Sports

AMMAN — Jordan’s Wihdat lost and Faisali won in their stage 2 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Cup on Tuesday as both teams aimed to come away with wins to boost their advanced positions in Groups A and B respectively.

Wihdat lost to Lebanon’s Al Ahd 3-2 in Group A in their away match in Beirut. In Amman, Faisali beat Iraq’s Naft Al Wasat 2-1 in Group B. Wihdat next take on Turkmenistan’s Altyn Asyr at home on March 13, while Faisali go up against Lebanon’s Tripoli in an away game.

James Harden had a game-high 40 points as the Houston Rockets, who had lost their last eight games in Toronto, defeated the Raptors 113-107 on Sunday at Air Canada Centre.

Harden had 20 of his 40 points in the fourth quarter as the Rockets erased an 85-77, third-quarter deficit to avoid a second consecutive loss overall. The 26-year-old entered Sunday’s game averaging 26.3 points per game in four career visits to Toronto in his highest scoring average of any opposing venue.

Lakers 112, Warriors 95

Jordan Clarkson scored 25 points and the Los Angeles Lakers stunned the Golden State Warriors 112-95 on Sunday at Staples Centre.

Clarkson, who returned after sitting out Friday’s loss to the Atlanta Hawks, connected on 10 of 21 shots from the floor and four of six 3-pointers as Los Angeles earned the biggest upset of the NBA season.

Thunder 104, Bucks 96

Giannis Antetokounmpo recorded his third triple-double in the last three weeks, but Kevin Durant scored 32 points for Oklahoma City, which snapped a two-game losing streak with a 104-96 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks on Sunday afternoon at the Bradley Centre.

Durant, himself, just missed his second triple-double of the season. He finished with 12 rebounds and eight assists.

Suns 109, Grizzlies 100

Devin Booker scored 27 points and Alex Len added 19 points and 16 rebounds to lead the Phoenix Suns to a 109-100 victory Sunday over the Memphis Grizzlies at FedExForum.

The victory was only the third for the Suns (17-46) in their past 18 games. Two of the victories during the stretch have come against the Grizzlies. Memphis (37-25) were led by Mike Conley, who finished with 22 points.

Reserve JaMychal Green scored 17 before fouling out with 3:57 to go. Matt Barnes also scored 17 for the Grizzlies, who had their three-game win streak snapped.

Nuggets 116, Mavericks 114 (OT)

D.J. Augustin hit two free throws with nine-tenths of a second left in overtime, and the Denver Nuggets beat the Dallas Mavericks 116-114 on Sunday.

Augustin scored eight of his 12 points in the extra period to help the Nuggets get payback for an overtime loss in Dallas on February 26.

Heat 103, 76ers 98

Goran Dragic had 23 points, eight rebounds and five assists as the Miami Heat escaped an upset, rallying to defeat the Philadelphia 76ers 103-98 on Sunday night at AmericanAirlines Arena.

On a day in which a 13-win Los Angeles Lakers team shocked the 55-win Golden State Warriors, the 76ers nearly pulled their own surprise. The 76ers are the only team in the NBA with a worse record than the Lakers.

Pistons 123, Trail Blazers 103

Reggie Jackson poured in 30 points and made nine assists to lift the Detroit Pistons past the Portland Trail Blazers 123-103 on Sunday at The Palace.

Jackson, who collected his seventh 30-point outing this season, was among six double-figures scorers for the Pistons (32-31) as they bounced back from a 102-89 loss to New York on Saturday. Marcus Morris had 19 points, All-Star Andre Drummond supplied 14 points and 18 rebounds and Tobias Harris contributed 16 points, five rebounds and five assists.

Gareth Bale looks set to reinforce Real Madrid against AS Roma in the second leg of their Champions League last-16 tie at the Bernabeu on Tuesday (1945 GMT) after a promising return from injury at the weekend.

Real should also have Toni Kroos, Luka Modric and Marcelo back after they missed Saturday’s 7-1 rout of Celta Vigo when Cristiano Ronaldo scored four goals.

Bale, who has scored an average of nearly a goal a match in La Liga this season, should help Real keep the Roma defence busy as the Italian side try to come back from a 2-0 deficit in the first leg in Rome two weeks ago.

The Welsh forward tore a calf muscle against Sporting Gijon on January 17 and had a setback during his recovery last month.

However, Bale had scored 11 goals in eight matches in La Liga prior to that injury and showed he could comfortably pick up where he left off.

He struck 14 minutes after coming on as a substitute on Saturday and now has a tally of 14 goals in his 16 league matches.

“Bale looked good, he was happy to play after so long,” Zidane said. “We’ll see... for the match against Roma but I think he’s ready.”

Bale told the club website, “I’m really happy after several difficult weeks. It’s great to win this way, come back, play and score.”

Kroos missed Saturday’s game through illness, while Marcelo (muscle fatigue) and Modric (ankle) have been out for two league matches.

Striker Karim Benzema remains doubtful with a thigh muscle problem and teenager Borja Mayoral could again stand in for him.

Zidane will want his most experienced players, though, to ensure Real stay in the hunt for an “Undecima” (11th) European Cup as they target the only major trophy they can still realistically win this season.

Roma also boosted their confidence for the task in Madrid with a 4-1 home win over Fiorentina in a key clash for third place in Serie A on Friday, including two goals from their quick winger Mohamed Salah, who played on loan at Fiore last season.

But coach Luciano Spaletti has injury worries. He did not include central defender Antonio Rudiger in a 21-man squad for the trip, while holding midfielder Radja Nainggolan is doubtful with a groin problem and Daniele De Rossi is still unavailable.

Fuelled up

VfL Wolfsburg are confident their recent good form can carry them past Gent on Tuesday and into the Champions League quarter-finals for the first time.

The Wolves, who won the first leg 3-2 in Belgium after leading 3-0 and conceding two late goals, are fuelled up on confidence following a 2-1 victory over in-form Borussia Moenchengladbach on Saturday.

It was their second league win in five days and moved them back into seventh place in the table.

“When you win against such a top team like Gladbach then you are allowed to be confident,” said Wolfsburg sporting director, Klaus Allofs. “We are back in the game.”

Wolfsburg, last season’s runners-up and German Cup winners, seem to have recovered from their slump earlier in the campaign in time for the biggest European game in the club’s history.

“We know that the tie is not finished yet,” Allofs said. “But if we play like we did against Gladbach then we will advance into the next round.”

Julian Draxler, who scored against both Gent and Gladbach, limped off on Saturday midway through the second half but is expected to be fit for Tuesday.

Max Kruse, who also scored in both those games, picked up a knock but will be ready to face Gent, said coach Dieter Hecking.

“Games like the one on Tuesday should heal every wound,” Hecking said.

Gent slipped two points behind Belgian league leaders Club Bruges after a 1-1 draw with second-bottom OH Leuven on Friday. Gent failed to find a winner despite their opponents having their goalkeeper sent off.

Coach Hein Vanhaezebrouck is still sweating over the fitness of striker Laurent Depoitre, who missed Friday’s match and Saturday training with a bad back and strained abdomen.

Serbian centre back Stefan Mitrovic, whose foot injury has kept him out for two weeks, is also a doubt.

Yet, even if they are depleted, the Belgians believe they have a chance in Germany.

“When we were 0-3 down [against Wolfsburg], everyone thought this away tie would be just a city outing for us,” goalkeeper Matz Sels said when asked if he was optimistic about the return leg.

“But thanks to the two goals we scored we have made it a contest. We certainly shouldn’t throw it open at the start because it would be deadly for us to concede a goal.”

“Even if we only go 1-0 up in the 80th minute it would 10 minutes of jitters for Wolfsburg and then you never know if you have another good crack with the ball,” he said.

AMMAN — Jordan’s Wihdat and Faisali will play their stage two Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Cup on Tuesday with both teams aiming to come away with wins to boost their advanced positions in Groups A and B.

Wihdat will play an away match in Beirut against Lebanon’s Al Ahd in Group A and will seek to capitalise on their opening 2-0 win over Bahrain’s Hidd. Group A also includes Turkmenistan’s Altyn Asyr, who beat Al Ahd 2-0.

Wihdat officials hope the AFC will make up for elimination from the Asian Champions League — the premier Asian competition — where they lost 2-1 to Saudi Arabia’s Ittihad Jeddah.

Head coach Raed Assaf said team morale was high after a 1-0 win over Faisali in the local league which secured the team’s position atop the standings. “We have taken part in the AFC Cup in the past eight editions. It’s time to add an Asian title to Wihdat’s achievements,” Assaf noted. 

In Amman, Faisali will host Iraq’s Naft Al Wasat in Group B after their opening 0-0 draw with Turkmenistan’s Istiklol Dushanbe. Group B also includes Lebanon’s Tripoli who lost to Naft Al Wasat 1-0.

A two-time AFC Cup winner, Faisali have had a good season locally and aim to return to the forefront of competitions this year.

The 14th AFC Cup has 40 clubs from across the continent competing in eight groups with the top two from each group going on to the Round of 16 when Round 1 ends on May 24. The second tier Asian club competition has been won three times by Jordanian teams: Faisali won titles in 2005 and 2006, and Shabab Urdun won in 2007.

This edition seems to bode well for Jordanian clubs to win back the title after record winning Kuwaiti teams were suspended by FIFA. Prize money includes $1 million for the champ, $500,000 for the runner-up, $40,000 for semifinalists, $25,000 for quarter-finalists and $15,000 for teams reaching the Round of 16.

Wihdat have been league champs for the past two seasons. This year, their fortunes have turned around as they conceded the season opening 33rd Super Cup to rivals Faisali. After elimination from the Jordan Cup, now they have only the league title in contention. 

In 2015, Jordanian teams were absent from advanced stages of Asian competitions as Wihdat and Jazira were knocked out of the AFC Cup Round of 16. While it was the first time for Jazira, who finished runner-up in the Jordan League and participated in the event after two-time AFC Cup champs and Faisali declined, Wihdat were hoping to advance and win the AFC Cup for the first time. In 2014, Jordan Cup champs That Ras exited the Round of 16 in their inaugural AFC participation while former AFC Cup champs Shabab Urdun exited in Round 1. 

Standings  (Group A)

Standings  (Group B)

CLEVELAND — Cleveland’s LeBron James scored 20 of his 28 points in the second half to guide the Cavaliers back from a slow start to a 120-103 win against Boston on Saturday.

The NBA’s Eastern Conference leaders were staring at a rare home loss when they trailed by 18 points in the first quarter but got their act together and pulled out a win that moved the Cavaliers 2-1/2 games clear of Toronto in the contest for the best record in the Eastern Conference.

Elsewhere, San Antonio improved its home record to a remarkable 30-0 by beating Sacramento, Atlanta defeated the Los Angeles Clippers to close in on the Southeast Division lead, and Indiana narrowly beat Washington in a clash of two teams fighting for one of the lower play-off places in the East.

James’ efforts moved him into 14th place in the league’s all-time scoring list, ahead of San Antonio’s Tim Duncan. James also had 11 rebounds. Cleveland had seven other players in double figures, led by Kyrie Irving with 21.

Isaiah Thomas’ 27 points led the Celtics, who had won their previous five games.

A below-strength San Antonio beat Sacramento 104-94 to make it eight straight wins.

Kawhi Leonard had 25 points and 13 rebounds for the Spurs, who were missing regular starters LaMarcus Aldridge (headache), Tim Duncan and Danny Green (rested).

Manu Ginobili added 22 points in his return from a 12-game absence.

DeMarcus Cousins scored 31 points to lead Sacramento.

Atlanta’s Jeff Teague scored 22 points and Paul Millsap had 20 points and a season-high 18 rebounds to lead the Hawks past the Los Angeles Clippers 107-97.

Kent Bazemore added 17 points for the Hawks, who trailed by 17 points before hitting the lead late in the third quarter. They sealed victory with a 19-5 run that turned a six-point deficit with a 101-93 lead with 3:18 to play.

All five starters scored in double figures for the Clippers, including DeAndre Jordan and Chris Paul with 17 each.

Indiana’s Paul George scored 38 points, including two free throws with 3 seconds left to lift the Pacers past Washington 100-99.

John Wall missed a jumper at the buzzer for the Wizards.

George, coming off a 35-point effort on Friday, shot 13 of 22 from the field and converted all eight of his free throws.

Chicago’s Pau Gasol finished with 28 points and 17 rebounds as the Bulls beat Houston 108-100, snapping a four-game losing skid.

New York’s Carmelo Anthony had 24 points and 10 rebounds to lead the Knicks to a 102-81 victory over Detroit.

Utah’s Derrick Favours had 28 points and 11 rebounds as the Jazz beat New Orleans 106-94 after five successive losses.

Minnesota shot a franchise record 68.4 per cent to beat Brooklyn 132-118, led by 28 points from Karl-Anthony Towns.

AMMAN — Riyadi will give it all they have as they seek to end the best-of-seven play-offs for the Jordan Basketball League crown when they play Orthodoxi at 6:30pm on Monday.

Following their 81-55 win over the titleholders on Friday, Riyadi now lead the series 3-0 after they beat their rivals twice in Round 2 — 73-65 and 81-73.

Riyadi are just one win away from the winning the title they came close to many time in earlier seasons. The last time they won the league was nearly 20 years ago in 1997 by then Jazira-Aramex team (whose players later on formed Riyadi’s line-up).

Riyadi lost the Jordan Cup to Orthodoxi at the onset of the season. They finished Round 1 in third place after Hurrieh and Orthodoxi, however, they rebounded and became the only unbeaten team in Round 2 beating Orthodoxi twice as well as Awdeh 86-61 and 85-74 Hurrieh 73-67 and 80-77. 

Orthodoxi were unimpressive in the West Asian Basketball Championship and despite signing new players they only managed to beat Hurrieh 78-58 and 67-52 and Awdeh 86-82 and 74-67 but could not beat Riyadi.

On the other hand, Hurrieh and Awdeh are playing the best-of-five play-off for third place. Awdeh are one win away from third place after they beat Hurrieh 65-64 and 65-60 while Hurrieh won once 71-65.

Hurrieh finished Round 1 with an unbeaten record, while Orthodoxi were second after they beat Riyadi. With teams like Applied Science University, Ittihad, Wihdat pulling out of the competition, Awdeh joined the top four. At the other end of the standings, Kufr Youba and Jalil pushed Ghazzet Hashem and Nashama to be relegated to Division 1.

The season started with Orthodoxi winning the Jordan Cup and aiming to retain the league title which they won for the record 23rd time last year. Apart from Riyadi and Orthodoxi, leading clubs abandoning the game this season leading to major changes in the league. After winning the league four times, the last being in 2013 and 2014, both ASU and Ittihad disbanded their teams over differences with the Jordan Basketball Federation. Players were dispersed over the rest of clubs and new clubs with no fan base entered the competition in what has led to a sharp decline in the game locally and Jordan’s regional competitive chances.

The Basketball League, which started in 1952, has had 58 editions with eight teams crowned champion. It was cancelled in three seasons and discontinued once. Orthodoxi have won 23 times, Ahli 21, Zain (Fastlink) six times, ASU four times, Jazira-Aramex twice, Urdun, Watany and the Electricity Co. once each.

AMMAN — The stage is set for sport’s biggest night of the year — The Black Iris Sports Awards — taking place on Monday night 

The cream of Jordan’s sporting community will congregate at the Kempinski Hotel for a royal gala event held under the patronage of HRH Prince Feisal, president of the Jordan Olympic Committee which organises the awards.

Created in 2005 to encourage and recognise sporting excellence among Jordan’s elite athletes, the 2015 Black Iris Sports Awards winners will be revealed following a voting process that engaged almost 500,000 fans.

There are five categories, and the winners will be revealed at the ceremony which will be streamed live through the Internet. Details will be posted Monday on the Jordan Olympic Committee’s official Facebook and Twitter pages so fans can watch the awards night as it happens.

Shortlist:

Best Sportsman

Hussein Ishish (Boxing): Bronze at Asian Championships and ranked five in the world

Ahmad Abu Goush (Taekwondo): Silvers at Open Kazakhstan Championships and Open Russian Championships

Udai Abu Hasswah (Kickboxing): Asian Gold Medallist in India; Gold at Arab Championships; and Silver at World Championships

Lawrence Fanous (Triathlon): Ninth at Europe Professionals Championships and pushing for Olympic qualification

Malik Al Hariri (Jujitsu): Seven gold, five silver and four bronze in 2015

Best Sportswoman

Lama Qubbaj (Jujitsu): Gold in World Jujitsu Championships, Top ranked in Asia and four in the world

Lena Mazahreh (Badminton): Silver in International Morocco Championships; Two bronze medals in Egypt Championships for doubles and mixed doubles

Sewar Abu Yaman (Table Tennis): Gold at Arab Women’s Cup

Best Young Achiever (Male), in association with Backaldrin

Nabeel Al Shweiki (Karate): Bronze in World U21 Championships; Bronze in Asian Championships

Khader Baqleh (Swimming): Two silver, two bronze at Arab Championships; Gold, two silver, two bronze at International Dubai Championships. First Jordanian to make Olympic qualification time (B) in 200m freestyle, three silvers at 8th Asian Age Championship

Shergo Al Kurdi (Golf): Second at Arab Juniors Championships and holder of a number of titles in the UK where he lives and plays

Mohammad Al Goul (Jujitsu): Gold at World Junior Championships

Ahmad Al Khateeb (Chess): Gold at Arab Olympic Chess, obtained Grand Master and International Master levels

Best Young Achiever (Female), in association with Peak 

Aysha Al Sedah (Taekwondo): Silver at World Cadet Championships

Taleen Al Humaidi (Taekwondo): Bronze at Asian Juniors Championships, Silver at Kazakhstan Championships

Leen Al Btoush (Football): Player-of-the-tournament at the West Asian Championships

Balqees Al Qudah (Fencing): Gold at Arab Championships

Domo’ Amro (Badminton): Four golds at International Egypt  Championships for team, individual, doubles and mixed doubles 

Best Paralympic Athlete

Khitam Abu Awad (Table Tennis): Silver at Rio qualifications and Gold at Slovenia International Championships

Mohammad Abu Arrar (Powerlifting): Gold at International Fazza’ Championships

Fatin Elymat (Table Tennis): Silver at Slovenia International Championships; Silver at Al Nadi Championships; Bronze at Asian Championships.

TORONTO — Toronto overcame a huge game by Portland’s Damian Lillard and beat the Trail Blazers 117-115 in a thrilling contest on Friday, extending the Raptors’ home winning streak to 12 games.

The Atlantic Division-leading Raptors stayed two games behind Cleveland for the overall best record in the NBA’s Eastern Conference, with the Cavaliers maintaining that buffer by cruising past Washington.

The Cavs extended their lead in the Central Division to 12 games ahead of Indiana, which lost at Charlotte in a clash of contenders for the lower play-off positions, while Memphis shored up their postseason ambitions with victory over Utah.

Portland’s Lillard scored 50 points, one shy of his career high set last month against Golden State but it was still not enough for the Trail Blazers. He and C.J. McCollum were the only players in double figures for the visitors.

DeMar DeRozan had 38 points and Kyle Lowry added 28 for Toronto. DeRozan went 24 for 25 from the free-throw line, both career highs.

Cleveland star LeBron James was on track for a triple-double before sitting out the fourth quarter, and his efforts helped the Cavaliers beat Washington 108-83.

The Cavs were blown out at Washington on Sunday, when James watched from the bench and the Wizards built a 30-point lead. But with James energised after not playing since Monday, and Cleveland using a “small” line-up as forward Kevin Love got the night off, the Cavs snapped Washington’s four-game winning streak.

James finished with 19 points, 13 rebounds and seven assists. Timofey Mozgov scored 14 points, 12 on dunks, for Cleveland.

John Wall scored 17 for the Wizards.

Charlotte’s Kemba Walker scored 33 points and had 10 assists to guide the Hornets past Indiana 108-101.

Walker shot 9 of 17 from the field and made all 11 free throws for his 10th 30-point game of the season, while Nicolas Batum added 31 points for the Hornets, who swept the three-game series with the Pacers for the first time in franchise history. Walker has averaged 29.6 points during Charlotte’s current three-game win streak.

Charlotte, which shot 48.1 per cent for the game to improve to 21-9 at home.

Paul George scored 35 points to lead the Pacers.

Memphis’ Zach Randolph scored 25 points and grabbed four rebounds in the final minute to secure a 94-88 win for the Grizzlies against Utah.

Randolph, who finished with eight rebounds, was 9 of 18 from the field. Lance Stephenson, acquired by the Grizzlies at the trade deadline, had 16 points on 8-for-11 shooting.

Gordon Hayward’s 18 points led the Jazz, who are sliding from playoff contention after five straight losses.

Boston only just extended its home winning streak to 13 games by edging New York 105-104.

Boston trailed by eight points in the fourth quarter but used a series of mini-runs to eventually take the lead for good on the driving layup by Avery Bradley with 17.7 seconds left.

Isaiah Thomas had 32 points and Evan Turner had 21 for the Celtics.

New York’s Carmelo Anthony had a chance to win the game in the closing seconds but badly missed a 3-pointer off the backboard as time expired. Anthony had 30 points for the game.

Atlanta had six players in double figure in their 106-77 rout of the Los Angeles Lakers, completing their first sweep of that season series for 42 years and sending the Lakers to their 10th loss in 11 games.

Milwaukee’s Khris Middleton scored 32 points, becoming the first Bucks player to sink eight 3-pointers in a game for five years, as the hosts downed Minnesota 116-101.

Miami’s Hassan Whiteside had 19 points and 19 rebounds to lead the Heat past Philadelphia 112-102, inflicting an 11th successive defeat on the 76ers.

Phoenix ended a run of 17 consecutive road losses by winning 102-84 at Orlando, led by a career-high 31 points and 15 rebounds from Alex Len.

Brooklyn’s Brook Lopez tipped in a basket with four tenths of a second left in overtime to give the Nets a 121 win against Denver.

AMMAN  — Jordan remained 82nd when FIFA World Rankings were issued on the weekend.

The Kingdom is now 9th in Asia trailing Iran (44), Japan (56), South Korea (57), Saudi Arabia (50), the UAE (64), Australia (67), Uzbekistan (74) and Qatar (80). Belgium still leads the World top 10 ahead of Argentina, Spain, Germany, Chile, Brazil, Portugal, Columbia, England and Austria. 

Jordan will soon restart 2018 World Cup qualifiers doubling as part of the qualification for 2019 Asian Cup. The Kingdom will play the last two qualifiers against Bangladesh at home on March 24 and Australia in an away match on March 29.

The national team is now second in Group B behind Australia after losing 1-0 to Kyrgyzstan, beating Australia 2-0 and Tajikistan 3-0. In the first leg, Jordan was held to a disappointing 0-0 draw with Kyrgyzstan, beat Tajikistan 3-1 and Bangladesh 4-0. 

The group winners and four best runners-up (total 12 teams) will advance to the 2019 AFC Asian Cup finals and the final round of qualifying for the 2018 FIFA World Cup. The next best 24 teams from the preliminary stage of the joint qualifiers will compete in a separate competition for the remaining slots (12 slots or 11 slots + one slot for the host) in the 24-team 2019 Asian Cup. 

Jordan beat Egypt 1-0 in a friendly last month under newly assigned interim coach Abdullah Abu Zam’eh although Egypt did not employ its senior squad and Jordan played without most pros while some were on the injury list.

It has been an inconsistent year for Jordan’s squad who have seen three coaches leading the vital qualifying process. The line-up was led by Briton Ray Wilkins under whom the team failed to advance past the quarters of the 16th Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Asian Cup in 2015 before Ahmad Abdul Qader took over in the transitional phase under whom the team played the first qualifier. Belgian Paul Put took over in July and his contract was suspended as he in the midst of a court case over match fixing in the Belgian league. 

Jordan had the most memorable World Cup qualifying journey in 2013 when they lost a possible chance to play at the World Cup for the first time and advanced to play then World’s 6th ranked Uruguay in an intercontinental qualifying tie for a place in the 2014 World Cup. They lost the home game 5-0 and held the former World Cup champs 0-0 in the away match. Jordan had never reached that far in World Cup qualifying since taking part in the qualifiers as Round 3 had been the furthest Jordan reached in the past seven times in the qualifiers since 1986.

In the Asian Cup, Jordan reached the Championship three times since first taking part in qualifiers in 1972. The pinnacle was at the 13th Asian Cup when they lost to Japan in the quarter-finals and jumped to the best ever FIFA ranking of 37th in August 2004. In 2011 and 2015, Jordan again reached the quarter-finals.

SAN ANTONIO, Texas — Kawhi Leonard scored 27 points and LaMarcus Aldridge added 23 as the San Antonio Spurs beat the Detroit Pistons 97-81 on Wednesday night to clinch their 19th straight play-off berth.

San Antonio (51-9) won their 29th straight home game to open the season in their first game following a month-long road trip brought on by the San Antonio Stock Show and Rodeo.

San Antonio joins Golden State as the only teams to clinch spots in the postseason.

Leonard and Aldridge excelled against a Detroit team thinned by injuries to forwards Anthony Tolliver and Stanley Johnson. Aldridge added 10 rebounds and Leonard had six rebounds and five assists for San Antonio, which have won six straight.

Detroit centre Andre Drummond had nine points and 14 rebounds, ending his career-high and the league’s season-high of consecutive double-doubles at 13 straight.

In Los Angeles, the Oklahoma City Thunder took the court hours after the death of part-owner Aubrey McClendon and squandered a 22-point lead to lose to the Los Angeles Clippers 103-98.

The Clippers ended the game with a stunning 26-5 run after trailing by 16 points with 7:30 left. The Thunder had only one field goal during that stretch, a 17-foot jumper by Durant. It was the largest comeback win of the season for the Clippers.

Kevin Durant scored 30 points and Russell Westbrook had 24 points and 12 assists for Oklahoma City.

D.J. Augustin scored 22 of his 26 points in the fourth quarter to lead six Denver players in double figures as the Nuggets beat the Los Angeles Lakers 117-107 in Kobe Bryant’s final game at the Pepsi Centre.

Emmanuel Mudiay added 22 points and the Nuggets used a 10-0 run midway through the final quarter to gain some separation.

Bryant finished with five points and didn’t play in the second half because of a sore right shoulder. Fans kept chanting “We want Kobe” as he sat on the bench with a wrap on his shoulder.

The Nuggets honoured Bryant with a video tribute during a timeout in the first quarter.

In Houston, James Harden had 39 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists to help the Rockets overcome miserable shooting in a 100-95 victory over New Orleans.

Houston went 3 of 34 on 3-point attempts and committed 21 turnovers but were able to rally past New Orleans thanks to an off night from Pelicans star Anthony Davis.

With their horrendous shooting performance, Houston became the first team in NBA history to make fewer than four 3s on 30 or more attempts.

Toronto’s Kyle Lowry scored 32 points and DeMar DeRozan added 31 as the Raptors beat Utah 104-94 for a club-record 11th straight home win.

Lowry, who had a career-high 43 points in a victory over Cleveland on Friday night before being rested Sunday in a loss at Detroit, added five assists and four rebounds. Toronto (40-19) led the entire second half on the way to their fifth win in six games.

The Jazz (28-32) were led by Gordon Hayward, who had 26 points, six assists and three rebounds. Derrick Favours added 15 points and seven rebounds for Utah, which have lost four straight and 7 of 11.

There were 11 lead changes and nine ties in the first half before the Raptors took control.

In Orlando, Nikola Vucevic scored 24 points and rookie Mario Hezonja added a career-high 21 as the Magic beat Chicago 102-89.

Derrick Rose led Chicago with 16 points, all in the first half. Pau Gasol had 12 points and Doug McDermott was the only other Bulls player in double figures with 11.

Both teams were on the second game of back-to-back and it looked it. Orlando hit only 40.2 per cent, while Chicago shot just 38.4 per cent from the field.

Washington’s Bradley Beal scored 26 points and Alan Anderson added 18 to earn the Wizards a fourth straight victory with a 104-98 defeat of Minnesota.

Ricky Rubio had 22 points and six rebounds, Zach LaVine scored 21 and Karl-Anthony Towns had 14 points, 15 rebounds and five assists for the Timberwolves. Minnesota made 29 free throws to just nine for Washington, but 19 turnovers did in the young Wolves.

In Boston, Isaiah Thomas had 30 points to lead the Celtics to a fourth straight win in a resounding 116-93 defeat of Portland.

Avery Bradley added 17 points as the Celtics won their 12th straight at home. The streak ties Boston’s longest since they won 13 straight at the Garden during the 2008-09 season.

Six Boston players reached double figures and the Celtics also outscored Portland 60-34 in the paint, while committing just five turnovers.

Mike Conley scored 24 points, including 10 in the fourth quarter, to lead Memphis to a 104-98 home victory over Sacramento.

Conley, who also had five assists, shot 9 of 12, including all three attempts from 3-point range as the Grizzlies won their second straight and sixth in the last eight.

Zach Randolph finished with 19 points and eight rebounds for Memphis, while JaMychal Green and Mario Chalmers scored 15 apiece. Chris Andersen added 10 points, including the final two free throws with 17 seconds left to seal the victory.

DeMarcus Cousins led the Kings with 18 points and 16 rebounds, but was 7 of 18 from the field. Darren Collison finished with 17 points.

In Milwaukee, Jordan Hill had 19 points and Indiana survived a last-minute rally to defeat the Bucks 104-99 and end a three-game losing streak.

Paul George and Rodney Stuckey added 15 each for Indiana.

Khris Middleton had 23 points to pace the Bucks, who have lost three of four. Giannis Antetokounmpo added 22 and Jabari Parker 18 for Milwaukee.

Charlotte’s Kemba Walker scored 30 points and Cody Zeller had 15 as the Hornets won comfortably at Philadelphia, 119-99.

The Hornets became the latest team to top 100 points against the 76ers, reaching that mark with 5:26 left. The Sixers have allowed 100-plus in nine straight games and more than 120 points four times during that span.