AUBURN HILLS, Mich. — Rasheed Wallace forced overtime with a 60-foot buzzer beater, then added another key 3 to help the Detroit Pistons defeat the Denver Nuggets 113-109 on Monday night.
The short-handed Pistons needed a miracle just to get to the extra period — they trailed 98-95 with 1.5 seconds to play, and Denver only needed to put the ball into play at midcourt.
The inbounds pass, though, bounced off Allen Iverson and Tayshaun Prince, and Wallace threw up a desperation two-handed set shot that banked in as the buzzer sounded.
Denver led 106-103 in overtime, but Wallace hit another tying 3-pointer, this one from a more conventional distance, to tie the game with a minute left.
Chauncey Billups led the Pistons with a season-high 34 points and 10 assists, Wallace scored 22 and Antonio McDyess added 20 points and 11 rebounds.
Marcus Camby led the Nuggets with 24 points and added 13 rebounds, while Nene had 21 points and 17 rebounds. Carmelo Anthony and Iverson, though, combined for only 29 on 11-of-33 shooting.
MAGIC 94, KNICKS 89: At New York, Jameer Nelson made the tying and go-ahead 3-pointers and finished with 18 points, and Orlando sent New York to its season-high fourth straight loss. Hedo Turkoglu also scored 18 points for the Magic, who got their second consecutive key victory in the race for a playoff berth and moved into sole possession of seventh place in the Eastern Conference. Tony Battie added 14 points and Dwight Howard had 10 points, 14 rebounds and a big blocked shot late in the game. Orlando snapped a tie for seventh with New Jersey. The Magic were coming off a victory over the Nets. Stephon Marbury scored 32 points for the fading Knicks, who have lost six of seven. They fell two games behind New Jersey for the eighth spot.
HEAT 106, HAWKS 89: At Miami, Shaquille O'Neal scored 22 points to pass Reggie Miller for 12th on the NBA's career list and Miami finished off a four-game season sweep of Atlanta. O'Neal entered the night 10 points behind Miller's total of 25,279, and passed the former Indiana sharpshooter with a free throw midway through the first half. O'Neal went to the line a season-high 20 times, making 12, another season-best, and finished with 11 rebounds. James Posey scored 19 points, shot 6-for-9 and finished with his second-best scoring night of the season for the Heat. Jason Williams had 14 points and Eddie Jones scored 13 for the Heat, who beat the Hawks for the 18th time in the last 21 meetings between the teams.
CELTICS 95, RAPTORS 87: At Boston, Paul Pierce scored 23 points and Al Jefferson added 22 points and nine rebounds to help Boston snap a three-game losing streak and prevent a season sweep in the series by Toronto. Delonte West scored 18 points and Rajon Rondo had 16 points and eight assists for the Celtics, who trailed only in the opening minutes and became the last team in the NBA with 10 home wins. Boston is a league-worst 10-25 at home. T.J. Ford scored 28 points and Anthony Parker added 16 points for the Raptors, who had won two in a row.
ROCKETS 106, BUCKS 87: At Houston, Tracy McGrady scored 22 points and had nine assists, and Houston won its sixth straight home game. Juwan Howard added 12 points and 10 rebounds for the Rockets, who are 9-3 since Yao Ming returned from a broken leg. Houston got away with a so-so night from its All-Star big man in this one — Yao scored 22, but missed 13 of 22 shots. The Rockets dominated Milwaukee with their defense, shutting down the Bucks in the third quarter to build a 23-point lead. Milwaukee trailed by eight points at halftime, then missed 15 of its first 19 shots after the break. Michael Redd scored 26 and Charlie Bell added 20 for the Bucks, who haven't won in Houston since 1999, a seven-game losing streak.
BULLS 100, TRAIL BLAZERS 89: At Chicago, Luol Deng scored a career-high 38 points, and Chicago won its third straight. After beating Denver and Indiana on last-second shots, the Bulls found themselves in another close game until an 8-0 run midway through the fourth quarter put away Portland. Deng, whose previous career-high was 32 points, hit 18-of-25 shots and played a big role during the deciding run. While Deng dominated throughout, Ben Gordon and Kirk Hinrich went on binges in the third and fourth quarters. Gordon scored 13 of his 17 in the third, and Hinrich delivered 11 of his 21 points in the fourth. Rookie LaMarcus Aldridge led Portland with 20 points, and Zach Randolph added 17 in his first start since returning from a bereavement leave.
SUNS 105, GRIZZLIES 87: At Phoenix, Raja Bell hit six 3-pointers and scored 29 points, Amare Stoudemire had 27 points and 12 rebounds, and the Phoenix Suns added to Memphis' overall and road woes, beating the short-handed Grizzlies. The Grizzlies, the only team eliminated from playoff contention, fell to 17-54, the NBA's worst record, and 5-30 away from home, also the league's worst mark.
SPURS 126, WARRIORS 89: At Oakland, Calif., Tony Parker had 20 points and nine assists, Michael Finley matched his season high with 20 points and the San Antonio Spurs routed the Golden State Warriors for their 17th victory in 19 games.