James Harden had 33 points and short-handed Houston edged closer to clinching a playoff spot with a 116-98 victory over Portland on Friday.
Jeremy Lin added 22 points to help the Rockets to their fourth straight victory. Houston (43-33) remained in seventh place in the Western Conference — three games in front of the Los Angeles Lakers — for their first playoff appearance since 2008-2009.
LaMarcus Aldridge returned from an ankle injury with 32 points and 13 rebounds for the Blazers (33-43), who matched their season-worst slide with a seventh straight loss.
In Indianapolis, Indiana, Oklahoma City’s Kevin Durant overcame a bruised left calf to score 34 points and lead the Thunder to a 97-75 win over the Indiana Pacers, moving the team level with San Antonio for top spot in the NBA’s Western Conference.
Russell Westbrook added 24 points for the Thunder, who beat the Spurs on Thursday, after arriving at the team hotel in Indianapolis at 4am, then went out and prevented the Pacers from clinching their first Central Division title in nine years.
The Pacers, who got 22 points from Roy Hibbert, could clinch the title with a win yesterday at Washington.
Elsewhere, the Los Angeles Lakers held onto the last playoff position in the West by beating Memphis. Carmelo Anthony tied a franchise record as New York downed Milwaukee and won their 11th straight, while a depleted Miami had enough in hand to defeat Charlotte. Houston edged closer to the playoffs with a win over Portland, while Philadelphia had their highest-scoring quarter of the season in beating Atlanta.
Lakers star Kobe Bryant had 24 points and nine assists, while Pau Gasol added 19 in their 86-84 win over the Memphis Grizzlies, with Dwight Howard hitting the late winner.
THREE STRAIGHT
The Lakers have won three straight in the final weeks of their desperate push for a post-season spot. Los Angeles also avoided getting swept in their season series with the Grizzlies, whose four-game winning streak ended.
Memphis’ Mike Conley scored 21 points before missing a potential go-ahead jumper with 5 seconds left and added another layup before the buzzer for the playoff-bound Grizzlies, who fell one game behind Denver for the fourth seed in the West. The Grizzlies could not score in the final 2.5 minutes.
New York’s Anthony scored 41 points, tying a franchise record with this third straight 40-point game, as the Knicks beat the Milwaukee Bucks 101-83.
Anthony, who had 50 points and 40 in his previous two games, equaled Bernard King’s 1984-1985 mark. New York matched the third-longest winning streak in franchise history.
J.R. Smith added 30 points for the Knicks, who used a 42-point third quarter to turn around the game after a lackluster first half.
Miami’s Mike Miller scored a season-high 26 points on seven three-pointers, as the injury-depleted Heat beat the Charlotte Bobcats 89-79.
The Heat won despite playing without LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Ray Allen, who were held out while recovering from injuries.
The 33-year-old Miller was seven-of-11 from beyond the three-point arc.
Chris Bosh chipped in with 18 points and eight rebounds for Miami, who need three more victories to pass the franchise record of 61 wins in a regular season.
Rookie Michael Kidd-Gilchrist had 18 points and 14 rebounds for the Bobcats.
The Philadelphia 76ers piled on 40 points in the first quarter to set up a 101-90 win at the Atlanta Hawks.
Evan Turner had 24 points and 11 rebounds, while Spencer Hawes added 19 points and 12 rebounds for the 76ers, who made 16 of 22 shots in the opening term.
Josh Smith led Atlanta with 19 points.
CAREER HIGH
Golden State’s Stephen Curry matched his career high with 15 assists and sank two late free throws to seal the Warriors’ 111-107 win over Phoenix, inflicting a season-worst eighth-straight loss on the Suns.
Utah’s Gordon Hayward scored 23 points as the Jazz beat the New Orleans Hornets 95-83.
Dallas’ Shawn Marion had 25 points and 12 rebounds in the Mavericks’ 117-108 win at the Sacramento Kings.
Cleveland ended a 10-game losing skid with a 97-91 victory over the Boston Celtics, with Tristan Thompson having career highs with 29 points and 17 rebounds.
Chicago’s Nate Robinson scored 12 of his 19 points in the fourth quarter to guide the Bulls to a tight 87-86 win over the Orlando Magic.
Toronto’s Rudy Gay had 26 points and five rebounds to lead Toronto to a rare road victory in the Western Conference, winning 95-93 at the Minnesota Timberwolves.
US track and field athletes have about four dozen pieces to choose from when assembling their uniforms at the Olympics. The one grabbing the most attention is a high-cut leotard that barely covers the bikini line and has triggered debate between those who think it is sexist and others who say they do not need the Internet to make sure they have good uniforms. Among those critical or laughing at the uniforms included Paralympian Femita Ayanbeku, sprinter Britton Wilson and even athletes from other countries such as Britain’s Abigail Irozuru, who wrote on social media: “Was ANY female athlete consulted in
Four-time NBA all-star DeMarcus Cousins arrived in Taiwan with his family early yesterday to finish his renewed contract with the Taiwan Beer Leopards in the T1 League. Cousins initially played a four-game contract with the Leopards in January. On March 18, the Taoyuan-based team announced that Cousins had renewed his contract. “Hi what’s up Leopard fans, I’m back. I’m excited to be back and can’t wait to join the team,” Cousins said in a video posted on the Leopard’s Facebook page. “Most of all, can’t wait to see you guys, the fans, next weekend. So make sure you come out and support the Beer
Former US Masters champion Zach Johnson was left embarrassed after a foul-mouthed response to ironic cheers from spectators after a triple bogey at Augusta National on Friday. Johnson, the 2007 Masters winner, missed the cut after his three-over-par round of 75 left him on seven-over 151 for 36 holes, his six on the par-three 12th playing a big role in his downfall. Television footage showed Johnson reacting to sarcastic cheers and applause when he tapped in for the triple bogey by yelling: “Oh fuck off.” Such a response would be considered bad form in any golf tournament, but is particularly out of keeping
The sacred flame for the Paris Olympics was lit yesterday in Olympia, Greece, the birthplace of the ancient Games, in a ceremony inspired by antiquity and marked by messages of hope amid multiple global crises. “In ancient times, the Olympic Games brought together the Greek city states, even — and in particular — during times of war and conflict,” International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach said. “Today, the Olympic Games are the only event that brings the entire world together in peaceful competition. Then as now, the Olympic athletes are sending this powerful message — yes, it is possible to compete fiercely