Print

Mail

wiki links

Wizards earn first playoff spot in years

Larry Hughes scored 23 points and the Washington Wizards beat the Chicago Bulls 93-82 on Wednesday to earn their first playoff berth since 1997.

The Wizards clinched the spot when New Jersey lost to Indiana minutes after their win.

Gilbert Arenas added 21 points and Antawn Jamison had 19 points and 14 rebounds for the Wizards, who led by 22 points in the first quarter.

The victory gave the Wizards a 2-1 lead in the season series against the Bulls, a stat that would determine home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs if the teams finish tied for fourth.

Wizards starting center Brendan Haywood, activated Wednesday after missing 10 games with a broken thumb, finished with seven points, 11 rebounds and four blocks.

Ben Gordon and Kirk Hinrich each scored 21 points for the Bulls, who played without leading scorer Eddy Curry (irregular heartbeat), Andres Nocioni (suspended) and, for most of the game, Tyson Chandler.

Chandler was ejected with 3:29 left in the first quarter for stepping on Haywood's midsection after pushing him to the floor going for a rebound.

Pacers 90, Nets 86

In Indianapolis, Reggie Miller scored seven of his 22 points in a late 22-second flurry to help the Indiana rally from a six-point deficit and beat New Jersey to clinch its eighth straight playoff berth.

Indiana has won eight of its last nine games and finished its remarkable run to the postseason after playing nearly half the season without four of its top six players including All-Stars Jermaine O'Neal and Ron Artest.

Jason Kidd had 29 points, 15 rebounds and six assists for the Nets, who dropped behind idle Philadelphia in the race for the final Eastern Conference playoff spot. The loss ended the Nets' three-game winning streak.

Miller completed a four-point play to cut the lead to 83-81, then hit another 3 to tie it at 84 with 2:00 left. Fred Jones followed that with a 22-footer to make it 86-84 with 1:12 left and after Carter drew his fourth foul with 17 seconds to go, Anthony Johnson hit one free throw to make it 87-84.

Carter missed a potential tying 3-pointer in the final seconds.

Bobcats 105, Hawks 84

In Charlotte, North Carolina, Emeka Okafor had 17 points and 11 rebounds as the expansion Charlotte beat Atlanta and guaranteed it would not finish with the worst record in the NBA.

The win was the 17th of the season for the Bobcats and moved them five games ahead of Atlanta (12-66) with just four games to play.

Pistons 103, Magic 94

In Auburn Hills, Michigan, Ben Wallace became the fifth player in NBA history to have 100 blocks and 100 steals in five straight seasons and six Detroit players scored in double figures to defeat Orlando.

The Pistons have won eight in a row, matching a season high.

Rookie Jameer Nelson scored a season-high 30 points for the Magic, who have lost five straight and 16 of 20.

Wallace joined Hakeem Olajuwon, Julius Erving, Sam Lacey and David Robinson as the only players to have 100 blocks and 100 steals in five consecutive seasons, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. Wallace finished with nine points, 13 rebounds, two steals and no blocks.

Celtics 111, Bucks 108

In Milwaukee, Paul Pierce scored 32 points, including the game-winning basket with 19 seconds left as Boston beat Milwaukee to clinch a playoff berth.

Antoine Walker and Ricky Davis each had 17 points for the Celtics, who increased their lead in the Atlantic Division over Philadelphia to 3 1/2 games with four to play. Boston's magic number to clinch the title and the No. 3 seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs is two.
This story has been viewed 1668 times.