Charlotte, NC (SportsNetwork.com) – James Harden scored 29 points and the Houston Rockets kept their hopes of a Southwest Division title alive with a 100-90 win over the Charlotte Hornets on Monday. The Rockets had seven players finish in double figures as they pulled even with the idle Spurs atop the division. If the Grizzlies beat the Warriors on Monday, there will be a three- way tie with one game remaining. All three teams play on Wednesday, with the Rockets hosting the Jazz, the Spurs playing in New Orleans and the Grizzlies hosting the Pacers. Josh Smith finished with 16 points and 11 rebounds off the bench, and Terrence Jones also recorded a double-double with 10 points an 11 boards in the win. The Hornets have dropped five in a row overall and finished their home slate with a 19-22 record. They have lost nine straight meetings against Houston. Brian Roberts scored a team-high 23 points, while Charlotte’s starting backcourt of Kemba Walker and Gerald Henderson combined to shoot 3- of-20 from the field for six points.
Final Score: Cleveland 109, Detroit 97
Cleveland, OH (SportsNetwork.com) – LeBron James got his second triple-double this month and the Cleveland Cavaliers made 17 3-pointers to easily beat the Detroit Pistons 109-97 on Monday with four starters back in the lineup. The Cavaliers were coming off consecutive losses in a home-and-home series with the Celtics, including a 117-78 blowout in Boston on Sunday when they rested James, Kyrie Irving, Kevin Love and J.R. Smith in their most lopsided loss of the season. James finished with 21 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds and Smith scored a game-high 28 points. Timofey Mozgov added 16 points and 13 rebounds and Irving scored 12 before sitting out the second half with hip soreness. The Central Division champions will finish the regular season on Wednesday at home against Washington. They own the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference and are still waiting to find out who their first-round opponent will be. Andre Drummond had 20 points and nine rebounds and Caron Butler scored 19 for the Pistons, who have dropped five of their last seven. They remain on the road to play New York on Wednesday in their season finale.
Final Score: Milwaukee 107, Philadelphia 97
Philadelphia, PA (SportsNetwork.com) – Michael Carter-Williams is familiar with Wells Fargo Center after spending over a season calling the arena home and winning a Rookie of the Year award in the process. He showcased that familiarity on Monday night in leading the Milwaukee Bucks to a 107-97 win over his former team in his return to Philadelphia. Carter-Williams scored 30 points through three quarters, and he flirted with his career high of 33 points set on Jan. 7 2014 against Cleveland as a member of the Sixers at Wells Fargo Center. The reigning Rookie of the Year was dealt to the playoff-bound Bucks at the trade deadline, however, in a bold move made by Philadelphia’s front office. O.J. Mayo and Ersan Ilyasova each scored 13 points for Milwaukee, which trailed by as many as 14 in the first half. Robert Covington paced Philadelphia with 25 points but committed 10 of the team’s season-high 30 turnovers. Hollis Thompson added 19 points and Ish Smith tied a career high with nine assists for the Sixers, who have lost nine straight.
Final Score: New York 112, Atlanta 108
Atlanta, GA (SportsNetwork.com) – Langston Galloway made all six of his 3- point shots and scored a career-high 26 points as the New York Knicks held on for a 112-108 victory over the Atlanta Hawks on Monday. Tim Hardaway Jr. had 23 points and Jason Smith scored 20 with nine rebounds and five assists for the Knicks, who have won back-to-back games for the first time since late February. Jeff Teague finished with 19 points and nine assists for Atlanta, but missed a potential game-tying floater in the lane with 9.3 seconds remaining. Kyle Korver also had 19 points for a Hawks team that will go into the postseason as the Eastern Conference’s No. 1 seed.
Final Score: Chicago 113, Brooklyn 86
Brooklyn, NY (SportsNetwork.com) – Pau Gasol posted 22 points and 11 rebounds and the Chicago Bulls used a big second half to dispose of the playoff-hopeful Brooklyn Nets 113-86 on Monday. Nikola Mirotic had a game-high 26 points in 24 minutes off the bench for the Bulls, who have secured homecourt advantage in the first round of the postseason. With the win, they moved one half-game ahead of idle Toronto for the No. 3 seed in the Eastern Conference. The Bulls finish the regular season at home against Atlanta on Wednesday, while Toronto still has two games left on its schedule. Brooklyn meanwhile lost an opportunity to pick up a game in the increasingly competitive race for the final playoff spot in the East. The loss locked up a berth for the idle Celtics and knocked Brooklyn a half-game behind Indiana for the eighth seed. The Nets will take on Orlando on Wednesday in a must-win game and need help from the Pacers, who host Washington on Tuesday and visit Memphis on Wednesday.
Final Score: Miami 100, Orlando 93
Miami, FL (SportsNetwork.com) – Hassan Whiteside had 24 points and 13 rebounds and the Miami Heat stayed alive in the playoff race with a 100-93 win over the Orlando Magic on Monday. The Heat, who would have been eliminated from contention with a loss or a Brooklyn win over Chicago, led by as many as 22 points but needed to hold off a late Magic run to get their second win in eight games. The four-time reigning Eastern Conference champions will have to win again in their regular season finale on Wednesday in Philadelphia to have a chance of making the playoffs. Miami hasn’t missed the postseason since the 2007-08 season. Dwyane Wade added 22 points, Luol Deng had 14 points and 10 rebounds and Goran Dragic scored 13 with eight assists in the win. Victor Oladipo scored 30 points and Tobias Harris had 26 points and 12 rebounds to lead the Magic, who have dropped three in a row.
Final Score: New Orleans 100, Minnesota 88
Minneapolis, MN (SportsNetwork.com) – Anthony Davis totaled 24 points, 11 rebounds and six blocks, and the New Orleans Pelicans trimmed their postseason magic number to one with a 100-88 win over the lowly Minnesota Timberwolves on Monday. The Pelicans can wrap up the No. 8 seed in the Western Conference with either a home win against the Spurs or a Thunder loss in Minnesota on Wednesday. Tyreke Evans and Eric Gordon both added 22 points in New Orleans’ seventh win in the past 10 games.
Final Score: Oklahoma City 101, Portland 90
Oklahoma City, OK (SportsNetwork.com) – Russell Westbrook put the Thunder on his back again Monday night, scoring 36 points and pulling down 11 rebounds in Oklahoma City’s 101-90 win over the Portland Trail Blazers. Westbrook scored a career-high 54 points in Sunday’s road loss to the Indiana Pacers, but the guard received his 16th technical foul of the season. The NBA, however, rescinded the technical foul earlier Monday, enabling him to play against Portland. Enes Kanter added 27 points and 13 rebounds for the Thunder, who remained tied with New Orleans for the final postseason berth in the Western Conference. The Pelicans beat Minnesota on Monday. Oklahoma City finishes the season Wednesday in Minnesota, while the Pelicans host the San Antonio Spurs on Wednesday. Meyers Leonard made five 3-pointers en route to a career-high 24 points for the Blazers, who already were locked into the No. 4 spot in the West. Portland entered the game without injured starters LaMarcus Aldridge (left foot sprain) and Arron Afflalo (right shoulder strain). Nicolas Batum (knee) and C.J. McCollum (ankle) left Monday’s game.
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