Tony Parker scored 30 points to help the San Antonio Spurs beat the Portland Trail Blazers 112-96 in the NBA on Monday.
The Spurs trail idle Phoenix by two games for the second seed in the Western Conference playoffs. Each team has five games remaining in the regular season.
Jarrett Jack and Jamaal Magloire each scored 19 points to lead the Trail Blazers, who shot 51 percent from the field. Jack also had eight assists.
Portland was missing starters Zach Randolph, Joel Pryzbilla and rookie LaMarcus Aldridge to injury or other medical conditions.
The team found out on Monday that Aldridge's rapid heartbeat he experienced nine days ago was caused by Wolff-Parkinson-White Syndrome. He will miss the rest of the season.
Raptors 111, Timberwolves 100
At Minneapolis, Anthony Parker scored 13 of his 24 points in the fourth quarter, and Toronto rallied to beat Minnesota.
Jose Calderon had 11 of his 12 points in the fourth for the Raptors, who overcame a nine-point deficit in the final quarter to stretch their winning streak to four.
Toronto, which clinched its first Atlantic Division title on Friday, is 32-15 since on Jan. 1 -- the best record in the Eastern Conference. The Raptors closed within one game of idle Chicago and Cleveland for the second-best record in the East.
Magic 117, Bucks 94
At Milwaukee, Hedo Turkoglu scored 25 points to help Orlando equal its best shooting performance of the season in a victory over Milwaukee.
It was the second straight victory for the Magic, who are trying to hold onto the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.
Orlando shot 62.5 percent from the field, the best shooting performance allowed by Milwaukee all season. Orlando also shot 62.5 percent in a Feb. 2 victory over New Jersey.
Ersan Ilyasova scored 18 points to lead the Bucks, who said before the game that leading scorer Michael Redd would sit out the remainder of the season with a nagging left knee injury.
Pistons 91, Knicks 83
At New York, Chauncey Billups scored 22 points, and Detroit moved to the verge of clinching the top seed in the Eastern Conference by beating New York.
Richard Hamilton added 19 points, including a pair of baskets in a late spurt that let the lethargic Pistons pull out the win.
The Pistons have won 50 games in a franchise-record six straight seasons, one more than a stretch from 1986-91 when they were led by current Knicks coach Isiah Thomas.
Eddy Curry and Nate Robinson scored 24 points apiece for the Knicks.
Nuggets 115, Lakers 111
At Denver, Carmelo Anthony scored 33 points, including three free throws in the final 9 seconds to help Denver get its season-high sixth straight win.
Kobe Bryant scored 23 points, nine below his league-leading average, and missed 21 of his 30 shots, including a 3-pointer that would have tied it with 2.7 seconds left.
Marcus Camby cradled the rebound and drew the foul. He missed his first free throw but sank his second and Anthony swiped the long inbounds to seal Denver's win.
Allen Iverson added 24 points for the Nuggets.
Mavericks 96, Clippers 86
At Dallas, the home side can ease up over the last five games of the regular season. It has already clinched the league's best record -- and home-court advantage throughout the playoffs.
Dirk Nowitzki scored 26 points, including 12 straight during the third quarter, and Josh Howard made a key 3-pointer in the final 2 minutes, leading the Mavericks past Los Angeles to clinch the top seed.
In their first opportunity to wrap up the top spot, the Mavericks never trailed by more than a basket. They started pulling away in the final minutes of the first half, going up by seven at the break, then scored the first six points of the third quarter. Nowitzki's flurry followed, but Dallas still needed Howard's 3 with 1:41 left to pull away for its franchise-record-extending 64th victory.
Warriors 126, Jazz 102
At Oakland, California, Stephen Jackson scored 28 points, Baron Davis had 19 and long-suffering Golden State climbed into the playoff picture.
Monta Ellis and Matt Barnes scored 16 points apiece for the Warriors, whose eighth victory in nine home games put them in eighth place in the Western Conference by a tiny margin over the Clippers, who have two games in hand.
Al Harrington had 15 points and 11 rebounds as the Warriors blew out Utah in the middle quarters, improving their improbable hopes for the club's first postseason appearance since 1994 -- even if their streak of 12 straight losing seasons continues.
Ronnie Brewer scored 21 points and Carlos Boozer and Matt Harpring scored 17 points apiece for Utah.
Rockets 95, SuperSonics 90
At Seattle, Tracy McGrady and Yao Ming (
McGrady was the offense in the first half, scoring 21 of his 27 points. Yao took control in the second half, with 15 of his 31 in the third quarter. Yao finished 11-for-11 at the free-throw line, and grabbed seven rebounds.
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