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(From the Associated Press) - Depleted by injuries and facing a deficit, the Toronto Raptors needed a boost. Sonny Weems(notes) gave it to them. Chris Bosh(notes) scored 20 points, Weems set career highs with 14 points and 11 rebounds and the short-handed Raptors beat the New Jersey Nets 108-99 on Wednesday night, their fifth win in six games...Weems helped the Raptors come back from 12 points down in the second. He scored eight points in the quarter, including an eye-popping alley-oop dunk off an inbounds pass from Jarrett Jack(notes). “Weems came in and was the difference-maker for them,” New Jersey’s Kris Humphries(notes) said. “The big dunk got the crowd going. They were actually booing them for a while.”...A night after scoring a career-high 34 points in a road loss to Indiana, Andrea Bargnani(notes) had 20 points for Toronto. Antoine Wright(notes) added a season-high 18 to help the Raptors top 100 points for the 15th consecutive game. Toronto is 10-5 in that span. Jack started despite flulike symptoms and finished with 17 points and nine assists...Yi Jianlian(notes) and Devin Harris(notes) each scored 15 points for the Nets, who lost their fourth straight to drop to 4-44...Former Raptor Humphries had 13 points and 11 rebounds. Courtney Lee(notes) added 14 points, Brook Lopez(notes) had 12 and Jarvis Hayes(notes) had 11 for New Jersey.
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(From the Associated Press) - Al Horford(notes) loves it when Joe Johnson(notes) takes over in the fourth quarter. “It’s ridiculous how much he was scoring,” Horford said. “He just goes about it like a business.” Johnson scored 34 points, Jamal Crawford(notes) added 22, and the Atlanta Hawks overcame a nine-point, fourth-quarter deficit to beat the Los Angeles Clippers 103-97 on Wednesday night...Chris Kaman(notes) and Eric Gordon(notes) each scored 17 points for Los Angeles. The Clippers finished an eight-game trip with just two wins and have dropped 13 of 15 away games. Marcus Camby(notes), the NBA’s third-leading rebounder, had 20 rebounds for Los Angeles, but a miscommunication with Baron Davis(notes) caused the point guard to call the Clippers’ final timeout with 2:16 remaining. Camby apparently didn’t break free soon enough to help Davis move the ball away from two defenders that had him pinned near the midcourt sideline. Because he feared committing a 5-second turnover, Davis called timeout. He complained to Camby, who nodded his head in agreement, as the two teammates walked to Los Angeles’ bench...Smith, Horford and Marvin Williams(notes) each had 10 rebounds. Horford finished with 16 points, and Smith had 15...“It’s very important,” Horford said. “Josh is so aggressive out there, and we all need to do that as a unit in order to be effective on the boards.”
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(From the Associated Press) - Andre Iguodala(notes) wasn’t bothered by his first five misses from 3-point territory. So he went to his favorite spot on the floor for his sixth attempt. Elton Brand(notes) scored 26 points, and Iguodala had 25 points, eight rebounds and eight assists to help the Philadelphia 76ers rally for a 106-103 overtime victory over the Chicago Bulls on Wednesday night. Iguodala’s clutch 3-pointer from the top of the key gave the Sixers a 101-98 lead they would not relinquish...Willie Green(notes) added 15 points in place of Allen Iverson(notes), while Lou Williams had 14, and Samuel Dalembert(notes) finished with 10 points and 13 rebounds for the Sixers (17-31), who have won two in a row. They are still just 8-16 at home...Derrick Rose(notes) scored 13 of his 30 points in the fourth quarter and overtime, and Luol Deng(notes) and John Salmons(notes) had 17 each for the Bulls (23-24), who had their five-game road winning streak snapped. Those five wins came against teams with winning records, which set an NBA record...Kirk Hinrich(notes) added 13 points, and Tyrus Thomas(notes) had 12 for Chicago. “Give Philadelphia credit,” Bulls coach Vinny Del Negro said. “They made some shots at the end.”...The Sixers pulled away from there for a rare victory at the Wachovia Center. “It’s a big win in overtime,” Brand said. “It’s like role reversal from playing these guys at the beginning of the year.”
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(From the Associated Press) - Nate Robinson(notes) might have played himself into the starting lineup, and Larry Hughes(notes) may have earned his way back into the rotation. And now Chris Duhon(notes) could be the odd man out. Robinson scored 23 points, Al Harrington(notes) and Hughes also put in double figures off the bench, and the New York Knicks beat the Washington Wizards 107-85 on Wednesday night to snap a three-game losing streak...David Lee(notes) had 22 points and 10 rebounds to help the Knicks avenge a 106-96 loss at Washington on Saturday. New York won for just the second time in seven games and avoided falling 12 games under .500 for the first time this season. Harrington, back after a two-game absence with a sore left knee, scored 12 points, and Hughes returned from D’Antoni’s forgotten list to add 11 in just his third game since the new year...Randy Foye(notes) and Nick Young(notes) each scored 15 points for the Wizards, who played without starting forward Caron Butler(notes) (bruised left knee). Butler was hurt Monday against Boston in the same collision that injured Celtics All-Star Paul Pierce(notes)...Robinson started the second half for the ineffective Duhon, who has struggled with his shot for weeks. Robinson scored six points in a stretch early in the fourth when New York pulled away, including a layup that made it 84-74 with 8:16 remaining. Duhon finished with two points on 1-of-6 shooting in 13 minutes and would understand if D’Antoni went with Robinson as the starter...Danilo Gallinari(notes) and Wilson Chandler(notes) each scored 15 points for New York. Robinson finished with six rebounds and eight assists...Andray Blatche(notes) scored 14 points for Washington, while Mike Miller(notes) and Brendan Haywood(notes) each had 12. Antawn Jamison(notes) was limited to just 11 points and six rebounds after finished with 21 points and 23 boards in the Wizards’ victory on Saturday in Washington.
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(From the Associated Press) - Even without Paul Pierce(notes), the Boston Celtics had too much for Dwyane Wade(notes) and the Miami Heat. Rajon Rondo(notes) had 22 points and 14 assists, Kevin Garnett(notes) had a season-high nine assists, and Tony Allen(notes) made a key steal in the final minute to help the Celtics beat the Heat 107-102 on Wednesday night...Allen started in place of Pierce, Boston’s leading scorer, and stripped the ball from Wade near the Miami free-throw line with 37 seconds left. He was fouled and made both shots for a 99-94 lead. That forced the Heat to foul and the Celtics scored their last eight points on free throws, five by Ray Allen(notes), to improve to 31-16, best in the Atlantic Division...Wade led the Heat with 30 points and 13 assists but committed six turnovers. “We went through a stretch where we didn’t hit enough shots,” he said. “We fought back, but we gave up too wide of a gap.”...Allen scored 23 points, and Garnett added 14. Rafer Alston(notes) and Udonis Haslem(notes) each scored 15 for Miami...Miami dropped below .500 at 24-25 after the opener of a stretch of eight road games and just one home game. Wade wasn’t thinking about the losing record. “This is a tough road trip we are on. We have to focus game to game,” said Wade, whose right knee was wrapped in ice afterward.
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(From the Associated Press) - Oklahoma City has climbed into playoff contention with tough defense. On Wednesday night, the Thunder beat the New Orleans Hornets with terrific offense, and not just from Kevin Durant(notes). Durant scored 30 points, Russell Westbrook(notes) had 26 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds and the Thunder shot a season-high 57.5 percent in their 103-99 victory. Westbrook hit a mid-range shot with 13.7 seconds left to give the Thunder a 101-97 lead. After the Hornets cut it to 101-99 on Peja Stojakovic’s(notes) layup, Durant made a pair of free throws with 8.5 seconds left, finally putting away a Hornets team playing without injured All-Star point guard Chris Paul(notes) (knee surgery)...Westbrook dominated his matchup with Paul’s replacement, rookie Darren Collison(notes). After scoring 33 points and handing out 32 assists in the Hornets’ first two games since Paul’s injury, Collison finished with nine points on 4-of-12 shooting, nine assists and five turnovers...Marcus Thornton(notes) scored 22 points for New Orleans before leaving with a lower-back contusion after a hard fall in the fourth quarter. Stojakovic and David West(notes) added 15 each, but Oklahoma City limited West to two points after the first quarter...“I’ve never beaten the Hornets,” Durant said. “It feels cool to come into a hostile environment and get the win.”
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(From the Associated Press) - Dirk Nowitzki(notes) and the Dallas Mavericks picked up the pace in the fourth quarter to hold off the sputtering Golden State Warriors. Nowitzki scored nine of his 20 points in the final period, Jason Terry(notes) had 21 points and the Mavericks extended Golden State’s losing streak to seven games, beating the Warriors 110-101 on Wednesday night...Four days after Portland’s Andre Miller(notes) scored 52 points against Dallas, Golden State’s Monta Ellis(notes) poured in a career-high 46 points. “That’s what we do,” Nowitzki joked. “We give guys contract extensions.” Ellis hit 17 of 23 shots from the field and 8 of 13 free throws. Corey Maggette(notes) scored 20 points in the second half, and C.J. Watson(notes) had 14 points for the Warriors. “That was a remarkable performance by Monta,” said Golden State coach Don Nelson, who needs 11 wins to become the winningest coach in NBA history. “He didn’t have a great supporting cast. But he fought and kept us in the game.”...Dallas’ Josh Howard(notes) scored 19 points, Shawn Marion(notes) added 18 and Drew Gooden(notes) had 16. Jason Kidd(notes) had 16 assists and tied a season high with six steals to help the Mavericks snap a three-game losing streak.
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(From the Associated Press) - Deron Williams(notes) called it an easy night—just pass the ball and whoever caught it was likely to score. It’s been that way lately for the Williams and the Utah Jazz, who increased their season-high winning streak to seven with a 118-105 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers on Wednesday night. “I like it. I’d rather do this,” said Williams, who had 13 points and 13 assists to help the Jazz beat the Blazers for the second time in a week...Mehmet Okur(notes) had a scored a season-high 28 points and had eight rebounds, and Andrei Kirilenko(notes) added 22 points, eight assists and six rebounds for Utah. Paul Millsap(notes) had 12 points and eight rebounds, rookie Wesley Matthews(notes) had 16 points and C.J. Miles(notes) scored 10...LaMarcus Aldridge(notes) had 27 points and 12 rebounds to lead the Blazers, playing their eighth straight game without scoring leader Brandon Roy(notes) (right hamstring). Martell Webster(notes) added 20 points, and Jerryd Bayless(notes) finished with 14 points, but the Blazers continued to struggle without Roy. Portland is 3-5 since Roy was injured on Jan. 20 against Philadelphia and has fallen to No. 8 in the Western Conference standings...“We’ve been clicking. We figured out our identity,” Matthews said. “We’ve had stretches where we haven’t played as great, but unlike earlier in the season, we didn’t let that get us down.”
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(From the Associated Press) - An obscure reserve guard a year ago in his rookie season, George Hill(notes) has emerged into a difference-maker for the San Antonio Spurs. Filling in admirably for the injured Tony Parker(notes), Hill tied a career high with 23 points, had a career-high nine assists, and hit four free throws in the final 6.5 seconds to help the Spurs beat the Sacramento Kings 115-113 on Wednesday night. Although the Spurs received the typical production from All-Star Tim Duncan(notes) — 22 points and 13 rebounds—Hill received quite a bit of credit afterward...The Spurs led by 13 in the fourth quarter, but Andres Nocioni’s(notes) 3-pointer cut it to 113-110 with 4.1 seconds left. After Hill’s two free throws built the lead to five, Tyreke Evans(notes) made a 3-pointer at the buzzer for the Kings. “That’s our theme,” Kings center Spencer Hawes(notes) said after the team’s fourth straight loss. “We let ourselves get down, we re too far out of it, and then we make a late comeback. In the end we come up short.” DeJuan Blair(notes) and Manu Ginobili(notes) had 20 points each for the Spurs, who played their third straight game without Parker (sprained ankle). Evans had a career-tying 32 points, eight assists and seven rebounds for the Kings. Hawes had 18 points, Kevin Martin(notes) added 15, and Donte Green had 12...“I don’t know what it is,” Evans said. “We go out and play hard but at the end of the game we just don’t find a way to pull it out. Our execution is terrible.”
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(From the Associated Press) - With his superstar hobbling and the Charlotte Bobcats refusing to go away, Phil Jackson never got terribly comfortable while becoming the winningest coach in Los Angeles Lakers history. Andrew Bynum(notes) had 17 points and 14 rebounds, and Lamar Odom(notes) scored 19 points while making several big plays down the stretch, making sure Jackson added another superlative to his matchless coaching career in Los Angeles’ 99-97 victory over the Bobcats on Wednesday night...Jackson is the winningest playoff coach in NBA history, and the only coach to win more than 70 percent of his regular-season games. Against the pesky Bobcats, he managed to coax a late-game win out of his Lakers even with just a season-low five points from Kobe Bryant(notes)...Pau Gasol(notes) and Ron Artest(notes) scored 14 points apiece for the Lakers, who returned from an eight-game trip to improve the NBA’s best home record to 24-3 with their eighth consecutive victory at Staples Center...Stephen Jackson(notes) scored 30 points for the Bobcats, who played without injured All-Star Gerald Wallace(notes) in the finale of a six-game trip. Nazr Mohammed(notes) added 23 points and 17 rebounds, but the Bobcats couldn’t quite pull ahead to beat the Lakers for the fourth straight time, even with Bryant’s woes...“(A win) would have made a good road trip a great road trip, but they did what they had to do down the stretch, and that’s what good teams do,” Mohammed said. “We’re still growing, and that is where we’re going to be.”
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(From the Associated Press) - The road has become Amare Stoudemire’s sanctuary, his place to clear his mind and get away from all the swirling trade rumors and speculation. He’s free to simply focus on what he does best: Turning in big games. Stoudemire had 20 points and 17 rebounds, leading the Phoenix Suns to a 109-97 victory Wednesday night over a Denver squad missing Carmelo Anthony(notes)...“He’s a beast,” Joey Graham(notes) said. “It’s tough when you got a guy like that inside and you’ve got guys shooting 3s on the outside.” The Suns were simply clicking Wednesday, shooting nearly 50 percent from the field. Jason Richardson(notes) added 20 points, and Steve Nash(notes) had 17 points and 10 assists as the Suns matched a season high with their fourth straight win...Nene and J.R. Smith(notes) each scored 15 points for the Nuggets. Anthony sat out a sixth straight game because of a sprained left ankle. He injured his ankle Jan. 23 against New Orleans and it has taken longer than expected to heal...Chauncey Billups(notes) found out before the game that he was added to the All-Star squad, replacing injured New Orleans star Chris Paul(notes)...Billups is in the midst of one of his finest seasons, averaging a career-best 19.4 points coming into the game. He had a rough night Wednesday, finishing with 11 points on 5-of-14 shooting.
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(From the Associated Press) - Depleted by injuries and facing a deficit, the Toronto Raptors needed a boost. Sonny Weems(notes) gave it to them. Chris Bosh(notes) scored 20 points, Weems set career highs with 14 points and 11 rebounds and the short-handed Raptors beat the New Jersey Nets 108-99 on Wednesday night, their fifth win in six games...Weems helped the Raptors come back from 12 points down in the second. He scored eight points in the quarter, including an eye-popping alley-oop dunk off an inbounds pass from Jarrett Jack(notes). “Weems came in and was the difference-maker for them,” New Jersey’s Kris Humphries(notes) said. “The big dunk got the crowd going. They were actually booing them for a while.”...A night after scoring a career-high 34 points in a road loss to Indiana, Andrea Bargnani(notes) had 20 points for Toronto. Antoine Wright(notes) added a season-high 18 to help the Raptors top 100 points for the 15th consecutive game. Toronto is 10-5 in that span. Jack started despite flulike symptoms and finished with 17 points and nine assists...Yi Jianlian(notes) and Devin Harris(notes) each scored 15 points for the Nets, who lost their fourth straight to drop to 4-44...Former Raptor Humphries had 13 points and 11 rebounds. Courtney Lee(notes) added 14 points, Brook Lopez(notes) had 12 and Jarvis Hayes(notes) had 11 for New Jersey.
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(From the Associated Press) - Al Horford(notes) loves it when Joe Johnson(notes) takes over in the fourth quarter. “It’s ridiculous how much he was scoring,” Horford said. “He just goes about it like a business.” Johnson scored 34 points, Jamal Crawford(notes) added 22, and the Atlanta Hawks overcame a nine-point, fourth-quarter deficit to beat the Los Angeles Clippers 103-97 on Wednesday night...Chris Kaman(notes) and Eric Gordon(notes) each scored 17 points for Los Angeles. The Clippers finished an eight-game trip with just two wins and have dropped 13 of 15 away games. Marcus Camby(notes), the NBA’s third-leading rebounder, had 20 rebounds for Los Angeles, but a miscommunication with Baron Davis(notes) caused the point guard to call the Clippers’ final timeout with 2:16 remaining. Camby apparently didn’t break free soon enough to help Davis move the ball away from two defenders that had him pinned near the midcourt sideline. Because he feared committing a 5-second turnover, Davis called timeout. He complained to Camby, who nodded his head in agreement, as the two teammates walked to Los Angeles’ bench...Smith, Horford and Marvin Williams(notes) each had 10 rebounds. Horford finished with 16 points, and Smith had 15...“It’s very important,” Horford said. “Josh is so aggressive out there, and we all need to do that as a unit in order to be effective on the boards.”
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(From the Associated Press) - Andre Iguodala(notes) wasn’t bothered by his first five misses from 3-point territory. So he went to his favorite spot on the floor for his sixth attempt. Elton Brand(notes) scored 26 points, and Iguodala had 25 points, eight rebounds and eight assists to help the Philadelphia 76ers rally for a 106-103 overtime victory over the Chicago Bulls on Wednesday night. Iguodala’s clutch 3-pointer from the top of the key gave the Sixers a 101-98 lead they would not relinquish...Willie Green(notes) added 15 points in place of Allen Iverson(notes), while Lou Williams had 14, and Samuel Dalembert(notes) finished with 10 points and 13 rebounds for the Sixers (17-31), who have won two in a row. They are still just 8-16 at home...Derrick Rose(notes) scored 13 of his 30 points in the fourth quarter and overtime, and Luol Deng(notes) and John Salmons(notes) had 17 each for the Bulls (23-24), who had their five-game road winning streak snapped. Those five wins came against teams with winning records, which set an NBA record...Kirk Hinrich(notes) added 13 points, and Tyrus Thomas(notes) had 12 for Chicago. “Give Philadelphia credit,” Bulls coach Vinny Del Negro said. “They made some shots at the end.”...The Sixers pulled away from there for a rare victory at the Wachovia Center. “It’s a big win in overtime,” Brand said. “It’s like role reversal from playing these guys at the beginning of the year.”
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(From the Associated Press) - Nate Robinson(notes) might have played himself into the starting lineup, and Larry Hughes(notes) may have earned his way back into the rotation. And now Chris Duhon(notes) could be the odd man out. Robinson scored 23 points, Al Harrington(notes) and Hughes also put in double figures off the bench, and the New York Knicks beat the Washington Wizards 107-85 on Wednesday night to snap a three-game losing streak...David Lee(notes) had 22 points and 10 rebounds to help the Knicks avenge a 106-96 loss at Washington on Saturday. New York won for just the second time in seven games and avoided falling 12 games under .500 for the first time this season. Harrington, back after a two-game absence with a sore left knee, scored 12 points, and Hughes returned from D’Antoni’s forgotten list to add 11 in just his third game since the new year...Randy Foye(notes) and Nick Young(notes) each scored 15 points for the Wizards, who played without starting forward Caron Butler(notes) (bruised left knee). Butler was hurt Monday against Boston in the same collision that injured Celtics All-Star Paul Pierce(notes)...Robinson started the second half for the ineffective Duhon, who has struggled with his shot for weeks. Robinson scored six points in a stretch early in the fourth when New York pulled away, including a layup that made it 84-74 with 8:16 remaining. Duhon finished with two points on 1-of-6 shooting in 13 minutes and would understand if D’Antoni went with Robinson as the starter...Danilo Gallinari(notes) and Wilson Chandler(notes) each scored 15 points for New York. Robinson finished with six rebounds and eight assists...Andray Blatche(notes) scored 14 points for Washington, while Mike Miller(notes) and Brendan Haywood(notes) each had 12. Antawn Jamison(notes) was limited to just 11 points and six rebounds after finished with 21 points and 23 boards in the Wizards’ victory on Saturday in Washington.
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(From the Associated Press) - Even without Paul Pierce(notes), the Boston Celtics had too much for Dwyane Wade(notes) and the Miami Heat. Rajon Rondo(notes) had 22 points and 14 assists, Kevin Garnett(notes) had a season-high nine assists, and Tony Allen(notes) made a key steal in the final minute to help the Celtics beat the Heat 107-102 on Wednesday night...Allen started in place of Pierce, Boston’s leading scorer, and stripped the ball from Wade near the Miami free-throw line with 37 seconds left. He was fouled and made both shots for a 99-94 lead. That forced the Heat to foul and the Celtics scored their last eight points on free throws, five by Ray Allen(notes), to improve to 31-16, best in the Atlantic Division...Wade led the Heat with 30 points and 13 assists but committed six turnovers. “We went through a stretch where we didn’t hit enough shots,” he said. “We fought back, but we gave up too wide of a gap.”...Allen scored 23 points, and Garnett added 14. Rafer Alston(notes) and Udonis Haslem(notes) each scored 15 for Miami...Miami dropped below .500 at 24-25 after the opener of a stretch of eight road games and just one home game. Wade wasn’t thinking about the losing record. “This is a tough road trip we are on. We have to focus game to game,” said Wade, whose right knee was wrapped in ice afterward.
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(From the Associated Press) - Oklahoma City has climbed into playoff contention with tough defense. On Wednesday night, the Thunder beat the New Orleans Hornets with terrific offense, and not just from Kevin Durant(notes). Durant scored 30 points, Russell Westbrook(notes) had 26 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds and the Thunder shot a season-high 57.5 percent in their 103-99 victory. Westbrook hit a mid-range shot with 13.7 seconds left to give the Thunder a 101-97 lead. After the Hornets cut it to 101-99 on Peja Stojakovic’s(notes) layup, Durant made a pair of free throws with 8.5 seconds left, finally putting away a Hornets team playing without injured All-Star point guard Chris Paul(notes) (knee surgery)...Westbrook dominated his matchup with Paul’s replacement, rookie Darren Collison(notes). After scoring 33 points and handing out 32 assists in the Hornets’ first two games since Paul’s injury, Collison finished with nine points on 4-of-12 shooting, nine assists and five turnovers...Marcus Thornton(notes) scored 22 points for New Orleans before leaving with a lower-back contusion after a hard fall in the fourth quarter. Stojakovic and David West(notes) added 15 each, but Oklahoma City limited West to two points after the first quarter...“I’ve never beaten the Hornets,” Durant said. “It feels cool to come into a hostile environment and get the win.”
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(From the Associated Press) - Dirk Nowitzki(notes) and the Dallas Mavericks picked up the pace in the fourth quarter to hold off the sputtering Golden State Warriors. Nowitzki scored nine of his 20 points in the final period, Jason Terry(notes) had 21 points and the Mavericks extended Golden State’s losing streak to seven games, beating the Warriors 110-101 on Wednesday night...Four days after Portland’s Andre Miller(notes) scored 52 points against Dallas, Golden State’s Monta Ellis(notes) poured in a career-high 46 points. “That’s what we do,” Nowitzki joked. “We give guys contract extensions.” Ellis hit 17 of 23 shots from the field and 8 of 13 free throws. Corey Maggette(notes) scored 20 points in the second half, and C.J. Watson(notes) had 14 points for the Warriors. “That was a remarkable performance by Monta,” said Golden State coach Don Nelson, who needs 11 wins to become the winningest coach in NBA history. “He didn’t have a great supporting cast. But he fought and kept us in the game.”...Dallas’ Josh Howard(notes) scored 19 points, Shawn Marion(notes) added 18 and Drew Gooden(notes) had 16. Jason Kidd(notes) had 16 assists and tied a season high with six steals to help the Mavericks snap a three-game losing streak.
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(From the Associated Press) - Deron Williams(notes) called it an easy night—just pass the ball and whoever caught it was likely to score. It’s been that way lately for the Williams and the Utah Jazz, who increased their season-high winning streak to seven with a 118-105 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers on Wednesday night. “I like it. I’d rather do this,” said Williams, who had 13 points and 13 assists to help the Jazz beat the Blazers for the second time in a week...Mehmet Okur(notes) had a scored a season-high 28 points and had eight rebounds, and Andrei Kirilenko(notes) added 22 points, eight assists and six rebounds for Utah. Paul Millsap(notes) had 12 points and eight rebounds, rookie Wesley Matthews(notes) had 16 points and C.J. Miles(notes) scored 10...LaMarcus Aldridge(notes) had 27 points and 12 rebounds to lead the Blazers, playing their eighth straight game without scoring leader Brandon Roy(notes) (right hamstring). Martell Webster(notes) added 20 points, and Jerryd Bayless(notes) finished with 14 points, but the Blazers continued to struggle without Roy. Portland is 3-5 since Roy was injured on Jan. 20 against Philadelphia and has fallen to No. 8 in the Western Conference standings...“We’ve been clicking. We figured out our identity,” Matthews said. “We’ve had stretches where we haven’t played as great, but unlike earlier in the season, we didn’t let that get us down.”
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(From the Associated Press) - An obscure reserve guard a year ago in his rookie season, George Hill(notes) has emerged into a difference-maker for the San Antonio Spurs. Filling in admirably for the injured Tony Parker(notes), Hill tied a career high with 23 points, had a career-high nine assists, and hit four free throws in the final 6.5 seconds to help the Spurs beat the Sacramento Kings 115-113 on Wednesday night. Although the Spurs received the typical production from All-Star Tim Duncan(notes) — 22 points and 13 rebounds—Hill received quite a bit of credit afterward...The Spurs led by 13 in the fourth quarter, but Andres Nocioni’s(notes) 3-pointer cut it to 113-110 with 4.1 seconds left. After Hill’s two free throws built the lead to five, Tyreke Evans(notes) made a 3-pointer at the buzzer for the Kings. “That’s our theme,” Kings center Spencer Hawes(notes) said after the team’s fourth straight loss. “We let ourselves get down, we re too far out of it, and then we make a late comeback. In the end we come up short.” DeJuan Blair(notes) and Manu Ginobili(notes) had 20 points each for the Spurs, who played their third straight game without Parker (sprained ankle). Evans had a career-tying 32 points, eight assists and seven rebounds for the Kings. Hawes had 18 points, Kevin Martin(notes) added 15, and Donte Green had 12...“I don’t know what it is,” Evans said. “We go out and play hard but at the end of the game we just don’t find a way to pull it out. Our execution is terrible.”
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(From the Associated Press) - With his superstar hobbling and the Charlotte Bobcats refusing to go away, Phil Jackson never got terribly comfortable while becoming the winningest coach in Los Angeles Lakers history. Andrew Bynum(notes) had 17 points and 14 rebounds, and Lamar Odom(notes) scored 19 points while making several big plays down the stretch, making sure Jackson added another superlative to his matchless coaching career in Los Angeles’ 99-97 victory over the Bobcats on Wednesday night...Jackson is the winningest playoff coach in NBA history, and the only coach to win more than 70 percent of his regular-season games. Against the pesky Bobcats, he managed to coax a late-game win out of his Lakers even with just a season-low five points from Kobe Bryant(notes)...Pau Gasol(notes) and Ron Artest(notes) scored 14 points apiece for the Lakers, who returned from an eight-game trip to improve the NBA’s best home record to 24-3 with their eighth consecutive victory at Staples Center...Stephen Jackson(notes) scored 30 points for the Bobcats, who played without injured All-Star Gerald Wallace(notes) in the finale of a six-game trip. Nazr Mohammed(notes) added 23 points and 17 rebounds, but the Bobcats couldn’t quite pull ahead to beat the Lakers for the fourth straight time, even with Bryant’s woes...“(A win) would have made a good road trip a great road trip, but they did what they had to do down the stretch, and that’s what good teams do,” Mohammed said. “We’re still growing, and that is where we’re going to be.”
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(From the Associated Press) - The road has become Amare Stoudemire’s sanctuary, his place to clear his mind and get away from all the swirling trade rumors and speculation. He’s free to simply focus on what he does best: Turning in big games. Stoudemire had 20 points and 17 rebounds, leading the Phoenix Suns to a 109-97 victory Wednesday night over a Denver squad missing Carmelo Anthony(notes)...“He’s a beast,” Joey Graham(notes) said. “It’s tough when you got a guy like that inside and you’ve got guys shooting 3s on the outside.” The Suns were simply clicking Wednesday, shooting nearly 50 percent from the field. Jason Richardson(notes) added 20 points, and Steve Nash(notes) had 17 points and 10 assists as the Suns matched a season high with their fourth straight win...Nene and J.R. Smith(notes) each scored 15 points for the Nuggets. Anthony sat out a sixth straight game because of a sprained left ankle. He injured his ankle Jan. 23 against New Orleans and it has taken longer than expected to heal...Chauncey Billups(notes) found out before the game that he was added to the All-Star squad, replacing injured New Orleans star Chris Paul(notes)...Billups is in the midst of one of his finest seasons, averaging a career-best 19.4 points coming into the game. He had a rough night Wednesday, finishing with 11 points on 5-of-14 shooting.
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