WASHINGTON (AP) — Paolo Banchero scored 30 points and the Orlando Magic eased to a 120-105 victory over the Washington Wizards on Friday night.
Wendell Carter Jr. had 16 points and 12 rebounds, and Franz Wagner added 21 points for the Magic, who have now alternated wins and losses over their last seven games.
Orlando began the night in eighth place in the Eastern Conference, 1 1/2 games behind Atlanta and two in front of Chicago in the battle for NBA play-in tournament seeding.
Alex Sarr scored 19 points and grabbed 10 rebounds for Washington, which lost its third straight. Jordan Poole added 18 points for the Wizards, who did not hold a lead beyond the midpoint of the first quarter.
ROCKETS 102, HEAT 98
MIAMI (AP) —Fred VanVleet scored 37 points and surging Houston won their ninth straight, beating Miami.
VanVleet shot 13 for 17 from the field and made a season-high 9 of 11 3-pointers as the Rockets extended the league’s longest active winning streak. Houston also snapped a nine-game skid against Miami, which lost its 10th straight. It is the Heat’s longest skid since they lost 11th straight in 2007-08.
Amen Thompson returned after missing the last six games because of a sprained left ankle and finished with 18 points and seven steals while Dillon Brooks and Jabari Smith each added 11 points for the Rockets.
TIMBERWOLVES 134, PELICANS 93
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Julius Randle had 20 points, six rebounds and five assists and Minnesota avoided losing to one of the Western Conference’s worst teams for the second time in three days with a victory over New Orleans.
Jaden McDaniels and Anthony Edwards each scored 17 points, and Rudy Gobert had 13 points and 12 rebounds for Minnesota, which moved back within a game of Golden State for the No. 6 seed in the Western Conference with 10 games left in the regular season.
The Timberwolves’ 41-point margin of victory was their largest this season.
Edwards also finished with five assists and three rebounds after a brief injury scare in the third quarter. The three-time All-Star went to the locker room holding his right thigh, but returned later in the period.
C.J. McCollum led the Pelicans with 15 points, and Bruce Brown scored 14.
THUNDER 141, HORNETS 106
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 30 points and Oklahoma City won their fifth in a row, over Charlotte.
Gilgeous-Alexander, the NBA’s top scorer at 33.0 points per game, returned to the lineup after sitting out Wednesday night’s lopsided win against Philadelphia. He made 13 of 18 shots to go with six rebounds and nine assists before sitting out the fourth quarter.
Chet Holmgren added 14 points, five rebounds and three blocks for Oklahoma City, which clinched the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference for the second consecutive season when Milwaukee beat the Lakers on Thursday.
Isaiah Hartenstein had 12 points and 10 rebounds for the Thunder, who played without injured starters Lu Dort and Jalen Williams. Oklahoma City led 66-49 at halftime after Kenrich Williams banked in a 29-foot shot at the buzzer, and 103-76 after three quarters.
Miles Bridges scored 20 points and Nick Smith Jr. added 14 for Charlotte, which played without injured starters LaMelo Ball (ankle) and Mark Williams (foot).
SPURS 128, 76ERS 120
SAN ANTONIO (AP) — Jeremy Sochan had 23 points, Keldon Johnson added 20 points and San Antonio rallied to close on an 11-3 run and beat injury-depleted Philadelphia.
Stephon Castle added 17 points and a season-high 14 assists for San Antonio, which won consecutive games for the first time since Jan. 3.
Quentin Grimes had 25 points and 10 rebounds as Philadelphia dropped its third straight. Justin Edwards added 25 points and Guerschon Yabusele had 23 points and nine rebounds.
The Associated Press
