Spurs win 14th straight, 76ers lose 25 straight
76ers’ Henry Sims waits to enter the game during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the San Antonio Spurs, Monday, March 24, 2014, in San Antonio. AP
SAN ANTONIO, Texas—Austin Daye had 22 points and Tim Duncan added 19 as the San Antonio Spurs earned their 14th straight win with a 113-91 victory Monday that sent the Philadelphia 76ers to their 25th consecutive loss.
Philadelphia will face Houston on Thursday with the dubious distinction of being a loss shy of tying the National Basketball Association record for consecutive losses set by the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2010-11.
Kawhi Leonard and Patty Mills scored 15 points each and Cory Joseph added 12 for San Antonio, which maintained the league’s best record at 54 wins and 16 losses.
Thaddeus Young and Michael Carter-Williams each scored 19 points for Philadelphia.
Miami’s 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 Heat escaped with a 93-91 win over the Portland Trail Blazers.
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.
Lillard led the Blazers with 19 points on 3-for-15 shooting.
At Charlotte, North Carolina, James Harden scored 31 points and Dwight Howard had a double-double in his return to the court as the Houston Rockets defeated the Bobcats 100-89 for their fourth straight win.
Terrence Jones added 18 points and seven rebounds in the victory.
Kemba Walker had 22 points and Al Jefferson had 20 points and 11 rebounds for Charlotte.
The Phoenix Suns downed the Atlanta Hawks to pull even with Dallas for the final playoff spot in the Western Conference after Eric Bledsoe scored 20 points to lead five Phoenix players in double figures.
The Suns buried the Hawks from three-point range, knocking down 12-of-24 beyond the arc. Bledsoe made all three of his long-range attempts, while Channing Frye was 4-of-9 to account for the bulk of his 18 points. Goran Dragic had 19 points, Markieff Morris 17 and Gerald Green 13.
Paul Millsap and DeMarre Carroll led the Hawks with 19 points each.
Taj Gibson led five players in double figures with 23 points as the Chicago Bulls brushed off a poor offensive first half to rally past the Indiana Pacers 89-77, while Kevin Durant had 27 points and eight assists to help the Oklahoma City Thunder defeat the Denver Nuggets 117-96.
In other games, the Memphis Grizzles downed the Minnesota Timberwolves 109-92, the New Orleans Pelicans beat the Brooklyn Nets 109-104 in overtime, the Detroit Pistons defeated the Utah Jazz 114-94 and the Los Angeles Clippers were 106-98 winners over the Milwaukee Bucks.
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