Kobe Bryant scored a season-high 47 points as the Los Angeles Lakers pulled closer to a playoff berth with a 113-106 victory over the short-handed Portland Trail Blazers on Wednesday.
The Lakers moved a game up on the Utah Jazz for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference.
Portland, missing the playoffs for the second straight season, have lost nine straight, the most since an 11-game skid in the 2005-2006 season. Rookie Damian Lillard led the Blazers with a career-high 38 points.
Pau Gasol had 23 points, seven rebounds and nine assists, while Dwight Howard added 20 points and 10 rebounds for the Lakers. Bryant was 18 of 18 from the free-throw line.
HEAT 103, WIZARDS 98
In Washington, Ray Allen scored 23 points, while LeBron James and Dwyane Wade chilled at the end of the bench as Miami’s B-squad gave the resting A-team the gift of home-court advantage throughout the playoffs, clinching the best record in the NBA.
With James (right hamstring) and Wade (sprained ankle and bruised knee) looking like two guys sitting at a bus stop, and Chris Bosh at home with flu-like symptoms, plus Udonis Haslem getting the night off because of a sore right ankle, the what-was-left-over of the Heat committed 25 turnovers, but still managed the win that assured they will finish better than the Western Conference-leading San Antonio Spurs.
The Heat, who have won four straight, also set a franchise record for victories with 62, moving one ahead of the 1996-1997 team. They also improved to 14-1 on the second night of back-to-backs.
A.J. Price tied a career high with 23 points, while John Wall had 17 points, 11 assists and nine rebounds for the Wizards.
NUGGETS 96, SPURS 86
In Denver, Colorado, Wilson Chandler scored 29 points, while Corey Brewer had 28 as Denver overcame a slow start to post their franchise-record 21st straight home win.
The Nuggets (54-24) also tied their franchise record for victories in an NBA season, with four games remaining, including two at home, where they improved to a league-best 36-3.
Andre Iguodala recorded a triple-double with 12 points, 10 assists and 13 rebounds for the Nuggets, who have not lost at home since Jan. 18 against Washington. They broke the old mark of 20 straight home wins set by Doug Moe’s 1984-1985 team.
NETS 101, CELTICS 9
In Boston, Deron Williams had 29 points and 12 assists to lead Brooklyn over Boston.
Brook Lopez scored 21 points and Joe Johnson added 20 for Brooklyn, who won for the 12th time in 18 games overall and beat the Celtics for the third time in four meetings this season.
The Nets moved closer to wrapping up fourth place in the Eastern Conference and clinching home-court advantage in the first round. Brooklyn own a 3.5-game edge over idle Chicago with four games left to play in the regular season.
Paul Pierce led Boston with 23 points, Jeff Green added 11, while Kevin Garnett had 11 points and eight rebounds in his second game back after missing the previous eight with an inflamed left ankle.
SUNS 102, MAVERICKS 91
In Dallas, P.J. Tucker scored 17 points, including two key baskets in the closing minutes, as Phoenix helped eliminate Dallas from post-season contention for the first time since 2000.
The Suns blew a 14-point lead in the second quarter and almost did it again in the fourth, before hanging on to snap a 10-game losing streak that was their longest in 16 years.
The loss, coupled with the Lakers’ victory at Portland later on Wednesday, meant a 12-season streak of playoff trips for the Mavericks (38-40) officially ended.
Goran Dragic led the Suns with 21 points and 13 assists, while Luis Scola had 11 points and a season-high 15 rebounds.
Shawn Marion led the Mavericks with 22 points and nine rebounds. Dirk Nowitzki scored 21 points and Vince Carter had 18.
CLIPPERS 111, TIMBERWOLVES 95
In Los Angeles, Blake Griffin and Chris Paul led seven players in double figures with 19 points apiece, as Los Angeles beat Minnesota for their franchise-record 31st home win of the season.
Paul added 11 assists and Willie Green had 15 points in breaking the old mark of 30 wins by the 1974-1975 team, when they were known as the Buffalo Braves. The Clippers improved to 31-9 at home, three days after clinching their first Pacific Division title in franchise history.
Nikola Pekovic scored 20 points, while Derrick Williams had 13 points and 10 rebounds for the Timberwolves, who got swept 4-0 by the Clippers for the first time since 1992-1993.
HAWKS 124, 76ERS 101
In Philadelphia, Josh Smith had 28 points and 12 rebounds, while John Jenkins added 21 points as Atlanta blitzed Philadelphia.
Mike Scott contributed 17, Al Horford had 16 and Jeff Teague 13 for the Hawks, who snapped a three-game losing streak and improved to 43-36.
The Hawks pulled into a tie with the Chicago Bulls for fifth place in the Eastern Conference playoff chase.
The Hawks recently clinched their sixth straight playoff berth, but were coming off losses to the Sixers, the New York Knicks and San Antonio.
In other NBA action, it was:
‧ Magic 113, Bucks 103, OT
‧ Pistons 111, Cavaliers 104
‧ Kings 121, Hornets 110
Shohei Ohtani and his wife arrived in South Korea with his Los Angeles Dodgers teammates yesterday ahead of their season-opening games with the San Diego Padres next week. Ohtani, wearing a black training suit and a cap backwards, was the first Dodgers player who showed up at the arrival gate of Incheon International Airport, west of Seoul. His wife, Mamiko Tanaka, walked several steps behind him. As a crowd of fans, many wearing Dodgers jerseys, shouted his name and cheered slogans, Ohtani briefly waved his hand, but did not say anything before he entered a limousine bus with his wife. Fans held placards
Taiwan’s Tai Tzu-ying yesterday advanced to the quarter-finals at the All England Open, beating Kim Ga-eun of South Korea 21-17, 21-15. With the win, Tai earned a semi-final against China’s He Bingjiao, who beat Michelle Li of Canada 21-9, 21-9. Defending champion An Se-young defeated India’s P.V. Sindhu 21-19, 21-11. An on Wednesday cruised into the second round, unlike last year’s men’s winner, Li Shifeng, who suffered a shock defeat. South Korea’s An, the world No. 1, overcame Taiwan’s Hsu Wen-chi 21-17, 21-16 to set up the match against Sindhu. In other women’s singles matches, Taiwan’s Sung Shuo-yun lost 21-18, 24-22 against Carolina Marin of
EYEING TOP SPOT: A victory in today’s final against Storm Hunter and Katerina Siniakova would return 38-year-old Hsieh Su-wei to the world No. 1 ranking Taiwan’s Hsieh Su-wei and Elise Mertens on Thursday secured a spot in the women’s doubles finals at the BNP Paribas Open after dispatching Nicole Melichar-Martinez of the US and Australia’s Ellen Perez 6-2, 7-6 (7/5) at Indian Wells. Hsieh and her Belgian partner Mertens, who won the Australian Open in late January, coasted through the first set after breaking their opponents’ serve twice, but found the going tougher in the second. Both pairs could only muster one break point over 12 games, neither of which were converted, leaving the set to be decided by a tiebreaker. Hsieh and Mertens took a 6-3 lead,
DOUBLES PAYBACK: Hsieh Su-wei and Elise Martens avenged their defeat in the quarters at the Qatar TotalEnergies Open against Demi Schuurs and Luisa Stefani Taiwan’s Hsieh Su-wei on Wednesday advanced to the semi-finals of the women’s doubles at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, California. Hsieh and partner Elise Mertens of Belgium dispatched Demi Schuurs and Luisa Stefani 6-1, 6-4 to set up a clash against Nicole Melichar-Martinez of the US and Australia’s Ellen Perez for a spot in the final of the WTA 1000 tournament. Hsieh and Martens made a blistering start to their rematch after they lost to Schuurs and Stefani in the quarter-finals at the Qatar TotalEnergies Open last month, winning three games without reply at the start of the first set