The loss knocked Miami
(54-24) a half-game back of Boston in the race for the No. 2 seed in the
Eastern Conference.
Carlos Delfino's 3-pointer
with 24 seconds left helped seal it for the Bucks, who got 14 points from Corey
Maggette. Milwaukee was eliminated from playoff contention during the game,
thanks to Indiana's win over Washington.
LeBron James scored 29 points
for Miami, which played without injured guard Dwyane Wade, the NBA's No. 3
scorer.
Thunder 112, Clippers 108: At
Oklahoma City, Kevin Durant scored 29 points and Russell Westbrook added 26 as
Oklahoma City clinched the Northwest Division title.
The Thunder won the first
division crown for the franchise since 2005, when they were known as the
Seattle SuperSonics, but only after fending off a late charge from the Clippers.
Blake Griffin had 35 points
and 11 rebounds in the second visit to his hometown in his NBA career, but he
missed a key foul shot that helped put the game away for Oklahoma City.
At
New Orleans, Chris Paul had 28 points and 10 assists as New Orleans clinched a
playoff spot.
Trevor Ariza, acquired by the
Hornets from Houston in an offseason trade, scored 19 for a second straight
game and equaled a season high with six steals.
Jarrett Jack added 19 points,
while seventh-year pro Emeka Okafor, who's never been to the playoffs, added 11
points to help rookie coach Monty Williams get there with a far shorter wait.
Kevin Martin scored 21 for
Houston, which is now on the brink of elimination.
At
Indianapolis, Danny Granger scored 25 points as Indiana clinched a playoff spot
for the first time since 2006.
The Pacers needed a win and a
Charlotte loss to Orlando to clinch a spot in the postseason. As the Pacers'
game ended, the Orlando-Charlotte game was in overtime, and the Conseco
Fieldhouse staff put the game on the Jumbotron. Many fans stayed to cheer to
the Magic on to a 111-102 win.
Paul George scored a
career-high 23 points and Darren Collison added 15 points and 11 assists for
the Pacers.
Jordan Crawford scored 29
points and John Wall had 19 points and nine rebounds for Washington.
At
Oakland, California, Monta Ellis scored 26 points, and David Lee had 22 points
and 17 rebounds as Golden State held on to beat Los Angeles.
Stephen Curry added 20
points, six rebounds and five assists to help the Warriors build a 19-point
lead in their third straight victory.
Kobe Bryant had 25 points and
Pau Gasol scored 18 for the Lakers, who lost for the second consecutive night
to an inferior opponent.
At
Dallas, J.R. Smith broke a tie in the final minutes with a layup and
immediately followed with a jump shot, lifting Denver past Dallas.
Smith scored 23 points and
Kenyon Martin added 18 as the Nuggets won for the seventh time in eight games.
Playing without Jason Kidd or
Tyson Chandler, the Mavericks lost their fourth straight, and ninth in a row
against Western Conference playoff teams.
At
Charlotte, North Carolina, Gilbert Arenas scored 25 points as Orlando overcame
Quentin Richardson's ejection and Dwight Howard's 18th technical foul to
eliminate Charlotte from playoff contention.
Jameer Nelson atoned for two
turnovers in the closing seconds of regulation by hitting a jumper and banking
in a 3-pointer in Orlando's 12-2 run to open the extra period.
Brandon Bass added 19 points
for the Magic, who secured their fourth consecutive 50-win season.
Gerald Henderson scored a
career-high 32 points for the Bobcats.
At
Philadelphia, Carmelo Anthony had 31 points and 11 rebounds and Amare
Stoudemire scored 18 points as New York moved into sixth place in the Eastern
Conference.
Toney Douglas bailed out the
Knicks after they blew a 19-point lead and trailed by one late in the fourth.
Andre Iguodala pulled the
Sixers within one with his first 3-pointer of the game. Anthony delivered with
a big-time 3-pointer and pounded his chest in celebration with a 95-91 lead.
At San
Antonio, Manu Ginobili scored 25 points as San Antonio moved to the brink of
the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference playoffs .
The Spurs can clinch
home-court advantage throughout the West playoffs with their next victory or
loss by the Los Angeles Lakers.
George Hill scored 12 of his
19 points during the third quarter, when the Spurs outscored the Kings by 20 in
their best offensive quarter of the season.
Tyreke Evans led the Kings
with 16 points and rookie DeMarcus Cousins added 15 points and 10 rebounds.
At
Toronto, J.J. Hickson scored 28 points to lead Cleveland past Toronto.
Jerryd Bayless scored 28
points for the Raptors (21-57), DeMar DeRozan added 19 points and Reggie Evans
had a season-high 15 points and grabbed 13 rebounds. Sonny Weems finished with
17 points.
Baron Davis added 19 points
for the Cavs (17-61), while Ramon Sessions chipped in with 15, Ryan Hollins
finished with 14, and Alonzo Gee added 10.
Pistons 116, Nets 109: At Auburn Hills, Michigan, Richard
Hamilton scored 25 points and Rodney Stuckey added 22 to lead Detroit.
Brook Lopez scored a
career-high 39 points for New Jersey, which was without star Deron Williams.
The point guard was out with an injured right wrist. Lopez nearly made up for
his absence, but the Nets settled for outside shots against Detroit's zone
defense late in the game.
At
Minneapolis, Marcin Gortat scored 20 points and grabbed 16 rebounds as Phoenix
dropped Minnesota into last place in the NBA.
Minnesota has lost 11
consecutive games and 22 of its past 26.
Michael Beasley scored 24
points and grabbed 11 rebounds for the Timberwolves.
Hakim Warrick and Grant Hill
each scored 17 points for the Suns.
