San Antonio is steamrolling its way into the playoffs. Indiana can’t even figure out what’s wrong.
And a game that might have been billed as an NBA Finals preview just a week or two ago demonstrated just how wide the disparity is now.
Tony Parker scored 22 points and the Spurs broke the franchise record with their 18th consecutive victory, a 103-77 rout of the Pacers in Indianapolis on Monday night.
‘‘Great streak right now, this was a good win for us tonight,’’ Tim Duncan said. ‘‘To continue the streak, all that is good. We’ll worry about a couple of things, staying healthy, finishing the season strong and hopefully going into the playoffs with the confidence we’re playing with now.’’
San Antonio handed the Pacers their worst home loss of the season and dropped them percentage points behind Miami for the Eastern Conference’s top seed.
The Pacers have lost three straight, finished March with an 8-9 record and with the lowest scoring average of any team in the league.
Paul George scored 16 points. Roy Hibbert and Lance Stephenson each finished with 15, but the Pacers were outrebounded, 15-7, on the offensive glass and were beaten, 42-28, on second-chance points.
The Spurs put Indiana in a 13-5 hole, then used a 15-0 run to take a 32-15 lead early in the second quarter, forcing Indiana to play catch-up. The Pacers never got closer than 7 points.
Heat 93, Raptors 83 — LeBron James fought through a sore back to score 32 points, Chris Bosh added 18 against his former team, and host Miami surged into first place in the Eastern Conference for the first time this season with the victory.
Jonas Valanciunas finished with 14 points and 10 rebounds for Toronto, which lost Kyle Lowry to a sore left knee late in the third quarter after he collided with James.
Clippers 114, Timberwolves 104 — Darren Collison had 28 points and seven assists, and visiting Los Angeles didn’t miss a beat with Blake Griffin out with a back injury.
Jared Dudley started in Griffin’s place and scored 16 points, and DeAndre Jordan grabbed a career-high 24 rebounds.
Bobcats 100, Wizards 94 — Al Jefferson needed seven stitches in the first half to repair a gash above his right eye, but returned to finish with 19 points and 11 rebounds, helping Charlotte overcome an 11-point fourth-quarter deficit and defeat visiting Washington.
The win prevented the Wizards from clinching their first playoff berth since 2008.
Hawks 103, 76ers 95 — Paul Millsap poured in 28 points and had a season-best 17 rebounds, Lou Williams added 22 off the bench, and host Atlanta denied Philadelphia its first winning streak in nearly three months.
The Hawks, clinging to the final playoff spot in the East, snapped a six-game losing streak.
Knicks 92, Jazz 83 — Carmelo Anthony scored 34 points, and visiting New York bested Utah to remain one game behind Atlanta for the final Eastern Conference playoff berth.
The Knicks used a 15-2 and 17-2 runs in the second half to pull away.
Grizzlies 94, Nuggets 92 — Zach Randolph had 20 points and 11 rebounds and Memphis kept pace in the playoff race with a win in Denver.
The Grizzlies moved into a three-way tie with Dallas and Phoenix for seventh in the Western Conference.
Pistons 116, Bucks 111 — Greg Monroe matched his season-high with 28 points and had 14 rebounds to help host Detroit edge Milwaukee.
Josh Smith sank a 3-pointer to start a 12-0 run in the fourth quarter that put the Pistons ahead. Smith scored 8 of his 26 points during the stretch.
Kings 102, Pelicans 97 — DeMarcus Cousins had 35 points and 14 rebounds to lead Sacramento in New Orleans.
Rudy Gay added 22 points, including a 3-pointer after the Pelicans had pulled within 1 in the fourth quarter.