Atlanta ? Reggie Miller didn’t become the NBA’s all-time leading three-point shooter by lacking confidence. His game-winner fell short Thursday night, but Miller wasn’t blaming himself.

Miller missed a fadeaway three-pointer at the buzzer as the Atlanta Hawks beat Indiana, 95-94, sending the Pacers to their fifth loss in six games.

Indiana's Reggie Miller, left, drives to the basket past Atlanta's Jason Terry. The Hawks defeated the Pacers, 95-94, Thursday night in Atlanta.

Coach Isiah Thomas drew up a play that called for Austin Croshere to make an inbounds pass to Miller at the top of the key and for Miller to exchange a give-and-go with Jermaine O’Neal. After a screen freed Miller of defender Ira Newble, he got the ball back on the right side of the key and shot over Nazr Mohammed.

“I knew I was going to get a pretty good look,” Miller said. “I was maybe a step further out than I would have liked, but it was still a pretty good look.”

Indiana, which never led, fell into a tie with Toronto for the eighth and final Eastern Conference playoff spot. The Raptors, 2-0 against Indiana this season, play the Pacers on Sunday at Toronto and again Wednesday in Indianapolis.

“A game of this magnitude, that we desperately need, we needed to come out like they came out,” Miller said after scoring 19 points and going 3-for-9 on three-point attempts. “We tied it a couple of times down the stretch but any time on the road when you’re fighting to get back from double-digit leads, it takes too much out of you, especially down the stretch.”

Mavericks 115, Clippers 90

Dallas Dirk Nowitzki scored 25 points, including a three-pointer that started a 15-2 fourth-quarter spurt as Dallas tuned up for the postseason by routing Los Angeles. The Mavericks started slowly, then took their first lead just before halftime on a scooping layup by Steve Nash. They led for all but 13 seconds the rest of the way, with Nowitzki scoring 11 points in the game-breaking third quarter when Dallas hit 65 percent of its shots.

Magic 105, Cavaliers 101

Orlando, Fla. Darrell Armstrong scored 11 of his 18 points in the final six minutes and Tracy McGrady had 35 points and 14 rebounds as Orlando rallied to beat Cleveland. Pat Garrity added 14 points and a career-high 11 rebounds for Orlando, which cut its magic number for clinching a playoff berth to four.

Spurs 102, Rockets 78

Houston Tim Duncan had 22 points and 11 rebounds for his NBA-leading 61st double-double of the season as San Antonio defeated Houston to sweep the four-game season series. David Robinson added 15 points, seven rebounds and three blocked shots for the Spurs, who began the night 11/2 games behind Dallas in the Midwest Division.

Nuggets 88, Timberwolves 87

Denver Voshon Lenard scored 15 points and hit a leaner with 11.2 seconds left as Denver ended Minnesota’s four-game winning streak. Minnesota took an 87-83 lead after Anthony Peeler hit a pair of three-pointers from the corner. Denver’s George McCloud followed with three free throws with 34 seconds left after he was fouled on a three-point attempt. Minnesota’s Chauncey Billups was then called for a backcourt violation.

Trail Blazers 88, Knicks 80

Portland, Ore. Rasheed Wallace scored 25 points and Dale Davis had a season-high 18 rebounds as Portland officially eliminated New York from playoff contention. The Knicks (28-46) will miss the playoffs for the first time since the 1986-87 season.