Houston Drops Denver In OT – NBA Roundup

UNDATED (AP) — There's no longer a virtual first-place tie in the NBA's Eastern Conference. The Miami Heat have the top spot all to themselves.

LeBron James torched the Knicks once again, scoring a game-high 38 points in the Heat's 102-91 win over New York. James has scored at least 30 points four times against the Knicks this season.

Knicks swingman J.R. Smith shot 10-for-22 from beyond the arc but was just 11-for-28 from the field overall. Carmelo Anthony had just 13 points on 4 of 17 shooting as New York fell two games behind Atlanta for the final Eastern Conference playoff berth.

The Hawks embarrassed the Pacers 107-88 as Jeff Teague (teeg) scored 25 points. The Pacers trailed by 30 after scoring a franchise-low 23 points in the first half.

Paul George scored 18 points for the Pacers, who've lost seven of their last 10.

Also in the NBA:

— P.J. Tucker set career highs with four 3-pointers and 22 points as Phoenix downed Oklahoma City 122-115 to move a game ahead of Memphis for the No. 8 seed in the West. Kevin Durant scored 38 points for the Thunder, who are 4 1/2 games behind West-leading San Antonio and just one game ahead of the third-place Los Angeles Clippers. Durant has scored at least 25 points in 41 straight games, the third-longest such streak in NBA history and longest since Oscar Robertson did it for 46 in a row in the 1963-64 season.

— Kawhi (kah-WY') Leonard matched his career high with 26 points and the Spurs claimed their 60th win by thumping Memphis 112-92. Manu Ginobili (jih-NOH'-blee) also had 26 points for the Spurs, who played the last three quarters without Tony Parker due to back spasms.

— Blake Griffin and Chris Paul each had 23 points in the Clippers' 120-97 blowout over the Lakers. The Clippers took three of four from the Lakers this season, outscoring their co-tenants by 107 points in the three victories.

— Klay Thompson scored 33 points and Golden State stayed 1 1/2 games behind fifth-place Portland in the West by trouncing Utah 130-102. Stephen Curry added 31 points and 16 assists for the Warriors, who are 19 games over .500 for the first time in 20 years.

— The Trail Blazers wrapped up their first playoff berth in three years as LaMarcus Aldridge had 25 points and 18 rebounds in a 100-94 victory over New Orleans. Wesley Matthews added 21 points, Damian Lillard finished with 20 and Nicolas Batum had 16 points and 12 rebounds in the Blazers' 50th win.

— James Harden finished with 32 points and Chandler Parsons scored eight of his 15 in overtime to lead Houston's 130-125 win against Denver. The Nuggets were leading by one in OT before the Rockets made three consecutive 3-pointers to make it 130-122 with less than two minutes left.

— Monta (MAHN'-tay) Ellis scored eight of his 23 points in the fourth quarter of the Dallas Mavericks' third straight win, 93-91 at Sacramento. Vince Carter scored 17 points and Dirk Nowitzki had 15 points as the Mavericks stayed seventh in the West.

x-clinched playoff spot

y-clinched division

___

Miami 102, New York 91

L.A. Clippers 120, L.A. Lakers 97

Dallas 93, Sacramento 91

Atlanta 107, Indiana 88

Houston 130, Denver 125, OT

San Antonio 112, Memphis 92

Phoenix 122, Oklahoma City 115

Golden State 130, Utah 102

Portland 100, New Orleans 94

No games scheduled

Detroit at Atlanta, 7:30 p.m.

San Antonio at Minnesota, 8 p.m.

Brooklyn at Miami, 8 p.m.

Dallas at Utah, 9 p.m.

Oklahoma City at Sacramento, 10 p.m.

Houston at L.A. Lakers, 10:30 p.m.

Brooklyn at Orlando, 7 p.m.

Charlotte at Washington, 7 p.m.

Detroit at Cleveland, 7 p.m.

Philadelphia at Toronto, 7 p.m.

Boston at Atlanta, 7:30 p.m.

Chicago at Minnesota, 8 p.m.

Indiana at Milwaukee, 8 p.m.

Miami at Memphis, 8 p.m.

Phoenix at New Orleans, 8 p.m.

Houston at Denver, 9 p.m.

Sacramento at Portland, 10 p.m.

Oklahoma City at L.A. Clippers, 10:30 p.m.