NBA-Highlights of Friday's NBA games

April 4 (The Sports Xchange) - Highlights of Friday's National Basketball Association games. - - - Wizards 90, Knicks 89 The New York Knicks desperately needed a win to keep pace in the playoff race, but the Washington Wizards had other ideas in a last-second 90-89 victory. The Wizards (40-36) already clinched a playoff berth for the first time since 2008 with a win in its previous game and did all they could to make sure the Knicks (33-44) fell in the standings after briefly holding on to the eighth and final playoff seed after Wednesday night's win. Washington was led by shooting guard Bradley Beal, who had 28 points, and point guard John Wall, who had 19 points and nine assists, including 11 points and five assists in the first half. Beal made a 15-foot jumper with 22.9 seconds remaining in regulation to give the Wizards a 90-89 lead. Carmelo Anthony had a chance for the win in the waning seconds after Beal's basket, but he lost control of the ball, leaving JR Smith to heave a desperation three-pointer at the horn that was off the mark. - - - Timberwolves 122, Heat 121 (double overtime) The Minnesota Timberwolves, despite being out of the playoff hunt, battled mightily and snapped the Miami Heat's four-game win streak, earning a 122-121 double-overtime win. Minnesota forward Corey Brewer, who drew a foul on Heat guard Norris Cole, made one of two free throws with 1.8 seconds left in double overtime to win the game. Heat guard Ray Allen missed a shot at the buzzer to end it. Wolves forward Kevin Love had 28 points and 11 rebounds while Heat forward LeBron James finished with 34 points. - - - Raptors 102, Pacers 94 Toronto center Jonas Valanciuanas and guard Terrence Ross led the Raptors to a 102-94 victory over the Indiana Pacers. Ross finished with a team-high 24 points and Valanciunas had 22. Toronto used a late run to pull away to its fifth victory in six games. Raptors guard DeMar DeRozan had 20 points and guard Nando De Colo added 10 off the bench. The loss stretched Indiana's season-worst road losing streak to six games. Indiana has now lost nine of 11 away from home. Guard Paul George had game-high 26 points for the Pacers. - - - Bobcats 91, Magic 80 Al Jefferson had 29 points and 16 rebounds and Kemba Walker notched a triple-double as the Charlotte Bobcats beat the Orlando Magic, reducing their magic number to two as they look to clinch a playoff spot for the second time in franchise history. The Bobcats (38-38) started pulling away midway through the second quarter and led 53-36 at halftime before pushing the lead to as many as 21 points in the second half. It marked the first time that the Bobcats have been at .500 since opening the season 5-5 through 10 games. Walker finished with 13 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists. - - - Nets 116, Pistons 104 Guard Shaun Livingston scored nine of his 23 points in the fourth quarter and the Brooklyn Nets extended their franchise record home winning streak to 15 games with a 116-104 victory over the Detroit Pistons. Reserve forward Mirza Teletovic added 20 points for the Nets, who shot 60.5 percent (46-of-76) and made 15-of-31 three-pointers. Forward Paul Pierce chipped in 17 points for Brooklyn, which has not lost a home game since Jan. 31 against Oklahoma City. Forward Andre Drummond had his 51st double-double with 23 points and 18 rebounds but it was not enough as the Pistons lost for the 16th time in their last 17 road games. - - - Hawks 117, Cavaliers 98 Guard Mike Scott, who had only 16 total points in the last four games, came off the bench to score 26 points and pace the Atlanta Hawks to a 117-98 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers. The second-year player from Virginia was nearly perfect from the floor, going 12-for-13, including one three-pointer. It was four points shy of his career high. Scott scored 11 points in the second quarter when he was five-for-five from the field. Atlanta (33-43) got 20 points, 15 in the second half, and 12 assists from guard Jeff Teague, who had his 13th double-double of the season. Forward Paul Millsap added 16 points and 11 rebounds for his 26th double-double. - - - Grizzlies 100, Nuggets 92 The Memphis Grizzlies defeated the Denver Nuggets 100-92 for an 11th straight home victory. Memphis (45-31) was coming off a 2-3 road trip and is in a battle with Dallas and Phoenix for the last two playoff spots in the Western Conference. Center Marc Gasol led Memphis with 24 points. Point guard Mike Conley scored 21 and power forward Zach Randolph had his 44th double-double of the season with 20 points and 15 rebounds, plus four assists and three blocks. - - - Bulls 102, Bucks 90 The Chicago Bulls put seven players in double figures and played well enough to hold off the Milwaukee Bucks 102-90. Guards Kirk Hinrich and Jimmy Butler led the Bulls (44-32) with 17 points each, while guard D.J. Augustin and forward Carlos Boozer added 14 points each. Milwaukee (14-62) owns the league's worst record, but did not go quietly, trimming a 22-point deficit down to eight in the fourth quarter. - - - 76ers 111, Celtics 102 Guard Michael Carter-Williams, the odds-on favorite for NBA Rookie of the Year honours, took over in the fourth quarter and led the Philadelphia 76ers to a second win in their last 30 games. Carter-Williams (24 points, six rebounds and six assists) scored seven straight points for his team and center Henry Sims scored a career-high 24 points and grabbed nine rebounds to lift the woeful Sixers to a 111-102 victory over the Boston Celtics. - - - Jazz 100, Pelicans 96 Gordon Hayward and Alec Burks each scored 21 points and hit several key free throws in the final minute to help the Utah Jazz beat the New Orleans Pelicans 100-96. Derrick Favors had 20 points and nine rebounds for Utah (24-52), which won for just the second time in its last eight home games and snapped a five-game losing streak. - - - Rockets 111, Thunder 107 Guard James Harden had 39 points, nine rebounds and seven assists and helped salt away the Houston Rockets' first win over the Oklahoma City Thunder this season, a 111-107 victory that enabled Houston to clinch a postseason berth. The Rockets (50-25) seemed to take control with an 11-2 push midway through the fourth quarter, with reserve swingman Francisco Garcia hitting a three-pointer for a 104-98 lead with 2:42 remaining. Despite the loss, Kevin Durant finished with 28 points and 12 rebounds, his 40th consecutive 25-plus-point game, matching Michael Jordan for the longest such streak in the last 50 years. - - - Suns 109, Trail Blazers 93 Forward Gerald Green and guard Eric Bledsoe combined for 62 points as the Phoenix Suns came from behind for a 109-93 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers. Green came off the bench for 32 points and Bledsoe added 30 for the Suns (45-31), who outscored the Trail Blazers 30-13 in the fourth quarter. - - - Mavericks 107, Lakers 95 Forward Dirk Nowitzki had 27 points, nine rebounds and five assists, leading the Dallas Mavericks to 107-95 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers. The Mavericks (46-31) won their fourth consecutive road game and stayed a half-game ahead of the Phoenix Suns and Memphis Grizzlies for the seventh spot in the Western Conference race. - - - Warriors 102, Kings 69 The Golden State Warriors completed a season-series sweep of the Sacramento Kings in convincing fashion, crushing their northern California rivals in wire-to-wire fashion, 102-69. In winning a fourth straight in one season against the Kings for the first time since 1991-92, the Warriors (47-29) also capped a perfect 8-0 home season against Pacific Division foes for the first time in franchise history. (Editing by John O'Brien)