(The Sports Xchange) Stephen Curry scored 29 points, 13 of them in the pivotal third quarter, as Golden State came back from an early 22-point deficit to defeat San Antonio in a slugfest between the top two teams in the NBA. Kawhi Leonard paced San Antonio with 19 points.
Bucks 103, Celtics 100
Surging Milwaukee knocked Boston from the top spot in the Eastern Conference with a hard-fought victory over the Celtics. In winning for the 13th time in 16 games, the Bucks, hanging on to a tie for the fifth spot in the Eastern Conference, ended Boston’s six-game home winning streak and handed the Celtics their second loss in their last 16 home games.
Heat 105, Knicks 88
Goran Dragic totaled 20 points, nine assists and seven rebounds to lead Miami to a victory over New York. Josh Richardson contributed 17 as eighth-place Miami moved 1 1/2 games ahead of the ninth-place Chicago Bulls in the race for the last Eastern Conference playoff spot.
Grizzlies 110, Pacers 97
Mike Conley scored 36 points and Vince Carter added 21 to lead Memphis. Paul George led the Pacers with 22 points, and Aaron Brooks scored 18. Indiana slipped into a tie for seventh place in the East with the Miami Heat, both teams 1 1/2 games ahead of the Chicago Bulls in the race for the conference’s last two playoff spots.
Hornets 110, Raptors 106
Kemba Walker finished with 19 points and Marco Belinelli scored 21 as the Hornets came back to defeat Toronto. The loss ended a six-game winning streak by the Raptors and evened the season series between the teams at 2-2.
Hawks 99, 76ers 92
Dwight Howard collected 22 points and 20 rebounds as Atlanta held off Philadelphia. Tim Hardaway Jr. also had 19 for the Hawks, who won their second straight game to remain in fifth place in the Eastern Conference.
Pelicans 121, Mavericks 118
Anthony Davis scored 30 points and DeMarcus Cousins had 29 as New Orleans held off Dallas in the Smoothie King Center. Jrue Holiday scored 18 points and Dante Cunningham and Jordan Crawford had 15 each for New Orleans. Dirk Nowitzki led Dallas with 23 points.
Jazz 112, Kings 82
Gordon Hayward scored 20 points for Utah, and Rodney Hood tallied 18. The Jazz remain 1 1/2 games ahead of the Los Angeles Clippers in the race for the fourth playoff spot in the Western Conference and home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs.
Clippers 133, Wizards 124
J.J. Redick scored 31 points and Chris Paul contributed 27 points and 13 assists, sparking Los Angeles to a victory over Washington.
Blake Griffin collected 26 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists, while DeAndre Jordan finished with 23 points and 18 boards for the Clippers. The win kept the Clippers 1 1/2 games behind the Utah Jazz for fourth place in the Western Conference playoff race. Washington got 41 points from John Wall.
