Clippers Beat Blazers in See-Saw Contest
In a game featuring 40 lead changes, the Los Angeles Clippers edged Portland 122-117 on Wednesday to narrow the gap between the two Western Conference contenders to five games and go into the All-Star break on a winning note.
Among the day's other key results, Eastern Conference leader Indiana suffered only it third home loss of the season when beaten by Dallas, LeBron James capped a superb individual performance by sinking a buzzer-beating 3-pointer that gave Miami victory at Golden State, and Houston also got a last-second winner to beat Washington.
Los Angeles was led to victory by 36 points from Blake Griffin while Chris Paul had 20 points and 12 assists in his second game back from a long-term shoulder injury.
The Pacific Division-leading Clippers, who set a franchise record for largest margin of victory in their 45-point thrashing of Philadelphia on Sunday, converted 16 Portland turnovers into 20 points.
LaMarcus Aldridge had 25 points for Portland, which slipped five-and-a-half games behind leader Oklahoma City in the Northwest Division.
Dallas' Monta Ellis had 23 points and nine rebounds as the Mavericks put in an impressive defensive performance to win 81-73 at Indiana.
Dirk Nowitzki added 18 points for the Mavericks, who have won six of seven heading into the break.
George Hill's 14 points was the mediocre leading tally for the Pacers, who gave up the first six points of the fourth quarter and were not able to bridge the gap.
Miami's LeBron James capped one of his best games in dramatic fashion, making a step-back 3-pointer with less than a second remaining to give the Heat a 111-110 win at Golden State.
With Dwyane Wade out with a foot injury, James shouldered the load for the two-time defending NBA champions, finishing with 36 points, 13 rebounds and nine assists.
With the Heat trailing by two points, James let the clock tick down and with two-tenths of a second left he swished in a 27-footer to stun the sellout crowd.
James shot 14 of 26 from the floor, including several dazzling dunks, and helped the Heat go ahead by 21 points in the third quarter. Chris Bosh added 19 points and five rebounds.
Stephen Curry finished with 29 points and seven assists for the Warriors, who rallied to take an 87-84 lead but could not hold on.
Houston's James Harden capped his 35-point game by scoring a layup with 0.7 seconds remaining to give the Rockets a 113-112 win over Washington.
The victory sends the Rockets into the All-Star break with a season-best seven-game winning streak.
Washington led by two points with 4 seconds left when Trevor Ariza pushed Harden to the ground. It was ruled a foul away from the play, giving Houston one free throw and possession.
Harden, who was 16 for 16 at the line, made the free throw before grabbing a pass from Chandler Parsons and driving into the lane for the winning shot.
The Wizards had a chance to win at the end, but Kevin Seraphin's shot clanged off the rim.
Ariza had a season-high 32 points with a career-high 10 3-pointers.
San Antonio's Tim Duncan scored 23 of his 25 points in the second half to guide injury-depleted San Antonio to a 104-92 win over Boston.
Marco Belinelli added 16 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists for the Spurs, who played without injured trio Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili and Tiago Splitter.
Rajon Rondo led Boston with 16 points.
Toronto ended a run of five-successive home defeats by Atlanta, beating the Hawks 104-83, with DeMar DeRozan scoring 31 points.
Kyle Lowry had 16 points and 13 assists as the Raptors beat the Hawks in Toronto for the first time since 2010 and maintained a three-game lead atop the Atlantic Division.
Gustavo Ayon had 18 points and 10 rebounds for the Hawks, who have lost five straight.
Minnesota's Kevin Love led the Timberwolves over Denver 117-90, hitting six 3-pointers and finishing with 32 points and 11 rebounds.
Corey Brewer added 22 points for Minnesota, which welcomed back coach Rick Adelman after he missed the previous game due to his wife's health problem.
Denver (24-27) has dropped nine of 13 and four in a row to fall behind Minnesota (25-28) and into 11th place in the West. The Wolves trail eighth-place Phoenix by six games.
Jordan Hamilton's 16 points led the Nuggets, who have lost four in a row to sit below the Timberwolves and six games off the last playoff spot in the West.
Brooklyn's Paul Pierce scored 25 points to lead the Nets over Charlotte 105-89.
Memphis held off Orlando and won 86-81, with Zach Randolph scoring 20 points.
Cleveland's Kyrie Irving sank a 3-pointer as the shot clock expired with 27.2 seconds remaining, lifting the Cavaliers to a 93-89 win over Detroit.
Sacramento's Rudy Gay made the tying basket in regulation and a 3-pointer in overtime to give the Kings a 106-101 win over struggling New York.
Utah's Alec Burks scored 10 of his 26 points in the final 2 minutes to lift the Jazz to a 105-100 win over skidding Philadelphia.
New Orleans beat Milwaukee 102-98, with Eric Gordon scoring 21 points to lead seven Pelicans in double figures.
Source: Associated Press
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