Baron Davis, nursing a sprained left ankle, had a team-high 21 points as the New Orleans Hornets held the Miami Heat to 32.9 percent shooting in a 77-71 victory Saturday.
"I just know when the season's over I'm going to lay in bed for three weeks," said Davis, who went to the floor several times in the game after driving hard to the hoop. "My elbow, my knee, my ankle, back -- just got to keep fighting."
The Heat now lead the best-of-seven series 2-1. Game 4 is Tuesday in New Orleans.
"I expect it to pick up. We're not losing without a fight," Heat forward Lamar Odom said. "Every time it's going to come down to the wire and be a close game. It's going to be a schoolyard scrap."
The Hornets shot just 35.5 percent but made up for it with their defense.
David Wesley shot 3-of-4 from 3-point range for 18 points, while the struggling Jamaal Magloire fought through constant double-teams for 12 points, including two free throws in the final minute that gave New Orleans a much-needed four-point cushion.
New Orleans, coming off an embarrassing 93-63 loss in Game 2, led 59-50 early in the final period after George Lynch's baseline jump shot. Then Odom and Caron Butler combined to help Miami chip away.
Pistons 95, Bucks 85
In Milwaukee, Ben Wallace had 13 points and 21 rebounds as the Detroit Pistons shut down the Milwaukee Bucks over the final four minutes for a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven Eastern Conference playoff series.
Detroit, expected to come out firing after losing to Milwaukee at home this week, gave up 30 points in the first period and needed a run at the start of the third period to take its first lead of the game.
A dunk by Milwaukee's Joe Smith pulled the Bucks within 85-84 with just over four minutes remaining before Detroit employed its suffocating defense.
Mavericks 104, Kings 79
In Dallas, Marquis Daniels shook, spun and shot his way to 11 of his 22 points during a third-quarter spurt that deflated Sacramento and sent Dallas to a 104-79 victory in Game 3 on Saturday night.
Dallas, down 2-1 in the series, has a chance to even it in Game 4 Monday night.
Dirk Nowitzki remained a consistent force with 21 points and Michael Finley added 18, one shy of his total for the first two games.
Chris Webber was 9-for-17 for 22 points for the Kings.
Nuggets 107, Timberwolves 86
In Denver, Carmelo Anthony scored 24 points and added 10 rebounds to lead the Nuggets in Game 3 of their best-of-seven series.
Latrell Sprewell scored 25 points and Kevin Garnett added 24 for the Timberwolves, who fell behind by 17 points early in the game and only mounted one serious threat after that.
Hornets forward P.J. Brown won the NBA's Sportsmanship Award on Saturday. Brown beat forward Elton Brand of the Los Angeles Clippers in voting by NBA players, with 95 first-place votes and 1,220 points. Brand got 75 first-place votes and 1,139 points, followed by Memphis forward Shane Battier with 59 first-place votes and 985 points.
The award honors the player who best exemplifies ethical behavior, fair play and integrity on the court. Brown received the Joe Dumars Trophy, named for the former Detroit Pistons All-Star guard who was the award's first recipient.
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