NBA: Nowitzki drains jumper to edge Mavs past Magic

Dirk Nowitzki banked in a jumper with 5.9 seconds left and scored a game-high 28 points to lead the Dallas Mavericks past the Orlando Magic 100-98 on Friday night.

Jameer Nelson scored 24 points to lead the Magic. Ryan Anderson added 21, while Dwight Howard finished with 19 points and 15 rebounds.

The Mavericks trailed by 15 points in the third quarter before rallying in the final period, aided by a plethora of turnovers by the Magic. Jason Terry had 10 points in the quarter and 17 in the game. Delonte West and Shawn Marion each added 15.

Orlando had 16 turnovers, which led to 20 points for the Mavericks. The Magic lost to Dallas for the sixth straight time at home.

HEAT 113, RAPTORS 101 
In Toronto, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh scored 30 points each as the Miami Heat beat Toronto, marking their seventh straight win over the Raptors.

Wade scored a game high 30 points, but said he played with a "heavy heart" after learning his adult nephew had been one of six men shot during a shooting spree in Chicago’s South side on Thursday.

LeBron James had 26 points and nine assists, while Mario Chalmers added 14 points as the Heat won for the second time in two nights after beating Dallas at home on Thursday.

DeMar DeRozan scored 28 points and Andrea Bargnani had 27 for Toronto. Amir Johnson had 12 points and 12 rebounds, while Jose Calderon had 16 assists, one shy of his season high, but the Raptors lost for the sixth time in eight games.

Miami came in having lost six of eight away from home, but improved to 16-11 away from American Airlines Arena.

CLIPPERS 98, TRAIL BLAZERS 97 
In Los Angeles, Chris Paul made a driving layup with 5 seconds to go, lifting Los Angeles past Portland for their season high-tying fourth straight victory.

The Clippers trailed by two when Paul got the ball to Randy Foye, who hit a three-pointer with 47 seconds left to put the Clippers ahead 96-95. Jamal Crawford responded with a 22-footer and Portland led by one with 13 seconds left.

Paul dribbled around before driving to the basket for the winner. Wesley Matthews missed a jumper in the waning seconds for the visitors.

Paul, Blake Griffin and Randy Foye led six Clippers in double figures with 20 points each.

J.J. Hickson led the Blazers with a season-high 29 points and 13 rebounds.

WIZARDS 97, 76ERS 76 
In Washington, Cartier Martin tied a career-high with 20 points in his second game under a 10-day contract, as Washington built a big lead and held on to it for a change, breaking a five-game losing streak.

The loss knocked Philadelphia out of first place in the Atlantic Division, putting them one game behind Boston. The 76ers began the day tied with the Celtics, who beat Minnesota.

The Wizards had blown double-digit leads in their past three home games, but this time they did not let up.

Lou Williams and Thaddeus Young scored 14 apiece for the 76ers, who have lost six of nine.

CELTICS 100, TIMBERWOLVES 79
In Minneapolis, Minnesota, Kevin Garnett had 24 points, 10 rebounds and four assists in his return to Target Center as Boston outmuscled Kevin Love and Minnesota.

Paul Pierce had 21 points and nine rebounds, while Rajon Rondo had 17 assists for the Celtics, who have won four in a row and six of their past seven.

Love had 22 points and 11 rebounds, but succumbed to Garnett’s physical defense in a battle between the face of the Timberwolves past and present.

Luke Ridnour had 15 points and eight assists, but the Wolves turned the ball over 21 times to see their playoff hopes take a hit. They entered two-and-a-half games out of the eighth spot in the West.

In other games, it was:

‧ Bucks 121, Cavaliers 84

‧ Nuggets 99, Bobcats 88

‧ Rockets 98, Grizzlies 89

‧ Bulls 83, Pistons 71

‧ Kings 104, Jazz 103

‧ Nets 102, Warriors 100

Source: http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/sport/archives/2012/04/01/2003529221/1

NBA Rumors: Steve Nash Would Ensure Miami Heat Dynasty

Even at 38 years old, Steve Nash remains one of the best point guards in the NBA. The Miami Heat are still desperately seeking a point guard who can ease the burden on LeBron James and Dwyane Wade.

While it would take a lot to actually get a deal done, Nash did not dismiss the idea when asked about it during an interview on The Dan Patrick Show on Thursday.

He said that if James were to call and ask him about coming to South Beach, he would "listen":

I love what they are doing there. Obviously, a lot of people don't like them because they put all that talent together. But they're professional, they play hard, they play together, and the coaching staff has done a great job.

It's not like Nash is saying that he is going to run to South Beach after the season is over, but the allure of winning will probably control where he plays next season.

There was some talk of Nash being traded before the deadline this year, because the Phoenix Suns are not going to the postseason. They are entering a rebuilding phase, and Nash is in the final year of his contract.

Nothing ever came of those rumors, but this offseason Nash will have a big decision to make. The Suns would love to have him back, obviously, but he will likely not be competing for a title with them anytime soon.

Bringing Nash to the Heat would not only make them even bigger title favorites than they have been for the last two years, but he would all but guarantee that they would become the next great dynasty in the NBA.

James and Wade need the ball to be effective, as does Nash, so it could be a big cluster that might turn some people off. But Nash would actually open up the offense more than it has been.

Nash wants to be a table-setter. He is going to put them in the best position possible to put the ball in the hoop. That will save their legs when they get to the postseason, which will make them more lethal.

Nash would have to take a major pay cut to play with the Heat. According to ESPN, they only have about $3 million to spend on free agents. That will likely be as much of a factor as winning in any decision Nash makes.

The Heat should pursue Nash as hard as they can and hope that he will take the bait, because the possibilities with him in Miami are endless.

Source: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1125523-nba-rumors-steve-nash-would-ensure-miami-heat-dynasty

NBA: Distraught Wade leads Heat over Raptors

Dwyane Wade led the Miami Heat to a 113-101 win over the Toronto Raptors on Friday but admitted played with a "heavy heart" after learning his adult nephew had been among those injured in Chicago shooting spree.

Wade scored a game high 30 points in the Heat's 113-101 win over the Toronto Raptors but was understandably preoccupied with the fate of his unnamed nephew, one of six men shot in the incident in Chicago's South side on Thursday.

"I played with a heavy heart," Wade, 30, told reporters, adding he learned of the shooting following the Heat's home win over the Dallas Mavericks late on Thursday. "I played for him, with him in mind. He's my nephew, I was nine years old when he was born."

"A lot of thoughts go through your mind. My prayers go out to all families involved, especially the ones who lost a child. It's tough."

The Chicago shooting spree follows a more high profile shooting involving Trayvon Martin, an unarmed black Florida teen who was shot dead last month by neighborhood watch volunteer George Zimmerman.

The shooting has sparked rallies and protests across the United States and Wade helped put the spotlight on the incident by posting a picture of himself on social media wearing a "hoodie" similar to the one Martin was wearing when he was shot.

Wade's Heat teammates, including LeBron James, also posed together for a photo wearing "hoodies" with their heads bowed.

Eight-time NBA All-Star Wade grew up in Chicago and has established Wade's World Foundation to help curb violence in the city's notorious South Side.

"It's very concerning. A lot of the work I do in Chicago is about this and to have a family member be involved is sad," said Wade.

"It hurts your heart to think about, not only your family but other families going through it. I'm just glad he's fine and hope he recovers."

"It's troubling, it's why not only me but others try to do what we can that we can make a change."

"I remember marching over there a couple of years ago for my foundation with many kids in the community to stop the violence. When it hits home it really hits you hard." — Reuters

Source: http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/253422/sports/basketball/nba-distraught-wade-leads-heat-over-raptors

NBA Teams

EASTERN CONFERENCE	WESTERN CONFERENCE
ATLANTIC	SOUTHWEST
Boston Celtics	Dallas Mavericks
New Jersey Nets	Houston Rockets
New York Knicks	Memphis Grizzlies
Philadelphia 76ers	New Orleans Hornets
Toronto Raptors	San Antonio Spurs
CENTRAL	NORTHWEST
Chicago Bulls	Denver Nuggets
Cleveland Cavaliers	Minnesota Timberwolves
Detroit Pistons	Portland Trail Blazers
Indiana Pacers	Oklahoma City Thunder
Milwaukee Bucks	Utah Jazz
SOUTHEAST	PACIFIC
Atlanta Hawks	Golden State Warriors
Charlotte Bobcats	Los Angeles Clippers
Miami Heat	Los Angeles Lakers
Orlando Magic	Phoenix Suns
Washington Wizards	Sacramento Kings

Image Source: http://www.nba.com/teams/

Blazers' Aldridge out with sprained left elbow

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- LaMarcus Aldridge won't play for the Portland Trail Blazers against the Los Angeles Clippers on Friday night because the All-Star forward has a sprained left elbow.

Blazers interim coach Kaleb Canales says Aldridge hurt himself in a 99-93 win over New Orleans on Thursday night and is day-to-day.

Aldridge is averaging 21.4 points and 8.1 rebounds for the Blazers. J.J. Hickson was set to start in Aldridge's place.

Source: http://www.nba.com/2012/news/03/30/blazers-aldridge.ap/index.html

Rose remains sidelined for Bulls

CHICAGO (AP) -- Bulls star Derrick Rose remained sidelined by a right groin injury and was not available for Friday's game against the Detroit Pistons.

The league's reigning MVP has missed nine straight games.

The Bulls' Richard Hamilton was in uniform but not in the starting lineup against his former team after missing the previous 12 games because of a sprained right shoulder. The veteran guard has been sidelined by a variety of injuries this season - his first in Chicago after spending nine in Detroit.

The Pistons were hardly a picture of health, with Austin Daye starting at shooting guard over the injured Rodney Stuckey (sore left hamstring) and Ben Gordon (sore right groin). Coach Lawrence Frank says they're day to day.

Source: http://www.nba.com/2012/news/03/30/pistons-bulls-injuries/index.html

Allen misses fifth straight game for Boston

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) -- Boston Celtics guard Ray Allen is out for the fifth game in a row with a sore right ankle.

Allen tested his ankle in the team's shootaround Friday morning and was planning to play against the Minnesota Timberwolves. But coach Doc Rivers says Allen wasn't able to go once he arrived at Target Center.

Getting the sharp-shooter back would be a big lift for the surging Celtics, who have won three in a row and five of their last six. Allen is averaging 14.6 points and hitting 46.3 percent of his 3-pointers this season.

The Timberwolves are missing center Nikola Pekovic for the sixth straight game with bone spurs in his right ankle. Michael Beasley (toe) and J.J. Barea (thigh) also were out.

Source: http://www.nba.com/2012/news/03/30/celtics-allen.ap/index.html