Knicks 106, Magic 94
Carmelo Anthony scored 21 points after missing the previous three games with a knee injury, and host New York beat Orlando. J.R. Smith had 22 points for New York, still short-handed in the frontcourt but looking much better with Anthony back. The NBA’s second-leading scorer hadn’t played since leaving the Knicks’ road trip last week to have fluid drained from the back of his right knee. He said he felt much better after the morning shoot-around and moved much better, shooting 7-of-14 and grabbing eight rebounds.
Bobcats 107, Raptors 101
Byron Mullens scored 25 points, Gerald Henderson had another solid all-around game and host Charlotte beat Toronto to win consecutive games for the first time since mid-November. Mullens scored 12 points in the fourth quarter. The reserve made his final eight free throws, including four with less than 13 seconds to go as Charlotte won its third straight at home. Henderson scored 21 points on 8-of-14 shooting and added seven rebounds and five assists.
Hawks 98, Bucks 90
Jeff Teague scored 27 points and Al Horford had 26, taking control after a sluggish first quarter to lead host Atlanta past Milwaukee. Teague scored 11 points in the second quarter and a dozen more in the third as the Hawks pushed out to a 77-59 lead. Horford scored 10 points in the final period and finished with 15 rebounds, stepping up to help the Hawks hold off a Milwaukee comeback. Led by Brandon Jennings with 21 points, the Bucks closed to 94-90.
Rockets 100, Jazz 93
James Harden had 29 points and host Houston improved its positioning in the Western Conference playoff race with a win over Utah. Jeremy Lin added 24 for the Rockets, who currently hold the No. 7 spot in the West. They lead the idle Los Angeles Lakers by 1½ games and are three ahead of the sliding Jazz. The Rockets led by 19 points after three quarters and withstood a late surge by the Jazz to hold on for the victory.
Nets 113, Mavericks 96
Brook Lopez scored 38 points and Deron Williams had 31 in his first visit to Dallas since spurning his hometown team in free agency, leading Brooklyn past the Mavericks. Williams scored 26 in the second half, repeatedly hitting shots and occasionally assisting on a basket by Lopez to prevent a Dallas rally in the fourth quarter. Williams also hit a fadeaway jumper after a blocked shot by Lopez, running to his bench with a big smile after Dallas called timeout with the Nets up 97-88 midway through the fourth. The Mavericks didn’t get closer than six after that.
Grizzlies 90, Thunder 89
Marc Gasol tipped in Zach Randolph’s miss with less than a second left in overtime to give host Memphis a victory over Oklahoma City. In a game that had all the intensity of a playoff matchup, Jerryd Bayless connected from the top of the key for Memphis with 3.7 seconds left in regulation to send the game into overtime. Bayless had 10 points in the fourth quarter. After Gasol’s tip over Kevin Durant put the Grizzlies ahead, Russell Westbrook’s desperation shot from past half court was off the mark and Memphis walked away with its 16th victory in 19 games.
Hornets 87, Celtics 86
Anthony Davis outreached Kevin Garnett and Jeff Green for a last-second tip-in, and host New Orleans snapped a four-game skid with a victory over Boston. Davis was playing despite missing the morning shoot-around with an illness, and finished with nine points and eight rebounds. Ryan Anderson scored 21 points and Gordon 18 for the Hornets. Paul Pierce scored 11 points of his 28 points in the last six minutes to nearly lead Boston back from a nine-point deficit, but missed a jumper with 16 seconds left.
Spurs 104, Warriors 93
Tim Duncan had 25 points, 13 rebounds, six assists and four blocks and host San Antonio beat Golden State. Tiago Splitter added 17 points, Manu Ginobili had 16 points and seven assists and fellow reserve Nando De Colo had 10 points for San Antonio (52-16), which is second to Miami (53-14) for the league’s best record. Stephen Curry had 24 points for Golden State (39-31), which remains sixth in the West. Harrison Barnes added 13 points and Jarrett Jack had 14 points.
