OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - Domantas Sabonis had a triple-double in the first half and the Indiana Pacers flirted with the most lopsided victory in NBA history before beating the Oklahoma City Thunder 152-95 on Saturday night.
Sabonis finished with 26 points, 19 rebounds and 14 assists, and the Pacers scored their most points in a game since joining the NBA in 1976.
They led by 67 points with 4:12 remaining, before the Thunder scored the game’s next 10 points. The NBA’s largest victory margin remains 68, set by Cleveland against Miami in 1991.
The Pacers’ previous record was 150 points against Denver in 1982. Indiana shot 65.5% from the field - the highest percentage for an opponent in Thunder history.
Sabonis returned after missing six straight games with a sore lower back. He finished the first half with 22 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists for his seventh triple-double of the season the 11th of his career.
He joined Nikola Jokic and Russell Westbrook (twice) as the only players with triple-doubles before halftime since the play-by-play era began in 1997-98, according to Elias.
HORNETS 107, PISTONS 94
CHARLOTTE, N.C. - LaMelo Ball returned from a 21-game absence with 11 points, leading Charlotte over Detroit.
A leading candidate for Rookie of the Year, Ball had surgery to repair a broken wrist sustained on March 20. The point guard played 28 minutes and added eight rebounds and seven assists, including a nifty underhand pass from his own backcourt to Miles Bridges.
Terry Rozier led Charlotte with 29 points, including a 3-pointer to beat the shot clock to help stave off Detroit’s final rally late in the fourth quarter.
NUGGETS 110, CLIPPERS 104
LOS ANGELES (AP) - Nikola Jokic had 30 points and 14 rebounds, Michael Porter Jr. scored 25 points and Denver moved past the Clippers for the third seed in the Western Conference.
Denver, which is a half-game in front of Los Angeles at 43-21, has won five straight and is 9-1 since Jamal Murray went down with a torn ACL in his left knee on April 12. Murray, who is rehabbing in LA, was at the game.
PJ Dozier’s pullup jumper gave the Nuggets a 101-91 lead with 3:32 remaining before the Clippers scored seven straight points to make it a one-possession game. After a Denver timeout, DeMarcus Cousins was called for a foul as Jokic was attempting a 3-pointer. Jokic made all three free throws to give the Nuggets breathing room.
Paul George led the Clippers with 20 points and Rajon Rondo added 18. Kawhi Leonard returned to the lineup after missing nine of the past 10 games due to right foot soreness and had 16 points.
MAVERICKS 125, WIZARDS 124
DALLAS (AP) - Dorian Finney-Smith hit a go-ahead 3-pointer in the final seconds, Luka Doncic ended his longest stretch without a triple-double since his rookie season and Dallas won a thriller over Washington.
Doncic finished with 31 points, 12 rebounds and a career-high 20 assists, the last to Finney-Smith in the right corner for the lead with 9.2 seconds remaining.
Dallas pulled even with the Los Angeles Lakers for the fifth seed in the Western Conference while improving to a season-high nine games over .500.
Russell Westbrook had 42 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists for the Wizards, who lost for just the third time in 15 games in a surge that has put them in position to make the play-in tournament in the Eastern Conference.
WARRIORS 113, ROCKETS 87
HOUSTON (AP) - Stephen Curry bounced back from a rough first half with 23 of his 30 points in the third quarter, and the Golden State Warriors beat the Houston Rockets 113-87 on Saturday night.
Curry was just 2 for 12 in the first half, then didn’t even need to play in the fourth quarter after the Warriors outscored the Rockets 39-12 to take an 88-67 lead.
Andrew Wiggins had 20 points for Golden State, and Mychal Mulder and Jordan Poole both added 17 off the bench.
Kevin Porter Jr. had 16 points and six assists for Houston. Kenyon Martin Jr. scored 16 points and Jae’Sean Tate had 14.
MAGIC 112, GRIZZLIES 111
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) - Cole Anthony made a 3-pointer with 0.1 seconds remaining, giving him a career-best 26 points and Orlando a victory over Memphis.
Anthony, a rookie who hit a game-winning shot earlier in the season against Minnesota, drilled the high-arching shot over the outstretched arm of Memphis guard Kyle Anderson.
Anthony added eight rebounds and six assists for the Magic, who ended their home losing streak at nine games.
Dillon Brooks scored 23 points, while Ja Morant added 22 points and seven assists. Anderson had 21 points, but did not score in the fourth quarter.
JAZZ 106, RAPTORS 102
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) - Bojan Bogdanovic scored 34 points - including six 3-pointers - to lead Utah over Toronto.
Jordan Clarkson added 15 points for the Jazz, Joe Ingles chipped in 15 points and nine assists while Rudy Gobert added 13 points and 16 rebounds. Utah won for just the second time in five games.
Fred Van Vleet had 30 points, seven assists and six rebounds to lead Toronto. Khem Birch added 17 points and 10 rebounds, OG Anunoby also scored 17 points and Pascal Siakam added 15. The Raptors lost their third straight game after scoring just 13 points in the fourth quarter.
HAWKS 108, BULLS 97
ATLANTA (AP) - Trae Young scored 33 points, Clint Capela had 20 points and 11 rebounds and Atlanta snapped a three-game slide with a victory over undermanned Chicago.
Playing without their two best players - Zach LaVine and Nikola Vucevic - the Bulls took their first double-digit lead on Thaddeus Young’s tip shot in the first minute of the third quarter.
But the Hawks, who began the night in fifth place in the Eastern Conference, went on a 13-0 run, and Chicago quickly called timeout at the 9:15 mark of the third after John Collins’ 3 from the right wing put Atlanta up 67-65. The Hawks didn’t trail again.
PELICANS 140, TIMBERWOLVES 136, OT
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - Zion Williamson scored seven of his 37 points in overtime and New Orleans came back to beat Minnesota.
Lonzo Ball had a career-high 33 points, tying a career best with eight 3-pointers, and grabbed 11 rebounds. Willy Hernangomez added 12 points and 12 rebounds. His follow shot with 21 seconds left completed New Orleans’ comeback from down 10 in the fourth quarter to force overtime.
Anthony Edwards scored 29 points for Minnesota, which had its four-game winning streak snapped. Karl-Anthony Towns had 28 points and 14 rebounds, and D’Angelo Russell finished with 17 points and 11 assists.
HEAT 124, CAVALIERS 107
CLEVELAND (AP) - Kendrick Nunn scored 22 points and Duncan Robinson had 20, helping Miami move into a tie for sixth place in the Eastern Conference.
Trevor Ariza added 18 points and Bam Adebayo had 13 points, 10 rebounds and six assists for Miami, which is in a three-way battle with Atlanta and Boston for fifth, sixth and seventh in the conference.
Max Strus scored 17 points off the bench and Jimmy Butler added 15 points for Miami, which led by 23 in the fourth quarter. Robinson was 6 of 9 on 3-pointers, making him the fastest NBA player to reach 500 3s in 152 games.
Kevin Love, who did not attempt a shot in 22 minutes Friday against Washington, scored 16 points in the first half and tied his season high with 25 for Cleveland.
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