Wade ends career with a win

MIAMI – Dwyane Wade scored 30 points in the tribute-filled final home game of his career, and the Miami Heat defeated the Philadelphia 76ers 122-99 last night.

Bam Adebayo scored 19, Justise Winslow scored 16 and Hassan Whiteside added 15 for the Heat, who were eliminated from playoff contention when Detroit beat Memphis – a result that went final during the third quarter of the Miami-Philly game.

Wade’s career will end tonight in Brooklyn, when Miami play their regular-season finale. He checked out for the last time with 1:02 left, embracing teammates and his son Zaire – who was on the Heat bench.

Greg Monroe scored 18 points and Ben Simmons scored 16 for Philadelphia, which entered last night already locked into the No. 3 seed for the Eastern Conference playoffs and rested Joel Embiid and J.J. Redick. Simmons played only 21 minutes, Tobias Harris shot 3 for 16 in 20 minutes and Jimmy Butler scored only four points in 16 minutes.

In Dallas, Dirk Nowitzki scored a season-high 30 points and Dallas Mavericks beat Phoenix Suns 120 – 109 and celebrated the final home game of the 40-year-old’s record 21st season with the same franchise. After the game, Nowitzki announced his retirement.

The 14-time All-Star had the first eight Dallas shots and scored his team’s first 10 points in the first three minutes and passed his previous season high of 21 on a 3-pointer early in the third quarter.

Dallas’ season finale, and possibly the career-ender for Nowitzki, tonight in San Antonio.

Jamal Crawford scored 51 points, one off his career high, in the season finale for the Suns (19-63). Phoenix had by far the worst record in the Western Conference in their fourth straight season with at least 58 losses.

Luca Doncic had his eighth triple-double with 21 points, 16 rebounds and 11 assists.

In Los Angeles, Maurice Harkless hit a corner 3-pointer at the buzzer, and Portland Trail Blazers secured home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs with a 104-101 win over Los Angeles, a few hours after Magic Johnson abruptly resigned as the Lakers’ president of basketball operations.

Johnson shocked the Lakers with his announcement about 90 minutes before tipoff of the last game in the Lakers’ sixth consecutive losing season. The Hall of Fame guard had been in charge of the Lakers for just 26 months, and his departure throws the 16-time NBA champion franchise’s offseason into turmoil even before it began.

Harkless scored 26 points and Enes Kanter had 22 points and 16 rebounds while the Blazers rallied in the fourth quarter to claim their 52nd win of the season. Damian Lillard had 20 points and eight assists while the Blazers wrapped up home court for their first-round series against the Utah Jazz.

Portland have won 13 of 16 in their surge to a sixth consecutive playoff berth.

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope scored 32 points and Mike Muscala added 16 for the Lakers, who have missed the playoffs in a franchise-record six consecutive seasons.

In New Orleans,  DeMarcus Cousins had 21 points and 12 rebounds, and Golden State Warriors beat New Orleans Pelicans 112-103 in a game in which Warriors guard Stephen Curry left with a mild foot sprain.

The Warriors announced that Curry, who played the first nine minutes of the game, was held out the rest of the night as a precaution.

The game also likely marked the end of the Anthony Davis era in New Orleans. The disgruntled All-Star missed his seventh straight game with what the team has officially listed as back spasms.

Damion Lee matched his career high with 20 points for Golden State. Former Pelican Quinn Cook scored 19 points.

Christian Wood had 26 points and 12 rebounds for the Pelicans, who lost 13 of their last 16 games. Jahlil Okafor scored 30 points and Ian Clark 20 for New Orleans.

Other scores: Pistons 100, Grizzlies 93; Jazz 118, Nuggets 108; Thunder 112, Rockets 111; Raptors 120, Timberwolves 100; Knicks 96, Bulls 86; Hornets 124, Cavaliers 97; Celtics 116, Wizards 110. (AP)