Sun, Apr 02, 2006 - Page 24 News List

Nets catch playoff berth

AMERICAN BASKETBALL Richard Jefferson and Vince Carter played tag-team with the Hawks as New Jersey clinched an Eastern Conference playoff spot with a victory

AP , ATLANTA, GEORGIA

Richard Jefferson scored 27 points and Vince Carter added 26 to help the New Jersey Nets win their 11th straight game and clinch an Eastern Conference playoff berth with a 91-88 win over the Atlanta Hawks in the NBA on Friday.

The winning streak is the Nets' third-longest in franchise history.

With the game tied at 84, Carter tipped in his own miss to give the Nets a two-point lead with 42.6 seconds remaining. Jason Kidd then went 5-for-6 from the foul line to seal the win for New Jersey, which has six straight road victories -- the second-longest streak in franchise history.

The Hawks lost for the fifth time in six games.

76ers 117, Knicks 112

At New York, Allen Iverson scored 47 points, Chris Webber had a season-high 34 points and 12 rebounds, and Philadelphia snapped a three-game losing streak.

Andre Iguodala added 14 points and Samuel Dalembert had 11 in his return to the starting lineup for the 76ers, who won for just the third time in 13 games. They remained 1.5 games ahead of Chicago for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.

Rookie Nate Robinson, playing 43 minutes because of injuries to both of New York's starting guards, scored a season-high 34 points. The Knicks lost their seventh straight game.

Suns 140, Raptors 126

At Toronto, Boris Diaw had 26 points, nine assists and eight rebounds and Leandro Barbosa added a career-high 28 points to lead Phoenix.

Seven players scored in double figures for Phoenix, which finished with the most points in the seven-year history of the Air Canada Centre. It was also the second highest total allowed by the Raptors. The record is 152 set by the Los Angeles Clippers in March 1998.

Morris Peterson had a career-high 38 points for the Raptors. Toronto lost its second straight without injured All-Star Chris Bosh, who sat out with a sprained thumb.

Bulls 113, Bobcats 107

At Charlotte, North Carolina, Andres Nocioni had 24 points and 11 rebounds to lead Chicago over Charlotte.

Luol Deng scored 21 points and Chris Duhon added 19 for the Bulls, who remained 1.5 games behind Philadelphia in the battle for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference with 10 games remaining.

Jumaine Jones scored 28 points and Gerald Wallace added 26 and 12 rebounds for the Bobcats, who surrendered 100 or more points for the ninth consecutive game.

Magic 108, Mavericks 99

At Orlando, Florida, Jameer Nelson scored 27 points and Hedo Turkoglu added 25 to help Orlando hand Dallas its third straight loss.

Dallas fell another half-game behind San Antonio in the playoff chase to clinch the Southwest Division, putting them 2{ games back with nine left to play. The teams are battling for the West's best record, but since they are both in the same division the second place finisher will get the No. 4 seed when the playoffs start in three weeks. The top three seeds go to division winners.

Dirk Nowitzki led the Mavericks with 38 points and 15 rebounds. Jason Terry scored 23 points and Jerry Stackhouse added 14.

Nuggets 106, Timberwolves 94

At Denver, Carmelo Anthony scored 32 points and Denver overcame poor play in the first three quarters to beat Minnesota.

Andre Miller added 16 points and Ruben Patterson had 14 for the Nuggets, who ended a two-game losing streak as they try to win their first division title since the 1987-1988 season.

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