Associated Press
Associated Press
SALT LAKE CITY — Al Jefferson scored 28 points and tied a career-high with 26 rebounds as the Utah Jazz defeated Dallas 123-121 Monday night in triple-overtime to halt a seven-game losing streak against the Mavericks and preserve their slim playoff hopes.
Utah began the day 10th in the Western Conference but pulled one-half game behind Phoenix and Houston for the eighth and final spot with four games remaining.
The loss dropped Dallas to seventh in the West, one-half game behind Denver.
Dirk Nowitzki scored 40 points against Utah for the second straight time. His 3-pointer forced the second overtime, but he couldn’t convert late in the third extra period.
The Jazz forced overtime on Paul Millsap’s put-back dunk with 2.2 seconds remaining in regulation.
HEAT 101, NETS 98
NEWARK, N.J. — LeBron James scored Miami’s final 17 points in a furious one-man rally, finishing with 37 to lead the Heat past the Nets.
In a game the Heat never led until the final 51 seconds, James willed them to their 10th straight victory over New Jersey. With Dwyane Wade resting, James scored those 17 points over the last 4:48.
Chris Bosh had 22 points and 15 rebounds for the Heat, carrying them early in the fourth until James checked back in midway through the period and turned what appeared a certain loss into a stunning victory.
Kris Humphries scored 29 points and MarShon Brooks had 24 for the Nets, who played without Deron Williams and lacked the finisher they needed against one of the NBA’s best.
HORNETS 75
BOBCATS 67
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Greivis Vasquez scored 20 points and New Orleans handed Charlotte a franchise-record 17th straight loss.
The Hornets, playing without leading scorers Eric Gordon and Chris Kaman, won despite shooting just 34 percent from the floor in the second-lowest scoring NBA game this season. Gordon was given the night off to rest, but no reason was given before the game as to why Kaman was held out of action.
Carl Landry added 14 points and 12 rebounds off the bench for New Orleans.
Gerald Henderson led Charlotte with 27 points.
The loss assured the Bobcats (7-53) of the worst record in the league, giving them a 25 percent chance of landing the No. 1 pick in the NBA lottery on May 30.
WIZARDS 87
BULLS 84
CHICAGO — Kevin Seraphin had 21 points and 13 rebounds, John Wall scored 16 points, and Washington beat short-handed Chicago.
Richard Hamilton scored 22 points to lead the Bulls, who played without stars Derrick Rose and Luol Deng. Rose was out with a sore right foot as he missed his 24th game of the season, and Deng sat out due to sore right ribs.
After two straight games of clutch 3-pointers in the finals seconds to force overtime in wins against Miami and Detroit, the Bulls missed a third chance when Hamilton’s 3-pointer was blocked by James Singleton with 5.9 seconds left and C.J. Watson missed in the final seconds.
The Bulls’ lead on Miami in the Eastern Conference dropped to 2 1/2 games with five games remaining. The Heat beat New Jersey earlier Monday night.
NUGGETS 105
ROCKETS 102
HOUSTON — Arron Afflalo scored 26 points, Ty Lawson had 25 and Denver continued itsr playoff push with victory over fading Houston.
Al Harrington added 15 points and Andre Miller had 13 assists for the Nuggets, who swept back-to-back games with the Rockets, the team directly behind them in the Western Conference standings.
Denver began the night holding the No. 7 spot in the Western Conference, one game ahead of the Rockets. Houston was only one game ahead of Phoenix and 1 1/2 games ahead of Utah, who were both playing later Monday.
Goran Dragic and Chandler Parsons scored 21 points apiece for the Rockets, who have dropped four straight after a four-game road winning streak.
HAWKS 109
RAPTORS 87
TORONTO — Jeff Teague had 19 points and 10 assists, Ivan Johnson scored 21 points and Atlanta beat Toronto for the seventh time in eight games.
Joe Johnson scored 18 points and Josh Smith had 15 points and nine rebounds as the Hawks avenged Sunday’s 102-86 home loss to Toronto, a game in which the Raptors never trailed.
Marvin Williams scored 16 for Atlanta and former Raptors star Tracy McGrady scored nine of his 11 points in the fourth quarter.
The victory allowed the Hawks to keep pace with Orlando, which earned a home win over Philadelphia earlier Monday, for fifth place in the Eastern Conference.
DeMar DeRozan led Toronto with 22 points, and James Johnson had 18.
PACERS 111
T-WOLVES 88
INDIANAPOLIS — David West had 22 points and 10 rebounds to help Indiana win its fifth straight.
Danny Granger scored 19 points, Paul George had 18 and Roy Hibbert added 12 points and 11 rebounds for the Pacers, who solidified their grip on the No. 3 position in the Eastern Conference standings. Indiana scored at least 100 points for the 10th time in 11 games.
Jose Barea had 14 points and nine assists and reserves Michael Beasley and Derrick Williams added 13 points each for Minnesota, which lost its 10th in a row. Kevin Love, one of the league’s top scorers and rebounders, sat out for the third consecutive game with a mild concussion and a neck strain.
MAGIC 113
76ERS 100
ORLANDO, Fla. — Ryan Anderson had 26 points and 16 rebounds, J.J. Redick scored 18 points and Orlando held off Philadelphia.
The Magic won their second straight game and played their fifth consecutive without Dwight Howard, who is out indefinitely with a herniated disc in his back. The All-Star center has missed seven games overall with the injury and Orlando improved to 3-4 in his absence.
Jrue Holiday led Philadelphia with 18 points and Andre Iguodala, Thaddeus Young and Lou Williams each finished with 15.
Both teams shot above 50 percent, but the Magic were aided by a 46-30 rebounding advantage.
SUNS 125, BLAZERS 107
PHOENIX — Marcin Gortat had 20 points and 10 rebounds and Steve Nash had 13 assists to help Phoenix cruise past Portland.
The Suns had six players score in double figures, built a 20-point lead by the end of the third quarter and went on to their fourth win in the last six games.
Channing Frey added 19 points for Phoenix and Jared Dudley had 18.
With their win and a victory by Denver over Houston, the Suns and Rockets have identical records. At this point, the Suns would get the tiebreaker and move into the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference.
J. J. Hickson and Jamal Crawford both had 22 points for Portland.
CLIPPERS 92
THUNDER 77
LOS ANGELES — Nick Young scored 19 points, Blake Griffin added 17 and Randy Foye 13 to help the playoff-bound Clippers beat Oklahoma City.
The Clippers had already clinched their first playoff berth in five years before the game began as a result of Houston’s three-point loss to Denver, ending the second-longest active postseason drought in the league.
Griffin had 11 rebounds and DeAndre Jordan grabbed 12 in the Clippers’ fourth straight victory and 12th in their last 14 games. Their 38 wins are the most since the franchise had 40 in 2006-07.
Kevin Durant led Oklahoma City with 24 points, Serge Ibaka and James Harden added 12 points each, and Russell Westbrook was held to nine as the Thunder’s two-game winning streak ended.
SPURS 120
WARRIORS 99
OAKLAND, Calif. — Tim Duncan scored 13 points in his shortest night of work this season, Tiago Splitter added 15 points and eight rebounds and San Antonio moved into the top spot in the Western Conference.
Gary Neal added 17 points and Manu Ginobli scored 12 points with four assists for the Spurs, winners of 17 of their last 20. San Antonio moved percentage points ahead of Oklahoma City in the race for the No. 1 seed in the West after the Thunder lost to the Los Angeles Clippers.
Duncan played just 12 minutes and took only eight shots, part of coach Greg Popovich’s plan to keep his starters fresh for the postseason.
Nate Robinson had a season-high 30 points and Klay Thompson scored 29 for Golden State, which has lost 14 straight to San Antonio.