SAN ANTONIO — LaMarcus Aldridge had 23 points and 14 rebounds, and Rudy Gay added 21 points Sunday as the San Antonio Spurs held Houston to its lowest-scoring game of the season, beating the Rockets, 100-83.

The Spurs remained fourth in the Western Conference after preventing a season sweep by the Rockets. Houston owns the NBA’s best record.

San Antonio outscored Houston 19-8 to open the fourth quarter in taking a 94-74 lead with five minutes remaining. Rockets Coach Mike D’Antoni opted to take his starters out two minutes later.

“We’ve been through some ups and downs this season but we’re picking up at the right time,” Gay said. “There is no better time than this. This is when teams make or break themselves.”

CAVALIERS 98, MAVERICKS 87: LeBron James struggled before extending his record double-digit scoring streak to 868 games and Cleveland had a rough time before winning at home.

James, who broke Michael Jordan’s NBA mark for consecutive games with at least 10 points Friday night, didn’t reach 10 until 7:59 remained. He finished 5 of 21 from the field but made a pair of 3-pointers as the Cavs finally pulled away with a 15-2 run in the fourth quarter.

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BULLS 113, WIZARDS 94: Rookie Lauri Markkanen scored 23 points and connected on 5 of 8 3-pointers to lead Chicago at home.

Bobby Portis had 18 points and hit 4 of 5 from long range, and Sean Kilpatrick added 14 points. Chicago shot 52.4 percent overall from the floor and was 18 of 34 on 3s – matching its season high – as Coach Fred Hoiberg missed the game with an upper-respiratory infection.

PACERS 111, CLIPPERS 104: Victor Oladipo scored 30 points, Myles Turner added 24 and Indiana rallied at Los Angeles for its fifth straight victory.

Oladipo shot 11 of 17 from the field and had 12 assists for the playoff-bound Pacers, who have won four straight over the Clippers.

76ERS 119, HORNETS 102: Ben Simmons had 20 points and 15 assists at Charlotte, North Carolina, as Philadelphia kept up its passing prowess for its 10th straight win.

The Sixers set a team record with their ninth straight game of 30 or more assists; they had 36 on their 48 baskets.

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HAWKS 94, MAGIC 88: Tyler Dorsey scored 19 points, including back-to-back baskets after the lead was trimmed to five points late in the game, and Atlanta won at home in a matchup of the Eastern Conference’s worst records.

Dewayne Dedmon had 17 points and 10 rebounds, and rookie John Collins added another double-double for Atlanta with 10 points and 11 rebounds.

THUNDER 109, PELICANS 104: Russell Westbrook had a triple-double to lead Oklahoma City at New Orleans.

Westbrook finished with 26 points, 15 rebounds and 13 assists. Paul George scored Oklahoma City’s first 11 points in the second quarter and finished with 27. Carmelo Anthony added 16 and Steven Adams had 14.

PISTONS 108, NETS 96: Reggie Jackson scored 29 points, Stanley Johnson had 17 and Detroit won at New York to preserve its slim playoff hopes.

Detroit, playing its third straight game without injured forward Blake Griffin, avoided elimination from postseason contention for at least one game. Griffin, acquired Jan. 30 from the Los Angeles Clippers, suffered a bone bruise in his right ankle during last Monday’s victory against the Lakers.

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JAZZ 121, TIMBERWOLVES 97: Ricky Rubio scored 23 points, including a season-high 5-of-6 shooting on 3-pointers, and Donovan Mitchell added 21 points as Utah won at Minneapolis.

Dante Exum had 14 points and Jonas Jerebko scored 13 to help Utah climb a half-game ahead of Minnesota for sixth in the Western Conference. The loss kept the Timberwolves one game ahead of New Orleans.

WARRIORS 117, SUNS 107: Kevin Durant had 29 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists, and Golden State overcame a sloppy start at Oakland, California, to hand Phoenix its franchise-record 15th consecutive loss.

NOTES

WARRIORS: Guard Patrick McCaw was released from a hospital following a terrifying fall during Saturday night’s game at Sacramento. Preliminary tests showed no structural damage or problems with his nervous system.


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