The Associated Press

Ben Wallace fell to the floor, and the Detroit Pistons dropped out of first place in the Eastern Conference.

Wallace went down with a sprained knee ligament in the second quarter of Detroit's 89-83 loss to San Antonio on Sunday.

Wallace was standing under the basket when teammate Tayshaun Prince fell backward into him after defending Tony Parker on a layup. Wallace buried his face in his hands after going down and had to be helped off the court by the team's trainer and strength coach.

"I wasn't sure where he was, but I could feel it when I fell into him," Prince said. "From the way it felt and sounded when I hit him, I thought he was going to be out for a long time. I hope he's not."

Wallace was to undergo an MRI exam Monday, which will help determine whether he will be able to play again this season.

"It looks like we will lose him for some number of games, we're just not sure how many," Pistons coach Rick Carlisle said. "That's a blow."

Combined with New Jersey's 96-79 victory at Toronto, the Pistons fell from first place in the conference for the first time since March 8.

In other games, Washington edged Boston 99-98 in overtime, the Los Angeles Lakers beat Phoenix 115-113 in overtime, Sacramento topped Philadelphia 97-81, Seattle nipped Utah 82-80, Minnesota defeated Portland 97-78, Houston beat Orlando 114-93, Indiana crushed Miami 90-69 and Golden State beat Denver 106-99.

Tim Duncan had 25 points and 21 rebounds as San Antonio extended the league's longest current winning streak to nine games.

Duncan was sidelined for the final four games of the 1999-2000 season - and the playoffs - with a knee injury.

"I did mine a different way, but you still cringe whenever you see somebody go down, especially when you saw his knee buckle," Duncan said. "You just have to kind of hope for the best."

If the news on Wallace's status is not good, it will crushing to Detroit.

The Pistons lost their third in a row and dropped a half-game behind New Jersey for the best record in the East. They lead Indiana by 1 1/2 games in the Central Division.

Pacers 90, Heat 69

At Indianapolis, the Pacers closed the third quarter with a 15-0 run and had their best defensive effort of the season.

Nets 96, Raptors 87

At Toronto, Kenyon Martin had 24 points and 10 rebounds, scoring six of New Jersey's final eight points in his return after missing three games with a sprained right knee.

Richard Jefferson had 16 points and Lucious Harris added 15 in his first game back after missing three games with a sprained left ankle.

Vince Carter had a team-high 28 points for the lottery-bound Raptors but sprained his left ankle with 31 seconds left. Raptors spokesman Jim LaBumbard said Carter will "most likely miss" the final six games of the season.

Wizards 99, Celtics 98, OT

At Boston, Michael Jordan had 25 points and 13 rebounds, making the last three baskets of regulation to sent it to overtime.

Christian Laettner had 13 rebounds and 16 points, including the game-winning jumper from the left side with 53 seconds left. Jerry Stackhouse scored 24 for Washington, which is two games behind Milwaukee for the eighth spot in the Eastern Conference with six games to play.

Lakers 115, Suns 113, OT

At Los Angeles, Kobe Bryant's jumper with 28.6 seconds remaining clinched a playoff spot for the Lakers and moved them within 11/2 games of fourth place in the Western Conference.

Bryant's baseline jumper tied the game with 14.3 seconds left in regulation.

Bryant had 26 points, eight rebounds and seven assists for the Lakers (46-31), who have won four straight and seven of eight. Shaquille O'Neal added 22 points, 13 rebounds and seven assists.

Kings 97, 76ers 81

At Philadelphia, the Kings finished 5-1 on a six-game Eastern road trip as Chris Webber had 21 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists.

Peja Stojakovic added 21 points for Sacramento, which has won four straight and 10 of 11.

The Kings are two games behind Dallas for the No. 1 spot in the Western Conference. They will play of their remaining four games at home, where their 32-6 record is the league's best.

SuperSonics 82, Jazz 80

At Seattle, Rashard Lewis scored 12 of his 24 points in the fourth quarter and hit a key 3-pointer as the SuperSonics maintained their playoff hopes.

The win moved Seattle (38-38) to .500 for the first time since Jan. 3. The Sonics have won five of their last six and nine of 12.

Timberwolves 97, Trail Blazers 78

At Portland, Kevin Garnett had 16 points, 14 rebounds and 12 assists as the Timberwolves closed in on Portland for fourth place in the West.

The Timberwolves won the season series 3-1 and pulled virtually even with Portland for home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs.

Rockets 114, Magic 93

At Houston, Cuttino Mobley scored 23 points and Steve Francis had 21 as the Rockets gave absentee coach Rudy Tomjanovich his 500th career victory.

Orlando lost its fourth in a row despite a game-high 28 points from Tracy McGrady.

Warriors 106, Nuggets 99

At Oakland, Antawn Jamison scored a season-high 41 points as the Warriors snapped a three-game losing streak.