Associated Press
The NBA roundup …
CLEVELAND ó Chris Paul left the court on a stretcher and suffered a concussion in the New Orleans Hornetsí 96-81 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Sunday night.
The four-time All-Star lost the ball in the third quarter driving into the lane as he was defended by Ramon Sessions and Samardo Samuels. As Paul tried to retrieve the ball, he hit his forehead on Sessionsí right shoulder and immediately fell to the court. Paul stayed on the floor as trainers from both teams attended to him.
Paul, who was moving his legs and feet, was placed on a flat board and a brace was put on his neck. Players from both teams surrounded him. He was wheeled to the locker room and gave a thumbs up to the crowd as he left the court. He was taken to Cleveland Clinic for precautionary tests, then rejoined the team for its flight to Chicago. He will miss Mondayís game.
David West scored 23 points, and Paul had 13 points and 11 assists in 26 minutes.
Lakers 99, Spurs 83
SAN ANTONIO ó Kobe Bryant scored 26 points, Pau Gasol had 21 and Los Angeles embarrassed NBA-best San Antonio for its seventh consecutive victory.
What was billed as a potential Western Conference finals preview was a blowout from the start. And the Lakers likely relished this rout after losing twice to the Spurs, including on Antonio McDyessí memorable buzzer tip-in last month.
Tony Parker led the Spurs with 14 points. He was their only starter in double figures.
Bulls 87, Heat 86
MIAMI ó Derrick Rose scored 27 points, Luol Deng capped an 18-point effort with two free throws that put Chicago ahead for good, and the Bulls handed Miami its fourth straight loss.
Carlos Boozer scored 12 and Joakim Noah added 11 for the Bulls, who moved a game ahead of Miami into outright possession of second place in the Eastern Conference and beat the Heat for the third time this season.
LeBron James scored 26 points, Chris Bosh added 23 and Dwyane Wade had 20 for the Heat. James and Wade both missed shots that would have won it for Miami in the final 8 seconds.
Grizzlies 104, Mavericks 103
DALLAS ó Zach Randolph made a high-arching 17-footer with 0.3 seconds left, lifting Memphis over Dallas.
The Grizzlies erased an 18-point deficit shortly before halftime, then polished off the comeback with a wild finish.
Memphis went ahead with 14.3 seconds left when Shane Battier caught a blocked shot under the basket and flicked in a reverse layup. Then Dallas ó which had won eight straight and 18 of 19 ó went back ahead when Dirk Nowitzki made a jumper over Battier from the foul line with 3.1 seconds left.
Knicks 92, Hawks 79
ATLANTAó Amare Stoudemire scored 26 points, Landry Fields added 15 and New York easily beat Atlanta.
Carmelo Anthony, who was poked in the eye in the first quarter and later hit in the head in the first half, finished with 14 points, his lowest total since New York acquired him in a Feb. 22 trade.
Thunder 122, Suns 118, OT
OKLAHOMA CITY ó Russell Westbrook had 32 points and 11 assists, James Harden matched his career high with 26 points and Oklahoma City beat Phoenix in overtime.
Vince Carter led Phoenix with 29 points but missed two of three free throws with the chance to put the Suns ahead with 17.4 seconds left. Steve Nash missed a potential tying 3-pointer after that.