ROUNDUP Playoff preview? Spurs get victory
LaMarcus Aldridge scored 23 points, Kawhi Leonard added 19 and the Spurs beat the Memphis Grizzlies 97-90 on Thursday night in San Antonio in a possible first-round playoff preview.
San Antonio opened a fourgame homestand by moving two games behind the Warriors for the league’s best record. The Spurs (55-16) close the homestand against the Warriors (57-14) on Wednesday.
Memphis (40-32) is seventh in the Western Conference, which would result in a firstround matchup with San Antonio if the standings remain the same.
Mike Conley had 22 points and six assists for Memphis, which lost its third straight to fall 1½ games behind Oklahoma City for sixth place.
Marc Gasol, who had 13 points, was the only other Grizzlies player in double figures.
San Antonio lost the first two meetings between the teams, both in Memphis, by a combined 23 points but won at home behind its starting forwards.
Aldridge reached 15,000 career points with his final basket, a 13-foot jumper that gave San Antonio a 90-81 lead with 2:10 remaining.
The 11-year veteran had nine points in the first quarter on 4-for-8 shooting, including a three-pointer. Aldridge scored six straight points late in the opening period, including a 21-foot jumper off an inbounds steal after he hit a 13-footer.
Leonard finished 7-for-15 from the field while battling the aggressive hands-on defense of Tony Allen and James Ennis III.
“It’s good for the team and myself that we’re seeing this early instead of being hit in the playoffs,” Leonard said.
Leonard would respond with his own defense to preserve the win. The 6-foot-7 forward sprinted in front of Allen to tip away a pass and leapt out of bounds to save the ball to Aldridge. The play led to a threepoint play by Patty Mills after he was fouled on a 3-on-1 layup for an 88-80 lead with 4 minutes remaining.
“I thought both teams played good defense,” Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. “As usual, making some shots down the stretch matters, but overall I thought we moved the ball pretty well and we didn’t turn it over too much. We played a pretty good game.”
Mills was 3-for-6 on threepoint shots, finishing with 15 points.
San Antonio finished 8for-26 beyond the arc.
Mavericks 97, Clippers 95: Harrison Barnes made the go-ahead basket for host Dallas, then stole the ball from Blake Griffin with 3.9 seconds left. Barnes made a 14-foot jumper with 1:06 remaining for the game’s 11th lead change, making it 96-95. After he stripped Griffin, Wesley Matthews made a free throw with 0.9 of a second to play before J.J. Redick missed a three-point attempt that would have won it at the buzzer. Griffin scored 21 points, including nine in a row in the fourth quarter, but the Clippers’ threegame winning streak was snapped. Dallas, battling from behind for a playoff berth, had lost four of six. Seth Curry led Dallas with 23 points. Barnes finished with 21, and Dirk Nowitzki had 14. DeAndre Jordan had 14 points and 18 rebounds for the Clippers. Chris Paul scored 15 points and Austin Rivers had 13.
Raptors 101, Heat 84: DeMar DeRozan scored 40 points, marking the first time he’s had that many in consecutive games, and visiting Toronto pulled off its 19th double-digit comeback of the season. DeRozan shot 14-for-25 from the field and 12-for-13 from the line. He needed 38 shots to score 42 against Chicago on Tuesday. Playing with 13 stitches in his right hand, Hassan Whiteside scored 16 points and grabbed 14 rebounds for Miami.
Trail Blazers 110, Knicks 95: Damian Lillard scored 30 points and host Portland led the whole way. Lillard had 15 in the first quarter as Portland opened a 14-point lead. The Blazers led by as many as 23 and moved a game behind Denver for the eighth playoff spot in the Western Conference. Kristaps Porzingis scored 18 points for New York, which played without Carmelo Anthony and Derrick Rose.
Nets 126, Suns 98: Brook Lopez scored 19 points, K.J. McDaniels had a season-high 16 and host Brooklyn beat Phoenix and has consecutive victories for the first time this season. Trevor Booker added 14 points for the league-worst Nets, who beat Detroit on Tuesday. Devin Booker scored 28 points and Marquese Chriss had 21 points and 10 rebounds for the Suns.