Nick Smith Jr. pumped in 24 points to lead a bunch of backups for the Charlotte Hornets in their season-ending 120-110 victory against host Cleveland on Sunday afternoon, preventing the Cavaliers from having a chance to share the Central Division title. The Hornets (21-61) were sparked on a late 15-2 burst by Smith, Amari Bailey and JT Thor (20 points), surging to a 117-110 lead with less than two minutes to play. It was the

LeBron James poured in 37 points and Anthony Davis added 36 as the visiting Los Angeles Lakers held off the pesky Memphis Grizzlies for a 123-120 win on Friday night. With the victory, Los Angeles (46-35) jumped into the No. 8 seed in the Western Conference. The Lakers, Warriors and Kings all entered the day at 45-35. Sacramento and Golden State, however, both lost later Friday to sit one game back at No. 9 and

Marcus Sasser led a balanced attack with 24 points, James Wiseman put up a double-double in a rare start and the visiting Detroit Pistons formally crushed the Dallas Mavericks’ hopes of finishing fourth in the Western Conference with a stunning, 107-89 victory Friday night. Evan Fournier led a productive four-man bench crew with 13 points as the Pistons (14-67) snapped a six-game losing streak by having better depth than a Mavericks club resting star guards

Kenneth Lofton Jr. totaled a season-high 27 points, nine rebounds and eight assists off the bench to lead the Utah Jazz to a 110-109 road win over the Los Angeles Clippers on Friday night. Keyonte George added 14 points to help lift the Jazz (31-50) to their second consecutive win in as many nights after enduring a 13-game losing streak. Bones Hyland missed a game-winning 3-point attempt in the final seconds but finished with a

CJ McCollum capped a New Orleans barrage of 3-pointers by sinking his eighth of the game with 1:02 remaining in San Francisco, stalling a Golden State Warriors rally and propelling the Pelicans into a 114-109 triumph in a Friday matchup filled with playoff-position ramifications. A second win in two nights in Northern California improved the chances of the Pelicans (49-32) finishing in the coveted sixth spot in the Western Conference and clinching a playoff spot.

Luka Samanic scored a season-high 22 points and Keyonte George had 20 as the short-handed Utah Jazz snapped a 13-game losing streak with a 124-121 victory over the Houston Rockets on Thursday night in Salt Lake City. On a night when seven of Utah’s rotation players were sidelined for various reasons, seven other Jazz players stepped up to score in double figures to give fans a thrilling win in the team’s home finale. The Jazz

Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving combined for 54 points as the Dallas Mavericks defeated the host Miami Heat 111-92 on Wednesday night. Dallas (50-30) has won 16 of its past 18 games, and the Mavericks are on pace to become the highest-scoring team in franchise history. The loss was costly for Miami (44-36), as it no longer has a shot at clinching a top-six seed in the Eastern Conference. Instead, the Heat will have to

Nikola Jokic scored 24 of his game-high 41 points in the second half as the host Denver Nuggets took sole possession of first place in the Western Conference with a 116-107 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday. Jokic added 11 rebounds, seven assists and three steals for the Nuggets (56-24), who can secure the West’s No. 1 seed for the second straight season by winning road games against the San Antonio Spurs on Friday

Tyler Herro scored 33 points and Jimmy Butler registered 25 points, nine assists, eight rebounds and three steals as the Miami Heat notched a 117-111 double-overtime victory over the host Atlanta Hawks on Tuesday night. Nikola Jovic added 23 points and eight rebounds and Haywood Highsmith scored 13 points for Miami (44-35). Bam Adebayo had 10 points, seven rebounds, seven assists and three steals for the Heat, who remain in eighth place in the Eastern