DeRozan helps Raptors edge Mavericks 103-99
TORONTO: DeMar DeRozan scored 28 points and Bismack Biyombo had a career-high 20 rebounds, leading the Toronto Raptors to a 10399 victory over the Dallas Mavericks on Tuesday night. Kyle Lowry added 17 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists for Toronto, which swept the two-game season series against Dallas. Terrence Ross scored 16 points, and Luis Scola finished with 15 points and nine rebounds. The Raptors appeared to be on their way to a comfortable victory with five minutes to go in the fourth. But the Mavericks battled back. Jeremy Evans scored with 11.6 seconds remaining to trim Toronto’s lead to 101-99, but missed a foul shot that would have got Dallas within one. Ross then closed it out with a couple of free throws. Dirk Nowitzki led the way for Dallas with 20 points and seven rebounds.
PISTONS 93, HEAT 92
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope’s jumper with 55.5 seconds left put Detroit ahead to stay, and the Pistons rallied from 18 points down for the road win. Reggie Jackson led the Pistons with 18 points, while Stanley Johnson and CaldwellPope each had 14. The Pistons were 15 for 29 from 3-point range, outscoring Miami 45-12 in that department. Chris Bosh scored 20 points for Miami, which missed a pair of go-ahead shots in the final three seconds. Dwyane Wade missed a 14-footer, and after Andre Drummond missed a pair of free throws at the other end and the Heat got the ball back with 1.1 seconds left, Bosh missed a jumper as time expired. Wade finished with 19 points, and Hassan Whiteside had 16 points and 16 rebounds for Miami.
GRIZZLIES 104, 76ERS 90
Marc Gasol scored 19 points for Memphis, and Mike Conley had 18 points and six assists. The Grizzlies had five players score in double figures. Courtney Lee had 15 points, reserve Zach Randolph added 14 points and eight rebounds, and Matt Barnes finished with 12 points and 10 boards. Jahlil Okafor scored 18 points and Hollis Thompson contributed 16 for Philadelphia, which dropped to 1-29 while losing its 11th straight game. Now the 76ers head out for a six-game trip, and they have lost 22 in a row on the road. Philadelphia had 28 turnovers and shot 65.6 percent (21 for 32) from the free-throw line.
LAKERS 111, NUGGETS 107
Kobe Bryant tied a season high with 31 points after missing a game with a sore right shoulder, and Los Angeles rallied from a 21point, first-half deficit to beat short-handed Denver. Bryant also had five assists and played stellar defense to help bottle up the hot-shooting Will Barton, who had 23 points in the first half only to finish with 25. The 37-year-old Bryant announced last month he would retire after the season. He received plenty of cheers during his penultimate game in the Mile High City, including chants of “Kobe, Kobe” in the waning seconds. Up 103-100 with 1:23 remaining, Bryant hit two free throws and then a jumper to seal the Lakers’ fifth win of the season.— AP
Memphis 104, Philadelphia 90; Detroit 93, Miami 92; Toronto 103, Dallas 99; LA Lakers 111, Denver 107. Toronto NY Knicks Brooklyn Philadelphia
Cleveland Detroit Chicago Milwaukee
Atlanta Orlando Charlotte Washington 18 15 14 8 1
18 16 17 15 11
18 16 16 15 12