Mar 15, 2017; Boston, MA, USA; Boston Celtics forward Al Horford (42) prepares to take a shot during the third quarter against the Minnesota Timberwolves at TD Garden. The Boston Celtics won 117-104. Mandatory Credit: Greg M. Cooper-USA TODAY Sports
BOSTON — The Boston Celtics continued their mastery of the Timberwolves, overcoming a 10-point first-half deficit and cruising to a 117-104 victory over Minnesota on Wednesday night.
Boston, which defeated Minnesota at TD Garden for the 11th straight time, used a 21-6 run bridging the halves and rode a great all-around game by Al Horford and a typical Isaiah Thomas performance to its 10th win in 11 games.
Horford just missed his second career triple-double (for the second time this month), with 20 points, nine rebounds and eight assists. Thomas scored 27 points and Avery Bradley added 18 for the Celtics.
Ricky Rubio led the Timberwolves with 23 points and seven assists. Andrew Wiggins and Shabazz Muhammad each scored 21 points and Karl-Anthony Towns posted 17 points and 14 rebounds for Minnesota.
Trail Blazers 110, Spurs 106
SAN ANTONIO — Damian Lillard scored 36 points, including four free throws in the final 5.2 seconds, as Portland stunned San Antonio.
CJ McCollum added 26 points for the Trail Blazers. Nurkic had 16 points and nine rebounds, Noah Vonieh scored 12 points and Allen Crabbe hit for 10.
Kawhi Leonard led the Spurs with 34 points while adding nine rebounds and six assists. LaMarcus Aldridge, who missed the previous two games because of a minor heart arrhythmia, had 19 points for San Antonio.
Mavericks 112, Wizards 107
WASHINGTON — Harrison Barnes scored 22 points and Dallas opened the fourth quarter with a 24-7 run en route to victory over Washington.
Dirk Nowitzki had 10 of his 20 points in the fourth quarter for the Mavericks, who swept the season series. Dallas had lost two in a row, including 100-78 at the Toronto Raptors on Monday. Seth Curry added 19 points for the Mavericks.
John Wall had 26 points and 11 assists for the Wizards, but limped off the court with 1:26 remaining in the first half. Wall sprained his left foot, but returned to finish off his 44th double-double of the season.
Rockets 139, Lakers 100
HOUSTON — Lou Williams scored 30 points off the bench against his former team and James Harden recorded his 17th triple-double on the season as Houston cruised past Los Angeles.
Williams, acquired at the trade deadline, hit his first seven shots and finished 11 of 17 over 26 minutes. Harden delivered an uneven performance, posting 18 points, 12 rebounds, 13 assists and nine turnovers.
Julius Randle paired a career-high 32 points on 13-of-17 shooting with eight rebounds for the Lakers. Rookie Brandon Ingram and Jordan Clarkson chipped in 18 points apiece.
Jazz 97, Pistons 83
AUBURN HILLS, Mich. — Gordon Hayward piled up 25 points, eight rebounds and six assists and Utah began a four-game road trip with a convincing victory.
George Hill supplied 17 points for the Jazz, who won six of their last seven games. Rudy Gobert added 12 points, nine rebounds and a career high-tying five assists while Joe Johnson and Joe Ingles also tossed in 12 points apiece.
Ish Smith’s 16 points led Detroit, which was coming off a 32-point loss at Cleveland on Tuesday. Aron Baynes posted 12 points and 12 rebounds and Tobias Harris chipped in 12 points.
Heat 120, Pelicans 112
MIAMI — Goran Dragic came back from an eye injury to score 33 points as Miami defeated New Orleans.
Dragic missed Sunday’s loss at Indiana after he got elbowed in the right eye by Toronto Raptors guard Cory Joseph in Miami’s previous game. Dragic had his right eye swollen shut on Sunday but made a quick recovery.
Hassan Whiteside had 20 points and 17 points while reserve Wayne Ellington added 19 points. Anthony Davis recorded 27 points and eight rebounds for the Pelicans.
Pacers 98, Hornets 77
INDIANAPOLIS — Paul George scored a season-high 39 points, including 27 during the second half as Indiana pulled away from Charlotte.
George made 15 of 21 field goal attempts, including 6 of 10 from 3-point range. Monta Ellis added 16 points for the Pacers, who shot 53.4 percent and outrebounded the Hornets 39-27. Jeff Teague had 11 assists.
Frank Kaminsky led Charlotte with 20 points, Marco Belinelli added 11 and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist scored 10. Kemba Walker was limited to seven points on 3-of-11 shooting. The Hornets shot only 40 percent.
Grizzlies 98, Bulls 91
CHICAGO — Mike Conley and Marc Gasol scored 27 points apiece, and Memphis pulled away from Chicago.
Tony Allen added 10 points and six rebounds as the Grizzlies earned their second consecutive victory. Memphis finished the game on a 15-8 run.
Rajon Rondo led the Bulls with 17 points, eight assists and six rebounds. Jimmy Butler and Nikola Mirotic each contributed 14 points for Chicago.
