Hill moves mountains for Phoenix

Grant Hill scored 23 points to inspire the play-off chasing Phoenix Suns to a 118-115 win over the Denver Nuggets, their fifth consecutive victory. Denver led 88-77 with 4:35 to play in the third quarter, but Phoenix outscored the visitors 41-27 in the final 16 minutes, taking full advantage of the ejection of the centre Nene Hilario.

The Brazilian was ejected for a second foul with 7:25 to play after he grabbed Phoenix's Louis Amundson and threw him to the floor. Hedo Turkoglu orchestrated a fourth-quarter rally which carried the Orlando Magic past the struggling New York Knicks 106-102. Turkoglu scored 12 of his 16 points in the final period for the Magic, while Dwight Howard weighed in with 29 points and 14 rebounds.

The victory means Orlando could clinch their second straight Southeast Division title today when they host the Boston Celtics. Dwyane Wade scored 27 points to top his own Miami single-season record and lead the Miami Heat to a 94-82 win over the Memphis Grizzlies. Wade now has 2,064 points this season, 24 more than his previous best, set in the 2005-06 championship season. Ray Allen scored 20 points as the Boston Celtics pulled away for a 90-77 win over the Los Angeles Clippers.

The Chicago Bulls saw an 11-point lead whittled down to one over the final six minutes but hung on for a 101-99 victory over the Washington Wizards. Ben Gordon scored 21 points including a free throw with 2.6sec remaining to edge the Bulls towards their fourth win in five. Flip Murray scored a season-best 30 points as the Atlanta Hawks won their eighth consecutuve home game, beating the Minnesota Timberwolves 109-97. It was Atlanta's eighth win in nine games. Andre Miller had 27 points and 10 rebounds as the Philadelphia 76ers defeated Portland Trail Blazers 114-108.

* With agencies