Grizzlies Hold Off Trail Blazers, 89-87

Michael Dickerson scored 27 points as the Vancouver Grizzlies surprised the Portland Trail Blazers, 89-87, Thursday night at Vancouver, Canada.

Vancouver led by as many as 20 points late in the second quarter, but let most of that evaporate, and Portland pulled within 84-80 with 5:34 left in the game on Steve Smith’s two free throws.

The Grizzlies led, 88-84, with 2:29 remaining, but neither team scored again until a Shareef Abdur-Rahim free throw with 9.2 seconds left put Vancouver ahead by five.

Detlef Schrempf’s three-point play with 1.2 seconds remaining made the score 89-87, and Portland got the ball back but failed to get a shot off before the buzzer.

Abdur-Rahim had 18 points and nine rebounds for Vancouver. The Grizzlies have won two in a row, but only three of 19.

Portland’s Rasheed Wallace made 13 of 20 shots, finishing with 28 points and eight rebounds. Smith was the only other Blazer in double figures, with 14 points.

Miami 76, Charlotte 70--Alonzo Mourning scored 26 points, grabbed 17 rebounds and had six blocks at Miami as the Heat won its season-high fifth in a row.

Miami held Charlotte to 30.9% shooting from the field. The Hornets’ point total tied the team’s season low.

Charlotte had its seven-game winning streak end and dropped into fifth place in the Eastern Conference standings.

New York 101, Washington 92--Patrick Ewing scored a season-high 30 points and Marcus Camby came off the Knicks’ injury-depleted bench for 21 points and 15 rebounds at New York as the Knicks won the first in a crucial stretch of four games in five nights.

The worst news for New York came 40 minutes before the game when John Wallace sprained his left ankle. Wallace had to be helped off the floor, and the Knicks put him on the injured list--meaning he must miss five games before being eligible to return.

Utah 105, Phoenix 85--Karl Malone scored 19 points, reserve Armen Gilliam added 14 and Olden Polynice posted season highs with 12 points and 14 rebounds for the Jazz at Salt Lake City.

It was over when Utah outscored the Suns, 27-12, in the third quarter. The Jazz extended a 50-45 halftime lead with a 13-4 run, scoring the first 10 points of the second half.

Chicago 90, Milwaukee 88--Ron Artest made a running shot from the lane with 10.9 seconds left at Chicago as the Bulls severely damaged Milwaukee’s postseason hopes.

Milwaukee began the night two games behind Orlando for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.

Dallas 116, Denver 115--Dirk Nowitzki scored 32 points for the Mavericks at Denver, including a driving layup with 14 seconds left in overtime.