Fred VanVleet scored 13 of his game-high 37 points in the fourth quarter, helping the Houston Rockets win their ninth consecutive game, defeating the Miami Heat 102-98 on Friday night.
VanVleet only scored three points in the first quarter but followed up with nine points in the second quarter and 12 in the third. He finished the game making 13-of-17 shots from the field, including 9-of-11 on 3-pointers. He also made 2-of-4 free throws and recorded three assists.
Houston (46-25) has the longest active win streak in the NBA.
Miami (29-41), which has now lost 10 consecutive games, was led by Andrew Wiggins, who scored 20 of his team-high 30 points in the second quarter. This was the best scoring quarter of his 11-year NBA career.
Suns 123, Cavaliers 112
Kevin Durant scored 42 points, including a crucial 3-pointer that helped stop a late Cleveland comeback, as Phoenix won their third straight game.
Durant’s 3-pointer with 70 seconds left came when Cleveland was threatening after being down by as many as 21 points. Devin Booker scored 17 points, and Collin Gillespie added 13 for the Suns.
Darius Garland led Cleveland with 18 points. De’Andre Hunter scored 17 off the bench, and Evan Mobley finished with 16 points and 12 rebounds.
Timberwolves 134, Pelicans 93
Julius Randle scored 20 points on 7-for-11 shooting as Minnesota won easily over New Orleans in Minneapolis.
Anthony Edwards and Jaden McDaniels each scored 17 points for the Timberwolves, who bounced back from a loss to the Pelicans just two nights earlier. Rudy Gobert finished with 15 points and 11 rebounds.
C.J. McCollum led the Pelicans with 15 points. Bruce Brown scored 14 points. The Pelicans have lost eight of their last 10 games.
Oklahoma City Thunder- Shai Gilgeous-AlexanderThunder 141, Hornets 106
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 30 points, leading Oklahoma City to a home win over Charlotte.
The Thunder, having clinched the top spot in the Western Conference the previous night, came out strong early to secure the win. Eight Thunder players scored 10 or more points, marking the fourth time since the team moved to Oklahoma City that this has happened.
Miles Bridges led the Hornets with 20 points, and Nick Smith Jr. added 14, with both hitting four 3-pointers.
Celtics 121, Jazz 99
Kristaps Porzingis had 27 points, 10 rebounds, and six assists as Boston beat Utah in Salt Lake City, winning nine of their last 10 games.
Jayson Tatum added 26 points for Boston, which has now won four games in a row. Payton Pritchard and Sam Hauser, coming off the bench, scored 18 and 14 points, respectively.
Collin Sexton led Utah with 30 points. Keyonte George scored 19, and Johnny Juzang added 11. Walker Kessler had eight points, 11 rebounds, and six assists for Utah, who have lost 11 of their last 12 games.
Clippers 128, Grizzlies 108
James Harden scored 30 points and had nine assists, while Kawhi Leonard added 23 points and 10 rebounds to help Los Angeles extend their winning streak to five games with a victory over Memphis.
Ivica Zubac contributed 17 points and 10 rebounds, and Bogdan Bogdanovic had 16 points off the bench. Norman Powell added 14 points as the Clippers extended their home win streak to eight games. The Clippers won the game without head coach Tyronn Lue.
Jaren Jackson Jr. scored 23 points, and Santi Aldama added 16 for Memphis. The Grizzlies were missing star Ja Morant for the fourth straight game due to shoulder and hamstring injuries.
Trail Blazers 128, Nuggets 109
Deni Avdija scored a season-high 36 points, making 12 of 16 shots, to lead Portland to a big win over Denver.
Shaedon Sharpe added 23 points as Portland won their fourth straight game. Avdija also had four 3-pointers, eight rebounds, seven assists, and three steals in his fourth 30-point game of the month. Dalano Banton came off the bench to score 19 points and add five assists.
Aaron Gordon led Denver with 23 points. Denver was without three-time MVP Nikola Jokic (ankle) for the third consecutive game. Russell Westbrook added 18 points, Michael Porter Jr. scored 17, and Christian Braun finished with 15 points for the Nuggets, who are in fourth place in the Western Conference.
San Antonio Spurs (NBA)Spurs 128, 76ers 120
Jeremy Sochan scored 23 points, and Stephon Castle had 17 points and 14 assists as San Antonio defeated a short-handed Philadelphia team.
Devin Vassell added 20 points, and Chris Paul scored 18 points, making 6-of-7 from beyond the arc. Keldon Johnson contributed 18 points, and Barnes had 14 for San Antonio.
Quentin Grimes led the 76ers with 25 points and 10 assists. Edwards scored 25 points, Guerschon Yabusele had 23, and Ricky Council IV finished with 20 points. Philadelphia has now lost six of their last seven games.
Magic 120, Wizards 105
Paolo Banchero had 30 points and eight rebounds in three quarters as Orlando defeated Washington.
Six Magic players scored in double figures, including Franz Wagner with 21 points and Wendell Carter Jr., who had 16 points and 12 rebounds. Orlando has alternated wins and losses in their last eight games.
Rookie Alex Sarr led Washington with 19 points and 10 rebounds. The Wizards lost their third consecutive game.
Mavericks 123, Pistons 117
Spencer Dinwiddie scored a season-high 31 points, and P.J. Washington added 27 points to help Dallas break their four-game losing streak with a win over Detroit.
Klay Thompson finished with 20 points, and Naji Marshall had 19 points and 11 rebounds for the injury-plagued Mavericks, who only had nine available players.
Cade Cunningham led Detroit with 35 points, seven rebounds, and six assists. Malik Beasley scored 16 points as Detroit’s two-game winning streak ended.
