Shaquille O'Neal scored 12 of his season-high 23 points in the final period and Jason Williams added 23 points as the Miami Heat dug in defensively down the stretch en route to a 92-83 victory over the Washington Wizards.

Udonis Haslem collected 12 points and 15 rebounds for Miami, which improved to just 3-8 with superstar Dwyane Wade sidelined.

Missing 38 games after knee surgery earlier this season, O'Neal had been sluggish in his return. However, with Wade sidelined, Miami's playoff hopes rest on the 7-1 centre's wide shoulders and he responded.

O'Neal played with energy, shooting 11-of-17 from the field and grabbing 10 rebounds. Showing his complete repertoire in the fourth quarter, O'Neal torched Wizards centre Brendan Haywood with a combination of jump hooks and ferocious dunks.

In Philadelphia, Andre Iguodala scored 24 points and Willie Green added 20 as the 76ers posted a 99-94 triumph over the Phoenix Suns, who suffered their first road loss against the East.

Amare Stoudemire had 31 points and 13 rebounds and Nash added 23 and nine assists for the Suns, who were without fellow All-Star Shawn Marion due to hand and quadriceps injuries.

The New York Knicks dug a 23-point hole, climbed back to take the lead and then watched Gerald Green, Al Jefferson and Paul Pierce end the comeback and spark the Boston Celtics to a 102-94 victory.

New York fell behind 57-37 at the half before waking up.

Quentin Richardson scored 14 points in the third quarter as the Knicks got back in the game by outscoring the Celtics, 36-20, to pull within 77-73 heading into the fourth.

Stephon Marbury gave New York its first lead, 81-79, with a three-pointer with 9:10 to play. Richardson scored 24 points and Marbury had 23, but they cooled off down the stretch while the Celtics started to heat back up.

In Oklahoma City, Chris Paul had 24 points and 13 assists and led a fourth-quarter surge, and Devin Brown knocked down four three-pointers, to lead the New Orleans Hornets to their season-high sixth straight home victory, 107-100, over the Atlanta Hawks.

Tyson Chandler notched his 20th double-double in his last 26 games with 18 points and 13 rebounds for New Orleans, which has won 16 of its last 24 games and moved into a tie for the eighth playoff spot in the Western Conference with the Los Angeles Clippers.

In Houston, Andrea Bargnani scored 20 points while TJ Ford and Jose Calderon added 16 each to lead six players in double figures as the Toronto Raptors posted a 106-90 victory over the Rockets.

The league's top draft pick, Bargnani leads all rookies in three-pointers (82) and reached double digits for the ninth time in 10 games. The Italian hit 8-of-12 shots, including 4-of-5 from the arc.

Allen Iverson and Carmelo Anthony combined for 57 points but for the second straight game, the supporting cast chipped in as the Denver Nuggets posted a 111-101 victory over the Orlando Magic.

Reserves Eduardo Najera and Linas Kleiza combined for 32 points and Marcus Camby added 10, seven rebounds and six assists for the Nuggets, who had six double-figure scorers en route to their second straight win.

In Memphis, Carlos Boozer scored 24 points while Matt Harpring added 25 points off the bench to lead the Utah Jazz to a 104-88 win over the Memphis Grizzlies.

Sacramento's Kevin Martin scored 36 points and Mike Bibby added 30 as the Kings rolled to a 135-120 triumph over the Charlotte Bobcats, who dropped their third consecutive game.

The duo combined to connect on 20-of-33 shots from the field, including 9-of-15 three-pointers, in helping coach Eric Musselman capture his 100th career coaching victory.

In Chicago, Ben Gordon scored 22 points to lead six players in double figures for the Bulls en route to a 113-83 victory over the Golden State Warriors.

Rookie Thabo Sefolosha scored a season-high 19 points and Adrian Griffin chipped in a season-best 17 points for Chicago, which improved to 23-8 at the United Center.

NBA results for Wednesday
Memphis 88 Utah 104
Denver 111 Orlando 101
Houston 90 Toronto 106
New Orleans 107 Atlanta 100
Boston 102 New York 94
Washington 83 Miami 92
Philadelphia 99 Phoenix 94
Sacramento 135 Charlotte 120
Chicago 113 Golden State 83
LA Clippers 96 Seattle 91