Tim Duncan scored 29 points and blocked James Harden’s layup with 2.9 seconds left to send the San Antonio Spurs to their 10th straight victory, beating the Houston Rockets 104-103 on Friday night.
San Antonio jumped into the third spot in the Western Conference and Houston dropped from third to sixth.
The Spurs had a four-point lead when Harden made a layup for his first points of the half with less than 90 seconds remaining.
Duncan missed a layup before Harden made a three-pointer with 28.9 seconds left to get Houston to within one point. Tony Parker turned it over to give Houston one last shot.
However, Duncan blocked Harden’s shot and grabbed the ball to secure the victory.
Harden scored just 16 points for the match as San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich kept the ball out of Harden’s hands by intentionally fouling Josh Smith 12 times in the second half. Smith went 12 of 26 from the line and led the Rockets with 20 points.
MAVERICKS 144, NUGGETS 143, 2OT
Raymond Felton hit a layup with 1.5 seconds remaining in double overtime, then blocked a last-second shot to help Dallas get the win.
Felton drove past Randy Foye and banked in a shot high off the glass. He then got a piece of Kenneth Faried’s jumper at the buzzer, causing the ball to wind up short.
Denver’s Danilo Gallinari scored a career-high 47 points, including eight in the first overtime and nine in the second.
Denver had a chance to win in regulation, but Faried’s jumper rolled off the rim. Dallas had a shot to claim victory at the end of the first overtime, only to have Monta Ellis’ long shot clang off the iron.
Dirk Nowitzki scored 25 points for the Mavericks, while Richard Jefferson added a season-high 24.
CELTICS 99, CAVALIERS 93
Marcus Smart scored 19 points as Boston boosted their playoff hopes with a big road win.
The Celtics had five players score in double figures. Isaiah Thomas scored 17 points, Avery Bradley added 15 and Tyler Zeller finished with 13.
Boston and Brooklyn are tied with 37-42 records, but the Celtics own the tiebreaker after winning three of their four meetings. Boston is 21-12 since Feb. 21, when they were a season-high 14 games below .500.
The Cavs played without injured All-Star Kyrie Irving and used their reserves extensively after clinching the No. 2 seed in the East on Wednesday. They had won 18 consecutive home games.
Irving was sidelined by a sore right hip and LeBron James played 26 minutes, one short of his season low. James finished with 14 points and seven assists.
LAKERS 106, TIMBERWOLVES 98
Ryan Kelly scored 21 points, while rookie Jabari Brown added 20 points and seven assists as the Lakers snapped a five-game losing streak.
Each of the Lakers’ starters scored in double figures, including rookie point guard Jordan Clarkson, who had 18 points, nine assists and six rebounds. Tarik Black added 18 points and 10 rebounds in a matchup of teams among the bottom four in the league.
Andrew Wiggins scored 29 points and fellow rookie Zach LaVine added 18 for the Timberwolves (16-63), who have lost nine straight.
The Lakers (21-58), who have already set a franchise record for losses, increased a five-point halftime lead to 70-54 with an 18-7 run that included three baskets by Kelly from three-point range.
RAPTORS 101, MAGIC 99
Lou Williams made a three-pointer with 9.9 seconds left, lifting Toronto to their 11th straight win over Orlando.
DeMar DeRozan led the Raptors with 29 points. Tyler Hansbrough scored 16 points, while Williams finished with 13.
Victor Oladipo scored 19 points for Orlando, but he also missed a 15-footer in the final second that would have tied the game. Evan Fournier scored 18 points, while Tobias Harris and Nik Vucevic each had 16.
HAWKS 104, HORNETS 80
The Hawks reached 60 wins for the first time in franchise history, with Mike Muscala leading the scoring with 17 points.
Kyle Korver scored 16 points for Atlanta (60-19), while Al Horford finished with 15 points and eight rebounds. Muscala was eight for nine from the field in 25-and-a-half minutes while filling in for injured forward Paul Millsap.
The Hawks unveiled their Southeast Division banner before the game for their first division title since winning the Central in 1993-94. Then the No. 1 seed for the Eastern Conference playoffs extended its franchise record for wins.
The Hornets were eliminated from the playoff race with their third straight loss, combined with wins by Indiana and Boston. Troy Daniels led Charlotte with 15 points.
In other results, it was:
‧ Nets 117, Wizards 80
‧ Pacers 107, Pistons 103
‧ Pelicans 90, Suns 75
‧ Thunder 116, Kings 103
‧ Bucks 99, Knicks 91
‧ Grizzlies 89, Jazz 88
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