7:00 PM ET - Verizon Center, Washington, DC

Notebook: Wizards 90, Bulls 86

Benjamin Standig, for NBA.com
Posted Wed Apr 03, 2013 12:00 AM - Updated Wed Apr 03, 2013 12:00 AM

THE FACTS: John Wall scored 27 points and Emeka Okafor's dunk with 45 seconds left put the Wizards up for good as Washington won its eighth straight home game with a 90-86 victory over the Chicago Bulls on Tuesday night.

Wall stuffed the stat sheet with nine assists, eight rebounds and three blocks while sinking 11 of 13 free throw attempts. A.J. Price scored 13 points while Okafor, Nene and Trevor Ariza all had 10 as Washington (28-46) took the lead for the first time late in the third quarter.

Carlos Boozer had 19 points and 12 rebounds, and bscored 17 for the Bulls. Chicago trailed 83-82 with 3:59 remaining when the referees called center Nazr Mohammed for basket interference on Kirk Hinrich's running bank shot. Hinrich squawked at the call and received consecutive technical fouls and the subsequent ejection.

Wall hit one of the two free throws putting the Wizards ahead 84-82, but Mohammed's jump hook tied the game at 86-86 with 56 seconds remaining, The Wizards jumped in front for good as Nene drove inside and fed Okafor for the score. Ariza made two free throws with eight seconds to play.

The Wizards trail the Bucks by nine games in the loss column, but Milwaukee only has nine games left on its schedule.

QUOTABLE: "As funny as you might think it is, we're not eliminated yet. Stranger things have happened. Has anybody hit the lotto in here yet? Let's go buy some tickets. You don't know. We're not eliminated."

-- Wizards coach Randy Wittman on his team still being technically alive for a playoff berth

THE STAT: Neither team could score early in the fourth quarter, but the Bulls missed more over the final 12 minutes and throughout the game. Chicago was 7-for-22 in the final period and 39.3 percent overall.

QUOTABLE II: "The shooting part of it, there are going to be nights in which you don't shoot it as well as some other nights. Discipline defensively, you're in control of that. ...That's what we have to be able to count on."

-- Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau on his team's offensive woes bleeding into their usually reliable defensive effort

HOT: With Bradley Beal's left ankle sprain flaring up, Wittman turned to reserve guard Price for the entire fourth quarter. Wall's backup played a starring role by scoring eight points including back-to-back 3-pointers.

NOT: Luol Deng scored 13 points and started the game 4-for-5 from the field. The Bulls' small forward ended it by missing nine of his last 10 attempts.

QUOTABLE III: "Just to know where we came from to start the season to where we are now, we have a lot of pride in ourselves. We want to close the season strong. This is the most wins I've had since I've been here. It feels great."

-- Wall on Washington's improvement after starting the season with a 4-28 record

NOTABLE: Jimmy Butler scored 13 points and Mohammed had 12 points and 12 rebounds for the Bulls. ... Taj Gibson left the game in the first half with a left knee injury and did not return. He will have an MRI on Wednesday. The Bulls were already without Marco Belinelli (abdominal strain), Richard Hamilton (lower back), Joakim Noah (right foot) and Derrick Rose (left knee). ...The Wizards lead the season series 2-1. ... Ariza surpassed 5,000 points for his career. ... Chicago scored a season-low two fast-break points.

UP NEXT: For the Bulls, Thursday @ Brooklyn, Friday vs. Orlando, Sunday @ Detroit. For the Wizards, Wednesday @ Toronto, Saturday vs. Indiana, Sunday @ Boston.

Notebook: Knicks 102, Heat 90

Zachary Paul, for NBA.com
Posted Wed Apr 03, 2013 12:19 AM - Updated Wed Apr 03, 2013 12:19 AM

THE FACTS: The Miami Heat were without two of their superstars.

On this night, it may not have mattered if LeBron James and Dwyane Wade were in uniform. New York Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony scored a career-high tying 50 points in their 102-90 victory against the Heat Tuesday at AmericanAirlines Arena.

Anthony shot 18-for-26 from the field, including 7-for-10 3-pointers. The victory was the Knicks third of the season against the Heat, allowing them to win the season series. Even though the Heat were minus two All-Stars, the win should give the Knicks momentum if the teams meet in the playoffs. It was their third double-digit victory against Miami this season.

It was the second straight game the Heat were without James and Wade. James is dealing with a sore hamstring while Wade is out with a sprained ankle. A third starter, Mario Chalmers, (ankle) also did not play.

After trailing by eight at halftime, the Knicks outscored the Heat by 10 in each of the final two quarters. Anthony led three players in double figures. The victory ended the Heat's 17-game winning streak at home.

Center Chris Bosh led the Heat with 23 points and six rebounds while Mike Miller added 18 points.

QUOTABLE: "He was unbelievable. He refused to let us lose tonight. He made big plays and shots ... He wasn't forcing anything. Some things come easy for great players and tonight he did everything he was supposed to do to put us in position to win."
-- Knicks coach Mike Woodson on Anthony

THE STAT: The Knicks shot 14-for-27 from the 3-point line.

TURNING POINT: Anthony didn't take a shot the first half of the fourth quarter, but the Knicks were able to keep pace. Keeping the lead when their star struggled was the confidence boost the Knicks needed.

HOT: The most impressive part about Anthony's performance was his efficiency. He's had big games against the Heat in the past, but never while shooting at such a high percentage. The fact the bulk of Anthony's points came on jumpshots was equally as impressive.

NOT: The Heat could have used a little more aggression from Bosh. He was the team's leading scorer, but he needed to attempt more than 13 shots. Bosh deferred to Mike Miller and Norris Cole in the first half when he could have started faster to avoid playing catch up.

GOOD MOVE: The best strategy for the Knicks was the way they played when Anthony was out of the picture. He sat on the bench the early portion of the fourth quarter and didn't score until the midway point. In that time, they were able to sustain the lead behind J.R. Smith and Raymond Felton.

BAD MOVE: Shane Battier and Udonis Haslem proved to be poor matchups on Anthony all game. Battier had been solid in situations as such in the past, but struggled to stop Anthony on the perimeter. Haslem simply had no answer, either.

NOTABLE: Knicks center Tyson Chandler was back in the lineup after being out with a back injury ... The Heat fell to 32-4 at home ... Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said he will evaluate James, Wade and Chalmers on a daily basis. Chalmers (ankle) missed his third straight game.

UP NEXT: For the Heat, Friday @ Charlotte, Saturday vs. Philadelphia, Tuesday vs. Milwaukee. For the Knicks, Wednesday @ Atlanta, Friday vs. Milwaukee, Sunday @ Oklahoma City.