NBA Roundup: Celtics Silence Wolves

Boston — Isaiah Thomas scored 27 points to lead the Boston Celtics past the Minnesota Timberwolves, 117-104, on Wednesday night.

Al Horford added 20 points, nine rebounds and eight assists for the Celtics, who earned their 11th straight home win over Minnesota. Boston also increased its lead to 1½ games over the Washington Wizards for the second seed in the Eastern Conference.

Ricky Rubio had a season-high 23 points to lead the Timberwolves, who dropped to 10-21 on the road this season.

Boston led by eight entering the fourth quarter, but outscored Minnesota 32-27 in the final 12 minutes.

The Celtics got a 3-pointer from Jaylen Brown and a layup by Jonas Jerebko to extend their lead to 13 at the start of the fourth. That lead grew to as many as 19 at one point.

Both teams shot over 50 percent in fast-paced first half.

The Timberwolves led 60-58 at the break and were aggressive throughout the half, leading by as many as 10 points and outscoring the Celtics 24-18 in the paint.

Notes: Thomas extended his streak of consecutive games with a 3-pointer to 44 games. … Thomas scored 14 points in the second quarter. … The Celtics wore special gold-trimmed green jerseys in honor of St. Patrick Day on Friday since they’ll be on the road.

Heat 120, Pelicans 112

Miami — Goran Dragic played through a black eye and bloodied mouth to score 33 points, Hassan Whiteside had 20 points and 17 rebounds, and Miami beat New Orleans.

Wayne Ellington scored 19 for the Heat, who made 16 3-pointers and have won 18 consecutive games when connecting at least 10 times from beyond the arc. Dion Waiters added 14, and James Johnson and Tyler Johnson had 10 apiece for Miami.

The Heat (33-35) won for the 22nd time in 27 games and are 14-1 in their last 15 at home.

Jazz 97, Pistons 83

Detroit— Gordon Hayward scored 25 points and George Hill added 17 and Utah beat Detroit.

Hayward added eight rebounds and six assists, while Rudy Gobert had 12 points, nine rebounds and four blocks.

Utah won for the sixth time in seven games, but a late rally by Detroit forced Quin Snyder to use his starters late with a game tonight in Cleveland.

Mavericks 112, Wizards 107

Washington — Dirk Nowitzki scored 10 of his 20 points in the fourth quarter, Harrison Barnes finished with 22 and the Mavericks boosted their slim playoff hopes.

Nicolas Brussino scored eight of his 11 points off the bench in the fourth for the Mavericks, who began the night 3½ games behind Denver for the final postseason spot in the Western Conference. Portland was positioned between Denver and Dallas.

Pacers 98, Hornets 77

Indianapolis — Paul George made six 3-pointers and finished with 39 points to lead Indiana over Charlotte.

Jeff Teague added eight points, eight rebounds and 11 assists, Myles Turner had six points, 11 rebounds and three blocks, and Monta Ellis scored 16 points for the Pacers.

Leading 50-47 in the third quarter, Indiana used a 15-0 run to extend the lead and ultimately shut the door on Charlotte.

Rockets 139, Lakers 100

Houston — Lou Williams scored 30 points against his former team and James Harden had his 17th triple-double of the season to lead Houston over Los Angeles.

Harden had 18 points, 13 assists and 12 rebounds as Houston handed the Lakers their 11th loss in 12 games.

Williams broke out of a recent shooting slump against his ex-teammates. Houston sent Corey Brewer and a first-round draft pick to Los Angeles in a trade for Williams three weeks ago.

Grizzlies 98, Bulls 91

Chicago— Mike Conley and Marc Gasol each scored 27 points to lead Memphis over Chicago.

Conley and Gasol scored 18 of the team’s 24 points in the fourth quarter as the Grizzlies held off the Bulls, who lost for the sixth time in seven games.

Memphis, which had lost five straight before winning Monday, earned its second straight win.

Trail Blazers 110Spurs 106

San Antonio — Damian Lillard scored 36 points and Portland defeated San Antonio, spoiling LaMarcus Aldridge’s return from a health scare.

C.J. McCollum added 26 points for the Trail Blazers, who were coming off a 23-point loss in New Orleans on Tuesday.

Aldridge had 19 points and seven rebounds after missing two games with a minor heart arrhythmia. He was cleared Wednesday morning and does not have any playing restrictions.