NBA Indiana Pacers vs Los Angeles Lakers

Indiana Pacers vs Los Angeles Lakers 104-92

David West scored 19 points, Lance Stephenson had 15 points and 14 rebounds, and the Indiana Pacers wrapped up a five-game road trip with a 104-92 victory over the spiraling Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday night. George Hill had 13 points and seven rebounds for the Pacers, who stayed atop the overall NBA standings despite losing twice on their West Coast trip. Los Angeles kept it close into the second half before the Pacers finished an easy win over the injury-riddled Lakers, who have lost five straight. All-Star selection Paul George had his second straight rough game for Indiana, scoring 14 points on 4-for-21 shooting. Pau Gasol had 21 points and 13 rebounds for the Lakers, who returned from a two-week road trip for their 17th loss in 20 games. Jodie Meeks also scored 21 points, and Nick Young had 12 points on 5-of-16 shooting in the Lakers' fourth consecutive home loss to Indiana since 2010. Kendall Marshall had 11 points and 13 assists. While dropping into 14th place in the Western Conference, the Lakers (16-30) also got yet another round of dismaying injury news during the game. Kobe Bryant has continued pain and swelling after breaking a bone in his left knee, and he won't be re-evaluated for three more weeks. The fourth-leading scorer in NBA history has played in just six games this season, and the latest injury is expected to force him to miss the All-Star game next month. He has been out since Dec. 17. Los Angeles also played without Steve Nash, Steve Blake, Jordan Farmar and Xavier Henry, while Gasol and Meeks played through nagging injuries. Nash is hoping to return Friday, but the Lakers aren't certain after the two-time MVP missed his 38th consecutive game. Despite struggling for long stretches on offence and making just 15 of their 27 free throws, the Pacers bounced back from Saturday's loss at Denver, their second in three games. Indiana led by five points late in the third quarter before making a 19-8 run, going up 93-77 on Stephenson's layup with 7:26 left. Indiana's opponents had averaged 109.5 points per game on this trip until the Pacers met the Lakers, who failed to crack 100 points for the first time in nine games. The injury-riddled Lakers gave 18 minutes of playing time to Manny Harris, who was in the D-League the last time Los Angeles played a home game. Harris went scoreless on 0-for-6 shooting.

NBA Washington Wizards vs Golden State Warriors

Washington Wizards vs Golden State Warriors 88-85

Golden State Warriors coach Mark Jackson said before his team faced the Washington Wizards on Tuesday night that John Wall deserved to be on the Eastern Conference All-Star team. He may want to add the other half of Washington's terrific backcourt tandem, too. Bradley Beal scored 18 of his 20 points in the second half, and Wall had 15 points and eight rebounds while making some big plays late to lead the Wizards past the Warriors 88-85. "I just kept shooting. I had amnesia, and I wasn't getting down on myself in the first half because I got good looks and I was taking what the defence was giving me and the shots that I wanted," Wall said. "I didn't lose my confidence or anything like that. I knew in the second half I had to step up for this team to be able to win." In a matchup of two of the NBA's best young backcourts, Washington's guard duo outplayed and outhustled Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson when it mattered most. Beal, who was 1-of-7 shooting in the first half, finished 8 of 19 from the floor to go with seven rebounds and four assists. Wall hit a tiebreaking 3-pointer with 1:28 remaining, and the Wizards forced the Warriors into several difficult shots in the closing moments. "It wasn't a pretty game by either team I'm sure offensively, but these are the kind of games our defence can win for us," Wizards coach Randy Wittman said. Stephen Curry scored 23 points before missing a contested left-handed 3-pointer as time expired, and Thompson had 13 points and six rebounds for the streaky Warriors, who have lost six of nine since winning 10 in a row. "We've got to be better," Jackson said. "The very good teams or the great teams in this league, they take care of their business. And right now we're a team (that) if a championship-calibre team comes in here or an elite team comes in here, we play at that level. Or if a bad team or an average team comes in, then we play at that level. We are not good enough to allow who comes in here to determine how hard we play." Both teams shot under 38 per cent and were often careless with the ball. The Warriors committed 19 turnovers, while Washington had 18. In the end, the Wizards were a little crisper. Beal shook off his slow start to make three consecutive 3-pointers at the beginning of the fourth quarter to give Washington a 75-68 lead. The Warrriors came back quickly, with Thompson connecting from beyond the arc to cap a spurt that put the Warriors up 79-77. After Washington went ahead by five, Curry hit a 3-pointer that brought most of the announced sellout crowd of 19,596 roaring to its feet. Golden State stopped the Wizards after a timeout, and then grabbed two offensive rebounds before Thompson found David Lee for a layup that tied the score at 85 with 1:47 to play. Wall came back with a 3-pointer off a rebound, and then Andre Iguodala air-balled a 3 for the Warriors on the other end. Washington missed a major chance when centre Marcin Gortat, who also lost two rebounds in the final minutes, missed a wide-open layup after securing a rebound. It didn't matter. Curry missed another shot from long range, and the Wizards grabbed the rebound — but blew another chance to put the game out of reach. After stopping Washington and calling timeout with 6.1 seconds left, the Warriors wasted the final possession, with Curry picking up his dribble and forcing a left-handed leaner around Trevor Ariza that sealed Washington's win. Curry shot 8 of 23 from the floor, and Thompson finished 5 for 17. "We didn't do enough to separate ourselves and were at the mercy of some missed shots down the stretch that decided the game," Curry said. "Just a bad performance, and really disappointing."

NBA Memphis Grizzlies vs Portland Trail Blazers

Memphis Grizzlies vs Portland Trail Blazers 98-81

There is something about returning to Portland that brings the best out of Memphis forward Zach Randolph. Randolph did another number on his former team Tuesday night, finished with 23 points and 10 rebounds to lead the Grizzlies to a 98-81 victory over the Trail Blazers. Mike Conley had 19 points and seven assists, and Marc Gasol added 15 points and eight rebounds for the Grizzlies (23-20), who won their third straight and seventh in eight games. LaMarcus Aldridge finished with 27 points and 16 rebounds as the Blazers (33-13) suffered their most lopsided defeat of the season. Portland registered a season low for points scored and had their home winning streak snapped at five games. Randolph registered his 27th double-double of the season as a franchise record-setting 190th for the Grizzlies, who never trailed. Portland fell to 18-5 at home. Randolph, who played his first six seasons with the Blazers, averaged 22.7 points on 52.9 per cent shooting in seven previous visits. "It's always fun to come back," said Randolph, who scored 13 of his 23 points in the first half as the Grizzlies opened a 61-46 lead. "This is where I started, man. That's just the kind of player that I am." The Grizzlies, picking up where they had left off in Saturday's 99-81 home win over Houston, shot 58.3 per cent in the first quarter against the Blazers and jumped in front 31-22 behind Randolph's 11 points. "It was important for us to get off to a fast start and we did," Randolph said. "We had great offence during the game, but our defence was the key." The Grizzlies held Portland, averaging a NBA-leading 109 points a game, to 34.5 per cent shooting two nights after the Blazers shot a season-low 33.7 per cent in a 103-88 loss at Golden State. "Memphis saw blood and they lunged at our jugular," Blazers centre Robin Lopez said. "I really think we kind of slashed our own throat in a way, which kind of let them run away with it." Aldridge was 6 of 7 in the first quarter and Nicholas Batum converted a three-point play that pulled Portland within 24-22, but Memphis outscored the Blazers 7-0 over the final 2:20 of the period to open a nine-point cushion. "We were in attack mode on both ends of the floor," Grizzlies coach David Joerger said. "Most of the night, we were the aggressors." Memphis connected four times from 3-point range in the second quarter, including one by Courtney Lee that extended the lead to 57-39 with 3:39 to play in the half. Damian Lillard connected from 3 for Portland to start the fourth quarter, sparking a 23-13 run that cut the deficit to 94-81 with 2:27 to play. "It was a disappointing game, needless to say," said Blazers coach Terry Stotts, whose team was playing its ninth game in 14 nights. "We got off to a slow start. We caught a team that's trying to put it together. They're on a roll and they're playing very well. They showed that in the first half." Lillard finished with 16 points, Lopez had 14, and Batum 10 for the Blazers. "We're in a rough patch right now," Lillard said. "We're not shooting the ball very well and we've got to defend better. We've played so well, we were due for a rough patch and a little bit of adversity." The Grizzlies remain in fourth place in the Southwest Division but are gaining ground. "We're getting our chemistry right," Randolph said. "I don't want to say we're right there or that we're hitting our peak, but it's coming. As long as we keep working hard and playing 48 minutes, we give ourselves a chance to compete with anybody."

NBA Houston Rockets vs San Antonio Spurs

Houston Rockets vs San Antonio Spurs 97-90

James Harden was out with a thumb injury, and then Dwight Howard got off to a slow start. It sure looked as if it was going to be a long night for the Houston Rockets. Then everything changed in the third quarter. Howard got back on track and a pair of role players stepped up to help Houston rally for a 97-90 win over the San Antonio Spurs on Tuesday. The Rockets trailed by as many as 15 points in the first half before scoring 33 in the third to go on top. San Antonio used an 11-3 spurt to pull within two in the final minutes, but Howard and Jeremy Lin helped Houston hold on for the win. "We just kept grinding it out," Rockets coach Kevin McHale said. "We changed a couple of things defensively and the guys kind of dug in and got stops." Howard had 23 points and 16 rebounds for Houston, which enjoyed a 55-39 advantage on the glass. Terrence Jones scored 21 points and Lin added 18 points and eight assists while starting in Harden's spot. Harden, who leads the team with 23.7 points a game, was out with a bruised left thumb. "I know I missed a lot of shots early," Howard said. "I didn't lose focus. I got a little frustrated because I wanted to make those shots, especially against Tim (Duncan). But I just tried to stick with it and show the team that no matter what I'm going to battle." Boris Diaw scored a season-high 22 points for the Spurs, and he also had 11 rebounds. Tony Parker added 17 points and Duncan had 12 points, 14 rebounds and four blocks. Houston was clinging to a 90-88 lead with less than two minutes left when Howard had a dunk and Lin made a jumper. Duncan had a layup on the other end, but Lin sunk a pair of free throws to secure the victory. Houston has won all three meetings with the Southwest Division-leading Spurs to secure the season series for the first time since 1996-97. They have one scheduled game left on April 14 in Houston. San Antonio's 90-point performance ended a streak of 15 straight games with at least 100 points and sent the Spurs to consecutive losses for the first time this season. The last time they were held below 100 was a 111-98 loss to Houston on Christmas Day. The Spurs got within six on a hook shot by Diaw early in the fourth quarter. Lin then scored five quick points to extend Houston's lead to 81-70. Houston was up by four points with four minutes left in the third quarter when San Antonio resorted to the "Hack-a-Howard" defence, fouling the centre every time the Rockets got the ball. Howard made 13 of 25 foul shots on the night, leaving him at 52.2 per cent from the line for the season. "I figured they were going to do it," he said. "I'm just glad I made most of them." Duncan lamented that the tactic backfired for the Spurs. "That's what he had to do to get us out of it," Duncan said. "He made free throws and he hurt us with them." The Spurs employed the strategy on eight straight possessions, with Howard making 10 foul shots while they had six points as Houston extended its lead to 70-62. Diaw made a jump shot at the end of the third quarter to cut Houston's lead to 72-64 entering the fourth. The Rockets opened the second half with an 11-2 run, capped by a two-handed dunk by Howard, to take their first lead of the game at 50-48. Lin started the run with a 3-pointer and also had two free throws in the surge. Manu Ginobili made four free throws for San Antonio before Houston scored six straight points to take a 56-52 lead. Ginobili and Chandler Parsons then exchanged rim-rattling dunks in rapid succession. The 36-year-old Ginobili injured himself on his jam and was soon limping and holding his upper left leg. He remained in the game for a bit before walking off the court and into the locker room at the next timeout. The team said he had tightness in his left hamstring. He missed time earlier this month with the same problem. San Antonio led by 10 points in the second quarter before Howard made his first basket of the night after starting the game 0 for 8. The bucket was the first of five straight points for Howard with San Antonio's only points in that stretch coming on a layup by Marco Belinelli, helping Houston close to 46-39 at halftime. Houston struggled early without Harden and San Antonio jumped to a 9-0 lead thanks to five points from Diaw. The Spurs pushed the lead to 21-6 with about five minutes left in the first.

NBA New York Knicks vs Boston Celtics

New York Knicks vs Boston Celtics 114-88

This one was so easy for the New York Knicks, Carmelo Anthony only needed to play 28 minutes. That left plenty of energy for pitching books and swatting away free agency questions. Anthony had 24 points and nine rebounds, and the Knicks avenged an embarrassing home loss with a rout of their own, beating the Boston Celtics 114-88 on Wednesday night for their third straight victory. Jeremy Tyler added a career-high 17 points and fellow reserve J.R. Smith also scored 17 for the Knicks, who lost by 41 the last time the Celtics came to Madison Square Garden but led this one by 35. "Today's game in particular, it was kind of personal, you know what I'm saying, the way they beat us the last time we played them," forward Kenyon Martin said. "So we wanted a little get-back." Anthony, who leads the NBA in minutes per game with 39.2, was quick on his feet after the game, easily handling a question about his relationship with Chicago coach Tom Thibodeau (he said he doesn't have one) and one about comments made by his wife, actress La La Anthony, who has a new book out called "The Love Playbook" and said in a TV interview that she "definitely" thinks he will re-sign with the Knicks. "That's my wife. I support her, I support what she said," Anthony said. "I don't think she said anything wrong. It's a good thing for her to say that. Go get the book though, your wives and girlfriends will enjoy the book." New York evened its record at 3-3 on its eight-game homestand, with games remaining against Cleveland on Thursday and Miami on Saturday. New York is headed in the right direction again since ending a five-game losing streak Friday behind Anthony's 62 points, and is only a half-game out of the eighth and final Eastern Conference playoff spot despite its 18-27 record. "You're going to have ups and downs throughout the season," centre Tyson Chandler said. "The thing is when you have those lulls you've got to be able to bounce back, and we've done that." Jeff Green scored 14 points on 4-of-13 shooting for the Celtics, who have lost three straight and six of seven. Rajon Rondo had seven points and five assists, shooting 3 of 13 in his sixth game of the season after returning from a torn ACL. "It was a good old-fashioned butt kicking," Celtics coach Brad Stevens said. After finishing up their Super Bowl media day duties, the Seattle Seahawks' Russell Wilson and Golden Tate, and Wes Welker, Demaryius Thomas and Eric Decker of Denver were part of the sellout crowd of 19,812. Hopefully their game Sunday will be better than this clunker. Boston jumped to a 12-0 lead in its 114-73 victory here on Dec. 8, when it handed New York its worst home loss in 11 years. But it never really got much better this season for the Celtics, who led the Atlantic Division at 10-12 after that victory but are 5-20 since. "We didn't take anything away tonight," Rondo said. "We pretty much gave them everything they wanted. They took away stuff from us but we didn't take anything away from those guys." The Knicks jumped to a 21-5 lead helped by the Celtics' lack of execution (they missed 11 of their first 13 shots) and effort (6-foot-1 Raymond Felton grabbed an offensive rebound under the basket without even having to jump on one possession). New York led 31-15 after one and opened a 45-20 bulge when Chandler threw down an alley-oop pass from Smith midway through the second. The Celtics scored 11 straight to cut it to 14, but the Knicks outscored them 18-6 the remainder of the half to take a 63-37 lead. The Knicks overcame the loss of Iman Shumpert to a sprained right shoulder just over 4 minutes into the game. Martin left with a sprained left ankle in his first game after missing five games with the same injury, though the team said he was available to return. New York also announced at halftime that reserve guard Beno Udrih was unavailable because of illness, but everyone else who was active scored. That included Metta World Peace, who played for the first time in a month after having a procedure on his left knee and made a 3-pointer.

NBA Detroit Pistons vs Orlando Magic

Detroit Pistons vs Orlando Magic 103-87

After one of his worst games of the season, Andre Drummond got a little pep talk from Detroit coach Maurice Cheeks. "I told him at shootaround that he's human," Cheeks said. "He's entitled to have a bad game. It's important to see how you bounce back." Drummond had 13 points and 17 rebounds, and the Pistons snapped a four-game losing streak with a 103-87 win over the Orlando Magic on Tuesday night. Drummond bounced back from a poor outing at Dallas over the weekend, and Detroit led comfortably throughout the second half. Detroit has struggled to close out games at home this season, but this time the Pistons turned a double-digit lead into a rout. "We needed it a lot. We're losing, a lot of bad things are around in the air — a lot of negative energy," Detroit guard Will Bynum said. "Just happy to get a win." Brandon Jennings had 20 points and eight assists for Detroit, and Josh Smith added 16 points. Victor Oladipo scored 19 points for the Magic. Detroit finished with 17 offensive rebounds — 12 in the first half — and outscored Orlando 44-22 in the paint. The Magic started former Piston Jason Maxiell for this game, giving themselves a little more size against Detroit's imposing front line. It was no use. Drummond, Smith and Greg Monroe went a combined 17 for 30 from the field. Monroe finished with eight points and 11 rebounds. "Sometimes it is just as simple as finding someone ... and boxing them out," Magic coach Jacque Vaughn said. "You need to do that on 10 defensive possessions out of 10, not six out of 10 or nine out of 10, and we weren't even close to that, especially in the first half. When a shot goes up, find someone and get a body on them." Drummond had only four points against Dallas, and he had a scary start in this one. He stayed down for a bit holding his left leg with 6:34 left in the first quarter — after his shoe came off during a scramble near the basket. Drummond was able to walk off the court, and he was back in the game almost immediately. His putback gave Detroit a 12-11 lead. Maxiell missed a dunk at the other end, and although the Magic led by two after the first quarter, Detroit controlled the second to take a 53-43 halftime lead. Drummond said Cheeks' pregame message helped him. "Last game was a tough game for me," Drummond said. "He knows I really get down on myself if I do anything wrong. For him to tell me that today at the shootaround really gave me a boost to want to be great tonight." Monroe's layup off a pass from Smith capped a 9-0 run that gave the Pistons a 70-55 lead in the third. It was 78-60 at the end of the quarter. "We have to be tougher," Orlando's Jameer Nelson said. "Every guy on this team needs to take pride and ownership in their individual performance and the team's performance. We didn't do that tonight, not at all." Detroit was only 7-5 at home when leading after three quarters, but there would be no late collapse in this one. Jennings connected from beyond the arc to make it 85-63, and the Pistons led by as many as 26. "We've got a lot of talent on this team, and we just have to figure out the right chemistry of players, at the right times," Bynum said. Bynum gave a cryptic response when asked if players are still trying to learn roles. "You don't want to know what I think — it's out of my pay grade to tell you what I think," Bynum said. "Hopefully things just really turn around, and we string up some wins."

NBA New Orleans Pelicans vs Cleveland Cavaliers

New Orleans Pelicans vs Cleveland Cavaliers 100-89

Anthony Davis isn't worried about making the All-Star team. He may have nothing to fear. Davis padded his resume by scoring 30 points with eight blocks and seven rebounds and Eric Gordon scored 20, leading the New Orleans Pelicans to a 100-89 win over the puzzling Cleveland Cavaliers on Tuesday night. Davis, one of three No. 1 overall picks on the floor, was dominant from baseline to baseline as the Pelicans won their third straight. With New Orleans hosting next month's All-Star weekend, the Pelicans are hoping their second-year star will be added to the Western Conference's squad when reserves are named Thursday night. "Everybody keeps talking about All-Star, and should he be an All-Star," New Orleans coach Monty Williams said. "All you have to do is look at tonight. Show me other bigs who are doing it on both ends like he does every single night." Davis dislocated his left index finger in the final minutes, but got taped up during a timeout and stayed in. New Orleans scored 16 straight points to close the first half and opened a 22-point lead in the third, causing some fans to boo the listless Cavaliers, who followed a 3-2 trip out West by going 1-4 on their homestand. Cleveland's lone win was against Milwaukee, which has the NBA's worst record. "Our competitive spirit is non-existent," said Cavs coach Mike Brown. "Maybe I need to shake some things up." Kyrie Irving scored 23 and Dion Waiters 21 for Cleveland. Rookie Anthony Bennett, the first pick in last year's draft, scored a season-high 15 and was the lone bright spot for the Cavs. A major disappointment so far, the 6-foot-8 Canadian added eight rebounds and played 31 minutes — his most action this season. Davis scored 11 points in the third quarter, when he showed off his well-rounded game. He swished a long jumper, dropped a runner, nailed a bank shot and, of course, dunked. Missing Anderson Varejao, who was out with a hyperextended and bruised left knee, the Cavs had no defensive answer for Davis, who was coming off a 22-point, 19-rebound, seven-block performance in a win over Orlando. As the Pelicans were putting the finishing touches on the win, Davis injured his finger and came to the bench in obvious pain. He bent over as a trainer worked on his fingers and several of Davis' teammates patted him on the back as he was treated. "He said, 'tape it up. I'm going right back,'" Williams said. "That to me says more about him than any number or stat that he can put up. His heart and his willingness to do whatever it takes for his team is why he's an All-Star in my opinion." Davis returned to the floor, but didn't have to do much in the final three minutes as the Pelicans had already wrapped up their 10th road victory. Davis said the All-Star talk is not distracting. "It's cool," Davis said. "I hear it, but I'm trying to win games. I'm trying to get better each and every day. If it happens, I'll be more than grateful and more than excited to be able to play." The Pelicans outscored the Cavs 16-0 over the final 5:25 of the second quarter to open a 56-44 halftime lead. Gordon had six points during the spurt, which included a possession where all five New Orleans touched the ball before Davis dunked. Cleveland, which scored just six points in the third quarter of a loss to Phoenix on Sunday, missed its last nine shots of the period. The Cavs committed three turnovers in the last four minutes and shot only 5 of 20 from the field. Irving said the Cavs have not tuned out Brown, whose second second stint with Cleveland has not gone well to this point. "As a team, we go through stretches where it's ups and downs, that's just part of the game," Irving said. "I leave my trust with coach Brown, I'm riding with him. Whatever he says and whatever he needs me to do, I'm going to go out there and do. I'm pretty sure all of my teammates feel the same way and that's where that rests. Anything he needs us to do, I'm willing to do and I know my teammates do as well."

NBA Denver Nuggets vs Sacramento Kings

Denver Nuggets vs Sacramento Kings 125-117

Even with a new coach, the Denver Nuggets still love to push the basketball. That's exactly what they did best Sunday night against short-handed Sacramento.
Ty Lawson scored 27 points and Wilson Chandler had 20 for the Nuggets, who used their fast-paced philosophy to beat the struggling Kings 125-117. Following an emotional home win over Indiana on Saturday and a late-night flight to Sacramento, the Nuggets played the up-tempo game that was encouraged for years by George Karl and has continued under rookie coach Brian Shaw.
Denver shot nearly 52 per cent, made 10 3-pointers and bothered the Kings enough at the defensive end to force 16 turnovers — many of them contributing to Denver's 33 fast-break points. It was a season high allowed by the Kings, who have had trouble all season slowing down opponents. The Nuggets are 12-2 this season when scoring at least 110 points. "We come out and run and play with energy, that's our game," Lawson said. "If we don't do that, we're not going to win many games." It was the second consecutive victory for the Nuggets, who went ahead late in the third quarter and never trailed again. Denver was coming off a 109-96 victory over the Pacers, who have the best record in the NBA. The Nuggets (22-21) now return home for games against Charlotte, Toronto, the Los Angeles Clippers and Milwaukee. "It's the first time this year we have followed up a good win with another one," Shaw said. "If we take care of business at home we can really build some momentum." The Kings, who have dropped three straight and five of six, played their second consecutive game without leading scorers DeMarcus Cousins (ankle sprain) and Rudy Gay (Achilles strain). The two combine for nearly 43 points per game and are day to day. Chandler scored seven points in the fourth quarter and Kenneth Faried finished with 15 points and 11 rebounds for the Nuggets. Timofey Mozgov added 14 points, while Nate Robinson and Randy Foye had 12 apiece. "We're starting to come around as a team," said Chandler, who made three 3-pointers and added five of Denver's 28 assists. "We're getting used to each other. We have 10 or 11 guys who can play and we don't lose a thing, no matter who is on the court." Isaiah Thomas had 22 points and eight assists for Sacramento, and Marcus Thornton scored 19. Ben McLemore added 18 points, Jason Thompson had 13 points and 10 rebounds, and Derrick Williams scored 12. "We never got defensive in the game tonight," Kings coach Michael Malone said. "Both teams shot the ball the exact same field goal percentage (51.9 per cent). We were not going to outscore that team. We put up 117 points and yet everyone is worried about Rudy Gay and DeMarcus being out. I haven't been worried about our offence once this year." Denver didn't have a field goal in the final 3:30 of the game, but stayed on top thanks to its foul shooting. The Nuggets made 14 of 19 free throws down the stretch, most of them in the final 3 minutes. A pair of free throws by J.J. Hickson gave Denver a seven-point lead. Robinson made one of two attempts at the line with 1:02 left, putting the Nuggets up 119-113. Lawson hit two free throws and Chandler made four straight, increasing the lead to 10. "We just couldn't get any consecutive stops in the fourth quarter," McLemore said. "We would get a stop here, but not consecutively. What happened was that we turned the ball over too much tonight. That's what allowed them to score 125 points and 58 points in the paint. It was us not defending and turnovers." Leading by two points, the Nuggets opened the fourth quarter with a surge, taking a 111-102 lead on a 3-pointer by Robinson. But Denver went scoreless for more than 3 minutes before Lawson scored for a 113-107 advantage. Lawson gave the Kings all sorts of trouble in the third quarter, scoring 12 points to help Denver take a 95-94 lead into the fourth. Thornton scored 10 for the Kings. The Nuggets ran off eight unanswered points to open an eight-point lead in the third. But the Kings countered with a 15-2 run, including seven points from Thomas and six from Thornton, to pull ahead 80-75 at the 4:36 mark. Foye had 12 first-half points and Lawson 11 for Denver, which led 65-59 at halftime. McLemore scored 10 off the bench for the Kings, who had 12 turnovers that led to 20 points.

NBA Golden State Warriors vs Portland Trail Blazers

Golden State Warriors vs Portland Trail Blazers 103-88

Golden State Warriors coach Mark Jackson has been pleading with his players to improve their defensive effort and efficiency for most of the last two weeks. They finally answered his call. Stephen Curry had 38 points, eight assists and seven rebounds, and the Warriors used a smothering defence to beat the Portland Trail Blazers 103-88 on Sunday night. "Just what the doctor ordered," Jackson said. Curry, the Western Conference's newly elected All-Star starting point guard, shot 13 of 23 from the floor while wearing shiny gold shoes to carry the offensive load. The Warriors did it all on defence together, though, building a 22-point lead midway through the fourth quarter to put the game out of reach. Golden State outshot Portland 41.8 per cent to 33.7 per cent and forced 15 turnovers while committing only nine. It was a season low in points and shooting percentage and it tied the largest margin of defeat for the Blazers, who entered averaging an NBA-best 109.5 points. "Just the will to win," Curry said. "We understand that's been one of our problems — just letting teams kind of cake walk around on the offensive end doing whatever they want to do early in the game." Damian Lillard had 16 points and four assists, and Wesley Matthews scored 21 for the Blazers, who had a quick turnaround after beating Minnesota in Portland on Saturday night. The Blazers had not been held below 40 per cent shooting all season. The defeat equaled a 116-101 loss to Houston on Nov. 5 for Portland's most lopsided margin. "That was a rough game," Blazers coach Terry Stotts said. "The first half both teams played pretty well, but the second half we didn't have much going at the offensive end. Golden State did a nice job with its defence. It was just one of those nights where we just didn't have enough at the offensive end." David Lee added 17 points and 12 rebounds while playing with a sprained left shoulder, and Klay Thompson scored 17 for a Warriors team that had lost three straight at home. Jackson has been waiting for his team to correct its defensive deficiencies of late, even after victories. Golden State allowed an average of 92.8 points during a 10-game winning streak before dropping five of its last seven overall, allowing 108.4 points in those contests, including an average of 115 in the five losses. The Warriors never let the Blazers get comfortable. LaMarcus Aldridge, who finished with 11 rebounds and 10 points on 2-of-14 shooting, didn't score until 2:18 remained in the second quarter. "Just one of those nights where I couldn't get going and I didn't find a rhythm," Aldridge said. And the only time Aldridge started to get going, the Warriors responded. Andrew Bogut got into a skirmish with Aldridge after the whistle in the third quarter, then Aldridge tossed the ball at the Warriors centre. Officials called a technical foul on both players. The Warriors responded with a 16-2 run, with Curry connecting from outside and Lee cleaning up on the inside. Golden State held a 76-67 lead entering the fourth quarter, when it quickly turned the game into a rout. "What I like is we paid attention to detail," Jackson said. "We didn't have any game-plan breakdown. We battled. We competed. We made multiple-effort plays and we continued it all night long." Golden State started the final quarter on a 12-2 run to take control. Lee's layup put the Warriors up 91-69 with 7:18 remaining, leaving little drama late. Portland pulled to 94-85 on Matthews' free throws with 2:56 to play. Curry then connected on a jumper and a 3-pointer sandwiched around a free throw by Lillard to send most of the sellout crowd of 19,596 heading to the exits early — and happy. Curry, who doesn't usually guard opposing point guards, checked Lillard most of the game and never let the Oakland native find his stroke. "We can score the ball, but it stinks to come in the locker room and you see everybody had big nights, we just isolate the offensive end but we end up losing and it's all for nothing," Curry said. "Games like this when you get a win and figure out how to close it out and get stops, it makes what we can do as a team on the offensive end that much more special."

NBA Dallas Mavericks vs Detroit Pistons

Dallas Mavericks vs Detroit Pistons 116-106

Dirk Nowitzki's sore left knee isn't holding him back and Devin Harris is progressing just fine after off-season toe surgery. Nowitzki scored 28 points, Harris had a season-high 14 for the second straight game and the Dallas Mavericks beat the Detroit Pistons 116-106 Sunday night. With Monta Ellis struggling to take care of the ball — he had eight of Dallas' 17 turnovers — Harris offered a steady hand in just his fifth game of the season after a setback in recovery cost him an extra month. "I'm making the most of my experience on the floor, trying to get used to playing with different guys in different situations," said Harris, who led Dallas with seven assists while making just one turnover. "I'm using this as kind of my training camp." Brandon Jennings had 26 points and seven assists to lead the Pistons, who lost their fourth straight. Josh Smith had 25 points and eight rebounds, while Greg Monroe had 20 points and nine boards. Jose Calderon scored 17 points on 7-of-8 shooting for Dallas, including a jumper that put the lead back in double digits for good with 2:37 remaining. Nowitzki was 10 of 16 from the field in his second straight game wearing a sleeve on his sore left knee after sitting out a loss in Toronto. It's not the knee that required surgery and sidelined him the first 27 games last season. The 7-footer had a pair of 3s and eight points in the fourth, including one that pushed the lead back to 13 during a stretch of three straight buckets assisted by Harris. Nowitzki scored five straight points in the final 2 minutes after the Pistons had earlier pulled within eight, and he led Dallas with nine rebounds and threw in four assists. "We know Dirk," Detroit coach Maurice Cheeks said. "We've known it for a long time. He can make a play for himself or give it to somebody else. He makes those 3s at the right time." Harris scored five straight points in the final minute of the third quarter to break a 79-all tie, hitting a long jumper and the pulling up for a 3-pointer in transition. His other 3 early in the fourth capped a 15-2 run for a 94-81 Dallas lead. "On a night when Monta couldn't get it going, it's a godsend to have a guy like Devin available," coach Rick Carlisle said. "He's an experienced NBA player who's really done everything." The Pistons got within five midway through the fourth, but Vince Carter hit a layup to start an 8-0 run as the Mavericks answered consecutive losses on an East Coast trip by winning the opener of a four-game homestand that includes a pair of two-day breaks. After Carter's bucket, Brandan Wright had one of his three fourth-quarter blocks on a drive by Kyle Singler, and Calderon hit a layup in transition at the other end. "We were close several times in the game to kind of blowing the top off and we got sloppy with the ball," said Wright, whose three blocks were matched by Sam Dalembert. "But we stuck with it." The Pistons opened the second half with a 12-2 run to get even at 58-all. Jennings scored seven straight Detroit points and had 12 in the third quarter, including a 3-pointer that gave Detroit its first lead since late in the first quarter. Jennings' go-ahead bucket triggered a stretch of four lead changes and four ties in the third. "We made a nice run," Cheeks said. "I thought Brandon played well in the third quarter. He was the difference in why we came back." The Mavericks made 10 of their first 12 shots, but had seven turnovers in the first 9 minutes. DeJuan Blair's layup finished an 8-0 run that gave Dallas its biggest lead of the first half at 49-37, but Detroit answered with seven straight points capped by Kentavious Caldwell-Pope's layup after a bad pass from Nowitzki, one of Dallas' 11 first-half turnovers.

NBA Brooklyn Nets vs Boston Celtics

Brooklyn Nets vs Boston Celtics 85-79

Kevin Garnett stole the ball from his friend and put the finishing touch on an emotional night with a layup that helped him and Paul Pierce become winners in their return to Boston. It started with pregame standing ovations for the leaders of the Celtics last championship team and ended with an 85-79 win for the Brooklyn Nets after Garnett picked off Rajon Rondo's turnover and dribbled in slowly for an uncontested basket with 20 seconds left Sunday night. "I knew they needed a 3 at that point and I just played the passing lane," Garnett said. "I thought I was going to get caught, but I got it." That gave Brooklyn an 82-77 lead. It was a rare highlight for the returning stars in a game in which they fought to control their emotions while still trying to contribute to their current team. "I had lumps in my throat and I tried to focus as much as I could," Pierce said. "I'm happy we got it over with and I can go back to playing basketball." Pierce, the second leading scorer in Celtics history, and Garnett scored just six points each, and Pierce missed eight of his 10 shots. But they received several standing ovations on the court where they won the team's 17th championship in 2008. They also were honoured in tributes shown on the video screen early in the game six months after a blockbuster trade sent them to Brooklyn. "It was, by far, the hardest day that I had to focus," said Garnett, a 19-year veteran. "It's a good homecoming." Andray Blatche scored 17 points and Alan Anderson and Andrei Kirilenko had 11 each as the Nets won for the 10th time in 11 games. The Celtics, losing for the 17th time in 20 games, were led by Brandon Bass with 17 points. Rondo had 13 points, eight rebounds and eight assists one night after having dinner with Pierce and Garnett. During the video tribute to Garnett in a timeout with 2:25 left in the first quarter, he stood near his bench with a white towel draped over his head. He smiled, pounded the left side of his chest and waved several times to the crowd. The tribute to Pierce at the end of the first quarter was longer and drew a louder ovation. He looked up at the video board above centre court with a sombre expression. The camera panned to him on the court showing him repeatedly mouthing the words, "thank you." Celtics coach Brad Stevens quickly gave his players instructions then let them watch the tributes. "It was the right thing to do," he said. "Not much in my life is bigger than the next possession, but that is." Pierce spent 15 seasons with the Celtics after they drafted him with the 10th pick in 1998. Garnett was obtained in a trade with Minnesota before the 2007-08 season and, with Pierce and Ray Allen, led Boston to their most recent championship. But the Celtics are in full rebuilding mode now and trailed 59-53 after three quarters then allowed the first six points of the fourth as the Nets led by 12. Boston cut the lead to 73-70 on a 3-pointer by Chris Johnson, playing on a 10-day contract, with 4:37 remaining. The Nets scored the next five points on a layup by Kirilenko, a free throw by Deron Williams and a jumper by Pierce. That made it 78-70. With the score 80-72, Boston cut the deficit to three on a field goal by Bass and a 3-pointer by Rondo, two of only five current Celtics who played with Pierce and Garnett last season. "We got caught up in (their return)," Bass said, "but for the most part we had a job to do." Joe Johnson then missed his shot and Rondo rebounded, giving Boston a chance to tie with a 3-pointer. He moved the ball upcourt only to lose it to Garnett, who went in for Brooklyn's final field goal. "He's done it all year for us defensively," Nets coach Jason Kidd said. "He's always in the right place at the right time." Pierce scored his first two points of the game on free throws 1:08 into the third quarter then hit his first field goal, a 16-foot jumper that capped a 10-0 Nets run 2:51 into the period. "It was just a special thing for me," Pierce said, "through my bad times, through my immature times, through my growing up, becoming a man for this city and winning a championship, everybody sticking with me. I would just like to tell them, 'thank you.' "

NBA New Orleans Pelicans vs Orlando Magic

New Orleans Pelicans vs Orlando Magic 100-92

Anthony Davis soared to the rim, the ball held high above his head in his outstretched right hand. Orlando's Glen Davis tried to get in the way, only to be driven back into the padding under the basket as the Pelicans' forward slammed home a windmill jam. New Orleans' 20-year-old star took a triumphant stride over the baseline and glared intensely at the crazed crowd, his arms stiff at his side. The play gave New Orleans an eight-point lead with 1:24 left, punctuating a memorable all-around performance that lifted the Pelicans to a 100-92 victory over the Magic on Sunday night. "I just decided to go up strong, try to dunk it," Davis said. "That just energized the crowd, kind of deflated (Orlando) a little bit and got us going. That was a big play. That's what we needed." Davis finished with 22 points, a career-high 19 rebounds and seven blocked shots. It marked the first time since the franchise was founded as the Charlotte Hornets in 1988 that a player on the club had that many points, rebounds and blocks in the same game. "His ability to finish in traffic and over top of defenders is second to none," Pelicans coach Monty Williams said. "When the moment was there tonight, he took over and that's what All-Stars do." It isn't certain Davis will be on the Western Conference squad when New Orleans hosts the NBA All-Star game Feb. 16. He wasn't voted in by fans as a starter, but could be selected by coaches as a reserve. "I'm not really worried about that. I'm worried about winning," Davis said. "We know we're not where we want to be record-wise. That's what we've got to focus on, what I've got to focus on. ... If it happens, it happens, but I'm trying to get more wins for the team." Davis may very well get a vote from Magic coach Jacque Vaughn, who expressed concerns about containing Davis before the game, then saw his fears realized. "I prefer not to be proven correct," Vaughn said. "He's a great talent. ... He was trouble for us throughout the course of the night." Davis had seven of his rebounds on the offensive end, part of the reason New Orleans had 14 second-chance points. "We've slowed him down before on the offensive glass, but tonight, he had his way with us," Magic forward Kyle O'Quinn said. Tyreke Evans scored 13 of his 23 points in the fourth quarter to help ensure New Orleans' first back-to-back wins in nearly a month. Led by Arron Afflalo's 25 points, the Magic twice got as close as three points late in the fourth quarter, the last time on Tobias Harris' runner with 4:26 to go. Victor Oladipo 18 points and five steals for Orlando, while Harris added 17 points and nine rebounds and Jameer Nelson scored 15 points. Brian Roberts had 15 points and Eric Gordon 14 for the Pelicans. Orlando outshot New Orleans 46.8 per cent (36 of 77) to 45.7 per cent (37 of 81), but New Orleans outscored Orlando at the foul line, 21-15, and outrebounded the Magic 48-32. New Orleans also converted 17 Magic turnovers into 30 points. The Magic, who have lost 13 of 15 games, never led during the final three quarters, but kept it close much of the second half. New Orleans led 62-58 after a 6-0 Magic spurt during which Oladipo hit two free throws, converted a steal from Gordon into a fast-break dunk, then stole the ball from Roberts to set up Afflalo's layup. Gordon halted the surge with a step-back jumper from 19 feet, and Anthony Davis' two-handed jam capped an 11-2 run that put the Pelicans back up by 13. Orlando closed the third quarter with Afflalo's 3 and two layups by Nelson, and cut New Orleans' lead to 75-71 on E'Tauwn Moore's floater to open the fourth quarter. Evans responded with a reverse layup as he was fouled, and scored all 10 Pelicans points through the first 6:33 of the final period to help New Orleans maintain a slim lead. "Whenever they got close, I just thought I had to take over and try to get to the basket," Evans said. Evans also fed Davis for an alley-oop jam that made it 94-88. New Orleans started fast, erasing its final deficit of the game on Darius Miller's 3-pointer late in the first period. When Miller hit his second 3 in the second quarter, it capped a 22-6 run that put New Orleans up 38-23, and New Orleans led 54-44 at halftime.

NBA Phoenix Suns vs Cleveland Cavaliers

Phoenix Suns vs Cleveland Cavaliers 99-90

The Phoenix Suns pulled off a memorable comeback. For the Cleveland Cavaliers, it was a collapse they won't soon forget. The Suns, who looked as though they were about to get run out of the building, rallied from an 18-point halftime deficit by dominating the final two quarters for a 99-90 win Sunday night. "We were getting embarrassed," said Markieff Morris, who led Phoenix with 27 points. "Everybody knew it. That's why we said if we were going to lose, we were going to go down fighting." Cleveland coach Mike Brown had a simple assessment of his team's meltdown. "It was hard to watch," he said. "It's disappointing we came out and played that way, and we should all feel embarrassed for the way we played in the second half." The Suns held Cleveland to six points in the third quarter and outscored the Cavaliers 56-29 in the second half. Channing Frye finished with 16 points, including four 3-pointers after halftime, and Goran Dragic scored 15 to help Phoenix rally on the first stop of a four-game road trip. "We were so, so bad in the first half, but at least everyone knew how bad we were," said Suns forward P.J. Tucker, who had 13 points and 10 rebounds. "When we were down, everyone was like, 'We're good.' That's the kind of faith we have in our team, but we can't keep doing this." The Cavaliers, who led by 20 late in the second quarter, fell to 1-3 on a five-game homestand considered crucial to their chances of staying in the Eastern Conference playoff race. "They outworked us in the second half, simply put," said All-Star point guard Kyrie Irving, who led Cleveland with 24 points. Cavaliers centre Anderson Varejao injured his left leg late in the fourth quarter. He was down on the court for several minutes, but remained in the game. Varejao, who has battled injuries the last three seasons, will be checked by the team's medical staff on Monday. "I was worried," Brown said. "His knee was bothering him a little bit. It was tough to see." Phoenix trailed 61-43 at halftime, but hit five 3-pointers in the third quarter. Tucker scored on an offensive rebound with 45 seconds left to put Phoenix ahead 68-67, its first lead since 9-6 just 4 minutes into the game. The Cavaliers were 2 of 22 from the field in the third and set a season low for points in a quarter. Cleveland's 29 points after halftime marked a season worst for a half. "I got on their case at halftime because we didn't give effort in the first half," Suns coach Jeff Hornacek said. "It was the defence that did it. We got stops and that started it. Then all of a sudden, the other team was back on their heels." The Suns broke away from a 70-all tie with 11 straight points early in the fourth. Leandro Barbosa's free throw put Phoenix ahead for good. Morris scored six points in the run before Barbosa's steal and layup made it 81-70 with 8:38 remaining. Irving's two free throws with 2:06 to play cut it to 88-85. The teams traded baskets before Frye's 3-pointer made it 93-87 with 1:14 remaining. Phoenix shot just 39 per cent in the first half, when its starters combined for 24 points. Morris scored 15 off the bench. The Suns came out firing in the third quarter, forcing Cleveland to call timeout twice in the first 5 minutes. Frye hit 3s on three straight possessions, Gerald Green added a 3-pointer and a jumper, and a 3 by Dragic helped cut the lead to 65-61. Phoenix trimmed the lead to two on two occasions. Ish Smith's free throw with 1:13 remaining made it 67-66 before Tucker put the Suns ahead. Cleveland ended the second quarter on a 22-10 run sparked by Luol Deng's 10 points and six by Irving. The Cavaliers led 39-33 with 7:39 remaining in the period when Deng hit two jumpers, a layup and four free throws. He also found Jarrett Jack in the corner for a 3-pointer with a pass from the top of the key. Irving added a pair of jumpers and two foul shots. Irving had 13 points and seven assists in the first half. The third-year guard, elected an All-Star starter for the first time last week, had six assists in the first quarter, including Cleveland's first four baskets of the game. Deng had 12 points, six rebounds and four assists in the first half. The Suns opened a road trip in which they will play four games in five nights. Phoenix went 1-4 on a trip earlier this month.

NBA Portland Trail Blazers vs Minnesota Timberwolves

Portland Trail Blazers vs Minnesota Timberwolves 115-104

 

Everyone it seems was talking about the showdown between Portland's LaMarcus Aldridge and Minnesota's Kevin Love. Except Aldridge and Love. "All he kept saying was 'All I care about is the win,'" teammate Mo Williams said of Aldridge. "Much ado about nothing," Love countered. In the end, Aldridge had 21 points to help the Trail Blazers down the Timberwolves 115-104 on Saturday night. Love, coming off a back-to-back, had 15 points and 13 rebounds. "We didn't both particularly have a great game," Love said. "Other people stepped up on both of our teams — but he came away with the win." It was the Trail Blazers' 33rd win — matching their total from all of last season. Aldridge hit a long jumper and drew a foul to give the Blazers a 100-88 lead midway through the fourth quarter. Damian Lillard's 3-pointer pushed the lead to 105-88 and Minnesota could never catch up. Aldridge is 12-3 in head-to-heads with Love. Kevin Martin led the Timberwolves with 30 points, while Nikola Pekovic had 23 points and 11 rebounds. Love, named Thursday as an Western Conference All-Star starter, went into the game against the Blazers averaging 25 points and 13 rebounds, but some Portland fans and players felt Aldridge — averaging 24.7 points and 11.6 rebounds — deserved the starting nod because of his role in the team's success this season. Aldridge scored a career-high 44 points and had 13 rebounds following the All-Star announcement in Portland's come-from-behind victory at home over Denver on Thursday night. Afterward he said he "definitely" thought he should have made it. The 6-foot-11 seventh-year veteran can still make the team as a reserve — as he has for the past two seasons — when the coaches' selections are announced later this month. Love is a first-time All-Star starter after leap-frogging Houston Rockets centre Dwight Howard in the final fan balloting. "I think it's a little sweeter this way because I really didn't expect it," he said following the announcement. Earlier this season, Love had 29 points, 14 rebounds and nine assists in Minnesota's 120-109 home victory over the Blazers on Dec. 18. Love said his knees felt the previous night's 121-120 victory at Golden State all through the game against Portland. "Last night I took a pretty bad hit from Harrison Barnes and every time I sat down during the game my knees stiffened up a little." Aldridge, who had his 11th straight game with 20 or more points, also cited some fatigue. "I thought both guys competed," he said of the matchup. "I was a little tired and I thought he was tired on the second night of a back-to-back." While fans were expecting Aldridge to come out and make a statement, teammate Nicolas Batum quickly tallied 11 points and five rebounds in the first quarter. Love had 10 points to lead Minnesota, which finished the first leading 29-27. The Blazers then took off on a 16-4 run, capped by Thomas Robinson's fast-break dunk, to take a 43-33 lead. Williams, who finished with 16 points off the bench, had 10 points in the spurt. Portland led 65-57 at the break. Three straight dunks from Pekovic — off feeds from Ricky Rubio — tied the game at 73 midway through the third quarter. But the Timberwolves didn't pull ahead until Martin's 3-pointer made it 79-78 with 3:50 left in the period. The Blazers answered by finishing out the quarter on an 8-2 run to lead 87-81. Portland pushed its lead to 95-86 on consecutive jumpers from rookie C.J. McCollum. The Blazers outscored the Timberwolves 60-46 in the paint, and Portland's bench outscored Minnesota's 34-15. "The second half we just ran out of gas," Minnesota coach Rick Adelman said. "I noticed it. We made runs at them, we caught them in the third quarter, but they kept having one more run."

NBA Utah Jazz vs Washington Wizards

Utah Jazz vs Washington Wizards 104-101

Big Turk lived up to his nickname. After two games in which he was nearly invisible, Enes Kanter loomed large in the middle and scored 24 points to lift the Utah Jazz past the Washington Wizards 104-101 Saturday night. "The big man played big tonight," said Gordon Hayward, who hit two free throws with 2.6 seconds left to seal the win. Kanter made 11 of 13 shots and the Jazz overcame a 13-point deficit to take control in the fourth quarter and keep the Wizards from moving above the .500 mark for the first time in more than four years. Kanter also took the pressure off of Derrick Favours, who is dealing with a sore hip. "Enes was doing the scoring, so I just tried to go out there and play defence and get rebounds," said Favours, who had 11 points and 14 rebounds. Hayward finished with 16 points and Alec Burks added 15 as the Jazz swept the two games with the Wizards for the second straight season. Trevor Ariza led Washington with 23 points, including a 3-pointer with 52 seconds left that drew the Wizards within 101-98. John Wall banked in a 3-pointer to get within 102-101 with 3.6 seconds left, but Hayward made two free throws and Wall missed at the buzzer. Kanter scored a total of eight points in two blowout losses to Minnesota and drew his coach's ire for often being in the wrong spots. But in this one, Kanter consistently found himself in the right place at the right time — picking up loose balls, making timely passes and changing the Wizards' shots in the paint. "I personally was really bad two games against Minnesota, but tonight I wanted to come out with lots of energy," Kanter said. The muscular centre from Turkey displayed a deft shooting touch on jumpers and power moves to the basket. When Ariza's 3-pointer cut the lead to 92-90, Kanter hit a jump shot. With 57 seconds left, he made two free throws to give Utah a 101-95 cushion after a nifty reverse-pivot down the lane that drew a foul. Utah's schedule has allowed for practices in the past few weeks and the young Jazz players have benefited from the extra work. "My coaches have given me a lot of confidence and we've been practicing really hard," Kanter said. "The things I have been trying to do and now showing in the games." Burks and Hayward drove through the Wizards' defence for layups as the Jazz scored on four straight possessions to open the fourth quarter and take an 85-77 lead. "We did a good job of attacking them after playing inside-out. We attacked them in transition, attacked them in the half court," said Trey Burke, who had 12 points and eight assists. The Jazz seemed a step quicker to loose balls as the game wore on, but the Wizards made it interesting in the final minute before yet again failing to move above .500. "We were running in mud half the game, in my opinion," Washington coach Randy Wittman said. "We wouldn't commit ourselves to our pace." Ten times over the past five seasons, the Wizards have had a chance to surpass .500. They've lost every time. "I feel like we had this game won. We just didn't do a good job in stopping them and they just kept making good plays," Wall said. Wizards last won a game to go above .500 on Oct. 31, 2009, when they beat the New Jersey Nets to improve to 2-1. They lost to Cleveland on Nov. 3 and haven't had a winning record since. The Wizards, who led most of the game, have lost this season at 0-0, 9-9, 14-14, 19-19, 20-20 and 21-21. No one on the current Wizards roster was on the team when it was last above .500. Though Utah is at the bottom of the Western Conference standings, the Jazz are competitive when healthy. The starting lineup of Burke, Hayward, Marvin Williams, Richard Jefferson and Favours is 12-8 this season. Favours was a game-time decision but felt his right hip strain had healed enough to give it a go and the Jazz needed his defence and rebounding prowess. When Favors needed a rest, Kanter made his presence known, especially with his 10 points in the fourth quarter. After stumbling through a subpar January, Ariza has found his groove. He scored 23 points in a win over Phoenix Friday and made 6 of 10 3-pointers against Utah. But his fellow perimeter players couldn't find their range. Beal was 5 of 16 and Wall made just 4 of 14 attempts from the field. "I thought Trey and the guys playing Wall made him work for everything he got," Utah coach Tyrone Corbin said. Nene had 19 points, including a handful of emphatic dunks, and Marcin Gortat had 14 points and 11 rebounds, but they couldn't stop Kanter when it mattered most.

NBA Denver Nuggets vs Indiana Pacers

Denver Nuggets vs Indiana Pacers 109-96

When it came to shooting, Wilson Chandler struck a balance between picking his spots and taking his chances.
Chandler scored a season-high 25 points and the Denver Nuggets snapped a three-game losing streak by beating the Indiana Pacers 109-96 Saturday night. "I was just being a little aggressive, and I was taking good shots," said Chandler, who hit eight of 15 shots from the field, including half his eight tries from 3-point range. "I probably took one or two bad shots but I was being aggressive and taking good shots at the same time." Nate Robinson and Timofey Mozgov added 15 points apiece and J.J. Hickson had 14 points and 13 rebounds. First-year Nuggets coach Brian Shaw won in his first matchup against Indiana since leaving his job as a Pacers assistant to come to Denver. The victory against Indiana, which still has the best record in the NBA, lifted the Nuggets back to .500 at 21-21. "We came out strong in the first half, and we withstood a great run from them in the second half," Chandler said. "They're a pretty good team, maybe the best team in the league right now. They made runs, but we just had to stay focused. If we play well we can contend with any team. We've played well against a lot of the top teams this year but we've lost to some of the bottom teams. We've got to play every team like they're the best in the league." Lance Stephenson scored 23 for Indiana. The Pacers split a road back-to-back set after winning in overtime the night before in Sacramento.
"I'm proud of our guys after a second night of a back-to-back and change in time zones," Pacers coach Frank Vogel said. "An emotional win last night, obviously, in overtime. I didn't know how much gas we were going to have in our tank. We really competed at a high level." Paul George added 18 points and David West 16 for the Pacers, who lost for the eighth time in nine trips to Denver. Ty Lawson, who had 12 points and 10 assists, said the Nuggets gained command early by leaning on their transition game. "We wanted to run with them on a back-to-back. That was a main focus," Lawson said. "That's what (Kenneth) Faried did early. He was running on their bigs and getting easy buckets." Trailing by 19 at halftime, the Pacers got back in the game in a hurry, opening the third quarter with a 16-3 run keyed by Stephenson's seven points. The Nuggets responded with a 7-0 burst late in the third that helped them take a 10-point lead into the fourth quarter. Roy Hibbert, held to five points, became the second Pacers player to foul out after drawing his sixth foul with 3:19 remaining. Still, the Pacers pulled to 101-94 when Stephenson made a pair of free throws with 3:14 left. But the Nuggets wouldn't let the Pacers finish off the comeback, getting five straight points on free throws, including a pair from the foul line on technicals against David West and Vogel. The Pacers managed one more basket down the stretch but that was offset by Hickson's emphatic dunk with 1:09 remaining, the final points of the game. "They ran the same play the whole game (pick-and-roll)," West said. "We couldn't get it under control and then we just fouled them. They would have beaten us by almost 40 points if they made their free throws. They shot 56 per cent from the free throw line. They make 10 more and it wouldn't have been a close game."

NBA Atlanta Hawks vs Milwaukee Bucks

Atlanta Hawks vs Milwaukee Bucks 112-87

The Milwaukee Bucks came along just in time to help the Atlanta Hawks rebound from a tough loss with a big victory. Paul Millsap scored 20 points to lead six Hawks in double figures and key the decisive surge that helped Atlanta rebound from a 26-point home loss for a 112-87 win over Milwaukee on Saturday night. "We know if we don't put it behind us, we know what can happen," Millsap said. "So, we had to move on to the next team — especially if you want to win in this league." Millsap scored 14 points during a 24-5 run that started at the end of the second quarter and put Atlanta ahead 73-47 with 8:24 left in the third. The margin grew to 96-64 heading into the fourth and Atlanta beat Milwaukee for the eighth time in their last nine games. "Our focus was to come out and get back to competing," Millsap said. "Guys worked pretty hard out there and the defence was good." That's what head coach Mike Budenholzer thought after his team won for the third time in four games. "We didn't play last night, but our team didn't hang their heads," he said. "They moved forward." Reserve Louis Williams added 18 points for the Hawks. Shelvin Mack scored nine points starting at point guard for Jeff Teague, who sprained his left ankle during the Hawks' 105-79 loss to San Antonio on Friday. It was their season-low in points. Williams alternated with Mack running the offence on Saturday. Brandon Knight scored 27 points for the Bucks, who lost for the 11th time in 12 games. Ersan Ilyasova and Khris Middleton added 11 apiece. While the Hawks worked hard, the Bucks simply didn't. Milwaukee coach Larry Drew, who faced the Hawks for the first time this season after being fired by Atlanta last season, closed the locker room and challenged the Bucks' lackadaisical style. "This was a totally, totally unacceptable performance," he said of his 21-minute message. "Do we have anything inside that will allow us to go out and compete at a high level?" John Henson and Caron Butler came off the bench to score 10 points, but it came with the game already decided. "I'm going to have to go with the guys that play hard," Drew said. "You're not going to play hard? You're not going to play." Henson downplayed the tone of the message. "He just said we got to keep fighting, man," Henson said. "He said he's been in the league for 37 some years and he's seen it all. So, we just got to find that fire in us, to have that pride for the name on the front and the back of our jerseys". Teague hurt his ankle when he landed on Tim Duncan's foot late in the second quarter on Friday. Atlanta regained its shooting touch from 3-point range, making 13 of 24 3s after hitting only 2 of 13 attempts against San Antonio. Williams made two of the Hawks' four 3-pointers during a 16-9 run late in the first quarter and Mike Scott's 3 capped an 11-3 surge just before the half for a 60-45 lead. DeMarre Carroll scored 12 points in his return to the starting lineup after missing the game against the Spurs with a left hamstring strain. "Once I'm on the court, I'm on the court," he said. "My mind goes to junkyard dog mode, and I just grind it out. I have to give credit to the training staff. I got treatment like three or four times today." Scott finished with 14 points, Kyle Korver 12 and Elton Brand 10 as the Hawks beat Milwaukee for the fifth consecutive time, the first time they've done that since a taking six straight from March 8, 1996, to March 7, 1997. Atlanta swept the four-game series last season. "We just tried to come out and compete," Carroll said. "When we let our defence do the talking, our offence flows easily. We were playing unselfish." Giannis Antetokounmpo, playing with a sore back, scored five points for NBA-worst Milwaukee (8-35). Rookie Pero Antic (stress fracture in right ankle) and Carroll already were out before Teague's injury left the Hawks with just 10 players on Friday. Antic had replaced starting centre Al Horford, out for the season with a torn right pectoral.

NBA Memphis Grizzlies vs Houston Rockets

Memphis Grizzlies vs Houston Rockets 99-81

For the second consecutive night, the Memphis Grizzlies slowed down Houston and walked away with a win. Mike Conley scored 17 points, Zach Randolph had 15 points and 17 rebounds, and the Grizzlies nearly held the Rockets to their lowest output of the season in a 99-81 victory Saturday. "We tried to slow them down," Randolph said. "They like to get up and down the court. They like to run and gun. We just tried to get back and play and get stops." The formula was similar to Friday, when the Grizzlies won 88-87 in Houston, but this time Memphis took control early. The Grizzlies held the Rockets to 37 per cent shooting and built the lead to as many as 27 points before both teams sent in reserves to finish the game. Courtney Lee also had 15 points and Kosta Koufos scored 14, hitting seven of his eight shots from the field. James Johnson added 12 points for Memphis and Nick Calathes had a season-high 11. James Harden led the Rockets with 16 points, and Chandler Parsons scored 11. Dwight Howard had 10 points and 12 rebounds, but Houston's three-game road winning streak was snapped. "The last two games we've been terrible offensively," Parsons said. "Their pace works for them. They make you play a half-court offence. They are physical. They grab. They reach. They hold. When you do that so much, they are not going to call every single foul." Memphis' bench outscored the Rockets' reserves 44-27. The Grizzlies also had a 56-32 advantage in the paint and a 52-38 edge on the boards. The Grizzlies, as they did Friday, controlled the pace of the game, holding Houston to its second-lowest scoring output this season. Houston's season low was 80 points on Jan. 10 at Atlanta. Rockets coach Kevin McHale said before the game that Houston needed a score in the 100s to overcome Memphis' deliberate, grind-it-out pace. That game plan went awry when the Rockets, who entered averaging 105.5 points, managed only 14 in the first quarter. "They beat us. Bottom line," McHale said. "They beat us (Friday) night, and they beat us up again (Saturday). They got offensive rebounds. They moved the ball. They caught us being stagnant, and they were better than us by far." Memphis extended its 11-point halftime lead by outscoring the Rockets 25-19 in the third quarter. Lee had nine points in the period and Harden scored 10 for the Rockets, limited to five field goals out of 21 shots. Three of those baskets were by Harden. From there, Memphis stretched the lead to 27 midway through the fourth, and McHale began sending in his backups. Parsons, who connected on 10 shots from 3-point range Friday, finished 1 of 6 from long range, part of the Rockets going 9 of 32 from 3-point territory. Memphis has won 12 of its last 17 and is 5-1 since Marc Gasol returned from a knee injury. Several Grizzlies said the team appears on the verge of regaining the identity it had during recent playoff runs. "We're ready to win and we prepare like we want to win," Johnson said. "We travel like we want to win, and everybody is holding each other accountable. When you put those things together, we beat teams bad."

NBA Oklahoma City Thunder vs Philadelphia 76ers

Oklahoma City Thunder vs Philadelphia 76ers 103-91

Kevin Durant had 32 points, 14 rebounds and 10 assists in his return from a shoulder injury to lead the Oklahoma City Thunder to their seventh straight win, 103-91 over the Philadelphia 76ers on Saturday night. Durant was scratched against Boston on Friday with a sprained right shoulder. Against the Sixers, he was one of the first Thunder players to hit the court for pregame warmups. He dunked several times, even hanging on the rim for several seconds after one, and was fit to play. The 12-win Sixers trimmed Oklahoma City's lead to four in the third quarter before Durant keyed a 14-5 run to open a comfortable lead. The NBA's leading scorer has reached at least 30 points in his last 10 games. Serge Ibaka had 25 points and 11 rebounds for the Thunder. James Anderson led the Sixers with 19 points.

NBA Los Angeles Clippers vs Toronto Raptors

Los Angeles Clippers vs Toronto Raptors 126-118

Jamal Crawford had a season-high 37 points and 11 assists, and Los Angeles overcame Terrence Ross' 51 points to beat Toronto. Ross matched Vince Carter's franchise record set 14 years ago and nearly doubled his previous career high of 26 points against Portland on Jan. 2, 2013. The second-year guard shot 10 of 17 from 3-point range and 9 for 10 at the free throw line. But he missed his final foul shot with 4 seconds left, failing to top the 51 points Carter scored in a 103-102 win over Phoenix on Feb. 27, 2000. Blake Griffin scored 30 points and J.J. Redick had 18 as the Clippers won for the 10th time in 13 games and snapped a four-game skid in Toronto. Los Angeles improved to 8-3 without star guard Chris Paul, sidelined with a separated shoulder.