Trail Blazers Slip By SuperSonics

In a possible first-round playoff preview, Scottie Pippen’s two free throws with seven seconds left and Brent Barry’s missed three-point shot at the buzzer gave the Portland Trail Blazers a 97-96 road victory over the Seattle SuperSonics on Saturday night.

If the season were to end today, the two teams would meet in the first round, with Portland in third place in the Western Conference, four games behind the idle Lakers, and Seattle in sixth.

Pippen inbounded the ball with 16 seconds left and received a return pass, then drove from the left side and was fouled by Gary Payton.

Barry had a wide-open three-point attempt from the corner but missed badly with three seconds left. Time ran out before either team could control the rebound.

Rashard Lewis made one of two free throws with 17 seconds left to give the SuperSonics a 96-95 lead. Lewis missed the second shot and the Trail Blazers set up for the last shot.

Rasheed Wallace led the Trail Blazers with 24 points, and Bonzi Wells added 23.

Payton led the SuperSonics with 24 points. Ruben Patterson added 15.

Miami 92, Cleveland 90--Jamal Mashburn scored 29 points, including his team’s final 10 in overtime, to spark the Heat at Cleveland.

Brevin Knight’s driving layup tied the score, 90-90, with 22 seconds left. Mashburn then sank a 22-foot jumper with three seconds to play, and Knight missed an eight-foot runner as time expired.

The Cavaliers pushed the game into overtime by tying it, 80-80, with four seconds left on Bob Sura’s driving layup.

Miami forward P.J. Brown suffered a sprained left ankle in the third minute of the game and did not return.

San Antonio 102, Denver 82--Samaki Walker came off the bench to score a season-high 18 points and grab 10 rebounds in the Spurs’ victory at San Antonio.

David Robinson and Tim Duncan each chipped in 13 points, with Robinson grabbing 12 rebounds and Duncan 10. Playing in his third game since returning from a kidney transplant, Sean Elliott had five points in 14 minutes.

Chris Gatling led Denver with 23 points off the bench. Antonio McDyess added 16.

Boston 104, Dallas 99--Antoine Walker scored 10 of his 29 points during a third-quarter surge as the Celtics gained ground in the Eastern Conference playoff race with a victory at Dallas.

Eric Williams added 18 points off the bench and Paul Pierce scored 15 for the Celtics, who moved within a game of Milwaukee and Orlando, which are tied for the eighth and final Eastern Conference playoff spot.

Indiana 113, Charlotte 99--Coming off consecutive games of 32 and a career-high 35 points, Jalen Rose led six Pacers in double figures, scoring 22 in a victory over the Hornets at Indianapolis.

Joining Rose in double figures for Indiana were Reggie Miller (20), Travis Best (18), Rik Smits (16), Mark Jackson (12) and Sam Perkins (10).

Washington 101, Chicago 88--Two nights after ending the Lakers’ 19-game winning streak, Michael Jordan’s new team beat his old one as the Wizards relied on their bench to pull away in the fourth quarter at Washington.

Chicago defeated Washington twice in home-and-home, back-to-back games in January, but that was before Jordan signed on with the Wizards as part-owner and president of basketball operations. After the victory over the Lakers on Thursday, Jordan let it be known he wouldn’t accept a bad-effort night against Chicago and joked “I may send in my resignation” if the Bulls won.

New Jersey 92, Milwaukee 90--Lucious Harris scored seven of the Nets’ final 10 points in overtime at East Rutherford, N.J., as they won a key game in their drive to make the playoffs.

Despite missing three of four free throws in the final 10 seconds, New Jersey pulled out the victory to move within two games of Milwaukee and Orlando for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.