|
 Walker's winner came after the Hornets blew a 21-point
second-half lead. They inbounded with 4.0 seconds left trailing by
one and Walker worked his way from the top of the key down the left
side of the lane for a layup past J.R. Smith and over Amare
Stoudemire.
The Hornets (5-15) were up by 16 entering the fourth quarter, but
Carmelo Anthony's 3-pointer gave the Knicks a 102-101 lead with 40.7
seconds left. Anthony missed a jumper with five seconds left that
could have pushed the New York lead to three.
Walker finished with 11 points on 4-of-15 shooting from the field.
Gerald Henderson led the Hornets with a season-high 22 points. Al
Jefferson and Lance Stephenson scored 16 each and Gary Neal had 13.
It was Charlotte's first victory since a win at Phoenix on Nov. 14.
The Knicks (4-17) have now lost seven straight, their second
seven-game losing streak already this season.
Wizards 119, Nuggets 89
WASHINGTON -- Forward Kris Humphries paced six double-figure scorers
with 20 points and Washington punctuated a perfect homestand with a
dominant win over Denver.
Guard John Wall nearly recorded a triple-double with 12 assists,
nine points and eight rebounds despite not playing in the fourth
quarter for the pass-happy Wizards (13-5). Washington easily scored
its most points this season and outscored Denver 35-18 in the second
quarter. The Wizards led by as many as 34 points in the fourth
quarter.
The Wizards have won four straight, all at home and the last three
by an average of 21.7 points.
Thunder 103, Sixers 91
PHILADELPHIA -- Philadelphia saw its winning streak halted at one as
Russell Westbrook scored 27 points to lead Oklahoma City to a 103-91
victory.
Westbrook, playing his third game after missing the previous 14 with
a broken right hand, made 8 of 14 shots from the floor. He also had
seven assists and five rebounds, lifting the Thunder (6-13) to their
third victory in four games.
Center Serge Ibaka added 19 points for Oklahoma City.
Thunder forward Kevin Durant, playing his second game after missing
the first 17 of the season with a broken right foot, scored 10
points on 3-of-11 shooting from the field. His layup with 2:40 left
started a decisive 8-0 run by the Thunder after the Sixers crept
within seven, 93-86.
Hawks 98, Nets 75
NEW YORK -- Forward DeMarre Carroll scored 16 of his 18 points in
the first half and Atlanta ran its winning streak to five games with
a rout of Brooklyn at Barclays Center.
Carroll shot 7-of-10 from the floor, hit four 3-pointers and added
six rebounds. He likely would have surpassed his previous season
high of 19 points had the Hawks not kept the rout going in the
third. Instead, he took a seat with 2:17 remaining in the third and
Atlanta up by 20.
Forward Paul Millsap added 17 points and nine rebounds for the
Hawks, who outscored the Nets by an 88-59 margin over the final
40:33. Point guard Jeff Teague contributed 14 and five assists for
Atlanta, which reached 100 points for the seventh straight game and
14th time in 18 games this season.
Center Brook Lopez scored 20 points for the Nets, who shot 37.5
percent (30-of-80) and were handed their sixth double-digit loss of
the season. Former Atlanta forward Joe Johnson added 12 but point
guard Deron Williams was held to eight points and the Nets committed
19 turnovers.
Celtics 113, Lakers 96
BOSTON -- Boston rolled to its second straight victory over a
long-time but fallen rival. After beating the Detroit Pistons in
overtime on Wednesday night, the Celtics led almost throughout and
disposed of Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers.
Center Tyler Zeller scored a career-high 24 points and grabbed a
season-high 14 rebounds, forward Jared Sullivan delivered 17 points
and 13 boards and guard Rajon Rondo dished out 16 assists to power
Boston (6-11).
It was the Celtics' first win in eight games against the Western
Conference.
Los Angeles (5-15), down by as many as 18 points through the third
quarter, 14 in the fourth, closed to within nine with 7:49 left, but
the Celtics used a 19-5 run to seal the deal.
Cavaliers 105, Raptors 91
TORONTO -- Forward LeBron James scored 24 points and added 13
assists and seven rebounds as Cleveland defeated Toronto to extend
its winning streak to six games.
James had eight points and two assists in the third quarter when the
Cavaliers (11-7) fell behind by a point before coming back to take a
12-point lead into the fourth quarter. It gave the Raptors (15-5)
their third loss at home against nine wins.
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Forward Tristan Thompson, a Toronto native, added 21 points and 14
rebounds while Kevin Love scored 15 points and grabbed 13 rebounds
for the Cavaliers. Guard Kyrie Irving chipped in with 15 points and
six rebounds.
Spurs 107, Grizzlies 101
MEMPHIS, Tenn. -- Memphis hadn't lost a regular-season home game
since Feb. 5 of last season. But at FedExForum, San Antonio stopped
the Grizzlies' 22-game home winning streak as power forward Tim
Duncan posted a triple-double.
Duncan finished with 14 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists. Guard
Manu Ginobili finished with 17 points, going 5-for-5 from 3-point
range. Ginobili also had seven assists and six rebounds. Guard Danny
Green scored 16 points.
The Spurs (14-5) tied their season high with 14 made 3-pointers.
They shot 56 percent (14-for-25). Center Matt Bonner (nine points)
hit 3-of-6 and Green was 3-for-5.
But it wasn't all good news for the Spurs. Point guard Tony Parker
scored 14 points for the Spurs in 23 minutes before leaving the game
in the third quarter with a mild left hamstring strain.
Bucks 109, Heat 85
MILWAUKEE -- Kendall Marshall scored a career-high 20 points and
Milwaukee snapped a season-high three-game losing streak with a
victory over Miami at the BMO Harris Bradley Center.
Marshall reached the 20-point threshold for the third time in his
career and was one of six Milwaukee players to score in double
digits.
Forwards Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jabari Parker and Khris Middleton
each went 6 of 9 from the field to finish with 14 points while point
guard Brandon Knight scored 13.
Rockets 114, Timberwolves 113 (OT)
MINNEAPOLIS -- Nick Johnson's driving layup with less than one
second remaining in overtime let Houston stave off suddenly feisty
Minnesota.
Two nights after a deflating loss to the then-winless 76ers, the
struggling Timberwolves showcased a renewed energy level they have
been sorely lacking as of late, but it was still not enough to take
down the Rockets.
Minnesota, trailing by 13 early in the fourth quarter, came back to
capture a four-point lead with less than a minute remaining.
Houston's Dontas Motiejunas tied the game at 105-105 with 15 seconds
to go in regulation. Timberwolves forward Chase Budinger had a look
at the potential game-winning shot, but his miss sent the game into
overtime.
Suns 118, Mavericks 106
DALLAS -- Phoenix started running early and never stopped in racing
past Dallas at American Airlines Center.
Point guard Goran Dragic and forward Markieff Morris each notched
double-doubles for the Suns, who improved to 12-8 and picked up
their first signature road win of the season. Phoenix has a shot to
get a couple more with trips to Houston (Saturday) and the Los
Angeles Clippers (Monday) up next.
Dragic, the Suns' leading scorer in the last three games, was
instrumental in keeping Dallas at arm's length down the stretch. The
Mavericks had cut the deficit to five points early in the fourth
quarter before he led a final push to put the game away.
Magic 98, Jazz 93
SALT LAKE CITY -- Orlando snapped a long losing streak against Utah
with a win at EnergySolutions Arena.
Forward Tobias Harris scored 22 points with seven rebounds and guard
Victor Oladipo added 20 points and six assists as the Magic beat
Utah for the first time in eight outings.
Orlando improved to 8-14 with its second win in eight games overall.
The Jazz fought back within four points late in the fourth quarter
after trailing by as many as 17 when rookie Rodney Hood hit three
free throws after being fouled while shooting a 3-pointer with 41.1
seconds left. But the home team couldn't finish off the comeback
while losing for an eighth consecutive time.
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