Blazers End Thunder Streak to Top West
Portland took over as the NBA Western Conference leader by beating Oklahoma City 111-104 on Wednesday, ending the Thunder's eight-game winning streak.
LaMarcus Aldridge had a season-high 38 points and added 13 rebounds for the Trail Blazers.
Portland moved half a game above San Antonio for the West lead because the Spurs' scheduled game against Minnesota in Mexico City had to be abandoned due to a fire in the generator room which choked the arena with smoke just before tip-off.
Elsewhere, an accurate Phoenix downed Houston, Kyle Korver matched a 3-point record as Atlanta beat the Los Angeles Clippers and Indiana notched an overdue win at Utah.
Portland's Nicolas Batum hit a 3-pointer with 29.9 seconds to go that all but sealed it for the Blazers, who have won 14 of their past 15 games. The win also snapped Oklahoma City's seven-game winning streak against the Blazers.
Kevin Durant finished with 33 for the Thunder.
Phoenix's Eric Bledsoe had 20 points and seven assists to lead the Suns over Houston 97-88.
P.J. Tucker added 18 points on 8-of-13 shooting with six rebounds for Phoenix, which shot 45.6 percent from the field, including 45.8 percent from behind the arc.
Dwight Howard had 15 points and 18 rebounds for the Rockets.
Atlanta's Kyle Korver tied the NBA record for consecutive games with a 3-pointer and scored a season-high 23 points in the Hawks' 107-97 victory over the Clippers.
Korver, returning from a bruised rib that sidelined him for four games, tied Dana Barros' NBA 18-year-old record by hitting a 3-pointer in his 89th straight game.
Paul Millsap finished with 25 points and Al Horford added 21 for the Hawks.
Blake Griffin scored 24 points for the Clippers.
Indiana's Paul George scored 19 points as the Pacers won 95-86 to notch their first win at Utah for eight years.
Lance Stephenson scored 15 points for the Pacers, who outscored the Jazz 27-19 in the fourth quarter and parlayed 14 Utah turnovers in 20 points.
Derrick Favors led Utah with 22 points and 13 rebounds.
Dallas' Dirk Nowitzki scored 11 of his 21 points in the fourth quarter to guide the Mavericks to a 100-97 win over New Orleans.
Cleveland's Kyrie Irving scored 23 points as the Cavaliers snapped Denver's seven-game winning streak with a 98-88 victory.
Detroit's Andre Drummond had 24 points and 19 rebounds as the Pistons rode a strong second-half performance to beat Milwaukee 105-98.
Source: Associated Press
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