Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard drives past Golden State Warriors forward David Lee during the fourth quarter at the Moda Center on Sunday.
AFP/New York
Lance Stephenson finished with 17 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists as Indiana beat Oklahoma City 102-97 to move a step closer to clinching home-court advantage throughout the Eastern Conference playoffs.
Paul George hit the go-ahead three-pointer with just over two minutes left for the Pacers who climbed a half-game ahead of Miami, which was idle Sunday, for the top seed in the East.
“We’ve been steadily improving,” Indiana’s David West said. “We have to keep our focus and start the playoffs strong.”
The Pacers, who lost at Miami on Friday, finished with the NBA’s best home mark at 35-6 and will complete the regular season Wednesday at Orlando.
The Heat play in Washington on Monday and host Philadelphia on Wednesday, but it’s Indiana who own the tiebreaker and control their own destiny.
Stephenson posted his NBA-leading fifth triple-double of the year. George tallied 20 points and 12 rebounds, while West scored 21 as the Pacers won for just the third time in nine games.
Kevin Durant scored 38 while Russell Westbrook added 21 points, nine boards and seven assists for Oklahoma City, which had a three-game winning streak halted. Durant was just two-of-11 from three-point range.
“We gave up too many points,” Thunder head coach Scott Brooks said.
The Thunder will play at New Orleans Monday and host Detroit Wednesday to cap the regular season.
Oklahoma City is two games ahead of the Los Angeles Clippers for the number two seed.
The Pacers led by as many as eight in the second and held a 47-45 edge at halftime.
George scored 10 in the third to help Indiana to a 74-66 lead heading into the fourth. The Pacers were up as many as 11 early in the fourth quarter.
Elsewhere, point guard Mike Conley scored 24 points and handed out eight assists as the Memphis Grizzlies used a second-half run to beat the Los Angeles Lakers 102-90 and stay in playoff position.
The Grizzlies (48-32) have won four of their last five and hold a one-game lead over the idle Phoenix Suns, who play Memphis on Monday in a clash for the eighth spot in the Western Conference playoff race.
The Lakers (25-55) dropped their seventh in a row.
Memphis forward Marc Gasol scored 18 points and pulled down
15 rebounds. Reserve forward Mike Miller chipped in 13 points and five rebounds.
Meanwhile, Golden State forward Draymon Green’s three-point attempt bounced off the back rim in the final seconds of overtime, giving Portland a two-point victory over the Warriors.
Green’s three-pointer with 3.6 seconds left in regulation forced the extra session but the Warriors squandered Stephen Curry’s 47-point night.
The victory clinched at least the fifth playoff seed in the Western Conference for the Trail Blazers (53-28). The Houston Rockets (53-27) are in fourth place, a half-game ahead of Portland.
Golden State (49-31) will be in the playoffs, but its hold on the West’s sixth seed is slipping. Dallas is a half-game back and Memphis Grizzlies is one game behind the Warriors.
Tim Hardaway Jr scored 20 points as the New York Knicks ended the Chicago Bulls’ seven-game winning streak.
The Bulls wasted an opportunity to stay ahead of the Toronto Raptors, who beat Detroit on Sunday, in the race for the third seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs. The two teams are tied at 47-33.
The Knicks (35-45) were officially eliminated from playoff contention on Saturday when Atlanta clinched the final berth with a win over Miami.
Mirza Teletovic scored 15 of his 20 points in the second half and the Brooklyn Nets inched closer toward securing the fifth seed in the Eastern Conference with a victory over the Orlando Magic.
Brooklyn (44-36) needs only a win in one of their remaining two games or a Washington loss to clinch the fifth spot.
Rookie centre Mason Plumlee continued his strong play of late by collecting 17 points and 11 rebounds in 26 minutes as the primary backup to Kevin Garnett.
nShooting guard DeMar DeRozan poured in 30 points and the Toronto Raptors tied a franchise record for victories with a win over the Detroit Pistons.
Toronto (47-33), which clinched the Atlantic Division championship for first time in seven years on Friday, also won 47 games in 2000-01 and 2006-07. They can set a new record with a victory over Milwaukee on Monday or at New York on Wednesday.
DeMarcus Cousins and rookie guard Ben McLemore combined to make four free throws in the final 12 seconds, and Sacramento edged Minnesota.
Cousins finished with 35 points and 15 rebounds.
Love, the NBA’s leader with 63 double-doubles, scored 43
points and grabbed 11 rebounds after returning from a one-game absence caused by a hyper extended elbow.
