(The Sports Xchange) – The Bucks exploded for 36 points in the third quarter on their way to a 110-101 win over Boston that damaged the Celtics’ playoff chances.
Trailing by as many as nine in the first half, and by two at the break, the Bucks opened the second half with a 17-4 run to take control and post their second straight win.
The Celtics charged back and cut the deficit to four with 10:29 left but turned the ball over five times in less than five minutes to derail the comeback.
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Pacers 93, Hornets 74
Rodney Stuckey and C.J. Watson scored 15 and 13 points as the Indiana Pacers defeated the Charlotte Hornets 93-74 to pump some life into their postseason hopes.
Indiana (33-43) outscored Charlotte 48-22 during the middle two quarters, and through three the Hornets (32-43) were shooting only 17 of 60 from the field (28.3 percent).
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Wizards 101, Knicks 87
John Wall set a career-high with 18 assists as the Washington Wizards outscored the New York Knicks 30-8 in the first quarter on their way to a 101-87 victory.
The Wizards (43-33) have won two straight and three of four after losing four in a row.
Marcin Gortat scored 19 points, Bradley Beal 18 and Otto Porter 17 for Washington.
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Nets 114, Raptors 109
Thaddeus Young highlighted a 29-point showing by converting a go-ahead put-back layup with 22.2 seconds remaining and the Brooklyn Nets ran their season-high winning streak to six games with a 114-109 win over Toronto.
Young, one of three Nets to score at least 25 points, shot 12 of 15 from the floor. His last basket was his biggest since joining Brooklyn in the trade from Minnesota, and came after Deron Williams missed a floater and Brook Lopez a layup.
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Magic 97, Timberwolves 84
The Orlando Magic got a career-high 37 points and 17 rebounds from Nikola Vucevic in a 97-84 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves.
