CLEVELAND — Forget the Kobe vs. LeBron hype. This one belonged to Flip.

In a matchup of two of the league's top three leading scorers, Flip Murray took over. The way LeBron James sees it, Murray set the tone for Cleveland's playoff run as well.

Murray hit a free throw with 3.4 seconds left and scored 14 of his 21 points in the fourth quarter yesterday, leading the Cavaliers to a 96-95 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers.

The Lakers had one last chance to win, but Kobe Bryant's 3-pointer clanked off the back of the rim as time expired. Bryant, under double coverage and struggling to get off the shot, complained to officials that he was fouled.

With streamers falling from the rafters and the arena erupting, James gathered his teammates in a huddle on the court.

"It was a big win for us," James said. "Mentally, I wanted to get the guys focused and let them know that this was a big win for us getting ready for the playoffs."

Murray's free throw marked his second game-winner for the Cavaliers since he was acquired from Seattle at the trade deadline for seldom-used Mike Wilks and cash. Murray hit a 3-pointer with seconds remaining to win at Chicago on March 2.

"Today, I had the chance to drive to the hoop and spark the team," said Murray, who added a career-high eight rebounds. "I just tried to come out and be aggressive in the second half."

Bryant, who shot 66 percent in the first half, finished with 38 points, six rebounds and five assists. James led Cleveland with 29 points, eight rebounds and seven assists.

HEAT 111, KNICKS 100

NEW YORK — Dwyane Wade had 30 points, nine assists and five rebounds to help Miami win its fifth straight to improve to 15-1 in its last 16 games.

Jason Williams added 21 points, nine assists and six rebounds, and Shaquille O'Neal scored 18 points. Eddy Curry had 18 points for the Knicks.

With Chicago's loss to Washington, the Heat clinched a playoff spot.

"Whew! Now we can rest," Heat coach Pat Riley said jokingly.

WIZARDS 113, BULLS 104

WASHINGTON — Gilbert Arenas had 29 points and seven assists, and Antonio Daniels scored a season-high 21 on his 31st birthday for the Wizards.

Caron Butler scored 25 points and Antawn Jamison had 23, giving the Wizards four 20-point scorers in a game for the first time since Nov. 25 at Detroit.

Ben Gordon led Chicago with 20 points.

NETS 100, MAVERICKS 89

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Richard Jefferson scored 28 points, and New Jersey beat Dallas for its first victory over the Mavericks in six years.

Vince Carter added 23 points for the Nets, who have won five in a row overall and 18 of 21 at home. Jason Kidd rebounded from a pair of quiet scoring games to add 15 points.

With the win, the Nets knocked the Mavs out of a share of the top spot in the Western Conference.

WARRIORS 98, 76ERS 89

OAKLAND, Calif. — Mike Dunleavy scored a season-high 28 points and Golden State sent Philadelphia to its fourth straight loss without Allen Iverson.

Chris Webber had 21 points and nine rebounds for the 76ers.

CELTICS 103, PACERS 88

INDIANAPOLIS — Paul Pierce scored 22 points and Boston overcame a 14-point, first-quarter deficit to sweep the three-game season series.

Wally Szczerbiak and Delonte West added 16 points each for Boston.

GRIZZLIES 90, JAZZ 84

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Pau Gasol had 15 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists to just miss a triple-double, and Chucky Atkins scored 20 points for the Grizzlies.

Memphis won its third straight despite shooting 39 percent, while Utah lost for the fourth time in its last five games.

HAWKS 108, MAGIC 107

ATLANTA — Zaza Pachulia scored on a tip-in with 2.4 seconds left in overtime to help the Hawks snap a four-game losing streak.

Pachulia, who had 13 points and 18 rebounds, scored after Joe Johnson missed a layup. Johnson had 40 points for Atlanta, his third game with 40 or more points this season.

T-WOLVES 95, KINGS 89

MINNEAPOLIS — Kevin Garnett scored a season-high 37 points to help Minnesota snap a seven-game losing streak.

Mike Bibby led Sacramento with 35 points.