Jordan Has 26 Points to Lead Wizard Win

Michael Jordan had 26 points and 10 rebounds, making three straight baskets in a key stretch of the fourth quarter as the Washington Wizards beat the Seattle SuperSonics, 80-74, on Wednesday night at Seattle.

The victory moved Washington a half-game ahead of Milwaukee for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.

Jerry Stackhouse scored 20, including a putback that all but sealed the win with 16 seconds remaining. He drove and passed to Bobby Simmons, who missed a layup, but Stackhouse was there for the putback to give the Wizards a 76-72 lead.

Ray Allen scored 17 to lead the SuperSonics, who had won four of their previous five games in a bid for the eighth spot in the Western Conference playoffs.

Utah 94, Portland 85 -- Karl Malone scored 24 points and John Stockton had 10 assists on his 41st birthday at Salt Lake City as the Jazz extended its winning streak to five games.

The Jazz guaranteed an 18th straight winning season and edged closer in the Western Conference playoff standings to the Trail Blazers, who have lost three in a row and saw their lead over the Jazz for fifth place in the West drop to two games.

It was the 16th time Stockton, the seventh 41-year-old player in NBA history, has recorded 10 or more assists this season. Stockton was pulled with 2:46 left amid a standing ovation.

Philadelphia 91, Indiana 85 -- Allen Iverson had 22 points and 10 assists and the 76ers missed only four shots in the fourth quarter at Indianapolis.

Orlando 97, New Orleans 95 -- Tracy McGrady scored 41 points and blocked Jamal Mashburn’s shot with six seconds left to lead the Magic at New Orleans.

In the third quarter, McGrady scored 16 points -- as many as New Orleans did. Mashburn finished with 40 points.

Detroit 102, Atlanta 99 -- Chauncey Billups’ three-point basket with one-tenth of a second left in overtime gave the Pistons a come-from-behind win at Detroit. Atlanta was missing leading scorer Glenn Robinson, who sat out because of an inflamed left Achilles’ tendon.

New Jersey 101, New York 95 -- Kerry Kittles’ go-ahead three-point basket with 5:43 to go ignited a 14-2 spurt for the Nets at East Rutherford, N.J. The Nets remain a half-game ahead of Philadelphia for first place in the Atlantic Division.

Denver 108, Milwaukee 103 -- Shammond Williams made a layup with 24 seconds left, Rodney White added two free throws and the Nuggets held off the Bucks at Denver.

Chicago 82, Miami 74 -- Jalen Rose scored 19 points and Tyson Chandler had 16 rebounds as the Bulls won their fourth straight home game. The Bulls are 23-12 at home, 3-34 on the road.

Phoenix 101, Memphis 99 -- Stephon Marbury scored 23 points, including an 18-footer and a free throw with 1.2 seconds left that gave the Suns a win at Memphis, Tenn.

Toronto 89, Cleveland 83 -- Morris Peterson scored 14 of his 21 points in the second half at Toronto as the Raptors ended a three-game losing streak.

Golden State 107, Boston 95 -- Jason Richardson scored 31 points for the Warriors at Boston as the Celtics lost their sixth in a row.