Last-place Spurs stun Denver, forge three-way tie atop West
Devonte Graham sank a floater in the lane with 0.9 seconds left as host San Antonio handed Western Conference-leading Denver a potentially damaging loss, rallying from 23 points down to win 121-120 on Friday.
The Nuggets (56-25) fell out of sole possession of first place in the West and into a tie with Minnesota and Oklahoma City. Because of tiebreakers, the Timberwolves are first, the
Thunder second and the Nuggets third ahead of the regular season’s final day Sunday.
Victor Wembanyama had 34 points and 12 rebounds and Sandro Mamukelashvili 21 points and had 12 rebounds for the Spurs (21-60), who are last in the West. They avoided matching the worst record in franchise history — 20-62 in 1997.
Jamal Murray had 35 points and Nikola Jokic 22 points and 12 rebounds for reigning NBA champion Denver, which led 76-53 early in the third quarter and still had a 17-point edge early in the fourth.
■ Timberwolves 109, Hawks 106: At Minneapolis, Rudy Gobert scored 25 points on 10for-10 shooting, including eight dunks, and had 19 rebounds and five blocks for Minnesota in its third win in four games. Atlanta lost its fifth in a row.
■ Knicks 111, Nets 107: At New York, Jalen Brunson had 30 points and 11 assists for New
York, which won its fourth straight, tied Milwaukee for second in the East and clinched home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs.
■ Thunder 125, Bucks 107: At Oklahoma City, Shai Gilgeous-alexander scored 23 points for Oklahoma City in its fourth straight win. Milwaukee (49-32) fell to 4-4 in games without Giannis Antetokounmpo (left calf strain) this season.
■ Pelicans 114, Warriors 109: At San
Francisco, C.J. Mccollum hit a 3-pointer with 1:03 left and totaled 28 points for New Orleans, which won its fourth straight and halted Golden State’s three-game win streak.
■ Lakers 123, Grizzlies 120: At Memphis, Tenn., Lebron James scored six of his 37 points in the final minute, and Anthony Davis added 36 points and 14 rebounds for Los Angeles, which halted a two-game skid.
■ Cavaliers 129, Pacers 120: At Cleveland, Donovan Mitchell had 33 points and Jarrett Allen 29 points and 13 rebounds for Cleveland, which clinched a playoff berth. Indiana had won three in a row.
■ Bulls 129, Wizards 127: At Washington, Adama Sanogo had 22 points and 20 rebounds for Chicago, which won a second straight game for the first time in a month. Washington lost its fifth in a row.
■ Heat 125, Raptors 103: At Miami, Jaime Jaquez Jr. had 20 points and nine assists for
Miami, which has alternated wins and losses for its past seven games. Toronto lost for the 18th time in 20 games.
■ Pistons 107, Mavericks 89: At Dallas,
Marcus Sasser scored 24 points in his hometown return as Detroit (14-67) won for the second time in 16 games. Dallas (50-31) had won five in a row.
■ 76ers 125, Magic 113: At Philadelphia, Joel Embiid had 32 points, 13 rebounds and seven assists for Philadelphia, which won its seventh straight and dealt Orlando its third loss in a row.
■ Jazz 110, Clippers 109: At Los Angeles, Kenneth Lofton Jr. scored 27 points for Utah, which overcame a 13-point deficit and won its second straight after a 13-game slide.
■ Suns 108, Kings 107: At Sacramento, Calif., Kevin Durant scored 28 points for Phoenix, which overcame a 16-point deficit and won for the ninth time in 13 games.
■ Celtics 131, Hornets 98: At Boston, Payton Pritchard had 31 points and 11 assists for Boston, which avoided its first three-game skid this season.
■ Rockets 116, Trail Blazers 107: At Portland, Ore., Jalen Green scored 26 points for Houston, which won for the second time in eight games.