With a 125-107 victory on Sunday night, the Dallas Mavericks ended the Houston Rockets’ 11-game winning streak and won their seventh consecutive. Luka Doncic finished with 47 points, 12 rebounds, and seven assists, while Kyrie Irving added 24 points and seven assists.

The Mavs lead 66-45 at the half after Doncic scored 32 points on 12-of-18 shooting, including 6 of 10 from 3-point range. Doncic finished with 18 of 30 points from the field, including 9 of 16 on threes, and had 22 points in only the first quarter.

For the Mavericks, Dante Exum scored 13 points, while P.J. Washington finished with 12 points and six rebounds. Dallas made 24 of 47 3-pointers and shot 52% overall.

With eight games left for each club, Dallas and idle New Orleans were tied for fifth place in the Western Conference.

While Aaron Holiday scored 16 points and Jabari Smith Jr. scored 28, Houston’s hopes of securing a play-in position were dashed when Jalen Green managed just 12 points on 5-for-15 shooting.

Houston made 13 of 38 3-pointers and shot 42%.

KNICKS 112, THUNDER 113

NEW YORK (AP) — With 2.6 seconds remaining and a victory against New York, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander sank the game-winning shot from the corner to send Oklahoma City to the playoffs for the first time since 2020.

Oklahoma City, who won its second straight game and took sole control of first place in the Western Conference at 52-22, was led by Josh Giddey, who finished with 16 points, 13 rebounds, and 12 assists.

Giddey recorded his third triple-double of the season, all against the Knicks. In the fourth quarter, he scored twelve points as the Thunder defeated the Knicks 38–27.

Gilgeous-Alexander finished with 19 points, while Jalen Williams topped all scorers with 33.

Another painful loss for the Knicks came on Friday in overtime in San Antonio, where Jalen Brunson had thirty points but missed the possible game-winning jumper. Donte DiVincenzo scored fifteen, and Deuce McBride added nineteen.

120 NUGGETS and 101 CAVALIERS

DENVER (AP) — With a double-double of 26 points, 18 rebounds, and 16 assists—his 22nd of the year—Denver defeated Cleveland to end a two-game home losing run.

Jokic almost missed Friday’s loss to Minnesota due to a painful right wrist, but he still recorded his 128th career triple-double.

Due to knee and ankle problems, Denver guard Jamal Murray missed his fifth straight game, but according to coach Michael Malone, he has improved.

In addition, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope scored a season-high 22 points on 7 of 10 three-point attempts. To start in Murray’s place, Reggie Jackson scored 19 points, and Michael Porter Jr. added 19 points for the Nuggets (52-23), who came into the game trailing Minnesota and Oklahoma City by a half game for the top spot in the Western Conference.

Cleveland has lost eight of twelve games. Jarrett Allen scored 19 points and Evan Mobley scored 23 for the Cavaliers. For fourth place in the East, the Cavaliers (45-30) started the day a half-game ahead of New York.

NETS 104, LAKERS 116

NEW YORK (AP) — LeBron James led the Los Angeles Lakers to a victory over Brooklyn with one of his greatest shooting performances of his storied career. He went 9 for 10 from beyond the arc to tie his career high for 3-pointers and tied a season high with 40 points.

James completed his 3-point shooting exhibition in the fourth quarter, leaving the sold-out Barclays Center audience standing. This season, he has scored 40 points three times; the last time he did so was on March 16 against Golden State at home.

With seven games left in the regular season, the Lakers have won five of their last six and are now nine games over.500 for the season. Los Angeles was still ranked ninth in the Western Conference, but the Lakers had a chance to move up to eighth place in the West or seventh place in the Sacramento Kings’ standings, which would have eliminated them from the single-elimination No. 9 vs. No. 10 play-in game.

Almost anything is conceivable for the 39-year-old NBA career scoring leader James if he plays another game like this in the postseason.

As the Lakers played the fourth game of a six-game road trip, they bounced back from a setback Friday night at Indiana that ended their five-game winning streak. The 20-time All Star finished 13 for 17 overall.

Rui Hachimura scored 20 points and pulled down 10 rebounds, while Anthony Davis contributed 24 points and 14 rebounds. The Lakers dominated the game from the start, leading by 20 points in the first quarter.

SPURS 113, WARRIORS 117

SAN ANTONIO (AP) — With 33 points from Stephen Curry, Golden State defeated San Antonio with a reduced manpower, winning for the fourth time in a row.

After the Rockets’ Sunday home defeat to Dallas, Curry went 12 for 23 from the field and made 7 of 15 3-pointers as Golden State held onto the final play-in place in the Western Conference, two games ahead of Houston.

Center Victor Wembanyama of the Spurs finished with 32 points and 9 rebounds.

With four seconds left, Wembanyama was called for an over-the-back foul on what would have been his tenth rebound. To complete the victory, Warriors forward Draymond Green made one of his two free throws.

Green had 11 rebounds and 21 points in the end.

With 59 seconds left, San Antonio went on a 7-0 run to trim Golden State’s advantage to 113-111. In response, Klay Thompson made a three-pointer.

Thompson finished with 13 points.

76ERS 135, RAPTORS 120

TORONTO (AP) — Kelly Oubre Jr. scored a season-high 32 points, Kyle Lowry had 11 points and 10 assists against his former team and Philadelphia snapped a three-game losing streak, beating Toronto.

Cam Payne scored 14 of his 24 points in the fourth quarter, Tobias Harris had 21 and Nicolas Batum 19 to help Philadelphia send Toronto to its 13th straight loss and seventh in a row against the 76ers.

Oubre shot 10 for 22, matching a season high by making 6 of 11 3-point attempts. Philadelphia made a season-high 24 3-pointers on 43 tries.

Guard Tyrese Maxey sat for the 76ers because of tightness in his left hip.

Before the game, Philadelphia coach Nick Nurse said injured center Joel Embiid participated Saturday in a light practice in Toronto. The reigning NBA MVP has been out since Feb. 6 following left knee surgery.

Gary Trent Jr. scored 23 points for Toronto. Jordan Nwora added 19, and Kelly Olynyk had 18 points and 11 rebounds.

CLIPPERS 130, HORNETS 118

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Paul George knocked down eight 3-pointers and finished with a season-high 41 points, and the Los Angeles Clippers defeated Charlotte for their fifth straight road win.

George finished 14 of 21 from the field and 8 of 12 from beyond the arc to beat the Hornets for the 12th consecutive time.

Ivica Zubac had 24 points and 12 rebounds and Kawhi Leonard chipped in with 23 points for the Clippers (47-27).

Miles Bridges scored 33 points on seven 3s and Brandon Miller had 22 for Charlotte (18-56), which has lost eight of nine and continues to limp toward the season finish line.

The Clippers entered the game in fourth place in the Western Conference and were looking to improve their seeding. They built a 12-point halftime lead behind George, who had 22 points on 8-of-13 shooting including five 3s and scored with ease while defended by the rookie Miller.

HEAT 119, WIZARDS 107

WASHINGTON (AP) — Terry Rozier III scored 27 points, Bam Adebayo had 22 and Miami Heat grinded out a victory over Washington.

Jimmy Butler added 17 points for the Heat, who won their second straight. Miami, seventh in the Eastern Conference, went 25 for 29 from the free throw line to move within a half-game of Indiana in the race to avoid the NBA Play-In Tournament.

Jordan Poole scored 22 points and Marvin Bagley III had 12 points and 10 rebounds for Washington on a night Wizards leading scorer Kyle Kuzma sat out with a bruised right heel. Anthony Gill tied a career high with 18 points for the Wizards, who have lost three in a row following a season-high three-game win streak.

Miami hit seven 3-pointers — half of their total makes all game — to take control during a 24-7 run that stretched across halftime. Rozier hit the final two before the interval, the second giving the Heat a 66-59 edge at the break, their largest lead to that point.

BULLS 109, TIMBERWOLVES 101

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — DeMar DeRozan had 27 points and eight assists and Alex Caruso added 21 points on a season-high seven 3-pointers as hot-shooting Chicago beat Minnesota.

Nikola Vucevic had 19 points and eight rebounds, Coby White scored 17 and Ayo Dosunmu added 13 for the Bulls, who shot 52.5% from the floor, including 58.6% from 3-point range.

Anthony Edwards led the Timberwolves with 22 points and 11 rebounds, but he also had six of Minnesota’s 14 turnovers. Rudy Gobert had 19 points and 10 boards, Mike Conley finished with 19 points and seven assists, and Naz Reid had 14 points for the Timberwolves, who were trying to clinch a Western Conference playoff spot.

Minnesota trailed by as much as 16 in the third quarter. But the Wolves chipped away, finally taking the lead 98-96 on Gobert’s 3-point play with 5:21 remaining. That was part of a 9-0 run that brought the packed Target Center crowd to its feet.

But DeRozan answered with a steal and a transition layup, then buried a 3 to put the Bulls back on top.

Caruso then hit his seventh 3-pointer and White scored on a fast break as the Bulls took a 106-99 lead with 2:03 to play.