Warriors win their 70th game
GM Hinkie bails on 76ers, The Process
OAKLAND, Calif. — Stephen Curry scored 27 points and the Golden State Warriors became the second team to win 70 games in a season by beating the San Antonio Spurs 112-101 on Thursday night, wrapping up homecourt advantage throughout the playoffs.
The Warriors (70-9) bounced back from their second loss in three home games two nights earlier against Minnesota and joined the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls as the only teams to win 70 games. Golden State can break Chicago’s single-season record of 72 wins by sweeping the final three games, including a rematch in San Antonio on Sunday.
Harrison Barnes scored 21 points and Draymond Green added 18 to help the Warriors avoid losing back-to-back games for the first time this season. Golden State has outscored the opposition by 14.6 points per game after its nine losses.
Kawhi Leonard scored 23 points for the Spurs.
HEAT 106, BULLS 98: In Miami, Dwyane Wade scored 21 points, Joe Johnson added 17 and Miami shook off a slow first half to beat Chicago, clamping down in the final minutes for its ninth win in the last 10 home games.
Goran Dragic and Hassan Whiteside each had 16 points and 12 rebounds for Miami.
Luol Deng scored 13, Josh Richardson had 11 and Amare Stoudemire added 10 for the Heat (46-32), who remained fifth in the Eastern Conference.
Jimmy Butler scored 25 points for the Bulls (39-40), who now need a series of miracles to get into the postseason. Pau Gasol finished with 21 points and 12 rebounds, and Derrick Rose scored 17 for Chicago.
HAWKS 95, RAPTORS 87: In Atlanta, Jeff Teague scored 23 points, Kyle Korver added 14 and Atlanta held off Toronto.
It was one of the season’s best performances for the Hawks, who remained in third place in the Eastern Conference by beating the East’s No. 2 seed.
With Paul Millsap scoring 13 points and Al Horford, Tim Hardaway Jr. and Mike Scott each adding 11, Atlanta used a balanced attack to knock off Toronto for the first time in four tries this season.
The Hawks have won 16 of 21 and are a half-game ahead of Boston for the third spot in the East. Toronto dropped 3½ games behind first-place Cleveland.
SUNS 124, ROCKETS 115: In Houston, Mirza Teletovic scored 26 points off the bench, P.J. Tucker added 24 and Phoenix dealt another blow to Houston’s dwindling playoff chances.
It’s the second straight loss for the Rockets, who entered the day in ninth place in the Western Conference after a loss at Dallas on Wednesday.
Tyson Chandler added 21 points for the Suns, who snapped a NBA-high, sevengame skid.
James Harden led Houston with 30 points.
TIMBERWOLVES 105, KINGS 97: In Sacramento, Calif., Gorgui Dieng had 18 points and 13 rebounds, and Zach LaVine and Nemanja Bjelica also scored 18 points, as Minnesota beat Sacramento.
The Timberwolves led for most of the game and swept the four-game series against the Kings.
Karl-Anthony Towns had 17 points and 10 rebounds and Andrew Wiggins scored 15 points for the Timberwolves.
Darren Collison had 19 points and six assists in the Kings’ third straight loss.
76ERS: Sam Hinkie quit on The Process.
The Philadelphia 76ers are prepared to move ahead in their painful rebuild without the general manager who methodically turned the organization into one of the worst in professional sports.
A day after Hinkie informed the team via a 13-page manifesto that he was out, the Sixers are ready to start yet another new era.
The NBA-worst Sixers are set to hire former NBA executive of the year Bryan Colangelo as their general manager.
KOBE: Forget the cost of tickets for Kobe Bryant’s final game. You should see the price of some of the merchandise.
AEG announced a slew of exclusive Bryant “24 Collection” items leading up to his career finale Wednesday against Utah at Staples Center.
The costliest item is a black lamb-leather New Era cap with an 18-karat gold “24” on the front. Brace for sticker shock, please: It retails for $38,024.
For those looking to save a little money, AEG also offers a purple diamond cashmere cap for $24,008. It even has gold snakeskin under the visor.
There were only eight made of each of the caps.
Still outside your price range? Don’t fret.
There’s a jersey with a snake-print body that details Bryant’s career accomplishments up and down the inseam. It costs $824.
AEG is also selling caps to commemorate Bryant’s 81-point game 10 years ago. They feature Swarovski crystals and his points per quarter from that night embossed on four side panels. Each cap costs $248.24. Only 248 were made.
Hey, it’s still cheaper than a ticket to the final game of Bryant’s 20-year career. They range from $670 for a seat in the upper reaches to $9,270 for second row at center court.