Warriors keep Lakers in slump; Thunder captures Northwest title

Warriors keep Lakers in slump; Thunder captures Northwest title• GOLDEN STATE 95, L.A. LAKERS 87: David Lee, right, had 22 points, 17 rebounds and five assists for the Warriors on Wednesday night in Oakland, Calif. Kobe Bryant finished with 25 points, and Andrew Bynum grabbed 17 rebounds. Bryant helped the Lakers cut a 20-point third-quarter deficit to single digits late in the fourth quarter, but they lost for the second night in a row. Monta Ellis added 26 points for Golden State.

• OKLAHOMA CITY 112, L.A. CLIPPERS 108: Kevin Durant scored 29 points, Russell Westbrook added 26 and the host Thunder clinched the Northwest Division title. It is the first division crown for the franchise since 2005, when it was known as the Seattle SuperSonics. Blake Griffin scored 35 points and pulled down 11 rebounds in the second visit to his hometown in his NBA career.

• INDIANA 136, WASHINGTON 112: The host Pacers clinched a playoff spot Wednesday, riding a 43-point first quarter to their second-highest point total of the season. Paul George, right, scored a career-high 23 points and Darren Collison added 15 points and 11 assists for the Pacers, who shot 60 percent and improved to 19-16 under interim coach Frank Vogel.

• NEW ORLEANS 101, HOUSTON 93: Chris Paul had 28 points and 10 assists, and the host Hornets clinched a playoff spot. Trevor Ariza, acquired by the Hornets from Houston in an offseason trade, scored 19 for a second game in a row and tied a season high with six steals.

• MILWAUKEE 90, MIAMI 85: Carlos Delfino's three-pointer with 24 seconds left helped seal the road victory for the Bucks. The Heat dropped a half-game back of Boston in the race for the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference, with the Celtics owning the tiebreaker. LeBron James scored 29 points for Miami, which played without injured guard Dwyane Wade, the NBA's No. 3 scorer. Miami shot only 41 percent.

• NEW YORK 97, PHILADELPHIA 92: Carmelo Anthony had 31 points and 11 rebounds, and Toney Douglas bailed out the Knicks after they blew a 19-point lead and trailed by one late in the fourth quarter before defeating the 76ers in Philadelphia. The Knicks also lost Amare Stoudemire to a sprained ankle in the fourth quarter. Douglas hit the go-ahead three-pointer with 1:47 left for a 90-88 advantage, then made two free throws with 42 seconds left. Thaddeus Young scored 15 of his 25 points in the fourth quarter for the 76ers.

• CLEVELAND 104, TORONTO 96: J.J. Hickson's 28 points led the Cavaliers to victory in Toronto. The Raptors, battling fatigue in their fourth game in five nights and missing the services of Andrea Bargnani and Amir Johnson, trailed from the outset, digging themselves a 22-point, first-half hole.

• DENVER 104, DALLAS 96: J.R. Smith broke a tie in the final minutes with a layup and immediately followed with a jump shot, lifting the Nuggets over the shorthanded Mavericks in Dallas. Smith scored seven of his 23 points after Dallas tied it at 94 with 2:51 left. Playing without Jason Kidd or Tyson Chandler, the Mavericks lost their fourth in a row .

• DETROIT 116, NEW JERSEY 109: Rodney Stuckey bounced back from a two-game benching and scored 22 for the host Pistons. The Nets played without point guard Deron Williams (wrist injury), but center Brook Lopez scored a career-high 39 points. The Pistons won their 27th game of the season, matching last season's total.

• SAN ANTONIO 124, SACRAMENTO 92: Manu Ginobili scored 25 points, and the host Spurs moved within a victory of the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference playoffs. The Spurs improved their NBA-best record to 60-19. George Hill scored 12 of his 19 points during the third quarter, when the Spurs outscored the Kings by 20 in their best offensive quarter of the season. Tyreke Evans led the Kings with 16 points.

• The Boston Red Sox's sister company, Fenway Sports Marketing, said it has signed LeBron James to a long-term marketing deal. As part of the deal, James has obtained a small piece of the soccer team Liverpool in the English Premier League, FSM president Sam Kennedy said.