Charlotte, N.C. ? Long before the game even started, a fan sitting behind Charlotte’s bench assured David Wesley he was going to have a big night.

Wesley laughed, then scored a season-high 30 points Friday to help the Hornets finally clinch a spot in the playoffs with a 112-100 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers.

“I swear to you, he said ‘You’re going to score 30 tonight, I can feel it,’ ” Wesley said. “I should get the guy as insurance, bring him along the rest of the way.”

The Hornets failed in their previous two tries to lock up a playoff berth, losing to Toronto and Atlanta earlier this week. Charlotte remained tied with Philadelphia for fifth place in the Eastern Conference, but closed within a game of Orlando for the No. 4 spot.

“Man, it feels good to get in,” said ailing guard Baron Davis, who had 20 points on 8-for-10 shooting, making all three of his three-point attempts.

“I couldn’t wait any longer. Now we can get some rest.”

Wesley was particularly bad in the loss to the Hawks, shooting 2-for-9 and scoring just five points. But he was sharp against Cleveland, shooting 13-of-18 and making a pair of three-pointers. His contributions were timely, too.

After Cleveland’s Ricky Davis scored five straight points to cut Charlotte’s lead to 94-87 with 6:02 to play, Wesley hit his second three-pointer to push the lead back to 10.

Kings 125, Clippers 106

Los Angeles Chris Webber scored 28 points and Sacramento beat Los Angeles to clinch its NBA-best 60th victory and first-ever Pacific Division title. The Kings’ 11th consecutive victory also earned them home-court advantage throughout the playoffs. They shot a season-high 60.9 percent.

Spurs 96, Pistons 86

Auburn Hills, Mich. Tim Duncan scored 32 points and grabbed 11 rebounds as San Antonio beat Detroit. Detroit’s loss allowed New Jersey to clinch the best record in the Eastern Conference.

76ers 100, Wizards 91

Philadelphia Dikembe Mutombo had 24 points and 16 rebounds, and Philadelphia defeated Washington.

Nuggets 97, Warriors 89

Denver James Posey scored 17 points as Denver ended a four-game losing streak with a victory over Golden State.

Pacers 112, Bucks 107, OT

Indianapolis The youngest team in the NBA relied on their oldest player to move into a tie for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. Reggie Miller scored a season-high 30 points and Jermaine O’Neal had 20 points and 13 rebounds.

Raptors 112, Hawks 73

Toronto Jerome Williams and Keon Clark each scored 20 points as Toronto moved a step closer to making the playoffs.

Trail Blazers 80, Rockets 79

Houston Bonzi Wells scored 29 points, including the game-winner with 18 seconds to play, to lead Portland over Houston.

Heat 99, Magic 94

Miami Eddie House scored a career-high 28 points and seldom-used forward Malik Allen added a career-high 16 as Miami beat Orlando.

Celtics 107, Knicks 92

Boston Antoine Walker scored 26 points and Boston never trailed in a victory over New York. Paul Pierce had 20 points, eight rebounds, eight assists and seven steals for Boston.

l Box scores on page 9C