Denver at Utah (9 p.m. EST). The Nuggets and Jazz are tied for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference.

STARS

Friday

_ Stephon Marbury, Knicks, scored 26 of his 38 points in the second half to help New York defeat Toronto 108-101.

_ Ron Artest, Pacers, scored a career-high 35 points to lead Indiana to a 107-92 victory over Orlando.

_ Kobe Bryant, Lakers, scored 35 points in Los Angeles' 90-73 win over Minnesota.

_ Paul Pierce, Celtics, scored 34 points to help Boston beat New Jersey 102-93.

_ Erick Dampier, Warriors, had 19 points and 21 rebounds as Golden State rolled to a 99-78 win over Washington.

_ Rafer Alston, Heat, scored 20 points and made five 3-pointers, including one with 0.5 seconds left in overtime that gave Miami a 119-118 win over Dallas.

PLAYOFF RACE

Boston took over the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference with a 102-93 win over New Jersey on Friday night. The Celtics moved a half-game ahead of Cleveland, which lost to Philadelphia 86-71.

LONG-RANGE SHOOTING

Toronto tied a team record by hitting nine 3-pointers in the first half of its 108-101 loss to New York on Friday night. The Raptors finished 13-for-28 from beyond the arc. ... In his third appearance with Chicago, Jannero Pargo made seven 3-pointers to tie the franchise record for most 3-pointers in a game. Michael Jordan and Jalen Rose also share the mark. The Bulls lost to Milwaukee 115-105.

STRONG IN DEFEAT

Vince Carter scored 40 points to lead Toronto, which fell to New York 108-101 Friday night. ... Tyronn Lue scored a career-high 32 points in Orlando's 107-92 loss to Indiana. ... Marquis Daniels scored a career-high 31 points, but the Mavericks lost their third in a row, 119-118 to Miami in overtime.

SPEAKING

``I can care less about the points. I was just trying to do what needed to be done to get the win. And it wasn't enough. So maybe I needed to score 50.'' _ Toronto's Vince Carter after scoring 40 points in a 108-101 loss to New York on Friday night.