(The Sports Xchange) – Mavericks forward Harrison Barnes buried the go-ahead jumper and made a big steal with 3.9 seconds to go to give Dallas a 97-95 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers on Thursday.
It was a critical loss for the Clippers, who saw their three-game win streak end and also saw their chances to take over the No. 4 seed in the Western Conference playoff chase diminished. Los Angeles returns home for a Saturday matinee against No. 4 seed Utah, which holds a 1 1/2-game lead over the Clippers.
Blake Griffin had a chance to regain the lead in the final seconds, but as he made his move in the paint, Barnes managed to swipe the ball away. The Clippers were afforded one last chance to win with 0.9 seconds to go, but guard J.J. Redick’s leaning three-point attempt just missed off the back iron.
Nets 126, Suns 98
Brook Lopez scored 12 of his 19 points in the third quarter as Brooklyn rallied from an early 15-point deficit and pulled away for a rout of Phoenix.
Lopez saw his string of 20-plus-point games end at six as he sat out the fourth quarter. His showing helped the Nets win consecutive games for the first time since home wins over the Cleveland Cavaliers and Indiana Pacers on March 24 and 26, 2016.
Reserve KJ McDaniels added a season-high 16 points and Jeremy Lin added 13 after sitting Tuesday’s win over the Detroit Pistons with a sprained right ankle. Trevor Booker contributed 14 while Quincy Acy chipped in 12 as the Nets outscored the Suns 111-68 in the final 38:08 and received a season-high 81 points from reserves.
Raptors 101, Heat 84
DeMar DeRozan scored 40 points, and the Raptors rallied from an early 15-point deficit to defeat the Heat.
DeRozan shot 14-of-25 from the field and made 12 of 13 free throws as Toronto won its fourth straight. In one first-quarter stretch, DeRozan scored 14 consecutive points for a Raptors lineup still without starting point guard Kyle Lowry, who remains sidelined because of an injury to his right wrist.
Miami got 16 points and 14 rebounds from Hassan Whiteside.
Spurs 97, Grizzlies 90
LaMarcus Aldridge poured in 23 points and Kawhi Leonard added 19 as San Antonio finally found a way to beat Memphis.
With Memphis within 92-87 in the final 30 seconds, the Spurs’ Tony Parker hit a ringing three-pointer with the shot clock winding down to give San Antonio a final bit of breathing room.
The win was the third straight for the Spurs but just the first in three games this season against Memphis, which always gives San Antonio fits.
Trail Blazers 110, Knicks 95
Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum combined for 50 points as Portland swept past New York at Moda Center.
Lillard scored 30 points and McCollum added 20 for the Trail Blazers, who won for the ninth time in 12 outings. Jusuf Nurkic contributed 16 points and 10 rebounds for Portland.
Kristaps Porzingis scored 18 points and Courtney Lee chipped in 16 for the Knicks, who have lost seven of their last eight contests.
