaround, fade-away jumper from 16 feet against Paul George with 2.4 seconds left to win it. Indiana’s Monta Ellis missed a pair of free throws with nine seconds remaining and George missed a 3-pointer at the buzzer.
George finished with 22 points, C.J. Miles added 19 and Myles Turner had 16.
San Antonio extended its winning streak to five games, including four straight to close its annual rodeo road trip in February.
Pau Gasol and David Lee had 18 points each off the bench for the Spurs.
The battle between All-Star forwards was a stalemate until the final five minutes. Leonard scored San Antonio’s final nine points during that stretch, including the game-winning shot, while George was limited to a pair of free throws.
Paul Millsap helps Hawks hold off rallying Mavericks 100-95
ATLANTA (AP) _ Paul Millsap scored on a drive with 30.5 seconds remaining and the Atlanta Hawks held off the rallying Dallas Mavericks for a 100-95 victory Wednesday night.
After Millsap’s basket put the Hawks ahead 96-95, Harrison Barnes missed a chance to put the Mavericks back in front. His jumper was off the mark with Kent Bazemore right in his face.
Ersan Ilyasova was fouled going for the rebound and knocked down both free throws to extend Atlanta’s lead with 11.1 seconds left.
Dallas still had a chance to force overtime, but Seth Curry slipped on the inbounds pass and Bazemore scooped up the loose ball, taking off the other way for a dunk that clinched the victory.
Millsap had 18 points and just missed a triple-double, dishing out 10 assists to go with eight rebounds. Ilyasova also finished with 18 points.
Barnes led the Mavericks with 25 points.