Wade scores 30 in last game in Miami; Heat top 76ers 122-99
MIAMI (AP) — Dwyane Wade scored 30 points in the tribute-filled final home game of his career, and the Miami Heat defeated the Philadelphia 76ers 122-99 on Tuesday night.
Bam Adebayo scored 19, Justise Winslow scored 16 and Hassan Whiteside added 15 for the Heat, who were eliminated from playoff contention when Detroit beat Memphis — a result that went final during the third quarter of the Miami-Philly game.
Wade's career will end Wednesday in Brooklyn, when Miami plays its regular-season finale. He checked out for the last time with 1:02 left, embracing teammates and his son Zaire — who was on the Heat bench.
Greg Monroe scored 18 points and Ben Simmons scored 16 for Philadelphia, which entered Tuesday already locked into the No. 3 seed for the Eastern Conference playoffs and rested Joel Embiid and J.J. Redick. Simmons played only 21 minutes, Tobias Harris shot 3 for 16 in 20 minutes and Jimmy Butler scored only four points in 16 minutes.
DALLAS (AP) — Dirk Nowitzki scored a season-high 30 points and Dallas celebrated the final home game of the 40-year-old's record 21st season with the same franchise. After the game, Nowitzki announced his retirement.
The 14-time All-Star had the first eight Dallas shots and scored his team's first 10 points in the first three minutes and passed his previous season high of 21 on a 3-pointer early in the third quarter.
Dallas' season finale, and possibly the career-ender for Nowitzki, is Wednesday night in San Antonio.
Jamal Crawford scored 51 points, one off his career high, in the season finale for the Suns (19-63). Phoenix had by far the worst record in the Western Conference in its fourth straight season with at least 58 losses.
Luca Doncic had his eighth triple-double with 21 points, 16 rebounds and 11 assists.
TRAIL BLAZERS 104, LAKERS 101
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Maurice Harkless hit a corner 3-pointer at the buzzer, and Portland secured home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs with a win over Los Angeles, a few hours after Magic Johnson abruptly resigned as the Lakers' president of basketball operations.
Johnson shocked the Lakers with his announcement about 90 minutes before tipoff of the last game in the Lakers' sixth consecutive losing season. The Hall of Fame guard had been in charge of the Lakers for just 26 months, and his departure throws the 16-time NBA champion franchise's offseason into turmoil even before it began.
Harkless scored 26 points and Enes Kanter had 22 points and 16 rebounds while the Blazers rallied in the fourth quarter to claim their 52nd win of the season. Damian Lillard had 20 points and eight assists while the Blazers clinched at least a fourth-place finish in the conference and wrapped up home court for their first-round playoff series.
Portland has won 13 of 16 in its surge to a sixth consecutive playoff berth.
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope scored 32 points and Mike Muscala added 16 for the Lakers, who have missed the playoffs in a franchise-record six consecutive seasons.
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — DeMarcus Cousins had 21 points and 12 rebounds, and Golden State beat New Orleans in a game in which Warriors guard Stephen Curry left with a mild foot sprain.
The Warriors announced that Curry, who played the first nine minutes of the game, was held out the rest of the night as a precaution.
The game also likely marked the end of the Anthony Davis era in New Orleans. The disgruntled All-Star missed his seventh straight game with what the team has officially listed as back spasms.
Damion Lee matched his career high with 20 points for Golden State. Former Pelican Quinn Cook scored 19 points.
Christian Wood had 26 points and 12 rebounds for the Pelicans, who lost 13 of their last 16 games. Jahlil Okafor scored 30 points and Ian Clark 20 for New Orleans.
PISTONS 100, GRIZZLIES 93
DETROIT (AP) — Andre Drummond had 20 points and 17 rebounds and Ish Smith matched a season high with 22 points, helping Detroit rally from a 22-point deficit.
Detroit can clinch a postseason bid by closing the regular season with a win Wednesday night at New York.
Detroit star Blake Griffin was limited to five points and two rebounds in 18-plus minutes, barely playing in the second half because of his injured left knee. Luke Kennard scored 15 points off the bench and Reggie Jackson had 12 points before going to the bench as Smith flourished in the final quarter.
Delon Wright and Bruno Caboclo each scored 15 points for the Grizzlies, who used just four reserves with banged-up players such as Mike Conley, Joakim Noah and rookie Jaren Jackson out with injuries.
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Donovan Mitchell matched his career high with 46 points as Utah topped Denver.
Rudy Gobert had 20 points and 10 rebounds, Derrick Favors scored 16 points and Joe Ingles added 10 points and 13 assists as Utah won its last eight regular-season home games.
Malik Beasley scored 25 points to lead the Nuggets. Monte Morris added a season-high 22 points and Jamal Murray had 22. Gary Harris scored 15 points for Denver, which lost its second straight.
The Nuggets maintained a half-game lead over Houston Rockets, who lost 112-111 to Oklahoma City, in the race for the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference. Denver can secure the No. 2 spot with a win over Minnesota on Wednesday.
Utah finished in fifth place in the Western Conference.
THUNDER 112, ROCKETS 111
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Paul George hit the game-winning 3-pointer with 1.8 seconds left, and Oklahoma City rallied from 14 points down in the fourth quarter to beat Houston.
Russell Westbrook had 29 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists for his 33rd triple-double of the season and George added 27 points for the Thunder, who won their fourth straight.
Oklahoma City moved into sixth place in the Western Conference standings with one game remaining.
James Harden scored 39 points and Chris Paul added 24 for the Rockets, who slipped into the third spot in the conference standings.
RAPTORS 120, TIMBERWOLVES 100
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Kawhi Leonard scored 20 points and Toronto closed its regular season with a win over Minnesota.
Fred VanVleet scored 16 points, and Chris Boucher had a career-high 15 points and 13 rebounds off the bench for the Raptors, who finished the regular season at 58-24.
Andrew Wiggins and Gorgui Dieng each scored 16 points for the Timberwolves, who played without All-Star center Karl-Anthony Towns.
CHICAGO (AP) — Dennis Smith Jr. scored 25 points, Mitchell Robinson added eight points and 17 rebounds and New York escaped the possibility of finishing with its worst-ever record by winning back-to-back games for the first time since February.
With one game remaining, the Knicks (17-64) can only tie for the worst season in franchise history. A loss to the Detroit Pistons, who are seeking to lock up a playoff spot, would give New York a record matching only its ugly 2014-15 campaign.
Kevin Knox added 17 points and 10 rebounds and Damyean Dotson finished with 12.
Ryan Arcidiacono led the Bulls (22-59) with 14 points and Shaquille Harrison added 13.
CLEVELAND (AP) — Kemba Walker scored 23 points and Charlotte kept its late-season playoff push going with a win over Cleveland.
The Hornets (39-42) had to win to have any chance of beating out Detroit and Miami for the No. 8 spot in the Eastern Conference. Charlotte did its part and must now beat Orlando at home on Wednesday and hope the Pistons (39-42) lose in New York to clinch its first playoff berth in three years.
Jeremy Lamb added 23 points and Miles Bridges and Dwayne Bacon scored 18 apiece as the Hornets won their fourth straight.
Rookie Collin Sexton scored 18 points and had a season-high 10 assists for the Cavs. He also joined Larry Bird (1979-80) and Stephen Curry (2009-10) as the only rookies in league history to average at least 16 points while making over 40% of their 3-pointers and 80% of their free throws.
The Cavs dropped their 10th in a row to finish 19-63.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Terry Rozier scored 21 points and was one of five Boston players to score in double figures in a meaningless game for both teams.
Brad Wanamaker and Semi Ojeleye each scored 17, Jaylen Brown added 15 and Guerschon Yabusele finished with 13 for the Celtics, already were assured of finishing as the No. 4 team in the Eastern Conference and facing the No. 5-seeded Indiana Pacers in the first round of the playoffs.
Bradley Beal became the first player in Washington Wizards franchise history to average at least 25 points, five rebounds and five assists for a season. Beal, a two-time All-Star, finished with 16 points, five rebounds and four assists — all before halftime.
Eliminated a while ago and bound for the draft lottery, the Wizards wound up 32-50, their most losses since going 29-53 in 2012-13.
