NBA-Highlights of Friday's NBA games

Feb 27 (The Sports Xchange) - Highlights of Friday's National Basketball Association games: - - - Warriors 113, Raptors 89 Guard Klay Thompson scored 25 points as the Golden State Warriors demolished the Toronto Raptors 113-89. The Raptors (37-21) trailed by a massive 41 points after three quarters en route to their fourth successive loss. They shot 1-for-19 from the field in the opening stanza, the poorest shooting quarter in Raptors history. Festus Ezeli of the Warriors and Toronto's Tyler Hansbrough were ejected late in the third for an altercation. - - - Pacers 93, Cavaliers 86 George Hill amassed his first career triple-double, leading the Indiana Pacers to a 93-86 home victory against the short-handed Cleveland Cavaliers. Hill finished with 15 points, 10 rebounds and 12 assists on a night when Cleveland played without All-Stars LeBron James (rest) and Kyrie Irving (left shoulder). The Cavaliers (37-23) dropped to 2-9 in games without James. - - - Pelicans 104, Heat 102 Reserve center Alexis Ajinca scored a career-high 24 points, including 14 in the fourth quarter, as the New Orleans Pelicans overcame a nine-point deficit in the final quarter to edge the Miami Heat 104-102. Miami guard Dwayne Wade missed a three-pointer to win it as time expired. - - - Celtics 106, Hornets 98 The Boston Celtics overcame a 16-point deficit late in the third quarter for a 106-98 victory over the Charlotte Hornets. Despite going more than nine minutes without a field goal in a span bridging the second and third quarters, the Celtics charged back to win their third in a row. Guard Isaiah Thomas led the comeback with 17 points in a span of barely five minutes. He finished with a season-high 28. - - - Hawks 95, Magic 88 Point guard Jeff Teague scored all 17 of his points in the second half to lead the Atlanta Hawks to a 95-88 home win over the Orlando Magic. The Hawks have the best record in the Eastern Conference but had trouble putting away the pesky Magic, who edged within three points with less than two minutes remaining. - - - Clippers 97, Grizzlies 79 Guards Chris Paul and Jamal Crawford scored 19 points each and center DeAndre Jordan grabbed 22 rebounds to lead the Los Angeles Clippers to a 97-79 road victory over the Memphis Grizzlies. With the game tied at the half, the Clippers opened the third quarter by going on a three-point-laden 21-6 run en route to just their second road win in seven games. - - - Rockets 102, Nets 98 James Harden overcame a poor shooting performance with a handful of critical plays down the stretch, leading the Houston Rockets to a 102-98 home win over the Brooklyn Nets. The Rockets trailed by eight points with four minutes left. Harden finished with 15 points and 12 assists to overshadow his 4-for-15 shooting. - - - Bulls 96, Timberwolves 89 Forward Jimmy Butler scored 28 points with 12 rebounds as the Chicago Bulls held on for a 96-89 win against the Minnesota Timberwolves. The Bulls closed out the game with a 12-4 run to erase an 85-84 deficit in the final five minutes and earn their seventh win in nine games. - - - Knicks 121, Pistons 115 (2OT) Center Andrea Bargnani had a season-high 25 points and 12 rebounds and the New York Knicks snapped an eight-game slide with a 121-115 double-overtime road victory over the Detroit Pistons. - - - 76ers 89, Wizards 81 Center Nerlens Noel scored nine of his 14 points in the final three minutes as the Philadelphia 76ers inflicted further misery on slumping Washington with an 89-81 victory as the Wizards lost their sixth in a row. - - - Jazz 104, Nuggets 82 Forward Derrick Favors had 21 points and 10 rebounds and Utah Jazz posted a 104-82 victory over the Denver Nuggets, who lost for the ninth consecutive time at home. - - - Trail Blazers 115, Thunder 112 The Portland Trail Blazers overturned a 13-point deficit inside the final 10 minutes to beat the Oklahoma City Thunder 115-112. Portland overcame a sensational performance by Oklahoma City guard Russell Westbrook, who had 40 points, 13 rebounds and 11 assists while notching his second triple-double in as many nights. - - - Spurs 107, Kings 96 Tony Parker scored 19 points and guard Kawhi Leonard added 17 as the San Antonio Spurs ended their four-game losing streak with a 107-96 road victory over the Sacramento Kings. Parker helped fuel a fourth-quarter run, hitting shots on consecutive possessions during a 20-8 San Antonio run that broke an 80-80 tie. - - - Lakers 101, Bucks 93 Guard Wayne Ellington scored all 14 of his points in the fourth quarter and the Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Milwaukee Bucks 101-93. The victory was the third straight for the Lakers (16-41), only the second time all season they have compiled such a streak. (Compiled by Andrew Both)