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CLEVELAND (AP) — Jaylen Brown scored 23 points and Jayson Tatum had 20 in his second game back from a torn right Achilles, lifting Boston to a win over Cleveland in a battle of Eastern Conference contenders.

Brown also had nine rebounds and eight assists as the Celtics built an 81-55 lead in the third quarter, sweeping their three-game season series with Cleveland. Tatum scored six points in the fourth, finishing 6 of 16 from the field in 27 minutes.

Payton Pritchard added 18 points and Baylor Scheierman had 16 points and 10 rebounds as Boston moved within three games of East-leading Detroit. Neemias Queta grabbed 11 boards.

Donovan Mitchell scored 30 points and Evan Mobley had 24 points and eight rebounds for the fourth-place Cavaliers, who had won a season-high seven straight at home. James Harden had 19 points and 10 assists.

Cleveland, which is 22-9 since Dec. 29, pulled within 94-86 midway through the fourth on Jaylon Tyson’s 3-pointer. Pritchard answered with a 3-pointer and tacked on back-to-back hoops to restore the Celtics’ double-digit lead.

LAKERS 110, KNICKS 97

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Luka Doncic had 35 points and eight rebounds, Austin Reaves added 25 points and Los Angeles overcame LeBron James’ injury absence to grind out a 110-97 victory over New York.

Rui Hachimura scored 13 points for the Lakers, who never trailed the surging Knicks in their fourth consecutive victory even while James missed his second straight game with a bruised left elbow and a left foot injury.

The Lakers slumped in the fourth quarter, managing just one basket in a 6 1/2-minute span down the stretch while New York cut its 23-point deficit to 10. But the Knicks couldn’t hit enough shots to capitalize and committed eight turnovers in the fourth.

Luke Kennard made a 3-pointer with 1:37 left before Doncic iced it on his fifth 3-pointer with 1:05 left.

Karl-Anthony Towns had 25 points and 16 rebounds for the Knicks, who lost for just the second time in six games.

HEAT 121, PISTONS 110

MIAMI (AP) — Tyler Herro scored 25 points, Bam Adebayo had 24 to go over the 10,000-point mark for his career, and Miami beat Detroit to extend the Pistons’ season-worst losing streak to four games.

Jaime Jaquez Jr. had 19 points and seven assists for Miami (36-29), which has won five straight and matched a season best by moving seven games over .500. The Heat are still without Norman Powell (groin) and Nikola Jovic (back), and Andrew Wiggins (toe) was also sidelined.

Adebayo — who added nine rebounds and six assists — entered the night 23 points away from the scoring milestone. He and Dwyane Wade are the only players with 10,000 points in a Heat uniform.

Cade Cunningham finished with 26 points and 10 assists and Jalen Duren scored 24 for the Pistons, whose lead in the Eastern Conference is down to 2 1/2 games over Boston.

RAPTORS 122, MAVERICKS 92

TORONTO (AP) — RJ Barrett scored a season–high 31 points, Scottie Barnes added 17 and Toronto beat struggling Dallas.

Jakob Poeltl had 16 points and 10 rebounds and Sandro Mamukelashvili scored 13 points as the Raptors snapped a four-game losing streak against Dallas.

Daniel Gafford had a season-high 21 points and 11 rebounds, Cooper Flagg scored 17 points and Brandon Williams added 16 but the slumping Mavericks lost their seventh straight and 17th of 19.

Brandon Ingram and Ja’Kobe Walter each scored 11 points, and Immanuel Quickley and Gradey Dick both had 10 as Toronto won for the first time in five home games.

PELICANS 138, WIZARDS 118

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Trey Murphy III scored 24 points, Saddiq Bey added 23 against his former team and New Orleans defeated the reeling Wizards to extend Washington’s losing streak to eight games.

Zion Williamson had 20 points and Dejounte Murray provided 19 for the Pelicans, who outscored Washington 72-44 in the paint.

Trae Young, playing his second game for the Wizards since being traded by Atlanta, had 17 points and eight assists in 18 minutes on the court. It was his 12th game all season.

Wizards rookie Tre Johnson scored 20 points — his fourth time reaching that total. Will Riley added 19.

MAGIC 130, BUCKS 91

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Paolo Banchero scored 33 points and Orlando cruised to a win over Milwaukee, who rested Giannis Antetokounmpo in the second game of a back-to-back.

Jalen Suggs added 20 points and Desmond Bane had 18 for the Magic, who won their fourth straight to remain sixth in the Eastern Conference, one game behind fifth-place Toronto and percentage points ahead of Miami.

Orlando never trailed and led 67-55 at halftime. Early in the fourth quarter, Suggs hit a 3-pointer to start a 12-0 run that extended the Magic’s lead to 26 points. Banchero headed to the bench for good late in the third with Orlando ahead by 31.

Bobby Portis had 18 points and 10 rebounds and Cam Thomas scored 17 for the Bucks, who beat Utah on Saturday night but have lost five of six.

SPURS 145, ROCKETS 120

SAN ANTONIO (AP) — Victor Wembanyama had 29 points, De’Aaron Fox had 20 points and 10 assists and San Antonio won their fourth straight, rolling to a victory over Houston.

Stephon Castle added 23 points for San Antonio, which has won 15 of 16.

Kevin Durant and Amen Thompson had 23 points each for Houston, which allowed a season high in points.

The Spurs (47-17) won the season series against the Rockets 3-1 and strengthened their hold on the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference.

Houston (39-24) dropped into fourth in the West, a half-game behind Minnesota (40-24) and seven games behind San Antonio in the loss column.

The Rockets, who have alternated wins and losses over their past six games, allowed a season-most 56 points in the paint.

TRAIL BLAZERS 131, INDIANA 111

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Scoot Henderson scored a season-high 28 points on 10-of-15 shooting and Portland beat skidding Indiana.

Jerami Grant and Jrue Holiday added 21 points apiece for the Blazers, who handed Indiana its ninth straight defeat. Henderson also had six assists with no turnovers.

Deni Avdija, who leads Portland in scoring (24.4 points per game) and assists (6.6), returned from a six-game absence caused by a lower back injury. He finished with 18 points and eight assists.

Indiana has dropped its past six games by an average of 20 points. This marks the team’s third losing streak of at least eight games this season.

Pascal Siakam led the Pacers with 22 points and Jay Huff had 16 points and five blocks. Andrew Nembhard added 14 points and nine assists, and Jarace Walker also scored 14.

KINGS 126, BULLS 110

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Russell Westbrook had 23 points, 12 assists and 11 rebounds for his NBA-record 208th career triple-double, and Sacramento beat Chicago.

Westbrook shot 7 of 17 with three 3-pointers in 35 minutes. It’s the fourth triple-double of the season for the 37-year-old, who moved within one assist of passing Mark Jackson for sixth on the NBA’s all-time list.

Westbrook’s triple-doubles are an ongoing record for the nine-time All-Star and came six days after he ripped into the Sacramento media for the narrative around the Kings this season.

Denver center and three-time MVP Nikola Jokic has the second-most triple-doubles in the NBA with 181.

SUNS 111, HORNETS 99

PHOENIX (AP) — Devin Booker had 30 points and 10 assists as Phoenix stopped Charlotte's road winning streak at 10 games with a victory.

Booker was 1 for 6 from 3-point range but made all 15 of his free throws.

Collin Gillespie and Jalen Green each scored 24 points for the Suns, who have won four of five. Rasheer Fleming added 16 off the bench, including four 3-pointers.

LaMelo Ball led the Hornets with 22 points. Their road winning streak was the NBA’s longest since the Los Angeles Lakers won 11 straight away from home in 2019-20. Charlotte hadn’t lost on the road since Jan. 17 at Golden State.

The longest road winning streak in NBA history is 16 games, by the 1971-72 Lakers during their league-record 33-game run overall.

The Charlotte Hornets entered Sunday night as one of the hottest teams in the NBA. They had won six of their last seven games and arrived in Phoenix riding a 10-game road winning streak. That run ended in the desert as the Phoenix Suns secured a 111–99 victory.

One of the league’s most explosive offenses was quieted. Phoenix held Charlotte under 100 points for only the fifth time this season, using active defense and controlled possessions to slow the pace of the game.

Devin Booker led the way with 30 points and 10 assists, converting a season high 15 free throws in the process. Rasheer Fleming continued his strong stretch, scoring a career high 16 points on 6-of-8 shooting and 4-of-6 from beyond the arc. Ten of those points arrived in the fourth quarter as Phoenix pulled away late.

Jalen Green looked far more comfortable offensively, scoring 20 points in the first half and finishing with 24 for the night. Collin Gillespie added 24 points of his own, knocking down 5-of-10 from deep and providing steady offense throughout the game.

Phoenix also controlled the possession battle. The Suns turned 13 Charlotte turnovers into 14 points while committing only one turnover themselves, which resulted in four points for the Hornets.

The win moves Phoenix to 37 victories on the season, already surpassing last year’s total.

Game Flow

First Half

First matter of business was the pregame announcements that the Suns would be without the services of Grayson Allen, who popped up late on the injury report and ultimately was ruled out an hour prior to tipoff.

Both offenses came out humming early, trading blows back and forth. LaMelo Ball knocked down a pair of threes, while Jalen Green and Collin Gillespie answered with one apiece from deep. As the quarter wore on, Charlotte could not miss. They opened the game 9-of-11 from the field while the Suns sat at 5-of-10, which helped the Hornets build an eight-point lead midway through the first quarter.

With Grayson Allen out, the Suns turned to Haywood Highsmith early, giving him first quarter minutes as part of the first wave of substitutions alongside Khaman Maluach. It marked his second appearance of the season and the first time he has seen meaningful minutes since arriving via the buyout market.

Maluach made his presence felt right away. He converted after receiving a clean interior pass from Devin Booker and later added an early block on fellow rookie Ryan Kalkbrenner. He followed up with an impressive block on Josh Green.

Charlotte’s offense cooled off after their initial burst, as they went more than four minutes without a field goal. The Suns answered with an 8–0 run of their own, pulling even as the momentum shifted. The drought ended when Ryan Dunn fouled Kon Knueppel on a three-point attempt, sending the rookie to the line. The Rookie of the Year favorite finished the quarter with 10 points tolead all scorers.

Phoenix closed the period with a lineup of Collin Gillespie, Haywood Highsmith, Ryan Dunn, Rasheer Fleming, and Khaman Maluach. That group finished the quarter at +1, helped by a logo buzzer beater from Gillespie.

After one quarter, the Suns trailed 30-28.

Charlotte opened the second quarter with a 9–5 run. They went 3-of-6 from the field and knocked down a pair from deep, which prompted Jordan Ott to call a timeout and settle things down.

The break did not immediately fix the rhythm. The next two Suns possessions ended with a short-armed paint shot from Oso Ighodaro and a turnover. Meanwhile, Charlotte was flying around the rim, throwing lobs and hammering them home. The run stretched to 10–0, and the Hornets suddenly held an eight-point lead.

Jalen Green helped shift the energy. He went into attack mode, driving downhill possession after possession, finishing at the rim or drawing trips to the free throw line. His finishing in the first half looked sharper than it had during his previous 14 games.

Green sparked the Suns as they pushed back midway through the quarter. He knocked down a three, slipped in an up-and-under around the rim, and continued to pressure the defense. Phoenix rode that momentum back into the game and took a two-point lead with five minutes remaining in the second quarter.

One of the better moments of the first half came from Khaman Maluach, who powered in a putback around the rim, flashing the kind of size and interior presence the Suns rarely get on the offensive glass. A productive Maluach changed the matchup math. Charlotte prefers smaller lineups with Diabate, but Maluach’s size forced them into more Kalkbrenner minutes in the first half.

It was a solid second quarter for the Phoenix Suns, who outscored the Charlotte Hornets 32–28 in the period. Phoenix went 4-of-9 from beyond the arc while Charlotte finished 4-of-12 from deep.

Jalen Green carried much of the scoring load in the quarter. He poured in 12 points and finished the half with 20, doing so on 7-of-11 shooting and 4-of-7 from three. Devin Booker added 14 points and 4 assists in the half, while Khaman Maluach chipped in 4 points and 5 rebounds.

Charlotte had balanced production of its own. Four Hornets reached double figures in the first half, with Brandon Miller leading the way with 11 points. Kon Knueppel, Miles Bridges, and LaMelo Ball each added 10.

At halftime, the Suns held a narrow 60–58 lead.

Second Half

Phoenix opened the second half with aggression on both ends of the floor, jumping out on an 8–0 run to set the tone, opening up a 10-point lead.

During that stretch, Devin Booker was fouled by LaMelo Ball on a drive, and it appeared that Ball stepped on Booker’s ankle during the play. Scott Foster ruled it a common foul almost immediately. Booker stepped to the line for his 12th free throw of the night and converted both, moving to 12-of-12 from the stripe at that point in the game.

The Hornets began 0-of-5 from the field, turning the ball over 4 times as Phoenix was jumping passing lanes, leading to 4 Suns’ points.

The Suns came out active in the third quarter, playing with a bit of spunk that has not consistently appeared over the past few weeks. Their energy translated into a lead that hovered between nine points and six points for much of the period.

As the quarter wore on, Charlotte’s defense began to assert itself. The Hornets have been one of the stronger defensive teams since January 1, and that pressure started to show. Phoenix went more than three minutes without a field goal as the offense stalled. Moussa Diabate made his presence known in the paint, recording three blocks in the quarter alone. That defensive stretch helped spark an 8–0 run for Charlotte, trimming the Suns’ lead down to one.

Collin Gillespie provided a late lift. In the closing seconds of the quarter, he launched another logo three and was fouled by Coby White on the attempt. Gillespie knocked down all three free throws, giving Phoenix a small cushion heading into the fourth.

It was not a clean offensive quarter for the Suns. They finished 6-of-21 from the field, good for 28.6% shooting in the period. Still, they managed to carry an 81–77 lead into the final quarter.

Both offenses stumbled a bit to open the fourth quarter, with possessions feeling clunky and rhythm hard to find. Rasheer Fleming had no such issue. He scored 7 of the Suns’ first 9 points, then punctuated the stretch with a fast break dunk that pushed him to 13 points on the night, setting a new career high after previously reaching 8 on four separate occasions earlier in his young career.

The Suns’ offense began to find its rhythm, and a pair of three-pointers from Collin Gillespie pushed the Phoenix lead to 13 points with six minutes remaining in the fourth quarter.

Buzz City kept pushing. Charlotte is one of the better three-point shooting teams in the league, so the game never feels safe when they are within striking distance.

Devin Booker continued to look sharp through the middle stretch of the fourth quarter. He found open shooters, knocked down his own looks, and kept the offense moving with control. Charlotte applied pressure, Phoenix answered each time.

The biggest moment came late in the quarter when Collin Gillespie buried a buzzer-beating three. It was his fifth make from deep and pushed his total to 24 points on the night. The shot arrived with under three minutes remaining and stretched the Suns’ lead to 16.

With 1:39 left, Charlotte head coach Charles Lee waved the white flag and pulled his starters. Rasheer Fleming finished with a game-high 10 points in the fourth quarter as Phoenix closed strong.

The Suns outscored the Hornets 30-22 in the final period. The final score, Phoenix 111, Charlotte 99.

Up Next

A long and winding road begins for Phoenix as they set out on a six-game, 10-day road trip. Their first stop is in Milwaukee on Tuesday. Early Arizona start. 5pm. We shall see you then!

BOISE, Idaho (AP) — Biko Johnson had 19 points and Isaiah Brickner scored 15 — all in the second half — to propel Idaho to a 78-74 victory over No. 2 seed Montana State on Sunday night in a Big Sky Conference Tournament quarterfinal.

No. 7 seed Idaho (19-14) moves on to Tuesday's semifinals where it will play the winner of a Monday quarterfinal between No. 3 seed Eastern Washington and sixth-seeded Weber State.

Johnson made 7 of 12 shots with a 3-pointer for the Vandals, adding five rebounds and four assists. Brickner missed all three of his first-half shots before sinking 6 of 8 after the break. He had seven rebounds and blocked a shot. Jack Rasmussen scored 11.

Jeremiah Davis hit four 3-pointers and scored 22 to lead the Bobcats (18-14), who split two games with Idaho during the regular season. Christian King connected three times from distance and scored 21. Jed Miller added 18 points.

Davis and King both scored 12 points in the first half and Miller added 10 as Montana State took a 40-34 lead into the break. Brickner scored in the paint to give Idaho a 63-61 lead and the Vandals never trailed over the final five minutes.

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Knicks coach Mike Brown was blunt about Sunday's 110-97 loss at the Los Angeles Lakers, identifying three aspects that factored into New York's second loss in the past three games.

"The bottom line is they kicked our behind on the glass, we did not box out, their second-chance opportunities in terms of 15 points was something that we don't give up -- we can't get beat in that area, and it was due to our ability to put bodies on bodies and boxing out -- it's the first thing," Brown said of the Knicks (41-24), whom the Lakers (39-25) outrebounded by a 12-10 margin on the offensive boards. "The second thing is we fouled 'em. We got beat off the dribble often. We got beat middle and, being real lazy about it, we reach at the last second and send 'em to the free-throw line. And then, lastly, we didn't take care of the basketball.

"That's a recipe to get your behind kicked, especially on the road. If you're going to get beat in second-chance points like we did without boxing out, if you're going to reach because you can't contain the basketball for the 30 free throws and then having 18 turnovers -- that's a recipe for disaster on the road, no matter who you play. So you've got to give the Lakers credit."

The Lakers were 25 of 30 from the free-throw line, led by Luka Doncic's 8-for-10 clip.

"I'm always direct," Brown said of what he told his team after the game. "Whether it's this game or another game, I'm always direct. There's nothing to sugarcoat -- you just tell the truth."

New York's five-game road swing, which included this past Friday's 142-103 win at the Denver Nuggets, continues with Monday's 10 p.m. game against the Clippers in Los Angeles.

"Our guys have been playing well -- I'm just talking about tonight," Brown said of the Knicks, who won three straight games before this past Wednesday's 103-100 loss at the Oklahoma City Thunder. "And could it linger? Yeah, we could take another step back tomorrow. I don't know. But I'm talking about tonight. I did not like the way we played in those three areas. There's some games that you may say, 'You know what? Hey, they just shot the s--t out the ball and wasn't our night and we missed some shots.' Because we missed some shots tonight -- I thought we had some good looks that we've been normally knocking down.

"But to have a hand in losing the game yourself by not taking care of the things that are just effort and locked-in things ... those are things that we, in my opinion, could've controlled tonight, which we've done a pretty good job of, as of late, that we did not control. And the Lakers deserved to win, the way we played in those three areas."

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Scoot Henderson scored a season-high 28 points on 10-of-15 shooting and the Portland Trail Blazers beat the skidding Indiana Pacers 131-111 on Sunday night.

Jerami Grant and Jrue Holiday added 21 points apiece for the Blazers, who handed Indiana its ninth straight defeat. Henderson also had six assists with no turnovers.

Deni Avdija, who leads Portland in scoring (24.4 points per game) and assists (6.6), returned from a six-game absence caused by a lower back injury. He finished with 18 points and eight assists.

Indiana has dropped its past six games by an average of 20 points. This marks the team's third losing streak of at least eight games this season.

Pascal Siakam led the Pacers with 22 points and Jay Huff had 16 points and five blocks. Andrew Nembhard added 14 points and nine assists, and Jarace Walker also scored 14.

Huff has an NBA-leading 39 games this season with at least two blocks, two more than San Antonio center Victor Wenbanyama, who had four in a 145-120 win over Houston earlier Sunday and leads the NBA in blocks.

Robert Williams III had his streak of 18 consecutive games with at least one block snapped. It had been the longest active streak in the league.

Henderson scored or assisted on 15 points in a 25-7 run over the final 5 1/2 minutes of the second quarter to help the Blazers take a 69-52 lead into halftime. The Pacers were 2-of-11 shooting with three turnovers during that stretch.

Henderson had 19 points and five assists while going 7 for 9 from the field, including 2 of 4 from 3-point range, before the break. Grant added 14 points, Holiday had 11 and Avdija scored 10.

Up next

Pacers: Wrap up a four-game trip Tuesday at Sacramento.

Trail Blazers: Host the Charlotte Hornets on Tuesday night.

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AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA

The San Antonio Spurs didn’t just beat the Houston Rockets on Sunday night, they buried them under an avalanche of offense.

San Antonio erupted for 145 points in a dominant 145-120 victory over their in-state rivals, delivering one of their most complete offensive performances of the season. The Spurs played with pace, passion, and purpose, turning what began as a competitive matchup into a one-sided showcase of firepower.

From the opening tip, the Spurs looked locked in. The ball moved with ease, shooters found space, and the Rockets struggled to keep up with San Antonio’s tempo. Victor Wembanyama set the tone early, attacking mismatches and controlling the paint on both ends of the floor. The Spurs’ young superstar finished with a strong all-around performance: 29 points, eight rebounds, and four blocks in 30 minutes.

Houston managed to hang around in the first quarter, trading baskets as both teams pushed the pace. But the game began to tilt heavily in San Antonio’s favor in the second quarter.

That’s when the Spurs caught fire and stayed hot the rest of the night.

“The pace has been really consistent recently,” Spurs Head Coach Mitch Johnson said of his team’s offense. “When you play with the speed we have combined with the talent and moving off the basketball, it is really hard to guard.”

San Antonio poured in points from everywhere: transition buckets, cutting layups and open three-pointers; stretching the lead with a relentless offensive surge. By halftime, the Spurs had seized control, leaving the Rockets scrambling to find answers as they went to the locker room.

Any hopes of a Houston comeback faded quickly after the break.

San Antonio came out of the locker room just as aggressive, continuing to push the tempo and widen the gap. Every time the Rockets showed signs of life, the Spurs responded with another scoring burst. The lead ballooned to nearly 30 points midway through the third quarter as the game slipped firmly out of Houston’s reach. The Spurs’ balanced scoring made the night even more impressive. Multiple players crossed the 20-point mark as San Antonio’s offense hummed with rhythm and unselfishness, a reflection of the ball movement that has become a hallmark of the team’s recent play.

“I thought we were really sharp,” Johnson said. “I thought the only area you could nitpick is some of the fouls. You got to make sure you aren’t off balance or out of position, but for the most part, I thought we played a really solid game defensively.”

Despite solid individual performances, the Rockets simply couldn’t slow down San Antonio’s offense or match its efficiency. Stephon Castle and Keldon Johnson made life difficult as possible for Kevin Durant, who finished with 23 points on 7-of-12 shooting, most of which came from the free throw line.

“Something clicked from the first quarter,” Wembanyama said of the Spurs’ offense onslaught. “We figured out their adjustments and decided to hurt them elsewhere.”

By the fourth quarter, the result was essentially decided. The Spurs continued to pour it on before eventually emptying the bench as the final minutes ticked away.

When the buzzer sounded, San Antonio had produced one of its highest scoring games of the season and sent a clear message about the level this team can reach when everything clicks. It was more than just another win for the Spurs. It was a reminder of the offensive potential of a young team that continues to grow more dangerous every time it steps on the floor.

“These guys are trustworthy. I can trust them to make the right play,” Wembanyama said. “I can trust them to play unselfishly. And I can trust that anybody here can choose that if they do the effort, the efforts, like my teammates, will do the right choice, and we’ll capitalize on it.”

Game Notes

• Keldon Johnson finished with 20 points off the bench, his 10th game of the season with 20 or more points. The league better start enraving that 6th Man of the Year trophy for him.
• Dylan Harper may be a rookie, but he isn’t playing like one. He stat line in the first half: 17 points, 7-8 FG (85%), 3 ast, +9 in 14 minutes. Overall, he had 19 points on the night. That will be very valuable come playoff time.
  “I think any open shot, I’m going to take it,” Harper said. “I have confidence, but I shoot those in warm ups. So why not take them?”
• San Antonio’s ball movement is a page right out of the 2014 “Beautiful Game” Spurs. The Silver and Black had 38 assists on 51 made shots. Fox led the team with 10 helpers.
• De’Aaron Fox had a nice evening with 20 points and 10 assists in 32 minutes. He’s now scored double digits in the paint in consecutive games since January. Fans have been waiting Fox to attack the paint more, and it appears he’s gotten the message from the coaching staff.
• On a fun note: The Jackals and the French squad support sections have made the Frost Bank Center a madhouse. It is so loud inside and it translates well on the boradcast. I can’t wait to see what they do in the playoffs.

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) — Damari Wheeler-Thomas scored 19 points to lead top-seeded North Dakota State to a 70-62 victory over North Dakota on Sunday night, winning the Summit League Championship and earning an automatic berth in the NCAA Tournament for the Bison.

Wheeler-Thomas made 8 of 16 shots with two 3-pointers for the Bison (27-7), who have made four previous trips to the NCAA Tournament, most recently in 2019. He added six rebounds. Tay Smith scored 13 points off the bench and Andy Stefonowicz totaled 11 points and six rebounds.

Greyson Uelmen scored 24 to pace the third-seeded Fighting Hawks (18-17), whose only tournament appearance at the Division I level came in 2017. Uelmen sank 7 of 11 shots with two 3-pointers and made all eight of his free throws. Zach Kraft scored 19.

Smith hit a 3-pointer and Treyson Anderson scored on a tip-in to cap a 13-2 run as North Dakota State took a 15-9 lead in the first 8:19. Smith connected three more times from beyond the arc and the Bison built a 38-30 advantage in a first half that saw four ties and three lead changes.

Eli King had back-to-back baskets and Garrett Anderson added a layup in a 6-2 spurt to pull North Dakota within 41-36 four minutes into the second half.

Anderson answered with a layup and North Dakota State maintained a three-possession lead until Kraft had a layup and Uelmen added two free throws to cut it to 63-59 with 1:34 remaining.

Noah Feddersen buried a 3-pointer to spark a 7-0 spurt and the Bison prevailed.

North Dakota State won both regular-season matchups by a combined 50 points.

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