John Salmons had a career-high 22 points in leading Philadelphia to a 86-71 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday, keeping the Sixers' once-fading playoff hopes alive.
"The season is so long," Salmons said. "It's been hard to stay focused when we're losing and there's coaching changes and injuries. The year's been so crazy that I'm just trying to stay focused on what I have to do."
Kenny Thomas had 19 points and Eric Snow added 13 assists for the Sixers, who won their third straight game -- all without injured All-Star Allen Iverson.
PHOTO: REUTERS
Cleveland lost its fourth in a row, while Philadelphia pulled within one game of the Cavaliers, who began the night with a half-game lead over Boston for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.
"We're just not playing the way we were three weeks ago," Cleveland's LeBron James said. "A lot of other teams have been stepping up and we really aren't. But we're OK. We're going to find it."
James had 16 points on 5-for-13 shooting to lead Cleveland, which had won seven straight prior to its slide.
Pacers 107, Magic 92
In Orlando, Florida, Ron Artest scored a career-high 35 points to lead Indiana over Orlando, as All-Stars Jermaine O'Neal and Tracy McGrady sat out with injuries.
Al Harrington had 19 points, and Jeff Foster added 16 points and 11 rebounds in the Pacers' third straight victory.
With more shots available, Tyronn Lue set a career-high with 32 points and Juwan Howard added 24. Lue's 13 field goals and 19 attempts also were career bests. But Orlando couldn't overcome 21 turnovers and a defense that allowed 25 shots from point-blank range.
Knicks 108, Raptors 101
In New York, with three key players out with injuries, Stephon Marbury had 38 points and nine assists to lead New York past Toronto.
Reserves DerMarr Johnson and Michael Sweetney made big contributions, with Johnson producing 15 points and seven rebounds.
Sweetney, a rookie forward, hit a pair of free throws, stole a loose ball from Vince Carter and dunked to put New York up 80-79 in the fourth quarter, and the Knicks never trailed again. Sweetney finished with eight points and nine rebounds.
The win clinched the season series for the Knicks, 3-1. New York is in seventh place in the tightly-packed Eastern Conference playoff race.
Carter scored 40 for Toronto.
Celtics 102, Nets 93
In Boston, Paul Pierce scored 34 points to help Boston beat New Jersey take over eighth place in the Eastern Conference.
New Jersey fell to 1-3 without Jason Kidd and Kenyon Martin.
The Celtics moved a half-game ahead of Cleveland, which lost to Philadelphia.
New Jersey pulled to 98-89 on consecutive 3-pointers by Lucious Harris, who had 15 points as the starter in place of Kidd. The closest the Nets came after that was 100-93 on a dunk by Richard Jefferson with 32 seconds remaining.
Chucky Atkins had 17 points and Walter McCarty 15 for the Celtics.
Suns 99, Hornets 94
Amare Stoudemire scored 25 points while Shawn Marion had 21 points and 10 rebounds as Phoenix beat New Orleans in Dixieland.
New Orleans lost its second straight game without leading scorer Baron Davis, who's expected to be out up to two weeks while the Hornets embark on a five-game West Coast trip.
New Orleans shot 9-of-18 in the final period, including 4-of-6 3-pointers -- three by Steve Smith. Jamaal Magloire's jump hook had the Hornets as close as 95-94 with 35 seconds left, but Joe Johnson ended his 17-point performance by hitting a jumper over David Wesley with 13 seconds to go.
Grizzlies 109, Rockets 86
In Memphis, Tennessee, Stromile Swift had 19 points and 10 rebounds, and the surging Memphis rode a big early lead to a victory over Houston.
Jason Williams added 18 points as Memphis won its fourth straight game and 12th in its last 14.
Five Grizzlies finished in double figures in a game so lopsided that most of the starters were on the bench for the final 10 minutes.
James Posey, Pau Gasol and Bonzi Wells added 12 points apiece for Memphis.
Steve Francis had 17 points for the Rockets.
In his third appearance with Chicago, Jannero Pargo tied a franchise record for most 3's in a game with seven. Michael Jordan and Jalen Rose share the record. Pargo scored a career-high 34 points, shooting 13-for-22 from the floor with nine assists.
Heat 119, Mavericks 118, OT
In Miami, Rafer Alston's 3-pointer with 0.5 seconds left in overtime extended gave Miami a win over Dallas to extend its winning streak to seven games.
Marquis Daniels scored a career-high 31 points for the Mavericks, who lost their third successive game. Dirk Nowitzki added 25 before fouling out with 1:53 left in the fourth quarter.
Dwyane Wade had 24 points for Miami, which also extended its home winning streak to eight games. Lamar Odom added 26 points and 18 rebounds, and Eddie Jones and Alston each scored 20.
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