No answer for Iverson
Allen Iverson scored 48 points and kept the Philadelphia 76ers in the playoff hunt with a 106-103 win over the Charlotte Bobcats in Philadelphia on Wednesday.
Iverson had 30 in the first half to help the Sixers take a 25-point lead, which was sliced all the way to one late in the fourth quarter. It was the second straight game the Sixers let a huge lead slip away, blowing a 26-point lead against Boston before holding on for a four-point win.
The wins gave Philadelphia a small cushion in the race for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. The Sixers are 3 1/2 games behind Boston in the Atlantic Division and a game and a half ahead of New Jersey for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.
Primoz Brezec led Charlotte with 23 points.
Grizzlies 104, Raptors 74: At Toronto, Pau Gasol scored 26 points to lead Memphis over Toronto. Memphis’ 30-point margin of victory was a team record for a road game. Memphis never trailed and led by as many as 37 points. Jalen Rose scored 19 points for the Raptors, who absorbed their worst loss of the season.
Celtics 103, Bucks 97: At Boston, Ricky Davis scored 27 points and Boston overcame an 11-point, third-quarter deficit to beat Milwaukee, which played without top scorer Michael Redd. Desmond Mason led the Bucks with 23 points.
Pistons 105, Wizards 93: At Auburn Hills, Mich., Ben Wallace had 21 points and 18 rebounds, and Detroit cut its magic number to clinch the Central Division title to four with a victory over Washington. It was Larry Brown’s 101st win as Pistons coach, breaking Rick Carlisle’s team record of 100 over his first two season with Detroit.
Bulls 102, Magic 101 (OT): At Orlando, Fla., Kirk Hinrich scored 25 points, Antonio Davis hit a go-ahead free throw with 1.4 seconds left in overtime and Chicago beat Orlando. Tyson Chandler added 15 points and 22 rebounds for the Bulls. Steve Francis had 28 points and 11 assists to lead the Magic.
Pacers 98, Cavaliers 77: At Indianapolis, Stephen Jackson scored 23 points and Reggie Miller had 17 to lead Indiana over Cleveland for its fifth straight win. LeBron James scored 20 points to lead the Cavaliers.
Nuggets 94, Hornets 83: At New Orleans, Carmelo Anthony scored 18 points to lead six Denver players in double figures as the Nuggets won their fifth straight by beating New Orleans. Dan Dickau led New Orleans with 20 points.
Spurs 91, Clippers 82: At San Antonio, Manu Ginobili scored 12 of his 16 points in the second half and Brent Barry added four 3-pointers to lead San Antonio over Los Angeles. Barry finished with 12 points.
Timberwolves 111, Jazz 86: At Minneapolis, Wally Szczerbiak scored 20 points to help Minnesota beat slumping Utah. Kevin Garnett had 18 points, 16 rebounds and six assists for Minnesota. Jazz coach Jerry Sloan picked up two technical fouls in the first quarter for griping to referee Ken Mauer, earning his first automatic ejection this season.
Warriors 104, Trail Blazers 102: At Portland, Baron Davis had 22 points and 11 assists, and Troy Murphy added 22 points and 10 rebounds to give Golden State a victory over Portland for its season-high eighth straight win.
Off the court
Miami Heat center Shaquille O’Neal will miss his second straight game because of a stomach ailment, sitting out Friday night’s game at Memphis. … Toronto forward Donyell Marshall left the game against Memphis with a strained right Achilles’ tendon and did not return. … An MRI on Dirk Nowitzki‘s injured right knee revealed no damage, and the Dallas Mavericks forward was listed as day-to-day. … Cleveland center Zydrunas Ilgauskas didn’t travel with the Cavaliers for their game against Indiana after dislocating his right ring finger in a game Tuesday night. … Houston Rockets forward Juwan Howard will miss the rest of the season because of a viral infection in his heart, the Houston Chronicle reported on its Web site.