The result ended the Celtics' nine-game winning streak. Kyle Anderson came off the bench and added 19 points for Miami, which shot 14-for-30 from 3-point range (46.7 percent). Seven Heat players scored in double figures.

Jaylen Brown led the Celtics with 24 points and nine rebounds, while Derrick White and Jayson Tatum each finished with 16 points. Miami's 21-point victory matched Boston's worst loss of the season.

The Celtics trailed 100-95 with 7:46 to play, but the Heat used an 8-0 run to push the lead to 13 and were in control the rest of the way. Boston outrebounded Miami 43-34 but shot 44.8 percent from the floor (39 of 87) and fell to 24-13 at home.

Thunder 119, Pistons 103

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 33 points as host Oklahoma City tied franchise record for wins in a season by beating Detroit. The Thunder equaled the franchise's win total (64) from 1995-96, when the team was based in Seattle.

Jalen Williams added 23 points and Chet Holmgren had 22 points and 11 rebounds as Oklahoma City stretched its winning streak to 11 games.

The Pistons were short-handed, playing without Cade Cunningham (calf) and the suspended trio of Isaiah Stewart, Marcus Sasser and Ronald Holland II. Tim Hardaway Jr. led Detroit with 23 points.

Mavericks 120, Hawks 118

Anthony Davis made a go-ahead floater with 3.4 seconds left, helping Dallas post a victory over visiting Atlanta.

Trae Young's contested 3-point attempt at the buzzer came up short. Young posted 25 points and 12 assists, while Onyeka Okongwu finished with 20 points and 14 rebounds for the Hawks, who fell a half-game behind the Orlando Magic for the No. 7 spot in the Eastern Conference.

Davis had 34 points and 15 rebounds for the Mavericks, who earned their third win in four tries. Thompson added 17 points, while Spencer Dinwiddie collected 14 points and 10 assists for Dallas.

Clippers 114, Pelicans 98

Kawhi Leonard scored 28 points and James Harden added 21 points and 10 assists to help Los Angeles post a victory over New Orleans in Inglewood, Calif.

Ivica Zubac recorded 17 points, 10 rebounds and six assists for the Clippers, who pulled into a three-way tie with the Minnesota Timberwolves and Memphis Grizzlies for sixth place in the Western Conference. The fifth-place Golden State Warriors are just a half-game ahead of the trio.

Jose Alvarado had 17 points and 10 assists and Bruce Brown added 16 points as the injury-ravaged Pelicans lost for the 11th time in the past 15 games.

Cavaliers 124, Knicks 105

Donovan Mitchell scored 27 points to pace the Eastern Conference-leading Cleveland Cavaliers, as they used a fourth-quarter run to put away the visiting New York Knicks.

New York got a 25-point, 13-rebound double-double from Karl-Anthony Towns, who returned after missing Tuesday's first leg of the back-to-back. OG Anunoby added 23 points for the Knicks, going 5-of-8 from 3-point range.

Wizards 116, Kings 111

Jordan Poole scored 23 points, and JT Thor sank a crucial 3-pointer late in the fourth quarter, lifting host Washington to a victory over Sacramento.

Wizards rookies AJ Johnson, Bub Carrington and Alex Sarr enjoyed successful outings. Johnson scored 19 points. Carrington sank five 3-pointers to highlight his 19-point performance, and Sarr finished with 15 points.

Sacramento's DeMar DeRozan recorded 29 points, eight assists and seven rebounds, and Domantas Sabonis added 18 points, 16 boards and seven assists. The Kings have lost three in a row and seven of their last eight games.

Rockets 143, Jazz 105

Alperen Sengun finished with 15 points, 14 rebounds and nine assists as Houston blew out visiting Utah. The Rockets won for the 13th time in 15 outings and maintained their No. 2 position in the Western Conference.

Jalen Green led seven Rockets in double figures with 22 points. Dillon Brooks chipped in with 21 points, while Jabari Smith Jr. added 15 points and 14 rebounds off the bench.

Isaiah Collier produced 22 points and 10 assists, but the Jazz took their seventh loss in a row. Utah, which has dropped 17 of 18, owns the worst record in the NBA with five games remaining.

Spurs 113, Nuggets 106

Stephon Castle, one of seven San Antonio players to score in double figures, had 15 points, 15 rebounds and nine assists as the visiting Spurs beat short-handed Denver.

San Antonio's Harrison Barnes scored 20 points, Sandro Mamukelashvili contributed 16 points and 10 rebounds, and Chris Paul added 17 points and eight assists.

The Nuggets were without six of its top seven players, including Nikola Jokic (ankle). Russell Westbrook had a season-high 30 points and 11 rebounds, and Jalen Pickett added 17 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists for his first career triple-double.

Pacers 119, Hornets 105

Tyrese Haliburton had 22 points and 10 assists as Indiana defeated Charlotte Hornets in Indianapolis for its eighth win in 10 games.

Haliburton logged his double-double without a turnover for the Pacers. He received support from Aaron Nesmith (16 points), Pascal Siakam (15) and Myles Turner (15).

Miles Bridges had 18 points for the Hornets, who have lost six of seven. Mark Williams posted 16 points and 12 rebounds and Seth Curry added 16 points.

Ivica Zubac recorded 17 points, 10 rebounds and six assists for the Clippers, who won for the 12th time in the past 15 games. Bogdan Bogdanovic made four 3-pointers while scoring 16 points for Los Angeles in the opener of a five-game homestand.

Leonard scored 20 or more points for the 10th straight game as the Clippers (44-32) pulled into a three-way tie with the Minnesota Timberwolves and Memphis Grizzlies for the sixth best record in the Western Conference. The fifth-place Golden State Warriors (44-31) are just a half-game ahead of the trio.

Jose Alvarado had 17 points and 10 assists and Bruce Brown added 16 points as the injury-ravaged Pelicans (21-55) lost for the 11th time in the past 15 games. Kelly Olynyk had 12 points, Antonio Reeves scored 11 and Jamal Cain and Karlo Matkovic added 10 each.

New Orleans shot 50.6 percent from the field, but was a shaky 4 of 22 from behind the arc.

Kris Dunn and Norman Powell had 11 points apiece for Los Angeles, which shot 52.6 percent from the field and made 13 of 32 from 3-point range. Leonard and Dunn each made three 3-pointers.

The Pelicans trailed by 12 at halftime but opened up the third quarter with a 10-3 run to move within 62-57 on a basket by Olynyk with 9:40 remaining.

Bogdanovic swished a 3-pointer as part of six straight Los Angeles points as the Clippers went up 83-70 before Elfrid Payton's floater pulled New Orleans within 11 with 29.3 seconds left in the quarter.

Bogdanovic buried two treys in 66 seconds early in the fourth quarter as Los Angeles increased its lead to 91-76.

Bogdanovic knocked down his final 3-pointer to make it 103-88 with 5:19 left to play. Zubac scored the next four points to push the Los Angeles lead to 19 with 4:01 remaining.

A 3-pointer by Leonard made it 110-90 with 3:25 left and the Clippers closed it out.

Leonard scored 18 points and Harden added 14 in the first half as the Clippers led 59-47 at the break. Alvarado had 10 first-half points for the Pelicans.

The Thunder equaled the franchise's win total in 1995-96 when the team was based in Seattle.

Oklahoma City (64-12) stretched its winning streak to 11 and kept alive its chances to become the third team in NBA history to win 70 games in one season.

The Thunder finished the season 29-1 against Eastern Conference opponents, the best record in league history against the opposite conference.

Oklahoma City took the lead in the game's opening minute and never relinquished it, though a 16-point lead entering the fourth dwindled to just four by midway through the quarter.

Detroit once again cut it to four with less than four minutes remaining before the Thunder scored the game's last 12 points to put the game away.

Though Gilgeous-Alexander finished with his 48th 30-plus point game of the season, he was just 10 of 26 from the floor and 2 of 7 from beyond the arc.

Gilgeous-Alexander started hot, but was just 5 of 20 from the field after the first quarter.

Oklahoma City was just 10 of 38 on 3-pointers.

Jalen Williams added 23 points and Chet Holmgren had 22 points and 11 rebounds.

The Thunder scored their last seven points off Detroit turnovers.

The Pistons were short-handed, playing without Cade Cunningham, Isaiah Stewart, Marcus Sasser and Ron Holland II.

Cunningham missed his fifth consecutive game with a left calf injury, while the other three were serving a suspension after a fight broke out in Sunday night's Detroit loss to Minnesota.

Tobias Harris returned after missing the last two games with right Achilles pain, but left the game less than midway through the third quarter after experiencing more Achilles pain and did not return.

Tim Hardaway Jr. led Detroit with 23 points.

The Pistons (42-34) lost for the second consecutive game.

Oklahoma City swept the two meetings between the teams, with both wins coming during its current win streak.

Thunder big man Isaiah Hartenstein came off the bench for just the fourth time this season.

In the first quarter of the Rockets' 143-105 win over the Utah Jazz, Brooks was backing down Collin Sexton in the post. Sexton stripped the ball out of Brooks' hands, then the Rockets forward leaped and kicked Sexton in the groin.

Brooks' automatic suspension should sideline him for Friday's matchup against the Oklahoma City Thunder.

After reaching the single-season threshold of 16 technical fouls, a player's future suspensions will increase by one game for every two additional technical fouls.

Brooks is second in the NBA in technical fouls this season, behind only Anthony Edwards (17).

This season, Brooks is averaging 13.9 points and 3.7 rebounds per game, while shooting 39.5 percent from deep.

Harrison Barnes scored 20 points. Sandro Mamukelashvili contributed 16 points and 10 rebounds, and Chris Paul added 17 points and eight assists. Blake Wesley scored 15 points, and Julian Champagnie finished with 14 for San Antonio (32-45).

Denver (47-30) was without six of its top seven players a night after a double-overtime loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves. Nikola Jokic (left ankle), Jamal Murray (right hamstring), Aaron Gordon (right calf), Christian Braun (left foot), Peyton Watson (right knee) and Michael Porter Jr. (personal) were not active.

Russell Westbrook had a career-high 30 points and 11 rebounds. Jalen Pickett had 17 points, 11 rebounds, and 10 assists for his first career triple-double, Hunter Tyson scored 18 points, and DeAndre Jordan finished with 10 points and 17 rebounds for the Nuggets.

Denver opened the fourth quarter with eight straight points to take its first lead, 93-88 lead. San Antonio responded with a 13-2 run, the Nuggets scored the next four points and had a chance to tie but Westbrook missed a layup.

Wesley and Mamukelashvili extended the lead to six again, Pickett made a layup but the Spurs held on to end their five-game losing streak.

San Antonio led 71-57 early in the third quarter when Denver made a run. Tyson hit two 3-pointers and Westbrook made one during a 12-2 spurt that made it 73-69. The Spurs stretched their advantage to 86-79 late in the period, but the Nuggets closed the quarter strong and cut it to 88-85 on Vlatko Cancar's 3-pointer at the horn.

San Antonio raced out to a 33-23 lead after the first quarter and pushed the advantage to as much as 20 in the second.

Denver made a run in the final 3:48 of halftime. Westbrook hit four free throws, Pickett drained two 3-pointers and Zeke Nnaji made another from deep to close within 66-54 at intermission.

The Hawks trailed by 115-110 with just over three minutes left before Onyeka Okongwu scored five points on an 8-0 Atlanta run. His hook shot with 1:46 remaining gave the Hawks a three-point edge.

After Klay Thompson sank a game-tying 3-pointer with 41.5 seconds to go, the Hawks came up empty on their ensuing possession, leading to Davis' game-winning runner. Trae Young's contested 3-point attempt at the buzzer came up short.

Davis had 34 points and 15 rebounds for the Mavericks (38-39), who earned their third win in four tries. Thompson added 17 points, while Spencer Dinwiddie collected 14 points and 10 assists. Jaden Hardy scored 13 off the bench, while fellow reserves Max Christie and Daniel Gafford had 11 apiece in the win.

Young led Atlanta (36-40) with 25 points and 12 assists, while Okongwu finished with 20 points and 14 rebounds. Dyson Daniels had 17 points and Caris LeVert chipped in 14 for the Hawks, who lost their fourth game in five tries and fell a half-game behind the Orlando Magic for the No. 7 spot in the Eastern Conference standings.

After Atlanta's five-point halftime lead grew to 11 on Mouhamed Gueye's consecutive dunks, Davis' personal 8-0 run pulled the Mavericks within three, forcing an Atlanta timeout with 6:32 remaining in the third quarter.

LeVert's free throws later gave the Hawks an 88-84 lead, before Christie's three-point play and Caleb Martin's mid-range jumper stamped Dallas' 10-0 run, giving the Mavericks their largest cushion to that point at 94-88.

Hardy's stepback 3-pointer with 1.8 seconds left in the quarter gave the Mavericks a 101-96 lead entering the fourth.

The Mavericks' run continued into the final quarter, with Thompson's triple and Davis' back-to-back dunks pushing Dallas' advantage to 12.

After the Hawks held a 34-32 entering the second quarter, Young scored 16 of his 21 first-half points in the second, helping Atlanta grab a 72-67 halftime lead. Okongwu added 12 points for the Hawks, while Davis led Dallas with 15 first-half points.

Sengun, who has eight career triple-doubles, finished with 15 points, 14 rebounds and nine rebounds to help the Rockets (50-27) win for the 13th time in 15 outings and maintain their No. 2 position in the Western Conference.

Jalen Green led seven Rockets in double figures with 22 points. Dillon Brooks chipped in with 21 points, while Jabari Smith Jr. added 15 points and 14 rebounds off the bench. Tari Eason totaled 15 points, nine rebounds, three assists, two steals and two blocks as Houston reached the 50-win mark for the first time since the 2018-19 season.

Isaiah Collier led the Jazz (16-61) with 22 points. He also dished out 10 assists, adding to his rookie franchise record.

This was the seventh loss in a row for Utah, which has the worst record in the NBA with five games remaining. The Jazz have lost 17 of 18.

Collin Sexton scored 18 for the visitors, while Walker Kessler hauled in 12 rebounds with 11 points, and Kyle Filipowski grabbed 11 boards.

Reed Sheppard hit five 3s in nine minutes for 15 points as the Rockets went 19-for-45 beyond the arc. Houston shot 53.8 percent overall in its second win over Utah in seven nights.

Houston also outrebounded Utah 63-39 and stretched its lead to as many as 41 points.

Brooks was assessed his 16th technical foul in the first quarter and is facing an automatic one-game suspension. Brooks kicked his leg out near the groin of Sexton.

Brooks hit two 3s and Green added another as Houston jumped out to a 9-2 start.

The Jazz used a 12-2 run, sparked by seven points from Sexton, to take a 17-13 lead.

Green then sparked an 11-0 spurt for Houston, which took a 33-26 lead at the end of the first. The quarter ended with an entertaining 3-point shootout between the teams, which exchanged two treys apiece in a 46-second stretch.

The Rockets then began their dominance in the second quarter, taking a 12-point lead with six straight points.

They continued that surge by outscoring Utah 23-8 en route to seizing a commanding 70-46 halftime lead.

Houston opened the second half with a 14-4 push to go up by 34 points three minutes in and never relented.

Kyle Anderson came off the bench and added 19 points for Miami (35-41), which was 14-of-30 from 3-point range (46.7 percent). Seven Miami players scored in double figures.

Jaylen Brown led the Celtics (56-20) with 24 points. Derrick White and Jayson Tatum each finished with 16.

Miami's 21-point victory was Boston's worst loss of the season. The loss also ended the Celtics' nine-game winning streak.

Boston outrebounded Miami 43-34, but shot 44.8 percent from the floor (39 of 87). The Celtics fell to 24-13 at home.

Boston trailed 100-95 with 7:46 to play, but Miami used an 8-0 run to push the lead to 13 and was in control the rest of the way.

Both teams played short-handed. Miami was missing Nikola Jovic (hand), Kevin Love (personal reasons), Andrew Wiggins (hamstring) and Duncan Robinson (back). Boston was without Jrue Holiday (shoulder), Kristaps Porzingis (illness reconditioning) and Al Horford (toe).

Miami led 29-22 after one quarter and stretched that lead to 48-33 on an Adebayo three-point play with 4:54 remaining in the second quarter. The 15-point advantage was Miami's largest lead of the first half. The Heat led 59-45 at halftime.

The Heat took a 67-47 lead on an Alec Burks free throw with 10:56 left in the third. Miami pushed its lead to 22 before Baylor Scheierman capped a 19-1 Boston run with a 3-pointer that cut Miami's lead to 77-74.The Heat had a 91-81 advantage entering the final quarter.

Boston won three of four games against Miami this season.

Revived by trade-deadline moves, the Lakers and Warriors are turning championship DNA into dueling title runs.

Behind rejuvenated play from Steph Curry, and the February addition of Jimmy Butler, Golden State is 19-5 since Feb. 8. That is the date of Butler's Warriors debut after he was traded by the Miami Heat.

Curry put on another show Tuesday when he scored 52 points and rallied Golden State to a 134-125 road victory over the Memphis Grizzlies. Showing that his legendary shooting touch has not aged, Curry made 12 3-pointers to match a season high.

Butler added 27 points, and Draymond Green contributed a triple-double with 13 points, 12 assists and 10 rebounds. The victory came without Jonathan Kuminga (pelvis) and the continued absence of Gary Payton II (thumb).

Butler is scoring 17.5 points per game with the Warriors, while his basketball IQ and play on the defensive end is helping Golden State to thrive.

"Jimmy saved our season," Warriors coach Steve Kerr told reporters. "The trade saved our season. Everybody knows that. But you watch what he did -- 12-for-12 from the (free-throw) line. Steph goes off the floor, we're running everything through him. Just a big-time defender, big-time two-way player."

The Lakers have a season-saver of their own in Luka Doncic, who arrived in February from the Dallas Mavericks for Anthony Davis. Doncic has averaged 27.2 points with his new team and had 20 in a 104-98 home win over the Houston Rockets on Monday.

But the Lakers still go as LeBron James goes and even though the 40-year-old was limited to 16 points in the victory, his eight rebounds, four assists and two steals helped Los Angeles to the finish line.

The Lakers' bench is also finding its way with Dorian Finney-Smith and Gabe Vincent adding 20 points each. Lakers reserves outscored the Rockets' bench 46-32.

Los Angeles is trying to get Finney-Smith to shoot more, and the confidence from teammates and coaches is making an impact. He was 6 of 11 from 3-point range.

"I always want to make the right read," Finney-Smith said. "... So, it feels good when guys like (Doncic) and Bron are telling me to shoot. Because it could be the other way around."

Vincent also made six 3-pointers against the Rockets.

The fight for playoff positioning in the Western Conference is not lost on the Lakers.

"It's so close," James said. "People are jumping each other, falling behind, whatever the case may be. For us, obviously, our mission is to lock in a playoff spot. We don't want to have to play in the play-In. So, we understand what's at stake."

Doncic aggravated a sore elbow during the victory over the Rockets but intends to play against the Warriors.

The Lakers have won all three games against the Warriors this season, with the most recent coming Feb. 6 in a 120-112 victory at Los Angeles when James scored 42 points, while Curry had 37.

Poole made 8 of 14 shots from the floor to help the Wizards (17-59) snap a three-game losing streak. The win also avenged Washington's 123-100 setback in Sacramento on Jan. 19.

Wizards rookies AJ Johnson, Bub Carrington and Alex Sarr enjoyed successful outings. Johnson scored 19 points, Carrington sank five 3-pointers to highlight his 19-point performance and Sarr finished with 15 points.

Tristan Vukcevic added 17 points off the bench for Washington, which shot a robust 51.2 percent from the floor.

Sacramento's DeMar DeRozan recorded 29 points, eight assists and seven rebounds and Domantas Sabonis added 18 points, 16 boards and seven assists.

Zach LaVine and Keegan Murray also scored 18 points for the Kings (36-40), who have lost three in a row and seven of their last eight games.

Sacramento trimmed a 14-point deficit to 111-109 after DeRozan converted a three-point play with 55.6 seconds to play. Thor, however, used a ball fake to create some space before calmly sinking a 3-pointer with 40 seconds remaining for his only points of the night.

Carrington added a pair of free throws with 28.2 seconds left to essentially seal the win.

Murray made his second 3-pointer to begin the third and give Sacramento a 60-59 lead before Washington went on a 32-17 run to end the quarter. Carrington converted four times from beyond the arc, including twice during the final minute of the quarter to stake the Wizards to a 91-77 advantage.

LaVine sank a pair of free throws to forge a tie at 42 before Gill drained a 3-pointer to ignite Washington's 11-0 run. Sacramento, however, responded with a flourish, as Malik Monk scored four of the team's 10 straight points before Poole split the defense for a layup just before the buzzer to give the Wizards a 55-52 lead at halftime.

Haliburton's double-double came without a turnover for Indiana (45-31). He received support from Aaron Nesmith (16 points), Pascal Siakam (15) and Myles Turner (15), as six Pacers notched double-digits in scoring.

Indiana consolidated fourth position in the Eastern Conference with its second successive win.

Miles Bridges had 18 points for Charlotte (19-57). Mark Williams posted 16 points and 12 rebounds, and Seth Curry added 16 points.

Guard Damion Baugh exited the game with a injury in the third period for the Hornets, who let themselves down by coughing up 18 turnovers, on which they conceded 29 points.

In the first quarter, the Pacers' defense forced six turnovers, while at the other end they hit 7 of 13 from 3-point range to hold a 32-25 advantage.

Indiana started the second frame 9-2 and threatened to break away, before Charlotte responded with the next 10 points.

Both side's offenses endured cold patches as the Hornets narrowly won a dour 21-20 quarter to reduce the Pacers' cushion to 53-45 at halftime.

Charlotte closed the gap to 68-67 in the third before being swamped by Indiana down the stretch.

As the turnovers mounted once again for the Hornets, the Pacers pounced.

Toppin's spectacular dunk from a crafty Haliburton's bounce pass was the highlight of a 15-4 close to the third quarter, at the end of which Indiana led 87-73.

The Hornets started the final period with back-to-back 3-pointers and a Jusuf Nurkic layup as they threatened a revival.

The Pacers called a timeout and restored order, piloted by Nesmith.

He followed a three-point play with successive 3-pointers and a layup to give Indiana breathing space.

Cleveland (61-15) went on a 20-6 run early in the third quarter to pull ahead after trailing by nine points, but New York rallied to force an 83-all tie late in the period. The Cavaliers then ripped off eight straight, including back-to-back easy buckets for Isaac Okoro, to jump-start a game-changing run.

By the time Precious Achiuwa ended the drought, the Cavaliers opened up a double-digit-point lead they held the rest of the way.

Six Cavaliers scored in double-figures, including Jarrett Allen, who finished with 21 points on 10-of-11 shooting from the floor. Allen added a team-high eight rebounds.

Darius Garland added 17 points and six assists, De'Andre Hunter scored 16 off the bench, and Okoro went for 11 points and six rebounds in reserve duty. Evan Mobley chipped in 13 points.

New York (48-28) got a 25-point, 13-rebound double-double from Karl-Anthony Towns, who returned after missing Tuesday's first leg of the back-to-back. However, Cleveland forced Towns into seven turnovers.

OG Anunoby added 23 points for the Knicks, going 5-of-8 from 3-point range. Josh Hart finished with 19 points and Achiuwa posted 13 points with six rebounds off the bench.

With the win, the Cavaliers tied the franchise record for the second-most wins in a regular season with the 2009-10 team. Cleveland, which has won five of its last six, also ended New York's three-game winning streak.

The Knicks' lead over the Indiana Pacers for third place in the East sits at three games, while Cleveland maintains a five-game edge over the Boston Celtics for the top spot in the conference.

The Cavaliers and Knicks meet again on April 11 in New York.

The Trail Blazers come off a 127-113 road victory over the Atlanta Hawks on Tuesday night, a result that left them 3 1/2 games away from a play-in berth entering Wednesday.

They had a big effort from Deni Avdija, who provided 32 points, 15 rebounds and 10 assists for his second career triple-double. That more than compensated for the seven turnovers he committed.

He had help from Shaedon Sharpe, who had 33 points and 10 rebounds as Portland.

The Raptors, meanwhile, were officially eliminated from a chance at a play-in berth with a 137-118 road loss to the Chicago Bulls on Tuesday.

The Trail Blazers (33-43) snapped a four-game skid with the victory at Atlanta, while the Raptors (28-48) had their four-game winning streak stopped in Chicago.

The way the Trail Blazers played pleased coach Chauncey Billups and if they maintain that it could be a problem for the Raptors.

"I love how we played the entire night," Billups said. "We talked about how important it was to get off to a good start."

The Trail Blazers kept it close in the first quarter when they were outscored 27-26 and led 57-54 at halftime.

"I thought we had a pretty good first half, but we talked about taking care of the ball," Billups said. "Got to take care of the ball. They were scoring a ton in transition on us."

That will be important against the Raptors, who use the fastbreak effectively.

Portland held Atlanta to 7-for-32 (21.9 percent) on 3-point attempts, which also could be important in facing the Raptors, who shot 20-for-45 (44.4 percent) from 3-point range in Chicago.

"We did a really good job," Billups said. "I thought our pressure was good."

Portland had a 54-45 edge in rebounding, including a 19-12 advantage on the offensive boards.

"I wanted us to stay locked in on our offensive rebounding," Billups said. "I thought we could have a big night against them, and we did."

The Raptors matched a team record for most 3-pointers in a quarter when they hit eight from distance in the first quarter against the Bulls.

The problem for the Raptors was that their defense, recently a source of pride for the team, let them down.

Toronto coach Darko Rajakovic felt that was the key to the game.

"In the first quarter when we allowed them to score 39 points, they caught some fire there, shooting the ball, running in transition," Rajakovic said. "I don't think that we did a good job the whole night defensively. I thought offensively we did a pretty solid job."

The Raptors had 17 points apiece from Ja'Kobe Walter and Immanuel Quickley, who also had nine assists.

Toronto will try to return to its aggressive defensive approach against the Trail Blazers. Chicago was able to shoot 56.8 percent (50-for-88) on Tuesday while holding a 49-35 advantage in rebounding and a 10-7 edge in steals.

It was a departure from the defense the Raptors have tried to develop.

"We're trying to be disruptive," Rajakovic said. "We're trying to be very active. We're trying to make our opponents play on their heels. We always want to be in attack mode."

The decision comes as Embiid and the team search for longer-term solutions to address the injury, which limited the seven-time All-Star to a career-low 19 games this season.

Embiid has been ruled out for the rest of the regular season since late February. This will mark the second surgery on his left knee in a little more than a year.

The 2022-23 MVP experienced increased swelling in the knee after a Feb. 22 loss to the Brooklyn Nets, during which he had 14 points in 31 minutes. He has not played since.

It's the latest chapter of a disappointing season for the injury-plagued 76ers, who came into the season with championship hopes after signing All-Star Paul George and extending young star Tyrese Maxey. George, however, has not played since March 4 and has been ruled out for the season with a left adductor injury. Maxey (finger) has been out since March 3 but has returned to practice.

The trio played in just 15 games together, with Philadelphia going just 7-8. As a whole, the 76ers (23-53) have dropped 26 of the last 30 and own the fifth-worst record in the league. They are on pace for the team's fewest wins since 2015-16, the season before Philadelphia drafted Embiid. It is also the first time in eight years that the Sixers will miss the postseason.

As for Embiid, his 23.8 points per game stand as his fewest since 2019-20, while his 8.2 rebounds represent his lowest output since 2016-17. He also logged the fewest games played (19) and lowest field goal percentage (44.4) of his career.

The Timberwolves (44-32) will look to build on a chaotic victory on Thursday night when they continue a five-game road trip by taking on the Brooklyn Nets (25-51) in New York for the first clash of the season between the two teams.

Minnesota overcame a monster performance by the Denver Nuggets' Nikola Jokic and emerged victorious in one of the wildest games of the regular season on Tuesday, with Nickeil Alexander-Walker draining two free throws with one-tenth of a second left in the second overtime to lift Minnesota to a 140-139 win.

The dramatic win by the Timberwolves may resonate well beyond the viral excitement it generated.

Minnesota appeared as if it would be on the wrong end of an instant classic in the waning seconds of the final overtime. After Jokic -- who also had 10 rebounds and 10 assists -- scored the final two of his career-high 61 points by sinking a pair of free throws to put the Nuggets up 139-138, Russell Westbrook stole a pass by Anthony Edwards but squandered a chance to ice the game by missing a layup.

Alexander-Walker collected the rebound to begin a frantic sequence that ended with Westbrook fouling Alexander-Walker as he missed a 3-pointer at the buzzer. However, officials added a tenth of a second to the clock, allowing Alexander-Walker to hit the first two shots before purposely missing the third.

"That might have been the best game of my life that I've been a part of," Edwards said.

The win lifted the Timberwolves into a tie for the sixth and final guaranteed playoff spot in the Western Conference alongside the Memphis Grizzlies. Minnesota and Memphis are a half-game behind the Golden State Warriors and a half-game ahead of the Los Angeles Clippers.

"We're like cardiac kids," said Timberwolves guard Mike Conley, who pressured Westbrook at the rim on his unsuccessful layup attempt. "We got a little bit of that in us, but we operate in a weird way. We operate well in chaos, it seems like."

There isn't much drama surrounding the Nets, who have seemingly telegraphed their lottery-bound intentions by collecting 13 draft picks in the trades that shipped Mikal Bridges, Dennis Schroder and Dorian Finney-Smith -- three of their top eight scorers during the 2023-24 campaign -- in a series of deals Brooklyn pulled off between last June and December.

But the Nets continued displaying their pesky nature on Monday, when they pieced together their first winning streak of March by overcoming a 10-point fourth-quarter deficit to upset the Dallas Mavericks 113-109.

Brooklyn is just 13-31 since Jan. 1 but has recorded wins over the playoff-bound Milwaukee Bucks, Houston Rockets and Los Angeles Lakers while also beating the Mavericks and Atlanta Hawks, each of whom are vying for play-in spots.

"It's the end of the season and we're still showing grit, still showing that we want to play and want to win," Nets forward Jalen Wilson said.

Milwaukee (41-34) comes in having just snapped a four-game losing skid with a 133-123 win over the Phoenix Suns at home on Tuesday.

With Damian Lillard still out, Giannis Antetokounmpo led with a dominant 37-point, 11-assist effort in a game that featured Milwaukee setting a new franchise record by shooting 68.9 percent from the field. It marked the NBA's highest shooting percentage in a game since 1998.

"We're so close to being an incredible offensive team. We shot 70 percent in the first half the other night, we shoot 68.9 tonight," Bucks coach Doc Rivers said. "If we can just rebound the ball and take care of the ball, we have a chance to break out and make a hell of a run here, we really do."

Meanwhile, Philadelphia (23-53) has struggled in what was supposed to be a promising season. The losing streak is up to nine after the 76ers fell to the Knicks in New York 105-91 on Tuesday.

Philadelphia has not won two consecutive games since January and has lost 26 of its last 30 contests.

"One of the biggest challenges with this group right now is to get everyone to make the right play," 76ers coach Nick Nurse said. "I think these guys need to help each other create offense more than trying to take on the world."

Quentin Grimes led Philadelphia with 26 points and has been the Sixers' steady force offensively of late, scoring more than 20 points in 12 of the past 15 games.

The injury report is extensive for Philadelphia. Joel Embiid (knee) and Paul George (adductor) are out the rest of the season along with Jared McCain (knee) and likely Eric Gordon (wrist).

Tyrese Maxey (finger) practiced Friday and is considered day-to-day. Guerschon Yabusele (knee) and Kelly Oubre Jr. (knee) missed Tuesday's game and Andre Drummond (toe) will remain out as well.

Maxey leads Philadelphia with 26.3 points, 6.1 assists and 1.8 steals per game this season in 52 games. Oubre Jr. paces the 76ers with just 6.1 rebounds a game.

For the Bucks, no update as of yet on Lillard (deep vein thrombosis) while Jericho Sims (thumb) continues to miss time. AJ Green (shoulder) has missed the last two games.

Antetokounmpo leads the Bucks with 30.4 points and 11.8 boards per game. With Lillard likely out, Anteteokounmpo also stands as the team's assist leader at 6.0 per contest. Ryan Rollins has also emerged of late, averaging 17.5 points over the past four games.

Once this three-game road trip is over for Milwaukee, Bobby Portis will be eligible to return from his suspension to play the final four games of the regular season as well as the postseason.

The Bucks have a chance to sweep the season series against Philadelphia for the second consecutive season and win their eighth straight over the 76ers.

The last matchup was the only one in which the trio of Maxey, Embiid and George were able to go. Despite that, the Bucks without Antetokounmpo took care of business and won 135-127 behind 43 points and eight assists from Lillard.

Morant extended his left arm and was seen using the finger gun gesture to taunt the members of the Golden State Warriors during Tuesday's game.

Golden State's Jimmy Butler sank a free throw to boost his team's lead to 132-125 with 20 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter.

After Memphis called a timeout, Morant made the gesture as the players on the court were walking to their respective benches. Warriors forward Draymond Green appeared to approach an official after Morant made the gesture.

Golden State's Buddy Hield made a similar gesture from the bench prior to Butler's free-throw attempt. Hield and Morant were both whistled for technical fouls. The Warriors won the game 134-125.

Morant, 25, has been suspended on two occasions by the league for showing a handgun on social media.

The two-time All-Star was banned eight games without pay in March 2023 for brandishing a firearm in an Instagram Live video.

A video of Morant posing with a firearm surfaced online, leading to the NBA conducting an investigation which resulted in a 25-game suspension to start the 2023-24 season.

Taylor agreed to part ways with the NBA and WNBA teams for $1.5 billion, which was the same price that the sides initially agreed upon in 2021. NBA owners previously approved the sale that year to Rodriguez, the former baseball star, and his business partner Lore, the former e-commerce chief for Walmart.

Taylor, however, claimed in March 2024 that Rodriguez and Lore had missed a critical payment, leading to the sides going to arbitration in February.

A three-person panel ultimately ruled in favor of the Rodriguez-Lore group in a split decision, with Taylor being contractually obligated to sell the agreed upon stakes at the initial valuation.

The price falls far short of a pair of recent franchise purchases. The Phoenix Suns/Mercury group sold for $4 billion in 2022, and the Boston Celtics recently were acquired for an initial evaluation of $6.1 billion, a record for a North American sports franchise.

Taylor, who turns 84 this month, purchased the Timberwolves in 1994 for $88 million.

An NCAA champion at Syracuse, a 10-time NBA All-Star with the Denver Nuggets and New York Knicks, and a three-time Olympic gold medalist with Team USA, Anthony retired following the 2021-22 season.

Anthony was the No. 3 overall pick in the 2003 NBA Draft by Denver, a couple of months after leading the Orange to the NCAA Tournament title as a freshman sensation.

He made four All-Star teams with the Nuggets before joining the Knicks in a blockbuster trade in February 2011.

Energized by a return to his hometown of New York City, Anthony earned six consecutive All-Star nods from 2011-12 through 2016-17. He won a scoring title with 28.7 points per game in 2012-13.

Anthony finished out his 19-year career with Oklahoma City (2017-18), Houston (2018-19), Portland (2019-21) and the Los Angeles Lakers (2021-22), retiring with averages of 22.5 points and 6.2 rebounds in 1,260 games (1,120 starts). He made six All-NBA teams and was named to the NBA 75th Anniversary Team.

Anthony, now 40 years old, currently ranks 12th on the NBA's all-time scoring list with 28,289 points.

The 6-foot-7 forward won gold medals at the Summer Olympics in Beijing (2008), London (2012) and Rio de Janeiro (2016) as well as a bronze medal in Athens (2004).

Without those two -- Victor Wembanyama and De'Aaron Fox -- the team has fallen out of the postseason race.

The Spurs will try to avoid a sixth straight loss when they visit the Denver Nuggets on Wednesday night, the second game of a back-to-back set for both teams.

San Antonio (31-44) lost at home 116-105 to the Orlando Magic on Tuesday after squandering a late lead.

There have been bright spots for the Spurs despite playing without their top two scorers. Wembanyama leads them in points (24.3 per game) and rebounds (11.0), and Fox is averaging 19.7 points in 17 games since coming over from Sacramento in February.

Without those two, Devin Vassell (16.3 points), rookie Stephon Castle (14.3) and Keldon Johnson (12.7) are setting the pace for San Antonio.

Castle, the fourth overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, has played well lately. He was named the Western Conference rookie of the month for March, an honor he also won in January.

Castle averaged 19.5 points, 4.8 assists and 4.4 rebounds in 17 games last month, but he played his best against tough competition. He had a season-high 32 points against Oklahoma City on March 2, finished with 22 points and 11 rebounds versus Cleveland on March 27, and had 22 points against Boston on March 29.

"I feel like he's already a special talent, but the sky's the limit for Steph," Johnson said. "I feel like the game is already slowing down for him, but once he keeps growing ... he's going to be great."

While the Spurs had a late arrival in Denver, the Nuggets (47-29) likely will be more fatigued after losing 140-139 in double overtime to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Tuesday night.

Nikola Jokic had a career-high 61 points to go with 10 rebounds and 10 assists for his 31st triple-double of the season. He is averaging 29.7 points, 12.8 rebounds and 10.2 assists, leading Denver in all three categories.

"I've been fortunate to coach some great players ... Nikola's on a whole other level," coach Michael Malone said. "People say he's not athletic. Not many guys can do what he does."

Jokic's 53 minutes also were a career high and made necessary by the absences of Jamal Murray (hamstring) and Michael Porter Jr. (personal reasons).

Murray, who has missed the last two games, is second on the team in scoring at 21.6 points per contest, and Porter is third at 18.2.

Denver was ahead by one in the final seconds when Russell Westbrook stole a pass but missed a layup. He then fouled Nickeil Alexander-Walker on a 3-pointer with 0.1 seconds left, and he made two free throws.

The loss left the Nuggets just a half-game ahead of the Los Angeles Lakers for the third seed in the Western Conference and two games behind second-place Houston.