Sports FRIDAY, APRIL 15, 2016 Warriors romp to record 73rd victory Hollywood ending as 60-point Bryant bows out OAKLAND: Stephen Curry and the Robinson III each added 14 points for Golden State Warriors took their last Indiana, which clinched the seventh shot at Michael Jordan and history and seed in the Eastern Conference on they swished it - for 73. Down to their Tuesday night after beating the New final chance at the record, the Warriors York Knicks. With the Pacers locked became the first 73-win team into a first-round playoff series against Wednesday night by beating the the Toronto Raptors, coach Frank Memphis Grizzlies 125-104, breaking Vogel sat starters, including Paul what many considered an unmatch- George and Monta Ellis. Giannis able mark set 20 years ago by Jordan’s Antetokounmpo led the Bucks with 19 Chicago Bulls - and Golden State coach points and nine rebounds. Steve Kerr, too. Curry achieved yet one more shooting milestone, becoming BULLS 115, 76ERS 105 the first player to make 400 3-pointers Nikola Mirotic scored 32 points and in a season by knocking down 10 from Justin Holliday a career-high 29 as long range on the way to 46 points and Chicago closed a disappointing season 402 total 3s. Golden State saved one with a victory over Philadelphia. Mirotic last record for the closing day of the hit seven 3-pointers. Holiday made five regular season, and did it for a roaring, from long range, matching a personal sellout home crowd at Oracle Arena. best. Jimmy Butler added 10 points, 12 Yet these Warriors want nothing more rebounds and 10 assists. The Bulls than to build off their remarkable run wiped out an early 24-point deficit and so far and ride it to another title. led by as much as 19. That’s little con- Draymond Green had 11 points, nine solation for a team that expected to rebounds and seven assists as defend- challenge Cleveland for supremacy in ing champion Golden State (73-9) the Eastern Conference. Instead, they topped the Jordan-led 1995-96 Bulls missed the playoffs for the first time who went 72-10. When the final buzzer since 2008 at 42-40. Robert Covington sounded, Green bounded onto the led Philadelphia with 27 points. The floor and grabbed the game ball as 76ers finished an NBA-worst 10-72. confetti streamed down and “73 WINS” appeared on the scoreboard. TIMBERWOLVES 144, PELICANS 109 LOS ANGELES: Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers celebrates with teammates following his Karl-Anthony Towns had 28 points LAKERS 101, JAZZ 96 final game as a Laker in their season-ending NBA western division matchup against the Utah and 14 rebounds as Minnesota sent Kobe Bryant went out with a Jazz in Los Angeles, where the Lakers defeated the Jazz 101-96. — AFP coach Sam Mitchell out in style with an Hollywood ending to his remarkable easy victory over New Orleans. Gorgui career. He scored 60 points in his final Houston will meet top-seed Golden 103-all and forced OT. But Meeks, who Hassan Whiteside each had 19 points Dieng had 20 points and 11 rebounds game, wrapping up 20 years in the NBA State in the first round of the playoffs played just 17 minutes all season to lead the Heat. Goran Dragic added and Shabazz Muhammad scored 28 with an unbelievable offensive show- this weekend. Ben McLemore had 24 because of a foot injury, scored four in 18 points, and Dwyane Wade had 17. points for the Timberwolves (29-53), case in Los Angeles’ victory over Utah. points for the Kings, in what was likely the extra session. McRae scored 36 and who learned before the game that Bryant scored 23 points in the fourth coach George Karl’s final game with the had a chance to tie it in the final sec- WIZARDS 109, HAWKS 98 owner Glen Taylor planned to open up quarter, posting his first 50-point game team amid reports that he could be ond, but missed two free throws after With a seemingly half-hearted a search for a new president of basket- since February 2009 and rallying the fired as soon as Thursday. Karl went 44- being fouled on a 3-pointer. The teams showing in its final regular-season ball operations and coach. Minnesota Lakers from a 15-point deficit to win 68 since taking the job in February will play Game 1 this weekend. game, Atlanta lost to a bunch of back- shot 65 percent, made 13 of 28 3-point- the final game of the worst season in 2015, and this season is the 10th ups for Washington and wound up ers and set a franchise record for points franchise history. With the entire straight season in which the Kings did RAPTORS 103, NETS 96 with the No. 4 seed in the Eastern in a game. Omer Asik had 24 points Staples Center crowd standing, Bryant not make the playoffs. Rookie Norman Powell scored a Conference. Atlanta finished 48-34 - and 11 rebounds for the Pelicans. made a 3-pointer with 59 seconds left. career-high 30 points as Toronto the same record as Miami, who lost at He hit another with 31 seconds to play, SPURS 96, MAVERICKS 91 wrapped up the best regular season in Boston but owned the tiebreaker over SUNS 114, CLIPPERS 105 putting the Lakers ahead 97-96. He fin- Rookies Boban Marjanovic and franchise history by beating Brooklyn. the Hawks and so earned the No 3 Mirza Teletovic scored 22 points to ished with an assist before checking Jonathon Simmons set career scoring With the No 2 seed in the Eastern seed. Because of Miami’s loss, Atlanta lead Phoenix and the Suns finished their out for good with 4.1 seconds left in highs to help San Antonio rally past Conference already secured, the would have moved up to No. 3 with a second-worst season in franchise history just the 17th win of the season. Bryant Dallas despite leaving home four Raptors didn’t bring All-Star guards victory. Instead, the Hawks dropped with a victory over a Los Angeles team took a career-high 50 shots to get starters and two key reserves. The loss Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan, plus their second game in a row and will made up almost entirely of Clippers there. He posted his highest-scoring left the Mavericks at risk of falling to the Jonas Valanciunas, James Johnson and face the No 5 Celtics in the first round bench players. The loss snapped the performance since getting 61 against No. 7 seed in the Western Conference DeMarre Carroll to the game. They won of the playoffs. Al Horford led the Clippers’ six-game winning streak. Still, New York in 2009. It was the fifth high- and having to face the second-seeded anyway, improving to 56-26 after com- Hawks with 19 points. Ramon Sessions, they won 10 of 12 games heading into est-scoring game of his career, and he Spurs again in the first round of the ing into the season as the only NBA one of four reserves who started for their first-round playoff series against became the oldest player to score 50 playoffs after San Antonio’s 4-0 sweep team that had never previously even Washington, scored 22 points. Portland. With the No. 4 spot in the points in an NBA game. The entire of its Texas rival in the regular season. won 50. Powell added nine rebounds West already assured, Los Angeles left night was a tribute to Bryant, who is Marjanovic, a 7-foot-3 Serbian center and five assists, while Terrence Ross MAGIC 117, HORNETS 103 Chris Paul, DeAndre Jordan, Blake retiring after five championship rings making his fourth start, had 22 points had 24 points and 10 rebounds. Delon Al Jefferson scored 26 points to help Griffin and Jamal Crawford home. and 18 All Star selections with the and matched a career high with 12 Wright scored 18 points. Bojan playoff-bound Charlotte close out its Wesley Johnson and CJ Wilcox scored Lakers, who honored him before and rebounds as the Spurs erased an 18- Bogdanovic scored 29 points for the best regular season in 16 years with a 19 apiece for the Clippers. after the game. Bryant is just the fifth point halftime deficit in the third quar- Nets, who lost their final 10 games and victory over Orlando. The Hornets are player in NBA history to play 20 sea- ter and finished off the rally in the finished 21-61. the sixth seed in the Eastern TRAIL BLAZERS 107, NUGGETS 99 sons, and the first with just one team. fourth. Simmons scored 19. Kyle Conference and will face the third- Damian Lillard had 21 points before Anderson, a second-year player, CELTICS 98, HEAT 88 seeded Miami Heat in the first round of sitting in the final quarter as Portland, ROCKETS 116, KINGS 81 matched his career best with 15 points, Isaiah Thomas had 21 points as the NBA playoffs. Troy Daniels added its playoff fate sealed earlier James Harden scored 38 points as including eight in the fourth quarter. Boston rallied from 26 points down to 13 points and Spencer Hawes and Wednesday night, beat Denver. CJ the Houston Rockets took the final He had 10 rebounds for his first career beat Miami. Coupled with Atlanta’s loss Jeremy Lamb had 12 each for McCollum added 17 points for the Western Conference playoff spot with double-double.