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 It was the fifth win in six games for the Pelicans, who currently
hold the eighth spot in the Western Conference and can clinch a trip
to the postseason with a win in their final regular-season game,
Wednesday night at home versus San Antonio. If the Pelicans lose to
the Spurs, New Orleans could still earn a playoff berth if Oklahoma
City also loses its final regular-season game.
Thunder 101, Trail Blazers 90
OKLAHOMA CITY -- Guard Russell Westbrook scored 36 points and
grabbed 11 rebounds to keep Oklahoma City's postseason hope alive
with one game left to be played Wednesday.
The Blazers were locked into the fourth seed heading into the game.
But they have now lost three straight games and four of their last
five.
Heat 100, Magic 93
MIAMI -- Four-time defending Eastern Conference champion Miami, a
long shot to make the playoffs, remained alive after beating
Orlando.
Entering Monday, the Heat's hopes for a seventh straight playoff
berth required not only for Miami to win out -- against Orlando on
Monday and at Philadelphia on Wednesday -- but also for the Indiana
Pacers and Brooklyn Nets to lose out.
The Pacers were idle on Monday, but the Heat got help from the
Chicago Bulls, who beat the Nets, which clinched a playoff spot for
the idle Boston Celtics.
Warriors 111, Grizzlies 107
OAKLAND, Calif. -- Guard Klay Thompson scored 42 points, leading
Golden State to a victory over Memphis.
The Warriors won their 17th consecutive home game and struck a
painful blow to Grizzlies' hopes of landing the No. 2 playoff seed
in the Western Conference or winning the Southwest Division. Memphis
sits one game behind San Antonio and Houston with one game
remaining.
Guard Jordan Adams came off the bench to lead Memphis with 19
points. Guard Russ Smith had 16 points off the bench, and forwards
Zach Randolph and JaMychal Green scored 10 apiece.
Clippers 110, Nuggets 103
LOS ANGELES -- Remaining in the hunt for home-court advantage in the
first round of the playoffs, Los Angeles posted a victory over
Denver.
The Clippers earned their sixth consecutive win, and they recorded
their 13th victory in 14 games and their 20th in 27 since the
All-Star break. They remained tied with San Antonio and Houston in
the battle for the No. 2 seed, though the Southwest Division winner
would beat the Clippers in a tiebreaker.
Power forward Blake Griffin led the Clippers 22 points, and he added
nine rebounds and eight assists. Shooting guard J.J. Redick had 20
points, as did center DeAndre Jordan, who also contributed a
game-high 21 rebounds. Denver small forward Wilson Chandler led all
scorers with 32 points.
Knicks 112, Hawks 108
ATLANTA -- Rookie guard Langston Galloway was 6-for-6 on 3-point
attempts en route to a career-high 26 points, and last-place New
York beat the team with the best record in the Eastern Conference.
New York forward Jason Smith, who scored 20 points, hit two
clinching free throws with 9.3 seconds remaining as the Knicks won
their 17th game of the season.
Cavaliers 109, Pistons 97
CLEVELAND -- Cavs forward LeBron James had 21 points, 11 assists and
10 rebounds for his second triple-double of the season.
The Cavs looked ready for the playoffs, provided they make it there
healthy. All-Star point guard Kyrie Irving did not play in the
second half Monday with what the team described as tightness in his
right hip. He had 12 points and three assists before he was pulled
for precautionary reasons.
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Bulls 113, Nets 86
NEW YORK -- Rookie forward Nikola Mirotic scored 26 points, hitting
three consecutive 3-pointers in the final 81 seconds of the third
quarter when Chicago took control to prevent Brooklyn from clinching
a playoff spot.
Mirotic had his 11th game with at least 20 points, but his biggest
baskets helped the Bulls go from being up 78-63 to 87-65 entering
the fourth quarter.
Rockets 100, Hornets 90
CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Guard James Harden scored 29 points and Houston
remained alive in its quest for the Southwest Division title.
With the win, the Rockets moved back into a tie for first in the
division with idle San Antonio, with Memphis needing a win at Golden
State later Monday night to make it a three-way tie
Bucks 107, 76ers 97
PHILADELPHIA -- Milwaukee Bucks guard Michael Carter-Williams said
it was "great to be back and see some familiar faces" in
Philadelphia. And he sent most of them home unhappy.
Carter-Williams, last year's NBA Rookie of the Year who was traded
to Milwaukee on Feb. 19, scored 30 points. He matched his
season-high point total, shooting 11 for 17 from the floor. He also
had five rebounds and five assists.
Jazz 109, Mavericks 92
SALT LAKE CITY -- Rookie point guard Bryce Cotton topped all scorers
with 21 points, and center Rudy Gobert had a big game to help Utah
to its seventh win in nine games.
Gobert finished with 20 points, 17 rebounds and three blocks to lift
the Jazz to their second win in a row against a playoff-bound team
after Saturday's victory at Portland.
Guard J.J. Barea led Dallas with 18 points, while big men Charlie
Villanueva and Amar'e Stoudemire each contributed 15 points.
Kings 102, Lakers 92
SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- Forward Omri Casspi continued the hottest
scoring spell of his career with a game-high 26 points, and
Sacramento used a 12-1 run late in the fourth quarter to hand Los
Angeles a historic loss Arena
Casspi needed only 13 shots to record his eighth straight game in
double digits, the longest streak of his career, and helped send the
Lakers to their 60th loss, the first time in the franchise's 67-year
history that it has lost that many. Casspi has averaged 19.9 points
per game during his eight-game streak.
Forward Derrick Williams added 20 points, and forward Carl Landry
contributed 14 for the Kings. Guard Jordan Clarkson scored 23 points
to pace the Lakers.
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