Nets win 13th straight, Atlantic title
The New Jersey Nets won their 13th straight game Tuesday, holding off Atlanta for a 96-94 victory on a night when they also clinched their fourth Atlantic Division title in the last five years.
Vince Carter scored 27 points for the Nets, who tied Dallas for the longest winning streak in the NBA this season and moved to within one of the franchise record set in 2003-2004. The division title was actually sealed with second-place Philadelphia’s 124-91 loss to Cleveland earlier Tuesday.
Joe Johnson scored 33 points to lead the Hawks.
Richard Jefferson and Krstic scored 17 points each for New Jersey and Jason Kidd had 11 points and 13 assists.
Cavaliers 124, 76ers 91: At Cleveland, LeBron James scored 37 points to lead the Cavaliers to a win over Philadelphia.
Cleveland center Zydrunas Ilgauskas sprained his left ankle in the first quarter and did not return. Guard Larry Hughes played for the first time since Dec. 31 and scored 10 points.
Pistons 101, Hornets 93: At Auburn Hills, Mich., Antonio McDyess had a season-high 26 points and added 14 rebounds to help Detroit win its 60th game, beating New Orleans.
Wizards 105, Knicks 90: At Washington, a game against the worst team in the East was an ideal homecoming for the Wizards, who got 13 points and a season-high 13 assists from Gilbert Arenas and defeated New York.
Celtics 124, Raptors 120: At Toronto, Paul Pierce and Wally Szczerbiak scored 22 points apiece to help Boston beat the Raptors.
Heat 115, Bucks 89: At Miami, Shaquille O’Neal had 24 points and 10 rebounds and the Heat defeated Milwaukee.
Bobcats 97, Timberwolves 92: At Charlotte, N.C., Primoz Brezec muscled in a layup over several defenders with 54 seconds to play, then added a pair of free throws to help the Bobcats seal a victory over Minnesota.
Grizzlies 100, Warriors 75: At Memphis, Tenn., Chucky Atkins scored 22 points and Pau Gasol finished with 16 points, seven rebounds and six assists to help the Grizzlies beat Golden State.
Mavericks 127, Kings 101: At Dallas, Dirk Nowitzki scored 29 points, Josh Howard had 23 and Josh Powell dazzled during a game-breaking stretch of the second quarter, helping the Mavericks shatter Sacramento’s nearly monthlong run of strong defense with a victory over the Kings. Sacramento, which is trying to hold onto the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference, hadn’t allowed more than 98 points its last 13 games – but gave up 63 in the first half.
•Dallas forward Keith Van Horn underwent surgery to repair a broken bone in his right hand and remains out indefinitely. He will miss the rest of the regular season and perhaps all of the playoffs.
Bulls 102, Pacers 96: At Chicago, Ben Gordon scored 16 of his 23 points in the fourth quarter, and the surging Bulls moved closer to a playoff spot, rallying from a 17-point deficit.
Spurs 95, Jazz 86: At Salt Lake City, Manu Ginobili scored eight of his 26 points in the fourth quarter and San Antonio held off Utah to maintain its 2 1/2 -game lead for the top seed in the West.
Clippers 111, Nuggets 109: At Los Angeles, Sam Cassell scored 10 of his 19 points in the fourth quarter and the Clippers overcame a 22-point deficit and 81.6 percent shooting by Denver in the first half to beat the Nuggets.