BOSTON " Paul Pierce scored 29 points, reserve Leon Powe had 20 points and 11 rebounds, and the Boston Celtics beat Cleveland 105-94 on Friday night to move within percentage points of the Cavaliers in the race for the top spot in the Eastern Conference.
The Cavaliers (48-13) lead Boston (49-14) in winning percentage .787 to .778, though the Celtics took the lead in the head-to-head tiebreaker, 2-1, with an April 12 game in Cleveland remaining.
Mo Williams scored 26 for Cleveland and LeBron James had 21, shooting just 5-of-15 from the field to go with 9-for-12 from the line. He spent the final minutes on the bench after the Cavaliers couldn't narrow a double-digit deficit.
Heat 108, Raptors 102
TORONTO " Dwyane Wade had 42 points, eight assists and six rebounds, and Miami snapped a six-game losing streak against Toronto.
Wade shot 17-for-23 and topped 40 points for the fourth time in seven games, a run in which he also posted a career-high 50 points and two 30-point performances. The NBA's leading scorer came in averaging 35.8 points since the All-Star break, also tops in the league.
Rockets 116, Suns 112
HOUSTON " Aaron Brooks scored a career-high 30 points and drove past Shaquille O'Neal for the winning basket in Houston's victory over Phoenix.
Ron Artest added 21 points and Yao Ming had 15 points, 13 rebounds and a season-high six assists for the Rockets, who've won 11 straight home games.
Magic 105, Nets 102
ORLANDO, Fla. " Dwight Howard had 26 points and 15 rebounds, and Orlando rallied to beat New Jersey for its third consecutive victory.
Rashard Lewis added 21 points, and Hedo Turkoglu scored 13 for the Magic, who have won four of their last five.
Bulls 117, Bucks 102
CHICAGO " Ben Gordon scored 34 points and Chicago moved into the eighth place in the Eastern Conference by beating Milwaukee.
Chicago's victory gave the Bulls the season series 3-1 against former coach Scott Skiles and the Bucks. Milwaukee entered with a percentage point-lead over the Bulls.
Ramon Sessions had 20 points and 11 assists.
Pistons 108, Warriors 91
AUBURN HILLS, Mich. " Richard Hamilton scored 22 points and Detroit beat Golden State for its fourth straight victory.
Jason Maxiell had 16 points and nine rebounds, and Tayshaun Prince also scored 16 for Detroit, which got points from all 12 players. Rodney Stuckey had 14 points and eight assists.
Bobcats 98, Hawks 91
CHARLOTTE, N.C. " Gerald Wallace scored 21 points and Charlotte used a near-perfect first quarter to build a big lead and hung to beat struggling Atlanta, the Bobcats' franchise record-tying fifth straight victory.
Spurs 100, Wizards 78
SAN ANTONIO " Tony Parker scored 19 points, Michael Finley had 12, and San Antonio treated new addition Drew Gooden to a dominant performance against Washington.
Jazz 97, Nuggets 91
SALT LAKE CITY " Deron Williams scored 12 of his 25 points in the third quarter and the Utah Jazz rallied from a 19-point deficit to beat the Denver Nuggets, extending their winning streak to 10 games.
Lakers 110,
Timberwolves 90
LOS ANGELES " Some nights, it's about nothing more than just getting through the game for the Los Angeles Lakers.
That was certainly the case Friday, when Kobe Bryant scored 23 points, Pau Gasol added 21 and the Lakers beat the slumping Minnesota Timberwolves 110-90 to become the first NBA team to reach 50 victories.