Wizards clinch despite fifth consecutive loss

Already in a losing funk without injured Gilbert Arenas and Caron Butler, the last thing the Washington Wizards needed was a couple of calls to go against them in the final minute.

The New Jersey Nets beat the host Wizards, 96-92, on Tuesday night to move to within two games of sixth-place Washington in the Eastern Conference. The Wizards have lost five straight and the only consolation was that they backed into the playoffs because Indiana lost to Philadelphia.

“It’s bittersweet,” Antawn Jamison said.

A ragged game that included 54 fouls and 73 free throws was essentially decided when Washington’s DeShawn Stevenson drove twice in the final minute and didn’t draw a foul either time.

“If you don’t have the right name on your back, you don’t get the calls,” Stevenson said. “In the end, we didn’t get the calls. They got them, and you can’t win a ball game like that.”

Vince Carter scored New Jersey’s final six points. He finished with 31 points. Richard Jefferson scored a season-high 35 for New Jersey. Jamison had 26 points and 11 rebounds for the Wizards.

Charlotte 92, Miami 82 -- The visiting Heat fell three games behind idle Toronto for home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs.

Gerald Wallace had 24 points for Charlotte. Dwyane Wade scored 14 points for Miami, which played without Shaquille O’Neal, who was attending a funeral, and Udonis Haslem, who has a groin injury. James Posey, a day after being arrested on a DUI charge, had five points.

Philadelphia 90, Indiana 86 -- With the loss, the visiting Pacers fell two games behind Orlando for the final Eastern Conference playoff spot.

Chicago 98, New York 69 -- Ben Gordon scored 23 points and the host Bulls retained second place in the East, half a game ahead of Cleveland and 1 1/2 games ahead of Toronto. Chicago owns the tiebreakers.

Atlanta 104, Boston 96 -- Tyronn Lue scored 26 points to lead the host Hawks (29-49) past the Celtics (23-54) in a matchup of the worst and third-worst teams in the East.

Sacramento 112, Memphis 100 -- Brad Miller had 17 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds at Memphis, Tenn., to help assure the Grizzles (19-60) of the worst record in the NBA.