Arrow-right Camera
The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Pacers beat Thunder, close in on top seed

Indiana’s Ian Mahinmi gets past Thunder forward Nick Collison for two of his 11 points off the bench. (Associated Press)
From Staff And Wire Reports

NBA: David West scored 21 points and Lance Stephenson had his league-best fifth triple-double of the season, leading Indiana past visiting Oklahoma City 102-97 Sunday and putting the Pacers one win away from clinching the Eastern Conference’s top seed.

The Pacers lead two-time defending champion Miami by a half-game with one to play and hold the tiebreaker based on conference record.

Kevin Durant finished with 38 points for Oklahoma City on a day it could have locked up the second seed in the West.

Grizzlies beat Lakers, stay in playoff hunt: Mike Conley scored 24 points and Memphis pulled away in the third quarter to beat the host Los Angeles Lakers 102-90, moving the Grizzlies a game ahead of idle Phoenix in the race for the final Western Conference playoff berth.

Marc Gasol added 18 points and 15 rebounds and Mike Miller had 13 points for the Grizzlies, who head to Phoenix for a showdown with the Suns tonight.

Blazers edge Warriors in OT: LaMarcus Aldridge scored 26 points, including the go-ahead jumper in overtime, and the Portland Trail Blazers defeated the visiting Warriors 119-117 despite a season-high 47 points from Golden State’s Stephen Curry.

Aldridge’s jumper with 39.9 seconds to go gave the Blazers a 118-117 lead. Damian Lillard added a free throw for Portland before Andre Iguodala missed a 3-pointer with 2.9 seconds left.

• Raptors hold on to beat Pistons: DeMar DeRozan scored 14 of his 30 points in the fourth quarter, and the Toronto Raptors tied a franchise record for victories with 47 by beating the host Detroit Pistons 116-107.

The Raptors had already clinched the Atlantic Division, and the victory over Detroit was their 10th in 14 games.

Dumars reportedly out as Pistons’ president: A person familiar with the situation says the Detroit Pistons have decided not to renew Joe Dumars’ contract as president of basketball operations. The person says Dumars will remain with the Pistons as an adviser.

Dumars was named the 2003 executive of the year, and the Pistons won the title the following season, adding the 2004 crown to the two they won when Dumars was a player. But Detroit hasn’t made the playoffs since 2009, and the retooled Pistons flopped badly this season.

Red Wings shut down Blues

NHL: Backup goalie Petr Mrazek kept the injury-riddled St. Louis Blues down heading into the playoffs with his second career shutout in a 3-0 victory for the visiting Detroit Red Wings.

The Blues had been in contention for the No. 1 overall seed but lost their last six and missed a chance at taking the Central Division with Colorado clinching on a tiebreaker before playing at Anaheim Sunday night.

• Lightning beat Capitals, clinch home ice: The Tampa Bay Lightning wrapped up home-ice advantage for their first-round playoff series against the Montreal Canadiens by edging the host Washington Capitals 1-0 in a shootout in a regular-season finale.

Matthew Carle scored the only goal in the shootout. The victory clinched second place in the Atlantic Division for Tampa Bay, which finished with 101 points, one more than Montreal.

Canucks honor Quinn: The Vancouver Canucks inducted Pat Quinn into the team’s ring of honor before their season finale.

Quinn, a former defenseman, was the Canucks president and general manager from 1987-97. He coached the team from 1991-94 and then again late in the 1995-96 season.

Kenyans win London Marathon

MISCELLANY: World-record holder Wilson Kipsang won the London Marathon for the second time, seeing off a strong field with a course-record time.

The 32-year-old Kenyan completed the 26.2-mile route in 2 hours, 4 minutes, 29 seconds. Compatriot Stanley Biwott was second, his best finish in London.

Two-time world champion Edna Kiplagat won the women’s race. After twice finishing second in the British capital road race, the 34-year-old Kenyan went one better by winning in 2:20:21.

Verdasco beats Almagro: Fernando Verdasco won the U.S. Men’s Clay Court Championship for his sixth ATP World Tour tennis title and first since 2010, beating Spanish countryman Nicolas Almagro 4-6, 7-6 (4).

The 30-year-old Verdasco ended a six-match losing streak in tournament finals. He also reached the doubles final and had been on the court six hours longer than Almagro going into the final.