NBA schedule and results: Maverick come back to beat Blazers, 76ers pay tribute to Kobe Bryant

Wall was the best player on the court in a dominant, 97-85 Wizards win. He was firing on all cylinders against a stagnant Cavaliers team that didn’t come ready to play.

Wall had to return to form. Heading into Tuesday’s game, he was averaging 16.1 points and 7.6 assists per game on 39 percent shooting from the field and 28.8 percent from deep -- numbers that were all down from last two seasons. Wall went off against the Cavaliers, owning the court en route to 35 points, 10 assists and five steals. He shot 14-of-24 from the field and 3-of-5 from deep.

Dirk, we love you. We really do. You’re one of the all-time greats. But you just got spun in circles! Literally!

On Wednesday, Dirk responded on Twitter with characteristic good humor.

The 76ers dominated the fourth quarter unlike they have all season.

The 76ers haven’t had a winning season since the lockout-shortened 2011-12 season when they finished 35-31 and lost in the second round of the playoffs. They’re currently on track for their third consecutive season with less than 20 wins. Even with the victory over Lakers on Wednesday, they’ll close out the season 5-77 at their current pace, which would be the worst record in NBA history.

Like many other NBA teams on Tuesday night, the Philadelphia 76ers won a basketball game. Unlike those other teams, however, this win wasn’t just a drop in the bucket for the Sixers. The win snapped Philadelphia’s 28-game losing streak dating back to last season.

Is was the 76ers first win since a March 25 victory against the Denver Nuggets. Although the NBA offseason took up a good portion of the time, Philadelphia still went more than eight months between victories. Some babies were nearly conceived and born in the time it took the Sixers to win another game.

Here’s a look at the entire play and altercation:

Please stop fighting, Hibbert. This is the first stop in Kobe Bryant’s farewell tour, let’s keep things under control!

D’Angelo Russell came into the NBA with a reputation as a great passer. It was was for plays like this!

A no-look pass right on target is always impressive. One that surprises even the teammate is really impressive. Julius Randle wasn’t ready for the pass and instead snagged it with one hand. Thanks to some great camera work, we now all know what it’s like to have a Russell pass fired right at us.

One of Kobe’s 3’s even had a nasty crossover to go with it.

Sadly, the first quarter was the best we’d see of Kobe. This Jerami Grant swat tells the story.

The crowd chanted KO-BE after a rousing pre-game introductions from the PA announcer:

The 76ers put together a tribute video and Dr. J and Bryant’s high school coach presented him with a gift a la Derek Jeter’s retirement tour. They gave him his Lower Merion High School Jersey -- No. 24 -- even though he wore No. 33 in high school.

The Warriors weren’t at their best. They were never able to muster up the knockout punch they’ve delivered so often this season. They built up an 11-point lead at one point, but the Jazz were never really out of it, trailing by just five at the half and four heading into the fourth quarter.

But in the end, it was Curry -- just like it always is. This three with 51.4 seconds left gave the Warriors a 104-101 lead, one they wouldn’t give up.