Tuesday's NBA Capsules

Games played on March 29, 2016

CLEVELAND (AP) - James Harden scored 27 points and the Houston Rockets rallied from a 20-point deficit for a 106-100 victory Tuesday night over the Cleveland Cavaliers, who rested LeBron James.

Harden scored 18 points in the fourth quarter and Houston outscored Cleveland 35-16 in the period.

Dwight Howard's free throw with 2:13 left put Houston ahead 95-94. Harden's 3-pointer made it 98-94 before Kyrie Irving hit a 3-pointer with 1:30 left, making it a one-point game.

Both teams missed shots on their next possession, but Trevor Ariza's 3-pointer from the corner with 17 seconds left gave Houston a 101-97 lead.

Irving scored 31 points for Cleveland, which fell to 1-3 this season and 4-13 over the last two when James doesn't play.

BULLS 98, PACERS 96

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) - Jimmy Butler made a tiebreaking jumper with 3.7 seconds left, and Chicago beat Indiana to snap a four-game losing streak.

Nikola Mirotic scored 28 points as Chicago (37-37) got back to .500 and pulled within two games of Indiana for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. Mirotic made seven 3-pointers, his final one tying it at 96 with 2:19 remaining.

The Pacers missed five shots in the final 2 minutes that would have given them the lead before the Bulls rebounded Pau Gasol's miss with 20 seconds remaining and got the ball to Butler for his 17-footer from the right wing.

CJ Miles missed a 3-pointer that would have won it as time expired. Paul George had 20 points and nine rebounds for the Pacers, while Ian Mahinmi had 18 points and seven boards.

Butler finished with 14 points, and Gasol added 10 points and 11 rebounds.

PISTONS 88, THUNDER 82

AUBURN HILLS, Mich. (AP) - Marcus Morris scored 24 points, and Detroit took advantage of Kevin Durant's absence in a victory over Oklahoma City.

The Thunder rested Durant and Serge Ibaka, and Oklahoma City was held to only nine points in the third period en route to its lowest-scoring game of the season. The Thunder rallied from a 15-point deficit, closing the gap to just one in the fourth, but Detroit was able to hold on late for another victory in its push for a playoff spot.

The Thunder had their eight-game winning streak snapped. Russell Westbrook led Oklahoma City with 24 points on 8-of-28 shooting.

Andre Drummond had 13 points and 15 rebounds for the Pistons, and Tobias Harris added 17 points.

HORNETS 100, 76ERS 85

PHILADELPHIA (AP) - Nicolas Batum had 19 points, 12 rebounds and 12 assists for his second triple-double of the season, leading Charlotte over Philadelphia.

Cody Zeller added 18 points and 11 boards for Charlotte, which set a franchise record for wins in a month with its 13th victory in March.

The Hornets, who entered the game in sixth place in the Eastern Conference, also inched closer to clinching their first playoff spot in two years and just second postseason berth in the last 13 years. Charlotte hasn't won a playoff series, though, since 2002.

The teams both have off until Friday, when they will play again in Charlotte for the fourth and final meeting of the season.

Short-handed Philadelphia, which dressed just 10 players, lost its 10th straight game and 23rd in the last 24. Robert Covington had 18 points.

MAGIC 139, NETS 105

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) - Aaron Gordon had 20 points and Elfrid Payton had 11 points and 12 assists as the Magic scored a season high in defeating Brooklyn.

Victor Oladipo and Evan Fournier had their moments and backup center Dewayne Dedmon, playing in place of injured Nikola Vucevic, scored 15 points

The Magic had eight players in double figures, including backups Andrew Nicholson with 24 and Jason Smith with 14.

The Nets were led by reserve forward Thomas Robinson, who scored 18 points, after being inserted into the starting lineup in place of Thaddeus Young. Brook Lopez scored just five points in the first half and did not play in the second half.