NEW ORLEANS — Chris Paul found an unconventional way to deliver a knock-out blow to one of the better defensive teams in the NBA.

With New Orleans clinging to an 87-86 lead over San Antonio, Paul split two defenders on the dribble and heaved up a wild, inaccurate shot from well behind the 3-point line as he was being fouled by Manu Ginobili.

The result was three free throws for Paul, who calmly made them all with 7.1 seconds left, helping the depleted Hornets hold on for a 90-86 victory over the Spurs last night.

"He told the ref before, like, 'Look man, I'm going to shoot the ball if they come in and foul me,' " Hornets forward David West said. "It's a tricky play to make, but he knows how to be in the act of shooting when those guys are coming to make sure he gets those extra free throws."

Paul finished with 26 points and West scored 23 points to go with 16 rebounds. West made all 11 of his free throws and Paul made all nine of his. The Hornets were 32-of-33 from the foul line overall, making their last 31, to compensate for 37.5 percent shooting.

"We showed a lot of fight," Paul said. "We showed what this team is capable of if we play hard for 48 minutes."

Tony Parker led San Antonio with 20 points. Tim Duncan had 19 points and 15 rebounds and Ginobili added 17 points.

After Michael Finley hit a 3 to pull the Spurs within one with 17.8 seconds to play, Paul took the inbound pass in the back court, then split Finley and Parker on the dribble before getting fouled on his risky but alert 3-point attempt.

The Spurs argued vehemently that Paul was fouled before the shot. The officials gathered to discuss it, but ultimately put Paul on the line.

"It's a big win for them," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. "They played more aggressively than we did and they wanted the game more."

CAVALIERS 102, MAVERICKS 74

CLEVELAND — LeBron James had 24 points and 12 assists as Cleveland won its 12th in a row to become the 61st team in NBA history to win 60 games in the regular season. The Cavs trailed 35-20 in the first quarter and 49-47 at halftime, but outscored Dallas 55-25 in the second half to improve to a league-best 35-1 at home. Dirk Nowitzki scored 20 for the Mavericks.

CELTICS 103, THUNDER 84

BOSTON — Paul Pierce had 27 points, and Glen Davis added 19 points and 10 rebounds as Boston won for the sixth time in seven games. Russell Westbrook scored 23 points and Kevin Durant added 21 for Oklahoma City, which lost its third straight and fifth of six.

HAWKS 86, LAKERS 76

ATLANTA — Mike Bibby scored 21 points — including an improbable 3 off the top of the backboard — as Atlanta snapped Los Angeles' five-game winning streak. The Hawks held Kobe Bryant to 17 points on 7-of-19 shooting, with the Lakers hitting just 35 percent (28 of 80) from the field.

RAPTORS 134, BULLS 129, OT

TORONTO — Chris Bosh had 31 points and 15 rebounds, and Andrea Bargnani scored 28 points for Toronto, which extended its winning streak to a season-high four games. Ben Gordon scored 37 points and Derrick Rose 23 for Chicago.

TIMBERWOLVES 108, NETS 99

MINNEAPOLIS — Mike Miller had 22 points, 10 rebounds and five assists to help Minnesota snap a seven-game losing skid. Vince Carter had 36 points and eight rebounds for New Jersey, which lost its fourth in a row.

PISTONS 101, 76ERS 97

AUBURN HILLS, Mich. — Tayshaun Prince scored 21 points, Rodney Stuckey added 16 points and Allen Iverson returned from a back injury to score eight in 22 minutes for Detroit. Andre Iguodala had 24 points and Thaddeus Young 22 for Philadelphia.

PACERS 124, WIZARDS 115

INDIANAPOLIS — Danny Granger scored 31 points and rookie Brandon Rush continued his late-season tear with 29 points and 10 rebounds to lead Indiana. Caron Butler had 31 points and 13 rebounds, and Antawn Jamison scored 29 for Washington.

KINGS 126, SUNS 118

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Jason Thompson had 21 points and Spencer Hawes added a career-high 20 points and 10 rebounds to lift Sacramento. Steve Nash scored 31 points for Phoenix, which trails Dallas by four games for the eighth and final spot in the Western Conference playoff race.