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The 2012-13 Basketball Season Is Here
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Gordon carries Hornets to victory over Spurs
NEW ORLEANS (AP) Hornets fans grew restless as guard Eric Gordon sat out much of the early season rehabilitating his injured knee.
A New Year's Day appearance at New Orleans Arena was met with a mixture of cheers as well as jeers.
But Gordon may be turning those dissenters into fans, proving he may just be worth the Hornets nearly $60 million investment.
Gordon scored 24 points, including six consecutive in a critical fourth quarter run, to lead the Hornets to a 95-88 victory over San Antonio on Monday night.
"That's one of the key things I do best when it comes to late-game situations or if anything gets tough,'' Gordon said. "I like to take guys one on one and I'm able to get a shot off and get a good shot. I look forward to that.
"I love those situations,'' he said.
Anthony Davis added 17 points, Greivis Vasquez 14 and Ryan Anderson 13 for the Hornets, who have won two consecutive games for the first time since Nov. 2-3, the second and third games of the season.
New Orleans, which snapped a six-game losing streak against San Antonio, has also won three of the four games in which Davis has played since his return in a 98-95 victory at Charlotte on Dec. 29. He sat out a 104-92 loss at Houston on Jan. 2.
The Hornets have held their opponents to less than 100 points in each of their nine wins.
"To hold this team to 88 points is a great sign for our defense,'' Hornets coach Monty Williams said. "Confidence, to me, comes when you defend the right way, and I thought we did that tonight.''
Manu Ginobili scored 21 points to lead the Spurs, who had won eight of their previous nine, dating to a 99-94 victory over the Hornets in San Antonio on Dec. 21.
Tony Parker added 16 points, Tim Duncan 13 and Kawhi Leonard 10 for San Antonio. Duncan was 5 of 14, at one point missing five consecutive shots in the third quarter.
The Spurs committed 19 turnovers, leading to 23 points for New Orleans.
"We played a well-coached aggressive, well-executing team,'' San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich said. "They did a great job at both ends of the court. They just whipped us.''
The Hornets, who grabbed a lead they would not relinquish midway through the first quarter, entered the fourth period up 70-65. Gordon played spectator for the first four minutes. He re-entered the game with 7:41 remaining and immediately made three jumpers, sparking a 6-2 run that gave the Hornets an 84-77 lead with 5:06 left.
He later added another jumper to give the Hornets an 88-79 lead with 3:26 remaining.
"Tonight we collectively played hard for 48 minutes,'' Williams said. "Even when (the Spurs) made a run, it was one of those runs that scared you a bit, but you knew that with Eric and Greivis playing that way, you had a chance to kind of pull out of it.''
Vasquez's steal and subsequent layup gave the Hornets a 90-79 lead with 2:35 left.
"They've got a closer now,'' San Antonio forward Stephen Jackson said. "(Gordon) took the game over and was going to work at the end of the game, doing what he wanted. He closed the game for them, and that was what they were missing - a closer.''
Despite missing eight of his first 11 shots, Gordon scored 12 points in leading New Orleans to a 49-41 halftime lead. Davis, on 5-of-8 shooting, had 10 points in the half.
Both team started slowly with the score tied at 6 with 7:30 remaining in the first quarter. But the Hornets, buoyed by four consecutive free throws by Gordon went on a 10-2 run to take an 18-10 lead with 3:16 left in the period.
Duncan committed three turnovers and two personal fouls in the first 8 minutes.
NOTES: The Hornets signed guard Donald Sloan to a 10-day contract Monday. Sloan, who played in 3 games for the Hornets during the 2011-12 season, has most recently played for the Sioux Falls Skyforce of the NBA Development League. Sloan also appeared in 20 games earlier this season with the Cleveland Cavaliers. . . NBA Hall of Famer Bob Pettit, an LSU standout, was at courtside, sitting next to Hornets and New Orleans Saints owner Tom Benson. Shortly before tipoff Duncan and Parker greeted Pettit.
NEW ORLEANS (AP) Hornets fans grew restless as guard Eric Gordon sat out much of the early season rehabilitating his injured knee.
A New Year's Day appearance at New Orleans Arena was met with a mixture of cheers as well as jeers.
But Gordon may be turning those dissenters into fans, proving he may just be worth the Hornets nearly $60 million investment.
Gordon scored 24 points, including six consecutive in a critical fourth quarter run, to lead the Hornets to a 95-88 victory over San Antonio on Monday night.
"That's one of the key things I do best when it comes to late-game situations or if anything gets tough,'' Gordon said. "I like to take guys one on one and I'm able to get a shot off and get a good shot. I look forward to that.
"I love those situations,'' he said.
Anthony Davis added 17 points, Greivis Vasquez 14 and Ryan Anderson 13 for the Hornets, who have won two consecutive games for the first time since Nov. 2-3, the second and third games of the season.
New Orleans, which snapped a six-game losing streak against San Antonio, has also won three of the four games in which Davis has played since his return in a 98-95 victory at Charlotte on Dec. 29. He sat out a 104-92 loss at Houston on Jan. 2.
The Hornets have held their opponents to less than 100 points in each of their nine wins.
"To hold this team to 88 points is a great sign for our defense,'' Hornets coach Monty Williams said. "Confidence, to me, comes when you defend the right way, and I thought we did that tonight.''
Manu Ginobili scored 21 points to lead the Spurs, who had won eight of their previous nine, dating to a 99-94 victory over the Hornets in San Antonio on Dec. 21.
Tony Parker added 16 points, Tim Duncan 13 and Kawhi Leonard 10 for San Antonio. Duncan was 5 of 14, at one point missing five consecutive shots in the third quarter.
The Spurs committed 19 turnovers, leading to 23 points for New Orleans.
"We played a well-coached aggressive, well-executing team,'' San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich said. "They did a great job at both ends of the court. They just whipped us.''
The Hornets, who grabbed a lead they would not relinquish midway through the first quarter, entered the fourth period up 70-65. Gordon played spectator for the first four minutes. He re-entered the game with 7:41 remaining and immediately made three jumpers, sparking a 6-2 run that gave the Hornets an 84-77 lead with 5:06 left.
He later added another jumper to give the Hornets an 88-79 lead with 3:26 remaining.
"Tonight we collectively played hard for 48 minutes,'' Williams said. "Even when (the Spurs) made a run, it was one of those runs that scared you a bit, but you knew that with Eric and Greivis playing that way, you had a chance to kind of pull out of it.''
Vasquez's steal and subsequent layup gave the Hornets a 90-79 lead with 2:35 left.
"They've got a closer now,'' San Antonio forward Stephen Jackson said. "(Gordon) took the game over and was going to work at the end of the game, doing what he wanted. He closed the game for them, and that was what they were missing - a closer.''
Despite missing eight of his first 11 shots, Gordon scored 12 points in leading New Orleans to a 49-41 halftime lead. Davis, on 5-of-8 shooting, had 10 points in the half.
Both team started slowly with the score tied at 6 with 7:30 remaining in the first quarter. But the Hornets, buoyed by four consecutive free throws by Gordon went on a 10-2 run to take an 18-10 lead with 3:16 left in the period.
Duncan committed three turnovers and two personal fouls in the first 8 minutes.
NOTES: The Hornets signed guard Donald Sloan to a 10-day contract Monday. Sloan, who played in 3 games for the Hornets during the 2011-12 season, has most recently played for the Sioux Falls Skyforce of the NBA Development League. Sloan also appeared in 20 games earlier this season with the Cleveland Cavaliers. . . NBA Hall of Famer Bob Pettit, an LSU standout, was at courtside, sitting next to Hornets and New Orleans Saints owner Tom Benson. Shortly before tipoff Duncan and Parker greeted Pettit.
Beal scores with 0.3 seconds left to lift Wizards
WASHINGTON (AP) Bradley Beal didn't have a plan. What he had was a good move.
Beal made a jumper with 0.3 seconds left Monday night, lifting the short-handed Washington Wizards a 101-99 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder, who missed 16 straight shots at one stretch.
Beal used a pump fake to get open for the 16-footer that gave the Wizards (5-28) their second win this season over last year's NBA finalists.
"I didn't know what I was going to do to be honest with you,'' Beal said. "Coach just said go make a play.''
Once Beal sent the Thunder (26-8) to the showers, they were doused with cold water in the away arena.
The Wizards (5-28), playing without their top two scorers, had lost 13 of their previous 14, but they also beat the Miami Heat earlier in the season. Beal and Martell Webster led the Washington with 22 points each.
Kevin Seraphin added 19 points, and Emeka Okafor had 12 points and 12 rebounds.
Kevin Durant, who had 29 points, drove through the lane for a thunderous dunk to cut Oklahoma City's deficit to 95-94 with just more than two minutes left. Martell Webster answered with a four-point play to give the Wizards a 99-94 lead.
Then, Ibaka made a jumper, and Durant made a 3-pointer with 36 seconds left to tie the game at 99.
"I thought we had a chance,'' Russell Westbrook said. "We just had to get a stop. But the way the game had been going for us throughout the game, it wouldn't surprise me if they would make a game-winner.''
Durant and Westbrook each scored 20 points in Oklahoma City's last five games, but Westbrook finished with just 17 points Monday.
Serge Ibaka stepped up as Durant's complement, scoring 26 points and grabbing 11 rebounds.
The Thunder's cold stretch lasted from midway through the third quarter to midway through the fourth quarter, and they made just 43 percent of their shots and 24 percent of their 3-pointers for the game.
"We let them stick around, because we're not taking them serious enough,'' Durant said. "We can't do that, man. We can't do that.''
Nene (right knee tendinitis) and Jordan Crawford (sore left ankle) missed the game with injuries.
Nene has played just 20 games this season while dealing with a foot problem (plantar fasciitis), but he had played in the Wizards' previous eight contests. He's averaging 12.9 points and 6.3 rebounds per game.
Crawford is averaging 15.6 points, 4.6 assists and 4.0 rebounds per game.
With John Wall, Trevor Booker and Cartier Martin also out, Washington had just nine players available.
The Wizards weren't completely short-handed.
Trevor Ariza, who missed the last 17 games with a left calf strain, returned. He limped noticeably after dunking in the second quarter, but he remained in the game.
A.J. Price also returned Monday after missing 15 games with a broken right hand.
Beal made a four-point play to end the third quarter, and that began an 8-0 Washington run. When the game got tight late, Beal delivered again.
"How many times have we been in this spot?'' Wizards coach Randy Wittman said. "We're going to get the last shot. . I said, "It's time for us to be on the other end, to have someone step up and make a play.' Bradley made a hell of a shot.''
Said Thunder coach Scott Brooks: "Truthfully, there is no way around it. The better team tonight won.''
NOTES: The Wizards waived Shelvin Mack on Monday. In seven games, he averaged 5.3 points. . Brooks said he hasn't spoken with Durant about the forward's ejection during Oklahoma City's loss to the Brooklyn Nets on Wednesday. "You have to play your personality,'' Brooks said. "You don't want to be a phony on the court, and Kevin's not. He's a nice young man that competes, competes fairly and competes the best way that he knows how to. I never complain about Kevin's passion.'' ... Four years ago, the Thunder started 3-29, even worse than Wittman's Wizards to open this season. "I know how Randy feels,'' Brooks said. "It's not easy, because you don't see a lot of sunshine. But, they have good players that work hard, and eventually it turns around. ... Kevin Durant helps, also.'' ... The Wizards' 30 first-quarter points matched a season high for the opening period.
WASHINGTON (AP) Bradley Beal didn't have a plan. What he had was a good move.
Beal made a jumper with 0.3 seconds left Monday night, lifting the short-handed Washington Wizards a 101-99 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder, who missed 16 straight shots at one stretch.
Beal used a pump fake to get open for the 16-footer that gave the Wizards (5-28) their second win this season over last year's NBA finalists.
"I didn't know what I was going to do to be honest with you,'' Beal said. "Coach just said go make a play.''
Once Beal sent the Thunder (26-8) to the showers, they were doused with cold water in the away arena.
The Wizards (5-28), playing without their top two scorers, had lost 13 of their previous 14, but they also beat the Miami Heat earlier in the season. Beal and Martell Webster led the Washington with 22 points each.
Kevin Seraphin added 19 points, and Emeka Okafor had 12 points and 12 rebounds.
Kevin Durant, who had 29 points, drove through the lane for a thunderous dunk to cut Oklahoma City's deficit to 95-94 with just more than two minutes left. Martell Webster answered with a four-point play to give the Wizards a 99-94 lead.
Then, Ibaka made a jumper, and Durant made a 3-pointer with 36 seconds left to tie the game at 99.
"I thought we had a chance,'' Russell Westbrook said. "We just had to get a stop. But the way the game had been going for us throughout the game, it wouldn't surprise me if they would make a game-winner.''
Durant and Westbrook each scored 20 points in Oklahoma City's last five games, but Westbrook finished with just 17 points Monday.
Serge Ibaka stepped up as Durant's complement, scoring 26 points and grabbing 11 rebounds.
The Thunder's cold stretch lasted from midway through the third quarter to midway through the fourth quarter, and they made just 43 percent of their shots and 24 percent of their 3-pointers for the game.
"We let them stick around, because we're not taking them serious enough,'' Durant said. "We can't do that, man. We can't do that.''
Nene (right knee tendinitis) and Jordan Crawford (sore left ankle) missed the game with injuries.
Nene has played just 20 games this season while dealing with a foot problem (plantar fasciitis), but he had played in the Wizards' previous eight contests. He's averaging 12.9 points and 6.3 rebounds per game.
Crawford is averaging 15.6 points, 4.6 assists and 4.0 rebounds per game.
With John Wall, Trevor Booker and Cartier Martin also out, Washington had just nine players available.
The Wizards weren't completely short-handed.
Trevor Ariza, who missed the last 17 games with a left calf strain, returned. He limped noticeably after dunking in the second quarter, but he remained in the game.
A.J. Price also returned Monday after missing 15 games with a broken right hand.
Beal made a four-point play to end the third quarter, and that began an 8-0 Washington run. When the game got tight late, Beal delivered again.
"How many times have we been in this spot?'' Wizards coach Randy Wittman said. "We're going to get the last shot. . I said, "It's time for us to be on the other end, to have someone step up and make a play.' Bradley made a hell of a shot.''
Said Thunder coach Scott Brooks: "Truthfully, there is no way around it. The better team tonight won.''
NOTES: The Wizards waived Shelvin Mack on Monday. In seven games, he averaged 5.3 points. . Brooks said he hasn't spoken with Durant about the forward's ejection during Oklahoma City's loss to the Brooklyn Nets on Wednesday. "You have to play your personality,'' Brooks said. "You don't want to be a phony on the court, and Kevin's not. He's a nice young man that competes, competes fairly and competes the best way that he knows how to. I never complain about Kevin's passion.'' ... Four years ago, the Thunder started 3-29, even worse than Wittman's Wizards to open this season. "I know how Randy feels,'' Brooks said. "It's not easy, because you don't see a lot of sunshine. But, they have good players that work hard, and eventually it turns around. ... Kevin Durant helps, also.'' ... The Wizards' 30 first-quarter points matched a season high for the opening period.
Celtics beat Knicks in first matchup of the season
NEW YORK (AP) Carmelo Anthony and Kevin Garnett jawed from baseline to midcourt, and Anthony still had more to say.
So the Knicks forward went toward the Celtics locker room after the game to keep shouting, taking his frustrations from the court right along with him and perhaps risking an NBA suspension.
Paul Pierce scored 23 points, and Boston beat New York 102-96 on Monday night in a heated first meeting of the season between the Atlantic Division rivals.
Anthony left without talking to reporters and the Knicks wouldn't comment on Anthony's postgame trip in the wrong direction, but Celtics coach Doc Rivers didn't deny it.
"I'm going to let you all figure that one out. I'm going to stay out of that,'' Rivers said. "If it was the playoffs I'd tell on him, but since it's not I'm going to just be quiet.''
Rivers didn't need to. MSG Network reported the incident, in which security had to step in and send Anthony back in the right direction, as it went to its postgame show, and the league likely will investigate and could penalize the Knicks' leading scorer.
Comcast SportsNet New England posted a video on its website showing Anthony waiting near the Celtics' team bus after the game, with coach Mike Woodson and New York City police nearby.
"I didn't know what was going on at that point in time,'' Knicks forward Amare Stoudemire said. "It's strictly basketball. We have to keep it on the basketball court and make sure we come to play every night. Boston will definitely bring the intensity and aggressive play. We got to be able to match that.''
Garnett added 19 points and 10 rebounds for the Celtics, who even without the suspended Rajon Rondo won their third straight and finally are playing like the team that has ruled the division for the last half-decade.
The Knicks want that title now, but Anthony and his teammates were reminded how tough the Celtics can make it.
Anthony had 20 points but shot 6 of 26 while battling his temper, Garnett and foul trouble.
Garnett denied the postgame altercation.
"Listen, heat of the battle, man. Guys go back and forth. He's trying to get his team to go, I'm trying to get my team to go, both teams are colliding, not to mention that it's the Knicks and the Celtics,'' Garnett said. "Just what it is, man.''
J.R. Smith led the Knicks with 24 points. Tyson Chandler had 13 points and 17 rebounds.
Rondo was suspended Monday for making contact with a referee in a game against Atlanta on Saturday and failure to cooperate with an NBA investigation. Without the NBA's assist leader, the Celtics relied on the kind of defense that has been absent too often this season.
They allowed 78 points per game in their last two wins, then held the Knicks to 40 in the second half Monday.
Pierce, who was also in foul trouble in the tightly and sometimes inconsistently called game, put it away with a jumper with 45 seconds to go, blowing a kiss toward the crowd he loves to torment after putting the Celtics up by six.
Anthony had averaged 34.4 points in his last 10 games and had a pair of 40-point performances last week, but his jumper was off from the start Monday as the Knicks had their two-game winning streak snapped.
"They took us out of a lot that we wanted to accomplish out there,'' said Chandler, who said "nothing'' happened after the game.
"Very physical on the ball,'' he said. "Forced us to take some tough shots.''
Boston led by four when Anthony and Garnett became extra physical with each other on a Boston possession that ended with a turnover with 9:03 remaining. Anthony followed him all the way to midcourt as they jawed at each other following the play, leading to technical fouls on both players.
The trash talk didn't just stay on the court - or between players. Pierce tried to throw the ball in from the sideline shortly after, only to have Spike Lee standing and yelling in his ear the whole time.
"I've been tuning Spike Lee out for years,'' Pierce said. "That's just common noise now.''
Jason Kidd's 3-pointer tied it at 86, but Pierce dunked and Avery Bradley made a jumper for a four-point lead with 5:32 to play. The Knicks got it to one before Pierce's jumper with 3 1/2 minutes to play, and the Knicks never got that close again.
The Celtics have won the last five Atlantic Division titles, starting with their NBA championship season of 2007-08. But while Rivers often says he never talks to the players about winning the division, Woodson has made it a priority since becoming interim coach last March.
They couldn't catch Boston last season but had opened a 4 1/2-game lead over Brooklyn and were seven games up on the third-place Celtics entering Monday's play.
"Our goal is bigger and so are the Knicks', I'm sure, but maybe that's part of their goal and that's their first step,'' Rivers said of the division title. "But our goal is always bigger than that.''
They've only recently begun to play like that could attain it.
Rondo had his second triple-double of the season Saturday to rally the Celtics to an 89-81 victory in Atlanta, but his actions during the game kept him from the arena Monday. Bradley, recently back from shoulder surgery, helped the Celtics overcome his absence with 13 points. Jeff Green had 16 off the bench.
Anthony and Pierce both picked up two fouls in the first 4 1/2 minutes, Pierce getting a technical as well on his way to the bench. The early fouls, and some extra intensity, kept either team from getting in much of a flow, though New York did build a 10-point lead that Boston wiped out on its way to a 22-21 lead after a period in which they combined to make 13 of 35 shots.
The Knicks had the lead back to nine in the second, but Pierce scored 15 points in the period as Boston got within 56-53 at the break.
Boston scored seven straight late in the third quarter to open a six-point lead, held the Knicks to 6-of-17 shooting in the period and led 76-72 headed to the fourth, when the fireworks started.
NOTES: Anthony was chosen Eastern Conference player of the week after averaging a league-best 36 points in three games. ... Knicks G Iman Shumpert, out since tearing his ACL in last year's playoffs, had his knee tested Monday as he moves closer to returning. He could take part in full practices this week. ... The Celtics open a five-game homestand Wednesday against Phoenix.
NEW YORK (AP) Carmelo Anthony and Kevin Garnett jawed from baseline to midcourt, and Anthony still had more to say.
So the Knicks forward went toward the Celtics locker room after the game to keep shouting, taking his frustrations from the court right along with him and perhaps risking an NBA suspension.
Paul Pierce scored 23 points, and Boston beat New York 102-96 on Monday night in a heated first meeting of the season between the Atlantic Division rivals.
Anthony left without talking to reporters and the Knicks wouldn't comment on Anthony's postgame trip in the wrong direction, but Celtics coach Doc Rivers didn't deny it.
"I'm going to let you all figure that one out. I'm going to stay out of that,'' Rivers said. "If it was the playoffs I'd tell on him, but since it's not I'm going to just be quiet.''
Rivers didn't need to. MSG Network reported the incident, in which security had to step in and send Anthony back in the right direction, as it went to its postgame show, and the league likely will investigate and could penalize the Knicks' leading scorer.
Comcast SportsNet New England posted a video on its website showing Anthony waiting near the Celtics' team bus after the game, with coach Mike Woodson and New York City police nearby.
"I didn't know what was going on at that point in time,'' Knicks forward Amare Stoudemire said. "It's strictly basketball. We have to keep it on the basketball court and make sure we come to play every night. Boston will definitely bring the intensity and aggressive play. We got to be able to match that.''
Garnett added 19 points and 10 rebounds for the Celtics, who even without the suspended Rajon Rondo won their third straight and finally are playing like the team that has ruled the division for the last half-decade.
The Knicks want that title now, but Anthony and his teammates were reminded how tough the Celtics can make it.
Anthony had 20 points but shot 6 of 26 while battling his temper, Garnett and foul trouble.
Garnett denied the postgame altercation.
"Listen, heat of the battle, man. Guys go back and forth. He's trying to get his team to go, I'm trying to get my team to go, both teams are colliding, not to mention that it's the Knicks and the Celtics,'' Garnett said. "Just what it is, man.''
J.R. Smith led the Knicks with 24 points. Tyson Chandler had 13 points and 17 rebounds.
Rondo was suspended Monday for making contact with a referee in a game against Atlanta on Saturday and failure to cooperate with an NBA investigation. Without the NBA's assist leader, the Celtics relied on the kind of defense that has been absent too often this season.
They allowed 78 points per game in their last two wins, then held the Knicks to 40 in the second half Monday.
Pierce, who was also in foul trouble in the tightly and sometimes inconsistently called game, put it away with a jumper with 45 seconds to go, blowing a kiss toward the crowd he loves to torment after putting the Celtics up by six.
Anthony had averaged 34.4 points in his last 10 games and had a pair of 40-point performances last week, but his jumper was off from the start Monday as the Knicks had their two-game winning streak snapped.
"They took us out of a lot that we wanted to accomplish out there,'' said Chandler, who said "nothing'' happened after the game.
"Very physical on the ball,'' he said. "Forced us to take some tough shots.''
Boston led by four when Anthony and Garnett became extra physical with each other on a Boston possession that ended with a turnover with 9:03 remaining. Anthony followed him all the way to midcourt as they jawed at each other following the play, leading to technical fouls on both players.
The trash talk didn't just stay on the court - or between players. Pierce tried to throw the ball in from the sideline shortly after, only to have Spike Lee standing and yelling in his ear the whole time.
"I've been tuning Spike Lee out for years,'' Pierce said. "That's just common noise now.''
Jason Kidd's 3-pointer tied it at 86, but Pierce dunked and Avery Bradley made a jumper for a four-point lead with 5:32 to play. The Knicks got it to one before Pierce's jumper with 3 1/2 minutes to play, and the Knicks never got that close again.
The Celtics have won the last five Atlantic Division titles, starting with their NBA championship season of 2007-08. But while Rivers often says he never talks to the players about winning the division, Woodson has made it a priority since becoming interim coach last March.
They couldn't catch Boston last season but had opened a 4 1/2-game lead over Brooklyn and were seven games up on the third-place Celtics entering Monday's play.
"Our goal is bigger and so are the Knicks', I'm sure, but maybe that's part of their goal and that's their first step,'' Rivers said of the division title. "But our goal is always bigger than that.''
They've only recently begun to play like that could attain it.
Rondo had his second triple-double of the season Saturday to rally the Celtics to an 89-81 victory in Atlanta, but his actions during the game kept him from the arena Monday. Bradley, recently back from shoulder surgery, helped the Celtics overcome his absence with 13 points. Jeff Green had 16 off the bench.
Anthony and Pierce both picked up two fouls in the first 4 1/2 minutes, Pierce getting a technical as well on his way to the bench. The early fouls, and some extra intensity, kept either team from getting in much of a flow, though New York did build a 10-point lead that Boston wiped out on its way to a 22-21 lead after a period in which they combined to make 13 of 35 shots.
The Knicks had the lead back to nine in the second, but Pierce scored 15 points in the period as Boston got within 56-53 at the break.
Boston scored seven straight late in the third quarter to open a six-point lead, held the Knicks to 6-of-17 shooting in the period and led 76-72 headed to the fourth, when the fireworks started.
NOTES: Anthony was chosen Eastern Conference player of the week after averaging a league-best 36 points in three games. ... Knicks G Iman Shumpert, out since tearing his ACL in last year's playoffs, had his knee tested Monday as he moves closer to returning. He could take part in full practices this week. ... The Celtics open a five-game homestand Wednesday against Phoenix.
Clippers beat Mavs 99-93 for 13th home win in row
LOS ANGELES (AP) The Los Angeles Clippers looked like the team with the NBA's best record in stretches. They were flat and sloppy at other times, and still pulled out the win.
Chris Paul had 19 points and 16 assists in beating the Dallas Mavericks 99-93 on Wednesday night, extending the Clippers' franchise-record home winning streak to 13 games.
"We'll take the win, but we know we can play better,'' he said. "We came out a little flat, but it's not going to be merry every night. It's a good win for us to grit it out and fight it out against a tough team.''
Matt Barnes added 19 points off the bench, and Blake Griffin had 15 points and 13 rebounds for the Clippers (29-8), who took sole possession of the league's best record from Oklahoma City with their third straight win overall.
"We're not going to win pretty all the time,'' Barnes said.
Vinny Del Negro earned his 100th victory in his 184th game as Clippers coach, making him the fastest to reach the century mark in franchise history. But he was in no mood to note the occasion, clearly irked by his team's defensive breakdowns and its 21 turnovers.
"It wasn't a very productive game,'' Del Negro said. "We weren't as consistent as we need to be. We had so many turnovers it was hard to get a rhythm offensively. When we're struggling offensively, we got to lock down defensively.''
Darren Collison scored 22 points for Dallas. O.J. Mayo added 17 and Dirk Nowitzki had 15. At 13-23, the Mavs fell 10 games below .500 for the first time since March 30, 2000, two months after Mark Cuban bought the team. They've lost four in a row overall and three straight on the road, where they are 5-16.
"This is painful right now, to be losing like this when we were so close,'' Shawn Marion said. "It seems like when we get right there, we're going to do something to mess it up. We played a solid game, but it just seemed like the little things kept adding up and it killed us.''
The Clippers led the entire first half, fell behind by 10 points in third quarter and then regained the lead for the first time in the fourth on Paul's steal and layup that made it 82-80.
They took the lead for good on Barnes' 3-pointer that keyed an 8-0 run. Los Angeles forced former Clipper Chris Kaman into two misses while Collison airballed another shot in that stretch as the Clippers went ahead 90-83.
Nowitzki's jumper pulled Dallas to 95-93. Griffin hit a turnaround jumper to give the Clippers a four-point lead before Collison missed a 3-pointer in the right corner.
"My performance was pretty poor. I need to do a much better job of taking care of the ball,'' Griffin said. "But I love the way our second unit came in during the end of the third and got us back.''
Barnes grabbed a defensive rebound and Caron Butler came up with two big offensive boards off consecutive misses by Griffin and Paul with 39 seconds left. After taking two timeouts, Paul missed an 18-footer with 24 seconds left and Dallas called timeout. Collison scrambled looking for a shot before he passed to Vince Carter, who missed.
"Those offensive rebounds at the end just killed us,'' Marion said.
Paul got fouled and made both shots for a 99-93 lead while fans chanted "MVP!''
"In the fourth quarter, we needed to stay with the aggressiveness,'' Mavs coach Rick Carlisle said. "But they turned it up and we just didn't get it done. We've got to keep working. We've got to do a few things better, get some more rebounds and knock down some more shots.''
Los Angeles played flatly in the third, when the Mavs used a 22-8 run to take a 75-65 lead. Marion's 3-pointer early in the spurt gave Dallas its first lead of the game and snapped the Clippers' streak of leading for 10 straight quarters. The Clippers rallied at the end of the period, scoring seven in a row, punctuated by Barnes' 3-pointer that beat the buzzer to trail 75-72.
"It's disheartening losing these games,'' former Clipper Elton Brand said. "I haven't been through a stretch like this in a long, long time. We've been competing in most of these games, and we just have to find a way to close them out and win them.''
The Clippers led the entire first half, sparked by Barnes' 11 points, including three 3-pointers. The Mavs scored seven straight points to tie the game at 50-all on Collison's hook before Paul got around Mayo to hit a running jumper at the buzzer, keeping the Clippers ahead 52-50 at the break.
NOTES: Jack Ramsay previously held the franchise record for fastest coach to 100 wins, doing so in 223 games with the Buffalo Braves. Former Clippers coach Mike Dunleavy reached the mark in 224 games. ... Clippers G Jamal Crawford returned after missing the last two games because of a sore left foot. "The foot is OK, the legs were a little heavy,'' he said. ... Clippers F Grant Hill did not make his expected return after missing all season with a right knee bone bruise. Coach Vinny Del Negro said Hill has not had any setbacks and would practice a couple more days before being evaluated for Saturday's game against Orlando. ... The Mavs signed free-agent guard Mike James to a 10-day contract on Wednesday. The 10-year NBA veteran had played two games with the Texas Legends of the NBA D-League.
LOS ANGELES (AP) The Los Angeles Clippers looked like the team with the NBA's best record in stretches. They were flat and sloppy at other times, and still pulled out the win.
Chris Paul had 19 points and 16 assists in beating the Dallas Mavericks 99-93 on Wednesday night, extending the Clippers' franchise-record home winning streak to 13 games.
"We'll take the win, but we know we can play better,'' he said. "We came out a little flat, but it's not going to be merry every night. It's a good win for us to grit it out and fight it out against a tough team.''
Matt Barnes added 19 points off the bench, and Blake Griffin had 15 points and 13 rebounds for the Clippers (29-8), who took sole possession of the league's best record from Oklahoma City with their third straight win overall.
"We're not going to win pretty all the time,'' Barnes said.
Vinny Del Negro earned his 100th victory in his 184th game as Clippers coach, making him the fastest to reach the century mark in franchise history. But he was in no mood to note the occasion, clearly irked by his team's defensive breakdowns and its 21 turnovers.
"It wasn't a very productive game,'' Del Negro said. "We weren't as consistent as we need to be. We had so many turnovers it was hard to get a rhythm offensively. When we're struggling offensively, we got to lock down defensively.''
Darren Collison scored 22 points for Dallas. O.J. Mayo added 17 and Dirk Nowitzki had 15. At 13-23, the Mavs fell 10 games below .500 for the first time since March 30, 2000, two months after Mark Cuban bought the team. They've lost four in a row overall and three straight on the road, where they are 5-16.
"This is painful right now, to be losing like this when we were so close,'' Shawn Marion said. "It seems like when we get right there, we're going to do something to mess it up. We played a solid game, but it just seemed like the little things kept adding up and it killed us.''
The Clippers led the entire first half, fell behind by 10 points in third quarter and then regained the lead for the first time in the fourth on Paul's steal and layup that made it 82-80.
They took the lead for good on Barnes' 3-pointer that keyed an 8-0 run. Los Angeles forced former Clipper Chris Kaman into two misses while Collison airballed another shot in that stretch as the Clippers went ahead 90-83.
Nowitzki's jumper pulled Dallas to 95-93. Griffin hit a turnaround jumper to give the Clippers a four-point lead before Collison missed a 3-pointer in the right corner.
"My performance was pretty poor. I need to do a much better job of taking care of the ball,'' Griffin said. "But I love the way our second unit came in during the end of the third and got us back.''
Barnes grabbed a defensive rebound and Caron Butler came up with two big offensive boards off consecutive misses by Griffin and Paul with 39 seconds left. After taking two timeouts, Paul missed an 18-footer with 24 seconds left and Dallas called timeout. Collison scrambled looking for a shot before he passed to Vince Carter, who missed.
"Those offensive rebounds at the end just killed us,'' Marion said.
Paul got fouled and made both shots for a 99-93 lead while fans chanted "MVP!''
"In the fourth quarter, we needed to stay with the aggressiveness,'' Mavs coach Rick Carlisle said. "But they turned it up and we just didn't get it done. We've got to keep working. We've got to do a few things better, get some more rebounds and knock down some more shots.''
Los Angeles played flatly in the third, when the Mavs used a 22-8 run to take a 75-65 lead. Marion's 3-pointer early in the spurt gave Dallas its first lead of the game and snapped the Clippers' streak of leading for 10 straight quarters. The Clippers rallied at the end of the period, scoring seven in a row, punctuated by Barnes' 3-pointer that beat the buzzer to trail 75-72.
"It's disheartening losing these games,'' former Clipper Elton Brand said. "I haven't been through a stretch like this in a long, long time. We've been competing in most of these games, and we just have to find a way to close them out and win them.''
The Clippers led the entire first half, sparked by Barnes' 11 points, including three 3-pointers. The Mavs scored seven straight points to tie the game at 50-all on Collison's hook before Paul got around Mayo to hit a running jumper at the buzzer, keeping the Clippers ahead 52-50 at the break.
NOTES: Jack Ramsay previously held the franchise record for fastest coach to 100 wins, doing so in 223 games with the Buffalo Braves. Former Clippers coach Mike Dunleavy reached the mark in 224 games. ... Clippers G Jamal Crawford returned after missing the last two games because of a sore left foot. "The foot is OK, the legs were a little heavy,'' he said. ... Clippers F Grant Hill did not make his expected return after missing all season with a right knee bone bruise. Coach Vinny Del Negro said Hill has not had any setbacks and would practice a couple more days before being evaluated for Saturday's game against Orlando. ... The Mavs signed free-agent guard Mike James to a 10-day contract on Wednesday. The 10-year NBA veteran had played two games with the Texas Legends of the NBA D-League.
Parker scores 24 as Spurs beat slumping Lakers
SAN ANTONIO (AP) Not even a hard-fought loss against a longtime rival did little to brighten the mood of one of the more tumultuous seasons in the storied history of the Los Angeles Lakers.
Tony Parker scored 24 points and the San Antonio Spurs handed the slumping Lakers their fifth straight loss with a 108-105 victory Wednesday night.
Manu Ginobili added 19 points and Tiago Splitter and Stephen Jackson had 14 each for San Antonio (28-10), which has won 11 straight at home. Splitter also had a career-high 14 rebounds.
Kobe Bryant had 27 points, Metta World Peace added 23 and Earl Clark 22 for Los Angeles (15-20). Bryant was 10 for 24 from the field, missing a 3-pointer on his final attempt that would have tied the game. Clark missed a follow-up 3 off a long rebound.
What can the Lakers take from such a battle?
"We lost five in a row,'' Bryant said. "It's pretty self-explanatory.''
Coming off a 125-112 loss at Houston on Tuesday, the Lakers fought until the final buzzer.
Bryant's 3-pointer pulled Los Angeles to 105-99 with 3:32 remaining. The 3 led to dueling cries of support between a large contingent of Lakers fans seated near the Los Angeles bench and Spurs fans.
Did the effort give Lakers coach Mike D'Antoni reason to smile?
"No, not really,'' he said. "I'm proud of their effort. They fought. They fought last night against Houston. You can see the team getting some traction, but we're a long ways away from a smile.''
Antawn Jamison's layup pulled the Lakers to 105-102 following a timeout, but Artest missed a layup and 3-pointer on consecutive possessions.
Ginobili hit a 3-pointer that gave the Spurs a six-point lead, but Clark responded with his own 3 to close to 108-105, setting up Bryant's final attempt.
The Spurs missed five shots and had four turnovers in the final 5 minutes, turning a 10-point lead into a nail-biting finish for the sell-out crowd.
"We kind of stopped,'' Ginobili said. "We need rhythm this year. We are getting used to playing faster and we just didn't do it. We were playing one-on-one instead of doing what we do best and that's to penetrate, kick and pass the ball.''
Even with Lakers big men Dwight Howard, Pau Gasol and Jordan Hill out with injuries, the Spurs managed only a 48-40 rebounding advantage. Los Angeles forced 19 turnovers to keep the game close throughout.
Parker's 17-foot jumper gave the Spurs their largest lead at 83-66, but the Lakers quickly pared the 17-point deficit. Artest hit a 3, Bryant made a pair of jumpers and Clark had a 21-foot jumper to pull the Lakers to 83-75 with 49.3 seconds left in the third.
"The closer it gets, the easier it is to focus and be ready,'' Ginobili said. "Of course, you worry because we were up by 16 and we just messed up the whole game. Like I said before, it was disappointing to see the team play like that, but at least we got the win.''
Bryant had a sluggish start offensively and the Lakers fell behind 54-45 at the half.
His first basket came with less than a minute remaining in the first quarter and he closed the half 2 for 6 from the field. Bryant credited his poor shooting to Spurs second-year player Kawhi Leonard.
"It was Kawhi's defense,'' Bryant said. "He did a good job.''
Leonard finished with 11 points, three rebounds, two assists, two steals and one blocked shot in 33 minutes while primarily guarding Bryant and World Peace.
"Kawhi Leonard was the start of the show as far as I'm concerned,'' Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. "He had a great night and is getting better and better defensively and starting to find his way offensively. I thought that was great.''
NOTES: Lakers G Steve Blake (abdominal surgery) missed his 28th game of the season. Howard (shoulder), Gasol (concussion) and Hill (hip) also sat out the game. The Spurs had every player on their current roster active. ... The Lakers haven't lost five in a row since April 3-10, 2011. ... The Lakers are 1-12 when trailing after the first quarter this season. ... The Spurs evened their overall record against the Lakers at 74-all. San Antonio has a 46-29 advantage at home. ... Bryant holds the Spurs opponent record for most field goal attempts - 41 on Feb. 14, 2004.
SAN ANTONIO (AP) Not even a hard-fought loss against a longtime rival did little to brighten the mood of one of the more tumultuous seasons in the storied history of the Los Angeles Lakers.
Tony Parker scored 24 points and the San Antonio Spurs handed the slumping Lakers their fifth straight loss with a 108-105 victory Wednesday night.
Manu Ginobili added 19 points and Tiago Splitter and Stephen Jackson had 14 each for San Antonio (28-10), which has won 11 straight at home. Splitter also had a career-high 14 rebounds.
Kobe Bryant had 27 points, Metta World Peace added 23 and Earl Clark 22 for Los Angeles (15-20). Bryant was 10 for 24 from the field, missing a 3-pointer on his final attempt that would have tied the game. Clark missed a follow-up 3 off a long rebound.
What can the Lakers take from such a battle?
"We lost five in a row,'' Bryant said. "It's pretty self-explanatory.''
Coming off a 125-112 loss at Houston on Tuesday, the Lakers fought until the final buzzer.
Bryant's 3-pointer pulled Los Angeles to 105-99 with 3:32 remaining. The 3 led to dueling cries of support between a large contingent of Lakers fans seated near the Los Angeles bench and Spurs fans.
Did the effort give Lakers coach Mike D'Antoni reason to smile?
"No, not really,'' he said. "I'm proud of their effort. They fought. They fought last night against Houston. You can see the team getting some traction, but we're a long ways away from a smile.''
Antawn Jamison's layup pulled the Lakers to 105-102 following a timeout, but Artest missed a layup and 3-pointer on consecutive possessions.
Ginobili hit a 3-pointer that gave the Spurs a six-point lead, but Clark responded with his own 3 to close to 108-105, setting up Bryant's final attempt.
The Spurs missed five shots and had four turnovers in the final 5 minutes, turning a 10-point lead into a nail-biting finish for the sell-out crowd.
"We kind of stopped,'' Ginobili said. "We need rhythm this year. We are getting used to playing faster and we just didn't do it. We were playing one-on-one instead of doing what we do best and that's to penetrate, kick and pass the ball.''
Even with Lakers big men Dwight Howard, Pau Gasol and Jordan Hill out with injuries, the Spurs managed only a 48-40 rebounding advantage. Los Angeles forced 19 turnovers to keep the game close throughout.
Parker's 17-foot jumper gave the Spurs their largest lead at 83-66, but the Lakers quickly pared the 17-point deficit. Artest hit a 3, Bryant made a pair of jumpers and Clark had a 21-foot jumper to pull the Lakers to 83-75 with 49.3 seconds left in the third.
"The closer it gets, the easier it is to focus and be ready,'' Ginobili said. "Of course, you worry because we were up by 16 and we just messed up the whole game. Like I said before, it was disappointing to see the team play like that, but at least we got the win.''
Bryant had a sluggish start offensively and the Lakers fell behind 54-45 at the half.
His first basket came with less than a minute remaining in the first quarter and he closed the half 2 for 6 from the field. Bryant credited his poor shooting to Spurs second-year player Kawhi Leonard.
"It was Kawhi's defense,'' Bryant said. "He did a good job.''
Leonard finished with 11 points, three rebounds, two assists, two steals and one blocked shot in 33 minutes while primarily guarding Bryant and World Peace.
"Kawhi Leonard was the start of the show as far as I'm concerned,'' Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. "He had a great night and is getting better and better defensively and starting to find his way offensively. I thought that was great.''
NOTES: Lakers G Steve Blake (abdominal surgery) missed his 28th game of the season. Howard (shoulder), Gasol (concussion) and Hill (hip) also sat out the game. The Spurs had every player on their current roster active. ... The Lakers haven't lost five in a row since April 3-10, 2011. ... The Lakers are 1-12 when trailing after the first quarter this season. ... The Spurs evened their overall record against the Lakers at 74-all. San Antonio has a 46-29 advantage at home. ... Bryant holds the Spurs opponent record for most field goal attempts - 41 on Feb. 14, 2004.
Celtics rally for 87-79 win over Suns
BOSTON (AP) The "Big Three'' leading Boston to its latest win was an unlikely bunch.
Jeff Green, Jason Terry and rookie Jared Sullinger carried the Celtics through a game of streaks, each outscoring their starting teammates as Boston recovered from a dreadful third quarter and held off the slumping Phoenix Suns 87-79 on Wednesday night.
Green had 14 points, Terry scored 13 and Sullinger finished with 12 points and pulled down a career-best 16 rebounds as Boston's reserves outscored their Phoenix counterparts 47-16.
"They won the game for us basically. The bench played well. The starters didn't play good at all tonight,'' said Rajon Rondo, who had eight points and eight assists.
It was an emotional game for Green, who was playing exactly one year after having surgery to repair an aortic aneurysm.
"I can't put it into words. I mean, it's a wonderful day,'' said Green, who missed all of last season with the heart condition. "I reflect a lot on what I've been through and it's just a blessing and I'm glad I'm here.''
Kevin Garnett was the only Boston starter to score in double figures, finishing with 10 points and five rebounds, and Paul Pierce had seven points and seven rebounds.
The Celtics survived a scoring drought that spanned almost half the third quarter. Boston scored just 14 in the period before rallying in the fourth against the road-weary Suns, who lost their 11th straight away from home.
"I think it would be a little bit easier to swallow if it would have been Paul Pierce or Kevin Garnett. At the end of the day it was their bench that really hurt us the most,'' Phoenix coach Alvin Gentry said.
The Celtics (18-17) have won four straight and are back above .500 for the first time since improving to 14-13 with a win at Brooklyn on Christmas.
Marcin Gortat had 12 points and 14 rebounds, and Jared Dudley scored 14 while pulling down 10 boards for the Suns, who lost their fourth straight and fell to 2-16 on the road. Luis Scola scored 16 and Goran Dragic finished with 10 points for Phoenix, which gave the Celtics a scare in the third quarter with a 17-0 run.
The Suns were coming off a 108-99 loss at Milwaukee on Tuesday, when they were outscored 58-43 in the second half. The outlook wasn't good after the first half Wednesday with Boston leading 53-41, but the Suns responded with a torrid run early in the third quarter, shutting out Boston for 5:59. Dudley hit a 3-pointer and Gortat scored six during the spurt, putting back an offensive rebound that gave Phoenix a 56-55 lead with 6:59 left in the period.
Boston fans went silent at first as the big lead dwindled, then started booing as the Celtics continued to struggle. Rajon Rondo finally snapped the scoreless skid on a jumper with 5:42 left in the period, cutting Phoenix's lead to 58-57. The Celtics hadn't scored since Garnett's jumper 19 seconds into the third.
Boston regained enough composure to lead 67-64 after three then quickly took command by opening the final quarter with an 11-2 run. Terry started it with a 3-pointer and Garnett added four points before setting up Green for an alley-oop dunk to put Boston up 78-66 with 7:45 remaining.
"We always have lapses. Sometimes it happens early, sometimes it happens later,'' Scola said. "Even in the games we've won, we play this way.''
Notes: Rondo returned from a one-game suspension for making contact with a referee and failure to cooperate with a league investigation. He finished with eight points and eight assists. ... Boston coach Doc Rivers was called for a technical late in the third period, then Rondo and Phoenix's P.J. Tucker drew dual technicals early in the fourth. ... The Celtics opened the game 4 for 11 from the floor and trailed 24-23 at the end of the first quarter, then shot 57 percent in the second quarter while outscoring Phoenix 30-17 in the period. ... The Suns committed seven turnovers in the second quarter ... Sullinger's previous high for rebounds was 11 against Toronto on Nov 17.
BOSTON (AP) The "Big Three'' leading Boston to its latest win was an unlikely bunch.
Jeff Green, Jason Terry and rookie Jared Sullinger carried the Celtics through a game of streaks, each outscoring their starting teammates as Boston recovered from a dreadful third quarter and held off the slumping Phoenix Suns 87-79 on Wednesday night.
Green had 14 points, Terry scored 13 and Sullinger finished with 12 points and pulled down a career-best 16 rebounds as Boston's reserves outscored their Phoenix counterparts 47-16.
"They won the game for us basically. The bench played well. The starters didn't play good at all tonight,'' said Rajon Rondo, who had eight points and eight assists.
It was an emotional game for Green, who was playing exactly one year after having surgery to repair an aortic aneurysm.
"I can't put it into words. I mean, it's a wonderful day,'' said Green, who missed all of last season with the heart condition. "I reflect a lot on what I've been through and it's just a blessing and I'm glad I'm here.''
Kevin Garnett was the only Boston starter to score in double figures, finishing with 10 points and five rebounds, and Paul Pierce had seven points and seven rebounds.
The Celtics survived a scoring drought that spanned almost half the third quarter. Boston scored just 14 in the period before rallying in the fourth against the road-weary Suns, who lost their 11th straight away from home.
"I think it would be a little bit easier to swallow if it would have been Paul Pierce or Kevin Garnett. At the end of the day it was their bench that really hurt us the most,'' Phoenix coach Alvin Gentry said.
The Celtics (18-17) have won four straight and are back above .500 for the first time since improving to 14-13 with a win at Brooklyn on Christmas.
Marcin Gortat had 12 points and 14 rebounds, and Jared Dudley scored 14 while pulling down 10 boards for the Suns, who lost their fourth straight and fell to 2-16 on the road. Luis Scola scored 16 and Goran Dragic finished with 10 points for Phoenix, which gave the Celtics a scare in the third quarter with a 17-0 run.
The Suns were coming off a 108-99 loss at Milwaukee on Tuesday, when they were outscored 58-43 in the second half. The outlook wasn't good after the first half Wednesday with Boston leading 53-41, but the Suns responded with a torrid run early in the third quarter, shutting out Boston for 5:59. Dudley hit a 3-pointer and Gortat scored six during the spurt, putting back an offensive rebound that gave Phoenix a 56-55 lead with 6:59 left in the period.
Boston fans went silent at first as the big lead dwindled, then started booing as the Celtics continued to struggle. Rajon Rondo finally snapped the scoreless skid on a jumper with 5:42 left in the period, cutting Phoenix's lead to 58-57. The Celtics hadn't scored since Garnett's jumper 19 seconds into the third.
Boston regained enough composure to lead 67-64 after three then quickly took command by opening the final quarter with an 11-2 run. Terry started it with a 3-pointer and Garnett added four points before setting up Green for an alley-oop dunk to put Boston up 78-66 with 7:45 remaining.
"We always have lapses. Sometimes it happens early, sometimes it happens later,'' Scola said. "Even in the games we've won, we play this way.''
Notes: Rondo returned from a one-game suspension for making contact with a referee and failure to cooperate with a league investigation. He finished with eight points and eight assists. ... Boston coach Doc Rivers was called for a technical late in the third period, then Rondo and Phoenix's P.J. Tucker drew dual technicals early in the fourth. ... The Celtics opened the game 4 for 11 from the floor and trailed 24-23 at the end of the first quarter, then shot 57 percent in the second quarter while outscoring Phoenix 30-17 in the period. ... The Suns committed seven turnovers in the second quarter ... Sullinger's previous high for rebounds was 11 against Toronto on Nov 17.
Mavs snap 4-game skid, beat Kings 117-112 in OT
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) An elbow from DeMarcus Cousins helped hand the Dallas Mavericks a win and gave Sacramento fans another stinger.
O.J. Mayo had 24 points and 10 rebounds, Vince Carter scored 23 points off the bench and the Mavericks took advantage of a flagrant foul by Cousins to rally from 17 points down to beat the Kings 117-112 in overtime Thursday night.
With the franchise's possible sale and relocation to Seattle on the minds of Kings fans, Cousins finished with 29 points and nine rebounds before getting ejected in overtime for elbowing Carter in the face. Officials reviewed the played and upgraded the call from a flagrant 1 to a flagrant 2 foul. It also was Cousins' sixth personal foul.
"It's one of those things that you see coming but you can't move fast enough,'' Carter said.
Shawn Marion added 19 points and 10 rebounds to help the Mavericks snap a four-game losing streak. Dallas, which had lost 10 of 11, finished its short road trip 1-2.
Tyreke Evans scored 20 points and Isaiah Thomas had 18 points for the Kings, who dropped their third straight game. Sacramento outshot the Mavericks 49 to 42 percent but finished just 5 for 21 on 3-pointers and committed 20 turnovers. Dallas also outrebounded the Kings 52 to 41.
Even after blowing the big lead, Sacramento still had a shot to win.
Cousins, who has been suspended twice by the NBA and once by the Kings this season because of his actions, lost the ball driving in the lane and elbowed Carter once the ball squirted away with 41.9 seconds to play. Cousins could also face another suspension from the league before Saturday night's home game against the Miami Heat.
"I swear to God I didn't try to do that. I'm just tired of being in these situations,'' Cousins said. "I'm pretty sure my reputation will come into play with the decision, but hopefully they'll realize it wasn't intentional.''
The Mavericks had chances to end the game in regulation.
After Mayo made 1 of 2 free throws to put Dallas ahead 101-98, Thomas banked a 3-pointer off the glass and in the face of Mike James with 9.1 seconds remaining. The Kings twice knocked the ball out of bounds in the half court and forced Darren Collison to take a fadeway jumper that bounced off the rim to send the game to overtime.
Carter hit both free throws following the flagrant foul in the extra period and the Mavericks got the ball. Shawn Marion, who had 19 points and 10 rebounds, later made another pair to put Dallas ahead 115-110 to seal the victory.
"Once it got to overtime, we said, "We're going to win this game,''' Marion said. "It's a baby step in the right direction. We just got to keep crawling.''
The game marked the first time the Kings played since the latest - and perhaps most serious - round of relocation talks began a day earlier, when word spread that Seattle investor Chris Hansen has contacted the Maloof family about buying the Kings. No deal has been reached yet.
Newspaper and television reporters from Seattle showed up along with an increased local media presence. Fans contemplated whether they should keep supporting a team they love. Ushers and parking attendants who depend on the team for work approached reporters asking if they knew what might happen.
Even players and coaches admitted all the attention made it difficult to focus on the game.
"It's definitely going to be a distraction,'' Kings coach Keith Smart said before the game. "But we're pros. We've got to figure out a way how to separate the two and then get ready to play.''
The crowd remained its usual scattered, and sometimes spirited, self this season.
So did both struggling teams.
Evans ignited Sacramento's stagnant start when he scored the final seven points of a 13-0 spurt, capped with a steal and fast-break layup over Collison for a three-point play that gave the Kings a 42-29 lead late in the second quarter.
Francisco Garcia highlighted another Sacramento surge in the third quarter. He hit two jumpers and a 3-pointer to put the Kings ahead 71-54 to spark the crowd to life.
The Mavericks found their rhythm late.
James stole Cousins' pass for an uncontested layup, Marion added another steal and threw the ball ahead to Mayo for a layup and Carter converted a running layup to cap a 14-3 run that put the Mavericks up 96-93 with less than 2 minutes remaining in the fourth.
Then Cousins missed a difficult shot in the lane, Marion grabbed the rebound and was fouled. After Marion made both free throws to put Dallas ahead by five, John Salmons hit a 3-pointer.
The Kings forced Dirk Nowitzki to miss a contested jumper. Smart decided not to call timeout, and Carter drew a charge on Salmons. Mayo made 1 of 2 free throws to give the Mavericks a 101-98 lead before Thomas hit the tying 3-pointer to force overtime.
"We've been scratching and clawing of late,'' Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle said, "so it's good to have something to show for it.''
NOTES: The Mavericks improved to 3-7 on the second night of back-to-back games. ... The Kings fell to 10-9 at home. ... Dallas is 6-16 on the road. ... The crowd was announced at 14,011.
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) An elbow from DeMarcus Cousins helped hand the Dallas Mavericks a win and gave Sacramento fans another stinger.
O.J. Mayo had 24 points and 10 rebounds, Vince Carter scored 23 points off the bench and the Mavericks took advantage of a flagrant foul by Cousins to rally from 17 points down to beat the Kings 117-112 in overtime Thursday night.
With the franchise's possible sale and relocation to Seattle on the minds of Kings fans, Cousins finished with 29 points and nine rebounds before getting ejected in overtime for elbowing Carter in the face. Officials reviewed the played and upgraded the call from a flagrant 1 to a flagrant 2 foul. It also was Cousins' sixth personal foul.
"It's one of those things that you see coming but you can't move fast enough,'' Carter said.
Shawn Marion added 19 points and 10 rebounds to help the Mavericks snap a four-game losing streak. Dallas, which had lost 10 of 11, finished its short road trip 1-2.
Tyreke Evans scored 20 points and Isaiah Thomas had 18 points for the Kings, who dropped their third straight game. Sacramento outshot the Mavericks 49 to 42 percent but finished just 5 for 21 on 3-pointers and committed 20 turnovers. Dallas also outrebounded the Kings 52 to 41.
Even after blowing the big lead, Sacramento still had a shot to win.
Cousins, who has been suspended twice by the NBA and once by the Kings this season because of his actions, lost the ball driving in the lane and elbowed Carter once the ball squirted away with 41.9 seconds to play. Cousins could also face another suspension from the league before Saturday night's home game against the Miami Heat.
"I swear to God I didn't try to do that. I'm just tired of being in these situations,'' Cousins said. "I'm pretty sure my reputation will come into play with the decision, but hopefully they'll realize it wasn't intentional.''
The Mavericks had chances to end the game in regulation.
After Mayo made 1 of 2 free throws to put Dallas ahead 101-98, Thomas banked a 3-pointer off the glass and in the face of Mike James with 9.1 seconds remaining. The Kings twice knocked the ball out of bounds in the half court and forced Darren Collison to take a fadeway jumper that bounced off the rim to send the game to overtime.
Carter hit both free throws following the flagrant foul in the extra period and the Mavericks got the ball. Shawn Marion, who had 19 points and 10 rebounds, later made another pair to put Dallas ahead 115-110 to seal the victory.
"Once it got to overtime, we said, "We're going to win this game,''' Marion said. "It's a baby step in the right direction. We just got to keep crawling.''
The game marked the first time the Kings played since the latest - and perhaps most serious - round of relocation talks began a day earlier, when word spread that Seattle investor Chris Hansen has contacted the Maloof family about buying the Kings. No deal has been reached yet.
Newspaper and television reporters from Seattle showed up along with an increased local media presence. Fans contemplated whether they should keep supporting a team they love. Ushers and parking attendants who depend on the team for work approached reporters asking if they knew what might happen.
Even players and coaches admitted all the attention made it difficult to focus on the game.
"It's definitely going to be a distraction,'' Kings coach Keith Smart said before the game. "But we're pros. We've got to figure out a way how to separate the two and then get ready to play.''
The crowd remained its usual scattered, and sometimes spirited, self this season.
So did both struggling teams.
Evans ignited Sacramento's stagnant start when he scored the final seven points of a 13-0 spurt, capped with a steal and fast-break layup over Collison for a three-point play that gave the Kings a 42-29 lead late in the second quarter.
Francisco Garcia highlighted another Sacramento surge in the third quarter. He hit two jumpers and a 3-pointer to put the Kings ahead 71-54 to spark the crowd to life.
The Mavericks found their rhythm late.
James stole Cousins' pass for an uncontested layup, Marion added another steal and threw the ball ahead to Mayo for a layup and Carter converted a running layup to cap a 14-3 run that put the Mavericks up 96-93 with less than 2 minutes remaining in the fourth.
Then Cousins missed a difficult shot in the lane, Marion grabbed the rebound and was fouled. After Marion made both free throws to put Dallas ahead by five, John Salmons hit a 3-pointer.
The Kings forced Dirk Nowitzki to miss a contested jumper. Smart decided not to call timeout, and Carter drew a charge on Salmons. Mayo made 1 of 2 free throws to give the Mavericks a 101-98 lead before Thomas hit the tying 3-pointer to force overtime.
"We've been scratching and clawing of late,'' Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle said, "so it's good to have something to show for it.''
NOTES: The Mavericks improved to 3-7 on the second night of back-to-back games. ... The Kings fell to 10-9 at home. ... Dallas is 6-16 on the road. ... The crowd was announced at 14,011.
George leads Pacers past short-handed Knicks 81-76
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) First the Heat, now the Knicks.
The Indiana Pacers are proving they can beat up on everyone in the Eastern Conference these days.
Paul George scored seven of his 25 points during a decisive 13-0 fourth-quarter run, leading the Pacers past New York 81-76 on a night the Knicks were without their top scorer, Carmelo Anthony. Indiana has won 12 of 15 and swept the two other Eastern Conference division leaders this week.
"We want to compete for the one and two (seeds) and for sure want to compete for the No. 1 spot,'' George said. "We probably could be pushing one or two if we would have started off playing the way we're playing right now.''
Clearly, the Knicks (23-12) weren't the same without their All-Star forward, who was suspended for the game after Monday's postgame confrontation with Boston's Kevin Garnett. They finished with a season-low point total, shot just 34.8 percent from the field and 20 percent from 3-point range.
And the Pacers (22-14) took Anthony's absence by pulling off a rare double - beating defending champion Miami and Atlantic Division-leading New York - in back-to-back games.
It's about time. The Pacers came into this season with high expectations, but struggled early as they tried to adjust to life without their top scorer, Danny Granger, who still has not played because of a left knee injury.
Now, they're rolling. Indiana has won nine straight home games, their longest streak since 2002-03, and their suffocating defense limited the short-handed Knicks to just three points over the final 6 1/2 minutes of the first quarter and into 11 straight misses during the opening part of the fourth.
"They did what they had to do to secure the win,'' Knicks coach Mike Woodson said.
Nobody did more than Indiana's new leader.
George started the game by missing his first five shots, but wound up finishing 10 of 24 from the field. He also had 11 rebounds, six steals, five assists and one block on a night point guard George Hill played with bronchitis and All-Star center Roy Hibbert left twice with a bad back.
But George got help from some surprising places.
Ian Mahinmi finished with 13 points and six rebounds, and Lance Stephenson added nine points and seven rebounds.
"He (George) is just blossoming in front of our eyes with special performance after special performance after special performance,'' coach Frank Vogel said. "He's leading our defense, which is becoming a beast and our guys are embracing that identity.''
It wasn't just Anthony who was missing for New York. He spent the day at the team hotel.
Doctors also told Woodson to limit Amare Stoudemire to 21 minutes as he tries to work his way back from October knee surgery. Stoudemire wound up playing 21:31 and scoring nine points, and the Knicks lost starting forward Marcus Camby for all but 2 1/2 minutes of the second half after the longtime veteran re-injured his left foot.
Without those three, the Knicks were led by J.R. Smith, who had 25 points and almost single-handedly rallied the Knicks in the second half. Tyson Chandler had 12 points and 15 rebounds, and nobody else scored more than eight.
"We are short-handed, we've got two starters on the bench,'' Woodson said, telling reporters that Camby's injury would be evaluated after the team returned home. "But the effort was great. We need to keep this up.''
After New York fell behind 49-38 early in the third quarter, Smith led the Knicks on a 13-3 run that cut the deficit to 52-51. He closed the quarter by scoring four more to give New York a 60-58. Chandler opened the fourth with a driving dunk to give New York a 62-58 lead.
That's when George took over.
He drove in for a layup, then stole the ball and drove in for a dunk to tie the score at 62. After Gerald Green's 3-pointer broke the tie and Mahinmi hit a 20-foot jumper, George came up with another steal and layup and Mahinmi finished the run with a dunk. Suddenly, Indiana led 71-62 with 4:57 to play and New York never seriously challenged again.
"It's good that we got those wins,'' George said. "They are great quality wins against two great teams in the East right now. Everybody takes great pride in guarding their guys. Nobody wants to get scored on, on this team.''
NOTES: Former Pacers star and new Hall of Famer Reggie Miller was honored with a special video during the first quarter. Fans gave him a standing ovation and chanted "Reg-gie! Reg-gie!'' as the TNT broadcaster attempted to focus on his work. ... Colts coach Chuck Pagano was given a standing ovation when he was introduced during the second quarter. ... The Knicks had won four of the previous five meetings in this series. ... Indiana shot 39.2 percent from the field and has now six games when shooting less than 40 percent.
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) First the Heat, now the Knicks.
The Indiana Pacers are proving they can beat up on everyone in the Eastern Conference these days.
Paul George scored seven of his 25 points during a decisive 13-0 fourth-quarter run, leading the Pacers past New York 81-76 on a night the Knicks were without their top scorer, Carmelo Anthony. Indiana has won 12 of 15 and swept the two other Eastern Conference division leaders this week.
"We want to compete for the one and two (seeds) and for sure want to compete for the No. 1 spot,'' George said. "We probably could be pushing one or two if we would have started off playing the way we're playing right now.''
Clearly, the Knicks (23-12) weren't the same without their All-Star forward, who was suspended for the game after Monday's postgame confrontation with Boston's Kevin Garnett. They finished with a season-low point total, shot just 34.8 percent from the field and 20 percent from 3-point range.
And the Pacers (22-14) took Anthony's absence by pulling off a rare double - beating defending champion Miami and Atlantic Division-leading New York - in back-to-back games.
It's about time. The Pacers came into this season with high expectations, but struggled early as they tried to adjust to life without their top scorer, Danny Granger, who still has not played because of a left knee injury.
Now, they're rolling. Indiana has won nine straight home games, their longest streak since 2002-03, and their suffocating defense limited the short-handed Knicks to just three points over the final 6 1/2 minutes of the first quarter and into 11 straight misses during the opening part of the fourth.
"They did what they had to do to secure the win,'' Knicks coach Mike Woodson said.
Nobody did more than Indiana's new leader.
George started the game by missing his first five shots, but wound up finishing 10 of 24 from the field. He also had 11 rebounds, six steals, five assists and one block on a night point guard George Hill played with bronchitis and All-Star center Roy Hibbert left twice with a bad back.
But George got help from some surprising places.
Ian Mahinmi finished with 13 points and six rebounds, and Lance Stephenson added nine points and seven rebounds.
"He (George) is just blossoming in front of our eyes with special performance after special performance after special performance,'' coach Frank Vogel said. "He's leading our defense, which is becoming a beast and our guys are embracing that identity.''
It wasn't just Anthony who was missing for New York. He spent the day at the team hotel.
Doctors also told Woodson to limit Amare Stoudemire to 21 minutes as he tries to work his way back from October knee surgery. Stoudemire wound up playing 21:31 and scoring nine points, and the Knicks lost starting forward Marcus Camby for all but 2 1/2 minutes of the second half after the longtime veteran re-injured his left foot.
Without those three, the Knicks were led by J.R. Smith, who had 25 points and almost single-handedly rallied the Knicks in the second half. Tyson Chandler had 12 points and 15 rebounds, and nobody else scored more than eight.
"We are short-handed, we've got two starters on the bench,'' Woodson said, telling reporters that Camby's injury would be evaluated after the team returned home. "But the effort was great. We need to keep this up.''
After New York fell behind 49-38 early in the third quarter, Smith led the Knicks on a 13-3 run that cut the deficit to 52-51. He closed the quarter by scoring four more to give New York a 60-58. Chandler opened the fourth with a driving dunk to give New York a 62-58 lead.
That's when George took over.
He drove in for a layup, then stole the ball and drove in for a dunk to tie the score at 62. After Gerald Green's 3-pointer broke the tie and Mahinmi hit a 20-foot jumper, George came up with another steal and layup and Mahinmi finished the run with a dunk. Suddenly, Indiana led 71-62 with 4:57 to play and New York never seriously challenged again.
"It's good that we got those wins,'' George said. "They are great quality wins against two great teams in the East right now. Everybody takes great pride in guarding their guys. Nobody wants to get scored on, on this team.''
NOTES: Former Pacers star and new Hall of Famer Reggie Miller was honored with a special video during the first quarter. Fans gave him a standing ovation and chanted "Reg-gie! Reg-gie!'' as the TNT broadcaster attempted to focus on his work. ... Colts coach Chuck Pagano was given a standing ovation when he was introduced during the second quarter. ... The Knicks had won four of the previous five meetings in this series. ... Indiana shot 39.2 percent from the field and has now six games when shooting less than 40 percent.
Blazers come from behind to beat Heat 92-90
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) The upstart Portland Trail Blazers would not allow the Miami Heat to pull out of its funk.
Wesley Matthews hit a 3-pointer to put Portland in front with 26.9 seconds left and the Blazers hung on to beat Miami 92-90 Thursday night for their fourth straight win and ninth straight at the Rose Garden.
The Blazers (20-15) are now 12-3 in their last 15 games.
"Our confidence is extremely high,'' Matthews said. "Playing hard, playing well, we're having fun out there. So that's a great combination.''
The Heat, meanwhile, have lost two straight and five of eight, yet the defending NBA champions are still 23-11 and lead the Eastern Conference by a half-game over New York.
LeBron James had 15 points, snapping his 54-game streak with at least 20 points that dated back to last season. It was his lowest point total in the last 76 regular-season and playoff contests. But James did have 10 rebounds and nine assists against Portland.
Miami led by as many as 13 points, including a 52-39 advantage at the half, but Nicolas Batum hit a layup and a free throw with 4:03 left that pulled Portland into an 82-all tie. The Blazers couldn't go ahead and Bosh made a 3 to make it 87-84 with 1:53 left.
Matthews made a 3-pointer to tie it at 88 with just under a minute to go, and after Chris Bosh dunked, Matthews hit another 3 to finally give the Blazers a 91-90 lead. LaMarcus Aldridge missed the first of two free throws with 10.4 seconds left for the final margin.
Mario Chalmers missed a 3-pointer for the Heat as time ran out.
Batum led the Blazers with 28 points, and Aldridge had 20 points and 15 rebounds. Matthews finished with 18 points.
"It felt great,'' Matthews said about his go-ahead 3. "It looked better.''
Bosh had 29 points for the Eastern Conference-leading Heat, who were coming off an 87-77 loss to the Pacers on Tuesday night. Dwyane Wade had 18 points.
"You can beat yourself up because you want it so bad, but there are the kind of games where you say, "Listen, a team beat us when we played our game,' so you pat them on the back and say, "Good job,''' Wade said.
Portland was coming off a 125-119 win in overtime over Orlando at the Rose Garden on Monday night.
The Blazers led 12-10 early, but missed eight straight shots and Miami took an 18-12 lead on Wade's fast-break layup with 3:25 left in the first quarter. The Heat went up 32-24 on Ray Allen's 3-pointer early in the second.
The Heat extended it with James' dunk and Wade's hook shot to make it 52-39 at the half.
Bosh had nine points in the first eight minutes of the second half as the Heat kept a fairly wide margin. But Portland closed in late when Matthews and Batum made back-to-back layups to make it 65-61. Norris Cole quieted the crowd by answering with a 3-pointer for the Heat.
Batum's 3-pointer and Matthew's fade-away jumper narrowed it to 82-79 with 4:53 left. After rookie Damian Lillard missed a couple of free throws, Batum made a layup and a free throw to tie it up.
"It's an understatement to say it's great to beat Miami. They're a great team, defending champs,'' Blazers coach Terry Stotts said. "I gotta hand it to our guys for sticking with it. You keep competition, playing through and finding a way to win games. That's kind of what we did tonight and kind of what we've been doing most of the season.''
Lillard, the reigning repeat NBA Rookie of the Month, had 10 points and eight assists and became the first NBA player to make at least 75 3-pointers in his first 35 career games since Allen Iverson in 1996-97.
The Heat were without Shane Battier, who has a sore right hamstring. The move was proactive, coach Eric Spoelstra said before the game.
"It was never a strain, it's just very sore,'' he said. "But those things can be tricky.''
It was the second of a six game road trip for the Heat, who fell to 7-8 on the road this season.
NOTES: Stotts was back after missing practice on Wednesday with a flu bug. Luckily, he said, his mother was visiting. "My wife was out of town so my mom took care of me,'' the coach said. ... The Heat signed forward Jarvis Varnado to a 10-day contract on Wednesday. Varnado played in five games earlier this season with the Boston Celtics, scoring six points in a total of 18 minutes. The Celtics waived him on Sunday. ... Portland rookie center Meyers Leonard is a ways off from returning from a sprained right ankle. "I wouldn't give him a timeline, but he's not close,'' Stotts said. ... Mariners pitcher Felix Hernandez was at the game.
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) The upstart Portland Trail Blazers would not allow the Miami Heat to pull out of its funk.
Wesley Matthews hit a 3-pointer to put Portland in front with 26.9 seconds left and the Blazers hung on to beat Miami 92-90 Thursday night for their fourth straight win and ninth straight at the Rose Garden.
The Blazers (20-15) are now 12-3 in their last 15 games.
"Our confidence is extremely high,'' Matthews said. "Playing hard, playing well, we're having fun out there. So that's a great combination.''
The Heat, meanwhile, have lost two straight and five of eight, yet the defending NBA champions are still 23-11 and lead the Eastern Conference by a half-game over New York.
LeBron James had 15 points, snapping his 54-game streak with at least 20 points that dated back to last season. It was his lowest point total in the last 76 regular-season and playoff contests. But James did have 10 rebounds and nine assists against Portland.
Miami led by as many as 13 points, including a 52-39 advantage at the half, but Nicolas Batum hit a layup and a free throw with 4:03 left that pulled Portland into an 82-all tie. The Blazers couldn't go ahead and Bosh made a 3 to make it 87-84 with 1:53 left.
Matthews made a 3-pointer to tie it at 88 with just under a minute to go, and after Chris Bosh dunked, Matthews hit another 3 to finally give the Blazers a 91-90 lead. LaMarcus Aldridge missed the first of two free throws with 10.4 seconds left for the final margin.
Mario Chalmers missed a 3-pointer for the Heat as time ran out.
Batum led the Blazers with 28 points, and Aldridge had 20 points and 15 rebounds. Matthews finished with 18 points.
"It felt great,'' Matthews said about his go-ahead 3. "It looked better.''
Bosh had 29 points for the Eastern Conference-leading Heat, who were coming off an 87-77 loss to the Pacers on Tuesday night. Dwyane Wade had 18 points.
"You can beat yourself up because you want it so bad, but there are the kind of games where you say, "Listen, a team beat us when we played our game,' so you pat them on the back and say, "Good job,''' Wade said.
Portland was coming off a 125-119 win in overtime over Orlando at the Rose Garden on Monday night.
The Blazers led 12-10 early, but missed eight straight shots and Miami took an 18-12 lead on Wade's fast-break layup with 3:25 left in the first quarter. The Heat went up 32-24 on Ray Allen's 3-pointer early in the second.
The Heat extended it with James' dunk and Wade's hook shot to make it 52-39 at the half.
Bosh had nine points in the first eight minutes of the second half as the Heat kept a fairly wide margin. But Portland closed in late when Matthews and Batum made back-to-back layups to make it 65-61. Norris Cole quieted the crowd by answering with a 3-pointer for the Heat.
Batum's 3-pointer and Matthew's fade-away jumper narrowed it to 82-79 with 4:53 left. After rookie Damian Lillard missed a couple of free throws, Batum made a layup and a free throw to tie it up.
"It's an understatement to say it's great to beat Miami. They're a great team, defending champs,'' Blazers coach Terry Stotts said. "I gotta hand it to our guys for sticking with it. You keep competition, playing through and finding a way to win games. That's kind of what we did tonight and kind of what we've been doing most of the season.''
Lillard, the reigning repeat NBA Rookie of the Month, had 10 points and eight assists and became the first NBA player to make at least 75 3-pointers in his first 35 career games since Allen Iverson in 1996-97.
The Heat were without Shane Battier, who has a sore right hamstring. The move was proactive, coach Eric Spoelstra said before the game.
"It was never a strain, it's just very sore,'' he said. "But those things can be tricky.''
It was the second of a six game road trip for the Heat, who fell to 7-8 on the road this season.
NOTES: Stotts was back after missing practice on Wednesday with a flu bug. Luckily, he said, his mother was visiting. "My wife was out of town so my mom took care of me,'' the coach said. ... The Heat signed forward Jarvis Varnado to a 10-day contract on Wednesday. Varnado played in five games earlier this season with the Boston Celtics, scoring six points in a total of 18 minutes. The Celtics waived him on Sunday. ... Portland rookie center Meyers Leonard is a ways off from returning from a sprained right ankle. "I wouldn't give him a timeline, but he's not close,'' Stotts said. ... Mariners pitcher Felix Hernandez was at the game.
'I'm back': Wall has 14; Wizards top Hawks 93-83
WASHINGTON (AP) In the fourth quarter, when he had shook off the nerves and rust and finally found his legs, John Wall starting yelling: "I'm back.''
"That's what I was saying the whole time,'' Wall said. "To anybody. I was just happy to be playing basketball. To whoever was in my way, that's what I was saying.''
Wall made his season debut Saturday night, giving his teammates a lift with 14 points and four assists in 21 minutes, highlighted by a left-handed behind-the-back assist when the Washington Wizards were putting the game away in the final minutes.
Saturday night's 93-83 victory over the Atlanta Hawks gave the worst-in-NBA Wizards their first winning streak of the season, and a psychological high point now that their franchise player is healthy again.
"Still the same year,'' Wizards guard A.J. Price said. "But definitely new life.''
Trying not to get carried away in his return from a knee injury, Wall went 5 for 11 from the field and 4 for 5 from the free-throw line, saluting the crowd as they gave him a standing ovation when he entered with 4:56 remaining in the first quarter, and again when he fed rookie Bradley Beal for a fast-break dunk, and one more time at the final whistle.
"I was just nervous to see how I would feel. ... My homeboys-slash-brothers were joking, happy the whole day,'' Wall said. "I'm just trying to stay calm and take a nap.''
Although his playing time will be limited while he gets himself in full playing shape, Wall appeared to have his old speed and explosiveness back. It was his first time teaming with No. 3 overall draft pick Beal, and they gave the fans a taste of the speedy backcourt they had waited so long to see.
"The game is different now,'' Wizards coach Randy Wittman said.
Beal and Price finished with 16 points apiece, and Martell Webster added 15 for the Wizards, who are 6-28 but have strung together two wins in a row following their upset of Oklahoma City on Monday.
Jeff Teague scored 19 points, Al Horford had 16 points and 12 rebounds, and Josh Smith added 11 points for the Hawks, who trailed the entire second half and have lost five of six. Atlanta had won 18 of its previous 19 against Washington, including six in a row.
The Hawks were let down by their defense and took too many 3-point shots (24), but Wall was a difference as well.
"He's gonna give them a different dynamic,'' Hawks guard Lou Williams said. "Tonight, I think he played well enough to get them over the hump.''
The lowlight for the Hawks came when Ivan Johnson missed a wide-open layup by throwing the ball completely over the basket and catching it on the other side, thus committing a traveling violation. The basket would have cut the Wizards' lead to four with about 9 minutes to play.
"We had opportunities, and just some plays went wrong,'' Teague said. "We had some turnovers.''
Wall was expected to miss about two months when he was diagnosed with a stress injury to his left kneecap in late September. He began increasing his basketball activity last month, but it wasn't until Wednesday that he had his first full-throttle practice with the team.
After three consecutive days of pain-free workouts, Wall was given medical clearance Friday to suit up. He hit the floor a couple of times Saturday trying to take a charge, but bounced up with no apparent issues with his knee.
Even with Wall's return, the Wizards are far from healthy. Jordan Crawford (sore left ankle) and Cartier Martin (hyperextended left knee) remain sidelined, and four other players are having their playing time monitored. Trevor Booker returned Saturday after missing 24 games with a strained right knee. Price and Trevor Ariza returned from long injury layoffs in Monday's win over the Thunder, and Nene is nursing tendinitis in his right knee.
And, by the way, Wittman told his players that, in his opinion, they don't really have a winning streak yet.
"They say a winning streak is three, so we've got to get this third one,'' he said.
NOTES: The Hawks were called for three technicals: Smith and Williams in the first quarter, and Teague as part of a double-technical with Kevin Seraphin in the fourth. ... Wizards F Jan Vesely played four minutes and committed five fouls. ... It must be NFL playoff time: Random cheers were heard throughout the game whenever the Baltimore Ravens made a big play in their overtime win over the Denver Broncos.
WASHINGTON (AP) In the fourth quarter, when he had shook off the nerves and rust and finally found his legs, John Wall starting yelling: "I'm back.''
"That's what I was saying the whole time,'' Wall said. "To anybody. I was just happy to be playing basketball. To whoever was in my way, that's what I was saying.''
Wall made his season debut Saturday night, giving his teammates a lift with 14 points and four assists in 21 minutes, highlighted by a left-handed behind-the-back assist when the Washington Wizards were putting the game away in the final minutes.
Saturday night's 93-83 victory over the Atlanta Hawks gave the worst-in-NBA Wizards their first winning streak of the season, and a psychological high point now that their franchise player is healthy again.
"Still the same year,'' Wizards guard A.J. Price said. "But definitely new life.''
Trying not to get carried away in his return from a knee injury, Wall went 5 for 11 from the field and 4 for 5 from the free-throw line, saluting the crowd as they gave him a standing ovation when he entered with 4:56 remaining in the first quarter, and again when he fed rookie Bradley Beal for a fast-break dunk, and one more time at the final whistle.
"I was just nervous to see how I would feel. ... My homeboys-slash-brothers were joking, happy the whole day,'' Wall said. "I'm just trying to stay calm and take a nap.''
Although his playing time will be limited while he gets himself in full playing shape, Wall appeared to have his old speed and explosiveness back. It was his first time teaming with No. 3 overall draft pick Beal, and they gave the fans a taste of the speedy backcourt they had waited so long to see.
"The game is different now,'' Wizards coach Randy Wittman said.
Beal and Price finished with 16 points apiece, and Martell Webster added 15 for the Wizards, who are 6-28 but have strung together two wins in a row following their upset of Oklahoma City on Monday.
Jeff Teague scored 19 points, Al Horford had 16 points and 12 rebounds, and Josh Smith added 11 points for the Hawks, who trailed the entire second half and have lost five of six. Atlanta had won 18 of its previous 19 against Washington, including six in a row.
The Hawks were let down by their defense and took too many 3-point shots (24), but Wall was a difference as well.
"He's gonna give them a different dynamic,'' Hawks guard Lou Williams said. "Tonight, I think he played well enough to get them over the hump.''
The lowlight for the Hawks came when Ivan Johnson missed a wide-open layup by throwing the ball completely over the basket and catching it on the other side, thus committing a traveling violation. The basket would have cut the Wizards' lead to four with about 9 minutes to play.
"We had opportunities, and just some plays went wrong,'' Teague said. "We had some turnovers.''
Wall was expected to miss about two months when he was diagnosed with a stress injury to his left kneecap in late September. He began increasing his basketball activity last month, but it wasn't until Wednesday that he had his first full-throttle practice with the team.
After three consecutive days of pain-free workouts, Wall was given medical clearance Friday to suit up. He hit the floor a couple of times Saturday trying to take a charge, but bounced up with no apparent issues with his knee.
Even with Wall's return, the Wizards are far from healthy. Jordan Crawford (sore left ankle) and Cartier Martin (hyperextended left knee) remain sidelined, and four other players are having their playing time monitored. Trevor Booker returned Saturday after missing 24 games with a strained right knee. Price and Trevor Ariza returned from long injury layoffs in Monday's win over the Thunder, and Nene is nursing tendinitis in his right knee.
And, by the way, Wittman told his players that, in his opinion, they don't really have a winning streak yet.
"They say a winning streak is three, so we've got to get this third one,'' he said.
NOTES: The Hawks were called for three technicals: Smith and Williams in the first quarter, and Teague as part of a double-technical with Kevin Seraphin in the fourth. ... Wizards F Jan Vesely played four minutes and committed five fouls. ... It must be NFL playoff time: Random cheers were heard throughout the game whenever the Baltimore Ravens made a big play in their overtime win over the Denver Broncos.
Magic beat Clippers 104-101 to end 10-game skid
LOS ANGELES (AP) Two streaking teams going in opposite directions. The Clippers, co-owners of the NBA's best record and on a roll at home. The Magic, playing opponents close only to fall short while piling up the franchise's longest skid since the 2003-04 season.
Something had to give, and this time, it was the Clippers.
J.J. Redick gave Orlando its first lead of the game on a 3-pointer with 42 seconds left, Arron Afflalo tied his season high with 30 points, and the Magic won 104-101 on Saturday to snap a 10-game skid.
"It wasn't a letdown by us. Don't try to take anything away from them,'' Clippers guard Chris Paul said. "They made tough shot after tough shot. J.J. Reddick had a hand in his face half the time.''
The loss ended the Clippers' franchise-record, 13-game home-winning streak and provided them with a scare when All-Star Paul went down holding his right knee with 54 seconds to go.
"It was real scary,'' Paul said. "I was looking up, trying to run down the ball, and J.J. Redick and I bumped knees.''
Paul returned after a timeout and hit a 15-footer to draw his team within one with 33 seconds left.
But the Clippers turned the ball over on Jamal Crawford's offensive foul, with Redick drawing the charge.
"I got the ball in transition and I thought I saw Matt (Barnes) over there,'' Crawford said. "I thought I made the right decision, but J.J. Redick guessed right. I thought he was going to rotate, so I faced it. When I put the ball down he stayed there, so lucky guess.''
Josh McRoberts found Nikola Vucevic open under the basket, and Vucevic dunked to extend Orlando's lead to 104-101 with 8 seconds left.
After a timeout, Crawford missed a 3-pointer as time expired.
"We got muffled a little, so we tried to make the best out of the situation,'' he said.
The Clippers were 6 of 6 from the free throw line, and Orlando was 15 of 19.
"That's unheard of,'' Paul said. "Blake (Griffin) takes 22 shots and no free throws. That's not typical for us.''
Redick added 21 points, and Vucevic had 18 points and 15 rebounds for the injury-riddled Magic, who also stopped a four-game road losing streak. They completed a sweep of the LA teams, having beaten the Lakers 113-103 at Staples Center on Dec. 2, when Afflalo also scored 30 points.
"Too bad we can't play here all year,'' said Afflalo, who starred at UCLA before Vucevic played across town at Southern California. "I was the sour grape at the end letting guys know this only counts as one game.''
Griffin tied his season-high with 30 points, Crawford added 13 points, and Paul had 10 points and 16 assists for the Clippers.
"This was a bad loss,'' Griffin said. "We have to get back to what made us successful and what got us here. That was our defensive intensity and everybody contributing and everybody having a fire out there.''
Crawford's 3-pointer gave the Clippers a 95-87 lead in the fourth. But the Magic rallied to tie the game at 95-all with eight straight points. The run was capped by Vucevic's jumper after Afflalo made a 3-pointer while being fouled by Barnes, who picked up his fifth.
"An embarrassing performance for us,'' Clippers coach Vinny Del Negro said. "We got what we deserved.''
The Magic had earlier fourth-quarter leads against Miami, the Knicks, Portland and Denver this season, but were unable to finish. Not this time against a sluggish Clippers team that was coming off two days' rest, as was the Magic.
"We weren't just losing and not giving the effort,'' Afflalo said. "We were losing very close games and we kept fighting.''
The Magic had been struggling since big man Glen Davis hurt his left shoulder on Dec. 19. They finally won their first game without him, improving to 6-11 on the road and 13-23 overall since he got injured.
"We were able to put it together, and some things went our way,'' Orlando coach Jacque Vaughn said. "We earned it.''
Orlando opened the third with a 17-9 run, including 12 by Afflalo to make it 66-66.
"Seven of our last 10 games have all been one possession games at one point or another in the last minute and we just haven't had the ball bounce our way,'' Redick said. "The law of averages worked out.''
Powered by Griffin, the Clippers ended the period on an identical 17-9 spurt to lead 83-75. Griffin scored their final 10 points, highlighted by an alley-oop dunk and back-to-back hook shots, the latter banking in on a turnaround move.
Grant Hill made his season debut for the Clippers, entering the game to a standing ovation in the fourth. The seven-time All-Star had missed 36 games with a bone bruise in his right knee. He made two free throws and had two rebounds in six minutes.
"When Vinny called my number, I was really nervous,'' he said. "But that's part of it, the butterflies. It's still kind of new, getting out there and playing with this team. The most important thing is that my knee felt good. My legs were a little heavy. But I passed the test.''
The Clippers led by 13 points twice in the first half. The Magic tied the game three times in the second quarter before the Clippers restored their lead to double digits on a 3-pointer by Paul that capped a 13-0 run.
NOTES: Hill played his 998th NBA game. He hadn't played since Oct. 13 when he had eight points and three rebounds in an exhibition game against Miami in Shanghai. ... Vaughn said Davis is progressing back in Orlando and there's "nothing negative'' in his rehab. ... Del Negro watched his alma mater, 20th-ranked North Carolina State, upset No. 1 Duke before his game. ... Vaughn spent the team's off day visiting his parents in nearby Pasadena, where he starred as a prep player. ... Shaquille O'Neal sat courtside wearing a Dodgers hoodie, while Dodgers manager Don Mattingly attended, too.
LOS ANGELES (AP) Two streaking teams going in opposite directions. The Clippers, co-owners of the NBA's best record and on a roll at home. The Magic, playing opponents close only to fall short while piling up the franchise's longest skid since the 2003-04 season.
Something had to give, and this time, it was the Clippers.
J.J. Redick gave Orlando its first lead of the game on a 3-pointer with 42 seconds left, Arron Afflalo tied his season high with 30 points, and the Magic won 104-101 on Saturday to snap a 10-game skid.
"It wasn't a letdown by us. Don't try to take anything away from them,'' Clippers guard Chris Paul said. "They made tough shot after tough shot. J.J. Reddick had a hand in his face half the time.''
The loss ended the Clippers' franchise-record, 13-game home-winning streak and provided them with a scare when All-Star Paul went down holding his right knee with 54 seconds to go.
"It was real scary,'' Paul said. "I was looking up, trying to run down the ball, and J.J. Redick and I bumped knees.''
Paul returned after a timeout and hit a 15-footer to draw his team within one with 33 seconds left.
But the Clippers turned the ball over on Jamal Crawford's offensive foul, with Redick drawing the charge.
"I got the ball in transition and I thought I saw Matt (Barnes) over there,'' Crawford said. "I thought I made the right decision, but J.J. Redick guessed right. I thought he was going to rotate, so I faced it. When I put the ball down he stayed there, so lucky guess.''
Josh McRoberts found Nikola Vucevic open under the basket, and Vucevic dunked to extend Orlando's lead to 104-101 with 8 seconds left.
After a timeout, Crawford missed a 3-pointer as time expired.
"We got muffled a little, so we tried to make the best out of the situation,'' he said.
The Clippers were 6 of 6 from the free throw line, and Orlando was 15 of 19.
"That's unheard of,'' Paul said. "Blake (Griffin) takes 22 shots and no free throws. That's not typical for us.''
Redick added 21 points, and Vucevic had 18 points and 15 rebounds for the injury-riddled Magic, who also stopped a four-game road losing streak. They completed a sweep of the LA teams, having beaten the Lakers 113-103 at Staples Center on Dec. 2, when Afflalo also scored 30 points.
"Too bad we can't play here all year,'' said Afflalo, who starred at UCLA before Vucevic played across town at Southern California. "I was the sour grape at the end letting guys know this only counts as one game.''
Griffin tied his season-high with 30 points, Crawford added 13 points, and Paul had 10 points and 16 assists for the Clippers.
"This was a bad loss,'' Griffin said. "We have to get back to what made us successful and what got us here. That was our defensive intensity and everybody contributing and everybody having a fire out there.''
Crawford's 3-pointer gave the Clippers a 95-87 lead in the fourth. But the Magic rallied to tie the game at 95-all with eight straight points. The run was capped by Vucevic's jumper after Afflalo made a 3-pointer while being fouled by Barnes, who picked up his fifth.
"An embarrassing performance for us,'' Clippers coach Vinny Del Negro said. "We got what we deserved.''
The Magic had earlier fourth-quarter leads against Miami, the Knicks, Portland and Denver this season, but were unable to finish. Not this time against a sluggish Clippers team that was coming off two days' rest, as was the Magic.
"We weren't just losing and not giving the effort,'' Afflalo said. "We were losing very close games and we kept fighting.''
The Magic had been struggling since big man Glen Davis hurt his left shoulder on Dec. 19. They finally won their first game without him, improving to 6-11 on the road and 13-23 overall since he got injured.
"We were able to put it together, and some things went our way,'' Orlando coach Jacque Vaughn said. "We earned it.''
Orlando opened the third with a 17-9 run, including 12 by Afflalo to make it 66-66.
"Seven of our last 10 games have all been one possession games at one point or another in the last minute and we just haven't had the ball bounce our way,'' Redick said. "The law of averages worked out.''
Powered by Griffin, the Clippers ended the period on an identical 17-9 spurt to lead 83-75. Griffin scored their final 10 points, highlighted by an alley-oop dunk and back-to-back hook shots, the latter banking in on a turnaround move.
Grant Hill made his season debut for the Clippers, entering the game to a standing ovation in the fourth. The seven-time All-Star had missed 36 games with a bone bruise in his right knee. He made two free throws and had two rebounds in six minutes.
"When Vinny called my number, I was really nervous,'' he said. "But that's part of it, the butterflies. It's still kind of new, getting out there and playing with this team. The most important thing is that my knee felt good. My legs were a little heavy. But I passed the test.''
The Clippers led by 13 points twice in the first half. The Magic tied the game three times in the second quarter before the Clippers restored their lead to double digits on a 3-pointer by Paul that capped a 13-0 run.
NOTES: Hill played his 998th NBA game. He hadn't played since Oct. 13 when he had eight points and three rebounds in an exhibition game against Miami in Shanghai. ... Vaughn said Davis is progressing back in Orlando and there's "nothing negative'' in his rehab. ... Del Negro watched his alma mater, 20th-ranked North Carolina State, upset No. 1 Duke before his game. ... Vaughn spent the team's off day visiting his parents in nearby Pasadena, where he starred as a prep player. ... Shaquille O'Neal sat courtside wearing a Dodgers hoodie, while Dodgers manager Don Mattingly attended, too.
76ers snap 5-game skid in 107-100 win over Rockets
PHILADELPHIA (AP) The 76ers found the fresh start at home they wanted.
Jrue Holiday scored 30 points, Thaddeus Young had 18 points and 12 rebounds and the Philadelphia 76ers snapped a five-game losing streak with a 107-100 win over the Houston Rockets on Saturday night.
Jason Richardson scored 16 points for the Sixers, who finally return home for a lengthy stint as they try to play their way back into the Eastern Conference playoff race. The Sixers opened a stretch of 12 home games in the next 13 and hope they can start to offset a miserable 2-6 road trip that stretched over the new year. They played 12 of 15 on the road dating back to Dec. 14.
"No excuses, you've got to play all 82,'' coach Doug Collins said. "But when they're bunched like that, it's tough. Over the holidays. We spent Christmas on the road. We spent New Year's on the road. That's not easy. People forget they do have families and they have to give that up.''
The road woes are one reason the Sixers are only 6-16 after a nice 10-6 start to the season. But it's turned into crunch time quickly for the Sixers as they as try and get back to .500 in the next month before the hopeful return of injured center Andrew Bynum.
James Harden led the Rockets with 29 points and Chandler Parsons had 23. Jeremy Lin missed 11 of 13 shots for seven points en route to Houston's third straight loss.
"Every team goes through some adversity and we're going through some a little bit right now,'' coach Kevin McHale said. "We didn't win. We've got to find a way to win.''
Led by 24 points from Holiday, the energetic Sixers built a 14-point lead in the third quarter, and found an offensive touch they've missed for most of the season. The Sixers entered 27th in the NBA in scoring (92.2 points) and regularly failed to even reach 90 points over the last six weeks.
Spencer Hawes hit a jumper early in the fourth to make it 91-82 - the first time in six games the Sixers had scored more than 89 points. The Sixers didn't break 89 in either of their two games before a 103-99 win over the Lakers on Jan. 1.
The cushion almost wasn't enough once Harden tried to take over. Collins called Harden a legitimate MVP candidate and the Houston guard showed why in the fourth. He scored six straight points, including the play of the game, going between his legs in transition and drawing a foul on a bucket over three defenders. Harden's three-point play pulled Houston to 96-93.
For once, the stumbling Sixers didn't break in the waning minutes. Evan Turner, who scored 12 points, fed a long pass to Young for a big dunk on the break and a seven-point lead.
The Rockets missed eight straight shots from the field to lose control of their comeback. Harden fumbled the ball with a minute a left and Young was there to pick it up and fire to Holiday, who took one look over his shoulder and put in the easy layup for a 104-94 lead.
Holiday sank two free throws to hit the 30-point mark, falling three points shy of matching his career high set in November against Phoenix. He made 11 of 22 shots, sank all seven attempts from the free-throw line and had nine assists (with six turnovers).
"We needed it,'' Holiday said. "Going into this home stretch, getting the first one is huge. Home court is big. It's crucial. On the road, we didn't do what we wanted to do. We've got to come here and try and win at home.''
Houston's cold stretch was uncharacteristic of a team that was second in the NBA in scoring (105.60 points) behind Oklahoma City. The Rockets only shot 30 percent from 3-point range (8 of 32) and had no answer to stop Holiday en route to their third straight loss.
"Teams are getting out to some good leads on us and we try and fight back,'' Harden said. "We get it back to a two- or three-point game and then run out of energy.''
Collins has noted this team's missing energy to open second halves over the last month. Against Houston, they started slow, trailing by 11 before ending the quarter on a 20-6 run. Turner scored 12 points in the second quarter to help the Sixers take a 58-50 lead into halftime.
The Sixers held on to avoid a season-high losing streak and win for only the fourth time in 17 games.
NOTES: The Sixers are 15-0 with a lead at the start of the fourth quarter. ... The Sixers play Tuesday at Milwaukee for their only road game until Feb. 13. ... Holiday's great game could have been two points better. He had a jumper at the buzzer to end the third waved off after a review. ... Parsons and Harden combined to miss 13 of 16 3-point attempts.
PHILADELPHIA (AP) The 76ers found the fresh start at home they wanted.
Jrue Holiday scored 30 points, Thaddeus Young had 18 points and 12 rebounds and the Philadelphia 76ers snapped a five-game losing streak with a 107-100 win over the Houston Rockets on Saturday night.
Jason Richardson scored 16 points for the Sixers, who finally return home for a lengthy stint as they try to play their way back into the Eastern Conference playoff race. The Sixers opened a stretch of 12 home games in the next 13 and hope they can start to offset a miserable 2-6 road trip that stretched over the new year. They played 12 of 15 on the road dating back to Dec. 14.
"No excuses, you've got to play all 82,'' coach Doug Collins said. "But when they're bunched like that, it's tough. Over the holidays. We spent Christmas on the road. We spent New Year's on the road. That's not easy. People forget they do have families and they have to give that up.''
The road woes are one reason the Sixers are only 6-16 after a nice 10-6 start to the season. But it's turned into crunch time quickly for the Sixers as they as try and get back to .500 in the next month before the hopeful return of injured center Andrew Bynum.
James Harden led the Rockets with 29 points and Chandler Parsons had 23. Jeremy Lin missed 11 of 13 shots for seven points en route to Houston's third straight loss.
"Every team goes through some adversity and we're going through some a little bit right now,'' coach Kevin McHale said. "We didn't win. We've got to find a way to win.''
Led by 24 points from Holiday, the energetic Sixers built a 14-point lead in the third quarter, and found an offensive touch they've missed for most of the season. The Sixers entered 27th in the NBA in scoring (92.2 points) and regularly failed to even reach 90 points over the last six weeks.
Spencer Hawes hit a jumper early in the fourth to make it 91-82 - the first time in six games the Sixers had scored more than 89 points. The Sixers didn't break 89 in either of their two games before a 103-99 win over the Lakers on Jan. 1.
The cushion almost wasn't enough once Harden tried to take over. Collins called Harden a legitimate MVP candidate and the Houston guard showed why in the fourth. He scored six straight points, including the play of the game, going between his legs in transition and drawing a foul on a bucket over three defenders. Harden's three-point play pulled Houston to 96-93.
For once, the stumbling Sixers didn't break in the waning minutes. Evan Turner, who scored 12 points, fed a long pass to Young for a big dunk on the break and a seven-point lead.
The Rockets missed eight straight shots from the field to lose control of their comeback. Harden fumbled the ball with a minute a left and Young was there to pick it up and fire to Holiday, who took one look over his shoulder and put in the easy layup for a 104-94 lead.
Holiday sank two free throws to hit the 30-point mark, falling three points shy of matching his career high set in November against Phoenix. He made 11 of 22 shots, sank all seven attempts from the free-throw line and had nine assists (with six turnovers).
"We needed it,'' Holiday said. "Going into this home stretch, getting the first one is huge. Home court is big. It's crucial. On the road, we didn't do what we wanted to do. We've got to come here and try and win at home.''
Houston's cold stretch was uncharacteristic of a team that was second in the NBA in scoring (105.60 points) behind Oklahoma City. The Rockets only shot 30 percent from 3-point range (8 of 32) and had no answer to stop Holiday en route to their third straight loss.
"Teams are getting out to some good leads on us and we try and fight back,'' Harden said. "We get it back to a two- or three-point game and then run out of energy.''
Collins has noted this team's missing energy to open second halves over the last month. Against Houston, they started slow, trailing by 11 before ending the quarter on a 20-6 run. Turner scored 12 points in the second quarter to help the Sixers take a 58-50 lead into halftime.
The Sixers held on to avoid a season-high losing streak and win for only the fourth time in 17 games.
NOTES: The Sixers are 15-0 with a lead at the start of the fourth quarter. ... The Sixers play Tuesday at Milwaukee for their only road game until Feb. 13. ... Holiday's great game could have been two points better. He had a jumper at the buzzer to end the third waved off after a review. ... Parsons and Harden combined to miss 13 of 16 3-point attempts.
Jefferson, Hayward help Jazz stop Heat 104-97
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) LeBron James once scored 51 points against the Utah Jazz, and needed 50 on Monday night to become the youngest player to reach 20,000 for his career.
He almost got there.
James scored 32 for the Miami Heat, but the Jazz held on after nearly blowing a 21-point lead and won 104-97.
"We're trying to learn how to push a lead from 20 to 30 and close teams out, but we haven't been able to do that for whatever reason,'' said Jazz guard Gordon Hayward, who finished with 22 points on 8-of-13 shooting. "We need to be able to keep our foot on the gas and not be hesitant.''
Dwyane Wade, who finished with 11 points on 5 of 11 shooting, did not get off the bench in the fourth quarter for the Heat.
"I don't know,'' Wade said. "I just always stay ready.''
Miami pulled within two points on a free throw by Joel Anthony with 3:13 left, but James was called for goaltending and an offensive foul on back-to-back possessions, then missed a 3-pointer with the Heat trailing by six with 2:19 remaining.
His floater in the lane still had Miami within five with 1:25 left, but Hayward hit a 14-foot fadeaway shot with 40 seconds to seal it.
The basket came after yet another offensive rebound by Paul Millsap to give the Jazz a 19-0 edge on second-chance points.
"LeBron still got his numbers, so we didn't do much to control him. But we took everybody else out of the game and kept them from getting theirs,'' said Millsap, who finished with 17 points, nine rebounds and two steals.
"They got no second-chance points, so that was big for us. That means we finished the defensive possessions with a rebound and that let us get out and run a little bit. We controlled the tempo.''
Al Jefferson also turned in a big game after being held to just six points in a 105-89 loss in Miami on Dec. 22. He had 10 after the first quarter and finished with a team-high 23 on 8-of-14 shooting, with 11 rebounds.
He also made 4 of 4 free throws down the stretch.
"The game was too close to be nervous,'' Jefferson said. "I knew they would make their run, they are too good. But when we were only up two, I didn't panic. I knew we had them in the penalty, so we just had to be aggressive.''
It helped that Hayward got a shot to fall in a quarter that saw Utah make just four of 19 overall.
"They caused some trouble. They're a good defensive team and we were indecisive and hesitant,'' Hayward said of the fourth.
Early on, the Heat came out hot, and led 16-8 only to be outscored 37-13 over the next 11 minutes.
The Jazz turned the game with strong play from their reserves, solid defense, hot shooting and second effort. DeMarre Carroll come off the bench to score seven points in four minutes and Jefferson shot 5 of 8 to give the Jazz a 30-25 lead after the first quarter.
Utah opened the second on a 15-4 run to bump its lead to 45-29. The Jazz hit 12 of 15 shots (3 of 4 from beyond the arc) in the quarter (80 percent) and took a 59-44 lead into the break.
Hayward scored 12 points on 5-of-6 shooting in the second quarter, helping the Jazz stretch their lead to 17. Utah's bench dominated, outscoring Miami 33-5 in the first half. The Heat shot 50 percent in the opening two quarters, but couldn't match the 67.6 percent the Jazz were shooting (25 of 37) or their 3-point effort (5 of 7).
"It was low energy,'' James said of falling behind by so many. "Low energy against a team like this on their floor with this amazing crowd, can't play with low energy.''
Heading into Monday's game, James was averaging 30.4 points against the Jazz over his career - his highest against any opponent.
He hit his first three shots and had 11 points after the first and 20 at halftime on 8-of-11 shooting. But he clearly was frustrated as Miami struggled with Utah's size, aggressiveness and hot shooting. He slapped his hands as if to say "Let's go'' after he scored a short jumper that pulled the Heat within 48-33. His dunk after an ugly missed dunk got Miami within 56-42. But Jamaal Tinsley, starting in place of point guard Mo Williams, countered with Utah's fifth 3-pointer of the half.
Asked if he felt alone on the floor, James said he was just trying to make plays.
Carroll and Marvin Williams spent much of the night trying to contain him, along with Millsap.
"Sometimes our guys got beat, but there was another guy right there to confront the ball handler. We helped each other,'' Williams said. "Paul Millsap is tough with a capital T, man. Paul is so mellow, but he is also tough and he doesn't back down from anybody.''
Utah held a 40-23 advantage on the boards, and 47-26 edge in bench scoring.
Chris Bosh added 16 points for Miami and reserve Rashard Lewis had 13.
Heat coach Erik Spoelstra was pleased to see the big rally, but said everyone in the locker room needs to give more for a team that has won just five of its last 11 and has two more games on this six-game road trip.
While James could reach the historic plateau Wednesday at Golden State, the Jazz now have some time to rest. Plus, they have 11 of their next 14 at home where they improved to 12-4.
Randy Foye said the win shows Utah (21-19) can beat anyone "no matter if it's the defending champ or the worst team in the league.
"It's just a big win for us.''
NOTES: Ray Allen entered the game eight points shy from tying Robert Parish (23,334) for 21st on the NBA's career scoring list. He finished with 10. . Referees had security remove a fan who was heckling Wade. . The Jazz had a season-high 20 assists in the first half. . Jefferson recorded his 19th double-double of the season.
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) LeBron James once scored 51 points against the Utah Jazz, and needed 50 on Monday night to become the youngest player to reach 20,000 for his career.
He almost got there.
James scored 32 for the Miami Heat, but the Jazz held on after nearly blowing a 21-point lead and won 104-97.
"We're trying to learn how to push a lead from 20 to 30 and close teams out, but we haven't been able to do that for whatever reason,'' said Jazz guard Gordon Hayward, who finished with 22 points on 8-of-13 shooting. "We need to be able to keep our foot on the gas and not be hesitant.''
Dwyane Wade, who finished with 11 points on 5 of 11 shooting, did not get off the bench in the fourth quarter for the Heat.
"I don't know,'' Wade said. "I just always stay ready.''
Miami pulled within two points on a free throw by Joel Anthony with 3:13 left, but James was called for goaltending and an offensive foul on back-to-back possessions, then missed a 3-pointer with the Heat trailing by six with 2:19 remaining.
His floater in the lane still had Miami within five with 1:25 left, but Hayward hit a 14-foot fadeaway shot with 40 seconds to seal it.
The basket came after yet another offensive rebound by Paul Millsap to give the Jazz a 19-0 edge on second-chance points.
"LeBron still got his numbers, so we didn't do much to control him. But we took everybody else out of the game and kept them from getting theirs,'' said Millsap, who finished with 17 points, nine rebounds and two steals.
"They got no second-chance points, so that was big for us. That means we finished the defensive possessions with a rebound and that let us get out and run a little bit. We controlled the tempo.''
Al Jefferson also turned in a big game after being held to just six points in a 105-89 loss in Miami on Dec. 22. He had 10 after the first quarter and finished with a team-high 23 on 8-of-14 shooting, with 11 rebounds.
He also made 4 of 4 free throws down the stretch.
"The game was too close to be nervous,'' Jefferson said. "I knew they would make their run, they are too good. But when we were only up two, I didn't panic. I knew we had them in the penalty, so we just had to be aggressive.''
It helped that Hayward got a shot to fall in a quarter that saw Utah make just four of 19 overall.
"They caused some trouble. They're a good defensive team and we were indecisive and hesitant,'' Hayward said of the fourth.
Early on, the Heat came out hot, and led 16-8 only to be outscored 37-13 over the next 11 minutes.
The Jazz turned the game with strong play from their reserves, solid defense, hot shooting and second effort. DeMarre Carroll come off the bench to score seven points in four minutes and Jefferson shot 5 of 8 to give the Jazz a 30-25 lead after the first quarter.
Utah opened the second on a 15-4 run to bump its lead to 45-29. The Jazz hit 12 of 15 shots (3 of 4 from beyond the arc) in the quarter (80 percent) and took a 59-44 lead into the break.
Hayward scored 12 points on 5-of-6 shooting in the second quarter, helping the Jazz stretch their lead to 17. Utah's bench dominated, outscoring Miami 33-5 in the first half. The Heat shot 50 percent in the opening two quarters, but couldn't match the 67.6 percent the Jazz were shooting (25 of 37) or their 3-point effort (5 of 7).
"It was low energy,'' James said of falling behind by so many. "Low energy against a team like this on their floor with this amazing crowd, can't play with low energy.''
Heading into Monday's game, James was averaging 30.4 points against the Jazz over his career - his highest against any opponent.
He hit his first three shots and had 11 points after the first and 20 at halftime on 8-of-11 shooting. But he clearly was frustrated as Miami struggled with Utah's size, aggressiveness and hot shooting. He slapped his hands as if to say "Let's go'' after he scored a short jumper that pulled the Heat within 48-33. His dunk after an ugly missed dunk got Miami within 56-42. But Jamaal Tinsley, starting in place of point guard Mo Williams, countered with Utah's fifth 3-pointer of the half.
Asked if he felt alone on the floor, James said he was just trying to make plays.
Carroll and Marvin Williams spent much of the night trying to contain him, along with Millsap.
"Sometimes our guys got beat, but there was another guy right there to confront the ball handler. We helped each other,'' Williams said. "Paul Millsap is tough with a capital T, man. Paul is so mellow, but he is also tough and he doesn't back down from anybody.''
Utah held a 40-23 advantage on the boards, and 47-26 edge in bench scoring.
Chris Bosh added 16 points for Miami and reserve Rashard Lewis had 13.
Heat coach Erik Spoelstra was pleased to see the big rally, but said everyone in the locker room needs to give more for a team that has won just five of its last 11 and has two more games on this six-game road trip.
While James could reach the historic plateau Wednesday at Golden State, the Jazz now have some time to rest. Plus, they have 11 of their next 14 at home where they improved to 12-4.
Randy Foye said the win shows Utah (21-19) can beat anyone "no matter if it's the defending champ or the worst team in the league.
"It's just a big win for us.''
NOTES: Ray Allen entered the game eight points shy from tying Robert Parish (23,334) for 21st on the NBA's career scoring list. He finished with 10. . Referees had security remove a fan who was heckling Wade. . The Jazz had a season-high 20 assists in the first half. . Jefferson recorded his 19th double-double of the season.
Clippers win without CP3, beat Grizzlies 99-73
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) Playing without Chris Paul proved no problem for the Clippers. Not having Rudy Gay was a much bigger issue for the Memphis Grizzlies.
Reserves Jamal Crawford and Matt Barnes each scored 16 points, and the Clippers easily routed the Grizzlies 99-73 Monday night with Paul missing his first game this season because of a bruised right kneecap.
"Missing the best point guard in the world in Chris Paul, we all had to play collectively and step it up, and I thought we did a good job of that,'' Crawford said.
The matchup between two of the best teams in the West wasn't close after the first quarter. While Paul watched from the bench, the Grizzlies were without their leading scorer: Gay was excused for his grandmother's funeral in Baltimore.
This also was the Clippers' first trip to Memphis since they won Game 7 of their opening-round playoff series last May. All they did was match their largest margin of victory on the road this season while holding the Grizzles to a season-low in points and their worst field goal shooting percentage on their home court in franchise history.
"That's why I said before the game that they're the best team in the West, maybe the best team in the league right now,'' Memphis coach Lionel Hollins said of the Clippers.
Eric Bledsoe, starting for Paul, had 14 points, and Blake Griffin scored 10. Clippers coach Vinny Del Negro was able to give nine players at least 17 minutes each before heading to Houston for the second half of a back-to-back Tuesday night.
"We want to be the best team we can, and that's our goal as the season moves on,'' Del Negro said. "I thought we were lacking a lot, but I thought we played well.''
Zach Randolph had 15 for Memphis, which lost its second straight blowout, after losing 104-83 at Dallas on Saturday night. Wayne Ellington added 11 in a rare start in place of Gay, and Darrell Arthur had 10 as the Grizzlies shot just 30.3 percent (27 of 89), a franchise-low at home. Randolph said they really missed Gay's ability to drive and relieve pressure.
"They clogged up the paint on us, make us shoot from outside, make us pass the ball up because they're doubling as soon as we catch it,'' Randolph said. "They're coming from every direction, and that makes us pass out to the perimeter.''
The Clippers had a 40-36 scoring edge in the paint as DeAndre Jordan and Griffin helped limit Randolph to 5-of-16 shooting and Marc Gasol to 4 of 13.
"That's where most of their points were coming from since Rudy wasn't playing,'' Bledsoe said. "I think DJ and Blake, in taking Zach Randolph out of the game, that kind of stopped their offensive game.''
Both teams were coming off losses, but the Clippers responded much better to being without their point guard on the first night of back-to-back road games. The Clippers scored the first five points of the game and went on a 17-2 run in grabbing a 32-19 lead. When Memphis pulled to 36-30, the Clippers answered with a 17-4 spurt and led 53-34 at halftime.
Los Angeles got a big boost from its bench, which outscored Memphis 28-4 in the first half and finished with a 54-26 edge. The Clippers' advantage was so big Griffin played only 25 minutes. The Grizzlies knew how good the Clippers have been on the bench and had their production written on the board in their locker room.
Memphis couldn't match the Clippers' intensity, and Hollins pointed out his Grizzlies couldn't hit teammates for layups on the fast break or down in the post.
"That whole game summed up just that we weren't competing on a high level,'' Hollins said. "They came in here and wanted to show us, and they did.''
The Grizzlies brought back rookie Tony Wroten from Reno in the NBA D-League for depth. Hollins even joked before the game that he was unsure who he'd be subbing in since he started Ellington and Quincy Pondexter was out with an injured knee.
Memphis had its lowest scoring half this season in what was just part of an ugly night all around. The Grizzlies passed 20 points only in the fourth quarter (21) and were so sloppy that at one point in the first half Mike Conley stole the ball off Griffin's pass only to hit Tony Allen in the face with a pass on the other end.
The Clippers didn't ease up in the second half either, opening the third quarter with a 15-6 run. They pushed their lead to 16 points, 68-42, on a pair of free throws by Bledsoe with 4:03 left in the third, and Ryan Hollins' alley-oop dunk with 2:41 gave the Clippers their biggest lead of the night, 95-68.
NOTES: After missing this game, Paul is day to day. ... The Clippers also won by 26 Dec. 15 at Milwaukee. ... The Clippers are 22-6 when their reserves outscore the opponent's bench. ... The Clippers now are 23-2 when leading after the first quarter. They came in second-best in the NBA in that category. ... The Clippers' largest road victory was by 28 on Nov. 6, 2009, at Golden State. ... The Grizzlies' previous low first half was 37 points Dec. 29against Denver, and they had just 36 against Atlanta on Dec. 8 in the second half. ... Memphis scored 80 twice previously this season, winning Dec. 17 against Chicago the last time.
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) Playing without Chris Paul proved no problem for the Clippers. Not having Rudy Gay was a much bigger issue for the Memphis Grizzlies.
Reserves Jamal Crawford and Matt Barnes each scored 16 points, and the Clippers easily routed the Grizzlies 99-73 Monday night with Paul missing his first game this season because of a bruised right kneecap.
"Missing the best point guard in the world in Chris Paul, we all had to play collectively and step it up, and I thought we did a good job of that,'' Crawford said.
The matchup between two of the best teams in the West wasn't close after the first quarter. While Paul watched from the bench, the Grizzlies were without their leading scorer: Gay was excused for his grandmother's funeral in Baltimore.
This also was the Clippers' first trip to Memphis since they won Game 7 of their opening-round playoff series last May. All they did was match their largest margin of victory on the road this season while holding the Grizzles to a season-low in points and their worst field goal shooting percentage on their home court in franchise history.
"That's why I said before the game that they're the best team in the West, maybe the best team in the league right now,'' Memphis coach Lionel Hollins said of the Clippers.
Eric Bledsoe, starting for Paul, had 14 points, and Blake Griffin scored 10. Clippers coach Vinny Del Negro was able to give nine players at least 17 minutes each before heading to Houston for the second half of a back-to-back Tuesday night.
"We want to be the best team we can, and that's our goal as the season moves on,'' Del Negro said. "I thought we were lacking a lot, but I thought we played well.''
Zach Randolph had 15 for Memphis, which lost its second straight blowout, after losing 104-83 at Dallas on Saturday night. Wayne Ellington added 11 in a rare start in place of Gay, and Darrell Arthur had 10 as the Grizzlies shot just 30.3 percent (27 of 89), a franchise-low at home. Randolph said they really missed Gay's ability to drive and relieve pressure.
"They clogged up the paint on us, make us shoot from outside, make us pass the ball up because they're doubling as soon as we catch it,'' Randolph said. "They're coming from every direction, and that makes us pass out to the perimeter.''
The Clippers had a 40-36 scoring edge in the paint as DeAndre Jordan and Griffin helped limit Randolph to 5-of-16 shooting and Marc Gasol to 4 of 13.
"That's where most of their points were coming from since Rudy wasn't playing,'' Bledsoe said. "I think DJ and Blake, in taking Zach Randolph out of the game, that kind of stopped their offensive game.''
Both teams were coming off losses, but the Clippers responded much better to being without their point guard on the first night of back-to-back road games. The Clippers scored the first five points of the game and went on a 17-2 run in grabbing a 32-19 lead. When Memphis pulled to 36-30, the Clippers answered with a 17-4 spurt and led 53-34 at halftime.
Los Angeles got a big boost from its bench, which outscored Memphis 28-4 in the first half and finished with a 54-26 edge. The Clippers' advantage was so big Griffin played only 25 minutes. The Grizzlies knew how good the Clippers have been on the bench and had their production written on the board in their locker room.
Memphis couldn't match the Clippers' intensity, and Hollins pointed out his Grizzlies couldn't hit teammates for layups on the fast break or down in the post.
"That whole game summed up just that we weren't competing on a high level,'' Hollins said. "They came in here and wanted to show us, and they did.''
The Grizzlies brought back rookie Tony Wroten from Reno in the NBA D-League for depth. Hollins even joked before the game that he was unsure who he'd be subbing in since he started Ellington and Quincy Pondexter was out with an injured knee.
Memphis had its lowest scoring half this season in what was just part of an ugly night all around. The Grizzlies passed 20 points only in the fourth quarter (21) and were so sloppy that at one point in the first half Mike Conley stole the ball off Griffin's pass only to hit Tony Allen in the face with a pass on the other end.
The Clippers didn't ease up in the second half either, opening the third quarter with a 15-6 run. They pushed their lead to 16 points, 68-42, on a pair of free throws by Bledsoe with 4:03 left in the third, and Ryan Hollins' alley-oop dunk with 2:41 gave the Clippers their biggest lead of the night, 95-68.
NOTES: After missing this game, Paul is day to day. ... The Clippers also won by 26 Dec. 15 at Milwaukee. ... The Clippers are 22-6 when their reserves outscore the opponent's bench. ... The Clippers now are 23-2 when leading after the first quarter. They came in second-best in the NBA in that category. ... The Clippers' largest road victory was by 28 on Nov. 6, 2009, at Golden State. ... The Grizzlies' previous low first half was 37 points Dec. 29against Denver, and they had just 36 against Atlanta on Dec. 8 in the second half. ... Memphis scored 80 twice previously this season, winning Dec. 17 against Chicago the last time.
Celtics cruise to 100-89 win over Bobcats
BOSTON (AP) It wasn't too long ago that Rajon Rondo was one of the NBA's up-and-coming ball-handlers, trying to show he belonged with veterans like Chris Paul, Jason Kidd and Steve Nash.
Now the Celtics point guard is trying to prove to the youngsters that he can still play.
"I'm getting a little bit older and the younger guys are coming in, and I may have a mark on my back being an older guy, having made a couple of All-Star (games),'' Rondo said after recording his third triple-double of the season on Monday night in a 100-89 victory over the Charlotte Bobcats. "I have a target on my back every night so I just want to go out and do what I do best: run the show and make some shots.''
Rondo scored 17 points with 12 assists and 10 rebounds - his 26th career triple-double, including playoffs. Motivated by facing 22-year-old Charlotte point guard Kemba Walker, Rondo had a hand in the Celtics' first 19 points as they opened a double-digit lead early in the first quarter and coasted to their sixth consecutive victory.
"It's not fun losing. Since we've been winning the locker room is a little bit more relaxed, guys aren't as tense,'' he said. "We lost a couple of games and we never got down. When we play, we play loose. We have smiles on the court. ... It's nice to see that swagger on the court again since we've been winning.''
Paul Pierce scored 19 and Avery Bradley added 16 for Boston. Kevin Garnett, who needed 13 points to tie Patrick Ewing for 16th on the NBA's career scoring list, was 2 for 11 from the field and scored just seven points to go with his 10 rebounds.
Hakim Warrick and Ramon Sessions had 16 points apiece and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist scored 10 with eight rebounds for the Bobcats, who lost their third straight and their 23rd in the last 25 games since opening the season 7-5.
Coach Mike Dunlap said the team had no choice but to keep trying.
"You can't lay down. Nobody's going to feel sorry for you,'' he said. "You have to come every night and compete and hope for the best.''
The Celtics scored 13 of the game's first 15 points and never trailed. Rondo had five assists and seven points in the opening 6:17.
Boston led by as many as 18 in the second quarter before the Bobcats went on a 9-1 run, getting seven points from Kidd-Gilchrist. Charlotte scored 13 of the first 15 points in the second half to tie it on Warrick's steal that set up a dunk by Kidd-Gilchrist.
"Every coach I talk to about (the Bobcats) says the same thing: "They just keep playing,''' Celtics coach Doc Rivers said. "It's hard to do but it's nice to see.''
But the Celtics scored the next seven points, getting a pair of free throws from Garnett and, after Rondo blocked Bismack Biyombo's shot, Jared Sullinger made a hook shot. Brandon Bass stole an errant pass by Walker and Bradley hit a 3-pointer to make it 65-58.
The Bobcats never got within one possession again.
NOTES: Celtics F Chris Wilcox, who is out with a sprained right thumb, did a video chat before the game with fans in Afghanistan. ... The Celtics won all three meetings between the teams last year. ... Walker scored 12 points. He has reached double figures in scoring in 34 of 37 games.
BOSTON (AP) It wasn't too long ago that Rajon Rondo was one of the NBA's up-and-coming ball-handlers, trying to show he belonged with veterans like Chris Paul, Jason Kidd and Steve Nash.
Now the Celtics point guard is trying to prove to the youngsters that he can still play.
"I'm getting a little bit older and the younger guys are coming in, and I may have a mark on my back being an older guy, having made a couple of All-Star (games),'' Rondo said after recording his third triple-double of the season on Monday night in a 100-89 victory over the Charlotte Bobcats. "I have a target on my back every night so I just want to go out and do what I do best: run the show and make some shots.''
Rondo scored 17 points with 12 assists and 10 rebounds - his 26th career triple-double, including playoffs. Motivated by facing 22-year-old Charlotte point guard Kemba Walker, Rondo had a hand in the Celtics' first 19 points as they opened a double-digit lead early in the first quarter and coasted to their sixth consecutive victory.
"It's not fun losing. Since we've been winning the locker room is a little bit more relaxed, guys aren't as tense,'' he said. "We lost a couple of games and we never got down. When we play, we play loose. We have smiles on the court. ... It's nice to see that swagger on the court again since we've been winning.''
Paul Pierce scored 19 and Avery Bradley added 16 for Boston. Kevin Garnett, who needed 13 points to tie Patrick Ewing for 16th on the NBA's career scoring list, was 2 for 11 from the field and scored just seven points to go with his 10 rebounds.
Hakim Warrick and Ramon Sessions had 16 points apiece and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist scored 10 with eight rebounds for the Bobcats, who lost their third straight and their 23rd in the last 25 games since opening the season 7-5.
Coach Mike Dunlap said the team had no choice but to keep trying.
"You can't lay down. Nobody's going to feel sorry for you,'' he said. "You have to come every night and compete and hope for the best.''
The Celtics scored 13 of the game's first 15 points and never trailed. Rondo had five assists and seven points in the opening 6:17.
Boston led by as many as 18 in the second quarter before the Bobcats went on a 9-1 run, getting seven points from Kidd-Gilchrist. Charlotte scored 13 of the first 15 points in the second half to tie it on Warrick's steal that set up a dunk by Kidd-Gilchrist.
"Every coach I talk to about (the Bobcats) says the same thing: "They just keep playing,''' Celtics coach Doc Rivers said. "It's hard to do but it's nice to see.''
But the Celtics scored the next seven points, getting a pair of free throws from Garnett and, after Rondo blocked Bismack Biyombo's shot, Jared Sullinger made a hook shot. Brandon Bass stole an errant pass by Walker and Bradley hit a 3-pointer to make it 65-58.
The Bobcats never got within one possession again.
NOTES: Celtics F Chris Wilcox, who is out with a sprained right thumb, did a video chat before the game with fans in Afghanistan. ... The Celtics won all three meetings between the teams last year. ... Walker scored 12 points. He has reached double figures in scoring in 34 of 37 games.
Nets beat Raptors for season-high 7th win in a row
NEW YORK (AP) P.J. Carlesimo put his head in his hand, sighed and brushed back his hair, hardly looking like a guy with a 9-1 record.
"I'm really struggling,'' he started, adding that the Brooklyn Nets faced a "major, major concern.''
It's a good one, though. They simply have so many guys playing well that it's tough for Carlesimo to get them all minutes.
Brook Lopez had 22 points and nine rebounds, Joe Johnson and Deron Williams each scored 21 points, and the Nets extended their season-high winning streak to seven games with a 113-106 victory over the Toronto Raptors on Tuesday night.
Andray Blatche added 14 points for the Nets, in the midst of their longest winning streak since running off 14 in a row late in the 2005-06 season. A .500 team when they fired Avery Johnson late last month, Brooklyn has won nine of 10 under its interim coach and pulled within 1 1/2 games of the New York Knicks for the Atlantic Division lead.
"We're just kind of feeding off each other, man. We're in a nice rhythm right now and hopefully we can keep it this way,'' Johnson said. "It's a lot of fun to watch and I'm sure guys are having a great time in this locker room.''
The Nets, with the NBA's longest current winning streak, pulled away early in the fourth quarter for their sixth straight home victory.
Kyle Lowry scored 21 points for the Raptors, who have dropped two in a row but still have 10 wins in their last 15 games. Jose Calderon and Amir Johnson each finished with 15 for the Raptors, whose 14 turnovers led to 24 points.
"We just uncharacteristically lost it, turned the ball over and every time we did they scored on it,'' Raptors coach Dwane Casey said. "I thought it was the difference in the game.''
Mirza Teletovic added 10 points off the Nets' bench, keying a second-quarter hot streak that snapped Brooklyn out of a sluggish start.
After allowing 13 points to Phoenix and 11 to Indiana in its last two fourth quarters, Brooklyn quickly pulled away at the start of the final period in this one.
Blatche had three baskets and MarShon Brooks the other two in a 10-2 burst to open the quarter, with both contributing to one of the Nets' prettiest plays of the season that capped it.
Teletovic blocked a shot to trigger a fast break, with Brooks and Williams exchanging passes as they rushed up the floor before Williams threw a pass behind his back to a trailing Blatche, who put it in for a 93-78 advantage with 8:03 to play.
"Our confidence is high right now, definitely as a group,'' Williams said, "and when you're winning, when you're having fun, I think everybody picks their game up a little bit and feels like they have to if they want to join in, if they don't want to be left out.''
Lowry, who was expected to miss the second half after spraining his left ankle, brought the Raptors within eight, but seven straight points by the Nets reopened a 15-point advantage on Johnson's jumper with 3:52 to go, and a final flurry by Lowry, who scored 19 in the fourth, was not enough.
"I thought I was done, but we've got a great training staff. I didn't want to leave my teammates,'' Lowry said. "I've been hurt a lot this year and I just wanted to get back out there with my teammates, and Coach trusted me that I said I was OK and he put me back in.''
The Nets improved to 15-0 against teams below .500 and are just two games back of Miami in the Eastern Conference standings.
It was tied at 27 after one, then Toronto built a 10-point lead as Brooklyn missed its first seven shots of the second quarter. The Nets ran off seven straight points, including Teletovic's first 3-pointer to get within 40-37.
The Raptors were still up by three before Teletovic made consecutive 3-pointers and a free throw, a seven-point run that gave the Nets a 52-48 lead with 24 seconds remaining in the half. It was 54-50 when the teams headed to the locker rooms.
The Nets opened some room when Williams, Johnson and Keith Bogans hit 3-pointers in an 11-3 spurt that gave them a nine-point lead in the third quarter, and they blew it open with a big run to start the fourth.
Notes: The Nets start a home-and-home series with the Hawks on Wednesday in Atlanta, where Joe Johnson was a perennial All-Star until being traded to the Nets last summer. The second game is in Brooklyn on Friday. ... The Raptors originally said Lowry would sit the remainder of the game after he was hurt, though he missed only the third quarter. Casey said Calderon had a hip pointer and Alan Anderson needed dental work, saying his team that's already missing Andrea Bargnani and rookie big man Jonas Valanciunas was "walking wounded.'' ... The Nets are 3-0 against the Raptors this season.
NEW YORK (AP) P.J. Carlesimo put his head in his hand, sighed and brushed back his hair, hardly looking like a guy with a 9-1 record.
"I'm really struggling,'' he started, adding that the Brooklyn Nets faced a "major, major concern.''
It's a good one, though. They simply have so many guys playing well that it's tough for Carlesimo to get them all minutes.
Brook Lopez had 22 points and nine rebounds, Joe Johnson and Deron Williams each scored 21 points, and the Nets extended their season-high winning streak to seven games with a 113-106 victory over the Toronto Raptors on Tuesday night.
Andray Blatche added 14 points for the Nets, in the midst of their longest winning streak since running off 14 in a row late in the 2005-06 season. A .500 team when they fired Avery Johnson late last month, Brooklyn has won nine of 10 under its interim coach and pulled within 1 1/2 games of the New York Knicks for the Atlantic Division lead.
"We're just kind of feeding off each other, man. We're in a nice rhythm right now and hopefully we can keep it this way,'' Johnson said. "It's a lot of fun to watch and I'm sure guys are having a great time in this locker room.''
The Nets, with the NBA's longest current winning streak, pulled away early in the fourth quarter for their sixth straight home victory.
Kyle Lowry scored 21 points for the Raptors, who have dropped two in a row but still have 10 wins in their last 15 games. Jose Calderon and Amir Johnson each finished with 15 for the Raptors, whose 14 turnovers led to 24 points.
"We just uncharacteristically lost it, turned the ball over and every time we did they scored on it,'' Raptors coach Dwane Casey said. "I thought it was the difference in the game.''
Mirza Teletovic added 10 points off the Nets' bench, keying a second-quarter hot streak that snapped Brooklyn out of a sluggish start.
After allowing 13 points to Phoenix and 11 to Indiana in its last two fourth quarters, Brooklyn quickly pulled away at the start of the final period in this one.
Blatche had three baskets and MarShon Brooks the other two in a 10-2 burst to open the quarter, with both contributing to one of the Nets' prettiest plays of the season that capped it.
Teletovic blocked a shot to trigger a fast break, with Brooks and Williams exchanging passes as they rushed up the floor before Williams threw a pass behind his back to a trailing Blatche, who put it in for a 93-78 advantage with 8:03 to play.
"Our confidence is high right now, definitely as a group,'' Williams said, "and when you're winning, when you're having fun, I think everybody picks their game up a little bit and feels like they have to if they want to join in, if they don't want to be left out.''
Lowry, who was expected to miss the second half after spraining his left ankle, brought the Raptors within eight, but seven straight points by the Nets reopened a 15-point advantage on Johnson's jumper with 3:52 to go, and a final flurry by Lowry, who scored 19 in the fourth, was not enough.
"I thought I was done, but we've got a great training staff. I didn't want to leave my teammates,'' Lowry said. "I've been hurt a lot this year and I just wanted to get back out there with my teammates, and Coach trusted me that I said I was OK and he put me back in.''
The Nets improved to 15-0 against teams below .500 and are just two games back of Miami in the Eastern Conference standings.
It was tied at 27 after one, then Toronto built a 10-point lead as Brooklyn missed its first seven shots of the second quarter. The Nets ran off seven straight points, including Teletovic's first 3-pointer to get within 40-37.
The Raptors were still up by three before Teletovic made consecutive 3-pointers and a free throw, a seven-point run that gave the Nets a 52-48 lead with 24 seconds remaining in the half. It was 54-50 when the teams headed to the locker rooms.
The Nets opened some room when Williams, Johnson and Keith Bogans hit 3-pointers in an 11-3 spurt that gave them a nine-point lead in the third quarter, and they blew it open with a big run to start the fourth.
Notes: The Nets start a home-and-home series with the Hawks on Wednesday in Atlanta, where Joe Johnson was a perennial All-Star until being traded to the Nets last summer. The second game is in Brooklyn on Friday. ... The Raptors originally said Lowry would sit the remainder of the game after he was hurt, though he missed only the third quarter. Casey said Calderon had a hip pointer and Alan Anderson needed dental work, saying his team that's already missing Andrea Bargnani and rookie big man Jonas Valanciunas was "walking wounded.'' ... The Nets are 3-0 against the Raptors this season.
Chandler lifts Nuggets over Blazers 115-111 in OT
DENVER (AP) Wilson Chandler admitted feeling a bit winded and tired in his second game back from hip problems that had sidelined him for two months. Not enough to bother his shooting touch, though.
Chandler hit a tiebreaking 3-pointer with 14.9 seconds remaining in overtime, and the Denver Nuggets beat the Portland Trail Blazers 115-111 Tuesday night for their season-best sixth consecutive victory.
"The way the game was going for me, I was a little fatigued,'' said Chandler, who had a labral tear in his left hip repaired last spring and then had to take time off in early November when pain resurfaced in the surgically-repaired hip.
"I had a little muscle fatigue, so I was kind of struggling throughout the game. So to come in and hit a shot like that is big,'' Chandler said.
Danilo Gallinari added 25 points, including a key 3-pointer in the extra period. Ty Lawson had 24 points and 12 assists for the Nuggets, who are 2-0 in overtime this season.
"I was trying to attack, and when I attack, it brings assists because people have to double me or come over and help,'' Lawson said. "We played well in the second half. Got steals, deflections in the second half that led to easy baskets. In overtime, we just hit big shots.''
Portland, which lost for the first time in six OT games this season, was led by LaMarcus Aldridge's 28 points. Nicolas Batum had 22 points, J.J. Hickson 19 and Damian Lillard 16.
"It was a tremendous game,'' Portland coach Terry Stotts said. "I think for the most part, both teams played pretty well. Third quarter turnovers hurt us, their transition hurt us. We got better as the game went on but that hurt us early.''
Gallinari hit his third 3 of the game for an overtime lead but Aldridge responded with a turnaround jumper that tied it 109-all with 51.8 seconds left. Lawson then lobbed a pass to JaVale McGee for an alley-oop dunk.
The game was tied again when Aldridge hit both free throws after being fouled by McGee, setting the stage for the decisive shot by Chandler. Chandler got open in the corner and Andre Iguodala got the ball to him. Chandler caught it, immediately put up the shot and it swished through.
"They were going to have to leave someone open,'' Lawson said. "Iggy got it going, getting to the basket, so they had to leave someone open and Wilson hit a big shot.''
Lillard just missed a 3-point try with 3.2 seconds left and Lawson made one of two free throws for the final score.
"That wasn't what we were looking for,'' Lillard said. "But we moved the ball around a little bit, and there were just a few seconds left, so we had to get a shot up. That was the look I had. It felt good actually. I knew I was going to have to shoot it when it came back to me, so I got myself ready to shoot. It came off my hands well. It looked good. It just didn't fall. We've got to live with what happened and get ready for tomorrow.''
After Wesley Matthews hit a 5-foot runner to pull the Trail Blazers to 89-86 with 5:13 left, the Nuggets scored six straight points, starting with a pair of free throws by Kenneth Faried, who had 21 points and 11 rebounds, to stretch their lead to 95-86.
Portland came right back, scoring 10 of the next 12 points and pulling to 97-96 on a layup by Aldridge.
Lawson shook free on a drive to the basket for a layup with 45.4 seconds remaining to push the Nuggets' advantage to three.
But Wesley Matthews hit a tying 3-pointer with 32 seconds remaining in regulation. Shots by Iguodala and Lillard both were off the mark in the final moments of the fourth quarter, sending the game into overtime tied at 99.
Portland opened with its highest-scoring first quarter of the season, though Denver stayed right with the Trail Blazers at 35-33.
After a driving layup by Lawson put the Nuggets in front 51-50, Hickson converted a three-point play and Aldridge hit a jumper to help the Trail Blazers lead 57-54 at halftime.
NOTES: Portland's previous first-quarter high was 31 points against the Sacramento Kings on Dec. 26. ... Faried had his 18th double-double of the season. ... The Nuggets have won 22 of their last 24 home games against the Trail Blazers, including the past eight. ... Portland hasn't won in Denver since Dec. 16, 2007, a 116-105 victory.
DENVER (AP) Wilson Chandler admitted feeling a bit winded and tired in his second game back from hip problems that had sidelined him for two months. Not enough to bother his shooting touch, though.
Chandler hit a tiebreaking 3-pointer with 14.9 seconds remaining in overtime, and the Denver Nuggets beat the Portland Trail Blazers 115-111 Tuesday night for their season-best sixth consecutive victory.
"The way the game was going for me, I was a little fatigued,'' said Chandler, who had a labral tear in his left hip repaired last spring and then had to take time off in early November when pain resurfaced in the surgically-repaired hip.
"I had a little muscle fatigue, so I was kind of struggling throughout the game. So to come in and hit a shot like that is big,'' Chandler said.
Danilo Gallinari added 25 points, including a key 3-pointer in the extra period. Ty Lawson had 24 points and 12 assists for the Nuggets, who are 2-0 in overtime this season.
"I was trying to attack, and when I attack, it brings assists because people have to double me or come over and help,'' Lawson said. "We played well in the second half. Got steals, deflections in the second half that led to easy baskets. In overtime, we just hit big shots.''
Portland, which lost for the first time in six OT games this season, was led by LaMarcus Aldridge's 28 points. Nicolas Batum had 22 points, J.J. Hickson 19 and Damian Lillard 16.
"It was a tremendous game,'' Portland coach Terry Stotts said. "I think for the most part, both teams played pretty well. Third quarter turnovers hurt us, their transition hurt us. We got better as the game went on but that hurt us early.''
Gallinari hit his third 3 of the game for an overtime lead but Aldridge responded with a turnaround jumper that tied it 109-all with 51.8 seconds left. Lawson then lobbed a pass to JaVale McGee for an alley-oop dunk.
The game was tied again when Aldridge hit both free throws after being fouled by McGee, setting the stage for the decisive shot by Chandler. Chandler got open in the corner and Andre Iguodala got the ball to him. Chandler caught it, immediately put up the shot and it swished through.
"They were going to have to leave someone open,'' Lawson said. "Iggy got it going, getting to the basket, so they had to leave someone open and Wilson hit a big shot.''
Lillard just missed a 3-point try with 3.2 seconds left and Lawson made one of two free throws for the final score.
"That wasn't what we were looking for,'' Lillard said. "But we moved the ball around a little bit, and there were just a few seconds left, so we had to get a shot up. That was the look I had. It felt good actually. I knew I was going to have to shoot it when it came back to me, so I got myself ready to shoot. It came off my hands well. It looked good. It just didn't fall. We've got to live with what happened and get ready for tomorrow.''
After Wesley Matthews hit a 5-foot runner to pull the Trail Blazers to 89-86 with 5:13 left, the Nuggets scored six straight points, starting with a pair of free throws by Kenneth Faried, who had 21 points and 11 rebounds, to stretch their lead to 95-86.
Portland came right back, scoring 10 of the next 12 points and pulling to 97-96 on a layup by Aldridge.
Lawson shook free on a drive to the basket for a layup with 45.4 seconds remaining to push the Nuggets' advantage to three.
But Wesley Matthews hit a tying 3-pointer with 32 seconds remaining in regulation. Shots by Iguodala and Lillard both were off the mark in the final moments of the fourth quarter, sending the game into overtime tied at 99.
Portland opened with its highest-scoring first quarter of the season, though Denver stayed right with the Trail Blazers at 35-33.
After a driving layup by Lawson put the Nuggets in front 51-50, Hickson converted a three-point play and Aldridge hit a jumper to help the Trail Blazers lead 57-54 at halftime.
NOTES: Portland's previous first-quarter high was 31 points against the Sacramento Kings on Dec. 26. ... Faried had his 18th double-double of the season. ... The Nuggets have won 22 of their last 24 home games against the Trail Blazers, including the past eight. ... Portland hasn't won in Denver since Dec. 16, 2007, a 116-105 victory.
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