Hawks beat Magic
Published:Thursday | March 25, 2010 | 1:36 PM
Josh Smith swooped in to slam through Joe Johnson\'s missed shot just ahead of the buzzer as the Atlanta Hawks finally beat the Orlando Magic to clinch a third straight trip to the playoffs with an 86-84 victory last night in the NBA.
Vince Carter led Orlando with 20 points, while Dwight Howard chipped in with another monster performance: 19 points and a season-high 24 rebounds.
Johnson led six Atlanta players in double figures with 17 points, while Smith scored 15.
At New Orleans, LeBron James scored an efficient 38 points on 15-of-22 shooting to go with nine assists as Cleveland won their eighth straight game beating New Orleans 105-92.
Other winners last night were, New Jersey Nets, Boston Celtics, Los Angeles Lakers, Philadelphia 76ers, Oklahoma City Thunder; Charlotte Bobcats; Utah Jazz and Indiana Pacers.