Wednesday, March 30, 2016
Pistons 88, Thunder 82
AUBURN HILLS, MICH.
Marcus Morris scored 24 points, and the Detroit Pistons took advantage of Kevin Durant’s absence in a victory over Oklahoma City. The Thunder rested Durant and Serge Ibaka, and Oklahoma City was held to only nine points in the third period en route to its lowest-scoring game of the season. The Thunder rallied from a 15-point deficit, closing the gap to just one in the fourth, but Detroit was able to hold on late for a victory in its push for a playoff spot. The Thunder had their eight-game winning streak snapped.
Magic 139, Nets 105
ORLANDO, FLA.
Aaron Gordon had 20 points and Elfrid Payton had 11 points and 12 assists as the Magic scored a season high in defeating Brooklyn. Payton set the tone by keeping the ball moving and consistently getting his teammates involved in his second straight double-double. Gordon was hot early, scoring 13 points in the first quarter. Victor Oladipo and Evan Fournier had their moments and backup center Dewayne Dedmon, playing in place of injured Nikola Vucevic, scored 15 points.
Bulls 98, Pacers 96
INDIANAPOLIS
Jimmy Butler made a tiebreaking jumper with 3.7 seconds left, and the Chicago Bulls beat Indiana to snap a four-game losing streak. Nikola Mirotic scored 28 points as Chicago got back to .500. He made seven 3-pointers, his final one tying it at 96 with 2:19 remaining. The Pacers missed five shots in the final 2 minutes that would have given them the lead before the Bulls rebounded Pau Gasol’s miss with 20 seconds remaining and got the ball to Butler for his 17-footer from the right wing.
Hornets 100, 76ers 85
PHILADELPHIA
Nicolas Batum had 19 points, 12 rebounds and 12 assists for his second triple-double of the season, leading the Charlotte Hornets to a victory over Philadelphia. Cody Zeller added 18 points and 11 boards for Charlotte, which set a franchise record for wins in a month with its 13th victory. The Hornets, who entered the game in sixth place in the Eastern Conference, also inched closer to clinching their first playoff spot in two years and just second postseason berth in the last 13 years.
Associated Press