Tim Hardaway Jr scored 28 points as the New York Knicks defeated Philadelphia 123-110 on Monday, handing the 76ers their 17th consecutive loss.
Amare Stoudemire added 23 points, while J.R. Smith and Carmelo Anthony each had 22 for the Knicks to lead their side to a fourth straight victory.
Michael Carter-Williams recorded a triple-double with 23 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists, while Tony Wroten also had 23 points for the struggling 76ers.
The Knicks, who trailed by 12 points in the first quarter, took their biggest lead of the game — 110-89 — on the fourth of Hardaway Jr’s five three-pointers with seven minutes, 37 seconds left in the game and never led by less than 12 from then on.
HEAT 99, WIZARDS 90
In Miami, Dwyane Wade scored 13 of his 22 points in the fourth quarter, while LeBron James led all scorers with 23 to help the Heat clinch a playoff spot.
Chris Bosh scored 22 for the Heat, who snapped a three-game slide and moved within one game of Indiana in the race for the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference Division.
Ray Allen added 13 for Miami, who were down one midway through the fourth before Wade sparked a 12-0 run with five points, three assists and a block at the rim.
The Heat never trailed from then on to avoid their first four-game slide since 2011.
Bradley Beal scored 18 points, Martell Webster added 17 and Drew Gooden scored 15 for the Wizards.
CLIPPERS 112, SUNS 105
In Los Angeles, Blake Griffin scored 22 of his 37 points in the first quarter and made 14 of 16 shots before fouling out as the Clippers won their eighth straight.
Darren Collison scored 20 points, as Chris Paul added 17 points and 11 assists for the Pacific Division leaders, who were 55.1 percent from the field and improved to 23-1 when shooting at least 50 percent.
Goran Dragic had 23 points and five assists during a foul-plagued 33 minutes for the Suns, who slipped a half-game behind idle Memphis for the eighth and final Western playoff spot and are 1 1-2 behind Dallas.
Phoenix have not made the postseason since 2010 under coach Alvin Gentry, who is now a Clippers associate head coach.
BOBCATS 105, NUGGETS 98
In North Carolina, Al Jefferson scored 26 points and Kemba Walker added 24 as Charlotte won their seventh straight at home.
Jefferson made 10 of his first 14 field-goal attempts and also had a game-high 12 rebounds.
Walker added seven assists for the Bobcats, who also received a big boost from Gary Neal off the bench.
Neal made his first six field-goal tries, including three three-pointers, and ended up with 19 points.
Josh McRoberts added 15 points for Charlotte, including a key three-pointer with 6 minutes, 15 seconds left at the shot-clock buzzer to extend Charlotte’s lead to 90-82 after Denver had cut it to five at 87-82.
Ty Lawson scored 24 points to lead the Nuggets.
Also on Monday, it was:
‧ Bucks 105, Magic 98
‧ Nets 101, Raptors 97
‧ Hawks 112, Jazz 110
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