Chris Paul converted a spin move in the paint to help stave off a rally and the Houston Rockets extended their winning streak to 17 games with a 110-99 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks on Wednesday at BMO Harris Bradley Center.
With the Bucks riding a 7-0 run that cut the Houston lead to five points, Paul made a short jumper over Jason Terry to reestablish control. After an empty possession by Milwaukee, Paul sank two free throws to seal the win. Paul finished with 16 points and 11 assists as Houston pulled within five victories of matching the franchise record for consecutive wins set in 2008.
James Harden tallied 26 points while Eric Gordon added 18 off the bench for the Rockets, who extended to a 16-point lead early in the second half before Giannis Antetokounmpo caught fire.
Antetokounmpo scored 16 of his 30 points in the third quarter, singlehandedly bringing the Bucks to within four points. But Gordon followed with consecutive 3-pointers before P.J. Tucker added a third trey, and the Rockets reclaimed a double-digit lead at 87-76 entering the fourth.
Raptors 121, Pistons 119 (OT)
Fred VanVleet made a jumper with 1.1 seconds remaining in overtime, allowing Toronto to extend its winning streak to six games with a victory over Detroit.
The Raptors also became the first team to clinch a playoff spot with the victory. DeMar DeRozan poured in 42 points and set up the go-ahead shot for the Eastern Conference-leading Raptors. Kyle Lowry posted 15 points, six rebounds, 15 assists and four steals, Norman Powell had 17 points and Jonas Valanciunas added 14 points and 11 rebounds for Toronto.
Blake Griffin's 31 points led Detroit, which has dropped four straight and 10 of 12. Reggie Bullock contributed 21 points, Ish Smith and James Ennis added 14 points apiece and Andre Drummond had 10 points and 21 rebounds.
Cavaliers 113, Nuggets 108
LeBron James fired in a game-high 39 points, carrying Cleveland over host Denver.
Nine of his 39 came in the final 1:41, including a fadeaway jumper from the left corner with Wilson Chandler draped all over him with 9.5 seconds left. James also added 10 assists and eight rebounds.
Nikola Jokic dazzled in defeat for Denver with 36 points, 13 rebounds and six assists.
Lakers 108, Magic 107
Brook Lopez nailed two free throws with six-tenths of a second remaining, allowing host Los Angeles to thwart an Orlando rally.
Aaron Gordon capped a 10-0 flurry with a go-ahead basket with five seconds remaining in a frantic Orlando rally, before Lopez, fouled on a shot attempt by rival center Nikola Vucevic, calmly dropped in his game-winning foul shots.
Lopez finished with a team-high 27 points and Kyle Kuzma added 20 as the Lakers won for the sixth time in their last seven games overall and seventh time in 11 games since trading for Isaiah Thomas last month.
Pelicans 114, Kings 101
Nikola Mirotic came off the bench to score a game-high 26 points as New Orleans won its 10th consecutive game with a victory over host Sacramento .
Jrue Holiday added 23, Anthony Davis scored 17, E'Twaun Moore had 15 and Ian Clark 11 as the Pelicans finished sweeping a four-game road trip to extend the second-longest current win streak in the NBA.
Buddy Hield scored 20 points, Zach Randolph had 19, Frank Mason III scored 16 and Justin Jackson and Skal Labissiere had 14 each to lead Sacramento , which split the season series against New Orleans as the road team won all four games.
Jazz 104, Pacers 84
Rudy Gobert scored 23 points and collected 14 rebounds to lead Utah to over Indiana at Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.
Gobert earned his fourth straight double-double in leading the Jazz to their fourth straight win and ninth straight road victory. Donovan Mitchell added 20 points and six assists. Ricky Rubio had 18 points, six rebounds and seven assists. Jae Crowder added 16 points off the bench, and Joe Ingles chipped in 11 points and a career-high 10 assists.
Myles Turner had 24 points to lead Indiana while Victor Oladipo and Bojan Bogdanovic added 13 points apiece. The Pacers shot just 3-of-23 (13 percent) from the perimeter.
Bulls 119, Grizzlies 110
Lauri Markkanen scored 22 points on 8-for-14 shooting, and Chicago held on for a win over Memphis at the United Center.
Zach LaVine and Kris Dunn each added 21 points for the Bulls, who won for the second time in the past three games. Bobby Portis posted his ninth double-double of the season with 15 points and 10 rebounds.
Dillon Brooks scored 29 points, including 20 in the fourth quarter, as the Grizzlies nearly rallied from a 21-point deficit. Memphis lost its 15th game in a row, which is the longest losing streak in the NBA this season.