(The Sports Xchange) – Highlights of Tuesday’s National Basketball Association games.
Heat 99, Pistons 93
Joe Johnson scored 15 of his game-high 25 points in the fourth quarter and the Miami Heat moved into a tie for third place in the Eastern Conference by downing the Detroit Pistons 99-93 Tuesday.
The Heat and the Atlanta Hawks are both 48-33, and the Boston Celtics and Charlotte Hornets are both 47-34 as the four teams fight for the third through sixth seeds in the East playoffs. Miami would be assured of home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs if its wins its regular-season finale Wednesday at Boston.
Pacers 102, Knicks 90
Indiana overcame New York’s 36-point first quarter and defeated the Knicks behind 19 points each from Paul George and George Hill.
The Pacers outscored New York by 19 points during the final three quarters to finish the regular season 26-15 in Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Ian Mahinmi added 14 points, Myles Turner had 13 and Rodney Stuckey scored 10 for Indiana.
Raptors 122, 76ers 98
Jonas Valanciunas had 17 points and 11 rebounds, and each Toronto starter scored in double figures as the Raptors defeated Philadelphia.
All told, seven Raptors hit double digits on the score sheet as Toronto beat Philadelphia for the 12th straight time by taking control of the game in the third quarter.
Spurs 102, Thunder 98 (overtime)
Kawhi Leonard scored 26 points, including six in overtime, as San Antonio roared from behind in the second half and then outlasted the Oklahoma City Thunder 102-98 Tuesday to snap a season-high, three-game losing streak.
Leonard’s jumper with 49 seconds left in the extra period gave the Spurs a 100-98 lead, and Tony Parker hit two free throws with 12 seconds to go, providing the final margin in the Spurs’ final regular-season home game.
Clippers 110, Grizzlies 84
Austin Rivers scored 14 points to lead six players in double figures, and the Los Angeles Clippers pounded the Memphis Grizzlies 110-84 on Tuesday night at Staples Center.
Chris Paul had 12 points and 13 assists, Blake Griffin contributed 12 points and seven rebounds, and Jeff Green collected 13 points. J.J. Redick scored 11 points for the Clippers (53-28), who have won six in a row and will enter the playoffs as the No. 4 seed in the Western Conference. All of the Clippers’ starter rested in the fourth quarter.
