Associated Press
INDIANAPOLIS ó Isiah Thomas gave new Knicks president Donnie Walsh a few more reasons to fire him.
Mike Dunleavy tied a career high with 36 points, and the Indiana Pacers beat New York 132-123 on Wednesday night. The Knicks allowed their highest point total of the season and tied a franchise record with 59 losses.
It was Walsh’s first game in Indiana since stepping down as Pacers CEO last month, then replacing Thomas as president of the Knicks. Walsh didn’t like what he saw, at times shaking his head in disgust while watching from the crowd. He hasn’t promised Thomas that he’ll keep his job, only saying he wants to have more conversations with him.
“I will wait and see what Donnie has to say,” Thomas said. “He’s our boss. Whatever he asks us to do, we’ll do. This has just been a difficult year out on the floor.”
The Knicks said Thomas addressed them after the game, but said nothing about his future.
“He hasn’t given us any indication of what’s going to happen, so I really have no clue what’s going to happen, just like you,” forward David Lee said. “He’s the one who drafted me and brought me to the league. I’ve enjoyed playing for him for two years.”
Rockets 93, Clippers 75
HOUSTON ó Luis Scola had 22 points and 10 rebounds, and the Houston Rockets locked up the No. 5 seed in the Western Conference playoffs with a 93-75 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers.
Backup point guard and Salisbury native Bobby Jackson added 15 points and five rebounds, and Tracy McGrady made up for a 2-for-11 shooting night with 11 assists as the Rockets improved to 22-2 in their last 24 home games.
Mavericks 111, Hornets 98
DALLAS ó Jason Kidd had the 100th triple-double of his career and sparked a 30-8 stretch, sending Dallas into a first-round playoff showdown with New Orleans.
Kidd had 27 points, 10 assists and 10 rebounds for his first triple-double since rejoining the Mavericks, the team he was with when he broke into the league. He already was No. 3 on the career list of triple-doubles, behind Oscar Robertson and Magic Johnson.
Heat 113, Hawks 99
MIAMI ó Jason Williams scored 17 points, Mark Blount and Daequan Cook each added 16 and Miami ended a disappointing season that may be the last with Pat Riley on the bench.
The Hawks are headed to Boston for their first playoff appearance since 1999.
Celtics 105, Nets 94
BOSTON ó Second-stringer Leon Powe scored a career-high 27 points, adding 11 rebounds for his sixth career double-double, and the Boston bench helped beat New Jersey.
Pistons 84, Cavaliers 74
CLEVELAND ó LeBron James spent the final game of the regular season in street clothes, resting up for the playoffs and watching Detroit’s reserves outplay Cleveland’s bench.
Magic 103, Wizards 83
ORLANDO, Fla. ó J.J. Redick scored a career-high 18 points and Marcin Gortat had a career-high 12 points and 11 rebounds in the regular-season finale for two playoff-bound teams.
T’wolves 110, Bucks 101, OT
MINNEAPOLIS ó Randy Foye scored 10 of his career-high 32 points in overtime to help the Minnesota Timberwolves finish a forgettable regular season on a winning note, 110-101 over Milwaukee.
Bulls 107, Raptors 97
CHICAGO ó Tyrus Thomas scored a season-high 26 points to lead Chicago to a 107-97 victory over Toronto in what might have been interim coach Jim Boylan’s last game with the Bulls.
Nuggets 120, Grizzlies 111
DENVER ó Carmelo Anthony scored 17 points and grabbed six rebounds in his first game since getting arrested on a drunken driving charge, and the Denver Nuggets reached 50 wins for the first time in 20 years with a 120-111 victory over Memphis.