Magic 108, Nets 91
Dwight Howard had 20 points and 17 rebounds and the Orlando Magic rolled to victory over the host New Jersey Nets Wednesday night. Glen Davis, who hit his first seven shots, added 16 points for Orlando, which won for the eighth time in 11 games. Deron Williams had 23 points, six rebounds and eight assists to lead New Jersey. Rookie MarShon Brooks added a game-high 24, while Brook Lopez had 15 in his second game of the season after recovering from a broken right foot.
Knicks 99, Hawks 82
Jeremy Lin had an easy night ahead of his toughest opponent yet, and the host New York Knicks tuned up for their trip to Miami by beating the Atlanta Hawks. Lin had 17 points and nine assists, sitting out most of the fourth quarter in a rare game during his remarkable run that the Knicks needed little from him. Carmelo Anthony scored 15 points in his second game back from injury for the Knicks, who led the depleted Hawks by 25 points at halftime.
Thunder 119, Celtics 104
Russell Westbrook scored 31 points, Kevin Durant added 28 and the Oklahoma City Thunder beat the Boston Celtics for their 11th straight win at home. Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett scored 23 points apiece to lead Boston, and Garnett also had 13 rebounds after missing the previous two games for personal reasons. Boston trailed by as many as 27 in the third quarter before rallying to get within 108-102 after Pierce’s free throw with 3:31 left. Durant banked in a pair of jumpers and hit two free throws during an 11-2 run to close the game for Oklahoma City. The Thunder took control with a mammoth 30-3 run that carried over into the second quarter.
Pacers 102, Bobcats 88
Tyler Hansbrough had a season-high 22 points and nine rebounds as the Indiana Pacers continued their dominance of the host Charlotte Bobcats. The Pacers have now beaten the Bobcats nine time straight times, including twice this week. The Pacers led by 10 after three quarters but began to pull away in the fourth. Danny Granger had 12 points and A.J. Price, Paul George, Dahntay Jones and Darren Collison also scored in double digits. Lou Amundson had a season-high 11 rebounds as the Pacers won for their fourth game in a row.
Raptors 103, Pistons 93
DeMar DeRozan scored 23 points, Aaron Gray set season highs with 12 points and 12 rebounds and the host Toronto Raptors snapped a three-game losing streak, beating the Detroit Pistons. Leandro Barbosa scored 17 points, James Johnson had 15 and Amir Johnson added 11 for the Raptors, who had lost seven of eight coming in. Greg Monroe had 30 points and 14 rebounds for the Pistons, Brandon Knight scored 16 and Tayshaun Prince had 14 as Detroit dropped to 3-14 on the road.
Kings 115, Wizards 107
Marcus Thornton scored 18 of his 22 points in the second half, rookie Isaiah Thomas had 16 of his 18 after halftime, and the Sacramento Kings beat the host Washington Wizards in a nonstop points-fest that looked like an All-Star game preview — minus the All-Stars. Tyreke Evans added 22 points — 20 in the first half — and DeMarcus Cousins had 16 points and 16 rebounds for the Kings, who broke a six-game losing streak and salvaged a win on the final game of their six-game road trip.
Bulls 110, Bucks 91
Carlos Boozer scored 20 points, Derrick Rose and Luol Deng each added 16, and the host Chicago Bulls beat the Milwaukee Bucks. Joakim Noah had 13 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists for the first triple-double by a Chicago center in roughly 35 years, and the Bulls simply ran away with this one. The Central Division leaders built an 11-point halftime lead and broke it open in the third quarter, a nice send-off for the All-Star break. Ronnie Brewer scored 15 points as all five Bulls starters scored in double figures. Brandon Jennings scored 20 points to lead the Bucks, who never really had a chance in this one with Chicago shooting 54.4 percent from the field and dominating on the glass with a 49-29 rebounding edge.
Rockets 93, 76ers 87
Luis Scola had 19 points and 10 rebounds, Kyle Lowry added 13 points and two crucial three-point plays down the stretch, and the host Houston Rockets beat the Philadelphia 76ers.Kevin Martin scored 16 points and Patrick Patterson added 12 off the bench for the Rockets, who’ve won three in a row and snapped a four-game home-court losing streak to Philadelphia. Nikola Vucevic scored a career-high 18 points and Thaddeus Young had 15 for the 76ers, who will head into the All-Star break on a five-game losing streak. The 76ers lost for only the second time in their past nine meetings with Houston. Philly was held without a 3-pointer for the first time this season, missing all nine attempts.
Timberwolves 100, Jazz 98
Luke Ridnour hit a floater in the lane at the buzzer, capping host Minnesota’s comeback from 18 points down in the fourth quarter as the Timberwolves beat the Utah Jazz. Utah’s Al Jefferson sank a jumper with Kevin Love in his face to tie the score at 98-all with 7 seconds remaining. After a timeout, Ridnour took a pass from J.J. Barea, drove the lane, and sank a shot over Jefferson as the buzzer sounded. Barea finished 22 points and tied a career high with five 3-pointers, and Ridnour added 17 points. Paul Millsap scored 25 and Josh Howard added a season-high 19 to lead the Jazz, who lost their third straight and stumble into the All-Star break.
