The AP reports: Stephen Jackson scored 14 of his 24 points in the third quarter and the Golden State Warriors bolstered their playoff position against the short-handed Portland Trail Blazers in a 111-95 victory Thursday night. The Warriors caught a lucky break when Portland All-Star guard Brandon Roy stayed home to nurse a sore groin… Golden State broke open a close game with a dominant third quarter, where its aggressiveness on offense paid off with 20 free throw attempts in the quarter… InsideHoops.com Stat Notes: For Golden State, Jackson shot just 8-of-20 for his 24. Monta Ellis had 18 points, 10 rebounds and 5 assists. Kelenna Azubuike scored 14, Baron Davis had 12, 7 assists and 4 steals, and Al Harrington shot 5-of-5 for 10 points. For Portland, Steve Blake shot 8-of-12 for 22 points and 6 assists. Jarrett Jack had 19, LaMarcus Aldridge 17 with just 5 rebounds but 6 assists, and Martell Webster needed 14 shots for his 14 points.
Mar. 27: Pistons 85, Heat 69
The AP reports: Arron Afflalo, starting in place of the injured Richard Hamilton, had a career-high 15 points as the Pistons clinched the Central Division title with a 85-69 victory over the Miami Heat… Miami, which has lost 13 of 15, dressed nine players, including four rookies and two second-year players… Reserve Jason Maxiell had 15 points for Detroit, while Billups added 13 points and 11 assists… Detroit outscored Miami 42-24 in the second half, holding the Heat to 27 percent shooting.
Mar. 27: Nuggets 118, Mavs 105
The AP reports: “Everybody was excited to see Nene back out there, just to see him back in his uniform, seeing him smile again after the stuff he’s been through,” said Carmelo Anthony, who scored 32 points and keyed the decisive run in the Nuggets’ fourth straight win. Nene had been out since Jan. 11, and it’s been just over a month since he underwent chemotherapy… Anthony also chipped in 10 boards and eight assists, helping Denver overcame a 30-point night by Josh Howard and 19 points and 15 assists from Jason Kidd… Kidd was left unguarded on the left elbow and swished a 3-pointer in the third quarter to give the Mavericks a 79-71 lead. The Nuggets responded with an 18-2 run, with Anthony scoring half of the points.
Euroleague: Olympiacos Piraeus releases Marc Jackson
Euroleague.net reports: Five days before its best-of-three playoff series against CSKA Moscow begins, Olympiacos Piraeus unexpectedly released center Marc Jackson, it’s top rebounder and inside scorer, on Thursday. Jackson averaged 15.1 points, 6 rebounds and 1.5 assists in 20 Euroleague games this season, his first in the competition.
Mar. 26: Bobcats 108, Lakers 95
The AP reports: Jason Richardson had 34 points and 10 rebounds, Raymond Felton added 13 points and 10 assists, and the lowly Bobcats stunned the Lakers 108-95 on Wednesday night in a game where Kobe Bryant drew two technical fouls in a span of 29 seconds late in the fourth quarter and was ejected… Matt Carroll added 18 points and Gerald Wallace had 15 points, eight rebounds and seven assists for the Bobcats (26-56), who won for just the second time in eight games and snapped a six-game road losing streak. Emeka Okafor had 11 points and 11 rebounds for Charlotte, which outrebounded the Lakers 52-40. Bryant had 27 points and six rebounds before leaving with 3:40 left and the Bobcats in control. Lamar Odom had 18 points and nine rebounds, Ronnie Turiaf scored 12 and Sasha Vujacic and Walton added 11 each for the Lakers.
Mar. 26: Wizards 104, Sonics 99
The AP reports: Reserve Roger Mason pumped in five 3-pointers in the fourth quarter in leading the Washington Wizards to a 104-99 victory over the Seattle Supersonics on Wednesday night. Mason, averaging 8.6 points coming in, finished with 22 points. He matched his career high with six 3-pointers. Caron Butler had 21 points; he’s averaging 27.8 points in his last seven games against the Sonics. Kevin Durant scored 32 points for the Sonics. Damien Wilkins and Jeff Green each contributed 13 points, while Nick Collison matched his career high with 21 rebounds.
Mar. 26: Kings 107, Grizzlies 106
The AP reports: Kevin Martin scored 36 points and made two free throws in the closing seconds of overtime Wednesday night to give the Sacramento Kings a 107-106 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies… Ron Artest had 24 points and six steals for the Kings, who have beaten the Grizzlies 19 straight games at Arco Arena. Brad Miller contributed 15 points, 17 rebounds and eight assists. Mikki Moore added 15 points and seven rebounds. Hakim Warrick had 26 points and eight rebounds for Memphis, which committed 24 turnovers. Lowry had 16 points, Miller scored 14 and both Rudy Gay and Javaris Crittenton added 13.
Mar. 26: Rockets 97, Wolves 86
The AP reports: Tracy McGrady scored 10 of his 23 points in the fourth quarter and Luis Scola had 18 points and a career-high 18 rebounds in the Rockets’ 97-86 victory Wednesday night… McGrady also had 11 rebounds and nine assists to help the Rockets keep pace in the tight Western Conference race… The Rockets outrebounded the Wolves 58-38 and scored 14 second-chance points to win for the 19th time in their last 21 home games. Al Jefferson had 21 and 10 rebounds for Minnesota, which had won four of its last six games… The Rockets have won 29 of their last 33 games.
Mar. 26: Spurs 97, Clippers 88
The AP reports: The Spurs withstood a late Clippers rally before they racked up their fifth straight win with a 97-88 victory… Tim Duncan led the Spurs with 26 points and 12 rebounds to close out the last of six back-to-backs the team played this month… Corey Maggette scored 22 points for Los Angeles, which has lost nine in a row and is out of playoff contention. Al Thornton added 21 points and nine rebounds and Chris Kaman, back after a nine-game absence with a sore lower back, scored 16… Michael Finley added 16 points for the Spurs, and Manu Ginobili scored 13.
Mar. 26: Knicks 103, Heat 96
The AP reports: Jamal Crawford scored 24 points, including the go-ahead jumper with about 2 1/2 minutes left in overtime, and the New York Knicks ended their longest home losing streak in nearly 45 years by beating the Miami Heat 103-96 on Wednesday night… Zach Randolph had 16 points and 14 rebounds, and Lee added 15 points and 16 boards for the Knicks, who had dropped a franchise record-tying seven in a row at home for the first time since Nov. 26-Dec. 17, 1963. Rookie Wilson Chandler had 10 points and 10 rebounds for the Knicks, who had lost five straight overall and 12 of 13… New York outrebounded Miami 69-42… Miami, without Dwyane Wade, Shawn Marion and almost every other recognizable player on its roster, got 21 points from Daequan Cook and 14 from Kasib Powell, who was called up on Saturday.