Memphis tops Toronto, clinches playoff berth

? Memphis won its fifth straight game Sunday afternoon, then clinched its first postseason berth late Sunday night.

Pau Gasol had 23 points and 18 rebounds, and Jason Williams scored eight points in the last three minutes to lead the Grizzlies to a 94-88 victory over Toronto.

The Grizzlies clinched a spot in the playoffs for the first time in the franchise’s nine-year history later in the day when Utah lost to the Los Angeles Lakers.

“It’s a great turnaround for the franchise,” Gasol said. “We’ve surprised ourselves. I can’t believe where we are at this point. It’s just wonderful.”

Stromile Swift added 18 points for the Grizzlies.

“It’s wonderful for Mr. Heisley,” Memphis coach Hubie Brown said of Grizzlies owner Michael Heisley.

Heisley moved the franchise from Vancouver to Memphis three years ago and hired Jerry West as general manager two years ago.

Memphis improved to 47-26, good enough for fifth place in the Western Conference.

“It just feels good to be on a winning team,” said Swift, who is the only player remaining from the Vancouver era. “This is my fourth year. In Vancouver, we didn’t win many games.”

The Grizzlies entered this season with an overall record of 152-472.

Vince Carter scored 16 points as Toronto lost its fourth straight and dropped to 12th place in the East.

Rockets 111, Bucks 107, OT

Milwaukee — Yao Ming finished with 27 points, 13 rebounds and five blocks, and Houston overcame a nine-point deficit in the fourth quarter to beat Milwaukee.

Milwaukee trailed 108-107 with six seconds left when Houston’s Jim Jackson made two free throws. Michael Redd then was called for a line violation while inbounding, and Steve Francis made one free throw for the final margin.

Francis finished with 23 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists. Maurice Taylor and Cuttino Mobley each added 19 points for Houston.

Redd had 36 points and a career-high 14 rebounds for the Bucks, while Joe Smith scored a season-high 25 points.

Mavericks 118, Magic 88

Orlando, Fla. — Dirk Nowitzki’s 25 points and nine rebounds led Dallas over the Magic, who were without Tracy McGrady and have lost eight straight games. Nowitzki led six players in double-figure scoring as the Mavs snapped a three-game losing streak.

Pacers 87, Heat 80

Indianapolis — Jermaine O’Neal returned from a knee injury and had 23 points and 14 rebounds to lead Indiana. The All-Star forward made the start for Indiana after missing the past two games with a bruised left knee. O’Neal played 35 minutes, scoring 10 points in the third quarter.

Celtics 89, Sixers 65

Boston — Boston routed Philadelphia, and the 76ers set franchise records for fewest points in a half and in three quarters.

The Celtics, who moved a half game ahead of Cleveland into eighth place in the East, were led by Mark Blount, Ricky Davis and Jiri Welsch with 13 points each. Allen Iverson missed his fifth straight game with an injured right knee.

Kings 100, Wizards 92

Sacramento, Calif. — Peja Stojakovic had 29 points and 11 rebounds, helping Sacramento snap a two-game losing streak. Chris Webber made four straight free throws in the final 41 seconds and finished with 23 points. The Kings used an 11-2 run to start the fourth quarter to break open a one-point game. Gilbert Arenas scored 27 points for Washington, which has lost nine of 11.

Warriors 105, Clippers 77

Oakland, Calif. — Erick Dampier had 16 points and a career-high 25 rebounds to lead Golden State to its seventh straight win. Jason Richardson scored 20 points and rookie guard Mickael Pietrus added 17 as the Warriors handed the Clippers their eighth straight loss. Corey Maggette led Los Angeles with 21 points.

Lakers 91, Jazz 84

Los Angeles — Karl Malone, playing against his former team for the first time, had 19 points and 13 rebounds to help Los Angeles beat Utah for its eighth straight victory. Kobe Bryant scored 10 of his 34 points in the last two minutes; Gary Payton added 17 points, and Shaquille O’Neal had 11 points and 14 rebounds for the Lakers (50-23), who have an NBA-best 19-4 record since the All-Star break and trail Western Conference-leading Sacramento by two games with nine remaining.