By The Associated Press

Denver Nuggets rookie forward Carmelo Anthony smiles as his Nuggets clinch their berth in the NBA Western Conference playoffs. (AP photo)

DENVER -Marcus Camby had 12 points, 21 rebounds, seven assists and five blocked shots to help the Nuggets reach the playoffs for the first time since 1995.

With stars including Michael Jordan, Tyra Banks and Lionel Richie in the stands, the Nuggets outhustled and outshot the Kings. The win secured the eighth spot in the Western Conference for a team that won just 17 games last season.

Guard Jon Barry waved a towel and danced along the sideline in the closing seconds, and coach Jeff Bzdelik celebrated by pumping his first and yelling "Yes! Yes! Yes!" to the crowd.

Sacramento lost any chance of gaining the top seed in the Western Conference and will have to wait until Wednesday against Golden State to try to secure its third straight Pacific Division title.

Spurs 78, Trail Blazers 66

PORTLAND, Ore. - Tim Duncan had 14 points and 15 rebounds to lead the San Antonio Spurs to their 10th straight victory as Portland was eliminated from the playoffs for the first time in 22 years.

San Antonio, which swept the season series against the Trail Blazers for the first time in franchise history, moved into second place in the Western Conference. The defending NBA champions remained a game back of Minnesota in the Midwest Division.

The Blazers had been to the playoffs for the past 21 seasons, a mark that was the longest active streak in the NBA and one short of the league record. Portland not only needed to beat San Antonio, but also needed losses by the Jazz and the Nuggets.

Rockets 111, SuperSonics 107

SEATTLE - Mark Jackson made a rare start and scored a season-high 25 points as Houston locked up the seventh seed in the Western Conference playoffs.

Jackson, who signed with Houston as free agent on Jan. 15, entered the game with a 1.9-point scoring average and had made only three of his 33 3-point attempts this season. He made three from beyond the arc and shot 14-of-17 from the free throw line.

Houston has won three of its last four games, while Seattle has dropped seven of nine.

Nets 129, Hawks 107

ATLANTA - Bob Sura became the first NBA player in seven years to have three straight triple-doubles, and the Atlanta Hawks won three in a row for the first time this season by beating the listless New Jersey Nets 129-107 Monday night.

Sura had 22 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds - the last rebound coming when he intentionally missed a layup just before the buzzer and grabbed his own rebound.

Sura smiled sheepishly, as if a little embarrassed by the way he accomplished his feat. He was the first player since Grant Hill in 1997 to have three straight games with double figures in scoring, rebounding and assists.

The Hawks poured it on in their biggest victory of the season, shooting 58 percent (47-of-81). Jason Terry led with 30 points, Stephen Jackson had 23 and Chris Crawford matched Sura with 22. Atlanta shot 17-of-25 on 3-pointers.

Pacers 107, 76ers 93

PHILADELPHIA - Jermaine O'Neal scored 28 points to help Indiana set a single-season record for wins.

The Pacers (60-21) eclipsed the franchise mark set by the 1969-70 team that went 59-25 and won the ABA title. Last year, the Pacers tied the 1969-70 team's record for best start in team history before collapsing in the second half.

Jamaal Tinsley scored 18 points and Al Harrington had 14 for Indiana.

Kenny Thomas led the Sixers with 26 points and 11 rebounds, Zendon Hamilton scored a career-high 21 points and Eric Snow had 16 points.

Pistons 101, Wizards 79

AUBURN HILLS, Mich. - Mike James scored 19 of his 21 points in the second half as the Detroit Pistons broke open a close game to win their eighth in a row.

The Pistons have won 16 of 18 games, including 11 straight at home, while the Wizards have lost eight of 10.

Both teams were shorthanded, as Rasheed Wallace (foot) and Chauncey Billups (ankle) missed the game for Detroit, while Jerry Stackhouse (ankle) and Kwame Brown (foot) were sidelined for Washington. The teams combined for 52 turnovers.

Detroit's Richard Hamilton had 24 points and a career-high 12 assists against his former team for just his second career double-double. Gilbert Arenas led the Wizards with 20 points, despite not starting.

Heat 84, Celtics 77

BOSTON - Lamar Odom had 28 points and 11 rebounds to help the Miami Heat retain a chance to open the playoffs at home.

It was the fifth consecutive loss for the Celtics, who backed into the playoffs when Philadelphia lost Sunday. The Heat improved to 41-40 and moved into a tie for fourth place in the Eastern Conference.

Boston rested leading scorer Paul Pierce, who has a sore right ankle. Ricky Davis scored 25 and Mark Blount had 10 points and nine rebounds for the Celtics.

Boston will enter the playoffs despite finishing the regular season at least 10 games below .500. The worst record for a playoff team was the 1967-68 Chicago Bulls, who finished fourth in the West at 29-53.

Cavaliers 93, Bucks 89

CLEVELAND - LeBron James gave the home crowd one more night to savor, scoring 27 points as the Cavaliers won their home finale.

Cleveland denied Milwaukee a chance at moving closer to gaining home-court advantage in the first round of the NBA playoffs.

James' breakaway dunk with 1:06 to go put the Cavaliers ahead to stay, 88-87. After Michael Redd missed two shots, Jeff McInnis hit a jumper and James made a free throw to give Cleveland a 91-87 lead. Keith Van Horn's layup cut it to two with 11.7 seconds to play.

Forced to foul, the Bucks put Zydrunas Ilgauskas on the line and the Cavs' 7-foot-3 center made both tries for a 93-89 lead with 10.6 seconds left.

Timberwolves 104, Jazz 90

MINNEAPOLIS - Latrell Sprewell scored 24 points, showing some familiar feistiness in a critical game for both clubs.

Kevin Garnett posted his 71st double-double - 21 points and 17 rebounds - for the Timberwolves, who won their eighth straight and stayed on track for the top seed in the Western Conference playoffs. If they win at Memphis on Wednesday night, they get it.

Carlos Arroyo had 19 points and Andrei Kirilenko added 16 for the Jazz, whose quest for the eighth and final playoff spot took a big hit. The began the day tied with Denver, which played Sacramento later Monday night. The Nuggets own the tiebreaker.

Knicks 101, Hornets 97

NEW ORLEANS - Reserves Moochie Norris and Michael Sweetney each scored 11 fourth-quarter points as the New York Knicks overcame a 10-point deficit in the final period.

New York coach Lenny Wilkens limited starter Stephon Marbury to only 12 minutes. So Norris, who has averaged under 12 minutes of playing time and 3.9 points since joining the Knicks from Houston, ended up playing 40 minutes and scoring a team-high 21 points.

Sweetney finished with 16 points as New York (39-42) gave itself a chance to catch New Orleans (40-41) for the sixth seed in the Eastern Conference. The Knicks need a victory over Cleveland on Wednesday and a loss by New Orleans against Washington.

Magic 93, Bulls 84

CHICAGO - Juwan Howard scored a season-high 38 points to help the Orlando Magic snap a 13-game losing skid.

Howard scored 10 straight during a 13-0 run in the third quarter that gave the Magic 66-47 lead. He had eight in a row in the fourth quarter to put the game away after Chicago cut its deficit to eight.

Orlando won for the first time since a March 10 victory over Washington, beating a Bulls team that will finish with the league's second-worst record. Only Orlando had a worse season.

Marcus Fizer had 30 points and a career-high 20 rebounds for the Bulls.