SAN ANTONIO — Kawhi Leonard scored 34 points and the San Antonio Spurs shrugged off a listless start Saturday to beat the Minnesota Timberwolves 97-90 in overtime and clinch a NBA playoff spot.
Leonard led his team to their second straight overtime victory in as many days as the Spurs booked their 20th consecutive post-season berth.
Leonard scored six of his 34 points in overtime as San Antonio stretched their winning streak to seven games. Leonard finished with a team-high 31 points in a 101-98 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans Friday.
It is still early March but the Spurs are the second NBA team this season to get into the playoffs behind Golden State, which did it last Saturday with a 112-95 win over the Brooklyn Nets.
Rockets 123, Grizzlies 108: James Harden turned a torrid stretch in the third quarter into his NBA-leading 49th double-double as the Houston Rockets topped the Memphis Grizzlies 123-108 to split the season series.
Harden scored 20 of his game-high 33 points in the third, including 15 consecutive points for the Rockets (44-19), who stretched a two-point lead to their first double-digit advantage at 72-62 on a Harden dunk at the 6:06 mark.
Harden added 11 assists while Rockets center Clint Capela paired a career-high 24 points with 11 rebounds for his 10th double-double this season.
Eric Gordon (18 points, 6-for-8 on three-pointers) and Nene (11 points) paced a Houston bench that contributed 45 points. The Rockets also finished 18 for 42 on three-pointers.
Clippers 101, Bulls 91: Jamal Crawford scored 25 points off the bench, Chris Paul scored 17 and four starters reached double figures for Los Angeles in a win over Chicago.
Crawford scored 17 points in the second half when the Clippers erased a six-point halftime deficit and led by as many as 16 points. Blake Griffin had 16 points and J.J. Redick finished with 13 for Los Angeles.
Bucks 101, Raptors 94: Khris Middleton scored a season-high 24 points and Spencer Hawes added 16 as Milwaukee beat Toronto at the Bradley Center.
Middleton hit 9-of-14 shots in 30 minutes of action while being part of the starting lineup for a second consecutive night and just the third time this season.
Giannis Antetokounmpo finished with 21 points while Malcolm Brogdon added 17 for Milwaukee.
Heat 120, Cavaliers 92: Cleveland opted to rest All-Stars LeBron James and Kyrie Irving, and Miami took advantage, earning a win at AmericanAirlines Arena.
Goran Dragic led the Heat with 23 points. Hassan Whiteside added 20 points and 13 rebounds. The Heat made 18 three-pointers, the most by Miami this season and the second most in franchise history.
The Heat, which has won 18 of its past 22 games, kept pace with the Detroit Pistons in the battle for the eighth and final playoff position in the Eastern Conference.
Pistons 136, 76ers 106: Detroit, coming off an unsettling loss, righted the ship as Kentavious Caldwell-Pope scored 26 points and Marcus Morris added 22 to lead the Pistons past Philadelphia.
Reggie Jackson contributed 21 points and Tobias Harris had 20 off the bench for Detroit, which achieved a season-high point total three days after a 109-86 loss in New Orleans.
Trail Blazers 130, Nets 116: CJ McCollum scored 31 points and Portland defeated Brooklyn at Moda Center.
Al-Farouq Aminu chipped in 23 points and Damian Lillard collected 19 points and 11 assists for the Trail Blazers, who won their second straight game with their highest point total of the season.
Hornets 112, Nuggets 102: Kemba Walker scored 27 points, Marvin Williams had 14 points and 12 rebounds, and Charlotte ended its seven-game road trip with a win over Denver.
Nicolas Batum had 21 points and eight assists for Charlotte, which won for fourth time in the last 18 games. — Agencies
