SALT LAKE CITY — Rodney Hood scored 30 points and the Jazz turned Kobe Bryant’s last visit to Utah into the worst loss of his career with a 123-75 victory on Monday night that matched the Lakers’ largest defeat in
SALT LAKE CITY — Rodney Hood scored 30 points and the Jazz turned Kobe Bryant’s last visit to Utah into the worst loss of his career with a 123-75 victory on Monday night that matched the Lakers’ largest defeat in franchise history.
The Jazz had their biggest offensive night of the season and remained in the No. 7 slot in the Western Conference playoff race, one game ahead of the Houston Rockets.
The 48-point defeat matched the margin in the Lakers’ 142-94 loss to the Clippers on March 7, 2014, when Bryant was out with an injury.
Hood and the Jazz put the game away early with a 17-2 start. The second-year guard was 5 for 5 from the field for 14 first-quarter points. He had 30 at halftime, including eight 3-pointers, and missed his career high for a game by two points.
THUNDER 119,
RAPTORS 100
TORONTO — Russell Westbrook had 26 points, 12 assists and 11 rebounds in his 16th triple-double of the season, Kevin Durant scored 34 points and Oklahoma City beat Toronto for its eighth straight victory.
Westbrook has seven triple-doubles in March, the most in a month since Michael Jordan had seven in April, 1989. He has the most in a season since Magic Johnson had 17 in 1988-89.
Oklahoma City has the NBA’s longest current winning streak and the team’s longest since a 10-game run from Jan. 16-31, 2014.
DeMar DeRozan had 19 points and Norman Powell added 18 for the Raptors, who lost at home for just the fourth time in 2016.
HAWKS 102,
BULLS 100
CHICAGO — Jeff Teague scored 26 points, including two free throws with just over six seconds to play, and surging Atlanta fought off a furious Chicago rally.
It was the fourth straight win for the Hawks. Though the Bulls mounted a dramatic late comeback, they continued a late-season swoon, losing their fourth straight.
The Bulls were down as much as 15 in the second half, but stormed back in the fourth quarter and were down three with the ball with eight seconds to play. Chicago’s Mike Dunleavy missed a layup, though, and fouled Teague, whose free throws sealed Atlanta’s ninth win in 10 games.
Dennis Schroder and Al Horford each added 14 points for Atlanta. Paul Millsap had 11 rebounds and Horford added 10 for the Hawks, who completed a season sweep of the Bulls.
Derrick Rose had 20 points for the Bulls.
SPURS 101,
GRIZZLIES 87
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — LaMarcus Aldridge had 31 points and 13 rebounds to lead San Antonio over Memphis.
Aldridge connected on 11 of 16 shots and was 9 of 11 from the line as San Antonio won despite resting stars Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili, who did not make the trip to Memphis.
Patty Mills finished with 17 points, while Kyle Anderson had 13 points and a career-best seven assists. Boris Diaw also added 13 points.
Vince Carter led Memphis with 14 points, while JaMychal Green finished with 12. Matt Barnes had 11 points and nine rebounds for Memphis, which lost its third straight.
San Antonio shot 51 percent from the field, while Memphis struggled at 40 percent.
HEAT 110,
NETS 99
MIAMI — Dwyane Wade had 30 points and nine assists, Hassan Whiteside scored a career-high 27 points off the bench and Miami pulled away to beat Brooklyn.
Josh Richardson finished with 16 points in a spot start and Justise Winslow added 13 for Miami, which clamped down defensively in the second half.
Brook Lopez scored 26 points for Brooklyn, which had its streak of seven straight games with 100 or more points — the team’s longest in two years — come to an end. Thaddeus Young made his first 10 shots and scored 20 for the Nets, who got 14 from Sean Kilpatrick.
Wade is averaging 27.1 points in his last seven games against the Nets. He shot 14 for 19 from the field on Monday, helping ensure that Joe Johnson’s first game against his former team would be a winning one.
MAVERICKS 97,
NUGGETS 88
DENVER — Reserve J.J. Barea scored 18 points and had 11 assists to help short-handed Dallas halt a three-game skid with a win over Denver.
Dwight Powell had 10 of his 16 points in the fourth quarter as Dallas moved into a virtual tie with Houston for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference.
It was a much-needed win for the Mavericks in a month that hasn’t been friendly to them. They’re 4-10 and have gone from five games over .500 on March 1 to two games below.
The Mavericks had seven players score in double figures, including all of their starters.
Will Barton had 23 points for the Nuggets, who finished with 21 turnovers. The Mavericks turned it over just three times.
TIMBERWOLVES 121,
SUNS 116
MINNEAPOLIS — Andrew Wiggins scored 32 points, Karl-Anthony Towns added 27 points and 10 boards and Minnesota beat Phoenix.
Wiggins needed just 13 field goal attempts to score his points. He made 17 of 21 free throws and 3 of 5 3-pointers as the Wolves won for the third time in their last four games. Minnesota shot 50.6 percent and turned 21 Suns turnovers into 26 points.
Devin Booker scored 12 of his 30 points in the fourth quarter as the Suns mounted a furious comeback from 20 down. Brandon Knight scored 30 points and tied a career high with seven 3-pointers, but the Suns lost for the eighth time in their last 11 games.
PELICANS 99,
KNICKS 91
NEW ORLEANS — Jrue Holiday scored 10 of his 22 points in the fourth quarter and New Orleans snapped a three-game slide with a victory over New York.
Returning from a two-game absence because of a toe injury on his left foot, Holiday took over a tight game in the final minutes, scoring six points during a 9-0 run that gave New Orleans a 93-85 lead.
The Pelicans won for the first time this season when scoring fewer than 100 points. New Orleans had been 0-33 in such games.
Former Knick Toney Douglas scored 16 points and Luke Babbitt added 14 for the Pelicans.
Carmelo Anthony scored 22 for New York, while Robin Lopez added 17 points. Knicks rookie Kristaps Porzingis had 16 points, 10 rebounds and three blocked shots.
