Sixers give up on losing ways
Joe Smith keeps disappointing all those Philadelphia fans who want the 76ers to win the No. 1 draft pick.
Andre Iguodala had his third triple-double of the season and Smith swished the winning jumper with 14.4 seconds left to lead the 76ers to their fifth straight win, 92-89, over visiting Seattle last night.
"The more we win, the more they'll appreciate us," Smith said. "I don't think we're going to go out there and try and blow any games and win any lottery picks."
Iguodala finished with 25 points, 11 rebounds, and 10 assists, and Andre Miller had 17 points.
Once a leading candidate to earn the most ping-pong balls in the draft lottery, the Sixers instead are talking about the playoffs.
The postseason is still a long shot, but thinking about it beats another dreary end to the season -- only don't tell that to Sixers fans who want their team to lose and get that No. 1 pick.
"Hopefully, I'll keep getting them angry if that's the case," said Smith, himself a former No. 1 overall selection.
Samuel Dalembert grabbed a season-high 20 rebounds, 12 on the defensive end.
Ray Allen led Seattle with 29 points, but the SuperSonics had their three-game winning streak snapped a night after an emotional 100-99 win at New York.
Cavaliers 101, Pistons 97 -- LeBron James scored a season-high 41 points, leading Cleveland to an overtime victory in Auburn Hills, Mich.
"If we play well, nobody can beat us," James said. "We believe that."
James led the way, but his team reached a season-high 11 games over .500 because the star had plenty of help: Drew Gooden had 22 points and 10 rebounds, Zydrunas Ilgauskas had 14 points and 10 boards, and Larry Hughes added 12 points.
James, who made three go-ahead baskets in the final 2 1/2 minutes, almost won the game in regulation with a 27-footer, but a video review negated the dramatic shot. He set the tone in the overtime, making free throws and blocking Richard Hamilton's shot with a spectacular move in front of the rim.
Hamilton scored 29 points, Chris Webber had 20 points and 11 rebounds, Chauncey Billups had 16 points and 14 assists, and Tayshaun Prince added 12 points for the Pistons, who have lost three of four.
Suns 115, Bobcats 106 -- Phoenix needed a career-high 32 points from Leandro Barbosa and 19 3-pointers to escape with an overtime victory over visiting Charlotte, sending the Bobcats to their seventh loss in a row.
Barbosa made a career-best seven 3-pointers in 11 attempts, including two in overtime -- the first putting the Suns ahead for good, 103-100, with 3:38 left.
Steve Nash had 24 points and 11 assists for the Suns but missed a driving layup with six seconds left in regulation. Shawn Marion matched his career best with six blocked shots, along with 16 points and 11 rebounds.
Bucks 110, Lakers 90 -- Charlie Villanueva scored a season-high 26 points to lead host Milwaukee over Los Angeles, which was without the suspended Kobe Bryant and dressed only nine players.
Charlie Bell added 20 points for Milwaukee, 13 in the decisive third quarter, and Andrew Bogut scored 22 as the Bucks shot a season-best 59.5 percent from the floor.
Heat 103, Bulls 70 -- Shaquille O'Neal had 24 points, 9 rebounds, and a season-high 8 assists and Eddie Jones added 23 points as host Miami used a 38-9 second-half run to beat Chicago.
Antoine Walker had 14 points, 10 rebounds, and 5 assists, and Udonis Haslem added 12 points for the Heat, who've won 10 straight at home.
Hawks 100, Wizards 97 -- Zaza Pachulia scored a career-high 27 points and grabbed 12 rebounds as Atlanta beat Southeast Division-leading Washington to snap a six-game losing streak.
Jazz 94, Pacers 72 -- Carlos Boozer had 14 points and 16 rebounds, and host Utah extended its winning streak to five games, beating Indiana to extend the Pacers' losing streak to seven.
Warriors 110, Nuggets 96 -- Baron Davis scored 22 points as all five starters scored in double figures in beating visiting Denver, despite 35 points from Allen Iverson.
Raptors 94, Grizzlies 87 -- Chris Bosh had 19 points and nine rebounds as host Toronto ended a three-game losing streak.
