NBA Capsules
NEW YORK (AP) — Paul Pierce scored 22 points as the Brooklyn Nets moved to the brink of a playoff spot by beating the Minnesota Timberwolves 114-99 on Sunday for their club record-equaling 13th straight home victory.
Pierce scored 16 in the first quarter, two nights after putting up 17 in the first period. Joe Johnson added 19 points for the Nets, who would clinch a playoff spot if the New York Knicks lost to Golden State later Sunday.
Brooklyn equaled the longest home winning streak in the NBA this season and the best in the history of the franchise.
Corey Brewer and Kevin Martin each scored 21 for the Timberwolves, who had won two in row and were coming off the highest-scoring game in the NBA this season, when they scored a franchise-record 143 points in a rout of the Lakers on Friday.
CAVALIERS 90, PACERS 76
CLEVELAND (AP) — Dion Waiters scored 19 points and Luol Deng added 15 as the Cleveland Cavaliers kept their playoff push going with a 90-76 win over the Indiana Pacers, who are losing their grip on the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference.
Tristan Thompson had 16 rebounds as the Cavs snapped a nine-game losing streak against Indiana. Cleveland came in three games behind slumping, idle Atlanta for the conference's final playoff spot. With seven games left — six against teams with losing records — the Cavs still have a chance.
The Pacers, meanwhile, are falling apart. They lost their fifth straight road game and now lead Miami by one game for the East's top record and home-court advantage.
Paul George scored 15 and David West 14 for Indiana, which fell behind by 21 in the fourth quarter.
THUNDER 116, JAZZ 96
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Kevin Durant had 31 points and nine assists to help the Oklahoma City Thunder defeat the Utah Jazz.
Durant scored at least 25 points for the 38th consecutive game, the longest streak since Michael Jordan did it in 40 straight games for the Chicago Bulls during the 1986-87 season.
Russell Westbrook scored 19 points, Serge Ibaka had 17 points and Caron Butler added 15 for the Thunder, who have won six of seven. Oklahoma City shot 55 percent from the field and made 11 of 18 3-pointers and 23 of 26 free throws.
Enes Kanter had 18 points and 12 rebounds for the Jazz, who have lost four in a row.
RAPTORS 98, MAGIC 93
ORLANDO, Florida (AP) — DeMar DeRozan had 28 points and Jonas Valanciunas added 20 points and nine rebounds as the Toronto Raptors escaped with a victory over the Orlando Magic.
Trailing 96-93 with 8.9 seconds to play, the Magic had the ball and an opportunity to tie the game. But coming out of a timeout they failed to inbound the ball, turning it over on a 5-second violation. DeRozan was fouled and hit a pair of free throws to provide the final margin.
The win was the Raptors' third in a row and seventh straight over the Magic. Toronto swept the season series 3-0.
Nik Vucevic led the Magic with 22 points and 10 rebounds.
