The Toronto Raptors have won their first-ever National Basketball Association division title with a 94-85 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers.
Toronto's Chris Bosh scored 23 points and pulled down 13 rebounds Friday, the seventh straight game he has posted double figures in two categories. The Raptors clinched the Eastern Conference's Atlantic Division - the first Canadian-based team ever to win an NBA division title.
Toronto's milestone victory was helped by the Chicago Bulls' 105-74 rout of the New Jersey Nets. Ben Gordon scored 27 points for the Bulls, while teammate Luol Deng scored 24 points and grabbed 12 rebounds.
Shaquille O'Neal scored 22 points and grabbed 11 rebounds to lead the Miami Heat to an 88-85 win over the Boston Celtics. The Minnesota Timberwolves beat the New York Knicks 99-94. The Indiana Pacers kept their slim playoff hopes alive with a 112-102 victory over the Charlotte Bobcats. The Phoenix Suns downed the New Orleans Hornets 103-95. Portland rookie Brandon Roy scored 24 points to help the Trail Blazers defeat the Houston Rockets 85-78.
The Atlanta Hawks snapped a seven-game losing streak with a 115-102 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks. Barron Davis scored 31 points as the Golden State Warriors downed the Memphis Grizzlies 116-104. The Cleveland Cavaliers edged the Washington Wizards 99-94, keeping the Wizards from clinching a playoff spot. Kobe Bryant scored 46 points as the Los Angeles Lakers beat the Seattle SuperSonics 112-109. The Denver Nuggets shocked the Dallas Mavericks 75-71, and the Sacramento Kings downed the Utah Jazz 107-103.
Some information for this report provided by AP and Reuters.
