Suns eclipsed by last-gasp Jordan

Michael Jordan scored on the buzzer to give the Washington Wizards a dramatic 97-96 victory over the Phoenix Suns on Friday.

Jordan struck with two-tenths of a second left to secure Washington's first win in Phoenix for nearly 14 years.

Phoenix point guard Stephon Marbury made only 1-of-2 free throws with 5.6 seconds left. Washington then called a timeout before turning to Jordan for his game-winning finale.

Richard Hamilton scored 29 points and Jordan finished with 22. Marbury scored 30 points and Tony Delk added 17 off the bench for the Suns.

In Toronto, Utah showed the Raptors are vulnerable without Vince Carter as the Jazz marched to a 94-85 victory.

It was the third game in a row the Raptors had lost without All-Star Carter.

Veterans Karl Malone and John Stockton each had 23 points and six assists, and Byron Russell added 16 points for the Jazz.

It was the third straight win on the road for the Jazz who are exiled from their arena in Salt Lake City because of the Winter Olympics.

Utah secured the win by taking an 80-67 lead with 5:55 left. The Jazz outscored the Raptors 14-4 during a four-minute span in the fourth quarter.

Toronto's Alvin Williams scored 26 points on 10-of-11 shooting.

In Charlotte, North Carolina, All-Star Baron Davis went on a 38-point romp to lead the Hornets to a 116-106 win over the Indiana Pacers.

Davis made 10-of-17 shots, 15-of-17 free throws and scored 15 points in the fourth quarter.

Charlotte's PJ Brown reached 5,000 career rebounds, nailed his 1,000th assist and had six points.

Charlotte shot 56 per cent from the field and sank 29-of-35 from the line.

Indiana's Austin Croshere had 23 points and 11 rebounds, and Reggie Miller scored 21 points.

Indiana has lost four straight games and 11 of its last 15.

PISTONS HIT BACK

In New York, the Detroit Pistons wiped out the Knicks's 17-point lead to win 101-90.

The Pistons extended their winning streak on the road to six as they grabbed their ninth victory in 11 games. That matched the franchise record when they were the 1989-90 NBA champions.

Detroit took control with a 20-1 run in the third quarter. Ben Wallace scored a season-high 19 points and grabbed 22 rebounds. Chucky Atkins added another 19 points.

New York has lost six games this season when leading by at least 14 points.

The Knicks opened a 41-24 lead on Othella Harrington's hook in the lane with 8:49 left in the first half. But the Knicks went cold and the Pistons pulled within 49-47.

New York moved ahead 59-52 on Latrell Sprewell's three-pointer with 10:12 left in the third quarter. Sprewell scored 25 points.

In Minneapolis, Denver's Raef LaFrentz hit a lay up with three seconds left to clinch a 99-98 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves.

All-Star Kevin Garnett's last-ditch turnaround jumper missed the rim and a chance for the Wolves to tie.

LaFrentz scored 30 points and Avery Johnson had 18 points and a season-high 16 assists for the Nuggets.

The Nuggets jumped back from a 14-point deficit for their second straight win on the road.

Anthony Peeler led Minnesota with 24 points, and Garnett added 20 points and 14 rebounds.

In Chicago, the New Jersey Nets, the top team in the Eastern Conference, defeated the Bulls 106-81 to keep them in the cellar of the NBA.

Aaron Williams scored a season-high 23 points off the bench, leading six New Jersey players in double figures.

The Bulls floundered in the opening half, scoring 24 points and making only nine shots from the floor in 37 attempts.

Ron Artest scored 21 points and Trenton Hassell added 20 for Chicago.

OVERTIME VICTORY

In Milwaukee, the Miami Heat recorded a controversial 90-88 overtime victory against the Bucks.

Heat guard Eddie Jones stopped dribbling, faked, and then began dribbling again -- a clear violation -- but was not called. Jones shot and his rebound was picked up by Jimmy Jackson, whose three-pointer on the buzzer forced overtime.

Jones went on to hit the winning jumper with 7.1 seconds left in overtime.

Milwaukee's Ray Allen had 30 points and Glenn Robinson scored 25.

In Portland, Paul Pierce caught fire in the fourth quarter to guide the Boston Celtics to a 107-104 victory over the Trail Blazers.

Pierce scored 17 of his 31 points in the final session, including two important baskets down the stretch.

Antoine Walker scored 22 points and Tony Battie added 17 for the Celtics.

Damon Stoudamire led Portland with 20 and Rasheed Wallace added 18.

In Oakland, California, the San Antonio Spurs continued their dominance over Golden State with a 108-99 victory, their 15th in succession over the Warriors.

All-Star Tim Duncan scored 36 points for the Spurs and Antonio Daniels added 20.

Jason Richardson scored 28 points for Golden State.

In Los Angeles, Shareef Abdur-Rahim scored 32 points to lead the Atlanta Hawks to a rare 93-90 victory over the Lakers.

Kobe Bryant led the Lakers with 21 points and Derek Fisher added 18.

The last time the Lakers lost to the Hawks was on March 18, 1989. Atlanta had recorded 11 straight losses to the Lakers in Los Angeles.