MIAMI — Corey Brewer hit one of two free throws with 1.8 seconds left in the second overtime, and the Minnesota Timberwolves beat the Miami Heat 122-121 on Friday night.
MIAMI — Corey Brewer hit one of two free throws with 1.8 seconds left in the second overtime, and the Minnesota Timberwolves beat the Miami Heat 122-121 on Friday night.
Kevin Love scored 28 points and grabbed 11 rebounds for Minnesota, which got 24 from Chase Budinger, 15 from Gorgui Dieng and 13 apiece from JJ Barea and Ricky Rubio, who also added 14 assists. Referee Ken Mauer called the last foul on Miami’s Norris Cole, saying he hit Brewer on a pass into the paint.
Ray Allen missed a wild jumper as time expired for Miami, which blew a chance to move two games clear of Indiana in the loss column atop the Eastern Conference standings.
LeBron James scored 34 points for the Heat, who got a season-high 24 from Mario Chalmers and 24 more from Chris Bosh, including a tying 3-pointer with 10.8 seconds left in the second overtime.
But Brewer got the call on the next Minnesota possession, and his free throw was the difference.
Rockets 111, Thunder 107
HOUSTON — James Harden scored 39 points and Houston ended a three-game skid and clinched its second straight playoff berth with a victory over Oklahoma City.
Kevin Durant scored 28 points and grabbed 12 rebounds for his 40th straight game with at least 25 points, the longest streak since Michael Jordan also did it 40 consecutive times in 1986-87.
Durant’s 3-pointer cut Houston’s lead to one with 1:01 remaining, but Houston answered with four straight free throws. He made another 3 with 16 seconds left, but Harden made two free throws to push the lead to 111-107.
Harden was 17 of 20 from the line and had nine rebounds and seven assists.
The Rockets were playing without Dwight Howard and Patrick Beverley, who both missed their fourth straight games. Howard has missed seven games recently because of a left ankle strain and Beverley is out indefinitely with a torn meniscus in his right knee.
Serge Ibaka tied a career high with 27 points in a game that Russell Westbrook didn’t play because the Thunder were playing the second night of a back-to-back.
Chandler Parsons added 23 points for Houston and Terrence Jones had 16 points and 11 rebounds.
Wizards 90, Knicks 89
NEW YORK — Bradley Beal made the go-ahead jumper with 22 seconds left and scored 28 points, and Washington took advantage of nine turnovers by Carmelo Anthony to edge New York.
Wall added 19 points, combining with Beal for Washington’s final 12.
The loss dropped the Knicks out of the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference, with the struggling Atlanta Hawks taking a one-game lead after beating the Cleveland Cavaliers earlier Friday.
J.R. Smith scored a season-high 32 points for the Knicks but misfired on a potential game-winning 3 with 2.2 seconds remaining after Anthony lost control of the ball.
Hawks 117, Cavaliers 98
ATLANTA — Mike Scott ended a scoring slump with 26 points and the Atlanta Hawks beat Cleveland in a costly setback for the Cavaliers’ late-season playoff push.
The Hawks set a season high with 39 first-quarter points and never trailed.
Atlanta had lost seven of eight but recovered with strong games by Scott and Jeff Teague, who had 20 points and 12 assists.
Dion Waiters led Cleveland with 23 points. Spencer Hawes had 16 points and 10 rebounds and Kyrie Irving and Luol Deng each had 13.
Nets 116, Pistons 104
NEW YORK — Shaun Livingston scored 23 points, Mirza Teletovic made six 3-pointers and added 20, and Brooklyn beat Detroit to extend its home winning streak to 15 games.
Brooklyn made seven straight from beyond the arc in the second quarter to take control, led by Teletovic, who made four. In all, the Nets outscored Detroit 35-9 over a span of 8:23 to take a 51-31 advantage.
The Pistons, who once trailed by 22, cut the deficit to nine at one point in the fourth quarter, led by Andre Drummond, who scored 23 and pulled down 18 boards. But Brooklyn was too balanced, putting six players scored in double figures.
Brooklyn remained 2½ games behind the Toronto Raptors, who beat Indiana on Friday night, in the race for the No. 3 seed in the East.
Suns 109, Trail Blazers 93
PORTLAND, Ore. — Gerald Green scored 18 of his 32 points in the second half and Phoenix rallied for a victory over Portland.
Eric Bledsoe finished with 30 points and Goran Dragic added 19 for the Suns, who denied the Blazers a chance to clinch a Western Conference playoff berth while beating Portland for the third time in four games.
Trailing 67-57, the Suns outscored Portland 22-13 over the final 6:48 of the third quarter to pull within 80-77, then scored the first seven points of the fourth to take the lead for good.
Robin Lopez and LaMarcus Aldridge each scored 18 points for the Blazers, who had their four-game win streak snapped and dropped two games behind Houston for the West’s No. 4 playoff spot.
Raptors 102, Pacers 94
TORONTO — Terrence Ross scored 24 points to lead short-handed Toronto over Indiana.
Jonas Valanciunas added 22 points and nine rebounds, while DeMar DeRozan scored 20 for the Raptors, who earned their fifth win in six games despite missing starters Kyle Lowry and Amir Johnson.
Greivis Vasquez and Nando De Colo each had 10 points, while Patrick Patterson, who started in place of Johnson in only his third game since missing 11 with an elbow injury, had seven rebounds.
Paul George had 26 points to top the Pacers and David West added 21.
There was a postseason vibe to Friday’s Eastern Conference matchup between two teams that could potentially meet in the second round of the playoffs.
Warriors 102, Kings 69
OAKLAND, Calif. — Klay Thompson scored 21 points, Stephen Curry had 13 points and five assists and Golden State routed Sacramento.
The Warriors led 59-27 at halftime and 75-33 early in the third quarter. It was the fewest points Golden State has allowed this season and the fewest points Sacramento has scored.
The Warriors (47-29) matched last season’s win total and gained ground in the Western Conference playoff race. They moved within 1½ games of fifth-place Portland with six games to play after the Trail Blazers lost to Phoenix.
DeMarcus Cousins finished with 19 points and 11 rebounds, and Rudy Gay scored 10 points for the rebuilding Kings.
Mavericks 107, Lakers 95
LOS ANGELES — Dirk Nowitzki had 27 points and nine rebounds, and Dallas strengthened its hold on a playoff position with a victory over Los Angeles.
The Mavericks, back at Staples Center one night after beating the Clippers, played their first road game against the Lakers since beating them 99-91 on opening night of last season. They have won all three meetings with the Lakers — the first time they swept the season series since this rivalry began in 1980-81.
Nowitzki increased his career points total to 26,778, overtaking Dominique Wilkins for 11th place and putting him within 32 of Oscar Robertson.
Jodie Meeks had 25 points for the Lakers.
Bulls 102, Bucks 90
CHICAGO — Jimmy Butler and Kirk Hinrich had 17 points apiece to lead seven players in double figures, and Chicago, despite some occasional lapses in the fourth quarter, cruised to a victory over Milwaukee.
Carlos Boozer and D.J. Augustin scored 14 points apiece. Taj Gibson added 13, Mike Dunleavy 12 and Joakim Noah had 11 points and 13 rebounds.
The Bulls have won four straight and six of seven, and remained tied with the Toronto Raptors for third in the Eastern Conference. The Bulls face Washington, a possible first-round opponent, on Saturday.
Brandon Knight had 22 points before fouling out with just over two minutes left for Milwaukee. Jeff Adrien added 21 points for the Bucks, who have dropped four straight overall and 12 straight on the road.
Grizzlies 100, Nuggets 92
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Marc Gasol had 24 points, Mike Conley scored 19 of his 21 points in the second half, and Memphis kept its playoff hopes alive with a victory over Denver.
Zach Randolph added 20 points, including the last four points for Memphis, and grabbed 15 rebounds. Tayshaun Prince scored 12 before leaving with an ankle injury in the first half and Courtney Lee scored 10 for Memphis, which won its 11th straight home game.
Randy Foye led the Nuggets with 21 points, one of five Denver players in double figures. Kenneth Faried finished with 17 points and 12 rebounds for Denver, which lost its fifth in the past six.
Ty Lawson, who didn’t start for disciplinary reasons, scored 16 points, while Timofey Mozgov had 13 points. Aaron Brooks scored 11.
Jazz 100, Pelicans 96
SALT LAKE CITY — Alec Burks and Gordon Hayward each scored 21 points and Utah held off New Orleans to snap a five-game skid.
Burks had 12 of his points in the fourth quarter and Hayward added eight final-period points. The Jazz needed all of it to overcome the reeling Pelicans, who played without Anthony Davis down the stretch due to back spasms.
After two exceptional defense plays when the Pelicans forced a turnover and Greg Stiemsma blocked Burks’ layup, Anthony Morrow, who had a game-high 26 points, hit a 3-pointer to draw New Orleans within 95-93.
Hayward made one of two free throws and the Pelicans drew a play that produced a wide-open shot for Darius Miller that rimmed out.
76ers 111, Celtics 102
BOSTON — Michael Carter-Williams scored eight of his 24 points in the fourth quarter and Henry Sims had a career-high 24 points and added nine rebounds and Philadelphia celebrated its second victory in less than a week.
Thaddeus Young and Elliot Williams added 15 points apiece for the Sixers, who have won two of four since tying an NBA record with 26 straight losses.
Philadelphia capitalized on 22 turnovers by Boston and overcame a triple-double by Rajon Rondo, who finished with 11 points, 16 assists and 11 rebounds for the Celtics.
Boston has lost seven straight and twice this season to Philadelphia, which has won just 17 games. The Sixers edged the Celtics 95-94 on Jan. 29, then didn’t win again until beating Detroit last Saturday to avoid setting the longest losing streak in NBA history.
Jerryd Bayless scored 23 points for Boston and Brandon Bass finished with 12 points and 11 rebounds. Jeff Green added 15 points for the Celtics.
Bobcats 91, Magic 80
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Al Jefferson had 29 points and 16 rebounds, and Charlotte held off a fourth-quarter rally to beat Orlando.
Kemba Walker added 13 points and 10 assists, Anthony Tolliver scored 13 points and Gary Neal 12 for the Bobcats, who at 38-38 are back at .500 for the first time since Nov. 23, when they were 7-7.
Victor Oladipo scored 21 points and three others finished in double figures for the Magic, who shot just 35.6 percent from the field and made 3 of 11 3-pointers.
Despite that, Orlando managed to cut a 21-point Charlotte lead to 76-69 on Oladipo’s 3-pointer with 8:58 left in the fourth quarter. But Neal’s three-point play 26 seconds later pushed the Bobcats’ lead back into double figures.
Tobias Harris added 15 points, Jameer Nelson had 11 and Kyle O’Quinn 10 for the Magic, who lost their third straight.