WASHINGTON — The Miami Heat opted for rest for LeBron James and Chris Bosh over the pursuit of the Eastern Conference’s top seed, and the Washington Wizards capitalized in a 114-93 breeze of a game Monday night that clinched the
WASHINGTON — The Miami Heat opted for rest for LeBron James and Chris Bosh over the pursuit of the Eastern Conference’s top seed, and the Washington Wizards capitalized in a 114-93 breeze of a game Monday night that clinched the No. 1 seed for the Indiana Pacers.
Trevor Ariza scored 25 points for the Wizards, who shot 59 percent and made 14 3-pointers and remained one game ahead of the Charlotte Bobcats in the race for the East’s No. 6 seed. Washington is trying to avoid dropping to seventh so that it can avoid the Heat in the first round of the playoffs — when LeBron and Co. will be back.
Michael Beasley scored 18 points for the Heat, who will be the No. 2 seed when the playoffs begin this weekend.
GRIZZLIES 97, SUNS 91
PHOENIX — Zach Randolph scored 32 points and the Memphis Grizzlies clinched the final playoff berth in the Western Conference with a victory over Phoenix that eliminated the Suns from postseason contention.
The Grizzlies scored the last six points of an intense fourth quarter.
Mike Conley sank a 3-pointer to put Memphis ahead for good 93-91 with 1:08 to play. Goran Dragic threw the ball away on the Suns’ next possession and Randolph scored inside to make it 95-91 with 47.1 seconds left.
BOBCATS 95, HAWKS 93
ATLANTA — Chris Douglas-Roberts dribbled into the lane and sank a short jumper as time expired, and the Charlotte Bobcats overcame a 15-point deficit in the final period to beat the Atlanta Hawks.
Al Jefferson had 27 points and 15 rebounds for Charlotte, which remained one game behind Washington in the race for the sixth spot in the Eastern Conference playoffs.
RAPTORS 110, BUCKS 100
TORONTO — Greivis Vasquez scored 25 points, Kyle Lowry had 24 and the Toronto Raptors set a franchise record with their 48th win, beating the Milwaukee Bucks.
Jonas Valanciunas had 14 points and 13 rebounds and Tyler Hansbrough had 12 points and 11 rebounds as the Raptors won for the sixth time in seven games and completed the first season sweep of Milwaukee in franchise history.
76ERS 113, Celtics 108
PHILADELPHIA — Michael Carter-Williams had 21 points and 14 rebounds, Tony Wroten scored 20 points, and the Philadelphia 76ers beat the Boston Celtics.
Chris Johnson appeared to hit the tying 3-pointer with 0.9 seconds remaining, but stepped out of bounds before attempting the desperation shot. James Anderson made two free throws a half-second later to seal Philadelphia’s win.
BULLS 108, MAGIC 95
CHICAGO — Joakim Noah had 18 points and 10 rebounds and eight assists, Mike Dunleavy scored 22 points and the Chicago Bulls pulled away late for a victory over the Orlando Magic.
With one game left in the regular season, the Bulls are fourth in the Eastern Conference playoff race and looking at a first-round matchup with Brooklyn. To catch Toronto and finish third, the Bulls would need to win the season finale at Charlotte on Wednesday and have the Raptors lose at New York
ROCKETS 104, SPURS 98
HOUSTON — Chandler Parsons scored 21 points and Dwight Howard and Terrence Jones added 20 apiece to lift the Houston Rockets to a win over the San Antonio Spurs.
The victory gave No. 4 seed Houston homecourt advantage in their first-round playoff series with Portland.
PELICANS 101, THUNDER 89
NEW ORLEANS — Tyreke Evans scored a career-high 41 points to go with nine rebounds, eight assists and three steals, and the New Orleans Pelicans snapped an eight-game skid by shocking the playoff-bound Thunder.
New Orleans beat the Thunder for the first time in 11 meetings, dating to Jan. 24, 2011.
LAKERS 119, JAZZ 104
SALT LAKE CITY — Nick Young scored a season-high 41 points and helped the Los Angeles Lakers snap a seven-game losing streak with a victory against the Utah Jazz.
Jodie Meeks had 23 points and Jordan Hill added 21 for Lakers, who had only eight healthy players.
WARRIORS 130, TIMBERWOLVES 120
OAKLAND, Calif. — Stephen Curry had 32 points and 15 assists, and the reeling Golden State Warriors rallied from 19 points down in the first half to beat the Minnesota Timberwolves.
After learning that center Andrew Bogut could miss extended time with a fractured right rib, the Warriors (50-31) withstood a strong start by Kevin Love to secure the sixth seed in the Western Conference playoffs.
