LeBron James led Cleveland to its eighth consecutive victory Wednesday, scoring 38 points in the Cavaliers' 105-92 win over the New Orleans Hornets. James tallied five of his nine assists in the third quarter, where the league-leading Cavaliers (57-15) went on a 16-4 run to build up a 16-point lead. Second-year forward J.J. Hickson scored 20 for the Cavaliers, who welcomed back center Zydrunas Ilgauskas for the first time since he was traded to Washington last month before being released and re-signing with Cleveland. Marcus Thornton led the Hornets (34-39) with 20 points. Chris Paul had five points in his second game back following a 25-game absence due to a knee injury. Hawks 86, Magic 84: At Atlanta, Josh Smith swooped in to slam through Joe Johnson's missed shot just ahead of the buzzer as the Atlanta Hawks finally beat the Orlando Magic to clinch a third straight trip to the playoffs. Vince Carter led Orlando with 20 points, while Dwight Howard chipped in with another monster performance: 19 points and a season-high 24 rebounds. Johnson led six Atlanta players in double figures with 17 points, while Smith scored 15. Nets 93, Kings 79: At East Rutherford, New Jersey, Brook Lopez had 26 points and 13 rebounds as New Jersey beat Sacramento to snap an eight-game losing streak and a franchise-record, 14-game skid at home. Devin Harris added 24 points and nine assists for the Nets (8-63), who need to win once in their last 11 games to avoid breaking the league mark for fewest wins in a season (9-73), set by the Philadelphia 76ers in 1972-73. Beno Udrih had 19 points for the Kings, who lost the eighth time in 11 games. Celtics 113, Nuggets 99: At Boston, Paul Pierce scored 27 points and Kevin Garnett had 20 as Boston clinched a playoff berth with a victory over Denver. Lakers 92, Spurs 83: At San Antonio, Kobe Bryant scored 24 points as Los Angeles extended its winning streak to seven games. 76ers 101, Bucks 86: At Milwaukee, rookie Jrue Holiday had 15 points and seven assists as Philadelphia snapped Milwaukee's longest home winning streak in six years at eight games. Thunder 122, Rockets 104: At Oklahoma City, Kevin Durant scored 25 points and James Harden added 23 points off the bench while returning from an injury as Oklahoma City beat Houston. Bobcats 108, Timberwolves 95: At Charlotte, North Carolina, Stephen Jackson shook off a sore hand and busted out of his shooting slump with 37 points, leading Charlotte past Minnesota to send the reeling Timberwolves to their 14th straight loss. Other results: Jazz 113, Raptors 87; Pacers 99, Wizards 82; Warriors 128, Grizzlies 110.
