NBA
Thursday, April 9
Slumping Heat doing no better at the window
The Miami Heat are 1-4 straight up in their past five, but have failed to cover once during that span. Miami has an average scoring margin of -7.8 points per game, while being favored twice.
The Heat are currently +1 when they host the Chicago Bulls Thursday.
NBA roundup: Rose returns, but Bulls fall to Magic
ORLANDO, Fla. -- Guard Victor Oladipo hit a layup with 1.5 seconds remaining to give the Orlando Magic a 105-103 victory over the Bulls on Wednesday, spoiling the much-anticipated return of Chicago All-Star guard Derrick Rose.
Rose, who missed 20 games after right knee surgery, had little impact for the Bulls and did not play in the fourth quarter. He finished with nine points in 19 minutes.
Oladipo led everyone with 23 points, five rebounds and five assists. Center Nikola Vucevic had 22 points and seven rebounds. The Magic won their third consecutive game, tying their longest winning streak of the season.
Guard Jimmy Butler led the Bulls with 19 points.
Celtics 113, Pistons 103
AUBURN HILLS, Mich. -- Guard Isaiah Thomas poured in a season-high 34 points off the bench, and Boston eliminated Detroit from playoff contention.
Thomas also had six assists. Forward Jae Crowder contributed 17 points and six rebounds for Boston, which moved into a tie with the Brooklyn Nets for seventh place in the Eastern Conference.
Power forward Brandon Bass tossed in 16 points off the bench, and shooting guard Avery Bradley chipped in 11 points and five rebounds for the Celtics, who earned their fifth consecutive road win. Center Andre Drummond's 22 points and 14 rebounds topped the Pistons, who had a five-game home winning streak snapped.
Hawks 114, Nets 111
NEW YORK -- Center Al Horford scored 24 points, including a clutch slam dunk with 19.1 seconds remaining, and Mike Scott added 20 points, leading Atlanta to a victory over Brooklyn, damaging the Nets' Eastern Conference playoff hopes in the process.
The victory gave the Hawks a franchise-record 59 wins with just 19 losses. The Nets fell into a tie with Boston for the seventh spot in the Eastern Conference playoff race. Both teams have four games to play, but the Celtics hold the tiebreaker.
Horford gave the Hawks the lead for good with his dunk. Guard Jeff Teague added two free throws with 2.7 seconds left for the final score. Teague chipped in with 15 points and 12 assists. Center Brook Lopez led Brooklyn with 26 points.
Raptors 92, Hornets 74
CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Guard DeMar DeRozan scored 18 points, and Toronto won for the first time in more than five years at Time Warner Cable Arena.
Guards Greivis Vasquez and Louis Williams poured in 16 points each, while forward Tyler Hansbrough had 12 points and forward James Johnson added 11 points for Toronto, which snapped a two-game skid.
Guard Kemba Walker scored 15 points for the Hornets, who trailed 69-45 after three quarters and didn't have enough firepower with an injury-reduced lineup.
Wizards 119, 76ers 90
PHILADELPHIA -- Guard Bradley Beal scored 21 points, and hot-shooting Washington ripped Philadelphia for its fourth consecutive win.
Guard Ramon Sessions added a season-high 19 points and center Marcin Gortat had 18 for the Wizards, who shot a franchise-record 65.3 percent from the field despite resting guard John Wall and forward Nene.
Forward Robert Covington scored a career-high 27 points for Philadelphia, which dropped its seventh straight.
Grizzlies 110, Pelicans 74
MEMPHIS, Tenn. -- Power forward Zach Randolph posted a double-double with 15 points and 13 rebounds as Memphis rolled to a victory over New Orleans at FedExForum.
Randolph, like center Marc Gasol, had a game-high six assists. Gasol also scored 15 points and grabbed eight rebounds and blocked two shots.
The loss dropped New Orleans (42-36) back into a tie with Oklahoma City for the eighth and last playoff spot in the Western Conference. The Thunder were idle Wednesday night, and both teams have four games left.
Pacers 102, Knicks 86
NEW YORK -- Guard George Hill scored a game-high 20 points to spearhead Indiana's rout of New York in Madison Square Garden.
Hill, who also had six rebounds and five assists, was among six Pacers who scored in double figures. Guard C.J. Miles chipped in with 13 points. Forwards David West and Luis Scola and center Roy Hibbert finished with 11 each.
The Pacers remain one game back in the race for the final two Eastern Conference playoff spots. The Boston Celtics and Brooklyn Nets are both 36-42, while the Miami Heat are tied with Indiana (both 35-43). All four teams have four games remaining.
Cavaliers 104, Bucks 99
MILWAUKEE -- LeBron James knocked down a 3-pointer with 14.1 seconds left that snuffed out a late Milwaukee rally and Cleveland clinched the Central Division title. James finished with 21 points despite scoring just two in the second and third quarters.
Point guard Kyrie Irving scored 17 of his game-high 27 points in the second quarter for the Cavs. He hit four of eight 3-point shots and had nine assists in 41 minutes.
Cleveland shot 49 percent from the field and hit 11 of 34 from beyond the arc while outrebounding Milwaukee 44-32.
Spurs 110, Rockets 98
SAN ANTONIO -- Tony Parker, who left Tuesday's game due to a tight right Achilles tendon scored 27 points during San Antonio's win over Houston the next night.
The Spurs, who won their ninth straight, meet the Rockets again Friday in Houston.
The Spurs moved into a tie for fifth place with the Los Angeles Clippers in the Western Conference. The Clippers have the tiebreaker advantage for playoff-seeding purposes. The Spurs are only a half game out of second place, a spot occupied by Houston and Memphis.
Nuggets 119, Lakers 101
DENVER -- Forward Kenneth Faried scored a season-high 29 points and grabbed 11 rebounds, and Denver used a big second half to pull away and beat Los Angeles.
Forward Danilo Gallinari scored 27 points and guard Ty Lawson had 16 in his return from a one-game absence to help the Nuggets clinch the season series with the Lakers.
Guard Jordan Clarkson had 21 points and forward Ryan Kelly scored 17 points for the Lakers, who have lost five straight.
Jazz 103, Kings 91
SALT LAKE CITY -- Guard Rodney Hood scored 20 points and collected a career-high eight rebounds while forward Derrick Favors added 18 points and 11 rebounds to help Utah rally in the second half for a victory over Sacramento.
Center Rudy Gobert and guard Dante Exum each scored 12 points and Gobert added 10 rebounds to help the Jazz win the season series against the Kings.
Forwards Carl Landry and Omri Casspi and guard Ben McLemore each scored 16 points for Sacramento, which played without usual starters DeMarcus Cousins and Rudy Gay.
Trail Blazers 116, Timberwolves 91
PORTLAND, Ore. -- Forward LaMarcus Aldridge collected 24 points and 13 rebounds despite sitting out the entire fourth quarter as Portland routed Minnesota.
Center Robin Lopez finished with 18 points with six rebounds, and guard Damian Lillard had 17 points and handed out six assists for the Trail Blazers, who won for the seventh time in nine games.
Forward Andrew Wiggins scored 29 points for the Timberwolves, who lost their eighth straight contest.
Mavericks 107, Suns 104
DALLAS -- Shooting guard Monta Ellis scored a team-high 20 points, including a driving layup in a 6-0 run that gave Dallas the lead for good down the stretch, and the Mavericks officially snuffed out Phoenix's playoff hopes.
Dallas power forward Dirk Nowitzki added 19 points and drilled a 3-pointer with 23 seconds left that helped nail down the win.
The Suns were eliminated from the playoff race despite a season-high, 30-point effort from reserve guard Gerald Green. Phoenix lost for the seventh time in eight games.
