NBA round-up Sunday 4th April

Spurs 100, Lakers 81
Manu Ginobili scored 32 points, Tim Duncan added 24 and the San Antonio Spurs beat the Los Angeles Lakers 100-81 Sunday to clinch their 13th consecutive playoff berth. The Spurs had extra incentive since a loss would have increased their chances of facing the defending NBA champions in the first round. Instead, they moved into the No. 7 spot, a half-game ahead of idle Portland. The Lakers got a season-high 32 points from Pau Gasol and 22 from Kobe Bryant, but failed to clinch the No. 1 seed in the West and heard boos from their fans. Richard Jefferson added 14 points and Duncan had 11 rebounds for the Spurs, who won their third straight and 15th of 20. They've notched recent wins over four of the NBA's top teams: Cleveland, Boston, Orlando and now the Lakers.

Celtics 117, Cavaliers 113
Ray Allen scored a season-high 33 points, hitting his sixth 3-pointer to give the Celtics a four-point lead with 48 seconds left, and Boston held on despite 42 points from LeBron James. The win snapped a three-game home losing streak for Boston, and it kept the Cavaliers from clinching home-court advantage for the entire postseason. James scored 20 in the fourth quarter, when the Cavs erased a 17-point lead and took their first lead at 104-103 with 2:58 left. But he missed two free throws in the last 16 seconds and a 3-point attempt on a fast break with 3.2 seconds left when a 2-pointer would have tied it.

Warriors 113, Raptors 112
Don Nelson tied Lenny Wilkens for the most wins by an NBA coach when Golden State held off Toronto for its second straight victory. The victory was the 1,332nd for Nelson, who can pass Wilkens when Golden State plays at Washington on Tuesday. Golden State's players danced in a circle around Nelson after the wild finish, which saw Chris Bosh steal the inbounds pass only to have his game-winning layup attempt roll off the rim as time expired. Stephen Curry had 29 points and 12 assists, and Corey Maggette scored 31 points for the Warriors. Bosh had 42 points and 12 rebounds for the Raptors, who lost for the first time in four games.

Magic 107, Grizzlies 92
Vince Carter had 26 points and seven rebounds, and Orlando beat Memphis after an on-court scuffle. The scrum between Matt Barnes and Hasheem Thabeet escalated into a near 10-player shoving match. There were six technical fouls by game's end, plenty of pop for an Easter matchup that had little meaning in the standings. Rashard Lewis and Jameer Nelson scored 18 points apiece for the Magic, who are all but sure to win their third straight Southeast Division title and the Eastern Conference's No. 2 seed. One Orlando win or Atlanta loss will seal the division. Zach Randolph had 24 points and 18 rebounds, and Rudy Gay added 18 points to help Memphis rally from a 14-point deficit. The Grizzlies have lost four of their last five.

Thunder 116, Timberwolves 108
Kevin Durant scored 40 points to break the franchise record for scoring in a season and Oklahoma City fought off a spirited charge by Minnesota. Durant hit a jumper and then threw down a two-handed alley-oop jam with 5 minutes left to restore Oklahoma City's lead to double digits and break the franchise scoring record in the process. Ryan Gomes scored 20 of his 22 points in the second half to lead Minnesota's comeback bid. Jonny Flynn also finished with 22 as the Timberwolves lost for the 24th time in their last 26 games.

Wizards 109, Nets 99
Andray Blatche had 20 points, a career-high 13 assists and nine rebounds, and Washington beat New Jersey in a matchup of two of the NBA's worst teams. Blatche's performance overshadowed a game between two clubs with a combined record of 34-119. He missed 13-of-18 shots from the field, but hit all 10 of his free throw attempts. Washington had six players in double figures. Mike Miller had 17 points and a season-high 13 rebounds. Nick Young, Shaun Livingston and Cartier Martin had 16 points and JaVale McGee scored 14. Brook Lopez and Devin Harris led New Jersey with 22.

Pacers 133, Rockets 102
Roy Hibbert had 20 points and 11 rebounds, leading Indiana over Houston for its ninth home win in 10 games. Josh McRoberts had a career-high 18 points and tied a career high with 12 rebounds, and Danny Granger scored 18 for the Pacers, who have won seven of nine overall to improve to 29-48. They had their eight-game home winning streak snapped against Miami on Friday. Chase Budinger had 17 points and Kyle Lowry scored 16 for Houston (38-38), which has dropped four straight to Indiana.

Knicks 113, Clippers 107
David Lee had 29 points and 10 rebounds, Al Harrington scored six of his 26 points in the final 1:12, and New York beat the Clippers at Staples Center for the first time in 11 tries. The Knicks snapped a four-game losing streak, while the Clippers lost their fifth straight and 16th in 19 games. The victory was New York's first on the road against the Clips since March 25, 1998, when they won their fifth straight at the L.A. Sports Arena. Baron Davis had 23 points and 11 assists for the Clippers, who reached the 50-loss mark for the 18th time since the franchise moved from San Diego to Los Angeles for the 1984-85 season. Chris Kaman had 22 points and 16 rebounds.

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