LDN - Sports

NBA roundup: Raptors rout Celtics, solidify East lead

[April 05, 2018] DeMar DeRozan finished with 16 points to help lead the Toronto Raptors to a 96-78 statement victory over the visiting Boston Celtics in a battle of the Eastern Conference's top two teams on Wednesday night.

Serge Ibaka and Fred VanVleet added 15 points apiece and Kyle Lowry scored 13 for Toronto, which extended its lead over second-place Boston atop the East to three games with four to play.

Marcus Morris led the Celtics with 21 points, and Greg Monroe had 17 and eight rebounds. Boston lost its second consecutive game after winning six straight.

Al Horford contributed 16 points for the Celtics, who were held to a season low in points. Boston shot just 33.3 percent (25 of 75) from the floor while making just 13.6 percent (3 of 22) of its 3-point attempts.

76ers 115, Pistons 108

JJ Redick had 25 points and six assists as Philadelphia stretched its winning streak to 12 games and eliminated host Detroit from playoff contention.

The Sixers are tied with the Cleveland Cavaliers for the third seed in the Eastern Conference heading into the meeting between the two on Friday in Philadelphia.

Redick hit 10 of 13 from the field and 5 of 7 3-point attempts. Marco Belinelli contributed 19 points, four rebounds, two assists and three steals off the bench. Ben Simmons had 16 points, six rebounds and seven assists.

Pelicans 123, Grizzlies 95

Anthony Davis scored 28 points and grabbed 12 rebounds as New Orleans ended a four-game losing streak with a home victory against Memphis.

E'Twaun Moore added a game-high 30 points, Nikola Mirotic scored 25, Jrue Holiday had 15 points and Rajon Rondo had 13 assists for New Orleans.

New Orleans moved one game in front of the idle Denver Nuggets in the battle for the final playoff spot in the Western Conference.

Lakers 122, Spurs 112 (OT)

Kyle Kuzma bombed in a 3-pointer in the first minute of overtime, and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope added a clincher three minutes later, helping Los Angeles outlast visiting San Antonio.

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Kuzma finished with a game-high 30 points for the Lakers, who were without Lonzo Ball (knee) and Brandon Ingram (concussion). LaMarcus Aldridge had a team-high 28 points for the Spurs, who were missing Manu Ginobili (rest)

The loss was costly to the Spurs, who fell into a tie with Oklahoma City for the fifth spot in a tightly bunched Western group. The Spurs are now tied in the loss column not only with the Thunder but also Minnesota and New Orleans.

Magic 105, Mavericks 100

Aaron Gordon poured in 20 points and six Orlando players scored in double figures against Dallas.

Jamel Artis added 18 points for Orlando, which has won two straight.

The Mavericks trailed for all but the first three minutes of the game but fought back to within 97-96 on an Aaron Harrison 3-pointer with 2:58 to play. Mario Hezonja immediately answered with a jumper and Khem Birch followed with another bucket to increase the Magic's advantage to 101-96 with 1:09 left.

Heat 115, Hawks 86

Kelly Olynyk scored 19 points off the bench as Miami beat host Atlanta for the second time in as many nights.

Olynyk hit five 3-pointers, all coming in the second quarter, and Josh Richardson also scored 19 points for the Heat, who clinched a playoff spot with their Tuesday win over the Hawks.

Miami grabbed solo possession of sixth place in the Eastern Conference by half a game over two teams that were idle Wednesday, the Milwaukee Bucks and Washington Wizards.

--Field Level Media

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