NBA : Bobcats top Wizards

Gerald Wallace had 34 points and 14 rebounds, and the Charlotte Bobcats beat Washington 122-102 in Charlotte, N.C., on Tuesday night in the Wizards’ first game without injured forward Caron Butler.

Walter Herrmann added 21 points, Emeka Okafor had 17 points and 13 rebounds, and Raymond Felton had 17 points and 14 assists for the Bobcats, who shot 57 percent and were never threatened in the second half.

Gilbert Arenas scored 33 points, but got little help as the Wizards lost for the fifth time in seven games, but their first without one of their top players.

Pistons 100, Pacers 85: At Indianapolis, Tayshaun Prince scored 24 points, and Detroit beat Indiana to guarantee the Pacers their first losing season in a decade.

Detroit forward Rasheed Wallace hyperextended the pointer finger on his left (non-shooting) hand in the first half and played just a few possessions after the break.

Heat 92, Raptors 89: At Miami, Shaquille O’Neal had 16 points and 12 rebounds, Udonis Haslem added 16 points and Miami got a critical boost in postseason positioning by beating Toronto.

The Heat led by 10 early in the fourth and saw that margin whittled to one in the final moments, yet held on to move back ahead of Washington into first place in the Southeast Division.

Cavaliers 101, Timberwolves 88: At Minneapolis, two nights after an achy right knee kept him out of the lineup, LeBron James returned with 31 points, 12 rebounds and six assists in Cleveland’s victory over Minnesota.

James wasted little time showing his teammates and the Timberwolves that his knee was just fine, scoring 15 points and grabbing five rebounds in the first quarter.

Hornets 119, Bucks 101: At Milwaukee, David West scored 24 points and Desmond Mason added 21 to lead New Orleans to a victory over Milwaukee, the Bucks’ seventh straight loss.

The Hornets moved within 2 1/2 games of the idle Los Angeles Clippers for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference.

Suns 116, Grizzlies 111: At Memphis, Tenn., Amare Stoudemire scored 27 points, including 11 in the fourth quarter to hold off a Memphis rally, and Phoenix beat the Grizzlies.

Stoudemire was one of five players in double figures for the Suns.

Mavericks 97, Kings 93: At Sacramento, Calif., Josh Howard scored 29 points and Jason Terry added 27 for Dallas, which beat Sacramento despite playing without Dirk Nowitzki.

Nowitzki, the Mavericks’ leading scorer, had food poisoning and did not attend the game.

Nuggets 111, Lakers 105: At Los Angeles, Carmelo Anthony scored 31 points, Marcus Camby had 21 points, 20 rebounds and six blocked shots, and Denver beat Los Angeles.

The Lakers lost for the third time in four games despite getting 39 points from Kobe Bryant, enabling him to become the youngest player to reach 19,000 career points.

Allen Iverson had 20 points for Denver.

Off the court

New York Knicks coach Isiah Thomas was fined $50,000 by the NBA for questioning the treatment Stephon Marbury is getting from referees. … Boise State basketball star Coby Karl, the son of Denver Nuggets coach George Karl, has undergone surgery for the removal of cancerous lymph nodes and remains in fair condition. … Hawks guard Josh Childress will miss the rest of the season with a stress fracture in his right foot. … The New Jersey Nets recalled injured rookie center Mile Ilic from the Colorado 14ers of the NBA Development League. … Indiana Pacers center Jeff Foster sat out with back spasms.