KELDON Johnson scored 22 points to lead the Spurs to a 114-106 win over the host Oklahoma City Thunder on Wednesday night (Thursday in Manila), a milestone victory for San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich.
The win was No. 1,333 in Popovich’s 26-year, head-coaching career – all in San Antonio – moving him past Lenny Wilkens for second place in NBA history. Only Don Nelson (1,335) remains ahead of Popovich.
The Spurs enter the All-Star break having won three of their past four while the Thunder go into the break having lost six of their past seven.
Jakob Poeltl added 20 points and 17 rebounds for the Spurs, who had six players with 15 or more points. Tre Mann scored 24 points while Theo Maledon had a season-high 22 for the Thunder, who lost for the sixth time in seven games.
In other games, it was the Suns 124, Rockets 121; Hawks 130, Magic 109; Nets 111, Knicks 106; Nuggets 117, Warriors 116; Blazers 123, Grizzlies 119; Bulls 125, Kings 118; Lakers 106, Jazz 101; Pacers 113, Wizards 108; Pistons 112, Celtics 111; and Raptors 103, Wolves 91.
Suns 124, Rockets 121
Devin Booker recorded 24 points and eight assists and Phoenix survived the ejection of Chris Paul to rally for a victory over visiting Houston.
Deandre Ayton added 23 points and nine rebounds for the Suns, who won their seventh straight game. Paul was ejected after making contact with official J.T. Orr – apparently inadvertently – late in the third quarter.
Dennis Schroder had 23 points and nine assists and Jae’Sean Tate added 22 points and 10 rebounds for Houston, which lost its sixth straight. Eric Gordon missed a 3-point attempt as time expired. — Field Level Media
