Orlando cruises by Grizzlies
Dwight Howard had 31 points and 11 rebounds, and the Magic beat the shorthanded Memphis Grizzlies, 116-89, last night in Orlando to remain in eighth place in the Eastern Conference.
Howard, whose first seven field goals were dunks, finished 10 of 13 from the field. Hedo Turkoglu and Grant Hill each added 15 points as Orlando's starting five hit 25 of 32 field goal attempts.
The Magic (35-41) stayed a game ahead of Indiana, which beat Boston, for the final playoff spot in the East.
Memphis, playing without three starters, was led by reserve Chucky Atkins, who had 18 points and five assists. Tarence Kinsey added 15 points and Pau Gasol and Hakim Warrick had 14 apiece. The Grizzlies have lost five straight.
The Magic held the Grizzlies without a field goal for the first 7:46. Memphis missed 11 shots and committed three turnovers during that time.
Alex Johnson finally broke the drought with a driving layup that he converted into a 3-point play. That made it 25-6 with 4:14 left in the first period.
Nets 120, Wizards 114 -- Vince Carter and Jason Kidd became the first teammates with triple-doubles in the same game since Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen in 1989, leading host New Jersey to an overtime victory over injury-ravaged Washington.
Carter had 46 points, 16 rebounds, and 10 assists. Kidd had 16 rebounds, 18 assists, and 10 points.
Nuggets 96, Clippers 93 -- Allen Iverson scored 17 of his 34 points in the fourth quarter and Linas Kleiza hit a go-ahead 3-pointer with 15.8 seconds to play, leading visiting Denver over Los Angeles.
There was plenty at stake for both clubs, who are among four teams that came in separated by three games in the race for the last three Western Conference playoff berths. The victory helped Denver tie the Lakers for sixth place in the standings and gave the Nuggets the advantage over the Clippers in any scenario in which the teams finish tied.
Spurs 112, Warriors 99 -- Tim Duncan scored 28 points, Manu Ginobili added 25, and San Antonio beat visiting Golden State to hand the Warriors a setback in their drive for a playoff spot.
The Warriors had won four straight and were trying to match a season-high winning streak. Golden State remained one game behind the Clippers for the final playoff spot in the Western Conference.
Hornets 96, Timberwolves 94 -- Chris Paul scored 18 points and had 10 assists in his return and Rasual Butler added 17 points to help New Orleans defeat host Minnesota.
Marc Jackson added 15 points and 11 rebounds starting in place of injured Tyson Chandler (left big toe). David West also had 15 points for the Hornets.
Mavericks 86, Trail Blazers 74 -- Jason Terry scored 22 of his 29 points by halftime and Devin Harris added 18, leading host Dallas over Portland. The Mavericks are on the verge of clinching the top seed in the Western Conference.
The next Dallas victory or loss by Phoenix will wrap up the No. 1 seed. The Suns play at the Los Angeles Lakers today, then the Mavericks play tomorrow night at home against the Clippers, who could be their first-round playoff foe.
Knicks 118, Bucks 113 -- Eddy Curry scored a career-high 43 points, including his first 3-pointer of the season, which forced overtime, and visiting New York beat Milwaukee.
Nate Robinson matched a career high with 34 points for the Knicks, who snapped a four-game losing streak and remained three games behind eighth-place Orlando in the Eastern Conference.
SuperSonics 106, Jazz 103 -- Rashard Lewis scored 28 of his 35 points in the second half and Seattle rallied from a 22-point deficit to beat Utah in Salt Lake City.
