NBA Dallas Mavericks vs New Orleans Pelicans

Dallas Mavericks vs New Orleans Pelicans 107-90

Dirk Nowitzki scored 24 points, Monta Ellis added 23 and the Dallas Mavericks sent the short-handed New Orleans Pelicans to their fourth straight loss, 107-90 on Friday night.

Vince Carter added 14 points and Jae Crowder 12 for Dallas, which never trailed. The Mavericks led by as many as 23 points in the third quarter before cruising against a Pelicans squad minus starting point guard Jrue Holiday and leading scorer Ryan Anderson.

Holiday missed his first game with a stress fracture in his right shin. Anderson went down last week with a herniated disk.

Eric Gordon scored 27 points for New Orleans, while Anthony Davis added 21 points, 13 rebounds and five blocked shots.

That wasn't nearly enough to keep pace with the Mavs, who hit 14 of 28 3-point shots and shot 52.6 per cent (41 of 78) overall.

Dallas broke open the game with a 27-6 run that spanned from late in the second quarter until Brandan Wright's layup made it 76-53 with 3:35 to go in the third quarter. Nowitzki scored nine of his points during the run, including one of his four 3-pointers.

Brian Roberts started in place of Holiday, but was limited by early foul trouble and finished with nine points. Austin Rivers had 12 points. But the Pelicans turned the ball over 18 times, setting up 25 Dallas points. Meanwhile, Pelicans guard Tyreke Evans sat out the second half with a sore left ankle after missing his only two shots and turning over the ball twice in the first half.

The Pelicans struggled to keep pace with Dallas from the outset, and the Mavs led by as many as 12 in the second quarter when Samuel Dalembert's dunk made it 40-28.

It might have been worse if not for Gordon's 14 points in the first quarter, and 19 in the opening half. Gordon's 3 and driving floater on successive possessions capped a 10-0 run that pulled New Orleans to 40-38. The Pelicans were still as close as 49-47 with 3:16 left in the period, but with Nowitzki and Dalembert returning to finish the quarter, Dallas pulled away again.

Nowitzki had 14 of his points in the opening half, and his 18-foot jumper ignited a 13-2 run to close second quarter. During the spurt, Ellis twice converted layups set up by New Orleans turnovers, giving Dallas 19 points off of 11 first-half turnovers. Jose Calderon and Ellis both added 3s as Dallas took a 62-49 lead into halftime.

NOTES: The teams play each other again Saturday night in Dallas. ... The Mavs' 62 points at halftime were the most allowed in a first half by New Orleans this season. ... In the past 10 days, New Orleans has allowed 60-point first halves three times, giving up 61 to Minnesota on Jan. 1 and 61 to Washington on Jan. 8. ... Since Dec. 28, Dallas has eclipsed 60 first-half points five times in its last eight games, with a high of 70 first-half points against the Los Angeles Clippers on Jan. 3.

NBA Minnesota Timberwolves vs Charlotte Bobcats

Minnesota Timberwolves vs Charlotte Bobcats 119-92

Lose by a little or win by a lot: that's been the story for the Minnesota Timberwolves this season.

There's still time to move past their spats and struggles make the playoffs for the first time in 10 years, and this was a forward step.

Nikola Pekovic scored 26 points in 27 minutes and the Timberwolves blew off some steam with a 119-92 victory over the Charlotte Bobcats on Friday.

"We just need to have one good streak and then we're right back where we need to be," said Kevin Love, who had 19 points and 14 rebounds and rested for most of the fourth quarter.

Kevin Martin added 19 points, and Minnesota's bench had 20 points before Charlotte's reserves even got on the board late in the second quarter.

"I'm happy when we play hard, when we play to the end," said Pekovic, who also stifled former Timberwolves big man Al Jefferson on the defensive end.

Anthony Tolliver led the Bobcats with 21 points on 5-for-5 shooting from 3-point range, and Chris Douglas-Roberts scored 16 points. Jefferson finished with only eight points and seven rebounds, though, and the Bobcats were outrebounded 54-33 on their way to their seventh loss in eight games.

"Basically just kicked our butts," Jefferson said.

The Timberwolves lost on Wednesday 104-103 to Phoenix to fall to 0-10 in games decided by four points or fewer. The tension lingered into the locker room where Love, who was critical recently of a particularly paltry output by the reserves, ripped J.J. Barea and Dante Cunningham for their disinterested body language at the end of the bench.

By midway through the second quarter, though, all the frustration had faded away.

"We did a good job of letting the other night go. We forgot about that already. Now we're back winning, so we've just got to keep it going," Barea said.

The Wolves posted their league-leading eighth win of 20 points or more. They're also 8-2 following those losses of four points or less.

"They want to be a good team, but they have to find out how they're going to do that," said coach Rick Adelman, who remained critical of some defensive risks and forced shots, mistakes that have contributed to the close losses.

Love set the tone with a commanding start, posting his league-leading 31st double-double before halftime. Then the backups put together one of their sharpest stretches of the season. With Chase Budinger and Ronny Turiaf finally healthy, the second unit is much stronger.

The highlight came when Cunningham blocked Kemba Walker's fast-break layup, Barea grabbed the ball, and Alexey Shved caught his outlet pass for an uncontested dunk for a 45-34 lead. That came near the end of a 20-6 run by the Wolves.

Pekovic then scored 13 straight points for the Wolves in one third-quarter, and Martin followed with a layup to push the lead to a game-high 88-57.

"If we can do it consistently, this team's going to be great," Barea said.

The Bobcats (15-22) entered the game still above the cut in the Eastern playoff chase, seeking just the second appearance in the franchise's 10 seasons. Too many more performances like this, though, and they'll have a hard time keeping up even in the far weaker of the two conferences.

For a team that went an NBA-worst 28-120 over the last two seasons, there has been clear progress under first-year coach Steve Clifford. But the Bobcats, who had allowed the second-fewest points in the league entering the night, have taken a step back on defence lately.

"You have to have a team game that's together where everybody knows what your game is, then understand that and they play it. We were doing that three weeks ago. We're not doing that right now," Clifford said.

Michael Kidd-Gilchrist will give them a boost soon. He missed his 18th straight game because of a broken left hand, but plan is for him to practice on Monday and play on Tuesday against New York.

NOTES: This was the first time in nearly two years the Wolves had no injured players on the roster. Luc Mbah a Moute returned from a three-game absence due to a strained left groin and played in the fourth quarter. ... The Bobcats fell to 3-11 against Western Conference teams this season. ... Jefferson wasn't the only former Timberwolves player the Bobcats brought. Tolliver, who spent two seasons here from 2010-12, went 8 for 9 from the field. "Whenever you're getting blown out by 30 or 20 or whatever, if you're shooting really well it doesn't matter," he said.

NBA Memphis Grizzlies vs Phoenix Suns

Memphis Grizzlies vs Phoenix Suns 104-99

The Memphis Grizzlies are leaning on point guard Mike Conley as they wait for other starters to return from injury.

He's coming through.

Conley matched his career high with 31 points and led a fourth-quarter rally as the Grizzlies defeated the Phoenix Suns 104-99 Friday night.

It marked Conley's second consecutive game with at least 30 points as Memphis plays without centre Marc Gasol, who is rehabbing a knee injury. Tony Allen, Conley's backcourt mate, has missed three straight games with a sprained left wrist.

"(Conley's) been great," said forward Zach Randolph, who had 20 points and 13 rebounds for Memphis. "The kid's worked on his game, and he keeps getting better and better."

Ed Davis had 10 points and a career-high 17 rebounds as the Grizzlies outrebounded the Suns 53-44. Mike Miller finished with 11 points. Randolph tied his season high in assists with seven.

"We were really focused on getting boards, and they still get them," Suns coach Jeff Hornacek said of the Grizzlies.

Conley was a key force in the fourth quarter when he scored five points in run that put the Grizzlies ahead for good. He finished the night 11 of 19 from the field, including 3 of 7 from outside the arc.

"I'm having fun with it," Conley said. "I've had games where I don't play well, and I'm still trying to carry the load and games where I do. I'm just having fun and trying to help us get wins."

Goran Dragic led the Suns with 21 points and eight assists, connecting on six of 10 shots. Markieff Morris came off the Phoenix bench for 17 points. Gerald Green had 12 points.

The Phoenix loss came on a day when the Suns announced that guard Eric Bledsoe, the team's second-leading scorer, is out indefinitely after having knee surgery earlier in the day to repair a torn meniscus in his right knee.

Phoenix held an 88-86 advantage with about 6 minutes left when Memphis scored seven straight points. Memphis' lead was built as the Suns struggled from the field in the final quarter, connecting on only 9 of 27 shots, including 2 of 11 from beyond the arc. Meanwhile, Memphis hit 10 of 18 shots in the fourth.

"They are not known to be a 3-point shooting team," said Channing Frye who scored 10 points for Phoenix, "but they hit some huge threes down the end."

Hornacek, like others, did not lose sight of Conley's impact. He talked about the point guard's court vision and quickness to keep the Grizzlies offence flowing.

"Mike Conley made a bunch of great plays at the end of the game," Hornacek said. "You want to have a chance to win in the fourth quarter. .They made the plays that we didn't. We missed layups. We had open shots. We just didn't finish them."

The Suns built a 10-point before carrying a 55-48 lead into the break.

After Phoenix opened the third quarter hitting 4 of 5 shots from outside the arc, Memphis chipped away, outscoring the Suns 16-7 in the closing minutes of the third to tie the game at 74 entering the fourth.

"We crashed the boards," Conley said of the second half rally. "They started missing a couple of shots. They were making some tough shots throughout the game. We had a feeling that once they started to miss, we had to be there to get the rebound and go down on the other end and convert it."

NOTES: Memphis has won all three games in the series this season, holding the Suns to 91 points in the first two victories. ... Suns G Leandro Barbosa, signed to a 10-day contract earlier this week, scored four points in his return to the Suns. Barbosa played his first seven years with the Suns and was the 2006-07 Sixth Man of the Year. ...With the win, Memphis has alternated wins and losses over the last nine games.

NBA Brooklyn Nets vs Miami Heat 104-95

Brooklyn Nets vs Miami Heat 104-95

Shaun Livingston was flying all over the court. LeBron James could only sit and watch.

Joe Johnson scored 32 points, Livingston helped Brooklyn dominate the second overtime after James fouled out, and the Nets beat the Miami Heat 104-95 on Friday night for their fifth straight victory.

Livingston had two baskets and two blocked shots in the second OT, finishing with 19 points, a career-high 11 rebounds and five assists over 51 minutes in a sensational effort while starting for injured Deron Williams.

The Nets followed the lead of a player who spent years revitalizing a career that was sidetracked by a horrific knee injury, jumping on the Heat early and fighting them off late.

"Gutsy. Gutsy," Kevin Garnett said. "I thought we fought for 48-plus minutes."

Paul Pierce scored 23 points but missed jumpers that could have won it at the end of regulation and the first overtime. Still, the Nets remained unbeaten in 2014, adding a victory over the two-time defending NBA champions to their recent wins over Oklahoma City and Golden State.

"It was huge," Livingston said. "We've obviously been playing better as of late. I think our momentum that we were carrying into this game, we're trying to ride that wave."

James had 36 points, seven rebounds and five assists, but fouled out on an offensive foul with 36 seconds left in the first overtime and the Heat trailing by two. It was the first time that James fouled out in the regular season since 2008.

Miami pushed it to a second overtime without him, but it was all Nets from there against a Heat team that was already missing Dwyane Wade and two other starters.

James was visibly frustrated with his teammates in the first half — he said he apologized at halftime for his attitude and body language. He was irate when Mirza Teletovic flagrantly fouled him, but nearly overcame all that to help Miami pull it out.

"We're a no-excuse team, but right now we have three starters that didn't play," James said. "Even though we've got a lot of depth, it is hard to make up for three starters being out."

Miami totalled six points in the overtimes, fewest ever in the shot clock era (since 1954-55) in a game that went at least two overtimes.

Norris Cole scored 18 points, but Ray Allen was 2 of 14 for nine points in place of Wade, who rested his sore knees after playing 39 minutes in a loss at New York on Thursday. Shane Battier and Mario Chalmers also sat out the game, which featured players on both teams wearing nicknames on their jerseys, a first of its kind in the NBA.

Livingston and Johnson made the first two baskets of the second overtime, then Livingston blocked a shot by Cole.

Pierce followed with a 3-pointer, Garnett made a jumper and Livingston spun into the lane for a dunk and a 104-93 lead. He had another block on Allen, who finally made the Heat's only basket of the second OT on a wide-open layup with 16 seconds to go.

The Heat came up with the idea to wear nicknames on their jerseys and wanted another team to participate, and the Nets were selected.

So in place of the teams' regular jerseys were ones reading names such as King James and J. Shuttlesworth (for Allen's character, Jesus Shuttlesworth, in the film "He Got Game.")

The Nets wore their road black jerseys with Truth (Pierce) and Big Ticket (Garnett).

Gimmicks are nice but good games are even better, and the Heat and Nets delivered a great one.

"This was a playoff atmosphere-type game," Pierce said. "You just felt the energy in the building."

The Nets led 93-89 in the first OT and were still up two after James fouled out, but Cole pushed the ball up the court and nailed a jumper with 3.3 seconds to go to tie it.

The Nets controlled the second extra period, handing Miami a second loss in two nights in the Big Apple and matching their win total for both November and December, with eight games left this month.

Even short-handed, James and the Heat played as though they desperately wanted this one, erasing a 14-point deficit. James looked ready to fight when Teletovic wrapped his arms around James' neck to stop a drive to the basket with a flagrant foul.

"He went around my neck," James said. "It's not a basketball play."

Said Teletovic: "Just tried to make a foul to stop the score. He shouldn't be reacting like that. It's OK. It's just basketball."

It was tied at 89 with 40 seconds left after a free throw by James, and Pierce's long jumper rimmed out as time expired.

"They made bigger plays going down the stretch in the overtime," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. "When we pushed it to that point, even with LJ out, we thought we had a chance. Guys really competed down the stretch."

NOTES: The teams will wear the nickname jerseys again on March 12 and April 8 in Miami. The Heat will also wear them at home against Boston on Jan. 21. ... The Nets begin a three-game, three-country road trip Saturday in Toronto. They face the Atlanta Hawks on Thursday in London, then return home to visit the Knicks on Jan. 20.

NBA Atlanta Hawks vs Houston Rockets

Atlanta Hawks vs Houston Rockets 83-80

The Hawks are discovering that strong defence makes winning possible, even against quality opponents, after Al Horford's season-ending injury.

Kyle Korver scored 20 points, including four free throws in the final 16 seconds, and Atlanta fought off Houston's late comeback to beat the Rockets 83-80 on Friday night.

Paul Millsap also had 20 points for Atlanta, which earned its second straight impressive home win following a victory over Indiana on Wednesday night. The two victories were important following a three-game losing streak and Horford's torn right pectoral muscle in late December.

"It's a real good win for us because it really shows we played some good teams and we actually played some good defence," Millsap said. "It started with the defence and if we continue to keep that up, we'll be fine."

James Harden led the Rockets with 25 points. Dwight Howard had 15 points and 11 rebounds.

Houston coach Kevin McHale said his players "were just stuck in the mud offensively."

Aaron Brooks had 13 points, including a trio of 3-pointers, and Jeremy Lin added 11 for Houston.

"I think they took the game in the second half with how hard they played on defence," Lin said.

The Hawks overcame Houston's 11-0 run to start the game. The Rockets then battled back from an eight-point deficit with another 11-0 run to regain the lead at 76-73. Korver's 3-pointer tied the game. Following a basket by Harden, DeMarre Carroll's 3-pointer gave Atlanta a 79-78 lead. The Hawks didn't trail again.

"I think the group is really starting to trust each other defensively," Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer said. "The competitiveness that they're putting out there, it starts on the defensive end of the court. ... It's just good to see that trust being built up."

The strong defensive effort came against one of the highest-scoring teams in the NBA. Entering the game, the Rockets ranked third in the league with their average of 105.8 points.

Harden, who had seven assists and five turnovers, was unable to extend his streak of three straight games with at least 37 points.

"Guys just couldn't get into a rhythm," he said. "Guys were just sluggish tonight, including myself."

It was a disappointing start to Houston's four-game road trip.

"We talked about it before the game," Harden said. "We just came out flat."

With Atlanta leading 79-78, Korver made two free throws to push Atlanta's lead to three points. Following a timeout, Harden drove toward the basket and passed to Lin, whose foot was on the 3-point line as he sank a jumper with 6.5 seconds left, cutting the Hawks' lead to 81-80.

The Rockets quickly fouled Korver, who made both free throws. Houston couldn't get off an attempt at a last-second 3.

The Hawks matched their season low for first-half points but trailed only 41-39 at the break.

Official reviews confirmed Atlanta's first basket and last shot from the field in the half came after the clock expired. Millsap's layup, which initially was approved for a 2-all tie, was disallowed when the review showed it came after the 24-second clock expired. Jeff Teague's layup at the end of the half, which would have tied the game, came after time expired.

Korver made 3-pointers on back-to-back possessions midway through the third period for the first tie at 57-all. Millsap's driving basket gave Atlanta its first lead at 61-59, and the Hawks stretched the lead to 73-65 with 8:32 remaining.

Mistakes by the Hawks, including a 24-second violation, a missed layup by Pero Antic and a turnover by Millsap, helped the Rockets close the gap. Brooks' 3-pointer cut Atlanta's lead to 73-72.

Harden made two of three free throws with 3:50 remaining to give Houston its first lead of the period at 74-73.

Rockets forward Chandler Parsons missed his second straight game with a sore right knee. Ronnie Brewer was the fill-in starter.

Korver extended his NBA record of consecutive games with at least one 3-pointer to 106 when he made his first of four 3s with 9:03 left in the first half.

NOTES: NBA great Julius Erving had a front-row seat. ... Howard, an Atlanta native, purchased 35 tickets for the game. ... The Hawks' 10 first-quarter points set a season low for any quarter and was the low allowed by the Rockets in any quarter. ... Houston C Omer Asik (right thigh, knee) missed his 18th straight game. ... F Greg Smith (sprained right knee) returned and had four points after missing the Rockets' previous game.

NBA Detroit Pistons vs Philadelphia 76ers

Detroit Pistons vs Philadelphia 76ers 114-104

With the Detroit Pistons mired in a six-game losing streak, Josh Smith couldn't believe his team could fall behind by 16 points in the first quarter.

He decided to do something about it.

Smith had 22 points in an outstanding all-around game, Brandon Jennings made four 3-pointers in the second half and the Pistons ended their slide with a 114-104 comeback victory over the Philadelphia 76ers on Friday night.

"I was frustrated because of the fact we were on a six-game losing streak and it was disheartening to see us not come out with the kind of desperate energy we needed in order to get off the skid," Smith said.

He certainly played with his share of desperation. The 76ers said Smith became the third player in NBA history with 22 points, 13 rebounds, seven assists, five blocks and four steals in a game, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.

The other two were Hakeem Olajuwon and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who did it twice. Smith was the only one of the three to hit a 3-pointer in the game. He made two of them, although the forward shot just 2 for 8 from 3-point range and 8 of 23 from the field.

"He was around the rim all night," Pistons coach Maurice Cheeks said. "He was there to clog the middle."

Five other players scored in double figures for the Pistons, who averaged just 88.8 points during their skid. Kyle Singler and Will Bynum each had 16 off the bench.

"Whenever those guys come off the bench to give us positive minutes, it makes us that much better," Smith said.

Thaddeus Young scored 22 points for the Sixers, who have lost three straight after reeling off four consecutive road wins. Michael Carter-Williams added 21 points, Evan Turner had 19 and Spencer Hawes finished with 16 points, 10 rebounds and six assists.

The game marked Cheeks' first return to Philadelphia as a visiting head coach since being fired by the Sixers in 2008. Cheeks coached in Philadelphia for three seasons and was an assistant with Oklahoma City from 2009-13 before getting hired by Detroit last June.

The homecoming meant little to him, though.

"It didn't matter where we were," Cheeks said. "We just needed to get the win."

The Pistons outrebounded the Sixers 62-42, tying the Wells Fargo Center record for offensive rebounds with 25. They also finished with a season-high 14 blocks.

Detroit led 100-98 with 5 minutes remaining before scoring the next nine points, including a 3 by Jennings with 3:21 left that just about put the game away.

"They made a run we couldn't come back from," Turner said.

Trailing by double digits for most of the first half, the Pistons staged an early third-quarter rally, going on a 15-2 run to take their first lead at 70-69. The spurt was capped by back-to-back 3s from Jennings — his first two field goals of the game.

Jennings, the team's leading scorer, had 18 of his 19 points in the second half.

"We just kept fighting," Jennings said. "The second half we had was probably one of our best second halves we had all season."

The Sixers made nine of their first 10 shots to take control early, opening a 22-7 lead with 7:46 remaining in the first quarter. The Pistons scored the final seven points of the period to trim it to 36-28, and their deficit remained eight heading into halftime.

And then in the second half, they struck.

"Hopefully this is a springboard to get us going," Cheeks said.

NOTES: Sixers forward Lavoy Allen missed his first game of the season with a right calf injury. Arnett Moultrie also was out (left ankle). ... Allen Iverson sat courtside and received a raucous ovation when he was shown on the big screen. Iverson's jersey will be retired at halftime of Philadelphia's game against the Washington Wizards on March 1. ... Despite struggling badly on the boards, the Sixers outscored the Pistons 64-50 in the paint. ... Pistons centre Andre Drummond, who had a career game against the Sixers on Dec. 1 with 31 points, 19 rebounds and six steals, was held to 11 points and picked up a technical foul late in the third quarter. ... The Sixers shot 31.9 per cent from the field in the second half after shooting 54.2 per cent in the first half.

NBA Indiana Pacers vs Washington Wizards

Indiana Pacers vs Washington Wizards 93-66

 The Indiana Pacers, the best home team in the NBA, faced little challenge from the Washington Wizards, who were trying for their longest road winning streak in more than five years.

David West scored 20 points and C.J. Watson had 16, leading the Indiana Pacers to a 93-66 win over the Washington Wizards on Friday night.

"This was a sensational defensive effort," Indiana coach Frank Vogel said. "You want to see a team come out and play as hard as any on the defensive end, come see this team play."

Indiana (29-7) used an 11-3 run in the third quarter to create separation from Washington. Two field goals from West capped off the swing, which put the Pacers up 56-40.

Trying for their first four-game win streak on the road since February 2008, the Wizards (16-18) stumbled at the foul line. They finished 9 of 23 on free throws, hitting just five of their first 14.

"I thought we did a great job moving the ball early in the game and sticking with it," John Wall said. "But you can't stay in the game when you are missing free throws like we were."

Washington lost to the Pacers for the 11th time in 12 tries and haven't won at Indiana since April 18, 2007.

Indiana remains the NBA's best home team at 17-1 at Banker's Life Fieldhouse, including seven in a row.

Paul George of the Pacers and Wall of Wizards each opened 1 of 8 from the field. George finished with eight points on 2-of-14 shooting and Wall had 13 points.

"We knew they would be tough to beat," West said. "They came out strong and we countered."

Wall's struggles in Indiana continued. He shot four 4 of 15 from the field Friday and is 8 for 29 in his past two games here.

Washington was led by Bradley Beal with 17 points.

The Pacers overcame a 37-of-83 shooting night with a 6-of-13 performance from the 3-point range. Washington finished 26 of 81 from the field.
The Pacers outrebounded Washington 61-41. They were led by George, who had 14 rebounds, and Lance Stephenson, who had 10.
Watson entered with about nine minutes remaining in the second quarter to score five quick points. His 3-pointer pushed Indiana's lead to 31-26 with 6:32 left in the quarter.

Nene came off the bench in the first half for Washington to tally eight points and four rebounds. He finished with 12 points.

Watson again provided a spark for Indiana in the second half. He scored 11 of his 16 in the fourth quarter and finished 6 of 6 from the field.

The Wizards got within 10 after Wall's dunk with 10:04 left in the game, but Indiana used a 10-0 run to seal.

"We didn't give ourselves a chance in the second half to win the game," Washington coach Randy Wittman said. "It boils down to your top players making plays to win in a game like this. That's all it is."