LOS ANGELES: The Cleveland Cavaliers snapped a three-game skid on Friday, but the Boston Celtics’ own narrow victory maintained their slender lead over the reigning NBA champion Cavs atop the Eastern Conference.
The Cavs will have hoped to put a miserable March in the rear-view mirror with their 122-105 victory over the hapless Philadelphia 76ers.
LeBron James scored 34 points, Kyrie Irving added 24 and Kevin Love contributed 18 in the victory, which followed on the heels of a three-game losing streak.
“We needed this game, we needed to get this win,” admitted Irving after the Cavs completed a 7-10 March.
The Cavs had lost three straight, and five of their previous seven going into the contest, but Irving said the turnaround, with the playoffs a fortnight away, was under way.
“We’ve got to keep building from here and not look back,” he said. “I’m excited about it.”
The Cavs struggles opened the door for the Celtics, and they have seized their opportunity.
Two free throws from Al Horford with 1:22 remaining proved the difference in Boston’s 117-116 victory over the Orlando Magic, which kept them one-half game ahead of the Cavs atop the East.
The Celtics’ 15th win in their last 17 home games was not certain until Amir Johnson contested Elfrid Payton’s drive in the closing minutes. Payton missed, and Horford grabbed the rebound.
Isaiah Thomas scored 35 points and handed out seven assists for the Celtics, who notched their 49th win of the season — their most since the 2010-11 campaign.
CELTICS 117, MAGIC 116: Isaiah Thomas scored 35 points, Jae Crowder had 18 and the Boston Celtics rallied to beat the Orlando Magic to maintain their slim lead over Cleveland atop the Eastern Conference.
Boston’s Al Horford made two free throws with 1:22 left for a one-point lead, and then Orlando missed three shots down the stretch, including a driving layup attempt by Elfrid Payton with two seconds left.
The Celtics (49-27) entered with a half-game lead over the Cavaliers, who won easily against Philadelphia to preserve that margin.
Horford and Jaylen Brown each scored 12 points, and Boston won for the fifth time in six games.
Aaron Gordon scored 20 of his 32 points in the first half and had 16 rebounds, while Evan Fournier scored 20 points for the Magic. Payton dished out a career-high 15 assists and flirted with a triple-double, getting 12 points and nine rebounds.
WARRIORS 107, ROCKETS 98: Stephen Curry scored 24 points, Klay Thompson had 20 and the Golden State Warriors got key plays down the stretch from just about everybody, using a big fourth quarter to hold off the Houston Rockets.
Andre Iguodala’s left-handed drive and layup tied it with 7:07 remaining and he finished with 14 points, five rebounds and five assists. Ian Clark hit a go-ahead 3-pointer with 5:58 to play before Matt Barnes delivered a clutch basket in a game with a playoff feel.
James Harden had another tough shooting night for Houston, held to 17 points while going 4 for 18 from the floor and 2 of 9 from beyond the arc. He also had 12 rebounds and eight assists.
JaVale McGee contributed 13 points and a season-best five blocked shots off the bench in a 10th straight win for the Warriors, who are determined to earn the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference.
PELICANS 117, KINGS 89: DeMarcus Cousins had 37 points and 13 rebounds in his first game against the Kings, and the New Orleans Pelicans routed Sacramento.
Cousins had downplayed his first meeting with the team that drafted him in 2010 and traded him away this February, but his play looked inspired. He tied a career-high with five 3-pointers and executed a tricky, crowd-pleasing, cross-court bounce pass during a fast break.
Anthony Davis added 19 points, 12 rebounds and five blocks for the Pelicans, who led by as many as 32 en route to their eighth victory in 11 games. Pelicans first-round draft choice Buddy Hield, who was part of the Cousins trade, had 13 points for Sacramento, while Ben McLemore had 15 points.
Cousins, who also finished with four assists and two blocked shots, received a standing ovation from many fans when he checked out of the game for the final time with a little more than three minutes left.
SPURS 100, THUNDER 95: Kawhi Leonard scored 27 points, and the San Antonio Spurs rallied from 21 points down in the third quarter to beat the Oklahoma City Thunder.
The Spurs never led until the final minute. LaMarcus Aldridge’s dunk with 20.7 seconds left put the Spurs up 96-95. Oklahoma City’s Russell Westbrook drove to the hoop, but Aldridge blocked his shot. Leonard then drove the length of the floor, scored and was fouled. His free throw with 5.8 seconds left put the game out of reach.
Westbrook had 32 points, 15 rebounds and 12 assists for his 39th triple-double of the season. He needs two more to tie Oscar Robertson’s single-season record of 41 set during the 1961-62 season.
Pau Gasol scored 17 points for San Antonio, which was coming off a 110-98 home loss to Golden State on Wednesday in which the Spurs blew a 22-point lead.
GRIZZLIES 99, MAVERICKS 90: Mike Conley scored 28 points, Zach Randolph added 22 points and 12 rebounds, and the Memphis Grizzlies clinched a playoff spot with a 99-90 victory over the Dallas Mavericks.
Memphis’ win, coupled with Denver’s loss at Charlotte earlier Friday night, earned the Grizzlies their seventh straight postseason berth.
But Memphis had to weather a 3-point shooting rally in the closing minutes. Dallas made six of its first nine 3-point attempts in the final frame, a jumper by Wesley Matthews cutting Memphis’ advantage to 94-90 with just over a minute left. But Dallas could get no closer, dropping its fourth straight.
Troy Daniels finished with 21 points for Memphis, shooting 7 of 12 from outside the arc.
Six Mavericks finished in double figures, led by 13 points each from Dirk Nowitzki, Matthews and J.J. Barea. Matthews also had seven assists, and Nowitzki grabbed 12 rebounds.
HORNETS 122, NUGGETS 114: Kemba Walker had 31 points, and the Marco Belinelli and Frank Kaminsky took over in the fourth quarter as the Charlotte Hornets preserved their slim playoff hopes with a win over the Denver Nuggets.
The Hornets shot 17 for 26 on 3-pointers, including 7 for 12 in the fourth quarter.
Charlotte trailed by eight entering the fourth, but scored 12 straight points to take control. Walker ignited the run with a long 3-pointer and then scored on a drive and drew a foul. Kaminsky, who had 22 points, and Belinelli each had three 3s in the fourth quarter as Charlotte outscored Denver 36-20.
Nikola Jokic led Denver with 26 points and 13 rebounds.
RAPTORS 111, PACERS 100: DeMar DeRozan scored 40 points and the Toronto Raptors rolled to their seventh straight home win over the Indiana Pacers.
DeRozan was 11 of 26 from the floor to register his 30th game of 30 points or more this season, tying Vince Carter’s 2000-01 franchise mark. It was also DeRozan’s sixth 40-point game of the season.
Jonas Valanciunas had 16 points and 17 rebounds for his team-leading 28th double-double, while Serge Ibaka added 15 points and 12 rebounds.
Paul George led the Pacers with 28 points, while Jeff Teague added 19, but they were unable to prevent Indiana from its fifth loss in its last six games.
The Pacers’ last regular-season win in Toronto came on March 1, 2013.
KNICKS 98, HEAT 94: Kristaps Porzingis scored 22 points, Courtney Lee added 20 and the New York Knicks led nearly the entire way in beating the Miami Heat.
Justin Holiday scored 12 for the Knicks, who played without Carmelo Anthony (back), Derrick Rose (knee) and Lance Thomas (hip). It was only the fourth win in the last 15 games for New York.
Goran Dragic scored 22 points and Hassan Whiteside had 17 points and 16 rebounds for Miami, which missed 15 of its final 16 attempts from 3-point range. Even with the loss, Miami (37-39) held onto the No. 7 spot in the Eastern Conference standings because No. 8 Indiana (37-39) also lost. The Heat and Pacers are just a half-game ahead of No. 9 Chicago.
BUCKS 108, PISTONS 105, OT: Khris Middleton hit a 3-pointer with 40.7 seconds left in overtime, rookie Thon Maker scored a career-high 23 points and the Milwaukee Bucks beat the Detroit Pistons.
Middleton hit the 3 from the right wing after Maker tipped an offensive rebound right back to his teammate to save a crucial possession that started with a Middleton miss from nearly the same spot behind the arc.
It was a thrilling end to the month for the Bucks, who moved into fifth place in the Eastern Conference after going 14-4 in March.
Tobias Harris scored 23 points to lead the Pistons in a game of wild of swings. Detroit trailed by 18 in the first quarter, then led by 10 in the fourth quarter before the Bucks finished with a flourish.
JAZZ 95, WIZARDS 88: Rudy Gobert had 16 points and 10 rebounds, Gordon Hayward scored 19 points and the Utah Jazz beat the Washington Wizards.
The teams traded baskets throughout the fourth quarter. There were six ties, and neither team led by more than four until the final 33 seconds. Hayward got hot late after struggling much of the night and led an 11-4 run that gave the Jazz an 85-80 edge. Washington never led again, and Bradley Beal’s turnover with 35 seconds left allowed Utah to close out the game from the free-throw line.
Hayward scored 10 points in the fourth quarter and also had seven rebounds and four assists for the night.
Beal led Washington with 27 points.
The Cavs will have hoped to put a miserable March in the rear-view mirror with their 122-105 victory over the hapless Philadelphia 76ers.
LeBron James scored 34 points, Kyrie Irving added 24 and Kevin Love contributed 18 in the victory, which followed on the heels of a three-game losing streak.
“We needed this game, we needed to get this win,” admitted Irving after the Cavs completed a 7-10 March.
The Cavs had lost three straight, and five of their previous seven going into the contest, but Irving said the turnaround, with the playoffs a fortnight away, was under way.
“We’ve got to keep building from here and not look back,” he said. “I’m excited about it.”
The Cavs struggles opened the door for the Celtics, and they have seized their opportunity.
Two free throws from Al Horford with 1:22 remaining proved the difference in Boston’s 117-116 victory over the Orlando Magic, which kept them one-half game ahead of the Cavs atop the East.
The Celtics’ 15th win in their last 17 home games was not certain until Amir Johnson contested Elfrid Payton’s drive in the closing minutes. Payton missed, and Horford grabbed the rebound.
Isaiah Thomas scored 35 points and handed out seven assists for the Celtics, who notched their 49th win of the season — their most since the 2010-11 campaign.
CELTICS 117, MAGIC 116: Isaiah Thomas scored 35 points, Jae Crowder had 18 and the Boston Celtics rallied to beat the Orlando Magic to maintain their slim lead over Cleveland atop the Eastern Conference.
Boston’s Al Horford made two free throws with 1:22 left for a one-point lead, and then Orlando missed three shots down the stretch, including a driving layup attempt by Elfrid Payton with two seconds left.
The Celtics (49-27) entered with a half-game lead over the Cavaliers, who won easily against Philadelphia to preserve that margin.
Horford and Jaylen Brown each scored 12 points, and Boston won for the fifth time in six games.
Aaron Gordon scored 20 of his 32 points in the first half and had 16 rebounds, while Evan Fournier scored 20 points for the Magic. Payton dished out a career-high 15 assists and flirted with a triple-double, getting 12 points and nine rebounds.
WARRIORS 107, ROCKETS 98: Stephen Curry scored 24 points, Klay Thompson had 20 and the Golden State Warriors got key plays down the stretch from just about everybody, using a big fourth quarter to hold off the Houston Rockets.
Andre Iguodala’s left-handed drive and layup tied it with 7:07 remaining and he finished with 14 points, five rebounds and five assists. Ian Clark hit a go-ahead 3-pointer with 5:58 to play before Matt Barnes delivered a clutch basket in a game with a playoff feel.
James Harden had another tough shooting night for Houston, held to 17 points while going 4 for 18 from the floor and 2 of 9 from beyond the arc. He also had 12 rebounds and eight assists.
JaVale McGee contributed 13 points and a season-best five blocked shots off the bench in a 10th straight win for the Warriors, who are determined to earn the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference.
PELICANS 117, KINGS 89: DeMarcus Cousins had 37 points and 13 rebounds in his first game against the Kings, and the New Orleans Pelicans routed Sacramento.
Cousins had downplayed his first meeting with the team that drafted him in 2010 and traded him away this February, but his play looked inspired. He tied a career-high with five 3-pointers and executed a tricky, crowd-pleasing, cross-court bounce pass during a fast break.
Anthony Davis added 19 points, 12 rebounds and five blocks for the Pelicans, who led by as many as 32 en route to their eighth victory in 11 games. Pelicans first-round draft choice Buddy Hield, who was part of the Cousins trade, had 13 points for Sacramento, while Ben McLemore had 15 points.
Cousins, who also finished with four assists and two blocked shots, received a standing ovation from many fans when he checked out of the game for the final time with a little more than three minutes left.
SPURS 100, THUNDER 95: Kawhi Leonard scored 27 points, and the San Antonio Spurs rallied from 21 points down in the third quarter to beat the Oklahoma City Thunder.
The Spurs never led until the final minute. LaMarcus Aldridge’s dunk with 20.7 seconds left put the Spurs up 96-95. Oklahoma City’s Russell Westbrook drove to the hoop, but Aldridge blocked his shot. Leonard then drove the length of the floor, scored and was fouled. His free throw with 5.8 seconds left put the game out of reach.
Westbrook had 32 points, 15 rebounds and 12 assists for his 39th triple-double of the season. He needs two more to tie Oscar Robertson’s single-season record of 41 set during the 1961-62 season.
Pau Gasol scored 17 points for San Antonio, which was coming off a 110-98 home loss to Golden State on Wednesday in which the Spurs blew a 22-point lead.
GRIZZLIES 99, MAVERICKS 90: Mike Conley scored 28 points, Zach Randolph added 22 points and 12 rebounds, and the Memphis Grizzlies clinched a playoff spot with a 99-90 victory over the Dallas Mavericks.
Memphis’ win, coupled with Denver’s loss at Charlotte earlier Friday night, earned the Grizzlies their seventh straight postseason berth.
But Memphis had to weather a 3-point shooting rally in the closing minutes. Dallas made six of its first nine 3-point attempts in the final frame, a jumper by Wesley Matthews cutting Memphis’ advantage to 94-90 with just over a minute left. But Dallas could get no closer, dropping its fourth straight.
Troy Daniels finished with 21 points for Memphis, shooting 7 of 12 from outside the arc.
Six Mavericks finished in double figures, led by 13 points each from Dirk Nowitzki, Matthews and J.J. Barea. Matthews also had seven assists, and Nowitzki grabbed 12 rebounds.
HORNETS 122, NUGGETS 114: Kemba Walker had 31 points, and the Marco Belinelli and Frank Kaminsky took over in the fourth quarter as the Charlotte Hornets preserved their slim playoff hopes with a win over the Denver Nuggets.
The Hornets shot 17 for 26 on 3-pointers, including 7 for 12 in the fourth quarter.
Charlotte trailed by eight entering the fourth, but scored 12 straight points to take control. Walker ignited the run with a long 3-pointer and then scored on a drive and drew a foul. Kaminsky, who had 22 points, and Belinelli each had three 3s in the fourth quarter as Charlotte outscored Denver 36-20.
Nikola Jokic led Denver with 26 points and 13 rebounds.
RAPTORS 111, PACERS 100: DeMar DeRozan scored 40 points and the Toronto Raptors rolled to their seventh straight home win over the Indiana Pacers.
DeRozan was 11 of 26 from the floor to register his 30th game of 30 points or more this season, tying Vince Carter’s 2000-01 franchise mark. It was also DeRozan’s sixth 40-point game of the season.
Jonas Valanciunas had 16 points and 17 rebounds for his team-leading 28th double-double, while Serge Ibaka added 15 points and 12 rebounds.
Paul George led the Pacers with 28 points, while Jeff Teague added 19, but they were unable to prevent Indiana from its fifth loss in its last six games.
The Pacers’ last regular-season win in Toronto came on March 1, 2013.
KNICKS 98, HEAT 94: Kristaps Porzingis scored 22 points, Courtney Lee added 20 and the New York Knicks led nearly the entire way in beating the Miami Heat.
Justin Holiday scored 12 for the Knicks, who played without Carmelo Anthony (back), Derrick Rose (knee) and Lance Thomas (hip). It was only the fourth win in the last 15 games for New York.
Goran Dragic scored 22 points and Hassan Whiteside had 17 points and 16 rebounds for Miami, which missed 15 of its final 16 attempts from 3-point range. Even with the loss, Miami (37-39) held onto the No. 7 spot in the Eastern Conference standings because No. 8 Indiana (37-39) also lost. The Heat and Pacers are just a half-game ahead of No. 9 Chicago.
BUCKS 108, PISTONS 105, OT: Khris Middleton hit a 3-pointer with 40.7 seconds left in overtime, rookie Thon Maker scored a career-high 23 points and the Milwaukee Bucks beat the Detroit Pistons.
Middleton hit the 3 from the right wing after Maker tipped an offensive rebound right back to his teammate to save a crucial possession that started with a Middleton miss from nearly the same spot behind the arc.
It was a thrilling end to the month for the Bucks, who moved into fifth place in the Eastern Conference after going 14-4 in March.
Tobias Harris scored 23 points to lead the Pistons in a game of wild of swings. Detroit trailed by 18 in the first quarter, then led by 10 in the fourth quarter before the Bucks finished with a flourish.
JAZZ 95, WIZARDS 88: Rudy Gobert had 16 points and 10 rebounds, Gordon Hayward scored 19 points and the Utah Jazz beat the Washington Wizards.
The teams traded baskets throughout the fourth quarter. There were six ties, and neither team led by more than four until the final 33 seconds. Hayward got hot late after struggling much of the night and led an 11-4 run that gave the Jazz an 85-80 edge. Washington never led again, and Bradley Beal’s turnover with 35 seconds left allowed Utah to close out the game from the free-throw line.
Hayward scored 10 points in the fourth quarter and also had seven rebounds and four assists for the night.
Beal led Washington with 27 points.
