The AP reports: Hey, Raymond Felton, how do you feel about what happened to your Charlotte Bobcats on Wednesday night? The wasted 20-point lead. The 19-for-30 foul shooting, including 6-for-13 in the fourth quarter. And everything else that went awry in a 95-93 loss to the woebegone Washington Wizards, a team that came in with an NBA-high 56 losses, a team that was 0-14 against Southeast Division foes, a team down to eight players because of injuries… “We didn’t want to be the first,” said Nick Young, who scored 23 points for Washington. “Players, captains, Coach—everybody was talking about it.” … “Both guys just rushed the shot,” said Antawn Jamison, who scored 27 points for Washington. “They didn’t realize they were going to be that open.”
Parker has 42, Spurs beat Hawks 102-92
The AP reports: Tony Parker spent the past month scoring big to compensate for the absence of Manu Ginobili. With Ginobili back, Parker picked up his scoring even more to help the San Antonio Spurs win without Tim Duncan. Parker scored 42 points and the Spurs ended Atlanta’s eight-game home winning streak with a 102-92 victory on Wednesday night… Joe Johnson had 30 points, including Atlanta’s first 11 points of the fourth quarter, but he had too little help as the Hawks suffered their first loss at Philips Arena since March 1… Ginobili had two points in 13 minutes as he returned in a limited role after missing 19 games with a right ankle injury. Roger Mason had 18 points and Michael Finley added 13 for the Spurs.
Young leads 76ers over T-Wolves, 96-88
The AP reports: Thaddeus Young scored 29 points and Andre Miller had 15 to lead the Sixers to a 96-88 win over the revamped Timberwolves on Wednesday night. The Sixers (37-33) pulled a half-game behind Miami in the Eastern Conference standings and upped their odds toward clinching their first winning record in four seasons. The Heat lost 90-88 at Indiana on Wednesday… Rodney Carney stuck it to his former team with 21 points and Craig Smith had 20 for the Timberwolves, whose new lineup couldn’t help them avoid their sixth straight loss.
Cavaliers set team wins record, beat Nets 98-87
The AP reports: LeBron James scored 22 points with 11 assists and made all the right moves in the closing minutes as the too-tough-at-home Cavaliers set a franchise record with their 58th win—and 10th straight—by beating the New Jersey Nets 98-87 on Wednesday night… Vince Carter scored 20 and Jarvis Hayes 18 for the Nets, who are running out of time to make the playoffs… Anderson Varejao, Zydrunas Ilgauskas and Mo Williams scored 16 apiece and Delonte West had 13 points with nine rebounds for the Cavs, who again showed they are much more than James.
Bargnani scores 23 points as Raptors beat Bucks
The AP reports: The Milwaukee Bucks sure aren’t playing like their playoff chances are at stake. Andrea Bargnani scored 23 points, Chris Bosh and Jose Calderon had double-doubles and the Toronto Raptors beat the Bucks 115-106 on Wednesday night… Bosh had 18 points and 14 rebounds, Calderon added 19 points and 11 assists to help the Raptors win consecutive games for the first time since Feb. 22-24. Shawn Marion scored 17 points, Anthony Parker had 15 and Jason Kapono 14… Jefferson shook off a recent shooting slump, going 10-for-18 and scoring 22 points for the Bucks, who lost their third straight. Charlie Bell scored 20 points and Ramon Sessions had 18.
Granger leads Pacers past Heat 90-88
The AP reports: The 90-88 victory Wednesday night was Indiana’s 17th straight home win against the Heat, but it wasn’t certain until Wade’s desperation 3-point shot went halfway down and rimmed out at the buzzer. “I thought it was (going in) for a quick second, then I saw he shot it a little to the left and that’s why it rolled out,” said Danny Granger, who led Indiana with 28 points. “Fortunately, he missed it.” … Wade, the NBA scoring leader at almost 30 points a game, had 21 points but was just 5-of-24 from the field, including 2-of-11 in the second half… Haslem finished with 18 points and 14 rebounds, and O’Neal had 13 points and three blocks but only two rebounds. Ford added 20 points and Jarrett Jack 13 for the Pacers. Jeff Foster, starting in place of injured Troy Murphy, had a season-high 16 rebounds.
Jazz beat Rockets 99-86
The AP reports: The Jazz had a season-high 12 blocks, made six steals and forced 12 turnovers while winning their third straight, 99-86 over the Rockets on Tuesday night. “That shows how we were playing good help defense,” said Utah’s Ronnie Brewer, who scored 12 of his 17 points in the third quarter. “We really defended well tonight.” … Deron Williams had 19 points and 12 assists for the Jazz, whose defense compensated for a poor night on the boards, getting outrebounded 52-42… Aaron Brooks scored 20 points and Yao Ming added 14 points and 13 rebounds for the Rockets… Carlos Boozer had 13 points and eight rebounds and Mehmet Okur finished with 12 points, six rebounds and four blocks. Paul Millsap spelled Boozer when he got in foul trouble and finished with 15 points, nine rebounds and three blocks. Brewer and Andrei Kirilenko added two blocks each… Shane Battier scored 18, Ron Artest had 13 points and 11 rebounds and Luis Scola added 10 points and 12 rebounds as all five Houston starters scored in double figures.
Parker scores 30, Spurs beat Warriors 107-106
The AP reports: Gnawed by last-second losses in their previous two outings, the Spurs got redemption when Roger Mason made an 18-footer with 23.9 seconds left and watched Monta Ellis clank a running 3-pointer at the buzzer to escape with a 107-106 win over the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday night. Tony Parker scored 30 points and Tim Duncan scored 13 of his 21 in the fourth quarter, when the Spurs blew a late six-point lead but survived at the end… This one could’ve been another stinger. Ellis missed one chance to win the game on a jumper with 5.9 seconds left but missed, then the shot as time expired. He led the Warriors 27 points.Golden State played again without Jamal Crawford, who missed his fourth straight game in what has become a bizarre subplot with Warriors coach Don Nelson. In the past week, Crawford has been benched, allowed back, and benched himself—all while being perfectly healthy.
Lakers rest starters in 107-89 blowout of Thunder
The AP reports: To Kobe Bryant, a little bit of rest is way overrated. Getting ready for the playoffs is what the last stretch of the season is all about. Bryant scored 19 points before taking the fourth quarter off, and the Los Angeles Lakers cruised to a 107-89 win against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Tuesday night… Lamar Odom scored 18 points before fouling out and Pau Gasol had 14 points, 14 rebounds and seven assists for Los Angeles. Kevin Durant scored 24 points to lead Oklahoma City, which had all five starters reach double figures but never cut the Lakers’ lead to less than 17 points in the second half… Jeff Green scored 12 points, Nenad Krstic added 11 and Thabo Sefolosha, Russell Westbrook and Nick Collison each had 10 for Oklahoma City.
Hinrich leads Bulls over Pistons, 99-91
The AP reports: Kirk Hinrich scored 24 points filling in for injured phenom Derrick Rose, and the Chicago Bulls beat Detroit 99-91 Tuesday night to pull within a game of the seventh-place Pistons in the Eastern Conference… Ben Gordon scored 19, Tyrus Thomas had 18 points and 12 rebounds, Joakim Noah scored 15 points and grabbed 10 rebounds, and John Salmons added 16 points as the Bulls earned their fifth win in six games… Tayshaun Prince and Will Bynum scored 20 each for the Pistons, who clearly miss injured stars Allen Iverson, Rasheed Wallace and Richard Hamilton. Bynum also had nine assists while Antonio McDyess scored 16, but the Bulls simply pulled away in the second half.