Danny Granger led a balanced attack with 18 points as the Pacers recovered from a slow start, scoring 34 points in the third quarter.

A third straight win for the Pacers secured their place in the post-season and kept them on course to be third seeds in the Eastern Conference.

The Phoenix Suns stayed in the hunt to follow the Paces into the play-offs as Marcin Gortat's double-double led them to a 112-105 win over the Houston Rockets.

Gortat scored 20 points and grabbed 15 rebounds, while Jared Dudley poured in 19 and Steve Nash had 18 and 10 assists.

Goran Dragic led all scorers with 22 in a losing cause for Houston, but it was the Suns who moved within a game of their opponents, who sit eight in the West section.

Upset

In the East, the Philadelphia 76ers fell into a tie for eighth as they slipped up 95-89 against the New Jersey Nets. Gerald Green came off the bench to score 23 points for the Nets.

The Oklahoma City Thunder remained the best in the West as Kevin Durant scored 29 points in a 115-89 win over the Sacramento Kings.

LeBron James scored 19 points in the Miami Heat's 105-82 win over the Charlotte Bobcats, while the Toronto Raptors upset the Boston Celtics 84-79.

Andrew Bynum scored 30 to lead the Los Angeles Lakers to a 103-97 win over Denver Nuggets and the Portland Trail Blazers slipped up 97-94 against the Dallas Mavericks.

The Atlanta Hawks beat the Orlando Magic 109-81 and Drew Gooden poured in 26 points as the Milwaukee Bucks beat the Detroit Pistons 113-97.

The New York Knicks tore the Washington Wizards apart in a 103-65 victory and the New Orleans Hornets were 96-85 winners against the Utah Jazz.