On Lookahead Tuesday, LeBron comes up big in fourth quarter

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The following sentence you are about to read is true.

In Tuesday night’s home win over Philadelphia, LeBron James scored 14 straight Miami points in the fourth quarter.

Look, a lot has been made of James’ disappearing acts in the guts of the game. Some of it is hater bait, but some of it is warranted. And most of what has been warranted dates to when he arrived in Miami at the beginning of last season.

For the most part, James wasn’t like this in Cleveland. Remember the one-man show against Detroit in the playoffs? The duel with Paul Pierce in Boston? The ridiculous fadeaway 3-pointer at the horn vs. Orlando?

In Cleveland, James couldn’t be a decoy or a passer down the stretch because there was no one else to take charge. As Lou Carnessecca used to say, his rear end was in Macy’s window. In Miami, James has Dwyane Wade and – to a lesser degree – Chris Bosh. He has seemed more than willing to step out of the spotlight, and that’s not what we want from our superstars.

Against the 76ers, James didn’t have Wade, who was out with a sore knee. He had no choice but to do it himself. So that’s what he did.

From Ethan Skolnick of the Palm Beach Post: “The night was about continuations, the continuation of dominance at home and of a particular opponent. But it was about something else, too: the resumption of LeBron James’ brilliance after an elongated interruption. Miami needed his best Tuesday to slip by Philadelphia, 99-93. It needed his best to help overcome the absence of Dwyane Wade due to a sore knee. ”I knew I had to pick it up offensively,” James said. It needed his best to provide scoring down the stretch, which he did by scoring all 14 of the Heat’s points during a six-minute segment of the fourth quarter, a segment in which the 76ers scored 12. It needed his best to extend other streaks, now 16 consecutive wins at home, now 11 regular-season wins in a row against Philadelphia, now four straight seasons with playoff berths. The Heat needed his best because it badly needed this victory in the aftermath of Sunday’s embarrassing overall effort in Boston. “He showed why he’s one of the greatest players in the game,” 76ers coach Doug Collins said. James did with a season-best 41 points, many of them as the shot clock was expiring with the Heat desperate for a play.”

En route to a season high, James made 15-of-25 shots and 10-of-13 free throws, attempting four less foul shots than the entire Sixers team. It marked the first time he eclipsed 30 points in nearly three weeks, and he rinsed away a little of the bad taste in Miami’s mouths from Sunday’s dispirited loss in Boston.

However, one big fourth quarter doesn’t mean James will now be the player everyone expects him to be with the game on the line. Remaining fresh in everyone’s memory are the vanishing acts in Golden State and Los Angeles and the pass to Udonis Haslem in Utah.

And of course, last year’s Finals, which remain a prominent talking point until James gets a ring.

How much did Tuesday’s outburst do to help burnish a new reputation for James? Consider that even his coach was among those couching the performance.

From Ira Winderman of the Fort Lauderdale Sun Sentinel: “The game turned with 4:42 to play in the third quarter when, in transition, Chalmers accidentally caught 76ers forward Andre Iguodala in the left eye, called for a foul on the play. In the wake of that stoppage, the Heat got a fastbreak dunk from Chris Bosh off a James feed, with James then converting a 3-pointer for a 73-64 lead. Bosh closed with 17 points and five rebounds. “Some of those possessions at the end of the offense possibly would have been a little more competitive,” Spoelstra said of Iguodala being lost for the balance of the game.”

Iguodala, one of the best 1-on-1 defenders in the league, wasn’t exactly shutting down James, who had 21 points to that point in the game. But from the time Iguodala exited, James dropped another 20, abusing Evan Turner, Thaddeus Young and whoever else had the misfortune of matching up with him.

James needs to understand that this is what fans want him to be – a closer. It really is OK if he shares the role with Wade; that’s what should be done to make things miserable for opposing defenses. But he cannot simply just step aside and let Wade be the primary option every time both of them are on the court in crunch time.

Miami deserves some credit for its 16th straight home win in not looking ahead to Wednesday night’s home rematch with Oklahoma City. There were a number of teams that were positioned to get caught looking ahead to a bigger game, and most of them did a good job concentrating on the matter at hand.

However, the Orlando Magic did not.

It’s hard to say whether the Magic were looking ahead to Thursday’s home game vs. the New York Knicks or to when Dwight Howard and a couple of other starters will be back on the court, which could be one and the same. But whatever Orlando was doing in a 102-95 loss at Detroit, it wasn’t defending.

From Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel: “Several minutes into Tuesday night’s fourth quarter, Stan Van Gundy shouted something from the Orlando Magic bench onto The Palace of Auburn Hills court. “Come on!” he yelled. “Get a stop!” That didn’t happen. Detroit Pistons guard Will Bynum drove through the defense for a layup. That sequence stands out as a microcosm of the entire night. Playing without three injured starters — Dwight Howard, Jameer Nelson and Ryan Anderson — the Magic showed plenty of heart but nowhere near enough defense. The Pistons shot almost 67 percent from the field in the second half and ran away from the Magic 102-95. “We don’t play any defense,” Van Gundy said afterward. The Pistons shot nearly 57 percent overall, the second game in a row that the Magic gave up a season-worst field-goal percentage. It’s no coincidence that Howard, the reigning three-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year, missed both games. “We won’t contend for nothing if we don’t play defense,” big man Glen Davis said. That inability to defend doomed the Magic. They were tied with the Pistons 74-74 entering the fourth quarter but allowed Detroit to hit 12 of their 18 fourth-quarter shots.”

The consecutive losses without Howard have dropped the Magic from third to fifth in the East, changing their first-round opponent from Atlanta to Boston in a playoff picture that resembles a kaleidescope right now.

Taking over third place was the Indiana Pacers, who for one night ditched Frank Vogel’s “smashmouth basketball” and used a different strategy to overcome a 17-point second-half deficit in a 112-104 home win over the Knicks.

From Mike Wells of the Indianapolis Star: “The Knicks (27-27) opened the game with Anthony at power forward. Vogel decided to stick with his power forward duo of David West and Tyler Hansbrough in an attempt to go at Anthony in the post on the other end of the court. Anthony made Vogel and the Pacers pay for that decision. The Knicks All-Star had 27 points through three quarters when the Knicks led by 15 points heading into the final quarter. Anthony finished with 39 points. That’s when Vogel gave in and made the lineup change by sliding Granger to power forward. “For a couple of days I was thinking about all the options we had,” Vogel said. “That was in the back of my mind to make that adjustment, but like I said, we tried to impose our will and when it’s not working you have to try something different.” Vogel went with the lineup of Granger, Paul George, George Hill, Leandro Barbosa and Lou Amundson most of the fourth quarter.”

That group rang up a 40-point fourth quarter that blindsided the banged-up Knicks, who appeared to already have put this one in the W column. That’s not really a smart approach at this time of the season.

From Marc Berman of the New York Post: “In the final seconds, after the Knicks had already disgraced themselves in the fourth quarter, J.R. Smith ran downcourt with Leandro Barbosa, bumping him along the way. After Carmelo Anthony scored on a putback, Smith and Barbosa got entangled and Smith threw him to the court, getting ejected with 10.7 seconds left — the final exclamation mark to the Knicks’ fourth-quarter meltdown. The game was over by then as the Knicks were destroyed 40-17 in the fourth quarter in blowing a 17-point late third-quarter lead and suffering a 112-104 loss to the Pacers Tuesday night at Bankers Life Field House. If they miss out on a playoff berth, they can remember this horrible collapse when they had the game won despite missing the injured Amar’e Stoudemire and Jeremy Lin for a fifth straight contest. Interim Mike Woodson called Smith’s display “unprofessional,” and really he could have been talking about the entire team over the final 13 minutes, when the Knicks got outworked by the Pacers. “Forty points in the fourth quarter is too much,’’ Anthony said. “They were able to get stops, rebounds and just outworked us. We kind of got lax going into the fourth quarter and they ran away with it. They wanted it more. “I think we got a little bit complacent being up 17. It was just unfortunate. We can’t have that.” Anthony finished with a season-high 39 points, dazzled for three quarters in his new position at power forward, but couldn’t hit the big shot late, missing two key 3-pointers in the final minute.”

It might be best for the Knicks not to look ahead. After visiting Orlando on Thursday, they have a home-and-home with Chicago before a visit to Milwaukee a week from today that likely will decide the eighth seed in the East.

Elsewhere on lookahead Tuesday …

  • The Spurs, who almost never look ahead, will arrive in Boston a rested group after an ideal 125-90 win at Cleveland, which has lost eight straight ballgames. Former Cav Danny Green scored 19 points in a team-high 26 minutes; no other starter played more than 23. Patty Mills scored 20 points in 20 minutes off the bench.
  • The Lakers almost got caught taking a peek at their Pacific Division showdown with the Clippers. They opened a 17-point lead on the Nets, then gave it all back and were tied with 90 seconds to play. With LA holding a one-point lead and inbounding with less than three seconds on the shot clock, Kobe Bryant fired a 27-foot 3-pointer that hit the rim at least six times and the backboard once before dropping through for a 91-87 win. Since missing his first 15 shots vs. New Orleans on Saturday, Bryant has 75 points on 29-of-50 shooting in the last nine quarters. The Nets had won a season-high three in a row.
  • The playoff-hungry Suns continued their postseason push with a 109-100 victory at Sacramento. Phoenix led by as many as 17 in the first half and still held a double-digit lead midway through the third quarter before Sacramento made a push and actually took the lead early in the final period. Then Steve Nash came to the rescue with a 3-pointer, a runner and a feed to Channing Frye for a 3-pointer in 64 seconds to rebuild the lead to 11 points. Nash had 18 points and 12 assists for the Suns, who are 1 1/2 games behind eighth-place Houston and just one-half game behind ninth-place Utah, whom they visit tonight. DeMarcus Cousins scored a career-high 41 points for the Kings.
  • The host Grizzlies stopped patting themselves on the back long enough to rally for a 98-94 win over the Warriors. Coming off Monday’s win at Oklahoma City, Memphis trailed by 12 in the fourth quarter before using a 13-0 run to take the lead, then finished off Golden State, which has lost six in a row. Grizzlies reserves Dante Cunningham and Gilbert Arenas combined to shoot 10-of-10 from the field. Memphis’ reward is a visit to Dallas for a third game in three nights.
  • The Raptors avoided looking ahead to their tee times later this month and held on to beat the visiting Bobcats, 92-87, as Andrea Bargnani scored 30 points. Toronto has won two in a row for the first time since Jan. 24-25. If Charlotte – which somehow had won its last six meetings with Toronto – loses all of its remaining 11 games, it will finish with a worse winning percentage than the 1972-73 Philadelphia 76ers.
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Grizzlies win in OKC; Bulls lose at home to Rockets

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You won’t read this sentence too many times: The Oklahoma City Thunder lost at home, and so did the Chicago Bulls.

And you haven’t read this sentence in more than a year: The Bulls have now lost consecutive games.

While Kentucky predictably won the NCAA championship Monday night, it was a different story in the NBA.

The two best teams lost, both at home, and the playoff races got even tighter. Fasten your seat belts, because this is shaping up as a wild ride before the postseason arrives.

The Memphis Grizzlies have given the Oklahoma City Thunder fits all season long — and even before that. So should we be shocked at what happened last night?

The rivalry dates back to last season when the Grizzlies took three of the four meetings in the regular season by a total margin of 15 points before losing to the Thunder in the Western Conference semifinals, where the series went to a seventh game.

The series included a triple-overtime and a single-overtime game. Though it fizzled out by the seventh game with a convincing win for the Thunder, it turned out to be a gritty and compelling series that has spawned a rivalry.

The script had flipped this season, with the Thunder taking the first three meetings by a total margin of 15 points.

And then came Monday, with the Grizzlies making sure there would be no season sweep and no mental edge should the teams meet in the postseason again.

Despite playing without starting point guard Mike Conley, the Grizzlies showed their grit by coming up with key plays on both ends of the court to end the Thunder’s six-game winning streak and hand Oklahoma City only its fifth home loss of the season.

O.J. Mayo scored a game-high 22 points and hit timely shots, including a 3-pointer with 17 seconds left to seal the game. Russell Westbrook was limited to just five-of-16 shooting and committed five turnovers. Kevin Durant scored 21 points on 20 shots.

Afterward, the two teams acknowledged the toughness of the matchup.

From Michael Baldwin of The Oklahoman: “Memphis’ 94-88 win over the Thunder on Monday night reminded a Chesapeake Arena sellout crowd and national pundits the Grizzlies once again could be a handful in this year’s NBA playoffs… “They’re tough. We saw that firsthand last year with the guys they had, and they didn’t have Rudy Gay last year,” said Thunder star Kevin Durant. “They’re a tough, tough team.” Tough is the appropriate description. “Memphis is good,” said Thunder coach Scott Brooks. “They’re physical. They’re good inside, good outside. They have toughness and they defend. They lead the league in steals and forcing turnovers, scoring off turnovers and offensive rebounds.” That was the Grizzlies’ winning formula in last year’s playoffs and again Monday night. Memphis grabbed 14 offensive rebounds and scored 23 points off 18 OKC turnovers. Now that All-Star power forward Zach Randolph has returned from a knee injury that sidelined him three months, the Grizzlies have three weeks to build some momentum. One of the most physical post players in the league, Randolph can be a load. In last year’s Thunder/Grizzlies series, he averaged 23.8 points and 12.7 points. “We feel we match up pretty well with them,” Randolph said. “Every time we play, it’s two teams that compete really hard. If we played them again I would think it would be a real tough, drag-out series, probably go seven games like last year.”… “It’s a totally new season, totally different,” said Memphis coach Lionel Hollins. “The Thunder have been on top of their game from the start. Their defense has been outstanding. Their confidence as a team has grown so much that they find a way to win.”

Oklahoma City – the highest scoring team in the league – was held to its lowest scoring game since Jan. 21 when the Thunder scored just 84 points against the New Jersey Nets.

From Darnell Mayberry of The Oklahoman: “The Grizzlies held the Thunder to a season-low two fast-break points to secure a 94-88 win inside Chesapeake Energy Arena and salvage a victory in the four-game regular season series. “We weren’t running the ball as (well) as we would have liked,” said Thunder coach Scott Brooks. “We had been on a nice running, transition streak. We’ve been very good in our transition … But they did a good job. They got back and they made us play in the half court.” Oklahoma City entered the game ranked sixth in fast-break points and had not scored fewer than five in any other game all year. At halftime, however, the Thunder still had not registered a transition bucket… Much of the problem was the Grizzlies’ superb ball security. Memphis turned it over only 10 times, preventing the Thunder from turning multiple mistakes into easy makes. “A lot of people think we just get the ball out and run,” said Kevin Durant. “But our fast-break points usually come off of us getting turnovers and playing defense. And tonight, they took care of the ball a little better.” The Thunder’s defense did its part, holding Memphis to 39.1 percent shooting and just 4-of-16 from behind the 3-point line. But as has been the case for much of the season, the two most problematic areas — turnovers and defensive rebounding — haunted the Thunder yet again. Oklahoma City had 18 turnovers leading to 23 Grizzlies points, and Memphis manhandled the Thunder on the glass early, using 10 first-half offensive rebounds to score 12 second-chance points to stay within two at halftime despite shooting just 30 percent.”

A team that may be every bit as good as the Grizzlies —  or not quite good enough to make the playoffs — the Houston Rockets managed to beat the Bulls on their home floor to give Chicago its first two-game losing streak of the season.

From Jonathan Feigen of Houston Chronicle: “After 54 games, this win was the Rockets’ best. A case could be made for the comeback in Oklahoma City. It came later, all in the final minutes and at the end of a brutal five-game road trip when they lost Kyle Lowry and Kevin Martin. The win against the Lakers, from a 17-point deficit, gets in the conversation, with the Rockets finishing the game the way Kobe Bryant and the Lakers have against them so often. This one was better. This win is their best because it was a more thorough turnaround, under tougher circumstances. The Thunder were closer to full strength when the Rockets rallied past them last month. Thabo Sefolosha was out then, and Russell Westbrook lost his mind for a few key minutes, but that was still an outstanding comeback. The Bulls were without Derrick Rose again and they are a different team with last season’s MVP. But he has missed 21 games this season and they still came into the game with the league’s best record. They are especially tough at home. And they had not lost consecutive games since February, 2011, a streak of 86 games going into Monday’s that is the second longest in league history. The Rockets, who went to overtime the night before, were 1-9 in the second half of back-to-backs and by midway through the second quarter, trailed by 15… A look at the standings – they are just one game removed from the lottery – shows how vital every win will be, especially after dropping a home game on Sunday before a stretch of four on the road.”

Goran Dragic continued his remarkable run as the starting point guard with 21 points on eight-of-12 shooting, five assists and four steals, Luis Scola had 18 points, 12 rebounds and six assists, and Marcus Camby added 12 points and 11 rebounds. Courtney Lee scored 13 points including this dagger to cap the comeback victory.

And finally, two teams both the Grizzlies and the Rockets trailed before the start of the night played against each other in what turned out to be a lopsided victory for the Clippers, thanks to another solid shooting night from Randy Foye. Actually, it was more than just another solid shooting night.

From Broderick Turner of Los Angeles Times: “Right after Randy Foye made his Clippers-record-tying eighth three-pointer in the fourth quarter, and Dallas called a timeout because Foye had responded yet again to a small Mavericks run, DeAndre Jordan and Blake Griffin ran onto the court and grabbed their smiling teammate. They all had reasons to smile because Foye’s historic Monday night, on which he scored a season-high 28 points, pushed the Clippers to a 94-75 victory over the Dallas Mavericks at American Airlines Center. Foye was eight for 15 from three-point range, his makes tying the franchise record set by Quentin Richardson on Feb. 4, 2004, at Boston. ”I’m just being aggressive,” Foye said. “That was my main thing, just to come and be aggressive.” Because Foye was so aggressive, because he was 10 for 19 from the field, the Clippers won their sixth consecutive game and won the three-game season series over the Mavericks, 2-1. That’s their longest winning streak since March 18-31, 1992. Since moving to Los Angeles in 1984, the Clippers now have had just four winning streaks of six games or more.”

The Clippers now have some breathing room at the fourth seed with a two-game lead over the Grizzlies. They have a night off before a showdown at Staples Center against the Lakers on Wednesday night on ESPN.

Elsewhere…

  • The Bucks easily dispatched the lowly Wizards 112-98 and moved within two games of the eighth-seeded Knicks. Brandon Jennings scored 17 of his 19 points in the third quarter, Monta Ellis and Mike Dunleavy chipped in 17 points each, and Ersan Ilyasova had 16 points and 11 rebounds. Milwaukee plays its next five games at home against sub .500 teams before facing Oklahoma City and a showdown against New York.
  • The Jazz capitalized on a couple of crucial turnovers by Raymond Felton down the stretch to defeat Portland at the Rose Garden Arena 102-97. Paul Millsap starred with 31 points and 11 rebounds, Al Jefferson had 13 points and 10 rebounds, Derrick Favors had 11 points and 11 rebounds, and Gordon Hayward added 20 points. It was the play of Jamaal Tinsley, however, that helped seal the game down stretch as he set up teammates and came up with a crucial steal against Felton with less than 30 seconds left in the game. Wesley Matthews scored a game-high 33 points and LaMarcus Aldridge had 27 points. Utah stayed one game behind Houston for the eighth seed.
  • Just as Nikola Pekovic returned from a seven-game absence due to a bum ankle, the Timberwolves lost Luke Ridnour — likely for the remainder of the season — on a gruesome ankle sprain and suffered their third-consecutive loss against the Kings, 116-108. Tyreke Evans was all over the court with 24 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists while DeMarcus Cousins had 20 points and nine rebounds. Rookie of the month Isaiah Thomas had 17 points and five assists. Marcus Thornton left the game with a calf injury late in the first quarter after a violent crash with Ridnour, allowing Terrence Williams to showcase his talents with 12 points and 12 rebounds. Kevin Love had 23 points but played limited minutes due to foul trouble.

James Park is a regular contributor to Sheridanhoops.com. Follow him on twitter. 

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Where’s Steve Nash playing next? Maybe the playoffs

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Today, we will spare you the details of the Sunday afternoon blowouts that made for a fine laundry day.

The Heat were held to 72 points by Boston and lost. Miami is doggin’ it during the dog days, and to quote Ned Flanders: “That’s a D-D-D: Dig Diddly Doo.”

The Bulls didn’t have Derrick Rose again and got waxed by the Thunder, whose former in-house beat writer, now employed here, now says they appear to be championship worthy after knocking off the Clippers, Heat, Lakers and Bulls in building their current six-game winning streak.

We shall be talking about those teams well into June, and eventually we’ll get to July, when Steve Nash will be among the many free agents on the market. And if you’ve heard any of the talking heads on TV discussing Nash, they don’t want to focus on what he is bringing to the Phoenix Suns this year, but rather where he’ll end up next year — Miami? New York? Toronto?

Memo to the mainstream media: Y’all ought to be talking about whether he’ll be playing in May, because he just might be despite the Suns’ 13-20 record over the first half of the season that had everyone writing them off.

We just got through a month of March in which the Suns posted an 11-6 record to climb back into playoff contention, and April has begun with another victory by Phoenix that moved them to .500 (26-26) and within 1 1/2 games of eighth-place Houston, which lost in overtime to Indiana when Danny Granger capped a fantastic game by blocking Chandler Parsons’ potential game-tying 3-pointer just before the buzzer of a 104-102 Pacers’ victory.

Houston is now just a half-game ahead of ninth-place Utah, which will play host to the Suns on Tuesday night as Phoenix begins a three-game-in-four-nights road trip that could make or break their playoff chances.

“We had to come out and get the win,” said Jared Dudley, who scored 21 points to back Nash’s 14 assists as Phoenix defeated New Orleans 92-75. “We are at home, fighting for playoffs. We see that Houston has been losing, Utah has been losing, so we have to keep it going. It is going to come down to the road games, so the home games are must wins. It doesn’t matter who comes here.”

The Suns play seven of their next eight on the road, then five of their final six at home. If they keep winning two-thirds of their games the way they’ve been doing since Sadie Hawkins Day came and went, there’s going to be a 38-year-old point guard running circles around some young buck in the first round of the postseason.

“We are going to have games that we have to win and a lot of those games are going to be on the road,” Phoenix coach Alvin Gentry said. “For us, this is our first playoff game and we get on a plane and fly to Sacramento and that will be our next playoff game. I think that is how we have to approach it.”

From Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic: “New Orleans posted the second lowest Suns opponent scoring total of the season. Only Boston, a 79-71 loser to Phoenix on Jan. 20, scored fewer points in a game against the Suns this season. The Hornets shot 41.6 percent and had 19 turnovers while getting to the free-throw line once until there was 1:25 remaining in the third quarter. The Suns did not allow New Orleans, which blew a 10-point, fourth-quarter lead Saturday to the Lakers, to score on a fast-break field goal. The Hornets barely got into transition at all (three missed shots and one free-throw point). (Shannon) Brown again stepped in ably for (Grant) Hill, giving him five double-digit games in five starts this season. Brown scored 16 on Sunday, getting most of his scores when the Suns stretched their lead in the middle of the game. Brown had a six-point, 25-second stretch in the third quarter. Without Brown’s bench scoring, center Robin Lopez boosted the second unit with 10 first-half points. “He really beasted us,” said New Orleans coach Monty Williams, who ripped himself for underestimating Lopez on opening night when Lopez scored 21. ”What’s nice is we’re able to jibe the units,” Lopez said. “JD (Dudley) can play with the second unit. Grant did that before he got hurt. Now Shannon is with the first unit so it gives us more consistency when we have to make that transition.” The Suns won despite their second consecutive poor 3-point shooting game, a 3-for-15 game that included Josh Childress’ first 3 since Feb. 4. After logging seven minutes in the previous 20 games, Childress grabbed six rebounds in 19 minutes.”

It now appears Denver, Houston, Utah and Phoenix, currently ranked 7th through 10th in the West, are going to compete for the final two playoff spots in the West.

Denver has only six home games remaining, Houston has five, and Utah seven.

The Rockets had a home victory within reach, but the Pacers overcame a 10-point fourth-quarter deficit to force overtime and then outrebounded Houston 9-0 in the extra period and got the key last-second block from Granger, who scored 32.

From Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle: “I was driving, and he (Granger) cut me off,” Parsons said. “The clock was running out, so I tried to shoot a step-back 3, and he got a piece of it.” It was the third time in the last four home games the Rockets went to overtime. The loss dropped them into eighth place in the Western Conference, just one game in front of Utah. But the Rockets lamented several turns along the way far more than coming up empty on the last shot. The toughest break came with 17.8 seconds remaining in overtime after they had rallied back from a six-point deficit to within one. Paul George had finished a three-point play, and Granger had put in his sixth 3-pointer of the game on his way to 32 points. But Goran Dragic hit a 3, and moments later, Parsons swiped a George pass and put in a layup to cut the margin to one. When Marcus Camby poked away a pass inside, Courtney Lee and George grabbed it and fought for control. But when Lee finally pulled it loose, he stumbled away and was called for traveling. “We were tangled up for about 10 seconds,” Lee said. “I was able to rip it away. I was trying to call timeout, but my feet didn’t stop moving, I guess.” Asked what he was told about why that was not a jump ball, Lee said: “I tried to talk to the refs. They told me they’re not talking.” The turnover proved costly two seconds later when Dragic was caught on Granger and fouled him to stop the clock with 15.7 seconds left for his sixth foul. “We were trying to switch everything,” Rockets coach Kevin McHale said. “He got switched off on the guy. We wanted Goran not to be on the guy, needless to say. But at that point, we should have substituted and tried to get him out.”

The Rockets now have to head into Chicago tonight to face a Bulls team that still has not lost consecutive games all season (no NBA team has ever accomplished that feat over an entire season), while the Jazz will be playing on the road in Portland against a Trail Blazers team that is making a last-gasp effort to climb back to.500 and get themselves back into the playoff contention mix.

It’s going to be a heck of an April for the teams fighting to make it to the playoffs, and no race will be more fun to follow than the one in the West where there are 10-11 good teams and only eight postseason slots available.

Here’s what else happened Sunday:

  • As was explained here in great depth and detail yesterday morning, Kevin Love deserves MVP consideration if he leads his team into the playoffs. Well, that is looking less and less likely after Minnesota fell four games under .500 and into 12th place in the West with a 119-106 loss to the Trail Blazers. Minnesota had only nine healthy players.
  • Rajon Rondo had 16 points, 14 assists and 11 rebounds, and Boston handed Miami its biggest loss of the season, 91-72, pulling away with a dominant third quarter. Rondo had eight assists in that period when the Celtics outscored the Heat 31-12, turning a 49-44 halftime lead into an 80-56 advantage. They stayed ahead by at least 19 the rest of the way for their fifth straight win.
  • Russell Westbrook scored 27 points, Kevin Durant had 26 points and 10 rebounds and the Thunder used a dominant third quarter of their own (31-12) to beat Chicago 92-78 on Sunday and move within a game of the Bulls for the NBA’s best record. ”It was disappointing, not that any game is more important than others. But obviously this was a game between the best team in the East and the best team in the West,” Chicago’s Joakim Noah said.
  • Kobe Bryant scored 40 points — his fifth such game this season — one night after missing his first 15 shots in a win over New Orleans, and Pau Gasol added 26 as the Lakers rallied for the second consecutive game against one of the West’s worst teams to defeat Golden State 120-111. Los Angeles, 17th in the NBA in scoring, had its highest point total of the season.
  • Dwight Howard (back spasms) missed only the fourth game of his eight-year career due to injury, and the Denver Nuggets took advantage with a 104-101 road victory despite this boxscore line from starting center JaVale McGee: Two points, five fouls and a minus-19 in 11 minutes. Magic coach Stan Van Gundy continued to contend Sunday that the injury is result of Howard being jabbed in the back in the post by Mavericks center Brendan Haywood during a loss to the Mavericks on Friday. Haywood has denied the accusation, but Magic officials have sent what they say is video proof of the plays in question to the NBA office for review.
  • Nearly 17,000 Canadians had nothing better to do than attend the Raptors’ 99-92 victory over Washington. Jose Calderon finished with eight assists, ending a run of five straight games with at least 10.
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Knicks lose Lin but beat Cavs; Kobe hits game winner; Chris Paul dominates Jazz

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When Jeremy Lin sat out a playoff-implication game against Milwaukee due to a sore left knee on Monday, the absence was expected.

When he sat out again two days later against Orlando, there was cause for concern. As teammates said, Lin is not the type of player to sit out games unless it was something serious.

After avoiding the media prior to the game against the Hawks on Friday, it became clear something was amiss.

Then suddenly, at least for now, the sensation known as Linsanity ended the same way it started:  Shockingly, unexpectedly and out of nowhere.

The playoff hopes of the New York Knicks took a dive on Saturday night as news broke about Lin’s need for a surgical procedure to repair a slightly torn meniscus in his left knee which will sideline him for six weeks.

It had been a somber week for the hopeful point guard.

From Howard Beck of The New York Times: “The revelation of Lin’s injury came a week after he first complained of soreness in the knee, in a March 24 victory over Detroit. A magnetic resonance imaging test Monday showed what the team called a small, chronic tear — meaning the injury had been present for some time — and Lin sat out the next three games. The extent of the injury was not announced until Saturday, in the hope that Lin’s knee would respond to treatment and allow him to keep playing. But the pain persisted, and after testing the knee once more Saturday morning, Lin opted for immediate surgery. “I can’t really do much, can’t really cut or jump,” Lin said in a news conference. “So it’s pretty clear that I won’t be able to help the team unless I get this fixed right now. It’s disappointing for me; it’s hard to watch the games. And I think I want to be out there, obviously, more than anything, to help the team.” Assuming Lin does not return, the operation will represent a somber conclusion to a story that captivated the world and launched Linsanity.”

The loss of Lin means an adjusted style of play and an even greater emphasis on the need for a consistent defensive effort for the Knicks, who are now forced to start a banged-up Baron Davis for the remainder of the season.

From Jared Zwerling of ESPN New York: “The Knicks were just 8-15 prior to Feb. 4, when Linsanity broke out, but since then (entering Saturday) they’ve increased their offensive efficiency by nearly five points per 100 possessions, winning 18 of 29 games. Not only that, the Knicks have outscored their opponents by 144 points, with the cat quick Lin on the court (compared to the halfcourt-oriented Baron Davis, who’s a step slower). That offensive tempo slowed down when Lin missed three straight games with a sore left knee, as the Knicks only averaged 95.7 points per game. And that continued Saturday night against the Cavaliers, after news broke pregame that Lin would be out approximately six weeks with a small chronic meniscal tear in his left knee. The Knicks knocked off the Cavaliers 91-75, setting a season mark for the lowest points allowed in a game. Afterwards, Tyson Chandler said that without Lin pushing the pace and creating easier scoring opportunities for others, the team will need to place a greater emphasis on defense, so they can put points on the board generated more from stops and steals.”

Though highly unfortunate, Lin is lucky in the sense that the injury came after his memorable and historical run. It allowed the league to see the talents he possessed, which will easily translate to a stable contract come July. He is a restricted free agent and his heart sits with the first team that gave him a chance to play, but New York’s plan remains to be seen.

More from Isola: “Lin’s future is uncertain. He will be a free agent on July 1, and the coach he thrived under, Mike D’Antoni, was replaced by Woodson. In all likelihood, the Knicks, who have made a small fortune from Linsanity, will look to retain the Harvard graduate. However, they may also try to upgrade at the position and potentially look into signing free agent-to-be Steve Nash.  “I’m not even worried about that right now,” Lin said of his pending free agency. “It’s not like a career-ending thing, or it’s not something that will bother me. Once it’s fixed, it’s fixed. It’s the most simple surgery you can have. I’m more concerned about the season.” Lin, who was cut by the Warriors and Rockets in December and spent time in the D-League, also made it clear that he wants his future to be in the same place where his career really began.“Oh yeah, I think New York, the way the city, the fans, writers, the media, everybody, I think, it’s been an unbelievable journey,” Lin said. “I would love to keep this team together as long as we can, everybody, top to bottom, I think. we’re growing as a team, we’re finding an identity, we’re getting better. And we have so much potential, we have so much talent, and I think it’s a process in terms of reaching our potential.”

On the other side of the country, Kobe Bryant stunk up the court — missing his first 15 shots against the short-handed visiting Hornets — but saved the best for last when he hit the game-winning 3-pointer with 20 seconds left.

Afterward, there was concern of fatigue setting in on the aging superstar who has had a notable string of bad games — shooting better than 38% just twice in the last eight games.

From Mike Bresnahan of Los Angeles Times: “The Lakers couldn’t possibly be thrilled with beating the injury-ravaged New Orleans Hornets, though Kobe Bryant was laughing afterward. He was relieved his three-for-21 shooting effort didn’t cost his team a victory. The Lakers beat an NBA franchise Saturday, allegedly, their 88-85 victory reflected in the standings as such, though the Hornets were closer to Development League material. It made Bryant’s woes much more obvious. He set a slew of personal marks with his inaccuracy but made the go-ahead three-pointer with 20.2 seconds left, surprising almost nobody at Staples Center. He finished with 11 points against a team that had only eight healthy players and owned the worst record in the Western Conference. ”Fatigue might have something to do with it …” Bryant said. Uh-oh, the dreaded F-word. Bryant, 33, leads the league in scoring but is third in minutes per game.”

Luckily, the rest of the Lakers starters all shot 50% or better to help keep the game close. Pau Gasol led the way with 21 points and 11 rebounds and Andrew Bynum added 19 points and 10 rebounds.

Later in the night, the Clippers took over the Staples Center and continued to roll with their fifth consecutive victory over the Jazz, flaming out the drama that surrounded Vinny Del Negro just a week ago.

Chris Paul suffered what appeared to be a stinger of his elbow, but never let it affect his play.

From Broderick Turner of Los Angeles Times: “Chris Paul, the Clippers’ leader and resident closer in tough games, suffered a bruised right elbow with 7 minutes 37 seconds left in the third quarter of their 105-96 victory over the Utah Jazz on Saturday night at Staples Center. After receiving medical attention while on the Clippers’ bench, Paul went to the locker room. Paul came back onto the court and took a seat on the bench with 11:16 left in the fourth quarter and the Clippers leading, 83-66. He reentered the game with 11 minutes left to an ovation. Paul wore a red sleeve on his right arm, matching one he wore on his left arm. You wouldn’t have known Paul was injured from the way he played. He finished with 26 points and six assists, pushing the Clippers to a season-high five-game winning streak. Because of Paul’s play, Griffin’s 24 points and Randy Foye’s 17 points, the Clippers had a strong conclusion to the month of March, which figured to be taxing physically and mentally, and possibly a defining month for their season.”

Elsewhere…

  • The Spurs are once again quietly piling up the wins as they won their seventh-straight game, defeating the visiting Pacers 112-103. Tim Duncan led all scorers with 23 points and grabbed 11 rebounds while Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili chipped in with 18 points apiece. San Antonio continues to fight for the best record in the West as they trail the Thunder by 2 1/2 games.
  • Don’t look now, but the Nets are on a tear after winning their third consecutive game against the Kings 111-99. After putting up just one point in the previous game, Anthony Morrow scored a game-high 24 points including six 3-pointers. Deron Williams controlled the game with 19 points and 15 assists while Gerald Wallace added 18 points.
  • Philadelphia defeated Atlanta 95-90 in a close contest to stay within striking distance of Boston, which holds a 1/2 game lead in the Atlantic Division. Elton Brand was heroic, scoring 13 of his season-high 25 points in the fourth quarter. He also shot 10-of-12 and grabbed 10 rebounds while Andre Iguodala chipped in 18 points. The Hawks came up short despite 34 points, nine rebounds and five assists from Josh Smith and dropped 1/2 game below the Pacers.
  • With point guard Mike Conley (ankle) sidelined, O.J. Mayo stepped up with a season-high 24 points to help the Grizzlies defeat the Bucks 99-95 on the road. Marc Gasol led three players in double-digit rebounds with 15 while adding 13 points and Rudy Gay added 17 points. Milwaukee had three players with 20 points or more, but fell back to 2 1/2 games behind the Knicks.
  • Two teams playing for ping-pong balls collided as Detroit rallied to defeat the Bobcats in overtime, 110-107. Tayshaun Prince had 24 points, nine rebounds and four assists but it was Will Bynum who helped erase an eight point deficit in the fourth quarter with 17 points off the bench. Byron Mullens led six scorers in double figures with 20 points as he took the starting job over an ineffective Tyrus Thomas.

James Park is a regular contributor to Sheridanhoops.com. Follow him on twitter.

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Sizzling Celts surpass sliding Sixers atop Atlantic Division

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When both the Boston Celtics and New York Knicks got off to sputtering starts to their seasons, the Philadelphia 76ers gladly assumed the void at the top of the Atlantic Division, which simultaneously is the worst and most valuable division in the NBA.

Despite opening with a five-game road trip, the 76ers grabbed first place before arriving home and held onto it like it was a winning lottery ticket. Since Dec. 28, Philadelphia has not been out of the top spot in the Atlantic.

Until now.

With an absolutely wretched effort against one of the league’s worst teams, the Sixers relinquished first place for the first time in more than three months on Friday night, losing in Washington while the Celtics won in Minnesota.

The Sixers got off to a 20-9 start built mostly through cohesion, health and a soft early schedule. They have muddled along at 8-14 since, with virtually all of their wins coming either against bad teams or division foes. Twice this month, they were in danger of surrendering the top spot in the division but beat the Celtics in a showdown on their home floor.

And now, they appear lost.

From John Mitchell of the Philadelphia Daily News: “After the lottery-bound Washington Wizards soundly beat the 76ers in every statistical category on the way to a 97-76 victory at the Verizon Center on Friday night, the most damaging aspect is that all of a sudden the Sixers, at least to their coach, appear to be a team without an identity. The loss, coupled with Boston’s 100-79 victory over Minnesota, gives the Celtics (29-22) a one-game lead over the Sixers (28-23) in the Atlantic Division. The problem was somewhat clear at halftime when coach Doug Collins, walking with his team to the locker room, shook his head while staring at the floor and dug his hand in his pocket, looking like the perplexed father who doesn’t know what to expect from a wayward child. After a drubbing that saw the Wizards end a five-game losing streak by holding the Sixers to 36.6 percent shooting while making 48.3 percent of their own, outrebound them 52-38, collect 26 assists to the Sixers’ 19, outwork the Sixers, and look the part of the team that has playoff aspirations, Collins sounded as if he had no clue what to expect from these Sixers the next time they take the court. “For whatever reason we weren’t ready,” Collins said. “You get down and you think you are going to turn on some switch or whatever. But those guys knocked us around. They played well. Hats off to them. They played well and they deserved to beat us like they did tonight. That wasn’t even a game.” Asked what he expected of the Sixers when they face Atlanta tonight at Wells Fargo Center, Collins’ answer was puzzling. “I have no idea,” Collins said. “I have no idea.”

The Sixers dropped from fourth to seventh in the Eastern Conference standings, switching places with the Celtics in a significant shift. The winner of the Atlantic is guaranteed one of the top four seeds in the East, which means it likely won’t have to play Chicago or Miami in the first round.

It should be noted that it does not guarantee home-court advantage against the fifth seed. Right now, both Indiana and Atlanta have better records than Philadelphia and Boston and would have Game Seven at home in a potential 4-5 matchup in the first round.

It has been a long climb for the Celtics, who entered the All-Star break with five straight losses and a 15-17 mark. Despite losing three rotation players to injuries since the break, they have gone 14-5 to zoom past both New York and Philadelphia to the top of the division.

They got there because Kevin Garnett was able to corral Kevin Love. In a battle of power forwards excelling while playing out of position at center, the former Timberwolf was a bit better than the current one.

From Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald: “The Celtics found themselves in strange and foreign territory after their 100-79 victory against the Timberwolves last night. For the first time this season, they were alone in first place in the Atlantic Division. They reached that destination largely because Kevin Garnett was in a very familiar place. The talk coming in was about the Wolves’ new Kevin, but KG showed Love no love, going after his replacement in the local pantheon on both ends of the floor. Garnett made 12-of-18 shots on the way to 24 points and 10 rebounds, while Love hit just 5-of-18 for 22 points to go with 11 boards. “I think it’s always personal,” coach Doc Rivers said. “He won’t tell you that either way, but I think everyone’s up when they come back. Kevin is the best player to ever play here. Kevin Love has a chance to be that, as well, or one of them.”

Rivers was careful to note that while the Celtics are a first-place team at the moment, there is no guarantee they will remain in that perch. As March changes to April, the schedule gets far more challenging, especially with Ray Allen and Mickael Pietrus still out of the lineup.

Here’s the lineup: Home games vs. Miami and San Antonio, visits to Chicago and Indiana, and home meetings with Philadelphia and Atlanta around a visit to Miami. That death march is followed by three winnable games, but they come on consecutive nights, all on the road.

From Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com: “Needless to say, Boston is going to have to work if it wants to maintain its new-found one-game advantage atop the Atlantic Division. Boston entered Friday’s game with the toughest remaining schedule (based on winning percentage of opponents), while the path is decidedly easier for the 76ers, who also own the head-to-head tie-breaker against the Celtics in the case of a tie atop the standings. Even still, Boston has built some serious confidence in recent games and it will be interesting to see (1) How that carries over as the schedule increases in difficulty and (2) If the Celtics can maintain their strong play, all while getting back reinforcements like Allen and (potentially) Pietrus before the playoffs arrive.”

The Atlantic could have gotten even tighter had the Knicks been able to maintain their recent success. Just when it looked like that would be the case, injuries caught up to them as well.

Already without Amar’e Stoudemire and Jeremy Lin, the Knicks saw Carmelo Anthony, Tyson Chandler and Baron Davis impacted by injuries in a 100-90 loss at Atlanta that made their current hold on the eighth and final playoff spot in the East a little less comfortable.

From Ray Glier of the New York Times: “Carmelo Anthony said he felt the twinge of pain in his groin in the fourth quarter after he stripped the ball from Atlanta’s Josh Smith and saved it from going out of bounds. He knew he was in trouble, and so were the Knicks. Anthony had just completed a 3-point play with 8 minutes 56 minutes to play to bring the Knicks to within 80-78. With 8:40 left, he gathered up the loose ball after a steal, a defensive gem to go with his offensive gem of a night (36 points). But that was when he hurt himself, and he did not score another field goal as the Hawks pulled away for a 100-90 victory in Philips Arena. It was only the second loss in 10 games for the Knicks since Mike Woodson took over as their interim coach. The Knicks are 26-26, in the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. But they will play the Cleveland Cavaliers at Madison Square Garden on Saturday night with serious injury concerns. Point guard Jeremy Lin (left knee) did not play for the third straight game and forward Amar’e Stoudemire (back) might not be back for the rest of the regular season. The veteran guard Baron Davis was supposed to take over for Lin, but he had ice packs on his back and hamstring after the game and was ineffective Friday night (24 minutes, 4 points, 4 assists, 4 turnovers). The Knicks may also have to deal with a sudden injury to center Tyson Chandler, who said after the game that he also felt some pain in his groin. Chandler was 2 of 4 from the field in 40 minutes and could not find any room to make himself available for passes. The Knicks can survive without Lin, Stoudemire and Davis. They cannot survive without Anthony, who is rejuvenated and a force again. He made 11 of 24 field-goal attempts and 13 of 14 free throws to go along with 9 rebounds and 5 steals.”

The Knicks also have a tough upcoming schedule. After Saturday’s home game vs. slumping Cleveland, they visit Indiana and Orlando and have a home-and-home with Chicago before traveling to Milwaukee.

Elsewhere …

  • The Bucks made things a little tighter in the East with a 121-84 road rout of the Cavaliers, who have lost six in a row. It was the largest margin of victory since 2002 for Milwaukee, which got 28 points from Brandon Jennings and moved within 1 1/2 games of New York for the final playoff spot. Cleveland’s Kyrie Irving, who already has Rookie of the Year locked up, made 6-of-6 3-pointers and scored 29 points, left in the fourth quarter with a shoulder injury and might be out a while.
  • Again playing without Derrick Rose, the Bulls held the Pistons to a pair of 10-point quarters in an 83-71 home win. Luol Deng had 20 points and nine boards and Joakim Noah added 19 and 12 for the Bulls, whose winning percentage without Rose (14-5, .737) would be the fourth-best record in the NBA. Detroit has lost its last 14 meetings with Chicago.
  • The Heat kept pace with a 113-101 win at Toronto. Miami found itself in an 89-89 tie with nine minutes to go, suddenly realized it was playing Toronto and rattled off eight straight points to take control. Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh scored 30 points apiece and LeBron James added 26 and nine assists. The Raptors have lost 10 of 11.
  • Dirk Nowitzki threw in a one-footed rainbow banker with 5.9 seconds left to cap a frantic fourth quarter as the Mavericks edged the Magic, 100-98, in a key interconference tilt, as we used to say at the AP. Nowitzki scored 28 points for Dallas, which has won six straight visits to Orlando. On the Magic’s final possession, Hedo Turkoglu clanged a 3-pointer and Ryan Anderson gagged on a gimme follow shot. Orlando is just 4-4 since Dwight Howard finally made up his mind at the trading deadline.
  • In a game that had three lead changes in the final minute, the Clippers edged the visiting Trail Blazers, 98- 97, to move to 4-0 on their “Save Vinny’s Job” homestand. Chris Paul had 20 points and 14 assists, and made the go-ahead layup with five seconds to play. LA remained one game ahead of Dallas for fourth in the Western Conference. Wesley Matthews missed a runner for Portland, which was without LaMarcus Aldridge (elbow sprain).
  • The win-one-lose-one Nuggets won one, managing a 99-88 road win over the awful Bobcats as Arron Afflalo had points and 12 rebounds. Denver hasn’t won consecutive games since March 4-5 but has lost two in a row just once in that span. Charlotte leading scorer Corey Maggette strained his right Achilles, which may relegate the Bobcats to single-digit wins for the season.
  • The Rockets defeated the visiting Grizzlies, 98-89, and remained tied with the Nuggets for seventh in the West. Trade deadline acquisition Marcus Camby had 16 rebounds and six blocks. Goran Dragic continued his fantastic play with 25 points and is turning Kyle Lowry into Wally Pipp. Beginning a brutal stretch of seven games in nine days, Memphis fell behind Dallas into sixth in the West, just 1 1/2 games in front of Houston and Denver.
  • The Jazz fell into ninth in the West – one game behind Houston and Denver – with a regrettable 104-103 home loss to the Kings. DeMarcus Cousins made a free throw with 3.8 seconds left, and Gordon Hayward’s driving layup was not close. All three games between the clubs have come down to last-second shots, with Utah winning the first two. Cousins had 27 and Marcus Thornton added 26 for Sacramento. Tyreke Evans’ irrelevance continued as he sat out with back spasms.
  • For some reason, the Nets decided to rally from a 19-point deficit for a 102-100 victory at Golden State. The win kept New Jersey ahead of Toronto in the overall standings. Had the Nets lost, they would have had the fourth-worst record in the NBA, better than only Charlotte, Washington and New Orleans. If New Jersey doesn’t receive one of the top three picks in the draft lottery, its pick goes to Portland. The Warriors have lost four in a row and nine of 11.
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