Leandro Barbosa

Danny Granger scored 25 points to help the Indiana Pacers beat the Los Angeles Clippers 102-89 on Tuesday night. Granger had been in a scoring slump, managing just 20 points combined in consecutive losses to the New York Knicks. He shot 7 for 17 against the Clippers, but added eight rebounds and made all eight of his free throws. Reserves Tyler Hansbrough, George Hill and Leandro Barbosa helped Indiana's backups outscore the Clippers' reserves 50-23. Hansbrough scored 17 points, Hill had 15 and Barbosa 12 in his first game for Indiana since being acquired from Toronto last week.

Marcin Gortat had 23 points and eight rebounds, Steve Nash added 12 points and tied his season high with 17 assists, and the Phoenix Suns beat the Indiana Pacers 113-111 on Friday night. Grant Hill scored 22 points for the Suns. Danny Granger had 28 points and Roy Hibbert finished with 19 points and seven rebounds for the Pacers, who played their second game in a series of three games in three days. Channing Frye hit a 3-pointer with 28 seconds left to give the Suns a 109-103 lead and the Pacers were never able to recover.

Joe Johnson scored 25 points, including the go-ahead rebound basket with 18.1 seconds to play, and the Suns handed the Portland Trail Blazers their fifth loss in a row, 96-92, last night in Phoenix. Johnson, a former Celtic, is averaging 20 points per game since Stephon Marbury and Penny Hardaway were traded to New York. He has scored 20, 26, and 25 points in his last three games as the Suns matched their season-long winning streak at three. The Blazers have lost nine of 10, including two to Phoenix in a five-day span.

Danny Granger scored 25 points to help the Indiana Pacers beat the Los Angeles Clippers 102-89 on Tuesday night. Granger had been in a scoring slump, managing just 20 points combined in consecutive losses to the New York Knicks. He shot 7 for 17 against the Clippers, but added eight rebounds and made all eight of his free throws. Reserves Tyler Hansbrough, George Hill and Leandro Barbosa helped Indiana's backups outscore the Clippers' reserves 50-23. Hansbrough scored 17 points, Hill had 15 and Barbosa 12 in his first game for Indiana since being acquired from Toronto last week.

Dwyane Wade turned the ball over more than any Miami Heat player in history last night. Teammates likely will forgive him. Wade had 41 points -- including a team-record 24 points in the final quarter -- as the Heat came from behind to beat the Cleveland Cavaliers, 92-89, in Miami in a game that had bizarre occurrences down the stretch. With the Heat up, 87-86, with 20.4 seconds left, Wade took a hard foul in the face, courtesy of his good friend LeBron James. Wade made both free throws to push the lead to 89-86, then made one more after being fouled again 2.4 seconds later.

Steve Nash had 24 points and 13 assists and the Suns pulled away in the final quarter to beat the weary and shorthanded Dallas Mavericks, 109-97, last night in Phoenix. Amare Stoudemire and Leandro Barbosa scored 26 apiece and Boris Diaw added 19 for the Suns, who shot 57 percent and improved to 3-2 since their trade for Shaquille O'Neal. O'Neal, sidelined with a hip injury, is scheduled to make his Phoenix debut Wednesday against his old team, the Los Angeles Lakers. Dirk Nowitzki scored 36 points and Jason Terry 29 for the Mavericks, who were without Josh Howard, Jerry...

Carmelo Anthony scored 29 points, including the go-ahead basket with 18.9 seconds left, and Ruben Patterson added 20 to lead the Denver Nuggets to their third straight win, 97-93, over the 76ers in Philadelphia last night. Marcus Camby had 13 points, 14 rebounds and one of the Nuggets' two blocks on Philadelphia's last true possession that allowed them to hang on for their first three-game winning streak since Jan. 14-25. Denver also improved to six games over .500 for just the second time this season.

DeMar DeRozan scored 25 points, James Johnson had 12 points and 12 rebounds and the Toronto Raptors beat Golden State 83-75 on Sunday, snapping a five-game losing streak against the Warriors. Amir Johnson had 11 points and 13 rebounds, Leandro Barbosa scored 18 points and Ed Davis grabbed 12 rebounds for the Raptors, who had lost 11 of their last 14. David Lee had 22 points and 12 rebounds, and Monta Ellis scored 20 points, but Golden State lost for the sixth time in nine games.

Amare Stoudemire scored 36 points and Leandro Barbosa added 23 of his 25 after halftime to lead the Phoenix Suns to a 109-102 win over the Trail Blazers in overtime last night at Portland, Ore. Phoenix was missing two-time MVP Steve Nash, who sat out with a shoulder injury that kept him out of the second half in Monday's 113-108 win over Denver. Barbosa stepped in at point guard, tallying seven assists and six rebounds, and hitting key shots in the second half. Stoudemire scored the first 5 points of the extra period and Barbosa knocked in back-to-back 3-pointers as the Suns held...

Steve Nash had a season-high 21 assists, becoming the first player in nine years with two 20-assist games in a season and leading the Phoenix Suns to their eighth straight victory, 109-90, over the Cleveland Cavaliers last night in Phoenix. Nash, who had 20 assists against Sacramento Dec. 5, matched Avery Johnson, now the Dallas coach, who had two 20-assist games in 1997-98. Nash's career high is 22, against New York Jan. 2, 2006. LeBron James scored 34 points, including the first 14 of the fourth quarter, for the Cavaliers, whose five-game winning streak was snapped.

DeMar DeRozan scored 23 points as the Toronto Raptors used a rare offensive outburst to beat the Houston Rockets 116-98 on Wednesday night. Linas Kleiza added 19 points while Jose Calderon had 17 points and 12 assists for the Raptors, who wrapped up a 2-2 homestand with one of their strongest games of the season. Toronto set season highs in points and shooting percentage (59.2) while overcoming a shaky third quarter by dominating the weary Rockets over the final 12 minutes. Leandro Barbosa added 15 points and Amir Johnson had 14 for the Raptors.

DeMar DeRozan scored 25 points, James Johnson had 12 points and 12 rebounds and the Toronto Raptors beat Golden State 83-75 on Sunday, snapping a five-game losing streak against the Warriors. Amir Johnson had 11 points and 13 rebounds, Leandro Barbosa scored 18 points and Ed Davis grabbed 12 rebounds for the Raptors, who had lost 11 of their last 14. David Lee had 22 points and 12 rebounds, and Monta Ellis scored 20 points, but Golden State lost for the sixth time in nine games.

Reggie Williams scored a season-high 22 points to help the Charlotte Bobcats snap a 16-game losing streak by beating the Toronto Raptors 98-91 on Friday night. D.J. Augustin had 11 points and 10 assists, Kemba Walker scored 14 points and fellow rookie Bismack Biyombo had a career-high 13 rebounds as the Bobcats won for the first time since beating Golden State 112-100 on Jan. 14. Corey Maggette added 16 points as Charlotte avoided becoming the 28th team in NBA history to drop at least 17 straight games.

Andrea Bargnani returned after missing six games with a left calf strain to score 27 of his 36 points in the second half, and the Toronto Raptors snapped an eight-game losing streak by beating Phoenix 99-96 on Tuesday night, their first win over the Suns in eight years. The Raptors had lost 14 in a row to Phoenix, last beating the Suns on Feb. 10, 2004. It was tied for the third-longest active streak of its kind in the NBA. Former Suns star Leandro Barbosa scored 19 and James Johnson 18 for the Raptors.

Magic coach Stan Van Gundy tried his best to highlight all the good he could after his team’s 97-87 victory over the injury-depleted Milwaukee Bucks last night. But he wanted to make one thing perfectly clear: While he is pleased with his club’s seven-game winning streak, he hasn’t liked what he’s seen over the past two victories. “We’re starting to back off in some areas,’’ Van Gundy said. “I think some people, after a while, start to take some things for granted . . . I don’t like the way we’ve approached the last two games.

LOS ANGELES — The Lakers’ swagger has been reduced to a stagger by consecutive losses in the Western Conference finals. Los Angeles realizes it can’t defend its NBA title if it can’t defend the aggressive, inventive Suns. Phoenix has averaged 113 points in the series, which is even heading into the pivotal Game 5 tonight. The Lakers’ fans got caught looking ahead to Boston after Los Angeles won the first two games with stellar offense that disguised two bad defensive games.

Shaquille O'Neal celebrated his 34th birthday with 35 points and accounted for all of Miami's scoring in overtime, leading the Heat over the Bobcats, 106-105, last night in Charlotte. O'Neal added 12 rebounds to lead the Heat to a season-high ninth consecutive victory. This one was done without leading scorer Dwyane Wade, who sat out with a sprained right wrist. Jason Williams made three 3s in the final period, including one with 45 seconds to play to tie it at 98. But both teams missed opportunities to win it in regulation.

Marcin Gortat had 23 points and eight rebounds, Steve Nash added 12 points and tied his season high with 17 assists, and the Phoenix Suns beat the Indiana Pacers 113-111 on Friday night. Grant Hill scored 22 points for the Suns. Danny Granger had 28 points and Roy Hibbert finished with 19 points and seven rebounds for the Pacers, who played their second game in a series of three games in three days. Channing Frye hit a 3-pointer with 28 seconds left to give the Suns a 109-103 lead and the Pacers were never able to recover.

PHOENIX — The Phoenix bench finally delivered as advertised, and it could hardly have come at a better time. Channing Frye (14 points) broke out of a horrendous shooting slump by making four 3-pointers and the Suns pulled away in the fourth quarter for the second game in a row to beat the Los Angeles Lakers, 115-106, last night and tie the Western Conference finals at two games apiece. A series that looked like a Lakers’ breeze a week ago is all even heading to Game 5 tomorrow night in Los Angeles.

Tony Parker had another big game and the Phoenix Suns had another loss. How long those trends keep up may decide where each winds up come playoff time. Putting away the Suns with 12 points in the fourth quarter, Parker notched his fourth 30-point performance in his last seven games and the Spurs sent Phoenix home 0 for 4 on its road swing with a 103-98 win yesterday in San Antonio. Averaging 25.6 points since the All-Star break, Parker sealed San Antonio's third win this season over the slumping Suns with a one-handed runner with 26.2 second left.