Cavs routed by Nets

Vince Carter scored 27 points and the New Jersey Nets continued their push for a playoff berth last night with a 110-80 rout of the Cavaliers in Cleveland.

LeBron James scored 24 points, but could not keep Cleveland from its eighth loss in 12 games.

After the game, there was a broadcast report that general manager Jim Paxson soon would be fired.

"I don't think it makes sense to comment on the truth or inaccuracy of rumors related to key positions in our organization," Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert responded in a statement released by the team.

Nenad Krstic scored 18 points and Jason Kidd had 13 points and 12 assists for the Nets, who made a season-high 13 3-pointers and won for the ninth time in 12 games.

New Jersey (36-39) moved within one game of Philadelphia for the eighth spot in the East. The Nets also are battling Orlando for a berth and must finish ahead of the Magic, who hold the edge in the tiebreaker by winning three of four from New Jersey.

Heat 104, Bulls 86 -- The road to the NBA Finals will go through Miami. Dwyane Wade matched his career-high with 39 points and the Heat easily overcame Shaquille O'Neal's absence in beating Chicago, a win that assured Miami the No. 1 seed and homecourt advantage for the Eastern Conference playoffs.

Udonis Haslem added 16 points and 15 rebounds before being ejected late for Miami, which has won 18 straight games at home -- the league's longest run since Sacramento won that many three seasons ago. Chicago lost for the first time in 10 games.

Suns 125, Lakers 99 -- Quentin Richardson led Phoenix's record-setting 3-point barrage with seven, and the Suns knocked defending Western Conference champion Los Angeles out of the playoffs for the first time in 11 years with a rout in Phoenix.

The Lakers lost for the 12th time in 13 games as Kobe Bryant sat out with an injured right leg. The Suns have won six straight.

Nuggets 94, Grizzlies 91 -- Carmelo Anthony scored 24 points and Kenyon Martin added 20 as Denver took over seventh place in the Western Conference playoff race with a victory over host Memphis.

The Grizzlies got off one final shot at the buzzer but Brian Cardinal's 3-point attempt was wide right and missed the rim.

The victory put the Nuggets at 42-31 on the season. Eighth-place Memphis is 41-32.

Mavericks 114, Magic 105 -- Erick Dampier scored 16 points in his first start since returning from a long stay on the injured list, helping host Dallas beat Orlando to secure its fifth straight 50-win season.

Dampier was playing his third game after missing 21 while dealing with a stress fracture in his right foot. He was 5 of 6 from the field and 6 of 7 from the line in 29 minutes, blocking three shots and grabbing five rebounds.

He had two dunks in the first quarter and two driving layups during a 10-point third period.

Clippers 104, Bobcats 102 -- Shaun Livingston made a 14-foot jumper with one second to play to lead Los Angeles over host Charlotte.

The Clippers seemed to have this one in hand over the final two minutes, with Charlotte having to foul every possession.

But Brevin Knight made a pair of free throws, scored on a driving layup, then hit a 3-pointer with seven seconds to play to tie the game at 102.

Pacers 97, Knicks 79 -- Stephen Jackson celebrated his birthday by scoring 33 points and visiting Indiana won its fourth straight by beating New York.

The Knicks have lost seven in a row as their playoff hopes grow more tenuous.

New York is seven games behind eighth-place Philadelphia.

Hornets 96, Hawks 86 -- Lee Nailon scored 19 points and New Orleans extended host Atlanta's losing streak to 13 games.

The Hornets won despite not having a starter score in double figures.

P.J. Brown added 13 points and Chris Andersen had 12 to help New Orleans snap a five-game skid on the road.

Tom Gugliotta and Tony Delk each had 18 points for Atlanta, which also lost 13 straight from Feb. 10 through March 9. The Hawks have lost 26 of their last 27 games.

Warriors 122, Rockets 117 -- Baron Davis scored 17 of his career-high 40 points in the third quarter and had 13 assists as host Golden State won its season-best sixth straight game.

Tracy McGrady had 44 points and seven assists for the struggling Rockets, who have lost three straight and four of six.

Jazz 90, Trail Blazers 79 -- Matt Harpring had 17 points and seven rebounds and host Utah ended a three-game losing streak by beating struggling Portland, which has lost five in a row and 10 straight on the road.

Reserves Ben Handlogten and Kris Humphries scored 11 each, and the Jazz held off the shorthanded Blazers, who brought just nine players to Utah because of injuries.

Kings 122, SuperSonics 101 -- Peja Stojakovic scored 24 points, Cuttino Mobley had 21 and host Sacramento emphatically avoided getting swept in its season series with Seattle by routing the SuperSonics.