The 2012-13 Basketball Season Is Here

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Celts now 4-0 without Rondo, top Clippers 106-104



BOSTON (AP) The Celtics keep rolling without Rajon Rondo.

Not even a late comeback by one of the NBA's best teams could keep Boston from beating the Los Angeles Clippers 106-104 on Sunday and improve to 4-0 since a knee injury ended their star point guard's season.

"A lot of people say that we don't have a chance to go to the playoffs, we can't do this, we can't do that,'' starting guard Avery Bradley said. "We know we have each other and we're going to go out there and fight for each other, no matter what, every single night.''

The Clippers played without their own brilliant point guard. Chris Paul missed his seventh straight game with a bruised right knee cap.

But they cut a 98-83 deficit to 103-101 on a 3-pointer by Eric Bledsoe with 56 seconds remaining. Then Bradley drew an offensive foul on Los Angeles' Jamal Crawford with 26 seconds to go.

Paul Pierce then held on to the ball - and was surprised that the Clippers didn't foul him - before making a 3-pointer with 2.5 seconds left to clinch the win and finish with a team-high 22 points.

"If we get a stop there (with) three or four seconds to go, we've got plenty of time,'' Clippers coach Vinny Del Negro said of his decision not to foul. "If I was going to do it, I would have fouled Courtney Lee early right when he got the ball.''

But he didn't want to foul Pierce, an accurate shooter down the stretch whether from the field or the free throw line.

"Any time the game's on the line, whether he missed 15 in a row, we know the last one's good,'' Celtics guard Jason Terry said.

The teams played without the point guards voted starters in the All-Star game in Houston on Feb. 17. Rondo has a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee. With Paul sidelined, the Clippers have lost five of seven games, including their biggest setback and lowest scoring game of the season, 98-73 at Toronto on Friday night.

"We're just a little out of rhythm,'' Los Angeles forward Matt Barnes said. "Guys are just playing a little out of position, but that's no excuse.''

The Celtics also are missing rookie forward Jared Sullinger after he had season-ending back surgery Friday.

But they moved within 1 1-2 games of the Milwaukee Bucks for seventh place in the East and 3 1-2 ahead of the Philadelphia 76ers for the final playoff spot in the conference.

Jeff Green and Leandro Barbosa scored 14 points each for the Celtics and led a 52-point contribution from the bench. The Clippers were led by Bledsoe, replacing Paul, and Crawford, who made a 3-pointer at the buzzer, with 23 points each. Blake Griffin had 20 points and 11 rebounds.

Without Rondo, the Celtics were encouraged by coach Doc Rivers to take the open shot or move the ball quickly when they don't have it. That prevents opposing defenses from double teaming the ball handler.

"We beat a heck of a team and I'm very happy with that,'' Rivers said, "but in my mind we can be better, much better, than we were today.''

The first half was one of the best of the season for the Celtics, and they headed to the locker room with a 59-40 lead.

"We're playing good in spurts right now,'' Pierce said. "We got stagnant at times. We didn't defend at a high level in the second half. ... A win's a win, but we made it a lot more difficult than we thought it should have been.''

Trailing 98-83, the Clippers began a 15-3 run with Griffin's free with 9:39 to play. Crawford's layup made it 101-98 with 3:18 remaining.

Terry then put Boston up by five when he beat the 24-second buzzer with a jumper with 1:09 left before Bledsoe made his 3-pointer.

Then Bradley took the charge.

"Jamal's a great player,'' he said. "I just tried to make it as hard as possible on him.''

And Pierce hit his big 3-pointer.

"They were the aggressors and that's what we do to teams when we are the most successful,'' Crawford said. "They did that tonight.''

The Celtics tied their season highs of 33 points after one quarter and 59 after two. And they did it with balanced offense, as 10 players scored between three and nine points.

They had 14 assists on their 20 baskets and just five turnovers in the half. On defense, they held the Clippers to 10 points on 4-for-18 shooting in the second quarter and forced 15 turnovers in the half.

The Clippers didn't score in the second quarter until Lamar Odom made an 11-foot turnaround 4:11 into the period, cutting Boston's lead to 39-32. Bledsoe made their second field goal more than two minutes later.

Notes: Backup Celtics C Jason Collins, playing more because of Sullinger's absence, had a season-high seven points. ... Barnes returned for the Clippers after a one-game suspension for striking Minnesota's Greg Stiemsma on Wednesday. ... The Clippers routed the Celtics 106-77 on Dec. 27 in Los Angeles.

 

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Celtics vs Clippers highlights

Paul Pierce has 22 points to lead the Celtics over the Clippers.

 

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Without Griffin, Clippers fall 98-90 to Wizards



WASHINGTON (AP) The Los Angeles Clippers were missing Blake Griffin and Chris Paul. The Washington Wizards won the game.

Tread carefully around Randy Wittman when trying to connect those two thoughts.

"Hey, listen, we played enough games this year without players,'' the Wizards coach said. "Don't give me the (bull) about who was here and who wasn't here. ... You guys would have printed it a wholly different other way if we had lost. ... Now you're going to print, "Ah, you won because Blake didn't play.' Give me a break.''

To be fair, the outburst was more playful than angry, but the point is well-taken. The Wizards will happily take Monday night's 98-90 win - or any victory for that matter - in a season that was essentially wrecked from the get-go in part because of injuries to John Wall and Nene.

Now it's the Clippers who are close to falling off the rails, having lost seven of nine - including six of eight without Paul. Los Angeles is 1-3 halfway through an eight-game road trip and has fallen 4 1/2 games off the Western Conference lead.

"It's frustrating because we're giving back a lot of what we had built up earlier in the season,'' Clippers coach Vinny Del Negro said. "But you can't control the injuries, you can't control the schedule, you can't control so many guys being out.''

Paul missed his eighth consecutive game and 11th of the last 13 with a bruised right kneecap, while Griffin's streak of 197 consecutive games played ended when he was a last-minute scratch with a strained left hamstring.

"We were walking out (to the court) and he was walking in,'' Del Negro said.

Del Negro said he knew the hamstring had been bothering Griffin, who leads the Clippers in scoring and rebounding with 18.5 points and 8.6 boards per game. The coach declined to speculate when Griffin would return. The road trip continues against the Orlando Magic on Wednesday.

"We'll see how he feels tomorrow,'' Del Negro said.

Griffin had started every game since he essentially became an NBA player at the start of the 2010 season, having sat out in 2009-10 with a knee injury after he was drafted No. 1 overall by the Clippers.

Nevertheless, his teammates were in the game until a spate of turnovers and a pair of offensive rebounds by Wizards forward Nene spurred a 7-0 run by Washington late in the fourth quarter.

"When you're a championship-level team, you have high expectations,'' said Jamal Crawford, who scored 28 points to lead the Clippers. "And we do, no matter who's in and who's out. Obviously we're missing some of our better players, but no excuse.''

Martell Webster scored 21 points, Nene and Garrett Temple had 15 points apiece, Emeka Okafor grabbed 14 rebounds, and Wall had 13 points and eight assists for the Wizards, who broke a four-game losing streak and moved a game ahead of the league-worst Charlotte Bobcats.

DeAndre Jordan had a career-high 22 rebounds for the Clippers. Eric Bledsoe, going toe-to-toe with Wall in a duel between former Kentucky teammates, had 17 points and nine assists.

The game turned when Nene grabbed a high-bouncing rebound off of his own missed free throw to set up a 3-pointer by Trevor Ariza, then corralled another offensive board on the next possession and fed Temple for a jump shot that gave the Wizards an 87-79 lead with 3:53 remaining.

Still, the finish was too close for comfort for Wittman, especially after the Wizards had scored 51 points in the first half.

"It wasn't all artistic for us,'' Wittman said. "We still had ups and downs from an offensive standpoint. ... We seem to forget how we scored the 51. If my forehead's red, (it's from) banging the wall.''

Notes: The Clippers committed eight of their 20 turnovers in the fourth quarter. ... Griffin's consecutive games streak was tied for second with Houston Rockets center Omer Asik among active players. Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook played in his 360th straight game Monday night. ... The Wizards snapped an eight-game losing streak against the Clippers. ... Washington played its fourth consecutive game without rookie G Bradley Beal (sprained right wrist). ... Del Negro said he hopes to have both Paul and Chauncey Billups (left foot) back before the end of the road trip. He said Billups is on pace to return before Paul. "That's the plan right now,'' Del Negro said. "But a lot of the plans haven't worked out the way we wanted with some of the injuries.''

 

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Chandler has 20 boards again, Knicks rout Pistons



NEW YORK (AP) The toughest part of Tyson Chandler's night was the postgame interview.

The California native and San Francisco 49ers fan, who had just tied a franchise record with his third straight 20-rebound game, was forced to face the media wearing a Ravens Super Bowl champion hat, payment of a lost bet with Baltimore fan Carmelo Anthony.

"That made my day. You just don't know,'' said Anthony, who stood across the locker room and watched Chandler's interview with a smile. "It was a good day for me, it just was a coincidence that he had three games with 20 rebounds. That picture will be everywhere.''

That's about all that hasn't gone Chandler's way lately.

The veteran center added another highlight to his first All-Star season, Anthony scored 27 points, and the New York Knicks beat the Detroit Pistons 99-85 on Monday night for their fifth consecutive victory.

In a game that was decided early, Chandler played long enough to grab his 20th rebound midway through the fourth quarter. After grabbing 20 in victories on Friday and Saturday night, he became the first Knicks player to have 20 in three straight games since Hall of Famer Willis Reed in December 1969.

"That's what I expect,'' Knicks coach Mike Woodson said. "He can't tease me. He's done it three straight games, so I'm expecting it the fourth game.''

Chandler has been on a tear since Woodson bluntly told him that he wasn't playing the kind of complete basketball that's expected of a player of his stature.

"He called me into his office and he said, "You're an All-Star, you need to start playing like it. The last thing you want is people questioning that,'' Chandler said. "The next night, I had a different focus about me.''

Two nights after being held to nine points, snapping his franchise single-season record of 31 games in a row with 20 or more, Anthony matched that total in the first quarter and shot 10 of 17 from the field.

Amare Stoudemire added 20 points and J.R. Smith added 16, along with a couple of comedic highlights in a game that was mostly a yawner.

It was another lopsided victory for the Knicks, who beat Sacramento by 39 on Saturday and led this one by as many as 26 before easing up in the second half. They have jumped on the Pistons early in all three meetings this season, and after nearly rallying to beat the Lakers on Sunday, Detroit couldn't get really close in this one.

"The last two times we've played New York, they've dominated the first quarter,'' Pistons coach Lawrence Frank said. "We put ourselves in such a hole that we start playing frustration basketball. Mentally we don't stay as focused or engaged as we need to be.''

Newly acquired Jose Calderon scored 15 points in his Detroit debut, while Greg Monroe had 13 points and 10 rebounds.

Woodson lost his chance to coach the Eastern Conference in the All-Star game Sunday when Miami's victory in Toronto gave Erik Spoelstra the nod. But Woodson still thinks the Knicks can be ahead of the Heat when the teams break on Feb. 15, saying he wanted the Knicks to go 9-2 in their 11 games leading into the weekend.

They're 6-1 now with winnable road games up next at Washington and Minnesota before they finish up at home against the Los Angeles Clippers and Toronto.

"I knew guys might be thinking about All-Star break and where they might decide to go, and this is not the time to lay down and think about those things. You've got to still figure out how we can win games up until the break,'' Woodson said. "So that was the goal that we as coaches sat down and came up with, and they understand what's at stake here and what we're trying to do.''

The Knicks scored 64 first-half points in a rout of the Pistons on Nov. 25 and jumped to a 16-2 lead in a 102-87 victory in London last month.

This time, it was 28-13 after one, grew to 33-13 early in the second, and peaked at 57-31 on Anthony's layup with 45 seconds remaining in the first half. The Knicks at one point had 10 3-pointers to the Pistons' 12 baskets, and on a couple of occasions it seemed Frank was practically calling a timeout before a Knicks shot finished going in.

Things were so easy that Knicks players - though not Woodson - had a good laugh when Smith threw up an airball on a free throw in the first half. Perhaps seeking some extra shooting, or maybe tougher competition, Smith came out during the halftime break, where a youth game was taking place. Smith tried to defend the inbound passer, then ran up the court with the kids, waving his arms to call for the ball.

Acquired last week in the three-team trade that sent Rudy Gay from Memphis to Toronto, Calderon was cleared to play Monday. The Spanish guard's debut had been on hold because of unresolved visa issues, and he was immediately put into the starting lineup once he was good to go.

"They've got to get used to me and I've got to get used to them,'' Calderon said. "It's going to be just time working together, practicing, games, whatever it takes. Everybody was just trying to help. We'll be OK. I like what I saw.''

He was the lone bright spot much of the night. Rodney Stuckey added 14 points and Will Bynum had 13.

Notes: Monday was the anniversary of the start of Linsanity. Jeremy Lin came off the bench of a Feb. 4, 2012, game against the Nets and scored 25 points, sparking the Knicks to a victory and sending himself on the way to becoming a global phenomenon. ... The Knicks have won the last six meetings at home.

 

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Pacers tie up Bulls in Central with 111-101 win



INDIANAPOLIS (AP) Indiana suddenly has a shooting touch to go with its tough defense.

The combination is just too much.

David West scored 29 points Monday night and All-Star Paul George finished with 21 points, 11 rebounds and five assists, leading the Pacers past Chicago 111-101 for a 14th consecutive home win and into a tie with the Bulls for the Central Division lead.

"We're just playing together, every game I feel like we're playing sharper,'' West said. "We still need to pick it up defensively, we're slipping in that regard, but in terms of the offense and how we're moving the ball and what we're looking for, it's just game-by-game improvement.''

It shows.

Three nights after shooting a season-high 55.7 percent in a relatively easy win over defending NBA champion Miami, Indiana shot 52.7 percent against a Bulls defense that is ranked No. 2 in the NBA in defensive field goal percentage. The only team ahead of the Bulls is the Pacers, and Indiana never trailed in the second half Monday.

Indiana has topped the 100-point mark four times in the last five games after doing that only seven times in the first 43. It was the Pacers' highest point total in a non-overtime game all season, and the timing couldn't have been better as they head into a three games-in-three night swing. They are the only NBA team to deal with that this season.

Now the Pacers will take a three-game winning streak into Tuesday night's home game against Atlanta as they try to win a 15th consecutive home game for the first time since 1999-2000 when they won 25 in a row. On Wednesday, they visit Philadelphia.

Indiana's recent surge has it tied for the division lead with Chicago (29-19) and behind only Miami (30-14) and New York (31-15) in the Eastern Conference playoff chase.

Over the past month, the Pacers have beaten Miami twice and New York and Chicago once each, going 4-0 mark against the East's three other top teams since Jan. 8 and they now have a 2-0 series lead over the Bulls, the league's best road team.


"We played the No. 1 team in Miami and New York and Chicago is right there, and this is a big win for us, definitely playing against a division team," George Hill said. "So I'm happy with our ballclub, we played a great game.''

The Bulls didn't look like themselves, though.

Starting guards Derrick Rose (left knee) and Kirk Hinrich (right elbow) and starting center Joakim Noah (right foot) all sat out again with injuries, and they had another scare late in the first quarter when Marco Belinelli crashed to the floor clutching his right ankle. He returned later and finished with a season-high 24 points. Nate Robinson finished with 19 points, nine assists and five rebounds, and Carlos Boozer had 10 points and five rebounds as he returned from a right hamstring injury.

All of those players, other than Belinelli and Robinson, missed Saturday's 93-76 victory at Atlanta.

"I feel like we're short-handed right now, but we're competing hard and that's all you can ask for and I feel like our best basketball is yet to come,'' Noah said. "We've just got to keep fighting and I think we'll be all right.''

Those expecting a defensive slugfest were in for a surprise.

Indiana started the game fast, making its first six shots to take a 13-2 lead, and finished the first half nearly as fast, using a 12-6 run to break a 48-48 tie to make it 60-54 at the half. The Pacers shot 66.7 percent from the field in the half.

Chicago had seven players in double figures and continually challenged Indiana, but never had control and couldn't even forge a tie over the final 27 1/2 minutes.

Robinson opened the second half with a 3-pointer and a 20-foot jumper to close the deficit to 60-59, but a few minutes later, Indiana seized control with two quick scoring flurries.

The first came when George hit a 3-foot jumper, Lance Stephenson then completed a three-point play and Hill added a four-point play to make it 73-63 with 7:35 left in the third. Chicago answered with four straight points, and Indiana came right back with six straight to take a 79-67 lead.

"We started the game in a big hole and we had to get out of that hole,'' Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau said. "Now you're scrambling and trying to give yourself a chance. I thought we were in position with five minutes to go.''

Chicago rallied again in the fourth, using an 8-0 run to close to 90-84, and it got as close as four three times.

Indiana finally sealed it with a 3 from George and two free throws from West with 1:05 to play.

"I'm proud of the way we're growing on the offensive end,'' Pacers coach Frank Vogel said. "Still a few too many turnovers, but we've made a commitment to the extra pass. When the ball is moving, we're too many weapons to be as poorly efficient as we have been.''

NOTES: It was Indiana's first regular-season home win over Chicago since March 18, 2011. ... The Bulls are 6-20 all-time at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. ... Bulls guard Marquis Teague finished with two points in his first pro appearance in his hometown. ... The Bulls lost for only the third time in nine games.

 

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Short-handed Lakers beat Nets 92-83



NEW YORK (AP) Kobe Bryant would have liked to celebrate more, maybe gloat about that highlight-reel dunk, but there were bigger concerns.

Dwight Howard couldn't start and Pau Gasol couldn't finish. And in this difficult season for the Los Angeles Lakers, even the victories seem to come with losses.

"It feels good to pull out a win like this, but now reality kind of sets in,'' Bryant said. "If Pau can't go and Dwight can't go, we have to figure some things out.''

Bryant had 21 points and eight rebounds, and the Lakers overcame the absences of Howard and Metta World Peace, and the loss of Gasol to beat the Brooklyn Nets 92-83 on Tuesday night.

Antawn Jamison, starting for the suspended World Peace, made the go-ahead basket during a closing 14-3 run for the Lakers, who have won three straight and six of their last seven games.

Howard missed his third consecutive game with a torn labrum in his right shoulder and Gasol, his replacement, said he felt a pop in his right foot when he went down with a little more than 4 minutes remaining. He was examined by Nets doctors and diagnosed with a strained plantar fascia, and will undergo an MRI exam Wednesday in Boston.

"I had fasciitis and I had been dealing with it for a couple of months now, but I didn't feel anything like I did tonight,'' Gasol said.

Brook Lopez capitalized on the Lakers' center woes to finish with 30 points and 11 rebounds, but he was the Nets' only offense down the stretch in their fourth loss in six games.

Steve Nash had 17 points and eight assists, and Earl Clark added 14 points and 12 rebounds for the Lakers, who beat the Nets for the 10th straight time. Gasol scored 15 points.

The Lakers improved to 3-0 on the road in February after going 0-7 in January, seizing control in the final minutes without many of the players who were expected to make them a top contender this season.

Bryant's attacking drive and slam between Gerald Wallace and Kris Humphries snapped an 80-all tie, the play that had Barclays Center buzzing in his first trip to an arena that was filed with plenty of Lakers' gold and purple.

"I was pretty shocked that the lane was so wide open,'' Bryant said. "I think everybody's been drinking the Kobe pass Kool-Aid, so everybody kind of stayed on the perimeter on the shooters and it just parted like the Red Sea. So I felt a little like Moses.''

Battling recent elbow pain, Bryant said his arm hurt a bit after the play but he was forced to ignore it.

"After a play like that, you really can't grab your arm, it messes up the swag of the moment,'' he said. "So you've got to kind of suck it up for a while.''

Lopez answered quickly with a three-point play to give the Nets their last lead with 2:33 to play. Jamison scored on a pick-and-roll, Bryant drove for another basket and Clark hit a jumper to give the Lakers an 88-83 lead with 1:11 remaining. The Nets couldn't score again, and Nash closed it out with four free throws.

Lopez blamed himself for poor decisions on offense and bad defense on the pick-and-roll down the stretch.

"To their credit they closed out the game well, but I just feel those 2 1/2 minutes are about as bad as I played on both ends of the floor all season,'' Lopez said.

The NBA penalized World Peace for grabbing the Pistons' Brandon Knight around the neck and striking him in the jaw with the knuckles of his mostly open hand on Sunday with 1:43 left in the first half of the Lakers' 98-97 win. The former Ron Artest has been in trouble with the league throughout his career, and Lakers coach Mike D'Antoni, while not disputing the suspension, said he assumed World Peace's history played a role in the league's decision.

The decision on Howard's status belonged to the center, and it was revealed under unusual circumstances.

In what's been a strange and stormy season for the Lakers, D'Antoni pronounced Howard doubtful at the morning shootaround, either unaware that Howard had already decided he wouldn't play or unwilling to announce it. Howard spoke to reporters just minutes later, ruling himself out.

That freed things up a starting spot for Gasol, one of the top big men in the world but struggling to find his way in D'Antoni's offense and Howard's shadow. He hurt his right foot while defending Lopez with 4:21 remaining, falling to the court without noticeable contact. He stayed in the game after getting attended to by the trainer, but then had to ask out shortly after and returned to the locker room.

"Hopefully we'll get Dwight back pretty soon and then hopefully Pau's not too bad,'' D'Antoni said. "If not, we'll play.''

Deron Williams scored 11 of his 15 points in the first quarter, helping the Nets to a 24-18 lead. The Nets missed a chance to open things up early in the second against the Lakers' depleted second unit, then Los Angeles surged ahead once its starters returned.

Bryant's follow shot capped a run of eight straight points as the Lakers grabbed a 49-37 advantage with 10.4 seconds to play in the half. Mirza Teletovic followed with a 3-pointer to make it a nine-point game at the break.

"I thought we came out really well in that first quarter and then in the second quarter things kind of went south,'' Williams said. "I don't know why, I thought we were ready for this game, but proven wrong tonight.''

Much of the trade focus around Howard during his final season in Orlando centered on the Nets, one of the teams his agent was permitted to negotiate with and the one that was believed to be Howard's preference. The Nets could never put together an attractive enough package and they're happy now with Lopez, headed to his first All-Star game next week.

He scored 12 in the final period, but the Nets had only seven other points.

NOTES: D'Antoni coached his first game with the Lakers in a 95-90 victory over the Nets on Nov. 20. ... Bryant, who's had high assist totals lately, was asked earlier Tuesday if he would remain in distributing mode in the All-Star game, where he is the career scoring leader. "No, I'm seeing single coverage there. I'm shooting that (expletive),'' Bryant said. ... The Nets haven't beaten the Lakers since Nov. 25, 2007.

 

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Rockets tie NBA record for 3s against Warriors



HOUSTON (AP) The Houston fans knew the Rockets were on the verge of history against Golden State on Tuesday night, needing one more 3-pointer to set an NBA record.

Warriors coach Mark Jackson wasn't going to let that happen.

The Rockets settled for tying an NBA record and set a franchise mark with 23 3-pointers in a 140-109 win over the Warriors. Houston matched the single-game record for 3s set by Orlando in a win over Sacramento on Jan. 13, 2009.

The Toyota Center crowd realized the outright record was within reach in the final three minutes, chanting "One more 3!'' But the Warriors took away Houston's chances of getting it by fouling at the end.

"We're not going to lay down,'' Jackson said. "If you're going to try to get the record, we're going to stop it.''

The Warriors should've employed that plan sooner.

Jeremy Lin sank five 3-pointers, a career high, and Chandler Parsons and James Harden hit four apiece as the Rockets reached a season-high point total. They also tied an NBA record with 14 3-pointers in the first half and dished out a season-high 35 assists on 46 field goals overall.

"Thankfully, we were just able to get a bunch of open looks and knock them down,'' Lin said. "That's just the way it is sometimes.''

Lin scored 28 points, Harden added 18 and Parsons had 16 for Houston. The Rockets put on the shooting display without their best 3-point shooter - Carlos Delfino, who sat out with a right elbow injury.

"We just got hot tonight,'' Harden said.

Jarrett Jack scored 20 points and David Lee had 18 for the Warriors. Stephen Curry, averaging 21 points per game, scored only seven points on 3-for-12 shooting.

Houston set a Toyota Center scoring record and reached 140 points for the first time since April 1995.

"Throughout the whole game, you figured they'd cool off,'' Curry said. "But we have to force them to take tougher shots. You just can't give them open looks.''

The Rockets were 18 of 27 from 3-point range through three quarters. They finally hit a dry spell early in the fourth, missing their first three 3-point attempts. It didn't last long - Marcus Morris connected on a 3 from the wing and Parsons flashed him a smile as the two trotted back down the court.

With the outcome decided, Rockets coach Kevin McHale pulled his starters with 5:49 left, leaving the pursuit of the NBA record to the reserves. By then, everyone on Houston bench knew the record was within reach.

"Obviously, the amount of 3s we hit is pretty ridiculous,'' Parsons said. "We were open, and nobody is going to turn down open shots.''

The fans were ready to explode anticipating the record-setting 3. Reserve point guard Patrick Beverley drove for a one-handed dunk with 1:04 remaining, prompting a mix of cheers and groans.

Beverley took a hard foul from Draymond Green on a 3-point try with 34 seconds left. Beverley and Green snapped at one another, prompting a heated argument between several players. Green and Morris were ejected.

"Some nights, it's not your night and it wasn't ours and we didn't play particularly well,'' Jackson said. "That doesn't mean, lay down and surrender. That's not in our DNA.''

But the Warriors had to be a bit demoralized, because the Rockets seemed to make every outside shot they took. They went 7 for 10 from 3-point range in the first quarter and 14 for 18 in the first half. Milwaukee had 14 3s in a half against Phoenix in March 2006 and New York matched that total twice last season - against Portland on March 14 and against Boston on April 17.

Curry, though, had the most spectacular shot before the break, just beating the buzzer with a half-court shot to cut Houston's lead to 77-62.

But Golden State's perimeter defense was no better in the third quarter, and 3-pointers by Parsons and Lin stretched the gap past 20. Harrison Barnes ran out to guard Lin on his next 3-point attempt, and Lin blew by him for a layup and an 87-64 Houston lead.

"They were hitting the open looks, they were hitting the contested shots,'' Lee said. "And then when they hit outside jumpers, their shot fake works because you have to close out tighter. They shot the ball great, really from top to bottom.''


Notes: The Warriors have lost 15 of their last 17 games against the Rockets, and nine in a row in Houston. ... Golden State dropped to 8-1 this season when scoring at least 30 points in the first quarter. ... The Rockets set season highs for first-quarter and first-half points. ... Houston had never had more than 17 3-pointers in a game.

 

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Nuggets rally past Bucks for 112-104 win



DENVER (AP) Reserve Milwaukee center Samuel Dalembert got on a roll for the best game of his 10-year career. The Denver Nuggets finally found an answer.

Danilo Gallinari and Ty Lawson each scored 22 points and the Nuggets overcame a career-high 35-point performance by Dalembert, rallying past the Bucks 112-104 on Tuesday night for their seventh straight victory.

"Of course, we were shocked,'' Lawson said. "You don't see many players in the NBA get 35 points and 12 rebounds off the bench. I thought his first half was crazy. But that's OK. We weathered the storm, but the second half, he just kept going.''

Dalembert finished 17 for 21 from the floor in surpassing his previous career high of 27 points on March 14, 2011, against Golden State while with Sacramento. Luc Mbah a Moute, Larry Sanders, Monta Ellis and Brandon Jennings added 12 points apiece for the Bucks, who led most of the way before being overtaken in the final period, when they were outscored 33-18.

"It was one of those nights when you make the most of your time out there,'' Dalembert said. "I was able to get into the flow and get some minutes. It was one of those games where I seemed to make baskets every time.''

Said Nuggets coach George Karl: "He's been shooting better, but I've never seen him shoot the ball that well.''

The Nuggets never really stopped Dalembert all night but they did manage to turn up their offense and defense in the late going to pull out their seventh win in a row, their longest winning streak in more than two years.

"I've had one of those nights before, where I hit like 10 3-pointers in a row,'' Lawson said. "You're just feeling it, and he was knocking down shots nobody thought he would make. He almost won the game for them. But we just stuck with it. We knew we had a chance to get back in the game.''

Corey Brewer added 20 points and Kenneth Faried 13 points and 10 rebounds for the Nuggets, who didn't lead in the game until late in the fourth quarter.

"They were able to get a lot of fastbreak points,'' Dalembert said. "And then, there were so many shots that we weren't making. They got momentum going for them and we couldn't stop them.''

Trailing by 15 at halftime, Denver opened the third quarter with a 9-0 burst to pull to 66-60 when Danilo dunked off a lob from Andre Iguodala.

A running jumper by Wilson Chandler near the end of the third narrowed Milwaukee's lead to 82-78, but Dalembert and Beno Udrih connected on jumpers around a free throw by Chandler, and the Bucks took an 86-79 lead into the fourth quarter.

Milwaukee stretched its lead to 10 points early in the fourth when Udrih made a 3-pointer but the Nuggets gradually cut into the lead, pulling to 100-97 after Gallinari's 3-pointer with 5:08 left to play.

Faried made a free throw, and Brewer got loose for a breakaway dunk off a Milwaukee turnover to even the score at 100-all with 3:36 remaining.

Denver got six straight points from Lawson, including a pair of free throws with 3:06 left that gave the Nuggets their first lead. A turnover by Jennings led to another fastbreak that Iguodala finished with a dunk to put the Nuggets up 108-103 with 1:27 remaining. The Bucks managed only a free throw by Jennings the rest of the way.

"It was definitely the defense,'' Gallinari said. "We picked up our defense and that made us play better.''

Scoring a season-high for a half, the Bucks took a 66-51 lead at the break, boosted by Dalembert's blistering performance. He hit his first nine shots before finally misfiring on a layup, only to get the rebound and put it back in to finish the first half with 21 points on 10-of-11 shooting from the floor.

Iguodala hit a jumper to pull Denver within 46-43 with 4:22 left in the second quarter. Milwaukee responded by closing the period with a 20-8 run, starting with a 3-pointer by Mbah a Moute followed by five consecutive fastbreaks, including four ending in layups by Jennings.

NOTES: The Bucks' previous high in a half was 65 points (second half) a week ago at Detroit. ... JaVale McGee returned to action for the Nuggets after missing the previous three games with soreness in his left shin. ... Dalembert's previous scoring high this season was 15 points against New Orleans on Nov. 17. ... The Nuggets last won seven in a row from Nov. 20-Dec. 5, 2010. ... Milwaukee has lost eight of its last 10 in Denver.

 

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Green shoots Spurs past Timberwolves 104-94



MINNEAPOLIS (AP) A nationally televised game with Commissioner David Stern in the house, and there sat Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili.

No controversy or fines coming this time. Duncan and Ginobili were both out with legitimate injuries for the San Antonio Spurs, who taught the Minnesota Timberwolves a lesson on how to handle adversity.

Danny Green hit eight 3-pointers and scored a career-high 28 points to help the Spurs to their 11th straight win, 104-94 over the Timberwolves on Wednesday night.

Tony Parker had 31 points and eight assists and Kawhi Leonard added 19 points and 10 rebounds for the Spurs, who kept right on rolling without two of their big three.

"I think they do have a confidence level. The system doesn't change when guys are out,'' San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich said. "If Tony was out, somebody else would play. We just run the same stuff, we don't change anything. I think they're pretty used to the execution no matter who's on the court. Obviously you've got to make shots and Danny and Kawhi were pretty good at that tonight.''

Nikola Pekovic had 21 points and 10 rebounds and Derrick Williams added 15 points and 12 boards for the Timberwolves, who added do-it-all forward Andrei Kirilenko (bruised right quadriceps) to a seemingly endless list of injured players.

Still, the game was tied at 77 with 8 minutes to go, but Green hit two 3s and scored on a putback to put the Spurs back in front for good.

"It came out of nowhere. Sometimes it happens that way,'' Green said. "I got a little rhythm going, guys started looking for me and they started falling. We needed it.''

Unlike the Spurs' game at Miami in November, when Popovich sent Duncan, Ginobili, Parker and Green home early to rest, drawing Stern's wrath, the coach had an excuse this time around. Duncan has a sprained left knee and Ginobili has been bothered by a nagging left hamstring injury.

"Timmy's missed four, five games in a row, Manu's been in and out of the lineup, so we've gotten used to playing without them,'' Parker said. "Obviously I'd rather have them because it would be a lot easier to have Timmy and Manu, but it definitely helps the other guys.''

Whether his big stars have been injured or just needed the night off, the rest of the Spurs have never laid down. With Parker on the throttle and Green hitting every 3-pointer in sight, the Spurs were able to pull away from the Wolves. Green only missed four times in 12 attempts and scored 11 straight points for the Spurs in the fourth quarter.

"You've got to play perfect for 48 minutes to beat that team,'' Pekovic said.

San Antonio's nine-game road trip began with some good news when there was no structural damage in Duncan's left knee. He was hurt after taking a nasty fall in a game against the Wizards, an injury that first was feared to be season-ending. He is day to day.

"It looked awful,'' Popovich said before the game. "He just kind of grinded the bones there, bone on bone.''

The Spurs improved to 21-1 against losing teams and have not lost a game since Jan. 11 at Memphis in overtime.

J.J. Barea scored 15 points for Minnesota and Mickael Gelabale made a last push to have his second 10-day contract extended into a deal for the rest of the season with 10 points. Ricky Rubio had 11 assists, but was just 3 for 13 from the field.

The injury-plagued Timberwolves (18-28) have won only twice in their last 15 games, with a season that started with playoff aspirations in danger of swirling down the drain.

"We can't worry about who is not here,'' coach Rick Adelman said. "We have to play with the people we have.''

NOTES: The Spurs and Timberwolves are at the forefront of the NBA's international movement. The teams combine to have 13 foreign players on their rosters. At one point in the second quarter, seven international players were on the floor with just three Americans. ... Timberwolves F Kevin Love returned to the team for the first time since having surgery on his right hand Jan. 15. Love is expected to be out until mid-March after breaking two bones in his hand for the second time this season. ... Rubio picked up a technical foul from official Joey Crawford for gesturing after not getting a foul call in the first quarter.

 

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Thunder rout weary Golden State 119-98



OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) A fog-delayed arrival in Oklahoma City made Golden State's task tough enough.

Then the Warriors made the mistake of getting on Kevin Martin's bad side.

Kevin Durant scored 25 points and Martin roared to life with 10 points during a fourth-quarter run that put away the Thunder's 119-98 win on Wednesday night.

Martin hit a pair of 3-pointers, a runner and slammed home a two-handed dunk during a 16-4 fourth-quarter spurt that pushed the lead to 106-83 and coaxed coach Scott Brooks into emptying his bench instead of going back to All-Stars Russell Westbrook and Durant down the stretch. Warriors coach Mark Jackson soon followed suit.

"Coach Jackson should talk to a couple of his bench players and make sure they get wet behind the ears before they come barking at a couple of our players,'' said Martin, who went 4 for 5 in the final period and ended up with 21 points.

Playing on the second night of a back-to-back, the Warriors didn't get settled in Oklahoma City until almost daybreak and it showed as they fell behind by 20 early. Martin refused to say specifically who got him riled up to finally squash Golden State's chances for a comeback.

"You've got to take it personal, what they did,'' Martin said. "It wasn't only talking trash. They made a couple of dirty plays to inspire us as a team.''

Harrison Barnes and Klay Thompson had 19 points apiece for the Warriors. Golden State played without Andrew Bogut, who is still easing his way back from a left ankle injury, and Jarrett Jack was sidelined by a right shoulder contusion.

Fog kept the Warriors from arriving in Oklahoma City after their 140-109 loss at Houston on Tuesday night, and the team plane ended up landing about 100 miles away in Tulsa instead. The team buses were still in Oklahoma City, though.

Some players took taxis and others waited for the buses to come get them. It was around 4:30 a.m. by the time they got to the hotel.

"It definitely throws your routine off, especially on a back-to-back,'' Stephen Curry said. "On game day, you can't really think about it, about that being a crutch for you. Just try to overcome it as much as possible.

"I don't know if our energy was a problem. I think it was just a lack of focus at the beginning.''

Oklahoma City opened a 42-22 lead after scoring the first eight points of the second quarter - with four each from Martin and Nick Collison. The Thunder shot a blazing 60 percent over the first quarter and a half, getting easy buckets against the ragged Warriors and building a 28-10 scoring advantage in the paint and a 53-31 lead.

Golden State clawed back to cut the deficit to 75-63 after David Lee's two-handed dunk with 7:19 left in the third quarter and was as close as 11 to start the final period before Oklahoma City put it away with a lineup featuring Serge Ibaka, Thabo Sefolosha and three reserves - most notably Martin.

Durant said he thought Martin got upset when he was fouled and shoved out of bounds.

"I wouldn't say they were too dirty but they were playing us physical, and you don't ever want to shy away from a physical game,'' Durant said. "I think K-Mart did a really good job of getting mad and getting into a zone.

"He can get hot pretty quickly, and that's what busted the game open for us in the fourth quarter.''

The big lead allowed Brooks to go without Durant or Westbrook in the fourth quarter for the second straight game.

"Any time you're sitting over there to start the fourth for the rest of the game, it's a good game,'' Durant said.

Westbrook finished with 22 points and Ibaka had 15 points, nine rebounds and a career-high four assists for Oklahoma City, which won consecutive games for the first time in nearly three weeks after alternating wins and losses for the previous nine games.

Curry had 14 points and 11 assists, and Lee had 12 points and 11 rebounds, but the duo also combined for 10 of the Warriors' 19 turnovers.

"I thought we played well in spurts but you give up 64 points in the paint and 29 points off turnovers, that's a recipe for disaster coming into this building against this team,'' Jackson said.

Notes: Reggie Jackson had a career-high 12 points off the bench for Oklahoma City. ... Golden State dropped to 8-5 in the second game of back-to-back sets this season. ... A night after Houston tied the NBA record with 23 3-pointers against the Warriors, Oklahoma City went 8 for 23 from behind the arc. Golden State was 10 for 20. ... DeAndre Liggins sprained his left ankle late in the game and is considered day-to-day.

 

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Garnett scores 27 as Celtics beat Raptors 99-95



TORONTO (AP) Jason Terry scored only two points. Still, he made a big contribution to Boston's latest win with a pep talk before the fourth quarter.

Kevin Garnett scored a season-high 27 points with 10 rebounds, Paul Pierce had 12 points and 11 rebounds, and the Celtics won their fifth straight game by beating the Toronto Raptors 99-95 on Wednesday night.

Courtney Lee added 15 points, Leandro Barbosa had 14, Avery Bradley 11 and Brandon Bass 10 as the Celtics remained unbeaten since losing guard Rajon Rondo to a season-ending knee injury.

Garnett scored 11 points in the fourth quarter as the Celtics rallied from a 10-point deficit to snap a two-game skid in Toronto. Boston had lost three of its last four in Canada.

"We're fighters,'' Garnett said. "We're a team that's going to compete for 48 minutes. It's not always pretty. We're not perfect, we're human beings. But we play hard, we do our best to go out and try to perfect the game plan.''

Boston's turnaround came after Terry harangued his teammates for their sloppy play through three quarters.

"His message was simple,'' Celtics coach Doc Rivers said. ""The ball will find the open guy. You don't have to dribble around and create your own shot. We've got enough scoring. Space the floor and play together.' And I think that's what we did.''

Terry teamed with Garnett, Pierce, Barbosa and Jeff Green as the Celtics went small in the fourth to engineer their comeback.

"It felt like we didn't have the pace we wanted all game long until that fourth quarter,'' Pierce said. "Once we picked the pace up we got the lead and were able to win the game.''

The victory also ended a three-game road losing streak for the Celtics, who had dropped 11 of 14 away from home.

"This is a good win for us because we didn't have it at stages,'' Rivers said. "We just kind of kept looking for the right lineup, the right group.''

It was Rivers' 400th win with Boston, making him just the third Boston coach to reach that mark. Only Tom Heinsohn (427) and Red Auerbach (910) have more victories with the Celtics.

"That's cool,'' Rivers said. "To be behind those two guys is pretty special for me.''

Rudy Gay led the Raptors with 25 points and a season-high 12 rebounds. Kyle Lowry scored 17 and Amir Johnson had 16 points and 12 rebounds as Toronto lost for the 10th time in 13 games.

Andrea Bargnani returned after missing 26 games with a torn ligament in his right elbow to score 13 points for the Raptors.

"He gave us some good minutes,'' Toronto coach Dwane Casey said. "I thought he wore down a little bit and I didn't want to wear him down too much.''

DeMar DeRozan also scored 13, making five of 16 field goal attempts.

Trailing 79-69 to begin the fourth, Boston tied it with a 10-0 run. Barbosa completed a three-point play, Garnett hit a layup, Terry made a pull-up jumper and Garnett tied it with a three-point play of his own.

"He had it going so we wanted to milk that,'' Pierce said, referring to Garnett. "He's been phenomenal in this stretch and he carried us tonight offensively.''

Alan Anderson stopped the run with a layup but the Celtics reclaimed the lead when Barbosa hit a 3-pointer, then was fouled while making a layup on the next possession. Barbosa missed the free throw, but Boston led 86-85 with 5:50 to go.

Pierce made two from the line and Garnett followed with a layup, giving the Celtics a 90-85 edge with 4:02 left.

Gay tipped in a rebound with 42 seconds remaining, cutting it to 96-93, but Green made one of two from the line to put the Celtics up by four with 17 seconds left.

"We had some defensive letdowns that we couldn't come back from,'' Gay said.

Gay scored eight points in the first and DeRozan added six as the Raptors led 23-20 after one. Bargnani scored 11 in the second but Boston got 10 from Pierce and eight from Garnett to lead 50-45 at halftime.

The Raptors took advantage after Garnett picked up his fourth foul with 6:48 remaining in the third and was replaced by Jason Collins. Toronto led 73-69 with 43 seconds left when Gay hit a 3, then forced a steal off the resulting inbounds pass and fed DeRozan for a dunk. DeRozan was fouled on the play and made the free throw to put the Raptors up 79-69 heading into the fourth. Gay scored 13 points in the third while Lowry had 10.

"I didn't like how we played most of the game,'' Rivers said. "We just kind of hung in there.''

NOTES: Toronto F Landry Fields (back spasms) missed his second straight game. ... The Raptors went 13-13 without Bargnani. ... Gay's double-double was his first since joining the Raptors from Memphis in a three-team trade last week. ... Boston had at least five players score in double figures for the fourth straight game. ... Toronto had 12 steals, one shy of its season high. ... The Celtics host the Lakers on Thursday night.

 

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Raptors vs Celtics highlights

KG has a season-high 27 points to lead the Celtics over the Raptors.

 

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Faried's slams lead Nuggets past Bulls 128-96



DENVER (AP) Kenneth Faried didn't wait for the All-Star dunk contest to put on a big show.

The Denver Nuggets' second-year star celebrated his invitation to the league's annual slam dunk contest with a series of rim-rattling, crowd-pleasing jams that set the tone for the Nuggets' eighth straight win, a 128-96 rout of the Chicago Bulls on Thursday night.

Faried finished with 21 points and 12 rebounds in 26 minutes as the Nuggets won for the 15th time in 18 games since Jan. 1, playing from the opening tip with an intensity that seemed to take the Bulls by surprise.

He had 17 points and eight boards on the break and was on the bench by the fourth quarter along with the rest of Denver's starters as they relished what had become a laugher.

Wilson Chandler added a season-high 24 points, sinking all five of his 3-pointers, as the Nuggets made quick work of a stingy Bulls team that came in yielding just 91 points a game but watched Denver pour in 100 by the time the third quarter was over.

"Wilson and Kenneth, what an incredible performance,'' Denver coach George Karl said. "That's 45 points on 19 shots. I'll take that every night.''

Faried said he was more inspired by the television cameras at the Pepsi Center on this night than the chance to be in the spotlight during the All-Star weekend. He said he feels nobody's noticing the Nuggets as they round into shape following a tough start to the season in which they played 17 of their first 23 on the road, something no NBA team had endured in more than a quarter century.

"I came out with a mindset tonight just to dominate,'' Faried said. "I just wanted to come out and make a statement and Wilson came out and did the same thing. Our team did the same thing, wanted to come out and make a statement in a nationally televised game. We did what we had to do tonight.

JaVale McGee put on his own slam-and-jam show, adding 10 points for the Nuggets, who haven't lost since Jan. 18 and led this one by as many as 35 points.

The Nuggets' 128 points was their highest output of the season and also the most points allowed by the Bulls this season, surpassing the 120 that Houston had on Dec. 25 - it also marks the most an opponent scored during Tom Thibodeau's three years as the Bulls' coach.

"I think today we made a statement on TNT,'' Faried said, "and showed everybody hey, notice us, pay attention. We're out here trying to do our best and we're out here trying to set records.''

Carlos Boozer led Chicago's starters with 18 points. The Bulls again were without starting guards Derrick Rose (left knee) and Kirk Hinrich (right elbow). Center Joakim Noah (right foot) returned to the lineup, but was held to just one bucket and five rebounds. Reserve Daequan Cook led the Bulls with 19 points.

"Yeah, they're short-handed, they're down a couple of guys,'' Karl said, unable to avoid a smile as he perused the Nuggets' best stat sheet of the season. "You know, we did what we had to do and it was fun watching the dunks and the 3-ball going in and the defensive energy and Kenneth bouncing around.''

Faried learned before the game he had been selected to take part in the slam dunk competition during All-Star festivities in Houston on Feb. 16.

"I mean, I'm ecstatic about it, happy to go out there and showcase what I can do and excite the fans,'' Faried said before going out and nearly hitting a double-double by the time the Nuggets went to the locker room with a 63-58 halftime lead.

His biggest dunk in the first half came on the break when Ty Lawson's layup rimmed out and he timed it perfectly to throw down the follow-up. But his best one came in the third quarter when Lawson stripped Noah and flipped the ball to Faried for the fast-break bucket that gave Denver an 80-64 cushion.

Moments later, Faried tied up Noah on his way to the basket, part of a stellar defensive effort during a 28-6 spurt that allowed the Nuggets to coast to their seventh straight win at the Pepsi Center.

"It was an offensive game in the first half. They came out the third quarter and just smoked us,'' Thibodeau said. "They played very good defense. They got 37 in the third, got a big cushion, and that was the game.''

With the game out of hand at 100-74 after three quarters, Lawson was the only starter for either team to log any minutes in the fourth quarter and he took a seat after just two minutes.

Lawson finished with 16 points and 12 assists and the Nuggets were an astonishing plus-40 when he was on the court.

"It was fun, everybody was into it,'' Faried said. "I mean, it was a hell of a night.''

NOTES: The last Denver player to participate in the slam dunk contest was J.R. Smith in 2009. ... Before the game, Nuggets coach George Karl met with 2013 U.S. Solheim Cup captain Meg Mallon and assistant captain Dottie Pepper along with LPGA Commissioner Mike Whan. Karl is a member of the Colorado Golf Club where the Americans and Europeans will compete for the cup this August.

 

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Celtics rout Lakers 116-95 for 6th straight win



BOSTON (AP) The rivalry between the Celtics and Lakers keeps rolling even if they no longer dominate the NBA.

And that brought some extra satisfaction to Boston's Paul Pierce after he led a 116-95 rout of Los Angeles with 24 points on Thursday night.

"It always feels good when you can give them a little old-fashioned beatdown in your house, no matter what direction these teams are going,'' he said. "It'll always be a rivalry. Everybody's always going to watch.''

It was even more special, and perhaps surprising, that the win gave the Celtics a 6-0 record since losing point guard Rajon Rondo for the season with a torn knee ligament.

"We're in a rhythm. We're moving the ball,'' said Kevin Garnett, who had 15 points and became the 16th player in NBA history to reach the 25,000-point mark. "Some day when I'm rocking in a rocking chair having a cigar and thinking what I've done I'm sure it'll make some sense to me, (but) the first priority was the Lakers.''

The teams have met a record 12 times in the NBA Finals, the last in 2010 when the Lakers won in seven games. Only four players on those teams were active Thursday - Kobe Bryant and Metta World Peace for Los Angeles and Pierce and Garnett for Boston. Pau Gasol and Rondo also played in that series but missed Thursday's game.

In 2008, the Celtics beat the Lakers in six games for the championship.

"You can feel the energy every time the Lakers come into the building,'' Pierce said. "There's always a little extra mustard you're going to try to put out there when this type of setting is set up for you.''

The Lakers played with Dwight Howard after he missed three games with a sore right shoulder but without Gasol, who is out indefinitely with a torn plantar fascia in his right foot.

Bryant scored 27 to lead the Lakers, who had won their previous three games but suffered their worst loss of the season. Howard had nine points and nine rebounds in 28 minutes before fouling out with 5:07 left.

"There were a couple times where I felt (the shoulder pain),'' he said, "but I just tried not to think about it. "

World Peace also was back after a one-game suspension for grabbing Detroit's Brandon Knight around the neck and striking him in the jaw with the knuckles of his mostly open hand in the Lakers' 98-97 win Sunday.

The Lakers cut a 58-44 halftime deficit to 72-61 with 5:07 left in the third quarter. Then the Celtics went on a 23-8 run and led 95-69 going into the fourth. Pierce started the surge with a three-point play and ended it with a 3-pointer with 41 seconds left, giving him 12 points in the period.

"The first half was just as bad as the second,'' said Lakers point guard Steve Nash, who had just nine points and five assists. "Disappointing performance, start to finish.''

The win was the Celtics' biggest of the season and broke a tie with Milwaukee for seventh place in the East. They moved within 1 1/2 games of sixth.

"The roof just kind of caved in on us,'' Bryant said. "It always just seems like whenever their backs are against the wall you know that's when you really see the best from them.''

The Lakers had won six of their previous seven games and had moved three games behind the Houston Rockets for the eighth and final playoff spot in the West.

But they trailed by at least 11 points throughout the second half.

Previously, the Celtics' biggest win was 94-75 at Indiana on Jan. 4, and the Lakers' worst loss was 113-97 at Sacramento on Nov. 21.

Garnett reached 25,000 points with an 11-foot turnaround jumper that gave him six for the game and put the Celtics ahead 39-29 with 8:08 left in the half. Jeff Green had 19 points and Jason Terry added 15.

Besides Rondo, rookie forward Jared Sullinger also is out for the season after having back surgery and sat out his fourth game.

"Our guys just think they're good,'' Boston coach Doc Rivers said. "We're playing selfless and free.''

The Celtics led by 14 at halftime after hitting 51.1 percent of their shots while the Lakers kept missing open jumpers and sank just 37.8 percent of theirs, including just 2 of 12 from beyond the 3-point arc.

Los Angeles' last lead, 11-10, came on a 12-foot turnaround fadeaway by Bryant with 6:38 left in the first quarter.

Boston led 27-23 going into the second and built it to 55-40 when Garnett drew two defenders to him under the basket and passed to Chris Wilcox for a dunk with 2:35 left.

Boston took its biggest lead of the half, 58-42 on two free throws by Pierce with 37 seconds to go.

Notes: The Celtics play at home Sunday for the sixth time in seven games when they meet the Denver Nuggets. ... The Lakers are 3-2 on their seven-game road trip, which continues Friday night in Charlotte and ends Sunday in Miami. ... Six Celtics scored in double figures, the fifth straight game in which they had at least five.

 

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Celtics vs Lakers highlights

KG has 15 points including his 25,000th career point, as the Celtics defeat the Lakers.

 

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James scores 30 again, Heat top Clippers 111-89



MIAMI (AP) A few moments after getting hit in the face, LeBron James was shaken up to the point where he didn't even bother contesting a jump ball.

It was about the only play he took off all night.

James scored 30 points in another efficient performance, Dwyane Wade scored 20 and the Miami Heat dominated the middle two quarters on the way to an easy 111-89 win over the Los Angeles Clippers on Friday.

James shot 9 for 11, giving him 37 makes on his last 47 attempts, and sat out the fourth quarter. It was his fourth straight 30-point game, tying him with Wade as the only Heat players with such a streak in the franchise's 25-year history.

"He's off the planet right now,'' Wade said of James. "He's not even the best basketball player on the planet. He's surpassed the planet. He's somewhere else. He's playing phenomenal.''

It was the first time in James' career that he scored at least 30 points on 11 or fewer field-goal attempts. According to STATS LLC, it was only the 13th such game in the NBA since the start of the 2002-03 season.

"Just confident in my ability,'' James said. "It was great to see, when you put in a lot of work and you implement it into a game situation. Just play your game. That's what I'm doing right now. Just playing my game.''

When it comes to this type of roll, James isn't interested in figuring out how it's happening.

"Nope,'' James said. "It's nothing to figure out for me. I go out, see what the pace of the game is bringing and you go out and figure it out on the fly. I don't predetermine anything. If the defense backs up, I shoot. They come up on me, I drive. My teammates are open, I find my teammates. The game flows for me that way, and I'm just in that comfort place right now where I can go out and just play free.''

Mario Chalmers finished with 18 points and Shane Battier scored 12 for Miami, which improved to 21-3 at home.

The Clippers got Chauncey Billups, Chris Paul and Blake Griffin back from injuries, but that trio of starters combined for only 23 points. DeAndre Jordan led Los Angeles with 17 points.

"We lost to a good team over there but we're not going to hang our heads,'' Paul said. "You never want to make excuses but they shot the lights out of the ball. We never really made an impact defensively. LeBron, Mario, all those guys were on a rocking chair all night.''

Miami was without Chris Bosh and Ray Allen, both sidelined with the flu.

James made his first six shots, and his first miss came when Jordan was credited with a block on a play where he also struck the NBA's reigning MVP in the face, leaving him briefly shaken up.

Jordan won the ensuing tip uncontested, and capped that possession with a dunk to get Los Angeles within 10 at 64-54.

Three minutes later, Miami's lead was 24 - a 14-0 run put it away, and James took care of the first half of those points within a span of 37 seconds.

He connected on a 3-pointer while getting fouled by Jordan, then made another 3 on Miami's next possession. Wade followed with two highlight-reel plays, a two-handed slam on a baseline drive followed by an acrobatic turnaround jumper, and Chalmers connected on a 3-pointer to put the Heat up 78-54.

"We just have to stay together,'' Clippers coach Vinny Del Negro said. "It's a test right now. I thought we gave up too much space, too much respect. Obviously, Chris is trying to get back. He's got to take control of the game and physically right now he's not capable of doing that.''

At one point in the third quarter, Miami was shooting 69 percent from the field and 68 percent from 3-point range for the game. The Heat cooled down the stretch, finishing at 53 percent from the floor and 56 percent from beyond the arc.

There was plenty of buzz pregame, for good reason - matchup of division leaders, teams looking to go deep into the postseason. And when the Clippers said before the game that Billups (left foot tendinitis), Paul (bruised right kneecap), Griffin (strained left hamstring) and Jamal Crawford (sore right shoulder) were all fit to return, it seemed as if a showdown was highly possible.

That thought didn't last for long.

"You can write this off that we got everybody back and we were a little rusty,'' Griffin said. "But we have to be better.''

Miami's lead after the first quarter was 30-29. The Heat - who shot 68 percent in the first half - outscored the Clippers 63-39 in the next two quarters, turning things into quite a rout.

Crawford and Griffin each finished with 13 points for the Clippers.

"When the lights are bright and the popcorn's poppin', our guys come to life,'' Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. "That's a great quality.''

NOTES: Miami now has the best home record in the Eastern Conference, with Indiana losing on Friday night at home to Toronto. ... Heat F Udonis Haslem passed the 5,000-rebound mark for his career during the game. ... The Heat continue their L.A. Story at home on Sunday, playing host to the Los Angeles Lakers. ... Clippers F Caron Butler said before the game that he still enjoys playing in Miami, noting it was the Heat who "took a chance'' on him coming into the league and it gives him a chance to see the NBA's "Godfather'' in Heat President Pat Riley. ... Clippers backup C Ronny Turiaf got his NBA championship ring from the Heat in a brief pregame ceremony. ... Billups and Paul combined to shoot 3 for 10.

 

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Bryant leads Lakers over Bobcats 100-93



CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) Even though Kobe Bryant and the Lakers were able to escape with a 100-93 win Friday night over the Charlotte Bobcats, the Los Angeles star was left feeling "irritated'' after the game.

Irritated at his team's shot selection.

Irritated at his team's selfishness.

And especially irritated that the Lakers needed to overcome a 20-point deficit to beat the NBA's worst team.

"We have to play the right way,'' Bryant said. "When we have shots available, we take them. If we don't, move the ball on. It can't be about individual touches. It can't be about that.''

Still, the Lakers won.

Bryant shrugged off a scoreless first half - he attempted only two shots - to finish with 20 points, eight assists and seven rebounds and the Lakers improved to 4-2 on their road trip heading into Sunday's game in Miami against the Heat.

Bryant didn't come out for warm-ups to start the second half.

But he was there to provide the spark the lackluster Lakers needed in the third quarter. He scored 14 of his points in the final period, including a driving layup with 40 seconds left to push the lead to five and help seal the win.

"In the second half I got in position where I could catch it and turn and shoot it a little bit,'' Bryant said. "They were reluctant to double team because we started knocking down some shots. I think that makes the game a lot easier.''

Steve Nash and Earl Clark each had 17 points and Dwight Howard had 12 points, all in the first half, and 11 rebounds for the Lakers (24-27).

Howard played his second straight game despite nursing an injured right shoulder.

"Continuity,'' Howard said when asked of the Lakers offensive woes. "We have to do a better job of spreading everything out and moving and getting everybody involved. When we do that, we are pretty good.''

Byron Mullens and Gerald Henderson each had 20 points for the Bobcats, who have lost six straight.

Charlotte led 71-51 in the third quarter, but the Lakers stormed back behind a 9-0 run. They cut the lead to one on a driving layup by Bryant with 6:06 left in the game and Antawn Jamison gave the Lakers their first lead with 4:46 remaining on a left-handed finger roll in the lane.

The Lakers took the lead for good at 92-91 when Jodie Meeks made a 3-pointer with 3:02 left in the game.

Lakers coach Mike D'Antoni wasn't pleased with the overall effort, but liked that his team bounced back after a 116-95 loss to the Boston Celtics the night before.

"We just got to be able to put our earplugs in, or mufflers on, or blinders on,'' D'Antoni said. "It's like the Kentucky Derby with horses, just get those blinders on and just get out there and run.

"We have so much stuff going on out here that every little thing is blown to bits and whether it is right or wrong or blown out of proportion it is. But, it affects us. It is a distraction. It saps energy. We got to be able to just close that out somehow.''

The Lakers have been unpredictable this season, particularly on the road where they were 8-17 coming into this game.

Before Friday night's game against Charlotte, D'Antoni was asked if the Bobcats were a dangerous opponent for his team.

"We're playing, aren't we? (Then) there's a danger,'' D'Antoni said with a laugh. "If they play the national anthem, we're in danger.''

He was right.

The Lakers started slow, looking out of sync just as they have for a good portion of the season as pick and rolls turned into turnovers and layups on the other end.

Nash had four early turnovers and Howard threw a pass across court that hit the side of the backboard.

The Lakers turned the ball over five times in the game's first eight minutes and fell behind 20-9.

Bryant missed his only two shots in the first half, his slowest start since March 31, 2012, when he went three quarters without scoring a point before beating the New Orleans Hornets on a game-winning shot.

The game was similar to earlier this season when the Bobcats led by 18 in Los Angeles only to squander the lead.

"We had them down pretty much the whole game,'' Bobcats guard Kemba Walker said. "You know, they made a really good run. Kobe made a lot of good plays, made the right passes and guys just made shots.''

NOTES: Bobcats rookie Michael Kidd-Gilchrist returned to action Friday after missing two games with a concussion. ... At halftime Bryant had five rebounds, two assists and no points. ... The Bobcats had been one of three teams with a .500 or better record all-time against the Lakers, but fell to 8-9 with Friday night's loss.

 

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Spurs' streak ends in 119-109 loss to Pistons



AUBURN HILLS, Mich. (AP) Gregg Popovich was explaining before the game how his San Antonio Spurs had managed to win 11 in a row despite injuries to Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili.

It was an impressive run, but it wasn't going to last forever.

"We'll probably lay an egg here sometime,'' the veteran coach cautioned. "Everybody does after a while. You never know what night that will be.''

It turned out to be Friday for the Spurs, whose streak came to an end with a 119-109 loss to the Detroit Pistons. San Antonio fell behind by 21 points in the second quarter, and Detroit held on thanks to Greg Monroe's 26 points and 16 rebounds.

"They beat us to the boards, they beat us to loose balls and they just outplayed us. We're supposed to be good at defending at the 3-point line, but they sliced and diced us,'' Popovich said. "There are just nights you play like this.''

The next concern for the Spurs was the massive snow storm affecting the New York-to-Boston corridor. They were expecting to stay in the Detroit area Friday night before trying to make it to Sunday night's game at Brooklyn.

San Antonio played without Duncan and Ginobili, and the Pistons equaled their highest score of the season. Detroit was without rookie big man Andre Drummond, who is expected to miss four to six weeks because of a stress fracture in his back.

"Obviously we feel very bad for Andre, but he's 19 and he'll recover,'' Detroit coach Lawrence Frank said. "You move forward, we get him healthy, and you go with who you got.''

Tony Parker scored 31 points for San Antonio and Kawhi Leonard added 16. Brandon Knight had 24 for the Pistons, and Charlie Villanueva scored 21.

Monroe, the Pistons' starting center, needed little help inside against the Spurs - and Detroit built a sizeable lead in the first half thanks to terrific outside shooting.

San Antonio trailed by 17 after three quarters. The Spurs cut it to 108-101 on a 3-pointer by Leonard, but Knight answered with a 3 of his own.

Later, the Spurs were down by eight with the ball, but Leonard missed and Villanueva made a 3-pointer to make it 116-105.

The Pistons led 27-16 late in the first quarter after Jose Calderon sank a 3-pointer. It was 31-23 after one, and Detroit went 6 of 9 from beyond the arc in the second.

Kyle Singler's 18-footer made it 65-44, but San Antonio scored the last eight points of the half to give itself a reasonable chance at a comeback.

It was 81-72 with 3:55 left in the third, and the Spurs looked like they would enter the final quarter very much within striking distance. But this time it was Detroit that finished the period strong, going on a 10-3 run to lead 95-78.

Monroe scored six points during that stretch. He ended up playing 40 minutes.

"Andre is out for a while now, so I expect I'll play a lot more minutes, but tonight was a good team win,'' Monroe said. "We beat a very good team tonight and we need to keep it rolling.''

Duncan was shooting around on the court a couple hours before the opening tip, but he missed his second straight game with a sore left knee. Ginobili has missed three in a row with left hamstring tightness.

Duncan has played only twice in San Antonio's last nine games, but the Spurs were able keep winning anyway before falling into too big a hole Friday.

"They just shot the ball really well. They aren't known for being a great 3-point shooting team, but every time we'd get the game back to seven or eight points, they'd hit another one,'' Parker said. "They did that to us all night, and there wasn't anything we could do to stop them.''

NOTES: Detroit went 10 of 22 from 3-point range. San Antonio was 10 of 24. ... Detroit also scored 119 points in a December loss to Atlanta, but that was in double overtime.

 

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Marion, Mavericks down slumping Warriors 116-91



DALLAS (AP) Dallas didn't have to worry about another close finish against the weary Golden State Warriors.

Shawn Marion scored a season-high 26 points, O.J. Mayo added 19 and the Mavericks handed the Golden State Warriors their fourth straight loss, 116-91 on Saturday night.

Dallas had lost its first two meetings to Golden State by a combined seven points. The Warriors beat the Mavericks 105-101 in overtime on Nov. 19 and edged Dallas 100-97 on Jan. 31. The narrow loss last week was still on Dallas' mind, especially since coach Rick Carlisle was fined $25,000 for criticizing the late-game officiating.

Darren Collison, who had 18 points and eight assists, keyed a 21-6 first-quarter run. The Mavericks stretched the lead to 27 in the second quarter and were barely threatened after that.

"We were right in the game against Golden State when we played them at their place a week ago,'' Collison said. "I think everybody was upset about that game. We knew had to go at them in the first five minutes.''

Marion went 11 of 16 from the floor and grabbed 11 rebounds. Dirk Nowitzki chipped in with 15 points for the Mavericks.

The Mavericks, five games behind eighth-place Houston in the Western Conference, improved to 2-0 on a five-game homestand.

Dallas took advantage of a tired Golden State team which was playing its fourth game in five days.

"Any time a team comes in playing four games in five nights, you want to attack them at both ends of the floor,'' Nowitzki said. "That was a big emphasis for us.''

Golden State's Stephen Curry had 18 points on 8-of-23 shooting and Carl Landry added 13. The Warriors were winless on a four-game road trip that started with a 140-109 loss to Houston on Tuesday night.

The Warriors were outscored by an average of nearly 21 points on their four-game trip.

"It's very frustrating,'' Golden State All-Star David Lee said. "Not only losing four games in a row, but in the manner that we lost them. Every team goes through those ups and downs during the season. The key for us is to figure it out sooner rather than later.''

Collison scored 11 points in Dallas' 21-6 surge in the first quarter, including a 3-pointer that put the Mavericks ahead 26-12. The Mavericks point guard finished with 18 points and eight assists.

Rodrigue Beaubois hit a 20-footer with 9.8 seconds left to give Dallas a 30-16 lead after the first quarter. Golden State, who missed 10 straight shots during one stretch, was 7 of 22 in the opening quarter.

The Mavericks pushed their advantage to 43-21 on Nowitzki's three-point play. Marion's dunk gave Dallas a 54-27 lead with 5:06 remaining in the first half.

"We started off aggressive on both ends of the floor and we were able to capitalize on their misses,'' Marion said. "We made them turn the ball over and that opened the game up.''

Golden State, which trailed 62-36 at halftime, got within 87-74 early in the fourth.

Dallas answered with an 18-5 run, which was capped when Mayo saved a loose ball from going out of bounds near midcourt and hit a streaking Marion for a dunk that made it 105-79.

NOTES: Nowitzki passed Wilt Chamberlain for 15th place on the NBA's career list for free throws made. Nowitzki was 8 of 11 Saturday night and has 6,059 in his career. ... Golden State G Jarrett Jack (right shoulder) missed his third straight game. Warriors C Andrew Bogut also did not play. Bogut played a season-high 28 minutes Friday against Memphis on Friday, but the Warriors aren't playing the 7-footer on consecutive nights as he works his way back from left ankle surgery. ... After marching in the inaugural parade last month, the Grambling State band performed at halftime.

 

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Villanueva, Pistons beat Bucks 105-100



MILWAUKEE (AP) Hitting a clutch 3-pointer helped Charlie Villanueva forget a critical mistake.

Villanueva big shot with 9.7 seconds left and Rodney Stuckey's two free throws led the Detroit Pistons past the Milwaukee Bucks 105-100 on Saturday night.

Brandon Jennings, who scored 26 points, took an inbounds pass from Monta Ellis and made a tough fadeaway shot with 47.8 seconds left, but Jose Calderon, who tied his season high with 23 points, came back with a running layup for Detroit that tied it at 100.

After a timeout, the Pistons worked the ball to Villanueva, who got it at the top of the key and swished a 3 with 9.7 seconds left. On the Bucks' next possession, Jennings fired up a 31-foot 3-point attempt with 3.2 seconds left.

"I was kind of disappointed I made a turnover,'' Villanueva said after making a bad pass with less than a minute to play and the game tied at 98. "I was down on that for a little bit, but I jumped on the next play right away.''

Villanueva said his teammates just made the play happen.

"The guys made the right play. I don't even know who passed it to me,'' he said. "Once it hit my hand, I wanted to make sure it went in so they could forget about that turnover I did.''

Stuckey's two free throws with 1.6 seconds remaining were the final margin.

Calderon could forgive one miscue, but the team couldn't make another one.

"It doesn't matter if we make a mistake, everybody is going to make a turnover one time,'' he said. "But, don't make two in a row. Let's slow down.''

Calderon had 10 assists and three steals in his fourth game since coming to the Pistons in a trade on January 30.

"He's jelling. He's jelling,'' Villanueva said. "He's a tremendous player. We're so glad he's on this team. Finding guys in the right places, very unselfish player. Knows how to play the game. That's what I expect from him.''

Stuckey finished with 19 points, Villanueva 18 and Greg Monroe 14 to lead the Pistons to their third win in four meetings against the Bucks this season. Villanueva also had a season-high 13 rebounds. Kyle Singler had 11 points and Will Bynum added 12 to give Detroit six players in double figures.

"Their team was playing harder than us,'' Jennings said. "We are not competing to their type of game. It's going to take a team effort.''

Ersan Ilyasova scored 15 points and grabbed 10 rebounds, Samuel Dalembert had 14 points and 12 rebounds for Milwaukee, which lost its third in a row and fifth out of the last six.

"I don't think I'm reaching when I say we're obviously not on the same page now,'' Mike Dunleavy said after scoring 10 points. "We're in a funk. Everybody's got their own little issues.''

It was the second game Detroit was without rookie big man Andre Drummond, who is expected to miss four to six weeks because of a stress fracture in his back suffered in Sunday's loss to Los Angeles.

Monroe, starting for Drummond, was not as dominating as he was in Detroit's 119-109 victory over the short-handed San Antonio Spurs on Friday night when he had 26 points and 16 rebounds.

"As a team, we definitely did a good job of staying poised,'' Monroe said. "Obviously, Charlie hit a big shot, but we got some stops late.''

The Bucks were without the injured Larry Sanders, the NBA leader in blocked shots.

Detroit won the battle in the paint with 52 points to Milwaukee's 38.

Neither team got more than a three-point lead in the fourth.

The Bucks opened the third with a 16-5 run capped by Jennings' steal and layup that gave the Bucks their biggest lead 72-62 at 6:13. Detroit fought right back with a 19-10 run keyed by Stuckey's eight points. His two free throws pulled Detroit to 82-81 heading into the fourth.

Milwaukee made it a close game in the second quarter, but couldn't pull away as the Pistons dominated the paint with 34 points to 18 for the Bucks. Detroit also ran off 16 fastbreak points to five for Milwaukee.

The Bucks erased the Pistons' 33-22 first-quarter lead and went ahead 56-55 on Ilyasova's 3-pointer with under a minute to play in the half. Singler answered for Detroit with a jumper from in close that gave the Pistons a 57-56 lead after two quarters.

Calderon and Monroe had 21 points combined in the Pistons' 33-22 first quarter.

Calderon scored 11 points and had four assists, three rebounds and two steals. Monroe added 10 points, grabbed five rebounds and made three steals. Detroit's defense hounded the Bucks, forcing eight turnovers and converting them into 14 points. Their offense ran off 16 fastbreak points to none for Milwaukee.

NOTES: Detroit shot 60 percent in the first quarter, making 15 of 25 shots. Milwaukee made eight of 23 attempts for 34.8 percent. ... Sanders missed his second consecutive game with a lower back contusion. He landed on his tailbone late in the game with the Denver Nuggets. He is day-to-day. ... Bucks G/F Marquis Daniels missed the game due to a family matter. ... Bucks F Luc Mbah a Moute returned after missing one game with a sore right knee.