Pistons sink Lakers with late Prince three-pointer

Tayshaun Prince's three-pointer with four seconds left lifted the Detroit Pistons to a 90-89 win over the Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday.

Detroit's ninth consecutive home win over Los Angeles was achieved despite 39 points and 10 rebounds from the Lakers' Kobe Bryant.

Prince led Detroit with 22 points, Chauncey Billups got 16 and Richard Hamilton 14. Derek Fisher added 15 points for Los Angeles.

Bryant had rallied the Lakers from a 17-point first-half deficit with 10 successive points in the third period. That gave Los Angeles a 62-58 advantage with 4:18 left in the period.

The Lakers led 89-87 on Ronny Turiaf's free throw with 17 seconds to play before Prince nailed his three-pointer.

Los Angeles still hand a chance but Lamar Odom missed a jumper with two seconds to go.

* Ray Allen and Paul Pierce scored 26 points each to lead the Boston Celtics to a 96-90 home win over the Dallas Mavericks. Rajon Rondo clinched the win on a reverse layup with 42 seconds remaining which broke a 90-90 tie. James Posey then made four consecutive free throws for the Celtics. Dirk Nowitzki contributed 31 points and 11 rebounds for Dallas.

(Writing by Gene Cherry in Wilson, North Carolina; Editing by Ed Osmond)

Rookie Thornton, Clippers beat Hawks

Rookie Al Thornton scored a season-high 33 points and the Los Angeles Clippers held off a furious late rally by the Atlanta Hawks for a 95-88 victory on Wednesday night.

Sam Cassell and Tim Thomas each added 14 points for the Clippers, who snapped a three-game losing streak and won for just the fifth time in their last 20 games.

Josh Smith had 21 points and 10 rebounds for the Hawks, who have dropped three straight and seven of their last eight. Al Horford scored 14 points for Atlanta, which trailed by 20 points with 7:17 remaining.

After center Aaron Williams blew a dunk attempt on the Clippers' next possession, the Hawks stunned them with a 19-2 surge that narrowed the gap to 91-88 with 46 seconds to play. Smith capped the rally with a three-point play.

Cuttino Mobley missed two layups for the Clippers that would have decided the issue earlier, but Thornton blocked Acie Law on a drive to the basket, Joe Johnson missed a 21-footer with 8 seconds to go, and the Clippers put it away with two free throws each by Cassell and Quinton Ross.

Forced to use their 20th different starting lineup due to injuries and illness, the Clippers were able to dress only nine players for the second straight game — including Thornton, who sat out Tuesday's practice because of a stomach virus.

Leading scorer Corey Maggette missed his second game in a row because of flu-like symptoms, the same bug that kept Chris Kaman sidelined for a third straight game in addition to his bruised left shin.

Two other players also were less than 100 percent. Point guard Brevin Knight has been playing the past few weeks with a stress reaction in his lower left leg, and Williams is still hampered by a sprained left wrist — which could have led to his missed dunk down the stretch.

Knight left the game with 10:17 remaining with a contusion near his left eye after getting elbowed by Marvin Williams as the Hawks' forward was positioning himself for a shot.

Despite all that adversity, the Clippers were able to prevail against an already demoralized Atlanta squad that had lost by 33 points at Phoenix on Tuesday night after blowing a 19-point lead in Sunday's loss at Portland. The only Clipper who dressed and didn't play was reserve point guard Dan Dickau, who spent his first two NBA seasons with the Hawks.

A crowd of 14,874 came out to see the Clippers before they embark on a seven-game road trip that will keep them away from Staples Center until Feb. 13. The trip begins Friday night at Minnesota, where they will attempt to snap a seven-game road skid against the team with the NBA's worst record (9-36).

Notes:@ The Clippers' road trip will be the 13th in franchise history that lasts seven or more games. They were 0-7 three times, and never finished with a winning record in any season that included a road trip of more than six games. When they were Buffalo Braves, they ended the 1972-73 campaign with eight straight on the road — all losses. ... Horford's father, Tito, and Clippers coach Mike Dunleavy were teammates with the Milwaukee Bucks for a total of seven games spanning the 1988-89 and 1989-90 seasons. Dunleavy, who had retired after the 1984-85 campaign due to a back injury, was an assistant coach with Milwaukee during that time — but returned to the court on an emergency basis because of injuries in the Bucks' backcourt. ... Atlanta coach Mike Woodson was the Clippers' leading scorer in each of his two seasons with them. He averaged 17.1 points in 1986-87, when they finished a franchise-worst 12-70 under coach Don Chaney; and averaged 18.0 points in 1987-88, when they were 17-65 under Gene Shue. Both of those seasons included 0-7 road trips.

Stoudemire's big half too much for Hawks

Amare Stoudemire scored 22 of his 24 points in the first half and the Phoenix Suns rolled to a 125-92 victory over the Atlanta Hawks on Tuesday night.

Stoudemire, who played only eight minutes in the second half made 10 of his 11 field goal attempts and four of his five free throws. He also had a team-high seven rebounds in the Suns' season-best sixth straight home triumph.

Shawn Marion added 19 points for the Suns, while Boris Diaw and Grant Hill had 16 apiece, Leandro Barbosa scored 13, and Steve Nash had 10 points and 10 assists.

Marvin Williams scored 18 points for the Hawks, who lost for the sixth time in seven games. Josh Childress scored 17 points and Zaza Pachulia had 12. Joe Johnson, the Hawks' leading scorer (21.6) who had averaged 25 points against the Suns since being traded from Phoenix to Atlanta in 2004, was limited to nine points on 3-for-14 shooting.

With Stoudemire busting through and around the Hawks' defense and also hitting from the outside, the Suns built a 52-33 lead by halftime. Stoudemire scored 13 points in the second quarter, including a vicious tomahawk dunk, as the Suns padded their 11-point, first-period lead, 28-17, to 19 points by intermission.

Stoudemire hit his first six shots and finished the half 9-of-10.

Overall, Phoenix hit 21-for-36 (58.3 percent) in the opening two quarters, while the misfiring Hawks connected on only 15-of-54 (27.8 percent). Atlanta's 33 points at halftime were a season low for a Suns' opponent.

The Hawks frustration showed early, as they were assessed two technical fouls for arguing calls — one each to coach Mike Woodson and one to Al Horford.

They also were frustrated by the Suns' defense, which tied a franchise record with eight blocked shots in the first quarter.

Marion and Hill took over the brunt of the scoring in the third period when the Suns widened their margin to 24 points, 90-66. Marion had 12 points in the period, including two alley-oops, and Hill, back after missing some time with back spasms, scored 11 in the Suns' 38-point outburst. During the period, Phoenix hit a sizzling 16-of-23 (69.6 percent).

NOTES:@ The Suns, who had played the fewest home games of any team in the Western Conference (19), now play 10 of their next 11 games at home. Their only road game between now and Feb. 24 is at Golden State Feb. 13. ... The Hawks won the first meeting between the teams this season, 105-96, at Atlanta Nov. 7, but Stoudemire didn't play. It is the Suns' only road loss to an Eastern Conference team this season. ... Hill, who had played only four minutes in the Suns' previous two games, came off the bench for only the seventh time in 673 NBA games. ... The Suns' previous biggest margin of victory was 24 point, 116-92, against New Jersey on Jan. 20.

Williams leads streaking Jazz past Spurs

Deron Williams had 11 points and 14 assists and the Utah Jazz won their fifth straight game, beating the San Antonio Spurs 97-91 on Monday night.

Carlos Boozer and Andrei Kirilenko scored 23 points each for the Jazz, who controlled the team that dominated them in the Western Conference finals last season. The Spurs, who won the playoff series in five games, never led Monday night.

Tim Duncan had 26 points and 11 rebounds and Manu Ginobili scored 29 points for the Spurs, who were knocked around by Utah's physical play. San Antonio committed 20 turnovers.

Duncan was the only Spurs starter to score more than five points. Williams shut down Tony Parker most of the game, holding him to five points and three assists while dishing the ball off for half of Utah's 28 assists.

Boozer had seven assists and Kirilenko added four steals for the Jazz, who played a much rougher game than they did in the one-sided playoff series.

Ginobili was trying to lead the Spurs to a late rally and drove for the basket, only to get knocked to the court in a collision with Boozer. Ginobili slowly got up and made both free throws to cut Utah's lead to 85-79, then Duncan scored again to get the Spurs within four.

Ginobili converted a three-point play after getting knocked to the court again. Ime Udoka had some words for Boozer as the two were separated and given technicals with 2:04 left in the game.

Udoka wasn't through complaining and got another technical with 1:27 remaining as he said something as he passed referee Jim Clark. Kyle Korver made the free throw to put Utah ahead 92-89, then Matt Harpring grabbed a crucial offensive rebound with 1:11 left to keep the ball in Utah's hands.

The Jazz kept passing as the shot clock wound down and finally got it out to Korver, who hit a 3-pointer with 48 seconds left to put Utah up 95-89.

The Spurs never recovered after a 13-2 run by Utah late in the third quarter as the Spurs got frustrated with some of the officiating and their own sloppy play. San Antonio turned it over six times in the third and was just 6-for-19 in the period.

Ronnie Brewer drove for a layup that somehow made it through several Spurs' hands before dropping through the net. Ginobili lost the ball under the Spurs' basket and the call went to the Jazz. Williams took it in for a layup that bounced out of the hoop, but Brewer was already in the air above everyone else to dunk the rebound.

The Spurs continued to come unraveled on the next possession when Kirilenko sneaked behind Ginobili, stole the ball and took it in for a reverse dunk. Boozer followed that with a layup, capping an 8-0 run.

Notes:@ The Jazz have won nine straight at home. ... Boston Red Sox manager Terry Francona, in town for a fundraiser, attended the game and sat in the third row. ... Duncan was called for a technical for complaining after Utah's Jarron Collins was called for a loose-ball foul with 5:45 left in the third.

Martin's basket gives Kings win

Kevin Martin scored Sacramento's final five points, including a frantic race the length of the court for a 20-footer as the clock expired, and the Kings extended the Seattle SuperSonics' franchise-record losing streak to 14 with a 103-101 victory Sunday night.

Damien Wilkins pulled the Sonics even at 101-all, hitting a challenged 3-pointer over John Salmons with 6.1 seconds left. Choosing not to use their last timeout, Martin raced into the frontcourt, dribbling through most of the Seattle defense and into the deep corner. He leaned under the outstretched arm of Wilkins and nailed the shot, sending the Kings bench racing toward him at the other end of the court.

Officials reviewed the call to make sure the ball left Martin's hand before the buzzer, and the Sonics remained on the court, hopeful of getting a chance at overtime and snapping their skid. But it was clear Martin got the shot off in time, concluding a frantic final few minutes.

Martin finished with 26 points, one of seven Kings in double figures. He appeared to give the Kings the lead for good with an improbable tip-in with 17 seconds left, but Sacramento needed Martin's heroics at the end.

Kevin Durant led Seattle with 19 points, but missed 15 of his 20 shots, and Wally Szczerbiak added 16. Seattle has yet to win in 2008 and didn't help its cause by missing 10 free throw attempts.

While Seattle's woeful losing streak continued, the Kings snapped a skid of their own, beating a Western Conference team on the road for the first time this season.

Martin's tip-gave Sacramento a 101-96 lead. After Martin's leaner was blocked out of bounds with 1 second left on the shot clock, Ron Artest lobbed a pass to the middle of the key that Martin tipped over the front of the rim while falling backward and being face guarded by Kurt Thomas.

Durant scored for Seattle, then fouled Martin, who made just one of the two free throws. Wilkins answered with his 3-pointer, setting the stage for Martin's game-winner.

Brad Miller and Mike Bibby both added 13 for Sacramento, which concluded a stretch with six of seven on the road. The Kings now play their next five at home.

Seattle took its first lead of the night at 77-76 on Szczerbiak's leaner in the lane with 10:36 left. Francisco Garcia quickly retook the lead with a deep jumper, Beno Udrih added 3-pointer and two free throws by Artest capped a quick 7-0 Kings run.

Durant's free throw pulled Seattle even again at 91-all, but Artest rattled in an 8-foot fallaway and after a Seattle turnover, Martin hit a 3-pointer late in the shot clock to put the Kings up 96-91 with 1:49 left. Bibby added another jumper and the lead was seven.

But Earl Watson hit just the Sonics' third 3-pointer of the night and two free throws by Thomas with 43 seconds left got Seattle back within 98-96.

Thomas finished with 15 points and 10 rebounds for Seattle and Wilcox added 11 points.

Now, the question is when will Seattle finally end its streak. The Sonics have four more games on their current homestand: San Antonio, Cleveland, New York and Chicago. Miami had the longest losing streak in the NBA this season at 15 games.

Notes:@ Kings F Kenny Thomas was a late addition to the inactive list for the second straight game. His name was initially listed as active, but was later crossed out. ... Kings rookie C Spencer Hawes played his first game in his hometown. Hawes only had to buy about 10 tickets, but his family purchased a suite for friends and family. Hawes checked in to start the second quarter, played 4:46 minutes and scored four points.

Heat beat Pacers to snap 15-game skid

Dwyane Wade saw Dorell Wright throw the ball in the air as time expired, then pumped a fist and pointed up.

He could finally feel some relief — the epic Miami Heat losing streak has finally ended.

Wade scored 35 points, Mark Blount added 10 of his 19 in the pivotal fourth quarter, and the Heat beat the Indiana Pacers 98-96 Saturday to snap a 15-game skid — the longest in the NBA this season and the second-longest in franchise history.

So what if Miami only improved to 9-33?

For the first time since Dec. 22, the Heat could leave a game happy.

Wright had 14 points and 10 rebounds, Udonis Haslem scored 12 points and Earl Barron added 10 for Miami, which got eight assists from Jason Williams.

Mike Dunleavy scored 25 points for Indiana, which has lost 13 of its last 17 games. Andre Owens and Danny Granger each scored 13 and Kareem Rush scored 12 for the Pacers, who led by nine with 4:05 left in the third but couldn't finish Miami off.

Oh, but the Pacers made it more than interesting down the stretch.

Miami was up 94-85 on Wade's 3-pointer with 4:36 left, before Indiana went on a 9-2 run over the next 3 1/2 minutes, a burst capped by Rush's 3-pointer with 1:07 remaining that drew the Pacers within 96-94.

The Heat lead was still two with 15.8 seconds left, after Haslem missed a jumper that could have made it a two-possession game. Rush missed an open 3 from the top of the key, but Troy Murphy threw the ball off Haslem on the way out of bounds with 5.8 seconds left — giving Indiana another chance.

But Wade knocked the inbounds pass away, and moments later, the streak came to an emphatic end.

"We wanted it," Wade said.

The Pacers were woeful from the floor in the opening minutes — missing 14 of their first 18 shots — but Dunleavy did more than enough to make sure Miami didn't open an early lead. He scored 16 of Indiana's first 19 points, including 14 straight over a 5 1/2-minute stretch, and the Pacers had a three-point edge early.

Dunleavy didn't score again in the first half, but his burst set the tone.

So, after leading for most of Thursday's game against San Antonio, the Heat spent most of Saturday trying to play catch-up.

Miami trailed by as many as 11 in the second quarter after Shawne Williams' 3-pointer with 9:16 left, got within five on a basket by Haslem midway through the period, but went into the locker room trailing 57-48.

A bad omen, for certain: Miami entered 2-19 when trailing at halftime, with the biggest deficit successfully overcome by the Heat at a game's midpoint this year being a six-point hole against lowly Minnesota on Dec. 17.

Not anymore.

Blount's dunk with 6:20 left in the third got Miami within 63-60, but back-to-back 3-pointers by Dunleavy — his first points since that first-quarter blitz — and Travis Diener restored Indiana's nine-point cushion.

Wade scored the final nine points in an 11-0 Miami run that put the Heat up 73-71 later in the third, and the teams entered the fourth knotted at 77.

Blount scored the first two baskets of the final quarter, Wright added a jumper with 9:53 left to put Miami up by six, and the Heat kept the lead the rest of the way.

Notes:@ The Pacers were again without injured Jermaine O'Neal and Jamaal Tinsley. For Miami, Daequan Cook returned after missing Thursday's game with tonsillitis. ... Wade and Diener, the former Marquette teammates, chatted in front of Miami's bench at halftime. ... Heat guard Chris Quinn — listed at 6-foot-2, 175 pounds — took an offensive foul against Indiana's 6-foot-11, 250-pound Jeff Foster to stop a 5-on-2 Pacers break in the second quarter. ... Oddest moment of the day: To celebrate Heat mascot Burnie's birthday, other noted South Florida mascots appeared, including "TD" of the Miami Dolphins. He was booed.

Pistons coast past Magic 101-93

Richard Hamilton scored 32 points and Rasheed Wallace had 13 of his 15 in the first quarter, helping the Detroit Pistons build a big lead that allowed them to coast in a 101-93 win over the Orlando Magic on Friday night.

The Central Divison-leading Pistons were dominant in the first half, setting up their second straight win after dropping a season-high three in a row — including a loss at Orlando — and six of nine games.

Dwight Howard had 22 points and 14 rebounds and Hedo Turkoglu scored 23 for the Southeast Division-leading Magic, who had won three straight.

Wallace controlled in the beginning, making a steal on the opening possession and scoring seven points, blocking a shot and grabbing a rebound in the first 2 1/2 minutes.

The rest of the Pistons started strong, too, combining to make 77 percent of their shots as they scored a season-high 39 points in the first quarter.

Hamilton scoring 14 of Detroit's 29 points in the second quarter, helping the Pistons score a season-high 68 points in the first half.

The Magic went on a 13-0 run late in the third quarter and pulled to 85-73, then hung around in the fourth without truly threatening to come back.

Orlando got an injury scare from reserve guard Keyon Dooling in the second quarter.

The reserve guard bruised his right knee in the opening minute and was helped off the court, walking gingerly toward the locker room. Dooling returned late in the third quarter and started the fourth.

Detroit's Chauncey Billups had 21 points and six assists. Antonio McDyess had 10 points and 13 rebounds.

Wallace's production fell off after his sensational start.

He went to the bench with four fouls at the 3:58 mark of the third quarter. After he was called for a fifth foul with 8:04 left in the game, he was called for a technical for arguing. He fouled out late in the game.

Orlando's Rashard Lewis had a lackluster game, missing 12 of 15 shots and scoring 13 points. Carlos Arroyo had 16 points and reserve Keith Bogans added 10.

Notes:@ Orlando PG Jameer Nelson (right foot) missed the game and is day to day. ... The Magic gave up more points in the first quarter and half than they had previously this season. ... Arroyo and Maurice Evans, former Pistons, were in Orlando's starting lineup. ... Detroit leads the season series 2-1 with one scheduled remaining on Feb. 19 at home. ... Detroit is 4 1/2 games ahead of Orlando for the second-best record in the Eastern Conference. ... Faces in the crowd included Tigers CF Curtis Granderson and P Dontrelle Willis along with Michigan Heisman Trophy winner Desmond Howard.

Redd, Bogut lead Bucks over Pacers

Michael Redd scored 37 points and Andrew Bogut had 17 points, leading the Milwaukee Bucks to a 104-92 victory over the Indiana Pacers on Thursday night.

Redd scored 10 in the fourth quarter, playing every minute of the second half and 45 minutes overall as the Bucks won for only the second time in eight games.

Mike Dunleavy scored 22 points and Danny Granger added 20 for Indiana, which has lost three of four since star forward Jermaine O'Neal went out with a knee injury. He has a bruised left knee that's expected to keep him out at least two weeks.

Milwaukee took charge late in the third quarter, using a 21-6 run to open a safe lead Indiana never threatened. The Pacers missed nine consecutive shots to end the third and open the fourth quarter, allowing the Bucks to pull away.

Redd hit a 3-pointer and Bogut followed with a dunk to give the Bucks a 93-82 lead with 5:06 left.

The closest Indiana came the rest of the way was 93-85 when Travis Diener, making his first NBA start, hit a 3-pointer with 4:56 left.

Bobby Simmons scored 16 points and had eight rebounds for Milwaukee.

Diener scored 15 points and had nine assists with only one turnover in a career-high 40 minutes. Kareem Rush had 14 points and Jeff Foster tied a season-high with 13 points for Indiana.

Dunleavy, rebounding from a 2-for-12, 10-point game in the Pacers' loss at Chicago Wednesday night, had 10 points in the third, and made a 19-footer to give the Pacers a 69-65 lead with 5:45 left in the quarter. Indiana went cold for nearly 12 minutes after that basket, as Milwaukee took an 86-75 lead on Charlie Bell's baseline 3 with 7:18 left in the fourth.

The Bucks took the lead for good during the run on Royal Ivey's 3, making it 77-75 with 10:07 to go in the fourth. Granger broke the Pacers' drouught with a jumper to pull Indiana within 86-77 with 6:59 left.

Redd hit a pair of free throws with 18 seconds left in the second to cap a 23-point first half, giving the Bucks a 52-50 halftime lead.

Notes:@ The Pacers also were without guard Jamaal Tinsley, who has a sore knee and is day-to-day. ... It was the first meeting between the Central Division teams. Last year, Indiana won all four games. ... Milwaukee's Mo Williams returned after missing one game with a sprained pinky finger.

(This version CORRECTS Bucks 104, Pacers 92; SUBS lede and headline to remove INcorrect refernence to Bogut having 11 rebounds; Optional to follow)

Raptors shock high-flying Celtics in Boston

The hot-shooting Toronto Raptors staged a late rally and stunned the Boston Celtics with a 114-112 road victory on Wednesday, with Jose Calderon delivering a three-point play with only 10.5 seconds remaining.

The Raptors were seven points down with 5:06 left and came back to hand the Celtics, the NBA's best-performing team, their first loss in 11 games against Atlantic Division foes this season.

Calderon scored off a drive to provide the margin of victory. Boston's Eddie House then missed a three-point shot, the Celtics rebounded and Ray Allen failed on a two-point attempt as time ran out.

Toronto shot 58 percent from the field in the game but were an impressive 15-for-21 from three-point range, with Carlos Delfino going 5-for-5 and Calderon 4-for-6.

The Raptors also made all 19 free throws they attempted in the game.

"It was one of those games and we felt like it slipped away from you... we are kicking ourselves for losing," Boston's Ray Allen told reporters.

"But give them all the credit in the world. They shot the ball lights out tonight."

Calderon scored 24 points and dished out 13 assists and Chris Bosh and Anthony Parker both scored 23 points.

Andrea Bargnani had 20 points, seven rebounds and seven assists as the Raptors salvaged the fourth and final game of the season series after losing the first three.

Kevin Garnett scored 26 points and Allen and Paul Pierce both had 19 for the Celtics, who saw their three-game winning streak end and their record fall to 33-7.

* The San Antonio Spurs got 28 points and 17 rebounds from Tim Duncan to register a 103-101 home win over the Los Angeles Lakers, despite 29 points and 12 rebounds by Kobe Bryant.

* The last-place Minnesota Timberwolves won their seventh game of the year and recorded their first two-game winning streak after upsetting the visiting Phoenix Suns 117-107. Al Jefferson had 39 points and 15 rebounds for the Wolves, while Amare Stoudemire scored 33 for the Suns, who have the second-best record in the NBA.

* The New Orleans Hornets won their sixth consecutive game, with Jannero Pargo scoring a season-high 24 points in 24 minutes in a 96-81 home win over the Portland Trail Blazers.

(Writing by Mike Shalin, editing by Martin Petty)

Nash scores 37 to lead Suns past Bucks

Steve Nash scored 15 of his season-high 37 points in the fourth quarter, leading the Phoenix Suns past the Milwaukee Bucks 114-105 on Tuesday night.

The Suns (30-12), who have the NBA's second-best record behind Boston (33-6), became the first Western Conference team to notch 30 victories. Phoenix has won four straight since its 97-90 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers last Tuesday.

Amare Stoudemire added 19 points, including 10 in the final period, and grabbed 12 rebounds, while Raja Bell scored eight of his 19 points in the final quarter.

Grant Hill was also back in the Suns' starting lineup, less than two weeks after undergoing an appendectomy. He had eight points in 27 minutes after missing seven games recovering from the surgery Jan. 9.

Michael Redd led the Bucks with 28 points, but scored only two in the fourth quarter when he missed all three of his shots for Milwaukee. Andrew Bogut added 19 points and 13 rebounds, and Bobby Simmons had 15 points for the Bucks, who have lost six of seven.

Charlie Bell's 3-pointer to open the fourth quarter gave Milwaukee its biggest lead at 86-77, but the Suns refused to fold after trailing most of the second half.

Raja Bell hit a jumper, converted a three-point play and hit a 3 to spark a 29-13 run that ended on Nash's 3-pointer — his third during the stretch — which gave the Suns a 106-99 lead with 2:06 to play.

Redd made two free throws, but then Stoudemire took a pass from Nash and scored. Shawn Marion made a basket and Phoenix had a 110-101 lead with 57 seconds left to play and the game in hand.

The Bucks could only manage free throws in the final four minutes.

Nash ended the game by stealing the ball from Redd on a drive to the hoop.

Hill had the surgery Jan. 9 and was expected to be sidelined for two to three weeks. He missed seven games after being injury-free since coming to Phoenix, starting all 34 regular-season games and averaging 15.9 points.

Hill signed a two-year deal with the Suns in July and hoped to overcome seven injury-plagued years in Orlando, where he played in about a third of the Magic's regular-season games.

Notes:@ The Suns have won 30 of 34 games in the series since March 28, 1991, including 13 of 17 in Milwaukee. ... Phoenix is even stronger at home, where the Bucks haven't won since a 115-107 win on Feb. 21, 1987. ... The last time the two teams met, Nash sparked a second-half comeback, scoring 26 of his 35 points in the final two quarters of a 122-114 victory on Jan. 12. It was the team's 20th consecutive home victory over Milwaukee.

Fisher, Farmar lead Lakers past Nuggets

Derek Fisher scored a season-high 28 points, Jordan Farmar added 19, and the short-handed Los Angeles Lakers broke open a tight game late in the third quarter to beat the Denver Nuggets 116-99 on Monday night for their 18th win in 22 games.

Kobe Bryant, attempting only seven shots and making five, had 17 points and a season-high 11 assists and Lamar Odom added 15 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists for the Lakers (27-12), who outscored the Nuggets 31-8 to finish the third period and start the fourth for a 108-87 lead.

The Nuggets played the final 2 1/2 quarters without Carmelo Anthony, who sprained his left ankle midway through the second period. Team spokesman Eric Sebastian said X-rays of Anthony's ankle were negative, and the 23-year-old forward was to be re-evaluated Tuesday in Denver.

Anthony, the NBA's fourth-leading scorer with a 25.8-point average, made a jump shot with 5:58 left before halftime before landing on Bryant's right foot. Anthony dropped to the floor, grabbing his ankle in pain. He left with 13 points and four rebounds.

Allen Iverson led Denver (24-16) with 24 points and seven assists. Linas Kleiza added 21 points, Marcus Camby had 18 points and 12 rebounds and Kenyon Martin added 16 points and 11 rebounds for the Nuggets (24-16), who lost their fourth straight road game.

The Lakers, already without center Andrew Bynum until at least the middle of March, got more bad news before the game, learning forward Trevor Ariza would be sidelined about eight weeks because of a broken bone in his right foot — an injury he sustained Sunday in practice.

But they had more than enough to complete a sweep of the season series with the Nuggets, winning the three games by an average of 16.3 points per game while moving within one game of the Western Conference-leading Phoenix Suns.

Camby scored 10 points during a 22-10 run to start the third quarter, giving the Nuggets a 79-77 lead. But three 3-pointers by Fisher and another by Farmar sparked a 14-3 spurt that put the Lakers ahead 91-82 entering the final period.

A 17-6 run to open the fourth quarter gave the Lakers their 21-point lead.

Bryant didn't take a shot of any kind until making two free throws with 8:40 left before halftime, giving the Lakers a 49-35 lead.

Bryant took, and made, his first field-goal attempts on the next two Los Angeles possessions, making it 53-37. He wouldn't attempt another shot in the first half, which ended with the Lakers leading 67-57.

Kwame Brown, booed every time he touched the ball during a difficult third quarter in the Lakers' previous game, was cheered early in this one, especially after a pair of dunks in the opening 3 1/2 minutes.

Brown, Bynum's replacement at center, had seven points and a season-high 11 rebounds.

Notes:@ The Lakers also have been playing without C Chris Mihm (sore right Achilles' tendon) and F Vladimir Radmanovic (sprained right ankle). They hope both will be back in the next couple weeks. ... Martin returned to action after missing three games with a staph infection, but teammate Eduardo Najara sat out because of an injured right elbow. ... The Lakers beat the Nuggets 127-99 at Staples Center on Nov. 29, and 111-107 six days later in Denver despite Iverson's 51 points. ... The Lakers have won 15 of their 17 games against the Nuggets at Staples Center since the facility opened in 1999.

Suns win 14th in row at home over Nets

Amare Stoudemire had 28 points and the Phoenix Suns made it 14 in a row at home over New Jersey by routing the Nets 116-92 on Sunday night. Raja Bell added 20 points, including 5-of-10 3-pointers. New Jersey hasn't won in Phoenix since March 13, 1993.

Six players, including all five starters, scored in double figures for the Suns. Shawn Marion had 16 points and 11 rebounds and matched his season-high with five steals. Boris Diaw had 14 points, 10 rebounds and six assists.

Steve Nash had 13 points and nine assists and Leandro Barbosa added 12 points as Phoenix matched its season high of five straight home wins.

Richard Jefferson scored 24 for the Nets, who were playing for the second night in a row. They lost 120-107 in overtime to the Clippers in Los Angeles on Thursday night.

Phoenix led by as many as 18 points in the first half and was up by 11 at the break. The closest New Jersey got in the second half was nine.

The Suns took a 35-20 lead after one quarter and were up 38-20 when Barbosa opened the second quarter with one of Phoenix's 12 3-pointers — in 29 attempts. After the Nets cut it to 12, Phoenix scored six straight, capped by Bell's 3 to go up 54-36 with 2:49 left in the half.

New Jersey, though, scored the next seven, and Jefferson's three-point play cut the lead to 54-43 1:33 from the break. Phoenix led 56-45 at halftime. The Suns were 8-for-17 from 3-point range in the first half, compared with New Jersey's 1-for-7.

Jason Kidd's 20-footer brought the Nets as close as they would get, 65-56, with 7:39 left in the third. Stoudemire, though, scored the next six points to boost the lead to 71-56 on his emphatic driving dunk over Sean Williams.

In all, Stoudemire scored 10 consecutive Phoenix points. His dunk on a feed from Nash made it 73-60 with 5:53 left in the third. The Suns ended the quarter with a 7-2 spurt, the final two on Barbosa's 22-footer with 5.8 seconds left, and led 89-73 entering the fourth.

New Jersey never got closer than 14 after that. Another Stoudemire stuff put Phoenix ahead 100-79 with 6:10 remaining.

Notes:@ Marion has had five steals in a game four times this season. ... Lawrence Frank is the sixth coach for the Nets since New Jersey last won at Phoenix. ... Grant Hill, out for seven games since undergoing an appendectomy, could return when the Suns play at Milwaukee on Tuesday. ... Hall of Famer Bill Russell, part of a Martin Luther King symposium before the game, drew a standing ovation when introduced in the first quarter.

T-Mac returns as Yao, Rockets edge Spurs

Yao Ming had 21 points and 14 rebounds, and the Houston Rockets beat the San Antonio Spurs 83-81 on Saturday night, handing the defending champions their fourth loss in six games.

Rafer Alston added 16 points and six assists as the Rockets beat their in-state rivals for only the fourth time in the last 13 meetings. Tracy McGrady, who returned after missing 11 games with a sore left knee, had nine points on 4-of-12 shooting.

Tim Duncan had 24 points and 17 rebounds for San Antonio, which lost in Houston for the second time in six visits.

The Rockets led by 12 early in the second half, but appeared headed for their third straight fourth-quarter collapse.

Houston led 80-79 when Luther Head missed a reverse layup and Yao rebounded and dunked. He was fouled by Fabricio Oberto and pumped his fist after the whistle, with 2:24 to go.

But Yao missed the free throw and Duncan maneuvered for a layup at the other end to cut Houston's lead to 82-81. The Spurs had a chance to take the lead in the final minute, but Duncan missed a shot from the top of the key with about 30 seconds left.

The Rockets played keep-away until McGrady found Yao underneath. Yao, an 86 percent free throw shooter, got fouled, then missed both shots. But Houston rebounded the second miss after a scramble and Alston hit a free throw with 2.4 seconds remaining.

Out of a timeout, Spurs reserve Matt Bonner missed a mid-range shot at the buzzer.

The Rockets committed only seven turnovers, a season low for a Spurs opponent.

Manu Ginobili added 21 and Tony Parker had 16 for the Spurs.

McGrady was on the bench at the start and the Spurs hit six of their first seven shots. Head, McGrady's replacement in the lineup, kept the Rockets close with seven early points.

Head poked Duncan in the right eye with 6:04 left in the first quarter and Duncan left the game, with San Antonio leading 12-10. At that point, McGrady checked in.

He missed his first shot, then scored on a drive and sank a 3-pointer to give Houston its first lead, at 19-18. Duncan returned and scored twice on layups to put the Spurs back on top.

San Antonio controlled the boards in the first half, but committed eight turnovers that led to 14 Rockets points. The Rockets had 10 assists and only two turnovers at halftime and led 45-39.

Bonzi Wells scored twice as Houston stretched the lead to 55-43 early in the third quarter. The Spurs answered with an 18-6 run to tie it at 61 on Oberto's basket 15 seconds into the final quarter.

With Yao on the bench, Alston hit a 3-pointer and then picked off a pass and fed McGrady for a one-handed dunk on consecutive possessions to put Houston up 66-61. Rookie Carl Landry broke free for another dunk and fellow rookie Aaron Brooks sank a 3-pointer as Houston hung on to the slim lead.

Landry was called for goaltending when he blocked Duncan's hook and Duncan sank an easy bank shot as San Antonio closed to 75-74.

McGrady, wincing in pain during dead balls, left the game with 5:15 left and Parker promptly hit a jumper to put the Spurs in front. Luis Scola hit a free throw with 4:38 left to tie it and the Rockets pulled back in front on Alston's drive with 3:30 left.

The Spurs outrebounded Houston 37-32, but went a costly 11-for-19 from the free throw line.

Notes:@ Shane Battier, Houston's best defender, came off the bench for the first time in two seasons with Houston, apparently to match minutes with top San Antonio reserve Ginobili. ... The Spurs listed no injured players for the first time in 18 games. ... Former Rockets center Hakeem Olajuwon had a courtside seat next to team owner Les Alexander. Duncan gave him a chest-bump hug before tipoff.

Nash near-perfect in Suns' romp

Steve Nash had a near-flawless game and five Phoenix players scored 17 points or more Friday night in the Suns' 115-95 rout of Minnesota, the Timberwolves' 15th consecutive loss on the road.

Nash was 6-for-6 from the field and 4-for-4 from the free throw line for 17 points with 13 assists. He had one turnover in 28 minutes.

Amare Stoudemire scored 23 points, Raja Bell 20, Leandro Barbosa 19 and Shawn Marion 18 for the Suns, who shot 54 percent from the field. They were at 60 percent before coach Mike D'Antoni began to empty the bench midway through the final quarter.

Al Jefferson had 27 points and 14 rebounds for the Timberwolves, who fell to 1-19 on the road. Rashad McCants added 19 points and Craig Smith 16.

One of the Timberwolves' five victories this season came against the Suns, 100-93 at Minnesota on Dec. 8. The rematch, though, was not close.

The Suns were coming off a 106-98 victory over the Lakers on Thursday in Los Angeles. Nash had 20 assists in that win, which moved Phoenix back ahead of the Lakers with the best record in the Western Conference. The Suns had plenty left to handle hapless Minnesota for their ninth win in 12 games but just their third in the last five.

Nash had 13 points and nine assists in the first half. Seven of his assists came in the second quarter, when the Suns transformed a 32-28 deficit into a 63-49 halftime lead.

Phoenix shot 65 percent (13-of-20) from the field in the second, including 6-of-9 from 3-point range.

Marion sank two 3s and Barbosa one in a 13-0 run that put the Suns ahead 54-43 with 3:07 left in the half. Nash made two free throws with 35 seconds to play, then Boris Diaw sank a 3 from the corner to give Phoenix its 14-point lead at the break.

The Suns turned it into a blowout in the third quarter, using an 8-0 run — including two virtually uncontested fast-break layups by Bell — that gave Phoenix an 86-60 lead on Barbosa's drive to the hoop with 3:38 left.

Notes: Minnesota's lone road win was Nov. 26 at New Orleans. ... The Timberwolves play four of their next six on the road. ... Phoenix has more wins in January (six) than Minnesota has all season (five). ... D'Antoni put Nash back in the game briefly with 8:17 to play and Phoenix leading 102-82. ... Rookie D.J. Strawberry came off the bench in Phoenix's regular first-half rotation ahead of Marcus Banks, who didn't play until the final minutes.

(This version CORRECTS Suns 115, Timberwolves 95. corrects scoreline, lede to 115-95 to reflect official scoring error.)

James, Cavs beat Spurs in finals rematch

LeBron James scored 27 points and the Cleveland Cavaliers beat San Antonio 90-88 on Thursday night in the teams' first meeting since the Spurs swept the NBA finals last season.

Zydrunas Ilgauskas added 17 points, and Anderson Varejao scored 12 points and grabbed 14 rebounds for Cleveland, which has won three in a row.

Manu Ginobili scored 31 points for the Spurs, and Tony Parker added 23 points but missed two free throws with 29.4 seconds to play that would have tied the game at 90.

Tim Duncan scored 20 points and had 11 rebounds for San Antonio, which has now lost four games at home and dropped to 5-5 in their last 10 overall.

The Spurs swept the Cavaliers 4-0 in June's finals.

A goaltending call against James, who was coming off a season-high 51 points against Memphis, gave the Spurs an 86-85 lead with 1:34 to play, but Daniel Gibson's 3-pointer put Cleveland ahead.

Duncan tied it at 88 before James' basket gave the Cavs a 90-88 lead with 33.6 seconds left. Parker, with a chance to tie, missed his two free throws and Ginobili's last-second attempt didn't fall.

The Spurs jumped out to a nine-point lead early and extended it to 10 early in the second quarter.

But the Cavaliers, behind Ilgauskas and Varejao, who scored nine and eight points in the quarter, respectively, went on a 17-2 run to go up 43-33 with 3:38 left in the quarter.

Only Ginobili, with 10 points in the second period, kept the Spurs afloat.

Cleveland, up 50-43 at halftime, took the lead with 7:30 left in the second quarter — and kept it until about halfway through the fourth quarter — off Damon Jones' fast break layup that broke a 31-all tie.

The Cavs extended their lead to eight points at 73-65 by the end of a third quarter in which the teams largely traded baskets, allowing Cleveland to keep San Antonio at bay.

Down 73-65 heading into the final quarter, Ginobili scored eight straight for the Spurs to open the period and bring San Antonio within 77-73. Spurs guard Brent Barry, in his first game since tearing a calf muscle in late December, scored his first points of the night on a 3-pointer that made it 77-76.

Parker's fast break to the rim with 6:42 left closed the Spurs' 13-4 run and gave them their first lead, 78-77, since 8:06 remained in the second quarter.

Barry's second 3 gave San Antonio another lead at 81-79 before Ilgauskas tied it at 81 with 5:08 to play.

Notes:@ Barry missed nine games with a torn muscle in his left calf. He logged 15 minutes and scored six points. ... The Cavs swept both games against the Spurs last season and now have a four-game regular-season winning streak against San Antonio. ... The Cavaliers outrebounded San Antonio 45-50, but the teams were nearly even on points in the paint (30 each), assists (18 each) and fast-break points (15-14 Spurs).

Bosh spoils Bibby's NBA season debut

Mike Bibby made his season debut but it wasn't enough as Sacramento lost 116-91 to Toronto in National Basketball Association game on Wednesday.

Chris Bosh had 31 points and nine rebounds and Carlos Delfino scored 26 points for Toronto.

Jose Calderon registered 17 points and 14 assists and Anthony Parker netted 12 for the Raptors, who shot a superb 52 percent (43-of-82) from the field en route to their fifth win in six games.

However, Toronto's victory came at the expence of Bibby's long-awaited season debut following surgery to repair ligaments in his left thumb, which forced him to miss the first 36 games

of the season.

A nine-year veteran, Bibby connected on seven-of-12 shots to finish with 19 points in 28 minutes off the bench. He also had six assists along with four turnovers.

"It was good to get back on the court," said Bibby, who came off the bench for the first time in his NBA or collegiate career.

NBA Hawks down Nuggets as Iverson, Smith ejected

Joe Johnson led six Atlanta players in double figures on Tuesday as the Hawks defeated the Denver Nuggets 104-93 in a National Basketball Association contest.

Johnson scored 22 points and Marvin Williams chipped in 19 for the Hawks, while Josh Childress added 17 points and Anthony Johnson scored 13.

Atlanta never trailed, opening the game with a 16-6 run and rolling from there.

It was the second straight double-digit win for the Hawks, who led by as many as 25 in the second quarter.

Denver cut the lead to eight in the final minutes of the contest, but it was not enough.

The Nuggets were already undermanned, with just nine players available because of injuries.

Theyw were without Kenyon Martin, who is battling a staph infection, Nene, who is awaiting results of a testicular tumor biopsy, Steven Hunter, who is recovering from right knee surgery and Chucky Atkins, who recently had surgery to repair a sports hernia.

The duo of Carmelo Anthony and Allen Iverson continued to play well, posting 36 and 27 points, respectively.

Iverson, an 11-year veteran, surpassed another NBA milestone, passing the legendary Larry Bird for 22nd place on the all-time scoring list with 21,815 points.

Denver reserve guard JR Smith scored 21 points but the rest of the team combined for just nine.

Smith and Iverson were gone by the final half-minute, both ejected for arguing with officials.

Iverson drew a second technical foul after protesting a non-foul call. smith came to his defense and was tossed also.

Williams dominates as Jazz beat Bucks

Deron Williams scored 24 of his 33 points in the second half and had 10 assists as the Utah Jazz rallied to beat the Milwaukee Bucks 98-87 Monday night.

The Jazz held the Bucks without a field goal for the first 7:25 of the fourth quarter while pulling away for their fourth straight win, Utah's longest streak since November.

Carlos Boozer added 21 points and 10 rebounds and Paul Millsap scored 11 for the Jazz.

Former University of Utah All-American Andrew Bogut had 23 points and 10 rebounds in his return to Salt Lake City, but scored just three points in the fourth quarter as the Bucks' offense fizzled.

The Jazz outscored the Bucks 27-15 in the fourth, getting 14 points from Williams and holding the Bucks to two field goals in the final 12 minutes.

Mo Williams added 21 points for the Bucks, who went 0-3 on a Western Conference road trip.

Milwaukee was shooting 57 percent through three quarters, then couldn't make a shot for much of the fourth.

Deron Williams hit a 3-pointer at the end of the third quarter to start a 10-0 run that put the Jazz in command as they suddenly started playing defense.

Michael Redd's two free throws with 6:58 were Milwaukee's only points of the fourth until Redd added two more from the line with 5:01 left. Mo Williams' 3-pointer with 4:35 was Milwaukee's first field goal of the period and got the Bucks within 86-79, but the Jazz held on easily from there.

Redd finished with 16 points.

Bogut's hook shot was on target through the first three quarters and he had the Bucks outplaying the Jazz. The 7-footer had the assist of the night when he dribbled up the court and bounced a pass behind his back to Mo Williams, who hit a 3-pointer to put the Bucks up 62-59. Bogut followed that with a layup, then went right over Boozer for a one-handed dunk.

But Deron Williams got the Jazz rolling again on his 3-pointer just before the end of the third, starting Utah's 10-0 run.

Notes:@ The Bucks outrebounded the Jazz 11-6 in the first quarter. ... Milwaukee hasn't won in Utah since the season opener in 2001. ... The Jazz have won six straight over the Bucks. ... Bogut had his third straight double-double. ... The Jazz outscored the Bucks 34-26 in the paint.

Ellis help Warriors rally past Pacers

Monta Ellis scored nine of his 29 points during a fourth-quarter comeback, and former Golden State disappointment Mike Dunleavy missed a key free throw for Indiana in the final moments of the Warriors' 106-101 victory Sunday night.

Baron Davis scored 27 points for the Warriors, who won for the third time in four games by erasing Indiana's early 17-point lead and hanging on through a tense final period.

Dunleavy and Troy Murphy were booed heartily in their first trip back to Golden State since the eight-player trade that sent Stephen Jackson and Al Harrington to the Warriors nearly one year ago.

Jermaine O'Neal had 27 points and nine rebounds for the Pacers, who have lost nine of 11. Dunleavy had 18 points and 10 rebounds, but the most reviled player in recent Warriors history missed a key chance to keep his team in this one.

After Dunleavy hit a 3-pointer to put Indiana up 97-93, Ellis and Matt Barnes tied it with 2:36 left on consecutive jumpers. Ellis put Golden State ahead 100-98 with a stunning no-look backward layup and a free throw — and after Dunleavy missed a potential tying free throw 3 seconds later, the Pacers never caught up again.

Andris Biedrins, who mysteriously spent much of the night on Golden State's bench, tipped home Ellis' shot for a key basket with 17.8 seconds left. The game ended appropriately, with Warriors fans booing Dunleavy as he missed a meaningless 3-pointer.

Murphy, a reserve in Indiana, had four points and one rebound. Danny Granger added 20 points and eight rebounds for the Pacers.

Jackson and Harrington both struggled — but they already led Golden State to a win at Indiana last season. Jackson managed just nine points on 4-of-15 shooting, while Harrington had 14 points on 6-of-19 shooting.

The Warriors have been reborn ever since Dunleavy, Murphy and Ike Diogu were traded to Indiana in an eight-player deal last Jan. 17. Jackson and Harrington became key parts of the core that ended Golden State's 13-year playoff drought, upsetting top-seeded Dallas in the first round and getting this season's team off to a solid start.

Golden State got leadership, defense and stellar shooting in the deal — while also gaining financial flexibility by ditching the onerous contracts held by Dunleavy and Murphy. Since the trade, Golden State has gone 45-36 and won its biggest playoff series in two decades, while Indiana is 32-51.

The Warriors also got rid of Dunleavy, who was regularly booed throughout his final two seasons in Oakland. Sunday night's Oracle Arena crowd greeted Dunleavy with a hearty round of boos during pregame introductions, and the fans resumed booing whenever Dunleavy touched the ball.

The former No. 3 overall draft pick was a profound disappointment during his 4 1/2 seasons at Golden State, with fans hating everything from Dunleavy's inconsistent shot and tepid defense to his flouncy hairdos and perceived arrogance.

In fact, Dunleavy was booed more regularly than any Warriors player since 1980s center Joe Barry Carroll — otherwise known as Joe Barely Cares, a moniker that fans felt fit Dunleavy as well.

Dunleavy has been just as grateful as the Bay Area for the trade, averaging a career-best 17.3 points as the Pacers' leading scorer. Earlier Sunday, Dunleavy said he "couldn't care less" what Golden State's fans thought of him.

Notes:@ Jackson hit the winning 3-pointer for Indiana in the final second of the Pacers' previous trip to Golden State last season. ... The Warriors will play four Midwest road games in five nights beginning Tuesday at Minnesota. Golden State visits Indiana on Wednesday. ... Davis wore a protective sleeve on his sore left shoulder for the second straight game.

Suns run home streak against Bucks to 20

Steve Nash scored 26 of his season-high 35 points in the second half and the Suns beat the Milwaukee Bucks in Phoenix for the 20th consecutive time, 122-114, on Saturday night.

Nash was 11-of-13 shooting, 4-of-5 of them 3s, in the final two quarters, showing no effect from the stomach flu that had kept him out of Thursday night's loss in Utah. Amare Stoudemire had 31 points and Boris Diaw, starting while Grant Hill recovers from an appendectomy, had a season-best 21 points and 11 rebounds.

Andrew Bogut made 14-of-16 shots, all near the basket, for a career-best 29 points to lead the Bucks, who were playing one night after losing 110-105 against the Lakers in Los Angeles. Michael Redd added 18 points but on 5-of-16 shooting in his first start in six games.

Redd sat out five with a deep thigh bruise, then came off the bench against the Lakers. Charlie Bell also scored 18 and Bobby Simmons for the Bucks, who lost despite shooting 56 percent.

The Suns shot 57 percent in a game that featured little defense.

The Bucks were up by as many as 10 points and led 68-61 after a first half. But Phoenix outscored the Milwaukee 35-18 in the third quarter, finishing it with a 13-3 run to lead 96-86 entering the fourth.

Milwaukee hasn't won in Phoenix since Feb. 21,, 1987.

But this one was no blowout.

The Bucks cut the lead to 100-94 on Royal Ivey's 13-footer with 9:22 left, but Nash, Stoudemire and Raja Bell returned to the game. Nash made a 19-footer, Stoudemire a 7-foot runner and Nash a 3-pointer, boosting Phoenix's lead to 109-98.

Milwaukee sliced it to 116-111 when Redd made two free throws with 2:39 to go, then Nash's 15-footer put Phoenix ahead by seven 1:38 from the finish. Charlie Bell's 3-pointer cut it to 118-114 with 56 seconds left, and the Bucks had a chance to get closer, but Raja Bell blocked Redd's shot.

Bell and Nash put it away with a pair of free throws apiece.

Milwaukee outscored Phoenix 21-7 to go up 60-50 on Bogut's dunk with 2:38 left in the first half.

The Bucks shot 62 percent, 8-of-14 from 3-point range, while taking a 68-61 halftime lead.

Stoudemire scored 21 in the first half, 16 on 8-for-9 shooting in the first quarter. His only miss in the first was a 3-pointer.

But Bogut faced even less resistance, scoring 17 in the first half on 8-of-8 shooting. Bobby Simmons scored 15 in the half, making 7-of-9 shots.

Notes: The last four home games for Phoenix came against teams playing the second of back-to-back sets. The Suns won three of them. ... Phoenix is 14-2 against the Eastern Conference. ... ... The last time the Bucks won in Phoenix, John Lucas was their leading scorer with 24 points.

Rockets rout Wolves without McGrady

The Houston Rockets didn't need Tracy McGrady — or Yao Ming for that matter — to handle the Minnesota Timberwolves. Luis Scola had 22 points and nine rebounds and rookie Carl Landry had 15 points and 11 rebounds, both career highs, as the Rockets beat Minnesota 113-82 on Friday night to win for the seventh time in the nine games McGrady has missed with a left knee injury.

Yao scored 15 points in only 28 minutes as the Rockets blew out the Timberwolves in the first half and cruised to their season-high fifth consecutive victory.

Luther Head scored 15 points and Rafer Alston had 11 points and five assists for Houston.

Ryan Gomes had 20 points and six rebounds for the Wolves, who have lost 15 of their last 17 games overall and 13 straight on the road.

Houston trainer Keith Jones said before the game that McGrady will probably miss another week as he recovers from a bone bruise and injured tendons in the knee. The Rockets also played without Bonzi Wells, who has a sprained left shoulder, but the hapless Timberwolves were still overmatched.

Houston hit 13 of its first 23 shots and led 31-18 after the first quarter. Every Rockets starter had between four and seven points as they continued their balanced attack in McGrady's absence. Scola is the fifth different player to lead the Rockets in scoring while McGrady has been sidelined.

The Timberwolves, the NBA's second-lowest scoring team, missed 14 of 21 shots in the quarter.

The Rockets outscored the Wolves 34-15 in the second quarter, using mostly reserves. Eventually, Houston coach Rick Adelman had a lineup on the floor that included Alston, Scola, Landry, fellow rookie Aaron Brooks and seldom-used Mike James.

And Houston still stayed in control.

James, who played for Minnesota last season, sank a 3-pointer and threw a long pass to Scola for a layup that put Houston up 57-26. At that point, the Rockets were shooting 57 percent (24 of 42).

The 6-foot-9 Landry, seeing his first action since Dec. 9, had seven points and five rebounds in the half.

Adelman put his starters back in near the 2-minute mark and the Rockets led 65-33 at the break. It was a season-high point total for Houston in a half and the most the Timberwolves had given up in a half all season.

Minnesota had only three assists, shot 33 percent (12-of-36) and were outrebounded 31-15 in the half.

Houston's starters played most of the third quarter and continued to shred the Timberwolves' defense with sharp passes and easy layups. Minnesota scored 20 points in the quarter, but the Rockets scored 18 and led 87-56 heading to the fourth.

Notes:@ Minnesota went 0-for-6 from 3-point range, the first time since Feb. 4, 2006, that the Wolves failed to make a 3-pointer in a game. ... Shane Battier has blocked a shot in 13 consecutive games. ... Jones said Wells took a painkilling injection and is expected to practice on Saturday.

Okur, Jazz beat short-handed Suns

Mehmet Okur scored 22 points and pulled down 17 rebounds and the Utah Jazz routed the tired and short-handed version of the Phoenix Suns 108-86 Thursday night.

Deron Williams added 17 points and 11 assists and Ronnie Brewer tied his career high with 21 points for the Jazz, who had an advantage from the start with three Suns starters unavailable.

Two-time league MVP Steve Nash was home with the flu, Grant Hill was recovering from an appendectomy the day before and Shawn Marion sat behind the bench with a bruised elbow. The Suns had also played an overtime game the night before and were overwhelmed by the Jazz in the second half.

Utah outscored Phoenix 28-12 in the third quarter, holding the Suns to just five field goals and closing the period with seven straight points.

Carlos Boozer added 18 points for the Jazz, but had just one rebound as Okur dominated the lane and missed his career high by one rebound.

Amare Stoudemire had 21 points and 14 rebounds and Leandro Barbosa scored 25, but were the only Suns to score in double figures.

Kyle Korver added 11 points for the Jazz, who had to overcome a sloppy start as even the depleted version of the Suns kept them running through the first half and early in the third quarter.

The Jazz also were short-handed, but not nearly to the extent the Suns were. Forward Matt Harpring was not with the team because his wife was in labor, and forward Andrei Kirilenko missed his third straight game because of inflammation in his lower back.

The Suns beat Indiana at home in overtime on Wednesday, then flew to Utah and the fatigue showed midway through the third quarter.

Stoudemire hit a free throw that got Phoenix within 63-54, then the Jazz blew it open with a 13-2 run. Williams started it with a long alley-oop to Brewer for a dunk as Utah scored six straight points.

Stoudemire got in a dunk for Phoenix, but the Jazz responded with seven points in a row, taking a 76-56 lead on Okur's 23-foot jumper with about 3 minutes left.

Williams was leading a fast break about 30 seconds later and instead of going for the points tossed it over to Brewer for another dunk that delighted the fans.

Utah led 86-60 at the end of the third and reserves for both teams — including all three of Phoenix's — played most of the fourth.

Notes:@ Nash hadn't missed a game this season. ... Brian Skinner had the Suns' only bench points through three quarters with two. ... The Jazz opened the second quarter 1-for-15. ... Harpring's wife had a baby girl, the couple's second child.

Isiah tossed as Rockets top Knicks

Yao Ming scored 36 points, and the Houston Rockets got big final quarters from Rafer Alston and Luis Scola to beat the New York Knicks 101-92 Wednesday night for their season-high fourth straight victory.

Alston added 20 points, eight assists and six rebounds for the Rockets, who seized control immediately after Knicks coach Isiah Thomas was ejected in the opening minute of the final quarter when he came onto the floor to argue with referee Eric Lewis.

It was unclear if Thomas made contact with the official before he was thrown out for the first time this season. Going onto the floor doesn't warrant an automatic ejection.

Yao made the technical free throw to give Houston a 78-74 lead, then Scola made a pair of buckets and Alston had a 3-pointer and another jumper in the decisive spurt, giving the Rockets an 87-76 advantage with 6:43 remaining.

The Rockets improved to 6-2 since All-Star guard Tracy McGrady went out of the lineup with a strained tendon in his left knee. Scola finished with 19 points, nine in the final quarter.

Jamal Crawford scored 21 points, Nate Robinson had 16 and Stephon Marbury 15 for the Knicks, who won Tuesday in Chicago but failed to match their season high of two straight victories.

The Rockets, who beat the Knicks five days ago in Houston, have won the last seven meetings, including five straight in New York. Yao added 11 rebounds and Chuck Hayes grabbed 13.

The Knicks overcame a dismal start to play the Rockets evenly for the first three quarters in the opener of a four-game homestand that probably determines if they have any realistic hope of keeping the bottom of the Eastern Conference playoff picture in sight.

The Knicks missed their first 12 shots and were down 10-0 before Quentin Richardson's two free throws 3 1/2 minutes into the game brought a mock cheer from the crowd. New York didn't make a field goal until the period was half over, but trailed only 25-19 after Marbury made a layup as time expired.

The Rockets led most of the second quarter before the Knicks ran off 10 straight points, the final five from Crawford, to take a 48-43 lead with 1:23 remaining. Nate Robinson banked in a 3-pointer over Yao to beat the buzzer and send New York to the break leading 53-50.

New York pushed the lead to six in the third quarter, but the Rockets tied it at 67 when Yao completed a three-point play after he was fouled while dunking over Malik Rose. Yao's two free throws with 9.4 seconds left gave Houston a 75-74 lead after three.

Notes:@ The Knicks (9-25) won consecutive games on Nov. 4 and 6, when they were 2-1 — yes, they were actually a winning team at one point this season — after beating Minnesota and Denver. They then beat Chicago and Utah on Nov. 24 and 26. ... Rockets coach Rick Adelman said it's too soon to think about asking McGrady, currently on track to voted in as a starter to the All-Star game, to think about skipping the Feb. 17 game. "I just want to see him get back, then we'll worry about taking time off," Adelman said. "He's been out quite a while and we're not sure when he's going to come back. So I think we'll cross that bridge when it comes to it." ... The Rockets return home to open five-game homestand Friday against Minnesota. ... New York also hosts Toronto, Detroit, and Washington during its homestand.

Fisher, Lakers easily handle Grizzlies

Kobe Bryant glanced at the stat sheet and claimed there was a mistake.

Derek Fisher scored 26 points in the Los Angeles Lakers' 117-101 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies on Tuesday night, making 10 of 11 shots from the field. Or so the stats read.

"He was actually 10-for-10," Bryant said. "They need to take away that one miss they gave him. That was a lob to Andrew (Bynum). It wasn't a shot."

Bryant added 25 points in the Lakers' 13th win in 16 games. The have won six of their last eight road games.

The 26 points were Fisher's highest total since he scored 27 against San Antonio nearly two seasons ago.

"That was a great show by Derek," Lakers coach Phil Jackson said. "He was terrific."

Fisher, who signed a three-year deal with the Lakers last summer, scored 16 in the first half to help Los Angeles (22-11) build a 14-point lead. Fisher finished 5-of-5 from 3-point range.

"I like this arena," Fisher said of the FedExForum. "Kobe and I were talking (during Tuesday's shootaround) about the depth perception. It's a good-built arena. It's built for basketball.

"But there's no way you can plan on shooting the basketball the way I did. It just kind of happens for you."

The Grizzlies, who never led in the game, were paced by Mike Miller with 19 points. Pau Gasol added 18 points and 12 rebounds. Rudy Gay finished with 15 points.

As good as Fisher was, the Grizzlies thought the credit belonged to Bryant.

"Fisher is a good shooter, but Kobe creates a lot of that," Miller said. "(Bryant) is a great basketball player. He demands a lot of attention. And when you demand a lot of attention, a lot of guys get open shots."

Memphis didn't give itself much of a chance by committing 20 turnovers that led to 25 Lakers points. In the second half, the Grizzlies got only as close as 12 points, and the Lakers answered with seven in a row to put away the game.

Bryant, who scored 60 points on his last visit to Memphis, was 8-for-22 from the field.

Memphis had won seven of the past 10 meetings, but the Lakers led by 16 points after one quarter and extended their lead to 26 in the second. The Grizzlies missed 11 of their first 12 shots in the second period.

"(The Lakers) played like a team in the division race, very together and with a purpose," said Memphis coach Marc Iavaroni. "Our starters struggled . . . we had five guys who didn't think they could compete."

The Grizzlies closed the half with a 13-2 run, but that cut the lead to only 61-47 at halftime.

"We came out sluggish," said Grizzlies guard Mike Conley. "We were just playing soft. We weren't aggressive like we've been the first couple of games (of 2008).

"When you get behind like that, you try to get all the points back at once. There are no 10-point shots in basketball. We forgot that and tried to get it all back on a couple of shots."

Notes:@ For the first time in the history of the series, Jerry West wasn't involved with either franchise. West spent 20 years as the Lakers' general manager before taking over as president of the Grizzlies in 2002. He retired after last season. ... With Tuesday being Elvis Presley's 73rd birthday, fans were treated to Elvis songs during pregame warmups and player introductions. ... Former Lakers star Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Bob Lanier will be honored Jan. 21 in Memphis during the Martin Luther King Day game when the Grizzlies play the Chicago Bulls.

Jackson, Warriors outlast Spurs in OT

Stephen Jackson scored 12 of his 29 points in overtime, and Baron Davis had 34 points and 14 assists in yet another remarkable late-game performance during the Golden State Warriors' 130-121 victory over San Antonio on Monday night.

Davis had 12 points in the fourth quarter during a stunning series of baskets and passes, but the defending champion Spurs erased a six-point deficit in the final 47 seconds. Tony Parker forced overtime on a 3-pointer with 6.3 seconds left in San Antonio's second loss at Golden State in four weeks.

Jackson, who won a title with the Spurs in 2003, hit two 3-pointers and two free throws in a 56-second span of overtime, and Davis added a pullback jumper with 43 seconds to play as the Warriors won the season series with the Spurs for the first time since 1996-97. Golden State also avoided its first three-game losing streak since beginning the season 0-6.

Tim Duncan, who didn't play in the Spurs' previous trip to Oakland on Dec. 11, had 32 points and 13 rebounds, while Parker finished with 31 points and eight assists. The Warriors' tenacity prevented Spurs coach Gregg Popovich from getting his 600th career victory.

Monta Ellis and Kelenna Azubuike scored 16 points apiece for the Warriors, who blew a 14-point lead in the second half before Davis went to work against Bruce Bowen, the Spurs' defensive specialist.

Davis generated 12 points on four consecutive possessions during the final minutes of regulation with a 3-pointer, two consecutive three-point plays and an assist on Jackson's 3-pointer. Another 3-pointer by Davis put Golden State up 110-104 with 57 seconds left in regulation, but Duncan scored five straight points before Parker's tying shot.

Ime Udoka then stripped the ball from Davis on a drive, and Mickael Pietrus' 3-point attempt at the buzzer rattled out.

Manu Ginobili scored 20 points for San Antonio in his second game back from a five-game absence with a sprained finger, and Duncan looked solid one day after banging knees with Corey Maggette in the Spurs' victory over the Clippers on Sunday.

San Antonio opens a four-game homestand against Detroit on Thursday, and Popovich still is looking for his 600th career victory. He's seventh among active coaches — and still 653 behind Golden State's Don Nelson, Popovich's boss for two seasons during Nelson's first stint with the Warriors.

"It took me 10 years longer to get 600 wins. What's wrong with that guy?" Nelson cracked before the game. "He's one of the great coaches in our league, and not only that, he's put that franchise together. ... They're the best organization in the NBA, to do what they've done and stay under the (salary) cap."

Notes:@ Actress Jessica Alba, the fiancee of longtime Davis friend Cash Warren, attended the game. ... The teams traded the lead on 11 consecutive possessions in the second quarter. ... The Warriors planned to sign G C.J. Watson to a 10-day contract when he arrived in Oakland on Monday night. Watson, who starred in college at Tennessee, is averaging 26.4 points per game in the NBA's Development League. ... The Warriors make their only visit of the season to San Antonio on April 1. ... F Austin Croshere was available for Golden State after missing 10 games with a strained back.

Bell, Bogut rally Bucks past Bobcats

Reserve Charlie Bell scored 27 points and Andrew Bogut added 25, including a short hook shot with 19 seconds left, to lead the Milwaukee Bucks to a 93-89 victory over the Charlotte Bobcats on Sunday.

Bogut's hoop capped Milwaukee's comeback from an eight-point deficit with 3:51 remaining. Mo Williams scored 17 for the Bucks.

Gerald Wallace scored 25 points for the Bobcats, who have lost three in a row and seven of nine. Jason Richardson added 21 points for Charlotte.

Milwaukee played without leading scorer Michael Redd, who missed his second consecutive game with a deep left thigh bruise. Bucks coach Larry Krystkowiak said the injury was day-to-day.

Bell, who went 0-for-6 as Redd's replacement in a Friday night loss to Washington, shot 11-for-18 from the field. He and Bogut combined to score 16 of Milwaukee's final 18 points of the game.

Charlotte built an 84-77 when Richardson posted up Williams for an easy score. But the Bobcats made only two more baskets in the final 4:48 and turned the ball over on three consecutive possessions in the final 1:34.

Charlotte turned the ball over 20 times, two nights after having 21 turnovers in a loss to New Jersey on Friday. A three-point play by Emeka Okafor gave the Bobcats an 87-79 lead before the Bucks came back.

Bogut hit two short hook shots in the lane, added two free throws, and Bell had a driving layup to pull the Bucks back into an 87-all tie. After a Charlotte turnover, the teams traded missed shots until Bogut again got position in the lane for an easy hook shot for an 89-87 lead.

Bell and Williams each sandwiched two free throws around Raymond Felton's basket for the final.

Milwaukee led the entire first half, by as many as 10 points, before Wallace's 3-point shot with 1.2 seconds left gave the Bobcats a 47-46 lead at halftime. A key 12-1 spurt in the third quarter helped the Bobcats build a nine-point lead before the Bucks began chipping away.

Notes:@ The Bucks will hit all four time zones in their next five games: at Philadelphia on Jan. 8 (Eastern), home to Miami on Jan. 9 (Central), at the Los Angeles Lakers on Jan. 11 (Pacific), and at Phoenix on Jan. 12 and Utah on Jan. 14 (Mountain). ... In addition to Redd, Milwaukee center Jake Voskuhl didn't play due to injury. Charlotte's Derek Anderson did not dress due to a right knee bruise. ... Wallace and Richardson scored 20 or more points each for the fifth game in a row, the first time in the franchise's brief history that the same two teammates have gone for 20 or better in five consecutive games.

Celtics beat Pistons in ninth straight victory

The Boston Celtics won their ninth successive game and raised their NBA-best record to 29-3 on Saturday, ending the Detroit Pistons' 11-game winning streak with a 92-85 road victory.

Rookie Glen Davis came off the bench to score a career-high 20 points in just under 23 minutes, Paul Pierce had 19 points and nine rebounds and Kevin Garnett 15 points as the Celtics avenged the narrow loss they suffered at home to the Pistons last month.

Neither team had lost since.

"It was a nice win. We came back and we returned the favor," Boston coach Doc Rivers told reporters.

"They beat us on our floor and we came in here and beat them on theirs.

"Unfortunately, there are quirks in the schedule and we only play them three times this year, but it was a fun game and we got excited."

It was the first time since 1981 that two NBA teams with at least 54 combined wins played on this date. It was also the first time since 2000 that two teams with active winning streaks of at least eight games played each other.

The Celtics trailed by 12 points and came back for the win, with Davis helping the cause in his reserve role.

"He is growing and tonight his energy was tremendous and even infectious in some ways," said Rivers.

Richard Hamilton had 18 points, Chauncey Billups 17 and Rasheed Wallace 16 points and eight rebounds for the Pistons, who fell to 26-8.

"They out-hustled us, they out-rebounded us, and they got so many second-chance points," said Billups.

Putting the January meeting in perspective, Rivers said: "It was a big game tonight, but tomorrow will be another big night."

* The New Orleans Hornets posted a 118-113 road victory over the Phoenix Suns, with Chris Paul scoring 14 of his 28 points in the fourth quarter. Peja Stojakovic scored 23 and Morris Peterson 22.

Leandro Barbosa scored 28 points and Steve Nash had 23 points and 11 assists, but the Suns' four-game winning streak was snapped and New Orleans tied Phoenix for the Western Conference lead in wins with 23.

* Jason Kidd had his second triple double in as many games and his ninth of the season, recording 10 points, 14 assists and 13 rebounds to lead the New Jersey Nets to their fifth win in a row, a 113-107 road decision over the Atlanta Hawks.

Vince Carter scored 29 points as the Nets moved over the .500 mark (17-16) for the first time since November, despite 34 points by Atlanta's Josh Smith.

* Yao Ming scored 30 points and added eight rebounds and six assists when the Houston Rockets scored a 103-91 home win over the hapless New York Knicks. The Rockets are 4-2 without the injured Tracy McGrady.

(Writing by Mike Shalin; Editing by Martin Petty)

Allen, Celtics top Grizzlies 100-96

Reserve Tony Allen filled in when Ray Allen struggled, scoring a season-high 20 points to help the Boston Celtics beat the Memphis Grizzlies 100-96 on Friday night while his more celebrated namesake was scoreless into the last 10 seconds of the game.

Tony Allen scored 15 in the second quarter to help Boston take the lead for good, Paul Pierce scored 23 with 10 rebounds and Kevin Garnett also had 23 to give the Celtics their eighth straight win. James Posey had nine points and 10 rebounds while also busting open the lip of Memphis' Rudy Gay, who made just one of his first eight shots but finished with 21 points.

Ray Allen went 0-for-9 from the floor, but sank a pair of free throws with 9.3 seconds left to avoid his first scoreless appearance in a decade. The crowd cheered its approval, and coach Doc Rivers had to ask one of his players when the seemingly meaningless foul shots were met with applause.

The Celtics trailed for most of the first quarter and into the second before taking the lead for good when Tony Allen scored all but two of Boston's 15 points in a seven-minute span; he assisted on the other basket. Allen hit a reverse layup to cut Memphis' lead to one point, then made a 3-pointer to give the Celtics a 39-37 lead with 4:48 left in the half.

Posey hit a pair of free throws to give Boston a four-point lead and after Darko Milicic made a layup, Allen hit another jumper to give him 15 points in the quarter.

The Celtics made an 8-0 run in the third to open a 14-point lead. Gay had a pair of baskets and a steal to help cut the deficit to seven points before he crumpled to the floor after taking Posey's forearm in the mouth. Celtics trainer Ed Lacerte bandaged his player's arm before venturing onto the floor to retrieve what appeared to be the remnants of one of Gay's teeth.

Juan Carlos Navarro scored 20 for Memphis, and Mike Miller had 16.

Notes:@ Garnett moved into 26th on the career rebounding list, passing Jack Sikma. ... Miller became the 43rd player to make 1,000 3-pointers. ... Milicic, Miller and Pau Gasol each had eight rebounds.

Stoudemire, Suns overcome Sonics 104-96

Amare Stoudemire scored 34 points and grabbed 11 rebounds, and the Phoenix Suns rallied from a 20-point first-quarter deficit to beat the Seattle SuperSonics 104-96 Thursday night for their fourth straight victory.

The win was the Suns' 23rd of the season, the most in the Western Conference.

Steve Nash added 17 points and 10 assists for the Suns, Leandro Barbosa scored 16, and Shawn Marion had 11 points and 14 rebounds.

Rookie Kevin Durant led Seattle with 28 points, Earl Watson had a season-high 20, and former Suns' center Kurt Thomas and rookie Jeff Green each scored 14.

In the Suns' previous three victories, Stoudemire averaged 29.7 points and 14 rebounds.

He was dominant again against the Sonics, scoring 14 points in the fourth period to help the Suns ward off a late Seattle rally.

Seattle, which trailed by 14 points in the fourth quarter, drew within four, 98-94, with just over a minute left. But Raja Bell then hit two free throws and Stoudemire scored on a drive after a basket by Seattle's Wally Szczerbiak. Stoudemire capped his big game with a steal in the final seconds.

The first half featured contrasting performances by each team in the two quarters.

Seattle, with the help of woeful shooting by the Suns (4-for-20), strong rebounding and poor ball movement by the Suns, bolted to a 33-13 first-period lead.

But the Suns found the shooting range in the second quarter, hitting 11-for-20, while the Sonics went 6-for-25, outrebounded Seattle 20-6, and cut the 20-point deficit to two at halftime, 45-43, outscoring Seattle 30-12. Three-pointers by Bell and Nash in the final 1:07 brought the Suns within a basket.

Phoenix continued to frustrate the Sonics at both ends of the court in the third period. The Suns took the lead for good 58-57 on a baby hook by Boris Diaw with 6:45 gone in the quarter and expanded their advantage to 72-63 by the end of the period.

The Suns are 20-0 when leading into the fourth quarter and 12-0 when Stoudemire has at least 20 points and 10 rebounds.

The victory was coach Mike D'Antoni's 200th with Phoenix since the 2004-05 season, when Nash joined the team.

This was retro night at US Airways Center, with the Suns celebrating their 40th anniversary. Fans, cheerleaders and the mascot wore '60s garb, but the players rejected wearing the old team uniforms.

The only departure from the norm was that nearly all the players wore orange headbands during warmups before discarding them when the game began.

Meanwhile, music videos from that era were played during timeouts and the 40th anniversary Suns team — as voted by the fans — was introduced along with players from the original 1968-69 team.

Notes:@ The Suns won their first game in franchise history over Seattle, 116-107, on Oct. 28, 1968. ... Stoudemire has scored at least 15 points in 20 straight games. ... Entering the game, the Sonics led the league in rebounding average, 45.1 per game. ... The Suns' 13 points in the first quarter tied their season low for a period and their zero assists tied a franchise record, last done against Detroit on March 21, 1986. ... After playing 19 of its first 31 games on the road, Phoenix plays 17 of its next 25 at home. ... Grant Hill started his 32nd consecutive game for the Suns, the most since the 1999-00 season with Detroit and his longest streak played since then.

Kings overcome injuries to beat Knicks

John Salmons scored a career-high 32 points and the Sacramento Kings shook off more bad injury news Wednesday night to beat the New York Knicks 107-97, snapping a four-game losing streak.

Ron Artest had elbow surgery earlier in the day, leaving the Kings without perhaps their three best players. Still, they never trailed and easily handed the Knicks their fifth straight loss.

Brad Miller had 26 points and 16 rebounds while Francisco Garcia added 22 points for the Kings, who led by as many as 24 in a game that was never close in the second half. Salmons added 11 rebounds and six assists.

Eddy Curry scored 24 points for the Knicks, who lost by double digits for an NBA-high 15th time. Starting forward Zach Randolph was ejected with 1:47 left in the third quarter after tossing his headband toward referee Tony Brothers after Brothers had called him for a foul.

Stephon Marbury added 16 points in his first game since Dec. 17. He came off the bench to play 30 minutes after missing 10 of the last 13 games following his father's death.

Artest is expected to miss three to four weeks after five bone chips were removed from his right elbow earlier Wednesday in New York. The Kings are already without leading scorer Kevin Martin — who scored 43 points in a victory over the Knicks in November — because of a strained right groin.

Starting point guard Mike Bibby hasn't played this season after surgery on his left thumb. All three are due back sometime this month.

The Knicks got leading scorer Jamal Crawford back after he missed a game with a bruised right hand, but he had only nine points. Nate Robinson finished with 19 for New York.

Curry and Randolph also were back in the starting lineup, after one had come off the bench in each of the last two games. The two haven't meshed the way Knicks coach Isiah Thomas hoped when he acquired Randolph from Portland on draft night.

Then again, few of Thomas' players have lived up to expectations, but he still believes he has the core of a team that can win a title.

"I believe that one day we will win a championship here," Thomas said before the game. "And I believe a couple of these guys will be a part of that. And I believe I'll be a part of that."

Curry got off to a strong start, scoring 15 points on 6-of-9 shooting in the first quarter. But the rest of the Knicks were only 3-of-12, missing all six 3-point attempts while allowing the Kings to open a 28-23 lead.

The Kings blew it open late in the second quarter, with Salmons making consecutive fast-break layups to give Sacramento a 54-36 lead with 1:12 remaining. The Kings were up 54-40 at the break, with Curry the only New York starter to make a field goal in the first 24 minutes.

Notes:@ Sacramento concludes its three-game Eastern Conference trip with games at Cleveland and Chicago on Friday and Saturday. ... More from Thomas, whose team hasn't won a playoff game since he became team president four years ago: "I don't necessarily just want to win a championship. I want to leave something that's going to stand for a long time. I want to leave a legacy, I want to leave tradition. I want to leave an imprint, a blueprint in terms of how people play, and how they coach and how they respond when they put on the Knick uniform. And I want to leave what I left in Detroit. Every person that walks through that door as a Piston, when they put on that uniform, there's a certain pride that they carry. And I want to put that here and I want to leave that here in New York. I want to leave a championship legacy."

Lakers' Odom draws one-game NBA ban for hit on Allen

Los Angeles Lakers forward Lamar Odom was suspended one game without pay by the National Basketball Association on Tuesday for a flagrant foul against Boston's Ray Allen.

Odom knocked Allen to the court with 2:56 remaining in the fourth quarter of Boston's 110-91 victory Sunday over the host Lakers. It was the Celtics' sixth victory in a row and snapped a four-game win streak by the Lakers.

As a result, Odom will miss the Lakers' home game Friday against the Philadelphia 76ers.

The Celtics have the NBA's best record at 26-3 and are on pace to finish 73-9, which would be the best full-season record in NBA history, eclipsing the Chicago Bulls' mark of 72-10 from the 1995-1996 season.

The Lakers are 19-11, 2 1/2 games behind pace-setting Phoenix in the Pacific division.

Philadelphia beats Seattle, 98-90

Andre Iguodala scored 25 points to help the Philadelphia 76ers beat the injury-depleted Seattle SuperSonics 98-90 on Monday night.

The Sonics played without their top two scorers. Rookie guard Kevin Durant, who is averaging 19.7 points, was out with a sprained left index finger. Second-leading scorer Chris Wilcox has a sprained left knee. Both had started all 30 games this season.

Louis Williams had 19 points and Andre Miller added 15 for the Sixers (14-17).

Earl Watson led the Sonics with 18 points. Rookie Jeff Green added 16.

Without their top scorers, the Sonics still had a chance to pull out the game. Seattle came within 89-86 on a 3-pointer by DeLonte West with 2:51 left.

Philadelphia answered with a 7-2 run capped by Igoudala's 20-footer with 26.9 seconds left to seal the victory.

The Sonics began gathering momentum midway through the third period, narrowing a 13-point lead to 52-45 with 7:55 left in the period. The Sonics kept it close, getting within eight, 70-62, on a 10-foot runner by West with 14 seconds left. But Iguodala hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer for a 73-62 lead.

Gordon Giricek made an impact in his first court appearance since being traded to Philadelphia from Utah on Saturday. He hit his first shot with 10:35 left in the second to give the Sixers a 25-23 lead, their first lead since 2-0. Giricek played 14 minutes and scored six points.

The Sonics were held to a season-low 11 points in the second quarter. They shot 23.8 percent (5-for-21) in that period. The Sixers outscored them 25-11 to take a 46-34 lead at the half.

Notes:@ Sonics coach P.J. Carlesimo said that if the injury to Wilcox keeps him out longer than anticipated, the club may consider bringing Mouhamed Sene back from the NBDL. "It would be something we'd need to look at." ... The absence of Durant and Wilcox did not come as a surprise to Sixers' coach Maurice Cheeks. "We saw that he went out in the first quarter and didn't come back," he said. "So we were just going to wait and see but we prepared like they were playing. ... The Sixers were coming off a fourth-quarter collapse Sunday against Portland. They were outscored 35-9 in the final period to lose 97-72. They were held scoreless in the first 6:36 of the period as the Trail Blazers went on a 21-0 run. "It's good for us to turn right around and play," Cheeks said. "To struggle like we did in the fourth quarter, you don't want that to linger." ... Philadelphia has won five of the last six meetings in the series.