In the National Basketball Association, the Dallas Mavericks beat the Los Angeles Clippers 96-86 at home Monday. Dirk Nowitzki and Jerry Stackhouse were the Mavericks' top scorers, helping the team grab the top seed in the Western Conference this post-season.
Tony Parker scored 30 points to help the San Antonio Spurs beat the Portland Trail Blazers 112-96. The Spurs are two games behind Phoenix in their bid for second place in the Western Conference playoffs.
In New York, the Detroit Pistons moved a step closer to being the Eastern Conference's top seed by beating the New York Knicks 91-83.
In Minneapolis, the Toronto Raptors overcame a nine-point deficit in the final quarter to beat the Minnesota Timberwolves 111-100 in their fourth straight win.
Elsewhere, the Magic, Nuggets, Warriors and Rockets won their games Monday.
The Orlando Magic offered its best shooting performance of the season in its 117-94 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks in Milwaukee.
The Denver Nuggets enjoyed its season-high sixth straight win, nudging past the Los Angeles Lakers 115-111 in a home game.
In Oakland, California, the Warriors enjoyed a 126-102 victory over the Utah Jazz.
And in Seattle, the Houston Rockets defeated the SuperSonics 95-90, moving into fourth place in the Western Conference standings.
Some information for this report was provided by AP and Reuters.
