Jalen Williams scored 27 points, including the game-winner at the buzzer, to lead the Oklahoma City Thunder to a 107-106 win over the visiting Detroit Pistons on Wednesday.

The victory, the Thunder’s second in five games, kept Oklahoma City (38-39) in the 10th spot in the Western Conference.

The Pistons have lost seven consecutive games and 18 of their last 19.

After chasing down the ball in the corner following a jump ball with 7.3 seconds left, Josh Giddey drove along the baseline before lofting a floater that bounced off the opposite side of the rim, where it was scooped up by Williams, who converted the putback to keep the Thunder in position to make the play-in tournament.

Without Shai Gilgeous-Alexander for the second consecutive game, Oklahoma City had to rely on a balanced attack.

Luguentz Dort added 20 points, Aaron Wiggins scored 19 off the bench on 8-of-11 shooting and Giddey scored 18.

Williams was 11-for-19 from the field.

The Thunder got big plays on both ends of the floor in the closing minutes.

With just over two minutes to go and the game tied, Dort drove hard to the basket, finishing off a layup after being fouled by Eugene Omoruyi.

On the next possession, the Thunder’s Jaylin Williams stepped in front of Pistons guard Jaden Ivey and drew his third charge of the game, raising his NBA-leading total to 38.

But the Pistons weren’t done.

Cory Joseph drained a 3-pointer with 14.6 seconds left to put Detroit on top 106-105 and on the cusp of its first road victory since Jan. 26.

Giddey drove to the lane on the next possession, spinning to his right and then to his left before losing the ball.

Dort wrestled for the ball with a pair of Pistons, sending a shot through the basket just after officials called for the jump ball that ultimately led to Jalen Williams’ game-winner.

Ivey led the Pistons (16-60) with 24 points.

Detroit’s Killian Hayes left the game with just over four minutes remaining after landing awkwardly after a shot.

Hayes tried to stand up immediately after hitting the floor, but his legs gave out.

–Field Level Media

Russell Westbrook scored 36 points and handed out 10 assists as the visiting Los Angeles Clippers ended the Memphis Grizzlies’ seven-game winning streak with a 141-132 victory Wednesday.

Robert Covington scored 27 points while shooting 7-for-7 from 3-point range and Bones Hyland added 20 points as the Clippers won without both of their stars. Kawhi Leonard was out for personal reasons, and Paul George missed his fourth consecutive game due to a knee injury.

The Clippers (41-36) solidified their hold on a top-six spot in the Western Conference with five regular-season games remaining, three of which are on the road. Eric Gordon had 14 for Los Angeles and Norman Powell had 13 in his return after missing 11 consecutive games with a shoulder injury.

The Clippers shot 22 of 37 (59.5 percent) as a team from long distance.

Ja Morant logged 36 points and nine assists for the Grizzlies (48-28), while Dillon Brooks added 30 points as Memphis lost for just the second time in the past 12 games. Morant returned after a one-game absence caused by right thigh soreness.

Santi Aldama scored 17 points and Xavier Tillman added 16 for Memphis, which sits in second place in the West. The Grizzlies were without Steven Adams (knee), Desmond Bane (foot), Brandon Clarke (Achilles), Jaren Jackson Jr. (calf) and Tyus Jones (foot).

The Clippers scored the first five points of the game, the Grizzlies scored the next 18 and the Clippers followed with 11 consecutive in a series of early runs. Memphis led 30-29 after one quarter, while Los Angeles roared back to lead 70-64 at halftime.

The Clippers led by as many as 12 in the third quarter before the Grizzlies came back to tie the game 105-105 heading into the final period. The game remained tight until the Clippers went on a 9-0 run to take a 131-122 lead with 4:16 remaining on a layup by Westbrook.

Los Angeles sealed the victory on Covington’s seventh 3-pointer for a 141-130 lead with one minute remaining.

–Field Level Media

Talen Horton-Tucker scored a career-high 41 points, including 27 in the first half, as the visiting Utah Jazz turned it on in the fourth quarter to run away from the San Antonio Spurs 128-117 on Wednesday.

The Jazz (36-40) snapped a four-game losing streak while the Spurs (19-57) dropped their fifth straight game.

Utah led by two points at halftime and by five after three quarters before taking charge early in the fourth via a 15-2 surge that pushed their advantage to 118-90 with 8:12 to play. San Antonio never seriously challenged the rest of the way.

Kris Dunn added 17 points for Utah, while Udoka Azubuike scored 12, Ochai Agbaji and Johnny Juzang hit for 10 each and Walker Kessler grabbed 10 rebounds.

The Jazz were without Lauri Markkanen (hand), Jordan Clarkson (finger), Collin Sexton (hamstring), Rudy Gay (back) and Kelly Olynyk (non-COVID illness).

Malaki Branham led the Spurs with 21 points while Devonte’ Graham, Tre Jones and Sandro Mamukelashvili had 17 points each, Keita Bates-Diop scored 15 and Zach Collins added 12.

San Antonio was missing Keldon Johnson (foot), Jeremy Sochan (knee) and Devin Vassell (knee).

It was the final home game for the Spurs this season in San Antonio, as they play two games in Austin, Texas, on April 6 and 8.

The Jazz took the lead late in the first quarter, breaking away from a 22-22 tie by ending the period with a flurry that netted them a five-point lead before setting for a 36-33 advantage after 12 minutes of play. Horton-Tucker poured in 16 of Utah’s first 22 points.

Utah expanded the margin to nine points on a layup by Dunn at the 4:23 mark of the second period. The Spurs answered with a 16-6 run that was capped by back-to-back 3-pointers from Graham to go up 60-59 with 1:21 to play in the half. Dunn’s buzzer-beater staked the Jazz to a 64-62 lead at the break.

–Field Level Media

Joel Embiid scored 25 points, James Harden recorded a double-double of 15 points and 12 assists and the Philadelphia 76ers snapped out of a three-game slump on Wednesday with a 116-108 victory over the visiting Dallas Mavericks.

Philadelphia (50-26) overcame a sluggish start in which it fell behind by 12 points during the first half, ratcheting up the defensive pressure after intermission. The 76ers held the Mavericks to just 17 fourth-quarter points on 7-of-19 shooting from the floor.

Capitalizing on its stingy defense on the other end of the court, Philadelphia knocked down four fourth-quarter 3-pointers — including De’Anthony Melton’s midway through the period off a Harden assist.

Melton went 5-for-6 from beyond the arc en route to 17 points off the bench, and his triple just after the six-minute mark in the fourth pushed the 76ers’ lead to five points. The advantage never dipped below three points the rest of the way.

Tyrese Maxey scored 22 points to extend his run of 21-plus-point efforts to seven consecutive games. He shot 4-for-9 from deep, contributing to Philadelphia’s 17-for-36 night from 3-point range.

Tobias Harris chipped in 13 points for the 76ers, while Georges Niang knocked down 4 of 7 3-point attempts en route to 14 points. Niang contributed to Philadelphia’s 39-30 edge in points off the bench and added two blocks.

Luka Doncic flirted with a triple-double for Dallas (37-40), posting team highs of 24 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists. Kyrie Irving added 23 points and Tim Hardaway Jr. knocked down five 3-pointers on the way to 21 points.

No other Maverick scored in double figures.

The loss marked Dallas’ fifth in the last six games, contributing to the Mavericks’ slide in the Western Conference standings. They entered Wednesday’s game in 11th place, just outside the play-in tournament.

Philadelphia pulled within two games of Boston for second in the East. The Celtics are in action Thursday against NBA-leading Milwaukee.

–Field Level Media

RJ Barrett hit a tiebreaking jumper with 7:14 left in the fourth quarter Wednesday night to begin a decisive game-ending run for the host New York Knicks, who solidified their playoff hopes and earned a key tiebreaker by pulling away from the Miami Heat for a 101-92 victory.

Immanuel Quickley scored a game-high 24 points off the bench while Quentin Grimes added 23 points for the Knicks (44-33), who are in fifth place in the Eastern Conference.

With the victory, New York won the season series between the teams 3-1 while extending its lead over the seventh-place Heat (40-37) to four games.

The top six teams in each conference earn a playoff berth while the seventh- through 10th-place clubs compete in a play-in tournament to determine the final two seeds.

Josh Hart had 13 points off the bench while Barrett and Jalen Brunson had 12 points apiece for the Knicks, who ended the game on a 17-8 run.

Julius Randle left with 2:35 left in the second quarter after spraining his left ankle while landing awkwardly on the Heat’s Bam Adebayo.

Gabe Vincent scored 21 points for the Heat, who also fell 1 1/2 games behind the sixth-place Brooklyn Nets by virtue of the latter’s 123-114 win over the Houston Rockets. Tyler Herro scored 16 points while Jimmy Butler and Duncan Robinson finished with 12 points apiece.

The teams combined for 19 lead changes and 12 ties in the middle two quarters and two more lead changes and two more ties in the first three-plus minutes of the fourth.

Quickley hit a technical free throw to tie the score at 84-84 after Cody Zeller was whistled for defensive three seconds with 8:42 left. The teams combined to miss their next four shots before Barrett put the Knicks ahead for good.

Caleb Martin split a pair of free throws for the Heat before Hart and Grimes scored four points apiece in a 9-0 run for the Knicks, who led by as many as 11 down the stretch.

–Field Level Media

Cameron Johnson scored 31 points as the Brooklyn Nets closed the game on an 18-4 run and handed the Houston Rockets their seventh straight loss, 123-114, on Wednesday in New York.

Mikal Bridges had 27 points, Spencer Dinwiddie added 20 points and 11 assists and Nic Claxton contributed 18 points and 10 rebounds for Brooklyn, which snapped a four-game home losing streak after shooting 9 of 11 from 3-point range in the fourth quarter.

Kevin Porter Jr. led Houston (18-59) with 31 points and grabbed nine rebounds, while Alperen Sengun added 21 points and 12 rebounds. Kenyon Martin Jr. scored 15 points, Josh Christopher and Jalen Green had 14 apiece and Jabari Smith Jr. added 12 points and 12 rebounds.

Brooklyn (41-35) moved 1 1/2 games ahead of the Miami Heat (40-37) for the No. 6 spot in the Eastern Conference standings. The Nets have six games remaining.

Green hit two free throws with 3:05 left in the contest to put Houston ahead 110-105 before Brooklyn gained control in a game that featured 25 lead changes and 15 ties.

The Nets moved ahead 119-112 with 32 seconds left after Royce O’Neale drained two 3-pointers and Johnson and Dinwiddie added one trey apiece during a 14-2 run. Bridges made four free throws in the final seconds to secure the Nets’ third straight win over Houston.

Houston missed six of its first seven 3-point attempts and trailed 30-25 at the end of the first quarter.

The Rockets held a 55-54 advantage at the end of the first half. Johnson and Bridges combined for 27 points for Brooklyn before the break.

Johnson scored with just 5:29 left in the third quarter to put the Nets ahead 76-69 before Houston responded with an 11-0 run. Porter scored 11 points in the third to help give the Rockets a one-point lead going into the final period.

Christopher scored six points during another 11-0 run early in the fourth quarter to give the Rockets their largest lead, 98-89. Brooklyn answered and pulled within 102-101 on consecutive 3-pointers by Bridges and Johnson.

Houston shot 9 of 30 (30 percent) from 3-point range compared to 17 of 35 (48.6 percent) for the Nets.

–Field Level Media

Jrue Holiday poured in a career-high 51 points and Giannis Antetokounmpo posted his fifth triple-double of the season to lead the Milwaukee Bucks to a 149-136 win over the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday night in Indianapolis.

Holiday became the sixth player in Bucks franchise history to record 50 points in a game. Antetokounmpo has also accomplished the feat, as has guard/forward Khris Middleton. Holiday went 20-for-30 from the field on Wednesday, also sinking 3 of 6 shot attempts from beyond the arc.

In what was the fastest triple-double of his career, Antetokounmpo finished with 38 points, 17 rebounds and 12 assists for Milwaukee (55-21). Brook Lopez added 21 points and eight rebounds, while Bobby Portis had 12 points off the bench.

Indiana (33-44) was led by rookie Bennedict Mathurin, who supplied 29 points and nine rebounds. Aaron Nesmith chipped in 22 points, and five other Pacers scored in double figures, including former Bucks forward Jordan Nwora (18 points).

Wednesday’s game was a back-and-forth offensive battle throughout the night, with Milwaukee leading by just four at the break, 73-69. Antetokounmpo was just one assist shy of a triple-double in the half while Holiday had the highest scoring half of his career with 27 points.

While the Pacers did score 17 points off of Bucks turnovers in the first half, Indiana’s defense could not hold up. Milwaukee led 119-107 by the end of the third quarter and didn’t look back despite allowing another high-scoring performance against an Indiana team without Tyrese Haliburton (ankle), Buddy Hield (non-COVID illness) and Myles Turner (ankle).

With the victory, Milwaukee took the season series 3-1. The Bucks also maintained their hold on the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference and sit three games above the Boston Celtics, who will pay a visit to Milwaukee on Thursday night for the tail end of the Bucks’ back-to-back.

–Field Level Media

With the NBA in the bell lap of its season, the playoff picture is coming into focus — but slowly.

There are 12 teams in the Western Conference that could be continuing on after the regular season ends on April 9, and the positioning is still in flux.

The New Orleans Pelicans are in the mix of constant change. New Orleans entered Wednesday sitting in eighth, which would mean a play-in tournament berth, but a few losses could put it in the draft lottery. On the other hand, a winning streak could propel the Pelicans into the first round of the playoffs without having to participate in the play-in.

So, every game is important to the Pelicans, including Thursday night’s matchup against the host Denver Nuggets.

Denver (51-24) leads the Western Conference and is on track to be the top seed in the conference for the first time in franchise history.

New Orleans (38-38) is coming off a tough loss at Golden State on Tuesday night. The Pelicans led by 20 at one point but lost by 11 and missed an opportunity to tie Minnesota for the sixth seed.

“Our margin for error is small,” New Orleans coach Willie Green said. “Especially against good teams. Have to finish possessions.”

New Orleans had a five-game winning streak stopped, and it sits in the playoff hunt despite not having star forward Zion Williamson, who has missed the last 39 games with a hamstring injury. He will be re-evaluated April 5.

“He’s working,” Green said. “He’s working at it.”

Jonas Valanciunas, who averaged 17.4 points and 16.0 rebounds during the five-game winning streak, will get the job of defending Nuggets superstar Nikola Jokic. Jokic is coming off his 29th triple-double of the season in a win over Philadelphia on Monday and is nearly averaging a triple-double for the season (24.9 points, 11.9 rebounds, 9.9 assists per game).

Denver is currently three games ahead of Memphis in the Western Conference, and if the Grizzlies win out, would need to reach 55 wins to clinch the West. The Nuggets nearly blew a lead to the 76ers’ reserves but held on.

“As long as we win,” Jokic said, “that’s the most important thing.”

Denver led by 14 with 3:25 left but was forced to put its starters back in to close the game. Aaron Gordon was on the bench for crunch time, which Nuggets coach Michael Malone said was a coaching error on his part.

Malone said postgame that he didn’t think the game was going to get close and stuck with veteran Jeff Green.

Reaching 55 wins won’t be a cakewalk for Denver. After Thursday night’s game, it plays four of its last six contests on the road, with the two home games coming against teams jockeying for playoff position — the Warriors and surprising Sacramento Kings.

The first step is beating the Pelicans for the third time and winning the season series. The Nuggets pulled out a 99-98 win in New Orleans on Jan. 24 when Jokic made a field goal with 16.9 seconds left and the defense forced three misses in the final 5.6 seconds.

–Field Level Media

Portland Trail Blazers forward Justise Winslow had successful surgery on his left ankle on Wednesday, the team announced.

The surgery, at Atrium Health Mercy in Charlotte, N.C., addressed joint instability. Winslow is expected to make a full recovery and should be ready for the 2023-24 season.

Winlsow, 27, sprained his ankle in a 101-98 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Dec. 21, and sought a second opinion after the All-Star break. He later underwent a bone morrow aspirate concentrate procedure to try to relieve the discomfort in his ankle.

In 29 games (11 starts) this season, Winslow averaged 6.8 points, 5.0 rebounds and 3.4 assists while shooting 40.9 percent from the field.

The Miami Heat selected Winslow out of Duke with the No. 10 overall pick in the 2015 NBA Draft. In 344 career NBA games (128 starts) for the Miami Heat (2015-16 to 2019-20), Memphis Grizzlies (2020-21), Los Angeles Clippers (2021-22) and Blazers, Winslow owns career averages of 8.2 points, 5.1 rebounds and 2.6 assists.

–Field Level Media