Wizards

      Jordan Crawford equaled a season-high with 32 points, and John Wall had 14 points and 10 assists Wednesday night as the Wizards dealt a crippling blow to the Milwakee Bucks' attempt to make the final playff spot in the Eastern Conference with a 121-112 defeat in Washington. Milwaukee began the day 11/2 games behind the 76ers for eighth place in the East, but lost a game as the Sixers won in Cleveland. Monta Ellis had 31 points for Milwaukee, which has lost four of five.

THE SIXERS got some unexpected help in their bid for a playoff berth. Jordan Crawford equaled a season-high with 32 points, and John Wall had 14 points and 10 assists Wednesday night as the Washington Wizards dealt the visiting Milwaukee Bucks a crucial, 121-112, defeat in their attempt for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. Milwaukee began the day 1 1/2 games behind Philadelphia for eighth place in the East, but lost a game as the Sixers won in Cleveland.

The last week and a half of the 76ers' season has been particularly disconcerting, especially when factoring in the high-stakes nature attached to every game until they close out the regular season at Detroit on April 26. A home victory over Cleveland without Andre Iguodala in the lineup was pretty much to be expected. With Iguodala missing his second game because of tendinitis in his left knee, Jodie Meeks stepped in with a career-high 31 points and the Sixers, coming off a loss at San Antonio, cruised, 103-85.

Danny Granger scored 25 points to lead the Indiana Pacers to a 93-89 victory over the visiting Washington Wizards on Thursday night. Roy Hibbert scored five of his nine points during the Pacers' 7-2 run late in the fourth quarter that separated the teams after they were tied at 80-all. Indiana has won three of its last four, including a 15-point victory against Miami on Monday. Jordan Crawford scored 20 points and Nene had 16 points and 13 rebounds for Washington, which has lost five straight.

When the 76ers take the floor against the Washington Wizards on Friday, they won't see a team that often has the word 'lowly' attached to its name. They won't see a team that they have beaten five times in a row, three times this season by an average of more than 21 points. What they will see, if we are to believe Sixers coach Doug Collins and his players, is a potential booby trap, the type of team that at this point in the season, with the schedule shrinking, has nothing to lose and therefore can afford to play it fancy free.

WASHINGTON - On Thursday, as they prepped for their Friday meeting with the Washington Wizards, the 76ers promised that they would not overlook the second-worst team in the league, handle their business, and continue their quest for their first Atlantic Division title in more than a decade. That was asking too much. The Sixers played lethargically from start to finish, fell behind by 23 points early in the third quarter, and never threatened to close the gap in a damaging 97-76 loss to the Washington Wizards in front of an announced crowd of 18,066 at the Verizon Center.

LeBron James had 31 points and 11 rebounds, Dwyane Wade added 18 points and set up Udonis Haslem for an alley-oop dunk with 12 seconds left, and the Miami Heat rallied to beat the visiting Atlanta Hawks, 89-86, on Wednesday night. Miami won its 11th straight at home and had to come from 10 points down in the third quarter to extend the streak. Another Heat streak ended - it was Miami's first time since April 6, 2006, without making a three-pointer, a span that included 455 regular-season games and 60 more in the playoffs.

THE SAME ARENA that rocked to "M-V-P!" for Kobe Bryant in the first half was bellowing "Beat LA!" in the final minute. It's amazing the fans weren't speechless over what they were witnessing. It wasn't merely that the Los Angeles Lakers had blown a 21-point, second-half lead to the lowly Washington Wizards - it was the fact that the Lakers had essentially lost the game to a bunch of Wizards second-stringers. It truly is almost surreal what happened in the fourth quarter of the Wizards' 106-101 victory last night.

Dwight Howard had 36 points and 13 rebounds to lead the Orlando Magic past the Raptors, 92-88, Monday night in Toronto. Ryan Anderson also had a double-double for the Magic - who have won five of seven and nine of 12 - tallying 19 points and 13 boards. DeMar DeRozan scored 23 for the Raptors, who have not won back-to-back games since road wins over Phoenix and Utah on Jan. 24 and 25. Toronto has gone 6-13 since. Warriors beat up Wizards Monta Ellis scored 25 points and Klay Thompson added 18 to lead the Golden State Warriors in a 120-100 rout of the Wizards in Washington.

DAVY JONES , who died last Wednesday, had been scheduled to appear at Wizard World Philadelphia in June at the Pennsylvania Convention Center, show organizers said yesterday. The Monkees singer and former Daily News Sexy Single was 66. Wizard World promoters expressed condolences to his family. Jones was a popular guest at the 2009 Wizard World Comic Con in New York and had been booked to appear at its conventions in Philadelphia and Chicago this year.   Car-wash blues Throughout his long NBA coaching career Larry Brown offered tips to many players, but we're told he is less generous with his tips at the Bryn Mawr Car Wash (931 W. Lancaster)