Sport WOLVES
Get key victory over
LOS ANGELES: Jeff Teague recorded 25 points and eight assists and Jimmy Butler added 18 points in his return from a knee injury to help the Minnesota Timberwolves record a crucial 113-96 victory over the host Los Angeles Lakers on Friday night at Staples Center.
Butler missed 17 games with the knee injury he suffered on February 23 against the Houston Rockets. He played 23 minutes and was 7-of-10 shooting and notched four of Minnesota’s 14 steals.
Taj Gibson contributed 18 points, 10 rebounds and three blocked shots as the Timberwolves ended a twogame slide. Minnesota (45-35) moved into sole possession of the eighth and final Western Conference playoff spot by a half-game over the idle Denver Nuggets.
Josh Hart had 20 points and 11 rebounds and Julius Randle added 20 points and 10 rebounds for the Lakers, who lost for the fourth time in the past five games. Brook Lopez scored 18 points, and Ivica Zubac had 14 points and nine rebounds. 76ERS 132, CAVALIERS 130 Ben Simmons recorded his 12th triple-double of the season with 27 points, 15 rebounds and 13 assists to lead Philadelphia past visiting Cleveland even as Lebron James posted his 18th triple-double of the season.
JJ Redick scored 28 points, Marco Belinelli contributed 23 and Ersan Ilyasova had 17 for the surging Sixers (49-30), who won their 13th straight game for the first time since the 198485 season. The Sixers also moved past the Cavaliers and into the No 3 spot in the Eastern Conference playoff standings with one game at hand. Cleveland has two games remaining, while Philadelphia has three.
Robert Covington added 11 points and Markelle Fultz had 10 for Philadelphia. James ended with 44 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists, though he committed eight turnovers. Jeff Green scored 33 points and Kevin Love added 17 for Cleveland.
CELTICS 111, BULLS 104 One day after learning Kyrie Irving would need a second left knee procedure and miss the rest of the year, Boston claimed its seventh victory in nine games, beating visiting Chicago.
Jaylen Brown scored a career-high 32 points, including a career-best seven 3-pointers, and Greg Monroe had a triple-double with 19 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists to pace Boston. It was Monroe’s second career tripledouble and his first since November 7, 2012, with the Detroit Pistons.
“I believe in the guys in our locker room,” Celtics coach Brad Stevens told reporters when asked about his team’s chances in the playoffs without Irving. “I think they believe in themselves, and I think that’s the most important thing.”
RAPTORS 92, PACERS 73 Serge Ibaka scored 25 points on 10-of-13 shooting as Toronto clinched the No 1 seed in the East with a rout of visiting Indiana as the Raptors held the Pacers to season lows in points and shooting (29.9 per cent).
Demar Derozan added 12 points for the Raptors, who shot 42.9 per cent. Jonas Valanciunas contributed eight points and a team-high 12 rebounds.
The Raptors, who won the season series 3-1, set a franchise record with their 57th victory, passing the 2015-16 team. The Pacers appear likely to finish in the No 5 spot, as they sit two games back of No 4 Cleveland and four games clear of No 6 Miami. HAWKS 103, WIZARDS 97 Tyler Dorsey scored a career-high 22 points, and Taurean Prince made big plays down the stretch as Atlanta beat playoff-bound Washington.
Bradley Beal scored 32 points for the Wizards, including seven straight during a 16-6 spurt to open the fourth quarter. The Hawks answered with 12-0 run and were up 99-93 after Prince hit a fade-away jumper in the paint with 54.5 seconds to play.
Prince then set up Dewayne Dedmon for a sealing dunk. Prince finished with 23 points before fouling out in the final minute. Dedmon had 12 points and 14 rebounds, and John Collins also had a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds for Atlanta.
KINGS 94, GRIZZLIES 93 Bogdan Bogdanovic connected on the winning basket with 1.5 seconds remaining to lift visiting Sacramento over Memphis as the Kings won for just the second time in the past seven games.
Willie Cauley-stein had 18 points and eight rebounds and Buddy Hield scored 14 points for the Kings. De’aaron Fox and Justin Jackson tallied 13 points apiece and Jakarr Sampson added 11 for Sacramento.
Marshon Brooks had 23 points and eight rebounds in just his fourth game with Memphis. Dillon Brooks scored 16 points, Ivan Rabb added 12 and Mario Chalmers and Kobi Simmons had 11 apiece for the Grizzlies.
PELICANS 122, SUNS 103 Anthony Davis, Nikola Mirotic and Jrue Holiday each had doubledoubles as New Orleans strengthened its playoff position with an easy victory against battered host Phoenix.