Minnesota Timberwolves guard Mo Williams dribbles the basketball guarded by Indiana Pacers guard C.J. WatsonR Brent Smith/The Associated Press
Mo Williams could sense what was happening and knew the Indiana Pacers couldn't stop it. He told them that, too.
"When you are in the zone, you don't know the magnitude of the game," Williams said. "I am glad to put on a show."
He put on the best one in the NBA this season.
Williams scored a career-high 52 points, most in the league this season, and the Minnesota Timberwolves snapped a 15-game losing streak with a 110-101 victory over the Pacers on Tuesday night.
Williams also broke the Timberwolves' franchise record.
"Mo was unbelievable," Minnesota coach Flip Saunders said. "I have been in the league 17 years and I have had some guys have hot games, but I don't think I have had anybody where he was at. He did everything."
Williams surpassed the 46 points scored this season by both Carmelo Anthony and Pau Gasol, which had been tops in the NBA.
He recorded the highest-scoring game by an opponent in Bankers Life Fieldhouse and told the Pacers there was nothing they could do about it.
"I was telling C.J. Watson during the game, I said, 'There was nothing you are going to do today, don't even worry about it,"' Williams said.
Williams made six 3-pointers, including one that gave Minnesota a 102-96 lead. Andrew Wiggins added 20 points and Gorgui Dieng had 10 for the Timberwolves (6-31), who won for the first time since beating Portland 90-82 on Dec. 10.
C.J. Miles had 22 points and C.J. Watson added 17 for the Pacers (15-25), who have lost three of four.
Wiggins scored on a put-back dunk and then converted a 3-pointer to give the Timberwolves a 93-90 lead with 4:29 remaining.
But it was mostly Williams who powered the Wolves to just their third road victory. After a couple of 3-pointers earlier in the fourth quarter, he tied the game at 83 on three free throws, including one for a technical called on Ian Mahinmi with 7:10 remaining.
"You are just in a zone, you don't really see anybody," Williams said. "You just go back to the places when you are in the gym by yourself with your own trainer. You are just shooting shots and it doesn't matter where the defence is at."
The Pacers lost to another of the league's worst teams, having given Philadelphia just its seventh win on Saturday, 93-92.
Minnesota avoided extending the team's losing streak to 16 games for the first time since a 16-game skid stretching from Feb. 24 to March 28, 2010.
The Pacers never led by more than eight points in the first half and were ahead 52-46 at the break.
They were still ahead 86-83 in the fourth but Williams answered every time Indiana went on a run.
"He was in a ridiculous zone," Pacers coach Frank Vogel said. "We tried multiple defenders. We tried pushing him one way, then another."
Williams entered the game averaging 11 points per game, but the Pacers were well aware of what he was capable of. Williams scored 24 points in a 100-96 loss to Indiana in the first meeting between the two teams back on Dec. 21.
CAVALIERS 107, SUNS 100
PHOENIX – LeBron James scored 33 points in his return from a two-week layoff but it wasn't enough to prevent the Cleveland Cavaliers from going down to their sixth straight loss, 107-100 to the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday night.
Markieff Morris scored a career-high 35 points on 15-of-21 shooting for the Suns, who outscored the Cavs 11-3 over the last 3:31.
The Cavaliers rallied from a 19-point, third-quarter deficit to go ahead in the fourth, the first of eight lead changes down the stretch.
J.R. Smith, who joined the Cavaliers during James' absence, scored 29, going 8 of 14 on 3-pointers.
James, who took time off to rest his sore left foot and lower back, made 11 of 18 shots, 6 of 8 in the second half.
WIZARDS 101, SPURS 93
WASHINGTON – John Wall broke yet another personal 0-for-forever streak, this one against an entire team, scoring 25 points with eight assists in Washington's win that gave him his first taste of success against the reigning NBA champs.
Wall had been 0-7 against the Spurs since he was drafted No. 1 overall in 2010, and the Wizards as a whole had not beaten San Antonio since Nov. 12, 2005 – a streak of 17 games.
Tim Duncan had 11 points and 12 rebounds, and Tony Parker scored 14 points for the Spurs.
HAWKS 105, 76ERS 87
PHILADELPHIA – Al Horford had his first career triple-double, scoring 21 points with 10 rebounds and 10 assists to lead Atlanta to its ninth straight win.
The Hawks easily thumped the Sixers even while resting 60 per cent of their starting lineup. Leading scorer Jeff Teague, Paul Millsap and DeMarre Carroll all sat out with the team in a stretch of four games in five nights.
The Hawks have won 23 of 25 and also won their ninth straight road game. They are in first place this late in the season for the first time since they won the East in 1993-94.
Michael Carter-Williams scored 20 points for the Sixers.
MAVERICKS 108, KINGS 104, OT
SACRAMENTO – Monta Ellis scored six of his 28 points in overtime and added 10 assists, and Dallas beat Sacramento.
The Mavericks rallied from a 10-point deficit in the fourth quarter to avoid their first four-game losing streak of the season. Dallas was coming off two humbling losses to Detroit (118-105) and the Clippers (120-100).
DeMarcus Cousins, who fouled out late in the fourth quarter, had 32 points, 16 rebounds and nine assists for the Kings. Darren Collison had 18 points and seven rebounds, Rajon Rondo broke out of a scoring slump with 21 points and seven assists for Dallas, which rallied from a 24-point deficit to beat the Kings on Nov. 11. Tyson Chandler had 16 points and 17 rebounds, Dirk Nowitzki scored 15 points and Chandler Parsons finished with 13.
WARRIORS 116, JAZZ 105
SALT LAKE CITY – Stephen Curry scored 27 points and ignited a decisive third-quarter run to lead Golden State over Utah.
Draymond Green scored 15 points while Harrison Barnes and Klay Thompson added 12 apiece to lift the Warriors (30-5) to their franchise-best seventh consecutive victory by double figures.
Derrick Favours had 22 points and 11 rebounds for the Jazz, who could not overcome blistering third-quarter shooting by Golden State. Utah allowed 44 points on 16-of-26 shooting in that period.
Gordon Hayward scored 17 points while Enes Kanter and Rudy Gobert each added a double-double for Utah. Kanter finished with 13 points and 10 rebounds, while Gobert had 16 points, 11 rebounds and three blocked shots off the bench.
HEAT 78, LAKERS 75
LOS ANGELES – Mario Chalmers scored nine of his 19 points in the fourth quarter, Hassan Whiteside added 15 and Miami completed a Staples Center sweep.
Chris Bosh scored eight points on 4-of-17 shooting for the Heat, who followed up their surprise victory over the Clippers two days ago by winning an ugly game against the Lakers despite losing Dwyane Wade to a strained left hamstring late in the first half.
Kobe Bryant scored 12 points on 3-of-19 shooting in his return to the Lakers' lineup after missing three of the last four games to rest.
Bryant's 3-pointer with 31 seconds to play trimmed Miami's lead to three points, but he missed a potential tying 3-pointer with 2 seconds left.