Terrence Ross scored 24 points to lead the short-handed Toronto Raptors to a 102-94 NBA triumph over the Indiana Pacers on Friday.
Jonas Valanciunas added 22 points and nine rebounds, while DeMar DeRozan scored 20 for the Raptors, who earned their fifth win in six games despite missing starters Kyle Lowry and Amir Johnson.
Paul George had 26 points to top the Pacers and David West added 21.
There was a post-season vibe to Friday's Eastern Conference match-up between two teams that could potentially meet in the second round of the playoffs.
The Pacers had led the East all season until a recent slide saw them fall below the Miami Heat. The playoff-bound Raptors entered the night in third.
At Miami, Corey Brewer hit one of two free throws with 1.8 seconds left in the second overtime as the Minnesota Timberwolves beat the Miami Heat 122-121.
Kevin Love scored 28 points and grabbed 11 rebounds for Minnesota, which got 24 from Chase Budinger, 15 from Gorgui Dieng and 13 apiece from JJ Barea and Ricky Rubio, who also added 14 assists.
Ray Allen missed a wild jumper as time expired for Miami, which blew a chance to move two games clear of Indiana in the loss column atop the Eastern Conference standings.
LeBron James scored 34 points for the Heat, who got a season-high 24 from Mario Chalmers and 24 more from Chris Bosh, including a tying 3-pointer with 10.8 seconds left in the second overtime.
Marc Gasol had 24 points, Mike Conley scored 19 of his 21 points in the second half, and the Memphis Grizzlies kept their playoff hopes alive with a 100-92 victory over the Denver Nuggets.
Elsewhere, the Brooklyn Nets topped the Detroit Pistons 116-104 to extend their home winning streak to 15 games, the Charlotte Bobcats held off a fourth-quarter rally to beat the Orlando Magic, 91-80, and the Washington Wizards edged the New York Knicks, 90-89.
