Sports

This weekend’s Formula One season-opening Grand Prix in Australia should, in theory, be an unpredictable affair.

Along with the standard first-race technical glitches with new components, the usual churn of rule changes, and drivers becoming reacquainted with racing, this year will also add a new qualifying system and reduced aid to drivers from the pit wall.

The race at Melbourne’s Albert Park Street Circuit usually is also a high attrition contest that has produced some unlikely winners.

However, putting the race result to one side and looking at the more pure measure of speed from qualifying, Melbourne is a near faultless guide to who will win the drivers’ championship.

Eight of the past nine drivers to have won pole position in Melbourne went on to win that year’s title, with Lewis Hamilton in 2012 — then driving for McLaren — being the only exception.

So the wise investments on who will take the 2016 title should be based upon what happens in Melbourne on late Saturday afternoon. Or should it?

Dismayed by the predictability of modern F1, the sport’s commercial chief Bernie Ecclestone led the way in introducing a new qualifying system which will, after much debate and opposition from the top teams and drivers, be in place this weekend.

There will be the same three segments of qualifying, but instead of cutting the slowest cars at the end of Q1 and Q2 and deciding the top grid spots at the end of Q3, the cars will be eliminated one by one every 90 seconds.

Each car will have a few minutes in each session to set a lap time before the regular eliminations begin in a system already dubbed “musical chairs”.

It reduces the margin for error, and eliminates the luxury of the top drivers spending most of the time in the garage in Q1 and Q2, simply doing one lap in each of the first two sessions and thereby keeping fresh sets of tyres for the race. Instead they’ll have to be out there from the start on dirty, unrubbered tracks.

The change is designed to shake up the qualifying order, and perhaps put a spanner in the works of Mercedes, which has been the utterly dominant force of the past two seasons. But few critics suspect it will be enough.

Hamilton is a favourite to win a third straight drivers’ championship, and notwithstanding a controversial pre-race trip to New Zealand in which he publicly criticised a casino and drew the attention of local law enforcement for apparently taking a selfie while riding a motorcycle, he should be primed for another strong start in Australia.

“The car feels even better than last year’s from both a performance and reliability perspective, which is saying something,” Hamilton said earlier this week.

“People keep asking me about motivation, but I just have to look at the faces of all those people [at the team’s technical headquarters] to know what I’m fighting for.”

His biggest challenge again shapes as teammate Nico Rosberg, who finished the 2015 season with three successive wins — after Hamilton had the title secured.

“I’ve had a great winter and done a few things differently for this year,” Rosberg said. “I’ve never felt more ready to go. It’s going to be a great battle.”

The only team seemingly capable of challenging are Ferrari, who had strong times in testing, and possesses two experienced champion drivers: the reliable and consistent Sebastian Vettel and the enigmatic but occasionally brilliant Kimi Raikkonen.

Down the field, there will be much to watch at the season opener.

The American-backed Haas team will make their first F1 appearance, and as a fledgling outfit they will be aiming for some reliable running and times that show they can be competitive with the other independent, non-manufacturer teams.

Manor will be an intriguing team, after the addition of Mercedes engines and with their rookie driver pairing of Pascal Wehrlein — earmarked as next in line for the Mercedes team — and Rio Haryanto as the first Indonesian driver in the sport.

So too will Renault, who step up from engine supplier to be a team in their own right — taking over the former Lotus ownership — some 10 years after winning its most recent title.

The new qualifying system may turn out to be more sizzle than steak, but all the same, history tells us that Saturday’s qualifying could well be the most significant hour of the season.

MANCHESTER, England — Manchester City’s players trudged off the field. Many fans left early. The final whistle was greeted with only a smattering of cheers.

It was hardly the way the English club envisaged marking progress to the Champions League quarter-finals for the first time in its history.

Another landmark feat for Abu Dhabi-owned City was achieved on Tuesday thanks to a lackluster 0-0 draw with Dynamo Kiev at Etihad Stadium, which sealed a 3-1 victory on aggregate. Progress came with little fanfare and at a cost, with captain Vincent Kompany hobbling off in the fifth minute with a recurrence of his long-standing calf problems that could keep him out for a month.

“It was really satisfying to make history for this club,” City defender Pablo Zabaleta, although it was hard to tell by the end.

Injuries to Kompany and fellow centre back Nicolas Otamendi, who hobbled off in the 23rd after a clash of knees, were the major incidents in a soporific match as City advanced with the minimum of concern but without impressing, either.

Kiev, seeking a first Champions League quarter-final berth since 1999, needed to score three goals to stand a chance of advancing but barely threatened until creating a couple of opportunities in the final minutes. City’s reorganized defence stayed relatively solid and the team took few risks, with winger Jesus Navas striking a 61st minute shot against the post for City’s best chance.

“Unfortunately we have lost our match in Kiev,” Dynamo coach Sergei Rebrov said.

Atletico Madrid beat PSV Eindhoven 8-7 on penalties to advance after the night’s other match finished 0-0 after both legs and extra time.

City’s ownership in the Middle East has had tangible reward for their influx of cash since 2008 in the shape of five domestic trophies, including two Premier League titles. Yet, progress beyond the last 16 in five seasons in the Champions League has eluded them — until now.

City will be hoping to avoid the likes of Bayern Munich, Real Madrid and Barcelona — should the Spanish champion advance, as expected — as likely the only English club in Friday’s draw for the quarter-finals.

“When you are at this stage, all the teams are difficult,” Pellegrini said. “I keep having in my mind that the team that it is better than all the other teams is Barcelona. I think all the other teams are at a similar level.”

Aside from possibly Sergio Aguero, Kompany was the last person Pellegrini would have wanted to see come off injured given his importance to the team and the assuredness he brings to an often shaky defence.

The Belgium international appeared to get hurt over-reaching as he turned to retrieve the ball under pressure. He immediately kicked the ball out before signalling to the bench and slumping to the ground.

As he stared glumly in anticipation of a third injury lay-off this season, the Etihad fell silent and groans were heard.

City’s problems exacerbated when Otamendi indicated to come off in the 23rd as he thumped a clearance downfield. Minutes earlier, he had come off worse after a clash of knees with Vitaliy Buyalskiy and had been hobbling around.

City, fortunately, had two centre backs on the bench in Eliaquim Mangala and Martin Demichelis, who dealt adequately with Dynamo’s sporadic attacks.

“We knew before the game that Dynamo had to score three goals to qualify,” Pellegrini said. “We didn’t want to force the game. Dynamo didn’t take any risks, also. But so many times I think this team receives criticism that we don’t know how to defend. I think we defended today without any problems.”

Paul George had 25 points as the Indiana Pacers finished with a strong fourth quarter to beat the Boston Celtics 103-98 on Tuesday.

Monta Ellis added 16 points with six assists, and Jordan Hill scored 15 for Indiana.

Isaiah Thomas had 21 points, eight assists and six rebounds for Boston.

The score was tied at 77 with about 7 minutes remaining before the Pacers put together a 15-4 run that gave them enough breathing room to withstand a late Boston surge. Avery Bradley’s jumper pulled the Celtics to 84-81 with about 4 1/2 minutes to go, but they got no closer after that.

In San Antonio, Kawhi Leonard had 20 points to help the Spurs wear down the short-handed Los Angeles Clippers 108-87 and match the second-longest home winning streak to open a season in NBA history.

San Antonio won their 33rd straight home game this season, tying Orlando’s start to the 1995-1996 season. Chicago holds the record at 37 games in ‘95-96 on the way to a record 72 wins overall.

LaMarcus Aldridge had 17 points and reserve guards Patty Mills and Manu Ginobili added 15 and 13, respectively, for the Spurs (57-10).

Kyle Lowry scored 25 points as Toronto, despite resting leading scorer DeMar DeRozan, had no trouble winning 107-89 at Milwaukee.

Giannis Antetokounmpo had 18 points, 12 rebounds and nine assists in 35 minutes for the Bucks, just missing a triple-double.

DeRozan, who averages 23.8 points per game, was in uniform but didn’t play after starting each of the team’s first 65 games and playing 39 minutes in a loss to Chicago on Monday night.

In Orlando, Evan Fournier scored 30 points and Jason Smith had 25 points and 13 rebounds off the bench to help the Magic beat Denver 116-110.

Victor Oladipo scored 23 for the Magic, who led by 18 in the third quarter before fending off Denver’s second-half rally. Brandon Jennings added 12 points and 11 assists in his first start for Orlando.

Bojan Bogdanovic scored a career-best 44 points to help Brooklyn set a season high for points against Philadelphia, winning 131-114 at home.

Sean Kilpatrick had 19 points, Brook Lopez added 18 points and 10 rebounds, and Thaddeus Young finished with 14 points and 16 rebounds for the Nets.

Bogdanovic’s previous career high was 28 points against Orlando last April 15. His total was the most for a Nets player since Deron Williams scored 57 on March 4, 2012.

Darren Collison had 22 points in his ninth start of the season and DeMarcus Cousins also scored 22 as the Sacramento Kings completed a four-game season sweep of the Lakers with a 106-98 victory in Los Angeles.

The Lakers, who trailed by as many as 23, got as close as 97-91 on a pair of free throws by Julius Randle that capped a 15-5 run with 3:14 to play. Rudy Gay clinched it for the Kings by scoring seven of his 20 points in the final 2:57.

This was the first time the Kings went an entire season without losing to the Lakers during the franchise’s 68-year history. Sacramento has won eight of the last nine meetings, after losing 16 of the previous 21.

Harry Redknapp has agreed to take over as manager of the Jordan national team for World Cup qualifiers against Bangladesh and Australia this month, the former Tottenham Hotspur manager told British media.

The 69-year-old takes up a mentoring role with championship side Derby on Wednesday and will combine that post with helping out Jordan, leaving Britain for the Middle East after the local derby against Nottingham Forest on Saturday.

Redknapp said he had agreed to help out at the behest of the president of the Jordan Football Association, HRH Prince Ali, who lost the FIFA presidential election to Swiss Gianni Infantino last month.

“It’s going to be a tough couple of weeks, that’s for sure,” he told the Sun newspaper.

“I’m friend with Prince Ali and wanted him to take over from Sepp Blatter. He asked me if I’d manage the team for a couple of matches and I agreed.

“I’ll go to the Forest game and then go straight to London and fly to Jordan. It’s a busy time but I’ve missed the buzz of being involved in football.”

The Kingdom, currently led by caretaker manager Abdullah Abu Zema, plays Bangladesh in Amman on March 24 and the Socceroos in Sydney five days later.

Jordan trails Australia by two points in Group B in the second round of Asian qualifying for the 2018 World Cup with the top two from each group going through to the third round, when four berths in Russia will be at stake.

Redknapp’s fellow former Queens Park Rangers manager Ray Wilkins last year led Jordan to the Asian Cup in Australia, where they were eliminated in the group stage. 

Arsenal manager, Arsene Wenger, admitted his side face an almost impossible task when they travel to face a red-hot Barcelona on Wednesday looking to overturn a 2-0 first-leg deficit to reach the Champions League quarter-finals for the first time in six years.

As so often in the second half of Wenger’s 20-year reign, Arsenal will travel to the Camp Nou with a sense of what might have been.

They had their chances to lead at the Emirates three weeks ago before Barca’s brilliant forward triumvirate of Lionel Messi, Neymar and Luis Suarez cut through them with an unerring ease they have made routine.

Messi, Neymar and Suarez have scored a combined 103 goals this season, Arsenal’s entire squad a mere 71.

Top of the list of Wenger’s detractors has been his inability or unwillingness to splash out on the top-class striker needed to turn Arsenal from perennial pretenders into winners.

Yet, he tried to land Suarez whilst the Uruguayan was still at Liverpool in 2013.

In a tale of Arsenal’s penny-pinch culture under Wenger, they infuriated Liverpool by launching a bid £1 over Suarez’s reported £40 million buyout clause.

Suarez bit Italian defender Giorgio Chiellini at the 2014 World Cup, the third time he had bitten an opponent in his career, sparking widespread condemnation and a four-month ban.

Yet, whilst others dithered, Barca pounced, eying exactly Suarez’s aggression as the tonic to revitalise the squad already blessed with the talents of Messi and Neymar.

Arsenal benefited in their own way from Suarez’s move as they snapped up Alexis Sanchez as Barca sold the Chilean to balance the books.

Yet, by swapping Sanchez for Suarez, Barca again demonstrated that they shop in a different market to Arsenal and haven’t looked back since.

Sanchez won two major trophies in three years at Barca, coinciding with the Catalans only three-year drought in winning Champions League in the past decade.

His 47 goals in 141 games were a respectable return, but Suarez has already struck 67 in 84 appearances, won a treble and has Barca on course to repeat that feat this season.

“Suarez gives Barca the aggression that is so important in the attacking third,” Atletico Madrid boss Diego Simeone said after seeing his impressive record against Barca turned upside down since Suarez’s arrival.

Most importantly of all, Suarez has managed to succeed where other great strikers like Zlatan Ibrahimovic and David Villa have failed in dovetailing perfectly with Messi.

Yet, on goalscoring terms at least, Suarez has surpassed Messi this season with 42 in 41 games to the Argentine’s 36 in 36.

Stopping one is difficult, stopping all three of the South American trio has been an impossible task in the past 18 months.

Arsenal could have had Suarez on their side. Instead, when they line-up on Wednesday, they will likely be made to suffer and wonder what could have been once more.

Confident Bayern

Bayern Munich are confident they have overcome a mini-crisis just in time for their Champions League round of 16 second leg against Juventus on Wednesday as they chase a treble of titles this season.

After conceding two second-half goals to draw 2-2 in Turin last month, Bayern’s near flawless season stuttered again after managing just one point from their previous two league games.

They returned to form, however, on Saturday when they crushed Werder Bremen 5-0.

“I think we showed that we are in a very good form. I would say that we are looking towards Wednesday with optimism,” Bayern CEO Karl-Heinz Rummenigge said.

Bayern, chasing a record fourth consecutive Bundesliga title as well as the German Cup in what is coach Pep Guardiola’s last season in charge, are in the driving seat, having scored twice in Italy and Juve need a win or a draw with three goals or more to advance.

Bayern have a perfect home record in the competition this season, having beaten Dinamo Zagreb, Arsenal and Olympiakos with an aggregate score of 14-1.

Until their shock 2-1 loss to Mainz 05 two weeks ago, Bayern had won 17 consecutive home games dating back to May, 2015.

With Mario Goetze making his comeback on Saturday after almost five months out and winger Franck Ribery getting much needed match practice after his own long injury break, Bayern will have more depth than in the first game in Turin.

But Guardiola warned qualification will not be easy against the Italians, last season’s Champions League finalists, and also on course for a treble.

“We are playing against one of the best teams in Europe,” the
Spaniard said.

“They have not conceded a goal in their last 10 league games so expect a very complicated and uncomfortable game.”

Juventus are in equally scintillating form, unbeaten in the league since October and having won 18 of their 19 league games since then.

Remarkably the Bianconeri have let in only one goal in their 12 Serie A matches this year and kept an unprecedented 10th successive clean sheet in the 1-0 win over Sassuolo Calcio last week.

“It will be a tremendous battle and we go to Munich full of enthusiasm and determination to reach the next round,” defender Leonardo Bonucci said.

“We are fully aware of how strong Bayern are, but they also possess a few weak points which we will look to exploit.”

It is those weaknesses that Juve coach Massimiliano Allegri will want to exploit with his team looking for their first win in Munich since 2004.

“When we play Bayern, we know we’re going to have to run hard for 90 minutes,” Allegri said.

“But it is our intention to go there looking for the win to seal our passage.”

AMMAN — Wihdat and Faisali both drew in their stage 3 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Cup matches in Groups A and B respectively on Tuesday.

Wihdat and Turkmenistan’s Altyn Asyr drew 1-1 in their home game at the Amman International Stadium, while Faisali tied with Lebanon’s Tripoli 1-1 in their away match. On April 12, Wihdat face Altyn Asyr in an away match, and Faisali take on Tripoli at home.

AMMAN — Jordan is preparing to welcome the cream of the region’s motor sporting community when it hosts the 34th edition of its world-famous Jordan Rally from May 5-7, according to a statement from the Jordan Rally Media Service. Featuring the region’s top drivers, the 2016 Jordan Rally is set to become one of the most thrilling events in a history which stretches back more than three decades.

“The Jordan Rally is the local motor sporting community’s opportunity to showcase that despite what may be happening around us the country continues to be a safe and secure country to visit,” Othman Nassif, CEO of Jordan Motorsport, was quoted in the statement as saying. “Each year we try to add a new flavour, and this year will be no different with a few surprises to ensure it remains as one of the Middle East’s leading motor sporting events.”

LOS ANGELES — LeBron James scored 27 points as the Cleveland Cavaliers buried the Los Angeles Clippers with 3-pointers in a 114-90 victory Sunday, tying their season high with 18 from long range.

J.R. Smith and Kyrie Irving added 17 points each and Channing Frye had 15 on a season-high-tying five 3-pointers for the Eastern Conference leaders.

The Cavaliers won their third straight and improved to 7-2 against the Clippers at Staples Center since the 2006-07 season. Cleveland is 20-6 against the West, including 10-4 on the road.

J.J. Redick scored 19 points, and Chris Paul added 17 points and 10 assists for the Clippers. They outscored the Cavs 17-7 to start the game but James tied it on a 3-pointer and Tristan Thompson’s hook gave the Cavs the lead for good by the end of the quarter.

“We came out and took care of business,” James said. “We’re getting into form right now. We’ve got a great rotation going right now. The guys are healthy and we’re just trying to play the game the right way.”

Knicks 90, Lakers 87

Jose Calderon hit a 3-pointer with two-tenths of a second left to lift New York past Los Angeles.

Carmelo Anthony scored 12 of his 26 points in the fourth quarter for New York. He shot 10 for 20 and had 12 rebounds.

Kobe Bryant had 14 points in his 29th and final head-to-head matchup in the regular season with Anthony. The Lakers had a combined 16-13 record in those games against the Knicks and Denver Nuggets.

“It was kind of a weird situation,” Calderon said after his only 3 of the game. “The play was supposed to go to Melo, but he couldn’t get free. I grabbed the ball and there weren’t too many options out there, so I kind of got open for a minute and that was it. Sometimes when you’re struggling

Bucks 109, Nets 100

Giannis Antetokounmpo had 28 points, 14 assists and 11 rebounds, nearly getting his fourth triple-double in the last 11 games by half-time as Milwaukee beat Brooklyn.

Antetokounmpo already had 12 points, nine assists and eight rebounds by the half on his way to becoming the first Bucks player with four triple-doubles in a season. All of them have come since February 22.

Jabari Parker added 23 points, and Khris Middleton had 19 points to help the Bucks win their third straight game. Brook Lopez scored 20 points for the Nets.

Hawks 104, Pacers 75

Al Horford and Paul Millsap each scored 18 points and Kyle Korver added 14 as Atlanta used a blistering third quarter to rout Indiana.

The Hawks went on a 20-0 run and finished the third period with seven 3s, the last coming by reserve forward Kris Humphries to make it a 34-point lead. Atlanta has won five of its last six.

Indiana rookie Myles Turner, who scored a team-high 19 points, was the only starter for either team to play in the fourth. All-Star starting forward Paul George finished with just seven points for the Pacers, almost 19 below his team-leading average, on 3-for-15 shooting.

Jazz 108, Kings 99

Derrick Favours had 28 points and 14 rebounds and Gordon Hayward scored 27 points in Utah’s victory over Sacramento.

The Jazz won their second straight game by setting the tone early, coming out with energy against the lethargic Kings and leading by 18 points after one quarter. The lead remained in double figures for much of the game before the Kings made it somewhat close in the fourth.

DeMarcus Cousins had 31 points and 10 rebounds for Sacramento in his return from being suspended for one game by the team. Cousins was disciplined following a tirade directed at coach George Karl on Thursday night during and after a loss to Cleveland.

AMMAN — Jordan’s Wihdat and Faisali will play their stage 3 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Cup on Tuesday with both teams hopeful of wins to lead Groups A and B.

Wihdat host Turkmenistan’s Altyn Asyr who held Bahrain’s Hidd 1-1 to lead Group A. The Jordan Professional League champs lost their last match in Beirut against Lebanon’s Al Ahd 3-2 after their opening 2-0 win over Hidd. Altyn Asyr earlier beat Lebanon’s Al Ahd 2-0 and drew Hidd 1-1.

Wihdat coach Hisham Abdul Munem seemed optimistic his team could come away a winner. “Our last match should not set the tone. We are focused in the league and are now looking for a win to lead the group and qualify to play Round 3 at home,” said Abdul Munem, a leading Wihdat player in the 90s, told the media as the team practiced for the 2:30pm match at the Amman International Stadium.

Meanwhile, Group B leaders Faisali will play an away match against Lebanon’s Tripoli, who beat Turkmenistan’s Istiklol Dushanbe 2-1. Faisali were second in the group before they beat Iraq’s Naft Al Wasat 2-1 following their opening 0-0 draw with Dushanbe. Earlier, Tripoli beat Dushanbe 2-1 and lost to Naft Al Wasat 1-0.

A two-time AFC Cup winner Faisali have had a good season locally and aim to return to the forefront of competitions this year. Wihdat hope the AFC will make up for elimination from the Asian Champions League — the premier Asian competition — where they lost 2-1 to Saudi Arabia’s Ittihad Jeddah.  Wihdat have taken part in the past eight AFC editions but have not won an Asian title. Wihdat have been league champs for the past two seasons. This year, they conceded the season opening 33rd Super Cup to rivals Faisali. After elimination from the Jordan Cup, now are leading the league with five matches remaining after they beat rivals Faisali 1-0.

The 14th AFC Cup has 40 clubs from across the continent competing in eight groups with the top two from each group going on to the Round of 16 when Round 1 ends on May 24. The second tier Asian club competition has been won three times by Jordanian teams: Faisali won titles in 2005 and 2006, and Shabab Urdun won in 2007.

This edition seems to bode well for Jordanian clubs to win back the title after record winning Kuwaiti teams were suspended by FIFA. Prize money includes $1 million for the champ, $500,000 for the runner-up, $40,000 for semifinalists, $25,000 for quarter-finalists and $15,000 for teams reaching the Round of 16.

In 2015, Wihdat and Jazira were knocked out of the AFC Cup in the Round of 16. Jazira, who finished runner-up in the league, participated in the event after two-time AFC Cup champ Faisali declined. 

In 2014, Jordan Cup champs That Ras exited the Round of 16 in their inaugural AFC participation, while former AFC Cup champs Shabab Urdun exited in Round 1. 

Standings

Group A

Group B

OAKLAND, California — Stephen Curry scored 15 of his 35 points in the fourth quarter and the Golden State Warriors rallied from a nine-point deficit to beat the Phoenix Suns 123-116 on Saturday night.

After spending most of the third quarter on the bench in foul trouble, Curry made three of his seven 3-pointers in the fourth, including two as part of a 18-8 run to close out the game.

The NBA’s reigning MVP capped his night with a behind-the-back pass to Shaun Livingston for a lay-up that helped extend the Warriors’ record home winning streak to 48 games. Golden State (59-6) also stayed one game ahead of the pace of the 1995-96 Bulls, who set an NBA record with 72 wins.

Marreese Speights added 25 points and nine rebounds off the bench, Klay Thompson scored 20 points and Draymond Green had 19 points and six assists.

Brandon Knight sparked Phoenix’s third-quarter burst with five of his career high-tying seven 3s. He finished with 30 points, seven assists and six rebounds.

Spurs 93, Thunder 85

Kawhi Leonard scored 26 points and San Antonio beat Oklahoma City for their 41st straight home victory, the third-longest streak in NBA history.

The Spurs avenged a season-opening loss to the Thunder and made their 32 straight wins to open this season at home, where they haven’t lost in the regular season since last March.

Only Golden State, which had won 47 in a row entering Saturday, and the Chicago teams that won 44 straight in 1995-96 had longer streaks.

LaMarcus Aldridge added 24 points, and Tim Duncan had 11 for San Antonio. The Spurs extended their lead over Oklahoma City to 12 games for the second seed in the Western Conference.

Kevin Durant had 28 points for the Thunder.

Hornets 125, Rockers 109

Kemba Walker scored 17 of his 26 points in the second half and Charlotte used a 27-8 run to open the fourth quarter and beat Houston for their seventh straight victory.

Marvin Williams added 25 points, Jeremy Lin had 16, and Al Jefferson added 10 rebounds and 10 assists for the Hornets. They have won 13 of their last 15 games.

Corey Brewer had 21 points, and Dwight Howard added 16 points and 13 rebounds for the Rockets. James Harden struggled from the field, shooting 2 of 14 and finishing with 12 points and 10 assists.

Raptors 112, Heat 104, OT

DeMar DeRozan matched his season high with 38 points and added 10 rebounds and Toronto outlasted Miami in overtime.

Jonas Valanciunas added 20 points and 10 rebounds, while Kyle Lowry chipped in with 16 points for the Raptors. They secured the season series against the Heat for the second straight season, as well as a potential play-off tiebreaker should they finish with the same record.

Joe Johnson had 28 points, and Luol Deng added 20 for the Heat.

Trail Blazers 121, Magic 84

Damian Lillard scored 19 points and had 10 of Portland’s season-high 34 assists in the Trail Blazers’ victory over short-handed Orlando.

C.J. McCollum and Allen Crabbe each had 18 points for the Blazers. They won for the sixth time in their last seven home games.

Victor Oladipo scored 18 points for the Magic. They were without starters Elfrid Payton (sprained elbow) and Nikola Vucevic (strained groin), as well as back-up guard Brandon Jennings (sore Achilles).

Pacers 112, Mavericks 105

Monta Ellis scored 17 points in his return to Dallas, Paul George had 18 of his 20 in the second half and Indiana extended the Mavericks’ longest losing streak of the season to five games.

Ellis got a warm greeting in his first visit since the end of last season, when he was the first leading scorer not named Dirk Nowitzki for Dallas since 2000. He signed with Indiana as a free agent.

George Hill hit three 3-pointers and scored 10 of his 16 points in the fourth quarter for the Pacers.

Nowitzki scored 30 points to lead the Mavericks.

Pistons 125, 76ers 111

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope scored 23 points, Tobias Harris added 21 and Detroit used a big second half to beat Philadelphia.

Trailing 57-52 at halftime, the Pistons shot 15 for 20 in a 38-point third quarter and finished with 73 points over the final two periods while erasing two 10-point deficits.

Reggie Jackson scored 15 of his 24 points in the first half for the Pistons. Andre Drummond had 19 points and 15 rebounds, and Marcus Morris also finished with 19 points.

Isaiah Canaan had 20 points for the 76ers.

Nuggets 116, Wizards 100

Jusuf Nurkic scored all of his season-high 17 points in the second half and Denver rallied in the fourth quarter to beat Washington.

Gary Harris, D.J. Augustin and Darrell Arthur also scored 17 points and Will Barton finished with 14 points and 10 rebounds for Denver.

John Wall had 19 points and 11 assists for the Wizards. They have lost five straight.

Hawks 95, Grizzlies 83

Paul Millsap scored 21 points to help Atlanta beat depleted Memphis.

Al Horford had 19 points, and Jeff Teague 18. The Hawks closed the first half with a 30-10 run.

Lance Stephenson scored 18 points for Memphis, and Tony Allen had 15. Before the game, the Grizzlies said guard Mike Conley will miss at least three to four weeks with Achilles tendinitis in his left foot.

Bucks 103, Pelicans 92

Khris Middleton scored 19 points and Giannis Antetokounmpo added 18 in Milwaukee’s victory over New Orleans.

Jerryd Bayless had 17 points to help Milwaukee end a six-game losing streak to New Orleans that dated to 2012. Anthony Davis had 29 points and 11 rebounds for the Pelicans. They have lost seven of eight.