Kobe Bryant scored 28 points for the Lakers, who snapped a nine-game winning streak to fall 2 1/2 games behind San Antonio in the Western Conference. The NBA-leading Spurs beat Phoenix 114-97 earlier Sunday to end a six-game slide.
Los Angeles has six games left to try and overtake the Spurs and earn homecourt advantage throughout the playoffs. The Lakers face the Spurs for the fourth and final time this season on April 12 in their next-to-last regular-season game.
The Lakers need five more wins to reach 60 for the 12th time and third under coach Phil Jackson. All seven of Jackson’s teams to reach 60 victories won the NBA title, including five times with Chicago.
Spurs 114 Suns 97: In San Antonio, George Hill scored 29 points and the San Antonio Spurs stopped the longest skid of Tim Duncan’s 14-year career, beating Phoenix to end a six-game losing streak.
San Antonio went winless for two weeks and squandered a once-comfortable lead in West. The win moves the Spurs 2 1/2 games ahead of the Lakers, who lost at home to Denver.
Aaron Brooks and Channing Frye had 14 points apiece for the Suns. The loss guaranteed Phoenix will miss the playoffs for the second time in three seasons.
Celtics 101 Pistons 90: In Boston, Kevin Garnett scored 23 points and Boston got a rare, brief and potentially final glimpse of Shaquille O’Neal .
Paul Pierce scored 22 points and Rajon Rondo added 14 assists for the Celtics.
Will Bynum scored 20 points, Tayshaun Prince had 16 and Charlie Villanueva 15 for Detroit.
The big news for the Celtics coming into the game was O’Neal’s return after missing 27 games because of a sore right leg. But the former NBA MVP played less than 5 1/2 minutes before leaving with a new injury, a strained right calf muscle.
Heat 108 Nets 94: In Newark, New Jersey, LeBron James had 31 points and 11 rebounds and Miami opened a 16-point first-quarter lead on the way to clinching the Southeast Division title.
Dwyane Wade added 18 points despite a first-quarter thigh injury and Chris Bosh had 16 as the Heat won their third straight and eighth in nine games.
The win pulled Miami (54-23) within 2 1/2 games of idle Chicago (56-20) in the race for the top spot in the Eastern Conference. The Heat have five games left, one fewer than the Bulls.
Raptors 102 Magic 98: In Toronto, DeMar DeRozan scored 24 points and Jerryd Bayless had 21 top help Toronto snap a six-game losing streak.
Leandro Barbosa added 14 points for the Raptors, James Johnson and Sonny Weems each had 11, and Reggie Evans finished with 17 rebounds.
Knicks 123 Cavaliers 107: In New York, Amare Stoudemire scored 28 points to lead New York to its first postseason berth since 2004.
Shortly after Charlotte’s home loss to Washington, the Knicks snapped an 11-game losing streak against the Cavaliers to secure their spot. They are seventh in the East, but closed within 1 1/2 games of the 76ers, with a game in Philadelphia this week.
Carmelo Anthony scored 25 points and Chauncey Billups added 23 for the Knicks.
Wizards 97 Bobcats 91: In Charlotte, North Carolina, Andray Blatche had 25 points and 17 rebounds, Jordan Crawford added 23 points and Washington made it two straight road wins while putting a dent in Charlotte’s postseason hopes.
After a 1-35 start away from home that threatened to match an NBA record for futility, the Wizards followed a victory at Utah last week by building a 19-point third-quarter lead in a ragged game in which each team dressed only nine players.
Kings 106 Jazz 97: In Sacramento, California, Tyreke Evans had 24 points and 10 assists to help Sacramento end a two-game losing streak.
Rookie DeMarcus Cousins added 17 points, nine rebounds, six assists and five steals before fouling out in the game’s final minute for the Kings. Francisco Garcia had 17 points and Marcus Thornton scored 15.
Paul Millsap scored 21 points for the Jazz, who dropped their sixth straight game — Utah’s longest slide since a nine-game skid from March 4-19, 2005.
Rockets 114 Hawks 109: In Houston, Kevin Martin scored 35 points and Luis Scola added 12 of his 15 in the second half to lead Houston past Atlanta for its seventh straight home win.
Scola made a jumper from the top of the key with 1:32 remaining to make it 107-104. He buried another one from the same spot about a minute later to stretch the lead to 109-105. Houston made five free throws after that to secure the win.
The Rockets stayed three games behind Memphis and New Orleans in the race for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference.
Hornets 108 Pacers 96: In New Orleans, Trevor Ariza scored 19 points and Chris Paul shook off a minor knee injury with 18 points and eight assists to lead New Orleans over Indiana.
Emeka Okafor , who had a double-double by halftime, finished with 14 points and 17 rebounds for the Hornets, who can all but assure themselves a playoff berth by beating Houston at home on Wednesday. Carl Landry added 18 points.
Trail Blazers 104 Mavericks 96: In Portland, Oregon, Gerald Wallace scored 19 points and LaMarcus Aldridge added 18 to help Portland win its eighth straight at home.
Overall, Portland has won seven of its last 10 as it jockeys for playoff position in the West. The Blazers sit in sixth, a game in front of Memphis and New Orleans with five to go.
