NEW YORK, 12 April 2004 — Bob Sura notched his second straight triple-double as the host Atlanta Hawks denied the Boston Celtics a playoff spot with a 110-99 win on Saturday.
Sura had 15 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds to become the first player in Atlanta’s history to post back-to-back triple-doubles.
The 31-year-old guard recorded the first triple-double of his career against Chicago Friday.
Stephen Jackson scored 28 points to lead the Hawks while Chris Crawford added 23 and Jason Terry 21.
The Hawks improved to 3-0 against Boston this season. The Celtics were beaten for the fourth successive game and again failed to nail down the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.
Boston has two games left and still needs one more win, or a loss by Philadelphia, to clinch the postseason berth.
Ricky Davis led the Celtics with 24 points while Mark Blount had 22 and Chuck Atkins chipped in with 10 points and nine assists.
In Cleveland, Jeff McInnis picked up 16 points to lead the Cavaliers to a 91-80 triumph over the Miami Heat.
LeBron James added 11 assists for the Cavaliers, who snapped a seven-game losing streak to win for only the second time in 13 outings.
In Seattle, Rashard Lewis contributed 25 points to power the SuperSonics to a 119-99 victory over the Dallas Mavericks.
Rookie Marquis Daniels topped Dallas with a career-high 33 points.
In Washington, Tim Thomas and DeMarr Johnson both scored 22 points to guide the New York Knicks past the Wizards 102-98 in overtime. The Knicks can now finish no worse than seventh in the East. They played the fourth quarter without Stephon Marbury, who had a cold.
In Orlando, Tayshaun Prince claimed a career-high 25 points as the Detroit Pistons defeated the Magic 101-89. Orlando (19-61) lost its 13th straight game, guaranteeing the worst record in the NBA this season and the best shot at the number one draft pick.
In Milwaukee, Jamaal Magloire had 25 points and 12 rebounds to edge the New Orleans Hornets past the Bucks 92-87.
PJ Brown added 16 points and 12 rebounds for the Hornets, who outscored the Bucks 30-23 in the fourth quarter.
In Denver, Carmelo Anthony scored 30 points to carry the Nuggets to a 110-100 overtime win over the Portland Trail Blazers.
The Nuggets (42-38) are now tied with the Utah Jazz for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference, one game ahead of Portland. All three teams have two games left.
In Salt Lake City, Gordan Giricek grabbed 23 points and Andrei Kirilenko 15 as the Utah Jazz overcame the Houston Rockets 82-69.
