Spurs derail Lakers, gain playoff; Celtics mob Cavs

LOS ANGELES – Manu Ginobili scored 32 points and Tim Duncan added 24 as the San Antonio Spurs beat the Los Angeles Lakers, 100-81, Sunday to clinch their 13th consecutive playoff berth.

The Spurs had extra incentive since a loss would have increased their chances of facing the defending NBA champions in the first round of the playoffs. Instead, they moved into the No. 7 spot, a half-game ahead of idle Portland.

The Lakers got a season-high 32 points from Pau Gasol and 22 from Kobe Bryant, but failed to clinch the No. 1 seed in the West and heard boos from their fans.

Richard Jefferson added 14 points and Duncan had 11 rebounds for the Spurs, who won their third straight and 15th of 20. They’ve notched recent wins over four of the NBA’s top teams: Cleveland, Boston, Orlando and now the Lakers.

At Boston, Ray Allen scored a season-high 33 points, hitting his sixth three-pointer to give the Celtics a four-point lead with 48 seconds left, and Boston held on despite 42 points from LeBron James for a 117-113 win.

The win snapped a three-game home losing streak for Boston, and it kept the Cavaliers from clinching home-court advantage for the entire postseason.

James scored 20 in the fourth quarter, when the Cavs erased a 17-point deficit and took their first lead at 104-103 with 2:58 left. But he missed two free throws in the last 16 seconds and a 3-point attempt on a fast break with 3.2 seconds left when a 2-pointer would have leveled it.

At Toronto, Don Nelson tied Lenny Wilkens for the most wins by an NBA coach when Golden State held off Toronto for its second straight victory, 113-112.

The victory was the 1,332nd for Nelson, who can pass Wilkens when Golden State plays at Washington on Tuesday. Golden State’s players danced in a circle around Nelson after the wild finish, which saw Chris Bosh steal the inbounds pass only to have his game-winning layup attempt roll off the rim as time expired.

Stephen Curry had 29 points and 12 assists, and Corey Maggette scored 31 points for the Warriors.

Bosh had 42 points and 12 rebounds for the Raptors, who lost for the first time in four games.

At Orlando, Vince Carter had 26 points and seven rebounds as Orlando beat Memphis after an on-court scuffle, 107-92.

The scrum between Matt Barnes and Hasheem Thabeet escalated into a near 10-player shoving match. - AP