Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili all scored at least 20 points to help the San Antonio Spurs beat the Los Angeles Lakers 121-97 Friday and spoil Kobe Bryant's return. Bryant had missed the previous seven games with a bruised left shin, and the Lakers went 5-2 without the NBA's scoring leader. But with only two games left in the regular season for Los Angeles (40-24), Bryant returned, as he aims to get into a rhythm before the playoffs. Bryant wore a black sock over his lower left leg, with what appeared to be a shin guard protecting the injured area. He scored 18 points on 7-of-12 shooting. The Spurs (46-16) stayed atop the Western Conference with their sixth straight victory, while the Lakers missed a chance to clinch home court in the first round of the playoffs. Dallas 104, Golden State 94: Vince Carter had 19 points, including eight straight for Dallas early in the fourth quarter, as the playoff-bound Mavericks pulled away to win. It was the last regular-season home game for the defending NBA champions, who clinched a playoff spot Thursday. Brandan Wright had 17 points for Dallas, which finished 23-10 at home. Dallas, sixth in the Western Conference standings, finishes the regular season with games Saturday at Chicago and Thursday at Atlanta. Oklahoma City 103, Sacramento 92: Kevin Durant had 29 points, 14 rebounds and seven assists to lead the Thunder over the Kings. Oklahoma City (46-17) remained in contention for the best record in the Western Conference. The Thunder are one-half game behind San Antonio and have three games remaining, including Tuesday against the visiting Kings. James Harden had 20 points and Russell Westbrook scored 18 for the Thunder, who have a 7-5 record in April. DeMarcus Cousins had 18 points and nine rebounds for the Kings, who have lost nine of 10. Atlanta 97, Boston 92: Joe Johnson scored 30 points, and the Hawks edged the short-handed Celtics to take a step toward landing home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs. Atlanta is in line to be the No. 4 seed in the Eastern Conference, and Boston is on track to be No. 5. Both teams shot over 50 percent, and Atlanta took a 58-49 halftime lead, as Boston guard Avery Bradley scored 17 of his career-high 28 points. Cleveland 98, New York 90: Amare Stoudemire's return from a back injury didn't help the playoff-bound Knicks, who were stunned by the Cavaliers. Memphis 85, Charlotte 80: Mike Conley had 18 points and seven assists as the Grizzlies extended the Bobcats' franchise-worst losing streak to 19 games.
