PHILADELPHIA - Stephon Marbury had 20 points and 12 assists to lift the Knicks to an 86-75 victory over the 76ers on Saturday.
Kurt Thomas scored 15 on 7-for-9 shooting and had 14 rebounds for New York, which moved a half-game ahead of idle Boston for seventh in the East. Former Sixer Nazr Mohammed added 16 points.
Samuel Dalembert scored 13 points and had 14 rebounds, his fifth double double in his past six games for the Sixers, who have lost two in a row. Dalembert also set a career high with nine blocks.
The Knicks made 5 of 10 3-pointers to bounce back from Friday's 2-for-13 effort in a 25-point loss to New Jersey. They also registered 25 assists on their 31 field goals.
Marbury had nine assists in the first half after recording none in the first two quarters against the Nets.
Mohammed had six points during a 13-4 run late in the second quarter that put the Knicks ahead by 16. Mohammed closed the half with a short jumper to make it 52-38.
The Sixers pulled within seven midway through the fourth quarter, but Mohammed made a layup and Marbury nailed a 3-pointer to extend the lead to 12.
Philadelphia cut the lead to eight with 2:28 remaining, but Tim Thomas made two free throws and Marbury made a 3-pointer to seal the victory.
Thomas went 9-for-10 from the line for 15 points.
Philadelphia led 4-2 before handing over the lead for good. The 76ers shot just 35 percent in the first half and now trail Boston by 31/2 games for the East's final playoff spot with five games left.
Knicks center Dikembe Mutombo was activated before the game but did not play. He missed the past 14 games after abdominal surgery on March 3. To make room, the Knicks placed forward Othella Harrington on the injured list with back spasms.
WARRIORS 103, CAVALIERS 100: Jason Richardson scored a season-high 35, topping LeBron James' 34, for visiting Golden State. The loss dropped Cleveland to three games behind Boston for the final playoff spot in the East.
The Cavaliers, who have lost four in a row and eight of nine, were outplayed the entire game but nearly pulled off a comeback.
Down 97-92, James hit a deep 3-pointer after a Warriors turnover. Richardson responded with a 15-footer then held his finger to his lips as if he were silencing the screaming crowd.
Ira Newble's 3-point play made it 99-98 with 47 seconds left. Richardson hit two free throws then followed James' drive with another two free throws.
With 16 seconds left, Kedrick Brown inbounded to James, who wanted to go for a quick two-pointer. But James temporarily lost possession of the ball then was double-teamed.
So he passed to Zydrunas Ilgauskas, who missed a 3-pointer from the top of the arc.
MAVERICKS 124, SUNS 103: Dirk Nowitzki scored 34 and Antawn Jamison 22 for Dallas, which won its league-high 33rd home game.
Dallas won its fourth in a row with centers Shawn Bradley, Danny Fortson and Scott Williams on the bench until late, when Williams played two minutes.
Phoenix led 32-31 after one quarter. But Dallas went 14-for-17 from the field in the second quarter to build a 65-53 lead. The Mavericks kept it up in the third with Nowitzki scoring their last 11 points of the quarter. His dunk with 1.3 seconds left made it 90-75.
HEAT 97, BULLS 83: Eddie Jones scored 21 and Caron Butler had 19 points and 14 rebounds for visiting Miami. Heat guard Dwyane Wade left in the second quarter after straining a muscle in his rib cage. His status is unknown.
The Heat pulled away with a 14-2 run in the third. Butler scored six during the run, and Jones made a jumper with 4:20 left to make it 62-39.
WARRIORS: Guard J.R. Bremer signed. During two previous 10-day contracts with Golden State, he averaged 1.6 points and 2.4 assists in five games.
