|
 Jamal Crawford came off the bench to score 19 points and record
six assists, and J.J. Redick added 18 points for the Clippers
(48-28), who defeated the Wizards for the eighth consecutive time.
Griffin returned after missing 45 games due to a partially torn quad
tendon and a four-game suspension for slugging an equipment manager.
Griffin finished with six points, five rebounds and four assists in
24 minutes.
Marcin Gortat had 21 points and seven rebounds and John Wall
contributed 15 points and 13 assists for the Wizards (37-40), who
fell 3 1/2 games back of the Indiana Pacers for the final playoff
spot in the Eastern Conference.
Warriors 136, Trail Blazers 111
OAKLAND, Calif. -- Stephen Curry scored 14 of his game-high 39
points in the third quarter, helping Golden State pull away from
Portland.
Playing for the first time since having their 54-game, home-court
winning streak ended by Boston on Friday night, the Warriors kept
their record perfect in games following losses with an eighth
straight win. No team has ever finished a season without at least
one set of consecutive losses.
The win shrunk the Warriors' magic number for clinching the top
seeding in the Western Conference playoffs to two. They moved 4 1/2
games ahead of idle San Antonio.
Rockets 118, Thunder 110
HOUSTON -- James Harden had game-high 41 points with nine assists
and three steals, including one with 37 seconds left that preceded
his full-court pass to Patrick Beverley, whose dunk game Houston a
112-104 lead.
Trevor Ariza added 18 points and seven rebounds for Houston, which
recorded 22 offensive rebounds to offset 40.2 percent shooting.
Kevin Durant paired 33 points with eight rebounds, but he bricked a
pair of 3-point attempts in the fourth quarter. Russell Westbrook
added 23 points, 13 boards and nine assists for Oklahoma City.
Cavaliers 112, Hornets 103
CLEVELAND -- LeBron James had 31 points and 12 assists and J.R.
Smith matched his season high with 27 points in Cleveland's win.
The Hornets pulled within 96-92 after the Cavs led by 21 in the
first half, but Smith and Kevin Love each made key 3-pointers late
in the game and the Cavs held on to strengthen their hold on the top
spot in the Eastern Conference.
Love scored 25 points and grabbed nine rebounds while Smith made six
3-pointers on a day the Cavs were without Kyrie Irving because of a
sprained left ankle.
Kemba Walker scored 29 points for the Hornets.
Mavericks 88, Timberwolves 78
MINNEAPOLIS -- J.J. Barea led the Mavericks with 21 points as Dallas
extended its win streak to four games.
Wesley Matthews had 19 and Devin Harris added 16 points off the
bench as the Mavs (39-38) remained in the thick of the fight for a
Western Conference playoff spot.
Minnesota, which lost its third straight game, got 30 points from
Andrew Wiggins. Rookie Karl-Anthony Towns had 11 points, a
season-best 21 rebounds and nine assists, just missing the first
triple-double of his career.
Pelicans 106, Nets 87
NEW YORK - Tim Frazier had the best game of career, collecting
career highs of 19 points and 13 assists to aid the Pelicans'
victory.
In his 10th game for New Orleans, Frazier became the first NBA
player since Chris Duhon to get 13 assists and no turnovers off the
bench and also joined Chris Paul as the second player in franchise
history with at least 13 assists and no turnovers.
The Nets lost their fifth game in a row as they have decided to shut
down Brook Lopez and Thaddeus Young for the rest of the season.
[to top of second column]
|
Jazz 101, Suns 86
PHOENIX -- Gordon Hayward scored 22 points and Derrick Favors added
17 as the Jazz overcame a slow start and stayed tied with the Dallas
Mavericks for seventh in the Western Conference playoff race.
Guard Rodney Hood overcame an 0-for-6 shooting start to hit six
3-pointers and add 18 points for the Jazz, who are over .500 for the
first time since Feb. 9.
Tyson Chandler had 21 points and 18 rebounds and Mirza Teletovic had
24 points for the Suns, who played without guard Brandon Knight
(sports hernia) and Jon Leuer (ankle). Phoenix has lost six games in
a row.
Magic 119, Grizzlies 107
ORLANDO, Fla. -- Center Nikola Vucevic, who now is coming off the
bench, scored 25 points and grabbed 10 rebounds in leading Orlando
to its fourth win in its last five games.
The Grizzlies (41-36) lost their sixth consecutive game and 10th in
their last 12 as they struggle to keep their playoff position in the
Western Conference.
Matt Barnes led the Grizzlies with 24 points and hit five of his 10
3-point attempts.
Bulls 102, Bucks 98
MILWAUKEE -- Jabari Parker and Giannis Antetokounmpo combined for 58
points but Jimmy Butler hit two clutch buckets late to help Chicago
hold on for a victory over Milwaukee at the Bradley Center.
Butler hit 9 of 10 shots from the field to finish with a team-high
25 for Chicago, which gained a half-game on Indiana in the race for
the eighth and final Eastern Conference playoff spot.
Nikola Mitotic added 19 off the bench and Pau Gasol finished with 16
for the Bulls, who shot 52 percent from the field and never trailed
in the contest.
Pacers 92, Knicks 87
NEW YORK -- Paul George hit the tiebreaking basket with 23.6 seconds
remaining in the fourth quarter as Indiana squandered an 18-point
lead before pulling out a victory over New York.
The Pacers shot 4 of 16 in the fourth and their biggest hoop came in
the final minute. After getting an inbounds pass from Monta Ellis,
George gained enough separation from his defender and knocked down a
19-foot left-wing jumper in front of the New York bench.
New York missed a chance to take an 88-87 lead when Sasha Vujacic
missed a 3-pointer. Ellis hit two free throws with 17.2 seconds
left.
Celtics 107, Lakers 100
LOS ANGELES -- Isaiah Thomas scored 26 points and Jae Crowder added
22 more, helping Boston clinch a playoff berth.
Evan Turner contributed 17 points for the Celtics, who tied the
Atlanta Hawks for the No. 3 spot in the Eastern Conference playoff
race. Boston and Atlanta are only a half-game ahead of the Charlotte
Hornets and Miami Heat.
Kobe Bryant scored 34 points on 11-of-28 shooting, hitting four
3-pointers, to pace the Lakers, who have dropped five of their last
six contests. Julius Randle contributed 20 points and 10 rebounds,
while Jordan Clarkson had 17 points.
-----------------------------------------------
[© 2016 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.]
Copyright 2016 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. |
