David Robinson scored 32 points and had 16 rebounds and Dennis Rodman returned from his shoulder injury to grab 15 rebounds as the San Antonio Spurs defeated the Sacramento Kings 98-88 Friday night.
Sacramento fought back from a 60-49 deficit in the third quarter and took an 80-79 lead on a field goal by Randy Brown with 8:04 left.But San Antonio went ahead 81-80 on a field goal by Rodman with six minutes remaining and never trailed again. The Spurs held the Kings scoreless for 51/2 minutes as San Antonio took a 93-82 lead as Robinson and Rodman dunked to send wild cheers through the Alamodome.
The victory improved the Spurs' record to 57-20, the best in the history of the franchise.
Sean Elliott scored 17 points for the Spurs and Avery Johnson added 16 and Vinny Del Negro 12.
Mitch Richmond led the Kings with 22 points, while Walt Williams scored 18 and Brian Grant 12. Olden Polynice had 13 rebounds for Sacramento.
Nuggets 102, Suns 87
At Denver, Bryant Stith scored a season-high 27 points as Denver snapped the Suns' four-game winning streak.
With the win, the Nuggets claimed sole possession of the eighth and final Western Conference playoff spot with five games to play.
Trailing 78-66 after three periods, Phoenix made a run as Kevin Johnson scored 15 of his 24 points in the fourth quarter. He hit a shot to pull the Suns within 80-75 with just over eight minutes remaining.
However, Phoenix could come no closer as the Nuggets went on a 10-0 run to seal the win.
Cavaliers 83, Hawks 70
At Cleveland, Tyrone Hill had 16 points and 18 rebounds Friday night as Cleveland claimed its second victory in the last eight games.
The Hawks collected four technical fouls in the game, including three that led to the ejection of coach Lenny Wilkens after the end of the third quarter.
John Williams added 16 points and Tony Campbell 15 for the Cavs.
Hornets 94, Pistons 86
At Auburn Hills, Mich., Alonzo Mourning scored 23 points and Larry Johnson added 15 as the Hornets eliminated Detroit from playoff contention.
Greg Sutton, who scored 12 of his 14 points in the second half, hit a 3-pointer that gave the Hornets an 86-81 lead with 3:14 left.
Timberwolves 104, Bucks 100
At Minneapolis, Isaiah Rider's 3-pointer with 1:38 left helped the Timberwolves end a 10-game losing streak in overtime games.
Glenn Robinson led Milwaukee, which had a three-game winning streak snapped and its playoff run sidetracked, with 28 points.
Knicks 88, Pacers 84
At Indianapolis, Derek Harper hit a 3-pointer with 7.5 seconds to play as the Knicks strengthened their grip on the Eastern Conference's No. 2 playoff seed.
New York, led by Patrick Ewing's 30 points, has won five straight.
Indiana was led by Derrick McKey's 23 points.