Vincent matched his season high for treys and Finney-Smith established a season best for 3-pointers. Luka Doncic added 20 points, nine assists and six rebounds for the Lakers (46-29), who won their second straight game and their third in the past four.

Los Angeles' LeBron James had 16 points and eight rebounds, and Austin Reaves added 12 points and eight boards.

Amen Thompson scored 20 points and Dillon Brooks added 16 for the second-place Rockets (49-27), who lead the third-place Denver Nuggets (47-28) by 1 1/2 games and the fourth-place Lakers by 2 1/2 games in the Western Conference race.

Jabari Smith Jr. registered 15 points and 11 rebounds, Alperen Sengun had 14 points, seven rebounds and six assists and Tari Eason added 13 for Houston, which lost for just the second time in the past 14 games.

The Lakers shot 39.3 percent from the field and were 16 of 46 (34.8 percent) from 3-point range.

The Rockets connected on 41.6 percent of their attempts, including 10 of 32 (31.2 percent) from behind the arc.

Rui Hachimura's dunk gave Los Angeles a 100-95 lead with 2:06 left to play.

Thompson's driving basket allowed Houston to move back within three with 1:12 left. Brooks split two free throws with 20.1 seconds remaining, and the Rockets trailed 100-98.

James made two free throws with 11.1 seconds left and then blocked a shot by Sengun with eight seconds left. Finney-Smith made two free throws with 3.2 seconds left to seal it.

Earlier, Houston used a 11-2 run in the third quarter to hold a 61-56 lead. Brooks culminated that surge by sinking a trey with 8:41 remaining in the period.

The Lakers scored 26 of the next 40 points. Hachimura capped the run with a 3-pointer to give Los Angeles an 82-75 lead with 12.9 seconds left.

Eason's jumper with under a second to go left the Rockets trailing by five entering the final stanza.

Houston moved within two early in the fourth quarter, but a basket by James gave the Lakers a 93-87 advantage with 7:26 remaining.

The score was tied at 48 at halftime. Doncic led all scorers with 15 at the break.

With a win, the Mavericks (37-39) would have moved 1 1/2 games ahead of the Kings for the 10th and final play-in spot. Instead, Dallas is now clinging to a half-game advantage for the coveted spot.

Keon Johnson led the way for Brooklyn (25-51) with 24 points on 10-of-19 shooting from the field. DeAngelo Russell added 18 points on 5-of-10 shooting in addition to 11 assists. Jalen Wilson chipped in 12 points, while Ziare Williams and Tyrese Martin each added 11. The Nets also secured consecutive wins for the first time since beating the Orlando Magic on Feb. 10 and the Washington Wizards on Feb. 12.

Daniel Gafford led the Mavericks in scoring with 17 points in his return from a knee injury suffered against the Kings on Feb. 10. Gafford made 7-of-9 attempts from the field, pacing a starting five that saw each player score more than 10 points but less than 20.

Russell gave Brooklyn the lead for good with 1:16 remaining, converting a crafty and-one before burying the free throw to put the Nets ahead 108-107. Russell then found Nic Claxton in the post on the Nets' ensuing possession, allowing Claxton to convert a three-point play of his own to stretch Brooklyn's lead to 111-108.

The game took its first major turn at the conclusion of the third quarter. Tied at 84-all, Jaden Hardy buried a deep triple to give the Mavericks a three-point advantage heading into the fourth quarter. Dallas continued its momentum with a 7-0 run to start the fourth, taking a 98-88 lead on a Hardy lay-in with 8:04 remaining.

Brooklyn immediately answered Dallas with a 12-0 surge punctuated by a slam from Johnson that put the Nets back ahead 100-98 with 4:31 left in regulation. Not to be outdone, Gafford tied the game again at 100 with a monster slam of his own. The dunks kickstarted a back-and-forth between the teams that lasted until Claxton's and-one.

The Thunder are 28-1 against Eastern Conference opponents this season, setting a record for most out-of-conference wins in NBA history. The 2015-16 Golden State Warriors held the record with a 27-3 record.

Oklahoma City (63-13) kept alive its chances of becoming the third team in NBA history to win 70 games in a season. The Thunder would need to win out to accomplish the feat.

Oklahoma City is a win shy of tying the franchise mark for victories in a season, set in 1995-96 when the franchise was in Seattle.

The Bulls (33-42) took their second consecutive loss and fell to 10th in the Eastern Conference standings.

The Thunder's 145 points were one off their season high, while it was the most given up by the Bulls since January 2023.

Oklahoma City star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 27 points on 9-of-14 shooting from the field. He added 12 assists in just 27 minutes of action as he sat out the fourth quarter with the outcome well in hand.

Joe equaled his career high with eight 3-pointers.

The Thunder came into the game averaging an NBA-best 21.6 points off turnovers this season. They had topped that mark by halftime, scoring 22 points off the Bulls' 14 first-half giveaways while building a 74-40 lead.

The Thunder took control with a 45-point second quarter. The period included a 36-13 run that put Oklahoma City up 65-33. Oklahoma City reserves Cason Wallace and Alex Caruso each had two steals during that stretch.

By the time five minutes remained in the third, Oklahoma City had stretched its lead to 43 points.

The Thunder finished with 34 points off 20 Chicago turnovers.

The game was the first in Oklahoma City for Josh Giddey since being traded to the Bulls in exchange for Caruso in the offseason. The Australian spent the first three seasons of his NBA career with the Thunder.

Giddey received a large ovation when he was introduced before the game. He finished 6 of 15 for 15 points, with 10 assists and eight rebounds.

Jevon Carter led the Bulls with 17 points, while Patrick Williams and Talen Horton-Tucker added 16 points each.

Horford made six 3-pointers in the win, which gave Boston (56-19) six victories during its six-game road trip. The Celtics have won eight in a row on the road overall and are 32-7 record in road games this season.

Jayson Tatum added 25 points and 14 rebounds in the win. Boston's Derrick White finished with 14 points and made three 3-pointers, the second of which set a franchise record for most made 3-pointers in a season (246).

Ja Morant scored a team-high 26 points for the Grizzlies, who received 20 points and 15 rebounds from Jaren Jackson. Santi Aldama tossed in 21 points.

Memphis (44-31) has lost six of its last seven games. The Grizzlies are 0-2 since they fired head coach Taylor Jenkins and named Tuomas Iisalo interim head coach.

Boston played without Jaylen Brown (knee) and Luke Kornet (illness). Brown is averaging 22.4 points per game and is the team's No. 2 scorer.

Memphis led 32-25 after one quarter and stretched that lead to 11 points early in the second quarter, but Boston had a 66-61 advantage at halftime.

The Grizzlies scored the first 10 points of the second half to go in front 71-66, but Boston regained control with an 11-2 run that gave the Celtics an 80-75 lead with 6:10 left in the third. Boston had a 92-85 lead after three quarters.

The Celtics had their first double-digit lead after Horford made a 3-pointer with 9:13 to play. The Grizzlies failed to get closer than seven points the rest of the way.

The victory allowed Boston to split its two regular season games against Memphis. The Grizzlies won 127-121 in Boston on Dec. 7.

The Heat (34-41) won their fifth in a row as they try to improve their standing for the upcoming Eastern Conference play-in tournament.

The last-place Wizards (16-59) dropped their third in a row.

Miami's Tyler Herro contributed 27 points on 9-of-19 shooting although he went a perfect 9-for-9 from the free-throw line and totaled five rebounds, five assists and three steals.

After shooting impressively from 3-point range over their previous four wins, Miami secured the victory despite struggling from beyond the arc. The Heat shot 50.5 percent overall, but they went 9 for 32 (28.1 percent) from 3-point range (28.1 percent), which included Pelle Larsson going 0-for-6 from long distance and Herro finishing 0-for-4.

Miami dominated Washington on the glass, 62-39, including a 15-5 edge in offensive boards.

Jamie Jaquez Jr. and Terry Rozier were among the exceptions to the Heat's long-distance shooting woes. Jaquez made both of his 3-point attempts and wound up with 14 points and seven rebounds off the bench while Rozier went 3-for-7 from beyond the arc and totaled 15 points, six assists and five rebounds. Kyle Anderson had 10 points.

Jordan Poole led the Wizards with a game-high 35 points on 10-for-17 shooting, including 7-for-13 success from 3-point range. Tristan Vukcevic had 14 points for Washington, which shot 39.5 percent from the floor, 30.2 percent (13 of 43) from long distance.

The Heat led by as many as 29 in the fourth quarter and crushed the Wizards in the paint, outscoring them 68-36. Miami took the lead on an Alec Burks triple with 8:55 left in the first quarter, which started a 13-0 run, and the visitors never trailed again.

Miami's Davion Mitchell sat out the game due to a stomach illness.

The 87 points the Clippers (43-32) surrendered were the second-fewest Los Angeles allowed this season. Holding the Magic to just 30-of-76 shooting from the floor, including 7-of-26 from 3-point range, Los Angeles overcame its own offensive struggles.

The Clippers shot 8-of-31 from 3-point range and committed 16 turnovers, which Orlando converted into 19 points.

But with Los Angeles dominating the glass 47-32 behind Zubac's effort, and a 7-0 run midway through the fourth quarter to open up a 10-point lead, the Clippers rebounded from their loss on Sunday in Cleveland.

The Clippers finished their four-game Eastern Conference road swing 3-1. Los Angeles heads into five straight at home as they continue their push for a Western Conference playoff bid.

James Harden capped the pivotal mini-run with a lay-up, two of his final three points on the way to 20. The quartet of Harden, Zubac, Powell and Leonard accounted for all but 16 of Los Angeles' points.

Zubac made his first six field-goal attempts and had a double-double with about four minutes still remaining in the first half. He finished 7-of-10 shooting from the floor.

Paolo Banchero led all scorers with 26 points despite shooting just 1-of-8 from 3-point range. A chunk of Banchero's work came at the foul line, where he went 9-of-9.

Franz Wagner added 21 points for the Magic (36-40).

Monday marked Orlando's ninth game scoring fewer than 90 points this season. The Magic had their fifth highest-scoring effort of the season in a 121-91 blowout of Sacramento on Saturday.

Orlando is jockeying with Atlanta for the top spot in the East's play-in. Los Angeles is one of five Western Conference teams vying for home-court advantage -- and to avoid the play-in -- currently with between 43 and 45 wins.

Obi Toppin added 19 points and seven rebounds off the bench for Indiana (44-31), which won its seventh game in nine tries, and did so after trailing by 16 in the third quarter. Tyrese Haliburton chipped in 18 points and 11 assists. Indiana is fourth in the Eastern Conference, two games ahead of the idle Detroit Pistons.

Sacramento (36-39) was paced by DeMar DeRozan's 31 points and eight assists and Domantas Sabonis' 25-point, 16-rebound output. Zach LaVine scored 20 for the Kings, who have lost six of their last seven and are 10th in the Western Conference, one game up on the idle Phoenix Suns for the final play-in tournament spot.

After leading by six at halftime, Sacramento doubled its advantage in the first three minutes of the third quarter, with Keegan Murray's trey pushing the margin to 70-58.

Thomas Bryant's layup cut Indiana's deficit to 72-60, but Sabonis' ensuing dunk and Murray's jumper gave the Kings their largest lead at 16. The Pacers then sliced the Kings' advantage in half on Toppin's jumper with less than a minute remaining in the third quarter, then cut it even further on Nesmith's three-point play, sending Indiana into the fourth with an 86-81 deficit.

A 7-0 Kings spurt was stamped with DeRozan's triple to extend the margin to 93-84 with 9:05 remaining, before Sacramento was held without a field goal for six-plus minutes. The Kings broke the drought on DeRozan's mid-range jumper, giving Sacramento a 98-95 edge.

Haliburton then scored five straight, including a stepback triple with 1:17 left, returning the lead to Indiana for the first time since the second quarter. After forcing a Sacramento shot clock violation, Siakam hit his first 3-pointer of the game with 36 seconds remaining to give Indiana a 103-98 lead.

Nesmith iced the game with a pair of free throws with less than five seconds left, before LaVine's buzzer-beating triple.

Sabonis' 12 first-quarter points helped the Kings take a 28-27 edge into the second. From there, neither team took a lead larger than three points until Tony Bradley's layup and Toppin's dunk put Indiana ahead 48-44 at the 5:33 mark.

Nesmith's floater gave the Pacers a 50-46 edge, before Sacramento finished the first half on a 14-4 run, including Sabonis' layup and DeRozan's pullup jumper to give the Kings a 60-54 halftime lead.

Mark Williams added 18 points and 13 rebounds, while four other players scored in double figures for the Hornets (19-56).

The Jazz continued their free fall, losing for the sixth consecutive outing and for the 16th time in 17 games.

Utah (16-60) reached the 60-loss mark for the first time in franchise history and surpassed the inaugural New Orleans (23-59) squad for most losses.

Keyonte George scored 20 points for the Jazz, who had nine players on the injured list.

On a bright note for Utah, Isaiah Collier broke John Stockton's franchise rookie assists record by dishing out seven dimes to go with 17 points and three steals. He now has 419 assists.

Kyle Filipowski finished with 14 points and 13 rebounds for his 11th double-double, and Brice Sensabaugh scored 19 for Utah.

The Hornets built and nearly lost two double-digit leads.

Charlotte jumped out to a 25-11 lead in the first quarter before Utah responded with a 15-3 run to make it a two-point game in the second quarter.

The Hornets then went on a 14-3 spurt to increase their lead to 42-29. The Jazz closed the gap to seven by halftime and narrowed the deficit to one point, 56-55, after Sensabaugh hit two 3-pointers in an 8-2 run to open the second half.

After Charlotte went ahead by seven in the third quarter, the Jazz made another move and eventually pulled even, 78-78, after a George 3-pointer.

The Hornets used a 7-1 run to go up by six early in the fourth quarter only to see the Jazz get back within one with a 5-0 run with 5:34 remaining.

After Utah pulled within one midway through the fourth quarter, Williams scored four points in a 6-0 run to give the Hornets a 101-94 lead with 3:59 remaining.

Josh Green contributed 14 points for Charlotte, which won on the tail end of a back-to-back after losing in New Orleans on Sunday night.

Minnesota (43-32) beat the Detroit Pistons on Sunday night in a game that escalated into a near-brawl in the second quarter and now takes that attitude into Denver to face the Nuggets on Tuesday night.

The Timberwolves have won two straight and trail Golden State by a half-game for the sixth seed with seven games remaining. The battle for seeding has contributed to a playoff atmosphere at the end of the regular season, as Minnesota showed Sunday night.

Things got testy between the Timberwolves and Detroit when Minnesota took exception to a foul on Naz Reid. Donte DiVincenzo and Reid were ejected, as well as assistant coach Pablo Prigioni.

"I've been in enough basketball games to kind of feel this coming," Timberwolves coach Chris Finch said. "Two guys went at it and spilled over into the crowd, which is dangerous... Just kept escalating and escalating, mostly from their side."

Finch hopes his team can carry that edge into the final matchup of the season against Denver. Minnesota has won the first three games and, including last year's playoffs, five in a row against the Nuggets.

The Timberwolves squeaked out a win at home in November but have beaten Denver by 29 points and 20 points in the last two meetings, respectively. Anthony Edwards, who leads Minnesota at 27.2 points a game, has averaged 30.7 points in the three games against the Nuggets.

Julius Randle, second on the Timberwolves at 18.8 points, had 25 in the March 12 win at Denver, and Reid is averaging 14.4 points a game this season.

The Nuggets (47-28) hold a slim lead over the Los Angeles Lakers for the third seed and have little margin for error. Besides going for the best possible seed, ending a five-game losing streak to the team that eliminated them in last year's playoffs is motivation.

"I think they've approached this game like it's a rivalry, and I think we've approached these games like it's just another game sometimes," coach Michael Malone said. "We just got to play harder, whether it's a rivalry or not. I don't care who you're playing. If you're playing St. Buzzies and they beat you five times in a row, sometimes your pride's got to kick in."

Denver has won two in a row after dropping its first game of the five-game homestand that wraps up Wednesday night. Jamal Murray, who is second on the team in scoring at 21.6 points a game, missed Friday night's blowout win over Utah with a tight hamstring, but he practiced on Monday.

"We didn't do a lot of live, competitive stuff, but Jamal was out there for the entirety of it," Malone said. "Hopefully that bodes well for (Tuesday) night."

Nikola Jokic leads the Nuggets in points (29.3 points), rebounds (12.8) and assists (10.2), averages that rank in the top three in the NBA in each category. Michael Porter Jr. is third on the team at 18.2 points a game.

Williamson suffered a low back bone contusion on March 19, while McCollum suffered right foot bone contusion on March 23.

Williamson leads the Pelicans with 24.6 points per game to along with 7.2 rebounds, 5.3 assists, and 1.2 steals, but he played in just 30 games this season. McCollum averaged 21.1 points per game, while shooting 37.3 percent from 3.

The Pelicans (21-54) own the fourth-worst record in the NBA. The team has only seven games left on their schedule, and no real incentive to win.

The shutdown is the continuation of a disappointing, injury-riddled campaign for the Pelicans. Trey Murphy III (shoulder) and Dejounte Murray (Achilles) have already been sidelined with season-ending injuries.

Tucker had signed two 10-day contracts with the Knicks over the past month. However, he only appeared in one game for the team, logging two minutes.

The 39-year-old veteran has had a long, productive NBA career, playing in 884 total games with eight different franchises. He won an NBA championship with the Milwaukee Bucks in 2021.

During the 2022-23 season, Tucker started 75 games for the Philadelphia 76ers, averaging 3.5 points and 3.9 rebounds, while shooting 39.3 percent from 3.

Three games into the 2023-24 campaign, Tucker was traded to the Los Angeles Clippers as part of the James Harden deal. After suiting up in 28 games for the Clippers, he found himself out of the rotation.

Eventually, the Clippers and Tucker mutually agreed for him to be away from the team, while they looked for a trade destination for him. He was eventually moved to the Utah Jazz, then quickly flipped to the Toronto Raptors, who waived him.

Tucker has career averages of 6.6 points, 5.4 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 1.1 steals per game.

Durant scored 11 points before his night ended when he rolled his ankle on Jabari Smith Jr.'s foot while driving to the basket with 6:57 remaining in the third quarter.

It is the third time Durant, 36, has sprained an ankle in his two seasons in Phoenix.

Suns coach Mike Budenholzer told reporters after the game that Durant would have an MRI on Monday and will not travel with the team on its three-game road trip, which starts Tuesday against the Milwaukee Bucks.

In February, Durant became the eighth player in NBA history to reach 30,000 career points. He got to the milestone in 1,101 games, tying Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for third-fastest. Wilt Chamberlain (941) and Michael Jordan (960) got there in fewer games.

A 15-time All-Star, Durant has averaged 26.6 points with 6.0 rebounds and 4.2 assists in 62 games this season. In 17 seasons with the Seattle SuperSonics/Oklahoma City Thunder (2007-16), Warriors (2016-19), Brooklyn Nets (2020-23) and Suns, Durant has averaged 27.2 points with 7.0 rebounds and 4.4 assists per game.

The Suns (35-40) lost their third straight game Sunday to remain in the 11th spot in the West. With seven games left, Phoenix is 1.5 games out of a play-in tournament spot.

It will be Budenholzer's first time at Fiserv Forum since Game 5 of the 2023 first-round series when the Bucks lost to the Miami Heat.

Before these teams played one week ago in Arizona, the Phoenix PR staff did not allow Bucks reporters to ask questions. Budenholzer did acknowledge one from a Suns media member.

"I mean, it was a great five years, but right now before the game I'd rather just focus on Phoenix, focus on us," Budenholzer said. "Our players don't care (about my history with Milwaukee). I probably shouldn't either."

Both teams will be looking to snap losing skids. Phoenix (35-40) comes in off a 148-109 blowout Sunday night at home to the Houston Rockets -- their third loss in a row.

"Couple days ago, we won four games in a row. We have to find a way to get back to that," Budenholzer said. "Tonight, it was a step in the wrong direction. It's a group that's got fight; we've got to bring it Tuesday."

Budenholzer added that superstar Kevin Durant will not fly with the team to Milwaukee after he rolled his ankle early in Sunday's game.

Milwaukee (40-34) has lost four in a row and nine of its last 13. The Bucks fell to the Atlanta Hawks 145-124 on Sunday night.

It was another game for the Bucks in which they shot a high percentage and yet lost handily. Milwaukee was shooting 69 percent at halftime yet were down seven.

"It's almost impossible...I told our guys that any game we score over 120 we should win with our defense," said Bucks head coach Doc Rivers. "Obviously, I was wrong."

Giannis Antetokounmpo leads Milwaukee with 30.2 points and 11.9 boards per game. With Damian Lillard unavailable, he also leads with 5.9 assists per contest.

Durant and Devin Booker lead Phoenix with 26.6 and 25.3 points per game, respectively. Booker dishes seven assists per night while Mason Plumlee averages a team-high 6.2 boards.

Bradley Beal remains out with a hamstring injury for Phoenix. There is not a clear timetable for his return.

For Milwaukee, Lillard (deep vein thrombosis) remains out along with Jericho Sims (thumb) and Bobby Portis (suspension). AJ Green (shoulder) also missed Sunday's game and is considered day-to-day.

When these teams met last Tuesday, Devin Booker put Phoenix ahead with a jumper in the final seconds to help the Suns win a 108-106 thriller.

Durant had 38 to lead Phoenix along with Booker's 19 points and 12 assists. Antetokounmpo led Milwaukee with 31 points and 10 rebounds while Brook Lopez scored 23 with 10 boards.

These teams that faced off in the 2021 NBA Finals have traded wins in their last four matchups, with the two-game season series being split a year ago. Phoenix has a chance to sweep the series for the first time since that 2021 regular season.

Anunoby and Bridges look to continue their torrid play on Tuesday when the Knicks host the free-falling Philadelphia 76ers, who have lost eight in a row.

New York (47-27), which seeks a sweep of the four-game season series against Philadelphia (23-52), has won four of its last five games to reside comfortably in third place in the Eastern Conference.

Anunoby scored 28 points Sunday and Bridges matched that total by erupting for 21 in the second half, which helped the Knicks overcome a 14-point deficit in their 110-93 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers.

Anunoby has averaged 30.5 points over the last four contests while Bridges has contributed 23.8 points per game over his last five.

"I think (aggressiveness) is the biggest thing," Josh Hart said of Anunoby's recent play, per the New York Post. "Obviously he has the capability. He's using his frame and gets to the basket. Using that physicality to finish or get to the line.

"So especially with guys injured, we need guys to be aggressive.

"And those two (Bridges and Anunoby) are really hooping right now."

Hart has done some hooping of his own. He collected 14 points, nine assists and eight rebounds on Sunday.

"OG and Mikal are playing at a very, very high level. And Josh did all the things he normally does," Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau said.

New York improved to 7-5 since Brunson was sidelined by a sprained right ankle suffered March 6 against the Los Angeles Lakers. Brunson, however, provided a bit of sunshine by declaring a tentative timeline to return to game action.

"Realistically, I'm hoping to play before the playoffs," Brunson said. "It's good for me to get some game reps before we go into that type of stretch run, but the most important thing is trying to be 100 percent healthy."

The Sixers are far from healthy at this stage of the season. If there's any question to that, feel free to compare the number of players wearing street clothes as opposed to uniforms on a nightly basis.

That said, Philadelphia is receiving strong play from several players -- particularly Quentin Grimes, who has averaged 27.9 points in his last 10 games while hitting 38 of 93 (40.9 percent) on 3-point attempts.

While Grimes sat out against Toronto on Sunday, Lonnie Walker IV scored 23 points on 10-of-18 shooting with seven assists in the Sixers' 127-109 setback to the Raptors.

"Just being aggressive, playing with intent, understanding my capabilities and just playing with confidence," Walker said. "I work too hard to not showcase my skills and do what I can do. So, I'm just letting my work honestly speak for itself; my actions speak more than my words."

Jalen Hood-Schifino had 18 points on Sunday and Ricky Council IV added 17 to go along with 11 rebounds. The latter is averaging 14.3 points and 7.7 rebounds over his last three games.

The Blazers (32-43) are in 12th place in the Western Conference, but they need to make up at least four games in the standings over the final two weeks to reach the play-in tournament. Portland, playing the third leg of a five-game road trip, is coming off a 110-93 loss Sunday in New York that marked its fifth straight road loss.

The Hawks (36-38) currently hold the seventh spot in the Eastern Conference and are assured of a postseason spot. While their chances aren't great to avoid the play-in tournament, they helped their cause by hammering the Milwaukee Bucks 145-124 Sunday on the road. That pulled them within four games of the Bucks for sixth place.

This will be the second meeting between the two teams this season. The Blazers beat the Hawks 114-110 Nov. 17 in Portland, which marked Atlanta's eighth straight loss in Portland. However, the Hawks have won five in a row against the Blazers in Atlanta -- a streak that dates back to March 29, 2019.

Atlanta is getting a late-season lift from Zaccharie Risacher, the 19-year-old No. 1 overall draft pick. He scored a career-high 36 points Sunday to spark the Hawks to their largest offensive output of the season. It was a nice bounce-back from his five-point performance Thursday at Miami.

Risacher averages 12.4 points, 3.7 rebounds and 1.2 assists and is making a late push to be voted the NBA Rookie of the Year. He has scored 20-plus points in three of the last six games.

"He runs so consistently and so hard that he gets some easy baskets by doing that," Atlanta coach Quin Snyder said. "I think that also puts you in the flow of the game and he's just being instinctive. I think it's the work he's put in and continuing to shoot. We believe in him as a coaching staff and I know his teammates believe in him, too."

Atlanta's Dyson Daniels nabbed five more steals Sunday to set the franchise record with 213, one more than Mookie Blaylock's mark. He has had multiple steals in 54 games, the most by an NBA in one season since Steph Curry had 55 in 2015-16. Daniels leads the league with 3.1 steals per game.

Atlanta's Trae Young continues to deal with right Achilles tendinitis, but is listed as probable. He had 19 points and 19 assists on Sunday.

Portland has been riding the hot hand of Deni Avdija, who scored 33 against the Knicks for his fifth 30-plus effort in March. He's averaging 25.3 points, 10.4 rebounds and 5.1 assists over the last 10 games, which has elevated his season averages to 16.3 points, 7.0 rebounds and 3.8 assists.

"Deni had another great night," Blazers coach Chauncey Billups said after Sunday's game. "He carried us a lot of different ways."

Anfernee Simons was listed as questionable on Sunday with forearm soreness, but played and scored 15. His effectiveness was limited from long range as he went only 1-for-8 on 3-point attempts.

Atlanta-area product Scoot Henderson, Portland's backup point guard, is in concussion protocol and did not play against the Knicks.

It's not the Rockets' fault that the Oklahoma City Thunder have dropped just one of their past 17 games, but Houston will look to continue its torrid play when it visits the Los Angeles Lakers on Monday night.

The Rockets (49-26) put a major whipping on the host Phoenix Suns Sunday night with a 148-109 victory. Second-place Houston now stands two games ahead of the third-place Denver Nuggets and 3 1/2 games in front of the fourth-place Lakers in the Western Conference playoff competition.

Houston lost 55 or more games in three consecutive seasons earlier this decade before finishing .500 last season in Ime Udoka's first season as coach.

Now the Rockets are closing in on a 50-win campaign.

"I saw the improvements that we made in the last year," Udoka said. "... We got the compete with everybody part out of the way last year. We knew we could do that. Now it was time to take another step and win these games against good teams.

"I'm not surprised by what we're doing. We feel like we can be even better."

Houston was plenty good while demolishing the Suns. The Rockets scored more than 30 points in every quarter -- including 46 in the second -- and shot 57.1 percent (56 of 98) from the field and 58.1 percent (18 of 31) from 3-point range.

The Rockets had a 32-8 edge in fast-break points and scored 34 points off 19 Phoenix turnovers.

Fourth-year pro Jalen Green scored 33 points and made four treys on Sunday. He's excited that the playoffs are looming.

"It feels good, this is what I dreamed about and this is what I've wanted to do since I got here to Houston," Green said. "I'm excited about it. Right now, it's all about details and I think we're executing that."

This is the first of two times that the Rockets will visit the Lakers (45-29) down the stretch. Houston returns on April 11.

Earlier this season, the Rockets beat Los Angeles 119-115 on Jan. 5 in Houston.

The Lakers posted a 134-127 road victory over the Memphis Grizzlies on Saturday. It marked just their fifth win in the past 13 contests.

Guard Austin Reaves had 31 points and eight assists for his second straight 30-point outing. He said the players could feel the urgency after a last-second 119-117 loss to the Bulls on Thursday when Chicago's Josh Giddey made a halfcourt shot.

"I think this was a big game for us in the sense of how we lost the other night," Reaves said. "We hadn't been playing great. So, coming into (the Memphis) game, it was obviously high intensity. It's hard, the last game on a road trip because you're pretty excited to go home. But for that three hours or whatever the game is, you got to lock in and try to put your best foot forward and win."

Reaves has four 30-point outings this month while averaging 24.2 points, 5.6 assists and 5.3 rebounds.

Luka Doncic added 29 points and nine assists and LeBron James had 25 points and eight assists. James (left groin strain) is listed as probable for Monday.

The game against Houston is the first of a three-game homestand. The Golden State Warriors visit Thursday and the New Orleans Pelicans are in town Friday.

Los Angeles is just 2 1/2 games clear of the seventh-place Minnesota Timberwolves in the competition for a top-six playoff spot, with the Grizzlies and Warriors in between. So coach JJ Redick is uninterested in discussing how high the Lakers can finish.

"I want to make the playoffs -- I don't want to be in the play-in (tournament)," Redick said. "Until that is secured, the seeding thought won't cross my mind."

Los Angeles (42-32) played without Kawhi Leonard (right knee injury management) on Sunday in a 127-122 loss at Cleveland. The Clippers trailed the Eastern Conference-leading Cavaliers almost the entire way, despite runs to cut double-digit-point disparities to one-possession margins in each of the last three quarters.

Norman Powell scored 34 points and James Harden had 24 points, leading the way with Leonard sidelined for the first time since March 12.

Powell's performance was his best individually since returning recently from a nearly month-long absence that kept him out of 12 games.

Before the road trip, Powell told reporters, "I'm just trying to find my flow and rhythm while on a minutes restriction."

The minutes restriction has been cut back gradually, and he played nearly 40 minutes in Cleveland.

The Clippers fell into eighth place in the Western Conference with the loss, tied with Minnesota in overall record. Golden State leads both by a game after its win on Sunday over San Antonio, while Memphis and the Los Angeles Lakers hold two- and three-game advantages over the Clippers through Sunday.

Orlando (36-39) moved into eighth place in the Eastern Conference since its 121-91 blowout of Sacramento on Saturday.

The Magic are one-half game behind Atlanta as they jockey for the most favorable of the four play-in round's spots. Orlando and Atlanta have split the season series thus far 1-1, with two more head-to-head meetings still to come.

In the meantime, the Magic aim to build on their recent upturn. Saturday's win was Orlando's fourth in the last five games. In each of the four wins, the NBA's second-to-lowest-scoring offense at 105.1 points per game has put up 111 points or more.

Orlando is locked into the postseason and trail recently slumping Milwaukee by 4 1/2 games for the last guaranteed playoff bid.

"That's what you work for all season," Orlando's Paolo Banchero said of clinching at least a play-in spot. "We've dealt with a lot of injuries and stuff throughout the year, so just the fact that we're able to be in the postseason, I don't think anyone is taking it for granted."

Both Banchero (25.9 points per game) and Franz Wagner (24.2) -- Orlando's two leading scorers on the season -- missed significant time due to oblique injuries. The Magic also have been without spark-plug guard Cole Anthony in recent weeks, and he is listed as questionable for Monday's game due to a toe injury.

"I've just been taking my time, trying not to rush it because there's just no need," Anthony told the Orlando Sentinel. "I already tried to come back once and it was premature."

The Magic backcourt has been adjusting over the past month with Anthony sidelined and Jalen Suggs shut down for the year with a quadriceps injury.

Anthony Black had a run of four straight games scoring in double-figure scoring end with his eight points against Sacramento, but he tallied 64 points in the previous stretch.

The Jazz (16-59) enter the contest with the worst record in the NBA, while the Hornets (18-56) are on their heels. Both teams are hoping for a high pick in this year's draft. Finishing in the bottom four would give them the best shot of winning the Cooper Flagg sweepstakes for the Duke All-American, who has yet to announce his plans after the NCAA Tournament.

Charlotte will try to beat Utah for the third straight time after snapping a nine-game losing streak to the Jazz earlier this season. The Hornets picked up a road win in Salt Lake City on Jan. 15, winning 117-112 as Mark Williams netted a career-high 31 points.

The Hornets are coming off of a 98-94 loss at New Orleans on Sunday night and will return home for the second part of a back-to-back set.

Charlotte held a 52-43 halftime lead but was outscored by 10 points in the third quarter en route to a fifth consecutive loss. It was the Hornets' second game since the team announced that star guard LaMelo Ball will miss the rest of the season to undergo surgeries on his ankle and wrist.

Coach Charles Lee liked how his young guys had the team in the thick of things against the Pelicans. Charlotte held a late advantage before the Pelicans took the lead for good on a three-point play by Jose Alvarado with 31 seconds left in the tight game.

"It's huge for those guys to be able to have an in-the-game moment like that," Lee said. "How do you close a game? How do you finish it? What do the offensive possessions have to look like? How do you have to execute and all be on the same page?

"Defensively, understanding the other teams' tendencies, and being really tight with our coverages," he continued. "Defending without fouling, which is one of our absolutes. It's a very valuable experience for those guys."

Experience is something the Jazz are gaining in losses as well.

Utah began this five-game road trip with a 129-93 loss on Friday at Denver and continues this week at Charlotte, Houston, Indiana and Atlanta.

Like the Hornets, the Jazz have lost five straight and are in a rough stretch of suffering 15 setbacks in 16 outings.

Utah shot only 35.5 percent (33 of 93) from the field against the Nuggets.

"I thought we generated a bunch of good looks and they didn't go," Jazz coach Will Hardy said. "I'm not hiding from the fact that we just got our butts kicked, but it's not because the team didn't compete and play hard. I think when you don't make any shots and you have an unset defense for the whole game, it's hard against a team like that."

Hardy echoed his Charlotte counterpart's sentiments about this season being valuable for younger players who are getting more opportunities than they would if they were part of a playoff team.

"We're focused on trying to further our own understanding of our young players right now," Hardy said. "(See) what they're capable of and trying to push those limits a little bit."

Down one late after a Nick Smith Jr. 3-pointer, Alvarado made a lay-up as he was fouled, and he made the free throw to put New Orleans on top 96-94. The Hornets' ensuing inbounds pass then sailed out of bounds, setting up a drive-and-dish from Alvarado to Brooks to ice the win.

Brooks paced the Pelicans with 17 points, Antonio Reeves had 16 and Kelly Olynyk scored 13. Alvarado and Jeremiah Robinson-Earl each had 12, while Karlo Matkovic chipped in with 10.

Miles Bridges had 20 for the Hornets, with Smith scoring 19 and Jusuf Nurkic finishing with 13 points and 12 rebounds.

Cavaliers 127, Clippers 122

Donovan Mitchell had 24 points, 12 rebounds and seven assists to lead Cleveland to a home win over Los Angeles and secured the Cavaliers' third 60-win regular season in franchise history.

Jarrett Allen added 25 points and 12 boards for Cleveland, which never trailed. Evan Mobley contributed 22 points, seven rebounds and three blocks for the Cavs, who have won 60 games in a season for the first time since 2010. The franchise record is 66 wins set the year before.

Norman Powell paced the Clippers with 34 points, with James Harden chipping in with 24 points, eight boards and eight assists.

Knicks 110, Trail Blazers 93

OG Anunoby and Mikal Bridges scored 28 points apiece as host New York rallied from a 14-point deficit to defeat Portland and earn its fourth win in five games.

Karl-Anthony Towns added a 10-point, 11-rebound double-double and Josh Hart (14 points, nine assists, eight rebounds) almost secured a triple-double for the Knicks. Landry Shamet chipped in with 11 points off the bench and Precious Achiuwa added 10.

Deni Avdija scored 33 points for the struggling Trail Blazers, who fell 4 1/2 games behind the Sacramento Kings for 10th place in the West. Shaedon Sharpe had 23 points, Toumani Camara notched 16 and Anfernee Simons added 15 in the loss.

Hawks 145, Bucks 124

A career-high 36 points from Zaccharie Risacher set the tone as Atlanta rallied from an early first-quarter deficit and raced away with the road win over Milwaukee.

Trae Young logged 19 points and 19 assists for the Hawks, who snapped a two-game skid to grab the No. 7 spot in the Eastern Conference playoff chase. Dyson Daniels scored 22 and Georges Niang had 17.

The Bucks, who dropped their fourth straight, were led by Giannis Antetokounmpo, who had 31 points. Kevin Porter Jr. chipped in with 28, while Kyle Kuzma scored 25. Milwaukee led 44-37 after the first quarter but was then outscored 81-48 over the next two periods.

Timberwolves 123, Pistons 104

Julius Randle scored 26 points on 9-for-18 shooting and Minnesota rallied for a win over Detroit in a game that featured a physical fracas in Minneapolis.

Anthony Edwards added 25 points and Rudy Gobert posted 19 points and a season-high 25 rebounds for the Timberwolves. Malik Beasley scored 27 to lead the Pistons, Tim Hardaway Jr. finished with 20 points and Jalen Duren notched 13 points and 11 boards.

The game was marred by a skirmish in the second quarter that led to seven ejections. The sequence started when Pistons guard Ron Holland II fouled Timberwolves forward Naz Reid on a layup attempt. Reid took exception to the foul and shook his finger in Holland's face.

A melee ensued after Donte DiVincenzo came to support Reid and Holland shoved him. DiVincenzo grabbed Holland and yanked him to the ground, and within moments a large crowd of players and coaches formed beyond the baseline as both teams continued grabbing and shoving.

Reid, DiVincenzo and assistant coach Pablo Prigioni were ejected for Minnesota. Holland, Isaiah Stewart, Marcus Sasser and head coach J.B. Bickerstaff were ejected for Detroit.

Warriors 148, Spurs 106

Brandin Podziemski poured in 27 points, hitting a career-high seven 3-pointers to lead a balanced offensive attack as visiting Golden State rolled past slumping San Antonio to move into sixth place in the Western Conference standings.

Moses Moody added 20 points for the Warriors, with Buddy Hield scoring 19, Draymond Green scoring 14 and Stephen Curry and Jimmy Butler III racking up 13 points each. Golden State is 18-4 with Butler in the lineup since his trade to the Bay Area on Feb. 6.

The Spurs never seriously challenged the Warriors while giving up a season-high point total and dropping their fourth straight outing. They were led by reserve Keldon Johnson's 19 points, while Sandro Mamukelashvili racked up 14 points and 11 rebounds, Malaki Branham added 13 points, Devin Vassell scored 12 and Julian Champagnie had 11.

Raptors 127, 76ers 109

RJ Barrett delivered 31 points to pace six double-digit scorers as Toronto notched a road victory over Philadelphia.

Toronto extended its winning streak to four games despite a quiet game from Scottie Barnes (nine points on 4-of-12 shooting). Ja'Kobe Walter picked up the slack with 17 points, while Jamison Battle chipped in with 16 points off the bench and Jamal Shead added 11 points and nine assists.

Lonnie Walker IV scored 23 points to pace Philadelphia, which lost its eighth straight game while playing without virtually all of its key players. Jalen Hood-Schifino contributed 18 points and Ricky Council IV pitched in with 17 points and 11 boards for the Sixers, who dropped all four meetings with the Raptors this season.

Rockets 148, Suns 109

Jalen Green recorded 33 points, Alperen Sengun added 16 points and nine rebounds, and Houston ran away with the road win over Phoenix.

Eight players scored in double figures for the Rockets, including Amen Thompson, who went for 12 points, 10 boards and nine assists. Fred VanVleet had 13 points and seven assists for Houston, which won its third straight.

Devin Booker paced the Suns with 28 points. Kevin Durant had 11 to go along with seven rebounds before he exited in the third quarter after rolling his ankle on Jabari Smith Jr.'s foot. Monte Morris finished with 10 points.

Durant scored 11 points before his night ended when he rolled his ankle on Jabari Smith Jr.'s foot while driving to the basket with 6:57 remaining in the third quarter.

Green's haul included 4 of 5 made 3-pointers and Alperen Sengun contributed 16 points and nine rebounds.

The Rockets (49-26), who had eight players reach double digits in scoring, notched their third successive victory to consolidate the second position in the Western Conference.

Amen Thompson narrowly missed his fourth triple-double of the season, finishing with 12 points, 10 boards and nine assists.

Phoenix guard Devin Booker scored 28 points on 12-of-17 shooting, but had virtually no support as the Suns (35-40) lost their third straight to remain in the 11th spot in the West.

Seven lead changes occurred in the first quarter before Houston broke away to finish the frame on an 11-0 run with a 32-24 lead at the break.

The Rockets completely dominated the second frame, outscoring the Suns 46-25 while hitting 16 of 23 shots from the floor and 6 of 7 from beyond the 3-point arc.

The visitors out-rebounded the Suns 13-2 for the quarter, while Phoenix led the turnover count 6-2.

Dillon Brooks was ejected with 4:48 remaining in the half after getting tangled up with Durant, before the Canadian shoved Nick Richards who entered the dispute.

All three were hit with technical fouls before Brooks received a disqualifying second tech for showing dissent to the referees. He had to be held back by Houston's coaching staff before exiting the arena.

The loss of Brooks didn't stop the Rockets, though, who went 23-11 after the incident to lead 78-49 at the intermission.

Booker, with 13 points on 6-of-7 shooting, was the only Sun to make any impression in the lopsided second period.

Phoenix lost Durant in the third frame and continued to fall further behind.

Green poured in 17 points for the quarter, including 3 of 4 shots from beyond the arc, as Houston's lead ballooned to 112-73.

The gap blew out to 42 points as both sides emptied their benches in the fourth period.