Wallace turns to defense to get job done

Ben Wallace could not seal the game from the free-throw line, so he went to what he does best – playing great defense – to make up for it.

Wallace blocked Danny Granger’s 3-pointer at the buzzer and the Detroit Pistons held off the Indiana Pacers 75-72 on Friday night in Indianapolis.

Wallace, the reigning NBA defensive player of the year, was glad to have made the final play, but said Detroit should have been further ahead at that point.

“It was a tough play,” he said. “We were able to get the block and get the win, but it never should have came down to that. We played terrible down the stretch. We had control of the game, we let it slip away. It was just one of those nights. We were fortunate to come out of here with a win.”

Wallace was 1 for 8 from the foul line in the second half. The one he made came with 4.6 seconds left, and it forced the Pacers to try a 3-pointer to tie.

Spurs 98, Trail Blazers 79: Brent Barry scored 15 of his season-high 23 points in the second quarter and visiting San Antonio sent Portland to it seventh straight loss.

Lakers 101, Bucks 96: Kobe Bryant scored 43 points, including six free throws in the final 20 seconds, and host Los Angeles beat Milwaukee to record its first three-game winning streak in more than two months.

Bulls 96, Hornets 82: Ben Gordon came off the bench to score 25 points, Tyson Chandler grabbed a season-high 21 rebounds, and host Chicago defeated New Orleans.

Cavaliers 94, Celtics 82: LeBron James scored 36 points to lead host Cleveland to a win over Boston, moving the Cavaliers closer to their first playoff berth in eight years. The Cavaliers won their fourth in a row overall.

Heat 114, Bobcats 93: Dwyane Wade and Shaquille O’Neal combined for 46 points before sitting out the fourth quarter, and Miami beat Charlotte to snap a two-game losing streak.

Magic 102, 76ers 86: Dwight Howard had 15 points, 19 rebounds and four blocks to help Orlando snap a 16-game road losing streak at Philadelphia.

Grizzlies 91, Knicks 75: Pau Gasol scored 36 points, and Memphis used a dominant defensive effort to beat the Knicks in New York.

Raptors 97, Timberwolves 77: Morris Peterson scored 21 points and Chris Bosh added 17 points and 15 rebounds to lead Minnesota to a win at Toronto.

Around the league

Forward Jamal Mashburn retired, shortly after being waived by the Philadelphia 76ers. Mashburn spent all of last season on the injured list with a knee injury and has been inactive all of this year. … A trial began in Michigan for the man accused of tossing a cup at Indiana Pacers forward Ron Artest, sparking a brawl between Pacers players and Detroit Pistons fans on Nov. 19, 2004, at The Palace of Auburn Hills.