Scottie Barnes recorded his second consecutive double-double, going for 23 points and a career-high 15 assists, as the Toronto Raptors destroyed the visiting Orlando Magic on Sunday, 139-87.
Already dominating the matchup between Eastern Conference playoff hopefuls thanks to a 31-0 spurt in the first half, Toronto went on a 17-0 run to close the third and extending into the fourth. The burst, lasting a little more than three minutes, extended a 38-point lead to 55. The run also effectively doomed Orlando to its most lopsided loss in franchise history.
The Magic’s previous worst defeat was a 47-point rout against Chicago in 2017. And, for a stretch in the fourth quarter, Orlando appeared poised to avoid the dubious record. A 15-4 run Magic run pulled them to a 45-point differential with 4:26 remaining. The Moritz Wagner 3-pointer at the conclusion of this stretch represented the last points Orlando scored.
RJ Barrett also scored a game-high 24 points and paced eight Raptors scoring in double figures. Jamal Shead finished with 12 points and 10 assists, while Ja’Kobe Walter and Jakob Poetlt each finished with 11 points. Desmond Bane led Orlando with 17 points, Jalen Suggs finished with 13 points and five assists and Tristan da Silva scored 12. Paolo Banchero, Orlando’s leading scorer, finished with just nine points.
Thunder 110, Knicks 100
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 30 points to lead Oklahoma City to a home win over New York.
The Thunder have won 14 of their last 15 and moved 2 1/2 games ahead of San Antonio for the top spot in the Western Conference. Jalen Williams scored 22 points on 7-of-11 shooting in more than 28 minutes, his most minutes since Jan. 15 and most points in the four games since returning from a hamstring injury.
Jalen Brunson led New York with 32 points, while Josh Hart, Karl-Anthony Towns and Mikal Bridges had 15 points each and Towns added 18 rebounds. The Knicks have dropped back-to-back games after winning seven consecutive.
Clippers 127, Bucks 113
Bennedict Mathurin scored 28 points and John Collins added 22 to lead Los Angeles to a road victory over Milwaukee.
Kawhi Leonard recorded 20 points and eight rebounds and Darius Garland notched a 15-point, 11-assist double-double as the Clippers won their fifth straight game.
The Bucks, in contrast, have now lost four straight contests and 14 times in their last 17 games. Gary Trent Jr. led Milwaukee with a game-high 36 points on 12-for-21 shooting and Taurean Prince added 18 with eight assists and six rebounds, but those efforts weren’t enough without Giannis Antetokounmpo, Kyle Kuzma, Kevin Porter Jr. and Gary Harris.
Celtics 114, Hornets 99
Jayson Tatum had 32 points, five rebounds and eight assists to help short-handed Boston extend its winning streak to three games with a road victory over Charlotte.
Payton Pritchard added 28 points, six rebounds and six assists as the Celtics were without both Jaylen Brown and Derrick White. Neemias Queta also pitched in with 17 points and eight rebounds.
The Hornets shot just 12 of 43 (27.9%) from beyond the arc, with Kon Knueppel especially struggling (1 of 6 from 3-point range). LaMelo Ball scored a team-high 19 points, while Miles Bridges finished with 14.
Pacers 135, Heat 118
Pascal Siakam had 30 points, 11 rebounds and six assists to lead Indiana to a victory over visiting Miami.
Micah Potter scored 21 points on five made 3-pointers, Kobe Brown added 18 points and Andrew Nembhard tallied 15 points and 10 assists for the Pacers, who earned their first home win since Jan. 31. T.J. McConnell added 15 points and nine assists and Obi Toppin finished with 12 points.
Miami was led by Tyler Herro’s 31 points, followed by Jaime Jaquez Jr.’s 17. Bam Adebayo had 15 points and 12 rebounds for the Heat, who dropped their seventh game in eight tries. Andrew Wiggins and Pelle Larsson each had 15 in the loss.
Trail Blazers 123, Wizards 88
Toumani Camara recorded 23 points and seven rebounds and Scoot Henderson added 21 points and seven assists as Portland routed visiting Washington.
Former Wizards player Deni Avdija added 20 points, seven rebounds and five assists as Portland never trailed en route to winning for the sixth time in the past eight games. The Trail Blazers are 1 1/2 games behind the eighth-place Los Angeles Clippers in the Western Conference play-in jockeying.
Will Riley scored 14 points off the bench for the Wizards, who lost for the 18th time in 19 games. Bub Carrington scored 11 points but missed the final quarter due to muscle cramping. Alex Sarr (left big toe) sat out. Tristan Vukcevic, Justin Champagnie and Sharife Cooper added 10 points apiece.
Rockets 134, Pelicans 102
Alperen Sengun paired 36 points with 13 rebounds while also notching seven assists, three steals, three blocks and five threes to lead Houston to a victory over host New Orleans.
Jabari Smith Jr. and Kevin Durant both dropped 20 points as the Rockets now hold a four-game lead over the Phoenix Suns for the No. 6 spot in the Western Conference. Clint Capela left his mark with 14 boards in 16 minutes off the bench.
Dejounte Murray scored 19 for New Orleans (25-51), which suffered its fifth consecutive loss. Saddiq Bey and Zion Williamson contributed 18 points each.
Nets 116, Kings 99
Ochai Agbaji and rookie Drake Powell combined for 17 points in the fourth quarter as Brooklyn stopped a 10-game losing streak with a victory over Sacramento in New York.
The Nets allowed the game’s first basket and never trailed again, taking a 27-point lead midway through the second quarter before getting their first win since March 9. Agbaji scored 18 points and Powell finished with 16. Rookie Nolan Traore added 17 and six assists as Brooklyn sealed just its third win in its last 23 games.
The Kings took their 11th straight road loss to an Eastern Conference team as DeMar DeRozan (hamstring) and Malik Monk (bruised shoulder) were out. Devin Carter led Sacramento with 20 points, rookie Nique Clifford contributed 17 and seven rebounds and Precious Achiuwa chipped in 16 and eight boards.
Nuggets 116, Warriors 93
Nikola Jokic had 25 points and 15 rebounds, Tim Hardaway Jr. scored 13 of his 16 points in the second half and Denver rallied to beat visiting Golden State.
Jamal Murray had 20 points, Bruce Brown scored 15 off the bench, Christian Braun finished with 12 and Peyton Watson scored 10 for the Nuggets, who have won six in a row.
Brandin Podziemski and Kristaps Porzingis scored 23 points each, Gary Payton II had 16 points and Draymond Green contributed 13 for the Warriors, who played without Stephen Curry for the 25th straight game due to right knee soreness. Gui Santos added 10 rebounds.
–Field Level Media
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