Center Spencer Hawes came off the bench for the first time and a scored a season-high 19 points to lead the slumping Philadelphia 76ers to a 107-88 victory over the New Jersey Nets on Tuesday night.
The win snapped a four-game losing streak and was only the fifth in 15 games for Philadelphia (30-27), giving it a half-game lead over the Knicks (29-27) for the No. 7 seed in the Eastern Conference. Milwaukee (28-29) is 1{ games behind the Knicks.
The loss eliminated the Nets (21-38) from playoff contention for the fifth straight season.
Philadelphia got a big game from its bench, with Lou Williams adding 20 points and Thaddeus Young 19.
Kris Humphries had 20 points and 10 rebounds for New Jersey. Deron Williams added 14 points, six rebounds and five assists on a night that he was hounded by Philadelphia's Andre Iguodala.
The Nets were without forward Gerald Wallace, who strained his left hamstring, in the win over Cleveland on Sunday night.
The 76ers blew this one open late in the second quarter and in the third.
Elton Brand hit two free throws and a 15-footer to ignite an 18-10 run in the final six minutes of the first half that put the Sixers ahead 52-43 at the break. Iguodala had a drive and a windmill dunk in the spurt and Lou Williams added seven points, the final three on a running 3-pointer from in front of the Philadelphia bench at the buzzer.
Hawes, who was taken out of the starting lineup and replaced by Nik Vucevic, had eight of his points in a third-quarter burst that allowed Philadelphia to build an 18-point lead. The 76ers led by as many as 23 points.
Iguodala finished with 13 and Jrue Holiday had 14.
The only other Nets scorers in double figures were Johan Petro with 12 and MarShon Brooks with 10.
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