Nuggets edge closer to final playoff spot
Allen Iverson and J.R. Smith put the enigmatic Denver Nuggets on the cusp of the NBA playoffs.
Iverson scored 33 points and Smith sparked the Nuggets out of their early doldrums with a 23-point performance in Denver’s 111-94 rout of the Houston Rockets on Sunday night in Denver.
All the Nuggets have to do now to reach the playoffs for the fifth straight time is beat lowly Memphis on Wednesday night at home. Denver (49-32) moved a half-game ahead of Golden State for the eighth and final playoff spot with their rout of the Rockets.
The Warriors need to win at Phoenix on Monday night and beat Seattle on Wednesday to have a chance. But even that won’t matter if the Nuggets handle their business against the lottery-bound Grizzlies, who will be playing the second game of a back-to-back against a Denver team that will have had two days off.
This was a surprisingly easy win for the Nuggets, who pulled away with a 10-0 run sparked by consecutive 3-pointers from Smith spanning the first and second quarters.
The Rockets entered the Pepsi Center riding a five-game winning streak and still very much alive for the top seed in the wild, wild West.
Lakers 106, Spurs 85: At Los Angeles, Kobe Bryant had 20 points, five rebounds and five assists before sitting out the fourth quarter and the Lakers routed defending NBA champion San Antonio for their seventh win in eight games.
The Lakers clinched their first Pacific Division championship in four years and at least the No. 3 seed in the West on Friday night. They’re a half-game ahead of New Orleans after beginning the day tied with Hornets for the top spot in the Western Conference.
Pistons 91, Raptors 84: At Auburn Hills, Mich., Jason Maxiell and Rodney Stuckey combined for 18 fourth-quarter points as Detroit beat Toronto.
Stuckey led the Pistons with 18 points, while Maxiell and Chauncey Billups added 14 each.
The loss drops Toronto into a tie with Philadelphia for the Eastern Conference’s sixth seed with two games left, although the Raptors have the tiebreaker.
Cavaliers 84, Heat 76: At Cleveland, Daniel Gibson made a 3-pointer and three straight free throws early in the fourth quarter to give the Cavaliers some cushion while LeBron James rested, and Cleveland moved closer to the East’s No. 4 seed with a win over Miami.
Magic 104, Bulls 84: At Chicago, Hedo Turkoglu scored 24 points and Orlando beat the Bulls to reach the 50-win mark for the first time in 12 years.
Dwight Howard added 19 points even though he sat out the fourth quarter, and Rashard Lewis added 18.
The Magic got a much-needed win after dropping six of 10 and losing to lottery-bound New York and Minnesota in that span.