Nicolas Batum converted a lob pass from Andre Miller for a basket as time expired to give Portland an improbable 98-96 victory over San Antonio Friday night at the Rose Garden. Batum had sank a pair of free throws with 0.9 seconds to tie the game at 96-96 for the Trail Blazers, who trailed 96-90 after the Spurs' Manu Ginobili sank a 3-pointer with 1:21 remaining. After Batum's free throws and two timeouts, San Antonio threw the ball out of bounds, giving Portland (42-30) a chance to win in regulation. Batum and Miller each scored 21 points for Portland, while Ginobili had 21 points and seven assists for the Spurs (57-15).
Elsewhere, big wins for Charlotte and Milwaukee, which are chasing the Pacers for the last playoffs spot in the east. Charlotte edged the Celtics 83-81 despite entering the last quarter with an 11-point deficit. Still, Boston had the last shot to win it: Allen missed a three but there was still time, the ball fell to Kevin Garnett over
Milwaukee inflicted the Knicks their fifth consecutive defeat behind a huge night from Brandon Jennings with 37 points. Wins also for the Lakers, OKC and Miami.