Warriors fall to Wizards

WASHINGTON: Kevin Durant suffered an injury scare as the Golden State Warriors slumped to a 112-108 defeat against the Washington Wizards on Tuesday. Warriors star Durant limped out of the game in the first quarter at Washington’s Verizon Center after team-mate Zaza Pachulia fell awkwardly onto his left leg. The Warriors later confirmed Durant had suffered a hyper-extended left knee and that an MRI scan had been scheduled. There was no further information about the Warriors’ All-Star’s long-term condition.

DURANT SUFFERS INJURY

It was an unhappy homecoming of sorts for Durant, who grew up in the nearby Maryland suburbs and who had been courted by the Wizards during his free agency last year before choosing to join the Warriors.

That snub clearly still rankles with some Washington fans, who subjected Durant to boos during the introduction and whenever he touched the ball.

The Wizards took full advantage of Durant’s absence to claim a narrow victory that saw them improve to 35-23 in the Eastern Conference Standings.

Bradley Beal led the scoring for the Wizards with 25 points, three assists and four rebounds.

Markieff Morris added 22 points, six rebounds and one assist. Guard John Wall also shone, with 12 points, 19 assists and six rebounds.

NBA MVP Stephen Curry led the scoring for the Warriors with 25 points, seven rebounds and four assists.

Klay Thompson (16), Draymond Green (14), Shaun Livingston (14) and Pachulia with 12 also made double-figures for the Western Conference leaders, who have already booked their place in the play-offs.

Thunder 109, Jazz 106

Russell Westbrook posted his 30th triple double of the season to lead Oklahoma City.

Westbrook racked up 43 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists. It was his eighth career 40-point triple double and second in last two games.

Doug McDermott scored 16 points. Gordon Hayward led the Jazz with 19 points on 7-of-17 shooting.

Rodney Hood added 18 points while George Hill scored 13.

Nuggets 125, Bulls 107

Nikola Jokic had 19 points, 16 rebounds and 10 assists for his third triple-double in the past 12 games to lead Denver. Danilo Gallinari scored 22 points. Wilson Chandler had 20 points, Gary Harris and Will Barton each had 15, Jamal Murray 14 and Jameer Nelson 12 for Denver.

Dwyane Wade and Rajon Rondo each finished with 19 points to lead Chicago, which got 12 points from Bobby Portis and 10 from Robin Lopez. Jimmy Butler was held to eight points.

Pistons 120, Trail Blazers 113 (OT)

Marcus Morris poured in a career-high 37 points, including seven in overtime, to lead Detroit. Morris also contributed eight rebounds and six assists.

Andre Drummond had 19 points and 15 rebounds, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope supplied 16 points, and Ish Smith added 12 points, a career-high seven steals and seven assists for the Pistons. Damian Lillard He finished with 34 points, 11 rebounds and nine assists. CJ McCollum had 25 points, and Jusuf Nurkic contributed 19 points, seven rebounds and five assists.

Hornets 109, Lakers 104

Kemba Walker scored 30 points and dished out seven assists to lead Charlotte.

Frank Kaminsky scored 24 points and collected 12 rebounds for the Hornets. Marvin Williams added 16 points for Charlotte.

Julius Randle had 23 points, 18 rebounds and six assists for Los Angeles. D’Angelo Russell also scored 23 and recorded nine assists, while Jordan Clarkson added 16 points and Nick Young had 15 for the Lakers.

Grizzlies 130, Suns 112

Mike Conley scored 29 points and Marc Gasol added 28 — hitting all five of his 3-point attempts — to lead Memphis.

The Grizzlies, who got 23 points and eight rebounds off the bench from Zach Randolph, finished 3-0 against Phoenix this season, with each win by at least 18 points.

The Suns got 20 points from Eric Bledsoe and 17 from TJ Warren. — Agencies