Hersey Hawkins and Charles Barkley each scored 25 points, but the Philadelphia 76ers had to rally after blowing a 19-point lead before beating the New Jersey Nets 119-110 Friday night.
The victory moved the Sixers just .004 behind the New York Knicks for first place in the Atlantic Division.Derek Smith had 20 points for Philadelphia in relief of Rick Mahorn, sidelined by a back and hip injury suffered Wednesday night in a victory over the Los Angeles Lakers.
Lester Conner and Jack Haley each scored 17 points to lead the Nets.
The Sixers led 96-77 with 5:10 to go in the third period and were up 103-89 with 9:32 left in the game. But the Nets then scored 14 consecutive points, tying the score with 5:47 remaining.
Hawkins then converted a pair of free throws to give the 76ers a lead they never lost. Smith and Barkley followed with baskets and Hawkins with another pair of free throws to send Philadelphia ahead 111-104 with 3:43 left.
The loss was the fourth straight for the Nets, who have won only four of 32 games on the road this season.
Philadelphia, led by Barkley's 11 points and Smith's 10, led 32-30 after one quarter after scoring 10 straight points for a 20-11 lead.
In the second quarter, the Nets tied the score at 54-54 before Philadelphia ran off nine straight and outscored New Jersey 15-4 for a 69-58 halftime lead.
The 76ers boosted the margin to 19 three times in the third period and led 97-81 starting the final quarter.
Celtics 130, Magic 127
At Orlando, Fla., Larry Bird scored 20 of his 46 points in the fourth quarter, including a tiebreaking turnaround jumper with 27 seconds left, lifting the Boston Celtics to a victory over Orlando, the Magic's eighth consecutive loss.
The Celtics trailed 127-123, but two free throws by Kevin McHale, who scored 30 points, made it 127-125 with 1:26 to play.
After Bird rebounded a missed shot by Orlando's Jerry Reynolds, a layup by Dennis Johnson tied the game with 1:05 remaining.
The Magic's Scott Skiles then missed a shot, and Bird grabbed the rebound before making the 15-footer that put the Celtics in front for the first time since the first quarter.
After a timeout, Orlando's Otis Smith, who scored 24 points, was tied up by Reggie Lewis, who controlled the tip on the ensuing jump.
Pistons 106, Bulls 81
At Chicago, Joe Dumars scored eight of his 19 points early in the final quarter to break open a close game, leading the Detroit Pistons to their 10th straight win with a rout of the Chicago Bulls.
James Edwards had 21 points and Isiah Thomas 18 for Detroit, which has won 23 of its last 24 games. The Pistons outscored Chicago 32-11 in the final quarter.
The Bulls, led by Michael Jordan's 20 points, lost for only the second time in their last 13 games. Jordan injured his left thumb during the second quarter and was far off on several shots in the second half.
The Pistons, who trailed by as many as nine in the early going, took the lead for good on a Vinnie Johnson jumper that made it 68-67 with 1:58 left in the third quarter. Bill Laimbeer followed with a 3-pointer and Dennis Rodman a free throw, and Detroit led 74-70 through three.
Detroit then opened the final quarter with a 16-3 spurt, eight by Dumars and six by Rodman, to take its largest lead up to that point at 90-73.
The Bulls, shooting 68 percent in the first quarter, pulled ahead by as many as nine, at 27-18 following a Horace Grant dunk.
Hawks 106, Pacers 104 OT
At Indianapolis, Moses Malone had 27 points and 11 rebounds and hit a pair of free throws with 12.4 seconds left in overtime, helping the Atlanta Hawks defeat the Indiana Pacers.
Malone had 27 points and 11 rebounds for the Hawks, who were playing without leading scorer Dominique Wilkins, who sprained an ankle Tuesday night in a loss to the Boston Celtics. However, Doc Rivers returned to action for the Hawks after missing 26 games with a herniated disc.
Atlanta got 17 points from Kevin Willis and 16 from Wilkins' replacement, Cliff Levingston, to hand the Pacers their fourth straight loss and seventh in the last eight games. Four of those losses have come at home.
Chuck Person led Indiana with 22 points, Rik Smits had 19 and Reggie Miller 18.
Mavericks 104, Nuggets 97
At Dallas, Derek Harper, who sprained his left shoulder in the third quarter, came out of the locker room and scored eight of his 26 points in the fourth period, leading Dallas to a victory over Denver.
Roy Tarpley had 25 points and 18 rebounds as the Mavericks won for the 12th time in 13 home games.
Walter Davis scored 24 points and Fat Lever 23 to lead the Nuggets.
Harper and Anthony Jones combined for five steals in the last three minutes of the first half as Dallas built a 54-47 advantage.
Suns 129, Heat 103
At Phoenix, Tom Chambers scored 36 points before leaving with a strained hamstring in the third period as the Phoenix Suns beat the Miami Heat for their eighth consecutive win and 19th in a row at home.
Kevin Johnson added 22 points and Dan Majerle 16 for the Suns, who are chasing the club's all-time consecutive homecourt winning streak of 21 set from March 2, 1980 to Nov. 30, 1980.
Chambers had 21 points and Johnson 19 in a first half that ended with Phoenix ahead 70-55.
Clippers 118, Rockets 95
At Los Angeles, Charles Smith, battling a tender knee, came off the bench to score 26 points as the Los Angeles Clippers opened the game with a 10-0 run and defeated the Houston Rockets.
Smith, who missed the Clippers' previous game against Miami with a hyperextended left knee, scored 16 points in the first half, making seven of 10 shots as the Clippers opened a 62-47 lead.
Akeem Olajuwon, held scoreless in the first quarter as the Rockets fell behind 42-24, finished with 19 points for Houston, who didn't have a player with 20 for the second consecutive game.
Trail Blazers 125, Hornets 109
At Portland, Ore., Kevin Duckworth scored 24 points and Clyde Drexler added 22 to lead the Portland Trail Blazers to a victory over the Charlotte Hornets.
Jerome Kersey and Buck Williams each added 18 as the Blazers won their eighth straight - their longest streak of the season - and the Hornets lost their eighth in a row. It also is the longest string of victories by Portland since the 1987-88 club ran off nine straight wins to tie the franchise record.
Tyrone Bogues led Charlotte with 20 points and 7 assists.