James Harden, Lou Williams lead Rockets to easy win over Thunder

Lou Williams scored 31 points off the bench, Harden finished with 22 points and 12 assists, and the Rockets did not trail while cruising to a 137-125 victory.

The Thunder’s Russell Westbrook had 39 points, 13 assists and 11 rebounds for his second straight triple-double and 36th this season.

Damian Lillard scored 22 points to lift visiting Portland and pull the Trail Blazers into a tie with Denver in the race for the final playoff spot in the Western Conference.

The Blazers and Nuggets are each 35-38 with nine games left in the regular season.

Allen Crabbe added 18 points off the bench for the Blazers, and Noah Vonleh grabbed 14 rebounds.

Anthony Davis had 31 points and 15 rebounds, helping to compensate for the absence of injured DeMarcus Cousins, and visiting New Orleans boosted its flickering playoff hopes with the win.

Willie Cauley-Stein made a follow shot with two seconds left, lifting Sacramento to the road win.

Butler broke his previous career best for assists (12) by the end of a pivotal third quarter when the Bulls stretched a one-point lead at the half to 91-79 going into the fourth.

Jeff Teague added 16 points for the Pacers, who used a 30-point third quarter to turn a six-point halftime lead into a 12-point advantage.

Phoenix guard Devin Booker, who became the sixth player in NBA history to score 70 points in a loss Friday night to the Celtics, got off to a slow start but finished with 23 points on 7-for-17 shooting.