Associated Press
The NBA playoff roundup …
SAN ANTONIO ó Gary Neal caught an inbounds pass with 1.7 seconds left and forced overtime with a 3-point heave as time expired, and the San Antonio Spurs staved off elimination by stunning the Memphis Grizzlies 110-103 on Wednesday night.
Neal’s straightaway 3-pointer was the second of two remarkable San Antonio baskets in the final 2.2 seconds of regulation. Manu Ginobili, who scored 33 points, hit the other with a long corner jumper while falling out of bounds to keep top-seeded San Antonio alive.
The eighth-seeded Grizzlies lead the best-of-seven series 3-2 and they will host the Spurs on Friday night.
But the Grizzlies will likely go home thinking they missed a knockout punch.
Zach Randoloph led Memphis with 26 points and 17 rebounds.
Heat 97, 76ers 91
MIAMI ó Dwyane Wade scored 26 points, Chris Bosh added 22 points and 11 rebounds, and the Miami Heat advanced to the Eastern Conference semifinals by topping Philadelphia 97-91 and ousting the 76ers in five games.
Mario Chalmers scored 20 points off the bench and LeBron James finished with 16 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists for Miami. Joel Anthony made a pair of free throws with 16.8 seconds left for the Heat, who will face Boston starting Sunday afternoon in Miami.
It’s the first series win for the Heat since the 2006 NBA finals.
Andre Iguodala and Elton Brand each scored 22 points for Philadelphia.
Nuggets 104, Thunder 101
DENVER ó It sure looked familiar: a furious last-minute comeback ending with a 3-pointer coming up short.
Only this time it was Russell Westbrook misfiring and begging for a whistle, instead of J.R. Smith.
The Denver Nuggets avoided a first-round playoff sweep with a 104-101 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Monday night behind Ty Lawson’s career playoff-high 27 points.
Denver still faces a huge challenge as it attempts to become the first NBA team to overcome a 3-0 series deficit. Game 5 is Wednesday.