The AP reports: The San Antonio Spurs played their worst defensive quarter of the season in the final 12 minutes against the Indiana Pacers. Fortunately, for the Spurs, the Pacers played poor defense the entire game. Indiana scored 40 points and shot 70 percent in the fourth quarter, but the Spurs beat the Pacers 126-121 on Friday night. The Spurs were happy to win, but shocked by their late defensive collapse… Tony Parker had 31 points and 10 assists, Duncan had 22 points and 11 rebounds, Michael Finley scored 18 points and Drew Gooden added 17 for the Spurs, who now trail Denver by half a game in the scramble for the No. 2 seed in the West… Danny Granger scored 35 points for the Pacers, his fourth straight game with at least 30 points. Jarrett Jack scored 22 points, and Troy Murphy added 19 points and 13 rebounds for the Pacers, who fell four games behind Chicago for the No. 8 spot in the East.
Day: April 4, 2009
Wade, Heat beat Bobcats 97-92 to reach playoffs
The AP reports: A year ago, the Miami Heat couldn’t wait to finish a horrendous, injury-plagued season. Now Dwyane Wade and his young teammates plan to be playing deep into the spring thanks to one of the biggest turnarounds in NBA history. As usual, Wade led the Heat’s latest milestone, scoring 27 points and dishing out 10 assists on Friday night as Miami clinched a playoff berth with a 97-92 comeback victory over the Charlotte Bobcats. A year after going 15-67, the Heat joined the 1968-69 San Diego Rockets—a team that included Heat president Pat Riley—as the second NBA team to reach the postseason after winning 15 or fewer games the year before. The Rockets also recovered from a 15-67 disaster.