Rockets Beat Washington, NBA Roundup

One game after clinching a playoff berth, the Rockets delayed the Wizards' bid to secure their own spot, beating Washington 99-91 Sunday behind James Harden's 24 points.

Houston entered the day third in the Western Conference, a half-game behind No. 2 Memphis. Washington is fifth in the East and still had a chance to end Sunday with a guaranteed place in the postseason, depending on results of later games. Corey Brewer scored 15 for Houston, including pairing with Pablo Prigioni for consecutive 3-pointers that pushed the lead back up to 85-75 with 8 minutes left after Washington had pulled within four.

Nets 107, Lakers 99

Alan Anderson patrolled the locker room area in a Michigan State hat, screaming "Spartan!" so loudly that his teammates wondered how they could live with him for the next week. The swingman's college team is thriving again in March, and suddenly so is his pro team. Brook Lopez had 30 points and 11 rebounds, and the Brooklyn Nets kept up their playoff push by beating the Los Angeles Lakers 107-99 on Sunday for their third straight victory.

Pelicans 110, Timberwolves 88

Anthony Davis sat on the bench wearing a white, long-sleeve shirt over his Pelicans jersey and a satisfied smile on his face. It was the fourth quarter, and Davis was getting the type of rest he needed -- and earned. Davis had 28 points and nine rebounds in 37 minutes, then watched New Orleans' reserves close out a comfortable 110-88 victory over the reeling Minnesota Timberwolves on Sunday.

Cavaliers 87, 76ers 86

The Cleveland Cavaliers won't get style points for Sunday's 87-86 win over the Philadelphia 76ers. And that's just fine with LeBron James. Moving 2 1/2 games ahead of Chicago for second place in the Eastern Conference was all that mattered to James, who led Cleveland with 20 points. The Cavaliers, coming off a stretch that had them play 14 of 19 games on the road, struggled to put away the team with the third-worst record in the league.

Sunday, March 29 Scoreboard

Houston 99, Washington 91

Brooklyn 107, LA Lakers 99

New Orleans 110, Minnesota 88

Cleveland 87, Philadelphia 86

LA Clippers 119, Boston 106

Miami 109, Detroit 102

San Antonio 103, Memphis 89

Indiana 104, Dallas 99

Oklahoma City 109, Phoenix 97

Monday, March 30 Schedules (All Times Central)

Boston at Charlotte, 6 p.m.

LA Lakers at Philadelphia, 7 p.m.

Milwaukee at Atlanta, 6:30 p.m.

Houston at Toronto, 6:30 p.m.

Sacramento at Memphis, 7 p.m.

Utah at Minnesota, 7 p.m.

Phoenix at Portland, 9 p.m.