New York – Archyde.com
Greg Popovich became the most winning preliminary round coach in NBA history following his San Antonio Spurs came from 15 points behind in the fourth quarter to a 104-102 victory over the Utah Jazz last night.
Popovic, who is playing his 26th season in the professional league with Spurs, scored 1,336 victories to break the tie with Don Nelson.
In a second game, Ja Morant scored 15 of his 37 points in the fourth quarter to help the Memphis Grizzlies make up for their 15-point delay to win 118-114 over the New York Knicks.
The Grizzlies trailed 96-81 regarding a minute before the end of the third quarter, before the late uprising.
Morant scored 30 or more points for the 24th time this season to lead Memphis, second in the Western Conference, to a fifth win in seven games, while the Knicks squandered a chance for a fourth straight win.
Jimmy Butler also scored 11 points in the decisive third quarter to lead the East leaders Miami Heat to a 117-105 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers.
While Gary Trent Jr. equaled his best score this season, scoring 42 points, including eight three-pointers, in the Toronto Raptors’ 117-112 victory over the Phoenix Suns, the Western Division leader, who qualified for the playoffs.
Dwight Powell and Luka Doncic scored double figures in the Dallas Mavericks’ 113-100 victory over the Houston Rockets.
Powell scored 26 points and grabbed 12 rebounds, while his colleague Doncic scored 30 points and grabbed 14 rebounds to achieve a double-digit record for the 35th time during the year.
