(SportsDirect) LeBron James returned from a three-game hiatus with a game-high 27 points to help shorthanded Miami pull away late and beat visiting Philadelphia.
Rashard Lewis added 14 points and Norris Cole scored 13 for the Heat, who were without Dwyane Wade (ankle) and Chris Bosh (knee). Miami has won 15 straight meetings with Philadelphia and swept the four-game season series.
Jrue Holiday scored 18 points and Spencer Hawes added 11 points and 11 rebounds for the 76ers, who were eliminated from playoff contention.
Tim Duncan collected 31 points and 14 rebounds and Kawhi Leonard added 23 points to help San Antonio move a half-game ahead of idle Oklahoma City in the race for the top seed in the Western Conference playoffs.
DeJuan Blair contributed 11 points off the bench for the Spurs, who were without All-Star point guard Tony Parker (neck) and key reserve Manu Ginobili (hamstring). San Antonio has won nine of its last 10 home games.
Rookies John Jenkins (23) and Mike Scott (22) both posted career-high scoring totals for the Hawks, who were without starters Al Horford (hamstring), Josh Smith (knee), Devin Harris (foot) and Kyle Korver (unspecified injury). Atlanta remains in sixth place in the Eastern Conference and slipped 1 1/2 games behind fifth-place Chicago, which was idle Saturday.
Monta Ellis had 22 points and nine assists and matched a season best with six steals as host Milwaukee routed Toronto to clinch the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.
Brandon Jennings had 16 points and seven assists and Larry Sanders contributed 12 points, nine rebounds and six blocked shots as the Bucks won for only the fifth time in 15 games.
Milwaukee is two games behind seventh-place Boston with six games remaining.
Corey Brewer scored 22 points to lead seven players in double figures and Denver tied a franchise record with its 20th straight home win.
Wilson Chandler had 21 points and Andre Iguodala added 18 points and 14 assists for Denver, which stands 1 1/2 games ahead of the Memphis Grizzlies in the battle for the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference. Houston fell to 1 1/2 games behind sixth-place Golden State in the West.
Jeremy Lin led the Rockets with 23 points, but leading scorer James Harden missed eight of his 10 shots and finished 14 points.
Nikola Pekovic led seven players in double figures with 20 points and added 13 rebounds as host Minnesota won for the third time in four games.
J.J. Barea also scored 20 points and star point guard Ricky Rubio overcame a horrid shooting performance to score six of his 10 points in the final four-plus minutes for Minnesota.
Brandon Knight led Detroit with 25 points. Rodney Stuckey added 20 off the bench as the Pistons fell to 0-14 on the road against Western Conference opponents.
Deron Williams scored eight of his 32 points in the final 1:19 and host Brooklyn fended off a late comeback by Charlotte.
Andray Blatche scored 16 points off the bench and Reggie Evans added 14 points and 20 rebounds as the Nets beat the Bobcats for the seventh straight time to move 1 1/2 games ahead of Chicago for the fourth seed in the Eastern Conference.
Ben Gordon had 27 points and sparked Charlotte’s comeback with 13 points in the fourth quarter, but it wasn’t enough to keep the Bobcats from tumbling to their 12th consecutive defeat on the road.
John Wall scored 37 points on 16-of-25 shooting as Washington routed Indiana for its ninth consecutive home win.
Kevin Seraphin added 15 points and Martell Webster had 13 as the Wizards snapped a nine-game skid against the Pacers.
Roy Hibbert had 25 points and 10 rebounds, but Indiana failed in its second attempt to clinch the Central Division crown.
