ATLANTA — The Atlanta Hawks avoided a series sweep by the Toronto Raptors to hold onto first place in the Southeast Division.
Jeff Teague converted a late three-point play and finished with 23 points as the Hawks defeated the Raptors 95-87 to remain a half-game ahead of the Miami Heat and third overall in the Eastern Conference with a week left in the regular season.
Paul Millsap had 13 points, 14 rebounds and five blocked shots for Atlanta (47-32), while Al Horford and reserves Tim Hardaway Jr. and Mike Scott each scored 11 points.
Toronto, the Atlantic Division champion, had won the first three games against the Hawks this season and seven of the previous eight meetings.
Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan each had 16 points to lead the Raptors, but their combined total was 13 points below their average.
Heat 106, Bulls 98
MIAMI — Dwyane Wade scored 21 points as Miami improved its playoff positioning with a victory over Chicago.
Goran Dragic and Hassan Whiteside each had 16 points and 12 rebounds for the Heat (46-32), who moved into a tie for fourth in the Eastern Conference with Boston.
The Bulls (39-40), who have three games left, fell three games behind Detroit in the battle for the final playoff spot in the East. If they fall short, it would mark the first time since 2008 that the Bulls have missed the postseason.
The Bulls were powered by Pau Gasol, who had 21 points and 12 rebounds, Jimmy Butler (25 points) and Derrick Rose (17 points).
Suns 124, Rockets 115
HOUSTON — P.J. Tucker and Mirza Teletovic shared the offensive load and Phoenix dealt a severe blow to Houston’s fading postseason hopes.
Tucker finished with 24 points and 12 rebounds while Teletovic added 26 points off the bench. Tyson Chandler scored 21 points and grabbed 10 rebounds, and it was his dunk that capped a late 12-0 run for the Suns (21-58), who snapped a seven-game slide.
James Harden paced the Rockets (38-41) with 30 points and dished out seven assists while Trevor Ariza chipped in 22 points. The Rockets, who are 1 1/2 games behind Utah for eighth in the Western Conference, lost for the seventh time in 10 games.
Timberwolves 105, Kings 97
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Gorgui Dieng, Zach LaVine and Nemanja Bjelica each scored 18 points, and Minnesota put on a fourth-quarter spurt to beat Sacramento.
Bjelica’s total was a career-best and helped Minnesota back up its victory on the road against the defending NBA champion Golden State Warriors with a solid win over one of the league’s worst teams. The Kings (31-48) followed up a three-game home winning streak with three straight losses in their building and will miss the playoffs for the 10th straight season.
Rookie of the Year favorite Karl-Anthony Towns added 17 points and 10 rebounds for the Minnesota (27-52). Timberwolves forward Shabazz Muhammad, who scored a career-high 35 points against Golden State, finished with 10 points and two rebounds and made only 3 of 10 shots from the field.
The Kings decided to rest scoring leader DeMarcus Cousins and NBA assists leader Rajon Rondo. They are 1-2 in the three games both have sat out this month and 5-17 when one of them misses a contest.