Associated Press
From around the NBA…
SAN ANTONIO ó Manu Ginobili scored 28 points and the San Antonio Spurs got a scare when Tim Duncan sprained his left ankle in a 111-96 victory over the Golden State Warriors on Monday night.
Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said Duncan would be out ěa whileî but didnít have a timetable.
The injury looked potentially serious as Duncan lay on his side, clutching his foot with both hands, for more than a minute. The 34-year-old All-Star steadied himself with the help of trainers while limping off the court.
Ekpe Udoh led Golden State with 15 points. It was Udohís foot that Duncan appeared to be trying to avoid while landing awkwardly after hitting a short jumper in the first quarter.
Celtics 96, Knicks 86
NEW YORK ó Kevin Garnett had 24 points and 11 rebounds, Rajon Rondo added 13 points and 12 rebounds, and the Boston Celtics scored the final 10 points for a spirited victory over the New York Knicks.
The Celtics showed the Knicks they will be tough to beat next month if this was in fact a preview of a first-round playoff series. Paul Pierce scored 21 points and Ray Allen had 15 for Boston despite a poor shooting night and a nasty cut on his head that briefly forced him from the game.
Carmelo Anthony scored 22 points for the Knicks, but neither he nor Amare Stoudemire had a field goal in the fourth quarter.
Pacers 102, Nets 98
NEWARK, N.J. ó Roy Hibbert scored 24 points and Danny Granger had 17 of his 20 in the second half as the Indiana Pacers opened a two-game lead in the race for the final playoff berth in the Eastern Conference with a victory over the New Jersey Nets.
Darren Collison added 15 points ó nine in the final 2:24 ó and 12 assists for the Pacers (31-40). Charlotte (28-41) and Milwaukee (28-41) are tied for ninth, with the Bobcats playing host to Indiana on Wednesday.
Brook Lopez had 20 points to lead the Nets, who saw Sundiata Gaines and Sasha Vujacic miss tying 3-point attempts in the final 15 seconds. New Jersey, which lost its fourth in the row, played without point guard Deron Williams, who missed his second straight game with a wrist injury.
Magic 97, Cavaliers 86
CLEVELAND ó Dwight Howard scored 28 points, grabbed 18 rebounds and was way too much for Clevelandís front line to handle in leading the Orlando Magic to a win over the Cavaliers.
With the Cavs unable to stop Howard, the Magic built a 15-point lead in the first quarter and were up by 26 late in the third. Cleveland pulled within 92-83 with 3:15 remaining, but Hedo Turkogluís 3-pointer put Orlando back in control.
Orlando swept all four games against Cleveland, winning the season series for the first time since 2002-03. The teams were heated rivals just a year ago when LeBron James was still with the Cavs, but theyíre now at opposite ends of the NBA spectrum.
J.J. Hickson scored 18 and Daniel Gibson 16 for the Cavs, who have dropped three straight and nine of 11.
1:Bulls 132, Kings 92
CHICAGO (AP) ó Derrick Rose and Kyle Korver scored 18 points apiece as the Chicago Bulls routed the Sacramento Kings.
The win gave the Bulls (50-19) their first 50-win season since 1997-98 and allowed Chicago to remain tied with Boston atop the Eastern Conference. The Celtics beat the New York Knicks on Monday.
Carlos Boozer scored 16 points in his return to the Bullsí lineup after missing five games with a sprained left ankle. He joined a balanced Bulls attack that had eight players scoring in double figures in a game that was not close after the first period.
Marcus Thornton led the Kings with 25 points.
1:Jazz 103, Grizzlies 85
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) ó Zach Randolph scored 19 points and grabbed 13 rebounds as the Memphis Grizzlies maintained their hold on the final Western Conference playoff spot with a victory over the Utah Jazz.
Seven Memphis players finished in double figures as the Grizzlies won for the third time in four games. Darrell Arthur scored 14 points on 7-of-11 shooting from the field, while Tony Allen had 12 points.
Paul Millsap led Utah with 15 points, while Al Jefferson scored 12.
The Associated Press
03/21/11 23:24