Spurs Handle Suns to Stay Hot at Home and Other NBA News

(AP) — The San Antonio Spurs gave Kawhi Leonard the night off due to a stomach virus. His absence only caused LaMarcus Aldridge, Tony Parker and Pau Gasol to step up their game as the Spurs earned their sixth straight home win.

Aldridge poured in 27 points and Parker added 20 as the Spurs dumped the Phoenix Suns, 119-98. Gasol finished with 16 points and 10 rebounds for San Antonio, which dominated the last 12 minutes after trailing by as many as 10 points.

The Spurs forced seven turnovers while outscoring Phoenix 30-16 in the final quarter. Aldridge fueled the second-half surge as the Spurs improved to 26-6.

In other NBA action:

— Golden State won a battle of division leaders as Stephen Curry came up with 28 points, seven boards and seven assists in a 121-111 victory against Toronto. Kevin Durant had 22 points, 17 rebounds and seven assists for the Warriors, who shot 57 percent from the field and 14-for-23 from 3-point range. Klay Thompson was 5-for-7 from beyond the arc in scoring 21 points.

— The Clippers suffered their fourth straight loss as Anthony Davis dropped in 20 points and Buddy Hield added 17 in the Pelicans' third win in a row, 102-98 at New Orleans. Los Angeles wasted strong efforts by a pair of former New Orleans players as Austin Rivers scored 22 points and Chris Paul added 21 in his return from a three-game absence.

— Kemba Walker contributed 21 points and Nicolas Batum had 20 as Charlotte won for the fourth time in five games, 120-101 at Orlando. Jeremy Lamb added 14 points for the Hornets, who expanded a seven-point, halftime lead by outscoring the Magic 35-13 in the third quarter.

— Dennis Schroder scored 27 points and Atlanta took advantage of Carmelo Anthony's second-quarter ejection in a 102-98 overtime win against New York. Dwight Howard had 16 points and 22 rebounds to help the Hawks win for just the second time in their last eight home games.

— Jimmy Butler matched his season high with 40 points and hit an 18-footer at the buzzer to lead Chicago's 101-99 comeback over Brooklyn. Butler delivered nine points in the final 2 1/2 minutes after the Nets went ahead 97-90.

— John Wall's 36 points, 11 rebounds and nine assists led Washington's 111-105 verdict over Indiana. The Wizards finished the game without Bradley Beal, who scored 12 points in 18 minutes before missing the second half with a sprained right ankle.

— CJ McCollum scored 20 points and Portland snapped a six-game losing streak with a 102-89 victory over Sacramento. Meyers Leonard added 16 off the bench for the Blazers, who played a second straight game without leading scorer Damian Lillard because of a sprained left ankle.

— Milwaukee enjoyed a laugher in Detroit as Jabari Parker scored 31 points and Giannis Antetokuompo added 23 and eight rebounds in a 119-94 drubbing of the Pistons. Greg Monroe added 14 points, six assists and five rebounds against his former team.

— Wilson Chandler scored 17 points and delivered a key block in the final seconds to send the Nuggets past Minnesota, 105-103 in Denver. The Timberwolves wasted Karl-Anthony Towns' 15 points, 11 boards and 10 assists.