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CLEVELAND - Joe Johnson tied a career high with 31 points and the Suns hurt the Cavaliers playoff hopes with a 103-86 win Tuesday night.
It was the third straight loss for the Cavs, who began the night a game ahead of Boston and Toronto for the eighth playoff spot in the East.
LeBron James nearly pulled Cleveland back into it several times, scoring 19 in the second half. But Johnson and Amare Stoudemire made key baskets each time the Cavaliers started to gain momentum.
Stoudemire had 21 points, 11 rebounds and two blocks and Shawn Marion scored 20 as the Suns won back to back for the first time since winning four straight in mid January.
The Cavaliers shot a season-worst 31 percent. James finished 8-of-21 for 25 points.
Jeff McInnis started after missing two games with a bruised right shoulder, even though he wasn't 100 percent. It affected his shooting as he went 0-for-7. He scored eight on free throws and had five assists.
Cavaliers coach Paul Silas said before the game that he'd rather wait until McInnis was completely healthy, but he left the decision up to the point guard.
Cleveland signed forward Lee Nailon for the rest of the season.
HORNETS 82, PISTONS 81: Jamaal Magloire's last-second jumper lifted host New Orleans, which snapped Detroit's eight-game winning streak.
Chauncey Billups made a 3-pointer with 17 seconds left to put the Pistons ahead. The Hornets responded by going inside to Magloire, whose first shot was blocked out of bounds by Ben Wallace with 5.3 seconds left.
On the inbounds, David Wesley went up for a perimeter jumper and Wallace blocked that shot, too, but Magloire grabbed the ball out of the air, turned and swished a jumper.
JAZZ 85, WIZARDS 77: Andrei Kirilenko engineered a scintillating fourth-quarter sequence that lifted host Utah, which moved a half-game ahead of Denver for eighth place in the West.
The Jazz scored two in a five-minute span as Washington closed within 74-71 on Etan Thomas's follow shot. Kirilenko made a 3-pointer and blocked Larry Hughes' shot, leading to Gordan Giricek's layup.
After keeping the ball alive with three tips on a miss, Kirilenko made three of four free throws to clinch the win.
The Wizards activated guard Chris Whitney from the injured list and placed rookie forward Jarvis Hayes on the list with a strained left hamstring. Gilbert Arenas, the team's leading scorer at 20.1 points a game, had a sprained right ankle and did not dress.
NETS 84, BULLS 81: Lucious Harris started for the injured Jason Kidd and scored 19, including three key fourth-quarter baskets for visiting New Jersey.
Richard Jefferson led the Nets with 20 points, and he and Harris each had 10 rebounds. The Nets broke a three-game losing streak and are 1-2 without Kidd and Kenyon Martin, both of whom have knee injuries.
Bulls forward Paul Shirley will miss the rest of the season after bruising his kidney in Monday night's loss to the Pacers.
WOLVES 86, SPURS 81: Sam Cassell had a triple double despite being guarded by defensive specialist Bruce Bowen, and host Minnesota extended its Midwest lead to three.
Cassell had 14 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds for the third triple double of his career and his first this season. He shot 2-of-11 from the floor but made 10 of 11 free throws, including four in the final two minutes.
GRIZZLIES 95, RAPTORS 86: Pau Gasol scored 29, Stromile Swift had 21 points and 13 rebounds and host Memphis forced Toronto to miss two-thirds of its shots. Gasol shot 10-of-16 as the Grizzlies won for the 10th time in 12 games.
BUCKS 112, KINGS 101: Michael Redd scored 26 and Keith Van Horn had 22 points and 11 rebounds as Milwaukee snapped Sacramento's 29-game home winning streak against East teams.
WILLIAMS TRIAL: The judge in the Jayson Williams manslaughter trial refused to drop the charges against the former All-Star, saying the prosecution has offered enough evidence for the trial to continue.
New Jersey Superior Court Judge Edward Coleman let stand the aggravated manslaughter and reckless manslaughter charges and six others resulting from the shooting death of chauffeur Costas "Gus" Christofi about two years ago in Williams' home.
Williams is accused of flipping a shotgun closed as he pointed it at Christofi, causing it to fire. He also is charged with trying to make the death appear to be a suicide. The defense says the shooting was an accident and someone else in the house devised the cover-up.
His defense Tuesday tried a new theory, claiming the shotgun used in the shooting has "a design flaw." Attorney Billy Martin asserted the Browning 12-gauge, double-barrel gun is "an accident waiting to happen" during arguments about the admissibility of a defense ballistics expert's new report.
PACERS: All-Star forward Jermaine O'Neal has a bone bruise on his left knee and is doubtful for today's game against Dallas.