NBA roundup: Spurs stun Nuggets to set-up three-way tie atop Western Conference
Little-used reserve Devonte' Graham hit the game-winning jumper with 0.9 seconds left to cap a wild comeback as the host San Antonio Spurs defeated the Denver Nuggets 121-120 on Friday.
The loss, which came in both teams' next-to-last regular-season game, dropped the Nuggets to a three-way tie for first place in the Western Conference with the Minnesota Timberwolves and the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Victor Wembanyama had 34 points, 12 rebounds, and five assists for the Spurs. He scored 17 points in less than three minutes during the third quarter, including four 3-pointers and a three-point play.
Jamal Murray led Denver with 35 points, while Nikola Jokic contributed 22 points, 12 assists, and seven rebounds. The Nuggets had one last chance after Graham's go-ahead basket, but they were unable to inbound the ball within five seconds and turned it over.
Thunder 125 - 107 Bucks
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 23 points and Chet Holmgren added 22 as Oklahoma City defeated visiting Milwaukee for their fourth win in a row.
Gilgeous-Alexander scored 14 points in the first quarter alone, while the Thunder totaled 41.
Brook Lopez and Khris Middleton each scored 18 points for the Bucks, who now share second place in the Eastern Conference with the New York Knicks. Milwaukee holds the tiebreaker.
Timberwolves 109 - 106 Hawks
Rudy Gobert scored 25 points and grabbed 19 rebounds as Minnesota defeated Atlanta in Minneapolis, moving into a three-way tie atop the Western Conference.
Naz Reid scored 19 points off the bench for Minnesota, who, like the co-leaders Denver Nuggets and Oklahoma City Thunder, have one game remaining in the season. Minnesota's Karl-Anthony Towns scored 11 points and dished eight assists in his first game back after a torn meniscus in his left knee on March 4.
Atlanta's Trae Young led the team with 19 points and seven assists. Clint Capela tallied 13 points and 11 rebounds.
Celtics 131 - 98 Hornets
Payton Pritchard had a career-high 31 points and 11 assists to help Boston snap a two-game losing streak by routing Charlotte.
Neither team was nearing full strength. Boston (63-18) were missing its top six players, while the Hornets were also missing a few. Tre Mann finished with 19 points and eight assists for Charlotte, while Nick Smith Jr. added 15.
Pritchard made 14 of his 22 field goal attempts. He did not play in the fourth quarter. Luke Kornet added 16 points and 10 rebounds for the Celtics, who are the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference and will have home-court advantage throughout the postseason.
Cavaliers 129 - 120 Pacers
Donovan Mitchell scored a team-high 33 points to help Cleveland defeat Indiana and secure a playoff spot.
Jarrett Allen had 29 points and 13 rebounds for Cleveland. Darius Garland and Caris LeVert each scored 16 points, while Evan Mobley had 12.
Tyrese Haliburton and Pascal Siakam each scored 19 points to lead Indiana's eight double-digit scorers. Haliburton also had a game-high 12 assists for the Pacers, who saw their three-game winning streak end. Indiana are one of three teams tied for fifth in the East.
Heat 125 - 103 Raptors
Nikola Jovic scored 22 points and Jaime Jaquez Jr. added 20 points and nine assists off the bench as Miami defeated visiting Toronto.
Bam Adebayo scored 19 points, and the Heat won for the sixth time in nine games. The Heat are in eighth place in the Eastern Conference with one game remaining, but they still have a shot at a top-six playoff spot as they are one game behind the Orlando Magic, Indiana Pacers, and Philadelphia Sixers.
RJ Barrett led the Raptors, who have lost three straight games, with 35 points on 13-of-18 shooting and 11 rebounds.
Pelicans 114 - 109 Warriors
CJ McCollum capped a New Orleans barrage of 3-pointers by sinking his eighth of the game with 1:02 left in San Francisco, halting a Golden State rally and propelling the Pelicans to victory in a game with playoff implications.
A second win in two nights in Northern California improved the Pelicans' chances of finishing sixth in the Western Conference and making the playoffs. McCollum led the Pelicans with 28 points, including 24 on 8-of-13 shooting from three. New Orleans made 20 three-pointers as a team and outscored the Warriors 60-39 from beyond the arc.
The Warriors took a giant step back towards the tenth and final play-in spot. Stephen Curry had a game-high 33 points, including 7 of 13 from long range. Klay Thompson scored 19 points, Andrew Wiggins had 18, and Trayce Jackson-Davis had 10 points and 11 rebounds. On a night when he did not score, Draymond Green recorded a double-double with 12 rebounds and 11 assists.
Lakers 123 - 120 Grizzlies
LeBron James scored 37 points and Anthony Davis added 36 as visiting Los Angeles defeated pesky Memphis.
With the victory, Los Angeles moved up to the eighth seed in the Western Conference. Davis had 14 rebounds and finished with a double-double. Rui Hachimura scored 14 points for Los Angeles, who ended a two-game losing streak.
GG Jackson led Memphis with 31 points, while LaRavia and Scotty Pippen Jr. both had 28. Jordan Goodwin scored 23 points and grabbed 17 rebounds as the Grizzlies were outshot 51.9 percent to 45.3 percent from the field.
Bulls 129 - 127 Wizards
Chicago used a makeshift lineup to defeat host Washington, with Javonte Green scoring 24 points and Dalen Terry leading a late surge.
Adama Sanogo had 22 points and 20 rebounds off the bench, while Coby White and Jevon Carter each had 20 points as the Bulls relied heavily on their reserves. Chicago's second road win in as many nights came after they clinched the Eastern Conference's No. 9 seed with a win in Detroit on Thursday.
Deni Avdija led Washington with 24 points, 12 rebounds, and eight assists, as the team approaches its worst record in franchise history. Korey Kispert scored 23 points for the Wizards.
Knicks 111 - 107 Nets
Jalen Brunson scored 30 points to help New York overcome a 17-point first-half deficit and beat Brooklyn.
The result guarantees the Knicks at least home-court advantage in the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs. The Knicks won their fourth straight game, overcoming a 41-point performance by Brooklyn's Cam Thomas. Josh Hart added 16, while OG Anunoby and Robinson each had 15 for the Knicks.
Thomas made 15 of 26 shots for Brooklyn, which shot 50% while playing with only nine players due to injuries to Cameron Johnson, Dennis Smith Jr., Dorian Finney-Smith, and Dennis Schroder. The Nets lost for the second time in three games, with Watford scoring 17 points and 13 rebounds and Lonnie Walker IV adding 15 points.
76ers 125 - 113 Magic
Joel Embiid scored 32 points and grabbed 13 rebounds to lead host Philadelphia to a victory over Orlando.
Embiid also had seven assists as Philadelphia extended its winning streak to seven games. Tyrese Maxey added 28 points, while Kelly Oubre Jr. contributed 21 points and nine rebounds.
Franz Wagner led Orlando with 24 points. Paolo Banchero finished with 22 points, 15 rebounds, and seven assists, while Jalen Suggs added 20 points as the Magic were outshot 47.7 percent to 45.3% from the field.
Jazz 110 - 109 Clippers
Reserve Kenneth Lofton Jr. led Utah to a win over Los Angeles, scoring 27 points, dishing eight assists, and matching his season high of nine rebounds.
Keyonte George scored 14 points to help the Jazz win their second game in a row after going 13 games without a win.
Bones Hyland missed a game-winning 3-pointer in the final seconds, but he finished with a team-best 20 points for the Clippers. Thanks to Dallas' loss, Los Angeles remain in fourth place in the West.
Pistons 107 - 89 Mavericks
Marcus Sasser led a balanced attack with 24 points, and visiting Detroit easily defeated short-handed Dallas.
Evan Fournier led a productive four-man bench with 13 points as the Pistons ended a six-game losing streak by having more depth than the Mavericks, who were without star guards Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving.
Jaden Hardy scored a game-high 25 points off the bench for Dallas, which did not play any starters for more than 16 minutes.
Rockets 116 - 107 Trail Blazers
Houston's Jalen Green had 26 points and nine rebounds as the team took control in the second quarter and handed Portland its 14th loss in the last 16 games.
Green made 10 of 20 shots despite playing only 19 minutes and scoring three points in Houston's three-point loss to Utah on Thursday. He helped the Rockets win for the second time in eight games, capping an 11-game winning streak.
Rookie Scoot Henderson scored 30 points but sat out the final 8 1/2 minutes as Portland fell to 60 losses for the fourth time in franchise history and the first time since 2005-06.
Suns 108 - 107 Kings
Jusuf Nurkic split two free throws with 8.7 seconds remaining, and visiting Phoenix forced Sacramento's De'Aaron Fox into a late turnover to seal a crucial victory.
Kevin Durant scored 28 points, Devin Booker added 21, and Bradley Beal had 20 points and nine rebounds for the Suns, who are one game behind the New Orleans Pelicans for the Western Conference's sixth and final automatic playoff berth.
Domantas Sabonis had 25 points, 12 rebounds, and nine assists for the Kings, who led by 16 points with less than seven minutes remaining in the third quarter but lost for the fifth time in six games.
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