Pistons Down Raptors, NBA Roundup

Detroit Pistons coach Stan Van Gundy still hasn't finished putting together his ideal roster. He's got a very good idea of where to start, though.

Van Gundy's three young starters -- Reggie Jackson, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Andre Drummond -- dominated Tuesday's game against the Toronto Raptors. Drummond had 21 points and 18 rebounds while Jackson and Caldwell-Pope combined for 54 points, 13 assists and 11 rebounds without a turnover in Detroit's 108-104 victory.

Bucks 89, Heat 88

Khris Middleton drilled the game-winner, but Jerryd Bayless may have jump-started the struggling Milwaukee Bucks. Bayless, listed at 6-foot-3, tied up and then won a jump ball against 6-9 Michael Beasley with 10.8 seconds left to set up Middleton's 3-pointer at the buzzer as the Bucks snapped a six-game losing streak with an 89-88 comeback victory over Miami on Tuesday night. Bayless missed on a drive down the lane, but Zaza Pachulia tapped the ball back out to Middleton, who buried the winner. He finished with 13.

Thunder 127, Lakers 117

It would have been understandable for the Oklahoma City Thunder to overlook the struggling Los Angeles Lakers Tuesday night with a road game looming against defending NBA champs San Antonio. NBA scoring leader Russell Westbrook refused to let that happen, scoring 27 points and adding 11 assists as the Thunder beat the Lakers 127-117 for their fourth straight victory. Westbrook took over the game after the Lakers had closed to 70-61 three less than three minutes into the second half, getting a steal and dunk and draining a 3-pointer seconds later on his way to a 14-point third quarter.

Mavericks 101, Spurs 94

Monta Ellis provided an emphatic rebuttal Tuesday night to a dismal performance 48 hours earlier. Ellis matched his season high with 38 points and the Dallas Mavericks rallied in the second half to defeat the San Antonio Spurs 101-94. Ellis hit 16 of 27 shots, bouncing back from his 4-for-22 showing Sunday in a loss at Phoenix. In that game, he went 0-for-8 in the fourth quarter as Dallas' six-point lead vanished down the stretch.

Kings 107, 76ers 106

Having a big game offensively is nothing new for Sacramento Kings star center DeMarcus Cousins. But Tuesday night against the Philadelphia 76ers, it was Cousins' defense that was one of the keys to victory. He had 33 points, 17 rebounds, four steals and four blocks for the Kings, who dealt the 76ers their 16th straight road loss, with a 107-106 victory. On Philadelphia's final possession, Cousins stepped in front of a driving Hollis Thompson and poked the ball free and it landed in the hands of teammate Ray McCallum in the closing seconds to preserve the victory.

Warriors 122, Trail Blazers 108

The music was turned up in the locker room and the mood was festive, but Golden State didn't overdo the celebration of the team's first division title in 39 years. These Warriors aren't done yet. Curry had 33 points and 10 assists, and the Warriors pulled away from the short-handed Trail Blazers in the second half for a 122-108 victory Tuesday night. Andre Iguodala came off the bench to score 21 points for the Warriors, who won their seventh straight to push their record to an NBA-best 58-13.

Tuesday, March 24 Scoreboard

Detroit 108, Toronto 104

Milwaukee 89, Miami 88    Ilyasova

Oklahoma City 127, LA Lakers 117

Dallas 101, San Antonio 94

Sacramento 107, Philadelphia 106

Golden State 122, Portland 108

Wednesday, March 25 Schedule (All Times Central)

Brooklyn at Charlotte, 6 p.m.

Atlanta at Orlando, 6 p.m.

Indiana at Washington, 6 p.m.

Chicago at Toronto, 6 p.m.

Miami at Boston, 6:30 p.m.

Cleveland at Memphis, 7 p.m.

LA Lakers at Minnesota, 7 p.m.

Houston at New Orleans, 7 p.m.

Philadelphia at Denver, 8 p.m.

Portland at Utah, 8 p.m.

Oklahoma City at San Antonio, 8:30 p.m.

Sacramento at Phoenix, 9 p.m.