Although the NBA playoffs start next weekend, don't tell that to Seattle, Sacramento, Orlando or Milwaukee.

They play the biggest games of their seasons during the next two days against the teams they are currently even with in the standings.

The SuperSonics and Kings are tied for seventh in the West; the Magic and Bucks share eighth in the East.

First up is Milwaukee-Orlando Monday night in central Florida. If the Bucks win, they're in the playoffs.

"This is too good a story to let get away. We have to find a way to win Monday," Magic guard Darrell Armstrong said after his team lost 95-84 to Miami on Sunday to drop into a tie with Milwaukee.

Sacramento began the day with a one-game lead over Seattle, but it disappeared as the Kings lost 102-95 at Portland and the SuperSonics beat the Houston Rockets 121-112.

The Sonics and Kings face each other Tuesday night in Sacramento. The loser will likely face the Lakers in the first round.

"It's going to be nice to go against them as if it were a playoff game," Sacramento coach Rich Adelman said.

HEAT 95, MAGIC 84: At Miami, the Heat clinched their fourth consecutive Atlantic Division title, but Tim Hardaway's latest injury left the champions in no mood to celebrate.

Hardaway, who had missed the past two games with inflammation in his left foot, returned to the lineup but lasted only eight minutes. He sprained his right ankle, briefly departed, then pulled up hurting and left again with 1:14 to go in the first quarter with a sprained left foot.

Alonzo Mourning feared the injury might sideline Hardaway for the playoffs.

"It didn't look too good," Mourning said.

TRAIL BLAZERS 102, KINGS 95: At Portland, Rasheed Wallace picked up another technical foul, his NBA-record 38th, before teaming with Bonzi Wells to power a dominant fourth-quarter run as the Trail Blazers beat the Kings for the 11th straight time.

Wallace scored 18 points and Scottie Pippen added 15 points and nine assists for the Blazers, who held the Kings to two field goals — a dunk by Scot Pollard and a 20-foot jumper by Jason Williams — in the first 10:39 of the fourth.

SUPERSONICS 121, ROCKETS 112: At Houston, Gary Payton scored 43 points, reaching a career-high for the second time this season.

Payton had never scored more than 38 over his first nine seasons, yet he has done it three times this season. He had 41 against Washington on Feb. 15 and 40 against Vancouver on March 13.

PACERS 112, PISTONS 101: At Auburn Hills, Mich., the Pacers clinched the top seed in the Eastern Conference for the first time in franchise history.

"This is sweet, and even more so because everyone said we were too old and we were has-beens and bums who should all get traded in November," said Reggie Miller, who led the Pacers with 21 points.

LAKERS 101, TIMBERWOLVES 95: At Los Angeles, Kobe Bryant made 11 free throws without a miss, including four in the final 43.6 seconds.

With the score 97-95, Minnesota then got the ball to Terrell Brandon in the right corner, but Bryant broke through a screen and defended the shot so well that Brandon, after leaving his feet, changed his mind in midair and tried to pass it. Glen Rice intercepted the ball and made two free throws with 4.2 seconds left.

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HORNETS 105, CELTICS 102: At Boston, the Hornets won for the 12th time in 14 games even though Boston scored the first 10 points and the last five. Charlotte trails fourth-place Philadelphia by one game in the conference standings with two games left, and the Hornets own the tiebreaker over the 76ers.

RAPTORS 85, BULLS 84: At Toronto, Dee Brown hit a 3-pointer with 11.5 seconds left as the Raptors came back from a 15-point deficit in the fourth quarter.

HAWKS 104, CAVALIERS 101: At Atlanta, Alan Henderson scored 19 points, including eight in a row when the Hawks went ahead to stay in the third quarter, as Atlanta snapped a nine-game losing streak.

MAVERICKS 114, GRIZZLIES 106: At Dallas, Michael Finley scored 25 points and Erick Strickland added 19 points and 11 rebounds as Dallas won for the seventh time in eight games.

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