James, Bosh lift Heat over Blazers
First Posted:
MIAMI — LeBron James scored 32 points, including a layup with 11.4 seconds left, and Chris Bosh capped his 30th birthday by blocking Damian Lillard’s layup in the final moments as the Miami Heat escaped with a 93-91 win over the Portland Trail Blazers on Monday night.
Bosh finished with 15 points and Chris Andersen had 13 points and 11 rebounds for Miami, which won for just the fifth time in 12 games. Mario Chalmers added 11 points for the Heat.
Lillard led the Blazers with 19 points on 3-for-15 shooting. Mo Williams scored 17, Wes Matthews had 15, Nicolas Batum 11 and Robin Lopez 10 for Portland, which was down 17 with just more than 9 minutes remaining.
Rockets 100, Bobcats 89
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — James Harden scored 31 points, Dwight Howard had a double-double in his return to the court and the Houston Rockets defeated the Charlotte Bobcats for their fourth straight win.
Harden had 14 points in the pivotal third quarter and finished 11-of-19 from the field.
Kemba Walker had 22 points and Al Jefferson had 20 points and 11 rebounds for Charlotte, which lost for only the second time in 11 games at home.
Suns 102, Hawks 95
ATLANTA — Eric Bledsoe scored 20 points to lead five Phoenix players in double figures and the Suns won their fourth in a row, beating the Atlanta Hawks to pull even with Dallas for the final playoff spot in the Western Conference.
The Suns buried the Hawks from 3-point range, knocking down 12-of-24 beyond the arc.
Atlanta, trying to hold the eighth spot in the East, lost its third in a row after a season-high five-game winning streak. Paul Millsap and DeMarre Carroll led the Hawks with 19 points apiece.
Grizzlies 109, Timberwolves 92
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Mike Conley had 23 points and six assists, Marc Gasol added 14 and 12 rebounds and the Memphis Grizzlies built an early lead and easily dispatched the short-handed Minnesota Timberwolves.
Zach Randolph finished with 17 points for Memphis, while Tayshaun Prince and Ed Davis added 12 points apiece.
Kevin Love led the Timberwolves with 16 points, but shot 6-of-18 from the field.
