By ASSOCIATED PRESS
WASHINGTON (AP) — Shaedon Sharpe threw down a vicious one-handed slam that was immediately hailed as one of the best dunks of the season, part of a career-best 36-point performance that carried the Portland Trail Blazers to a 129-121 win over the Washington Wizards on Wednesday night, Feb. 26.
Sharpe shot 13 of 26 from the floor and and converted all four of his free throws inside the final minute as the Trail Blazers maintained a lead of at least three throughout the fourth quarter.
Anfernee Simons and Scoot Henderson each added 16 points for Portland, which began the night 4 1/2 games back of Sacramento for the the Western Conference’s final play-in spot.
Jordan Poole scored 24 points for NBA-worst Washington, which was attempting to win back-to-back games for the first time since winning three in a row to begin the month. Richaun Holmes added a career-high 20 points and Corey Kispeprt also scored 20.
Former Wizards forward Deni Avdija left the game with a left quadriceps injury after playing only six minutes of the first quarter. He scored five points, having entered averaging 14.8 this season.
Holmes rewarded coach Brian Keefe for his seventh February start with one of his best performances. He finished 7 of 7 from the floor and 6 of 6 from the foul line.
Meanwhile in Detroit, Malik Beasley scored 26 points, Cade Cunningham had 21 points and 11 assists and the Pistons beat the Boston Celtics, 117-97, in a matchup of two of the NBA’s hottest teams.
The Pistons (33-26) won their eighth straight and ended a 12-game losing streak against Boston, two nights after stopping a 10-game skid against the Los Angeles Clippers.
Jayson Tatum scored 27 points for Boston, and Derrick White and Payton Pritchard each had 18. Boston (42-17) had won six straight and 10 of 11.
Jalen Duren added 13 points and 11 rebounds for Detroit. The Pistons had a 49-33 rebounding edge.
The Pistons led 90-79 going into the fourth, then scored the first eight points of the quarter to take a 19-point advantage.
In New York, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 27 points, Chet Holmgren had 22 points and 17 rebounds, and the Oklahoma City Thunder rebounded from a stunning collapse with a game-changing blitz in the fourth quarter to beat the Brooklyn Nets, 129-121.
Aaron Wiggins added 24 points and Jalen Williams had 22 for the Thunder, who were playing for the first time since their 131-128 loss to Minnesota on Monday, when they led by 24 points in the fourth quarter and were still ahead by 16 with under 4 minutes remaining in regulation.
They had some of the same defensive woes in this one, when they allowed a season-high 76 points in the first half and trailed by 18. But then they unleased an 18-0 run in the fourth quarter, turning a 103-99 deficit into a 117-103 lead. Oklahoma City outscored Brooklyn 27-7 to begin the period.
In Houston, Amen Thompson had 25 points and eight rebounds, Jalen Green added 21 points and seven rebounds and the Rockets beat the San Antonio Spurs, 118-106.
Green scored 16 points in the first half to help Houston take a 64-46 lead. Thompson was ejected Tuesday night against Milwaukee for pulling down Giannis Antetokounmpo by the head and neck.
Dillon Brooks had 19 points on 5-of-8 shooting from 3-point range for Houston. The Rockets have won three of four since the All-Star break.
