ORLANDO, Fla. — Reggie Jackson scored 24 points and the Detroit Pistons moved a step closer to their first playoff appearance in seven seasons by beating the Orlando Magic 108-104 on Wednesday night at the Amway Center.
The Pistons (42-37) can clinch a postseason berth with one more win or a loss by the Chicago Bulls. They clinched their first winning season since 2007-08.
Jackson scored eight points in the final three minutes to hold off a late Magic rally.
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope finished with 18 points for the Pistons. Andre Drummond had 13 points and a game-high 16 rebounds, and Reggie Bullock and Tobias Harris each scored 13 points for Detroit.
The Magic were led by Evan Fournier with 19 points. Eldrid Payton had 17 points and four assists, Victor Oladipo contributed 16 points, Andrew Nicholson added 14 points and Nikola Vucevic totaled 15 points and a team-high 13 rebounds.
Celtics 104, Pelicans 97
BOSTON — Boston took another step forward in their fight for home-court advantage in the playoffs. However, they almost lost to a decimated New Orleans team despite leading by 14 points late in the third quarter.
Avery Bradley hit a jumper to snap a 93-93 tie, and Isaiah Thomas scored 32 points as the Celtics fought off the pesky Pelicans 104-97.
The win moved the Celtics (46-32) into a virtual tie with the idle Atlanta Hawks (46-32) for third place in the Eastern Conference. The Heat (45-32) are a half-game back in fifth, and the Charlotte Hornets (45-33) are a half-game behind Miami in sixth.
Wizards 121, Nets 103
WASHINGTON — Bradley Beal scored 25 points as Washington earned a needed win without John Wall, downing Brooklyn.
Ramon Sessions had 18 points and a season-high 13 assists for the Wizards, who outscored the struggling Nets 67-51 in the second half and led by as many as 28 points. Wall, who played in all of Washington’s previous games this season, was ruled out before tipoff with a sore right knee. The three-time All-Star ranks third in the NBA with 10.2 assists per game and leads Washington in scoring.
The victory kept Washington alive in the Eastern Conference playoff race, but the chances of landing a third straight playoff berth are low. The 10th-place Wizards remain 3 1/2 games back of the Pistons for the eighth and final slot with four games remaining. Detroit won 108-104 over the Orlando Magic Wednesday. Washington hosts Detroit Friday.
Pacers 123, Cavaliers 109
INDIANAPOLIS — Paul George scored 29 points, and Indiana took full advantage of Cleveland’s decision to rest LeBron James in a victory over the Cavaliers.
C.J. Miles added 21 points for Indiana, which remains in the No. 7 slot in the Eastern Conference playoff chase. The Pacers are one-half game ahead of the Detroit Pistons, who defeated the Orlando Magic 108-104 Wednesday night.
Solomon Hill and Ian Mahinmi each added 15 for the Pacers, and Monta Ellis added 13 points and eight assists in Indiana’s third consecutive victory. The Pacers finished 16-for-31 from 3-point range.
Hornets 111, Knicks 97
NEW YORK — Kemba Walker poured in 34 points to lead Charlotte to a win over New York at Madison Square Garden.
Walker now has 13 games with 30 or more points this season, the third-highest total in the Eastern Conference. He was 11 of 18 from the floor, making a career-best seven 3-pointers on 10 attempts.
Al Jefferson came off the Charlotte bench to score 24 points in 28 minutes. He had 14 points in the fourth quarter.