Mathurin scores 28 to pace Clippers past short-handed Bucks

By Canadian Press on March 29, 2026.

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Bennedict Mathurin scored 28 points, John Collins 22 and Kawhi Leonard 20 as the Los Angeles Clippers got past the short-handed Milwaukee Bucks 127-113 on Sunday for their fifth consecutive win.

Darius Garland added 15 points and 11 assists and Derrick Jones Jr. 13 points for Los Angeles, which made 45 of 77 shots (58.4%).

Gary Trent Jr. had a season-high 36 points to pace Milwaukee, which had only eight players available. Taurean Prince added 18 points and AJ Green scored 15 for the Bucks, who have lost 10 of their last 12 games.

PACERS 135, HEAT 118

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Pascal Siakam scored 30 points and Micah Potter added 21 and tied a career high with five 3-pointers to help Indiana get past Miami for a rare victory.

Siakam also had 11 rebounds and six assists for short-handed Indiana. Potter scored 19 points and made all of his 3s as part of a flurry of 13 first half 3-pointers for the Pacers. Kobe Brown was one of five other Indiana players to score in double figures. He had a career-high 18 points as Indiana won for just the second time since the All-Star break.

The Pacers finished with 18 3s in their 17th win, matching Brooklyn and Washington for the fewest victories in the NBA this season.

Miami’s loss was yet another potentially damaging blow to its fading hopes of avoiding the play-in tournament and earning a top-six seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs. The Heat have lost seven of their last eight games.

NETS 116, KINGS 99

NEW YORK (AP) — Ochai Agbaji scored 18 points in 25 minutes off the bench and Brooklyn snapped a 10-game losing streak with a win over Sacramento.

Agbaji led five Nets in double-figure scoring as Nolan Traore had 17, Drake Powell 16, Noah Clowney 15 and Nic Claxton 10 for Brooklyn.

Sacramento fell to 19-57 with its fourth straight loss.

Devin Carter scored 20 points for the Kings, who lost their fourth straight. Nique Clifford added 17, Precious Achiuwa had 16 and DaQuan Jeffries 14.

The second matchup in six days of franchises building for the future saw Nets coach Jordi Fernandez and Kings coach Doug Christie get extended looks at their young players.

There were 10 Nets who played at least 10 minutes, led by Traore’s 30, while the Kings had nine get playing time. Clifford led Sacramento with 37 minutes.

CELTICS 114, HORNETS 99

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Jayson Tatum scored 32 points, Payton Pritchard added 28 points and Boston defeated cold-shooting Charlotte for their third straight victory.

Neemias Queta added 17 points and eight rebounds for the Celtics, who played their second consecutive game without Jaylen Brown (Achilles tendinitis).

LaMelo Ball had 19 points and Miles Bridges 14 for the Hornets, who entered the game leading the NBA in made 3-pointers (1,210) and third in 3-point percentage (38.2), but were just 12 of 43 from beyond the arc against the Eastern Conference’s second-place team.

Ball, Brandon Miller and Kon Knueppel finished a combined 7 of 27 on 3-point shots.

Pritchard, who continued to be a terrific replacement for Brown, was able to get to the basket at will, finishing 10 of 18 from the field and 6 of 6 from the foul line. Pritchard entered the game averaging 25.1 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 7.3 assists in the previous eight games Brown missed this season.

RAPTORS 139, MAGIC 87

TORONTO (AP) — RJ Barrett scored 24 points, Scottie Barnes had 23 points and a career-high 15 assists, and Toronto used a 31-point run to rout Orlando, handing the slumping Magic their seventh loss in eight games.

Sandro Mamukelashvili scored 19 points and Jamal Shead had 12 points and 10 assists for the Raptors (42-32), who remained fifth in the Eastern Conference standings following their largest victory this season. The top six teams automatically make the playoffs.

Barnes has posted 10 or more assists in four straight games.

Toronto’s biggest lead was 126-70 after AJ Lawson’s 3-pointer with 9:31 left.

Desmond Bane scored 17 points for Orlando. Jalen Suggs had 13 and Tristan da Silva added 12. Paolo Banchero shot 3 of 14 and scored nine points, ending a streak of three straight 30-point performances.

TRAIL BLAZERS 123, WIZARDS 88

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Toumani Camara scored 23 points and Portland routed Washington.

Scoot Henderson added 21 points and Deni Avdija had 20 for the Blazers, who have won six of their last eight games. Portland led by as many as 39 points in the second half.

Will Riley scored 14 points off the bench for Wizards, who have lost 18 of their last 19 games. Washington was eliminated from the playoffs more than two weeks ago.

Having already clinched a play-in spot in the playoffs, Portland was playing the last of a 3-1 homestand. The Blazers fell 100-93 to the Mavericks on Friday.

Jerami Grant did not play for Portland because of a calf strain. He was replaced in the starting lineup by Henderson.

ROCKETS 134, PELICANS 102

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Alperen Sengun had 36 points, 13 rebounds and seven assists, Houston dominated the second quarter, and the Rockets beat New Orleans.

Houston (45-29) moved into a tie for fifth place in the Western Conference with idle Minnesota, 1 1/2 games behind Denver.

Sengun made 5 of 7 from 3-point range and added three steals and three blocks. Kevin Durant and Jabari Smith Jr. each had 20 points for Houston and Tari Eason scored 15.

Dejounte Murray had 19 points for the Pelicans. Zion Williamson and Saddiq Bey each scored 18 and Derik Queen had 13. Rookie Jeremiah Fears added 12 points and five assists for New Orleans, which has lost three straight against the Rockets.

The Associated Press

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