Associated Press
The NBA roundup …
CHARLOTTE ó Danny Granger scored 33 points and the Indiana Pacers created breathing room from one of their closest competitors for the Eastern Conferenceís final playoff spot with a 111-88 victory over the slumping Charlotte Bobcats on Wednesday night.
Tyler Hansbrough added 24 points and Roy Hibbert had 13 points and 14 rebounds for the Pacers, who moved three games ahead of Charlotte for eighth place by completing a four-game season sweep.
D.J. Augustin scored 17 points and Kwame Brown had 16 pointsfor the Bobcats, who got 11 points from top scorer Stephen Jackson as he labored through a hamstring injury.
Already holding the tiebreaker over Charlotte, Indiana interim coach Frank Vogel wasnít shy before the game in comparing the matchup to an ěelimination game if you were up in the playoffs 3-1 or 3-2.î
Behind Hansbroughís continued emergence and Grangerís scoring, the Pacers have won two straight and five of seven.
Heat 100, Pistons 94
AUBURN HILLS, Mich. ó Dwyane Wade scored 24 points and Chris Bosh added 23 to help the Miami Heat rally for a 100-94 win.
Rockets 131, Warriors 112
HOUSTON ó Kevin Martin scored 34 points, Chuck Hayes got his first career triple-double and Houston won its fifth straight. Stephen Curry had 16 Warriors points.
Thunder 106, Jazz 94
OKLAHOMA CITY ó Russell Westbrook scored 31 points and Kevin Durant added 29 to help Oklahoma City drop depleted Utah to .500 for the first time since Nov. 6.
76ers 105, Hawks 100
PHILADELPHIA ó Lou Williams scored 17 points, Andre Iguodala and Thaddeus Young each had 16, and Philadelphia rallied with a 25-6 run to open the fourth quarter.
Grizzlies 90, Celtics 87
BOSTON ó Marc Gasol scored 11 points with 11 rebounds and Zach Randolph had 13 points and eight rebounds.
Kings 97, Bucks 90
MILWAUKEE ó Marcus Thornton scored 27 points, Beno Udrih added 25 and Sacramento damaged the Bucks’ fading playoff hopes.
Magic 111, Knicks 99
NEW YORK ó Dwight Howard had 33 points and 11 rebounds, and the Orlando Magic won their fourth straight.
Carmelo Anthony had 24 points for the Knicks (35-36), who lost for the seventh time in eight games and are below .500 for the first time since they were 8-9 after losing to Atlanta on Nov. 27.
Nets 98, Cavaliers 94, OT
CLEVELAND ó Kris Humphries grabbed a career-high 23 rebounds and made several big plays in overtime, leading New Jersey to its fifth road win in a matchup of two bad teams winding down miserable seasons.