Nickeil Alexander-Walker scored a career-high 41 points, Jalen Johnson had a triple-double, and the Atlanta Hawks beat the Orlando Magic 124-112 on Monday night to extend their winning streak to 10 games and end Orlando’s run at seven.

Alexander-Walker was 9 of 14 shooting from 3-point range and added seven rebounds, while Johnson finished with 24 points, 15 rebounds and 13 assists as the Hawks (37-31) climbed into a tie with the Philadelphia 76ers for the eighth seed in the East.

Atlanta jumped out to a 34-21 lead at the end of the first quarter and led by as many as 29 points midway through the third.

Orlando gradually worked the deficit down to 14 with 6:07 remaining, but Alexander-Walker responded by hitting 3-pointers on back-to-back possessions to snuff out the rally.

Dyson Daniels and Onyeka Okongwu each added 15 points for the Hawks, whose next four games are against Western Conference teams before possible play-off previews against the Detroit Pistons and Boston Celtics.

Paolo Banchero and Desmond Bane each scored 18 points for the Magic, while Wendell Carter Jr. added 17.

 

Spurs hold off Clips for 50th win

Stephon Castle led a balanced attack with 23 points, Victor Wembanyama provided highlights on both ends of the floor, and the San Antonio Spurs held on to beat the Los Angeles Clippers 119-115 for their 50th win of the season.

This is the first 50-win season for the Spurs since their streak of 18 consecutive 50-win campaigns from 1999-2017, a span that included four NBA titles.

The Clippers, playing without Kawhi Leonard (ankle sprain), opened the game on a 17-3 run and led 37-29 at the end of the first. The next 18-or-so minutes belonged to the Spurs, who erased their deficit and led by as many as 87-63 in the middle of the third quarter.

Los Angeles finished the third on a 19-5 run and got to within six points with 4:15 remaining, but the Spurs made enough plays and free throws down the stretch to hold onto the lead.

Castle added seven offensive rebounds and eight assists to round out his impressive night, while Wembanyama finished with 21 points, 13 rebounds and four blocked shots.

Devin Vassell had 20 points, and De’Aaron Fox added 18.

The Spurs (50-18) improved to 18-2 since Feb. 1 and are just three games back of the NBA-leading Oklahoma City Thunder, who are riding an eight-game winning streak but were idle on Monday.

Darius Garland led the way for the Clippers (34-34) with 25 points and 10 assists.

Los Angeles’ reserves scored 57 points, including 22 from Jordan Miller, 16 from Bennedict Mathurin and 11 from Isaiah Jackson.

 

Dončić leads Lakers to key win over Rockets

Luka Dončić scored 36 points, and the Los Angeles Lakers’ defence suffocated the Houston Rockets in the fourth quarter for a 100-92 victory as the Western Conference play-off picture begins to take shape.

Dončić was 14 of 27 from the field and scored 23 in the first half, but the game swung on Houston’s 22 turnovers, including nine in the fourth quarter.

The Rockets took an 88-85 lead with 6:12 remaining on a Jabari Smith Jr. 3-pointer but did not score another field goal until Los Angeles had seized control with 30 seconds remaining.

The win was the sixth in a row for the Lakers (43-25), who have climbed to the third seed in the tightly packed West standings.

LeBron James had 18 points, five rebounds and five assists in his third game back from an absence due to foot arthritis.

The Rockets (41-26) remained in fourth place in the West but are just a half-game ahead of the Denver Nuggets and Minnesota Timberwolves in the fight for home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs.

Smith was the high-point man for Houston with 22, while Amen Thompson added 19 points and 12 rebounds.