Blake Griffin scored 23 points, Chris Paul had 23 points and 11 assists and the Los Angeles Clippers put a crimp in the New Orleans Pelicans’ playoff hopes with a 107-100 victory on Sunday.
J.J. Redick scored 20 points and DeAndre Jordan finished with 16 rebounds and 12 points, helping the Clippers win their fourth in a row. They converted 18 Pelicans turnovers into 30 points and had a 25-6 advantage on second-chance points.
Anthony Davis led New Orleans with 26 points and 12 rebounds in 39 minutes after missing two games with a sprained left ankle. Tyreke Evans was sidelined due to the same injury and was replaced in the starting lineup by Norris Cole, who had 12 points before fouling out in the final minutes.
THUNDER 93, HEAT 75
In Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, Russell Westbrook had 12 points, 10 rebounds and 17 assists for his 10th triple-double of the season to lead Oklahoma City.
Enes Kanter had 27 points and 12 rebounds for the Thunder, who have won three in a row. Rookie Mitch McGary scored 14 points and Anthony Morrow had 12.
Kanter was expected to miss his second straight game with an ankle injury. However, he was cleared to play after morning shootaround, and then got off to a fast start with 15 points in the first quarter.
The Heat had five players score in double figures. Hassan Whiteside had 13 points, all in the first half, and Goran Dragic, Dwyane Wade and Mario Chalmers each scored 12.
RAPTORS 106, KNICKS 89
In Toronto, DeMar DeRozan scored 23 points, Tyler Hansbrough added a season-high 18 and the Toronto Raptors won for the third time in four games.
Jonas Valanciunas had 17 points and 10 rebounds, Lou Williams scored 13 and Greivis Vasquez had 12.
Lance Thomas scored 24 points and former Raptor Andrea Bargnani had 16 for the Knicks, who dropped their third straight and lost for the 10th time in 12 games.
Toronto point guard Kyle Lowry, who dressed but did not play in Friday’s loss at Chicago, was inactive due to a sore back suffered in a fall against Minnesota on Wednesday last week. Vasquez made his second straight start in Lowry’s place.
New York guard Alexey Shved, who came in averaging 22 points in his previous three games, suffered bruised ribs in a collision with Toronto’s James Johnson in the first half and was unable to return. Shane Larkin replaced Shved to start the third quarter. Shved finished with nine points in 17 minutes.
The Knicks also lost rookie Travis Wear to a sore back in the fourth.
HORNETS 109, TIMBERWOLVES 98
In Minneapolis, Minnesota, Mo Williams scored 24 points, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist and Al Jefferson each added 18 and Charlotte moved into eighth place in the Eastern Conference.
Gerald Henderson added 17 points for the Hornets, who snapped a three-game skid.
Gorgui Dieng led Minnesota with 16 points and Kevin Martin had 15 points and nine assists.
His team down by 13 in the first half, Williams provided a spark off the bench with his smooth shooting, just as he did in many of his 41 games with the Timberwolves this season.
Williams shot 10 for 16 from the floor in his first game at Target Center since the Wolves traded him to Charlotte on Feb. 10.
In other results, it was:
‧ Spurs 114, Hawks 95
‧ Cavaliers 108, Bucks 90
‧ Suns 98, Mavericks 92
‧ Nuggets 119, Magic 100
‧ Kings 109, Wizards 86
‧ Lakers 101, 76ers 87
MARRED FINAL: As most of Senegalese players walked off the pitch after a controversial decision, some supporters threw objects and attempted to get onto the pitch Senegal on Sunday won the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) as Pape Gueye’s extra-time winner sunk hosts Morocco 1-0 after a chaotic final that saw the eventual champions storm off the pitch late in the game. Brahim Diaz could have won the trophy for Morocco with a controversial spot-kick in the 24th minute of added time at the end of normal time as ugly scenes broke out in the stands. However, Senegal goalkeeper Edouard Mendy easily saved the weak attempted “Panenka” chip by the Real Madrid winger, who was clearly distracted by the long delay that followed the penalty award.
James Harden on Friday scored 31 points and came up big in overtime to help the Los Angeles Clippers erase a double-digit deficit on the way to a 121-117 NBA victory over the Toronto Raptors. Harden scored 16 points in the fourth quarter and overtime as the Clippers pushed their wining steak to five games despite the absence of star Kawhi Leonard with a sprained right ankle. The Clippers trailed by 11 entering the fourth quarter, but Harden drilled a pair of free-throws with 1:24 left in regulation to tie it and after misses from both teams, they went to
Dallas Mavericks rookie Cooper Flagg on Wednesday was ruled out for the second half of their 118-109 loss to the Denver Nuggets after the No. 1 pick sprained his left ankle in the first half. Flagg was called for a foul while defending against Peyton Watson and turned the ankle as he fell to the floor with 6 minutes, 1 second left in the second quarter. Flagg limped to the bench and continued to the locker room, but returned for the final 2 minutes, 35 seconds before the break. The 19-year-old did not come out for the second half before the announcement that
Yassine Bounou on Wednesday saved two penalties, while Youssef en-Nesyri netted the decisive spot-kick as hosts Morocco secured a 4-2 shoot-out victory over Nigeria following a 0-0 draw in a tense Africa Cup of Nations semi-final in Rabat. Morocco, seeking their first continental title in 50 years, are to face 2021 winners Senegal in Sunday’s decider in Rabat, while Nigeria take on Egypt in the third-place playoff tomorrow. The 120 minutes before the shoot-out had few clear-cut chances for either side, but it was Morocco who created more opportunities, although they were denied by some fine saves from Nigeria goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali. Nigeria
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