Wednesday around the nBA

Heat 120, Pelicans 112

MIAMI

Goran Dragic played through a black eye and bloodied mouth to score 33 points, Hassan Whiteside had 20 points and 17 rebounds, and Miami beat New Orleans. Wayne Ellington scored 19 for the Heat, who made 16 3-pointers and have won 18 consecutive games when connecting at least 10 times from beyond the arc. Dion Waiters added 14, and James Johnson and Tyler Johnson had 10 apiece for Miami. The Heat (33-35) won for the 22nd time in 27 games and are 14-1 in their last 15 at home. Anthony Davis scored 27 points and DeMarcus Cousins added 19 for the Pelicans. E’Twaun Moore scored 18 off the bench on 8-for-12 shooting for New Orleans, which got 11 points apiece from Jrue Holiday and Dante Cunningham.

Pacers 98, Hornets 77

INDIANAPOLIS

Paul George made six 3-pointers and finished with 39 points to lead Indiana to a victory over Charlotte. Jeff Teague added eight points, eight rebounds and 11 assists, Myles Turner had six points, 11 rebounds and three blocks, and Monta Ellis scored 16 points for the Pacers. Leading 50-47 in the third quarter, Indiana used a 15-0 run to extend the lead and ultimately shut the door on Charlotte. The Hornets outscored the Pacers in the paint 42-18, but shot just 40 percent overall, while the Pacers finished at 53 percent. Frank Kaminsky led Charlotte with 20 points.

Jazz 97, Pistons 83

DETROIT

Gordon Hayward scored 25 points and George Hill added 17 and Utah beat Detroit. Hayward added eight rebounds and six assists, while Rudy Gobert had 12 points, nine rebounds and four blocks. Utah won for the sixth time in seven games, but a late rally by Detroit forced Quin Snyder to use his starters late with a game Thursday night in Cleveland. Aron Baynes had 12 points and 12 rebounds for Detroit, which lost for the second straight night and is in danger of falling back out of playoff position in the Eastern Conference. The Pistons lost 128-96 in Cleveland on Tuesday.

Mavericks 112, Wizards 107

WASHINGTON

Dirk Nowitzki scored 10 of his 20 points in the fourth quarter, Harrison Barnes finished with 22 and Dallas boosted their slim playoff hopes with a win over Washington. Nicolas Brussino scored eight of his 11 points off the bench in the fourth for the Mavericks, who began the night 3 1/2 games behind Denver for the final postseason spot in the Western Conference. Portland was positioned between Denver and Dallas. Wizards guard John Wall had 26 points and 11 assists despite briefly leaving the game in the second quarter with a sprained left foot. Bradley Beal added 24 points as Washington dropped back-to-back games for the second time since its previous loss to Dallas on Jan. 3.

Celtics 117, Timberwolves 104

BOSTON

Isaiah Thomas scored 27 points to lead Boston past Minnesota. Al Horford added 20 points, nine rebounds and eight assists for the Celtics, who earned their 11th straight home win over Minnesota. Boston also increased its lead to 1 1/2 games over the Washington Wizards for the second seed in the Eastern Conference. Ricky Rubio had a season-high 23 points to lead the Timberwolves, who dropped to just 10-21 on the road this season. Boston led by eight entering the fourth quarter, but outscored Minnesota 32-27 in the final 12 minutes.

Grizzlies 98, Bulls 91

CHICAGO

Mike Conley and Marc Gasol each scored 27 points to lead Memphis to a win against Chicago. Conley and Gasol scored 18 of the team’s 24 points in the fourth quarter as the Grizzlies held off the Bulls, who lost for the sixth time in seven games. Memphis, which had lost five straight before winning Monday, earned its second straight win. Chicago never led in the second half, but Nikola Mirotic had a pair of tying 3-pointers in the fourth quarter. Both were answered by Gasol, his teammate on the Spanish national team. The Bulls were without Dwyane Wade down the stretch after he injured his right elbow with 8:34 remaining. He did not return. Rajon Rondo scored 17 points to lead Chicago.

Trail Blazers 110, Spurs 106

SAN ANTONIO

Damian Lillard scored 36 points and Portland defeated San Antonio, spoiling LaMarcus Aldridge’s return from a health scare. C.J. McCollum added 26 points for the Trail Blazers, who were coming off a 23-point loss in New Orleans on Tuesday. Aldridge had 19 points and seven rebounds after missing two games with a minor heart arrhythmia. He was cleared Wednesday morning and does not have any playing restrictions. Kawhi Leonard had 34 points to lead San Antonio (52-15), which had won 11 of 12 entering the game but fell one game behind Golden State for the league’s best record.

Rockets 139, Lakers 100

HOUSTON

Lou Williams scored 30 points against his former team and James Harden had his 17th triple-double of the season to lead Houston over Los Angeles. Harden had 18 points, 13 assists and 12 rebounds as Houston handed the Lakers their 11th loss in 12 games. Williams broke out of a recent shooting slump against his ex-teammates. Houston sent Corey Brewer and a first-round draft pick to Los Angeles in a trade for Williams three weeks ago. The deal paid off for the Rockets on Wednesday night as Williams went 7 for 9 from beyond the arc and made his first seven field goal attempts, including four straight 3-pointers.

Associated Press