The Detroit Pistons won the National Basketball League's Eastern Conference division title Wednesday with an 104-99 win over the Orlando Magic.
Chauncey Billups scored 28 points to lead the Pistons, while teammate Richard Hamilton added 21 points. The win also gives Detroit home-court advantage during the upcoming NBA playoffs. Orlando's lead for the eighth and final spot in the Eastern Conference now stands at just one game over the Indiana Pacers. The Pacers downed the Milwaukee Bucks 104-98.
Meanwhile, the Miami Heat defeated the slumping Washington Wizards 85-82 to clinch the Eastern Conference's Southeast Division. Antoine Walker scored 19 points and teammate Dwyane Wade added 16 points.
The Dallas Mavericks posted their 30th road victory of the season with a 105-88 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves. The Denver Nuggets downed the Utah Jazz 115-106, with Denver's' Carmelo Anthony scoring 32 points.
The San Antonio Spurs beat the Sacramento Kings 109-100. The Philadelphia 76ers enjoyed a 102-94 win over the Boston Celtics. Shawn Marion scored 24 points and pulled down 10 rebounds to lead the Phoenix Suns to a 109-91 victory over the Seattle SuperSonics. And the Houston Rockets downed the Portland TrailBlazers 99-95.
Some information for this report was provided by AP.