Associated Press
ORLANDO, Fla. ó Peja Stojakovic hit a 3-pointer and three free throws in the final minute to lift the New Orleans Hornets over the Orlando Magic 98-97 on Tuesday night.
Chris Paul had 19 points and 12 assists for the Hornets, Morris Peterson scored 19 points and David West had 18 points and 11 rebounds.
Hedo Turkoglu had 26 points, seven assists and five rebounds for Orlando. Rashard Lewis added 24 points, and Dwight Howard had 17 points and 15 rebounds.
Nuggets 126, Suns 120
DENVER ó Carmelo Anthony grabbed two key rebounds and sank two free throws in the final 27 seconds for Denver, which pulled into eighth place in the ultra-competitive Western Conference, a half-game ahead of Golden State.
Denver denied the Suns a chance to move into first place by themselves in the Pacific.
Spurs 116, Warriors 92
SAN ANTONIO ó Tony Parker scored 26 points to lead San Antonio over Golden State for its eighth straight win.
The defending champions remained second in the Western Conference, just percentage points behind the Hornets. The Warriors, in a three-way race with Dallas and Denver for the final two playoff spots, dropped their 20th straight in San Antonio since the Spurs drafted Tim Duncan in 1997.
Duncan added 17 points and 12 rebounds and Manu Ginobili, the other member of the Spursí Big Three, scored 16 points.
Baron Davis led the Warriors with 19 points and Monta Ellis added 14 in a game the Spurs controlled most of the night. Golden State visits Dallas on tonight.
76ers 108, Nets 99
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. ó Lou Williams hit three consecutive baskets in the final 3:47, and surprising Philadelphia posted its 20th win in 27 games.
Andre Miller had 24 points, 11 assists and five rebounds, while Andre Iguodala added 17 points, 10 assists and six rebounds for Philadelphia. Samuel Dalembert added 15 points, 13 rebounds and five blocks, and Williams finished with 13 points on 6-for-9 shooting from the field.
The 76ers (38-37) snapped a two-game losing streak and pulled within a half-game of idle Washington and Toronto in the three-way fight for playoff positions 5-7 in the Eastern Conference.
The Netsí third straight loss dropped them 31/2 games behind Atlanta for the final playoff spot in the conference. Vince Carter had 29 points to lead New Jersey.
Celtics 106, Bulls 92
CHICAGO ó Ray Allen scored 22 points and Boston moved a step closer to the top seed in the Eastern Conference by beating Chicago.
Kevin Garnett scored 20 points and blocked four shots for Boston, which remained six games ahead of Detroit in the standings.
With eight games left, the 11th-place Bulls trail Atlanta by five and have to climb over New Jersey and Indiana to make their fourth straight postseason appearance.
Pistons 94, Timberwolves 90
MINNEAPOLIS ó With stars Chauncey Billups, Rasheed Wallace and Richard Hamilton sitting this one out to rest up for the playoffs, rookie Rodney Stuckey scored a career-high 27 points to help Detroit overcome a 21-point deficit and beat Minnesota.
Bucks 119, Knicks 115 (OT)
MILWAUKEE ó Michael Redd finished with 36 points and Bobby Simmons added a season-high 24 in Milwaukeeís overtime win.
NOTE
DALLAS ó The Dallas Mavericks upgraded the injury status of Dirk Nowitzki to day-to-day.