Spurs retire Duncan’s No. 21 in emotional ceremony

After 19 seasons, five NBA championships and two MVP awards, Tim Duncan’s No. 21 jersey was raised to the rafters of the AT&T Center Sunday night, officially immortalizing “The Big Fundamental” as one of the greatest players in San Antonio Spurs history. As if he wasn’t already. The hour-long ceremony – which took place after San Antonio’s 113-100 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans – was hosted by Spurs legend Sean Elliot, and featured speeches from coach Gregg Popovich, who teared up when he said that Duncan is “exactly the same person now as he was when he walked in the door,” and Duncan’s long-time teammates Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili.

“To all of you in here, the fans, all of San Antonio – thank you,” Duncan said. “The love and support is overwhelming, especially over the last couple weeks.

“I got so much more from you guys. From my teammates, from these guys over here [group of ex-teammates and coaches,] than they can explain that they got from me, and I know that.”

The soft-spoken superstar addressed his family, ex-Wake Forest coach Dave Odom and Spurs general manager R.C. Buford before thanking Popovich, who he played under for all 19 of his seasons.

“Thank you coach Pop, for being more than a coach. For being more like a father to me. Thank you.”

In addition to the championships, MVPs and Finals MVPs, Duncan led the Spurs to a 1,072-438 regular season record, the best in NBA history over 19 seasons.

Wizards 117, Clippers 110

Bradley Beal scored 41 points and sank six three-pointers as surging Washington rallied past Los Angeles.

Markieff Morris scored 23 points and John Wall added 18 points and 11 assists for the Wizards, who set a season high with their third consecutive win. Washington made 12-of-15 field-goal attempts in the fourth quarter and finished 53.1 percent from the field and sank 10-of-19 threepoint attempts.

The Wizards overcame an 11-point deficit in the second half and trailed the Clippers 102-95 midway through the fourth quarter.

Blake Griffin topped Los Angeles with 26 points and added seven rebounds and seven assists. Clippers center DeAndre Jordan had 13 points and 17 boards, while Chris Paul finished with 13 points and 12 assists.

76ers 108, Nets 107

Rookie center Joel Embiid scored a careerhigh 33 points, including the go-ahead three-pointer with 2:43 left, and Philadelphia beat Brooklyn to snap an eight-game home losing streak.

Embiid, who shot 12-of-17 from the floor, also contributed 10 rebounds and three blocked shots. Ersan Ilyasova added 22 points and Robert Covington had 15 for the Sixers, who won for just the third time in their last 13 games.

Brook Lopez had 22 points, nine rebounds and eight assists for Brooklyn, which dropped its ninth straight road game. Joe Harris generated 19 points and Jeremy Lin chipped in 16 for the Nets.

Raptors 109, Magic 79

DeMar DeRozan scored 31 points in just 30 minutes as Toronto waltzed past Orlando.

It was the third consecutive game DeRozan scored at least 30 points. He made 13-of-21 shots and added five rebounds and four assists, doing as he pleased against the outmatched Magic. The Raptors won for the fifth time in the past six games, with Jonas Valanciunas scoring 16 points and grabbing a game-high 13 rebounds.

Celtics 105, Heat 95

Isaiah Thomas scored 23 points before getting ejected, and Avery Bradley added 20 points to lead Boston past Miami.

With 3:02 left in the fourth quarter, Thomas inadvertently swung an elbow that bloodied the right cheek of Miami’s Justise Winslow. Thomas was ejected on the play due to a flagrant-2 foul.

The Heat lost their second game in a row. Miami’s Hassan Whiteside produced 23 points and 17 rebounds, while Goran Dragic posted 31 points and seven assists.

Jazz 82, Grizzlies 73

Gordon Heyward scored 22 points, Rudy Gobert added 21 points and 12 rebounds as Utah pulled away from Memphis.

Three-pointers by Boris Diaw, Heyward and Shelvyn Mack broke open a 66-all tie midway through the fourth quarter. A couple of inside buckets by Gobert, who dominated the paint, helped seal the win for the Jazz.

The Grizzlies lost for the third time in four games.

Mavericks 99, Kings 79

A balanced scoring attack and early feisty defense from Seth Curry led Dallas past Sacramento.

Curry, who played for the Kings last season, finished with 13 points on 5-of-10 shooting, including 3-of-6 from three-point range, five rebounds, four assists and the pair of steals in 28 minutes.

DeMarcus Cousins had 33 points for the Kings, while Israeli swingman Omri Casspi registered a DNP-Coach’s Decision. (Reuters)