Jason Richardson scored 27 points and Channing Frye hit a vital 3-pointer with 41.6 seconds to go Tuesday as the Phoenix Suns clinched a playoff berth by beating the Chicago Bulls 111-105 for their eighth straight win. Steve Nash scored seven of his 22 points in the final two minutes and had 10 assists. Amare Stoudemire added 21 points for the Suns, 13 in the first quarter. Flip Murray and Derrick Rose, who kept Chicago close down the stretch with 10 points in the final period, had 23 points each. The Bulls are 1 1/2 games behind Toronto for the eighth playoff spot in East. Thunder 111, 76ers 93: At Philadelphia, Kevin Durant had 26 points and 10 rebounds, and Jeff Green added 16 points as Oklahoma City cruised over Philadelphia. Nenad Krstic added 14 points and Russell Westbrook had 10 points and 14 assists for the Thunder (45-28). James Harden also had 12 points and Serge Ibaka 10 for Oklahoma City, which is nearing its first playoff appearance since 2004-05 as the Seattle SuperSonics. Elton Brand scored 22 points, Andre Iguodala added 21 and Jrue Holiday had 11 for the Sixers, who had their two-game winning streak snapped. Bucks 107, Clippers 89: At Milwaukee, rookie Brandon Jennings scored 17 points and went the extra distance to protect Milwaukee big man Andrew Bogut in a win over the Los Angeles Clippers. Bogut scored 14 points and grabbed nine rebounds in his second straight game since missing one with a sore back, and Jennings, who added six assists and five rebounds, came to the Australian's aid late in the third quarter when tensions rose after a spat of rough play. Pacers 102, Kings 95: At Indianapolis, Danny Granger scored 25 of his 33 points in the second half to lead Indiana over Sacramento for its eighth straight home win. Troy Murphy added 19 points and 13 rebounds, and Roy Hibbert and Earl Watson each scored 10 for the Pacers, who have won six of seven to improve to 28-47. They had their five-game winning streak snapped at Atlanta on Sunday. Jason Thompson and Beno Udrih each had 18 points, and Carl Landry finished with 17 points and 10 rebounds for Sacramento (24-51), which has lost five straight. Rookie of the Year candidate Tyreke Evans, who missed the previous five games due to a concussion, had 17 points, 10 assists, seven rebounds and four steals. Rockets 98, Wizards 94: At Houston, rookie Chase Budinger hit a go-ahead jump shot with 28 seconds remaining and made two free throws as Houston escaped with a win over Washington. The win breaks a four-game skid for the Rockets and extends Washington's team-record losing streak to 16 games.
