Griffin sparks Clippers in win
LOSANGELES— Blake Griffin shot 2 of 11 in the first half, when the Clippers were in a struggle with the Dallas Mavericks.
In the locker room, his teammates urged him to keep shooting and while Griffin appreciated the encouragement, he knew he had to do more than settle for jumpers.
Griffin sparked the Clippers in a dominant third quarter, and they went on to win 98-91 on Sunday, snapping the Mavs’ six-game winning streak and preventing them from clinching a playoff berth.
“I tried to put a little more aggression into defense and try to let that get me going,” said Griffin, who had 17 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists in his best game since returning a week ago from a three-month absence.
Jamal Crawford scored 22 points and J.J. Redick added 20 in the playoffbound Clippers’ fifth straight win.
“The third quarter was a bit of a killer,” Dirk Nowitzki said. “We were missing good looks.”
The loss kept the Mavs (41-39) in seventh place in the Western Conference, a game behind Memphis with two games to play. Dallas needs either a victory or a Houston loss to clinch a playoff berth for the 15th time in 16 years.
OTHER GAMES
Wizards 113, Hornets 98 at Washington: Marcin Gortat had 21 points and 13 rebounds as Washington defeated Charlotte, damaging the Hornets’ chances to secure homecourt advantage in the first round of the playoffs.
Rockets 130, Lakers 110 at Houston: James Harden scored 20 of his 40 points in the fourth quarter, and Houston kept its playoff hopes alive with a win over the Lakers.
Kobe Bryant, who has just two games left before his retirement, had 35 points for the Lakers, who lost their fifth straight.
Jazz 100, Nuggets 84 at Denver: Trey Lyles scored a career-high 22 points in an unexpected start, Gordon Hayward helped fuel a 24-0 third-quarter run and Utah maintained its slim lead for the last playoff spot in the Western Conference.
Bucks 109, 76ers 108 (OT) at Philadelphia: Khris Middleton scored 36 points and John Henson had 18 points and 10 rebounds to lead Milwaukee to an overtime win.
Heat 118, Magic 96 at Miami: Luol Deng scored 20 points, Hassan Whiteside added 18 points and 15 rebounds in his first start since Jan. 20, and Miami beat Orlando.
Raptors 93, Knicks 89 at New York: DeMar DeRozan converted a tiebreaking three-point play with 1:05 left on a night he became Toronto’s No. 2 career scorer, and the Raptors beat New York to stay alive for the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference.
DeRozan finished with 27 points as the Raptors pulled within two games of Cleveland with two to play for both teams. Toronto won the season series and owns the tiebreaker if the teams finish with the same record.
DEVELOPMENT
Sixers president hired: The Philadelphia 76ers have hired Bryan Colangelo as team president. The Sixers also said Sunday that his father, Jerry Colangelo, relinquished his role as chairman of basketball operations and will remain as special adviser to ownership. Bryan Colangelo takes over days after Sam Hinkie quit as general manager via a 13-page manifesto to ownership. Colangelo was president and general manager of the Toronto Raptors from 2006-13. He also spent 15 seasons working for the Phoenix Suns.