ATLANTA: LeBron James scored 34 points as Miami locked up second spot in the Eastern Conference with a 98-90 win over the Atlanta Hawks, who nearly rallied from a 20-point deficit while going with their backups in the fourth quarter Monday night. Miami played its starters all the way, looking to clinch second place behind Chicago in the East. Shortly after beating the Hawks, the Heat got the news they wanted: third-place Boston lost at Washington in overtime. The Hawks went with a makeshift lineup with the fifth seeding already locked up. Atlanta leveled the game at 88 in the closing minutes, but Miami outscored the Hawks 10-2 the rest of the way, with James Jones making two huge 3-pointers – including one that turned into a four-play when he was fouled by a leaping Josh Powell. Wizards 95, Celtics 94, OT: At Washington, Boston didn't play four of its usual starters, essentially setting aside its bid for a better playoff seed for the chance to give its top players some rest, and the result was an overtime loss to Washington that handed the Miami Heat the No. 2 spot in the Eastern Conference. With Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen, Paul Pierce and Rajon Rondo watching from the bench, Celtics coach Doc Rivers made it clear that a fresh crew ready for the postseason was more important that using up energy to try to climb one rung in the standings in the season's final days. Boston's loss, combined with Miami's 98-90 win over Atlanta, guaranteed the Heat will finish second and the Celtics will place third. John Wall had 24 points, nine rebounds and three assists to lead the lottery-bound Wizards in their home finale. Jeff Green scored 20 points and tied his career high with 15 rebounds in his first Celtics start. Glen Davis also had 20 points. Cavaliers 110, Pistons 101: At Auburn Hills, Daniel Gibson scored 17 points, including a five-point play late in the third quarter, as the Cavaliers won a testy game in which two players were ejected after a skirmish. Magic 95, 76ers 85: At Philadelphia, Dwight Howard returned from a suspension to score 19 points and grab 13 rebounds, while Ryan Anderson added 18 points and 14 rebounds for the Magic. Jazz 90, Hornets 78: At New Orleans, C.J. Miles and Devin Harris each scored 18 points and Paul Millsap added 16 as the Jazz won for only the second time in 12 games. Bucks 93, Raptors 86: At Milwaukee, Brandon Jennings broke free for three straight fast-break scores to give Milwaukee the lead in the fourth quarter, and the Bucks held on to beat undermanned Toronto. Bobcats 105, Nets 103: At Newark, D.J. Augustin hit a jumper with 1.1 seconds remaining, leading Charlotte over New Jersey. Mavericks 98, Rockets 91, OT: At Houston, Dirk Nowitzki had 23 points and 12 rebounds as the Mavericks beat the Rockets and moved a half game ahead of Los Angeles for second spot in the Western Conference. Nuggets 134, Warriors 111: At Denver, J.R. Smith's 22 points led nine Nuggets in double figures and Kosta Koufos equaled his career high with 18 points in Denver's win over Golden State. Thunder 120, Kings 112: At Sacramento, Kevin Durant scored 32 points and Russell Westbrook had 30 points and nine assists for the Thunder, who won their fifth consecutive game. Suns 135, Timberwolves 127, OT: At Phoenix, Channing Frye scored a game-high 33 points and hit a 3-pointer with 2:05 left in overtime to start an 8-0 run as Phoenix handed Minnesota its 14th consecutive loss.
