NBA Daily Results

vs(From the Associated Press) - David Lee(notes) provided just enough offense for the New York Knicks to escape an overtime where the defenses ruled. Lee made a layup with 1.6 seconds left in the extra period, and the Knicks beat the Washington Wizards 118-116 on Friday night to snap an eight-game losing streak. New York won for just the second time this month—both against Washington— by surviving a bizarre overtime where the teams combined to miss 13 of their 16 field goal attempts...Lee, who had 25 points and 16 rebounds, hit a jumper with 3:12 remaining to give New York a 114-112 lead. McGee missed the second of two free throws with 13 seconds to play, and the Knicks’ lead was 114-113. Al Harrington(notes), who had 26 of his 37 points after halftime, hit two free throws with 12 seconds left to make it 116-113. Nick Young’s(notes) 3-pointer with 6.4 seconds remaining in overtime—Washington’s only basket in the extra five minutes—made it 116-all...Harrington has played fewer minutes in the four games since the arrival of Tracy McGrady(notes), but he had his biggest game since the trade. McGrady had 23 points, but left with about 2 1/2 minutes remaining in the third quarter and did not return...Washington, now 3-3 since the trades of Caron Butler(notes) and Antawn Jamison(notes), was led by Andray Blatche(notes), who had 26 points and a career-high 18 rebounds and nearly had a dubious triple-double. He committed eight turnovers. “This is all new for me,” Blatche said. “I’ve never been the go-to guy.” Blatche has averaged 25 points since the trade. Randy Foye(notes) had 22 points and a season-high 10 assists. McGee, who didn’t start because he was late for shootaround, had 18 points and 10 rebounds.

vs(From the Associated Press) - Mo Williams(notes) made the clutch 3-pointers again as the Cleveland Cavaliers followed up a big win in Boston with an overtime triumph in Toronto. Williams made back-to-back 3-pointers to begin the extra period and finished with 22 points, LeBron James(notes) scored 36, and the Cavaliers beat the Raptors 126-118 on Friday night. “Road wins continue to establish momentum going down the stretch,” James said. “We’ve played two really good games the last two nights.”...Antawn Jamison(notes) scored 22 points and Delonte West(notes) added 15 for Cleveland, which won its third straight. Anderson Varejao(notes) had 11 points and eight rebounds before fouling out with 2:12 left in the fourth quarter. Jarrett Jack(notes) and Andrea Bargnani(notes) each scored 24 points for the Raptors, while Hedo Turkoglu(notes) had 18 before fouling out in overtime. Toronto had the ball with 13 seconds left in regulation but Turkoglu settled for a 3-pointer that missed wide...Reggie Evans(notes) scored a season-high 13 points, Sonny Weems(notes) had 11 and Antoine Wright(notes) added 10 as Toronto lost consecutive home games for the first time since Nov. 29 and Dec. 1. The Cavaliers have won 15 of their past 18 meetings with the Raptors. Jamison topped 20 for the first time in five games with the Cavaliers and said he’s becoming more comfortable on offense.

vs(From the Associated Press) - Jason Kidd(notes) needed to take control. Hawks coach Mike Woodson gave him a perfect opportunity. Kidd bumped into and briefly argued with Woodson, the spark Dallas needed to overcome a 15-point deficit in the fourth quarter and beat Atlanta 111-103 in overtime on Friday night. “The coach is not supposed to be on the floor,” Kidd said. “You see that a lot in games. The NBA has so many rules, and there is a coaching box, and some of the coaches do stretch that box. For me, it’s just a reaction. Make something happen. It was a big play for us.” Dirk Nowitzki(notes) scored 37 points, Kidd had 19 points, 17 assists and 16 rebounds, and the Mavericks won their sixth straight. Kidd had his first triple-double this season and 104th of his career, third-most in NBA history behind Oscar Robertson and Magic Johnson. “This one, I will treasure as much as the first one I had,” Kidd said. “At 36, I feel great. A triple-double at 36 is special.” Joe Johnson(notes) scored 27 points for Atlanta, which dropped to 22-7 at home. The Mavericks won their Western Conference-best 19th on the road, one more than their total last season...Hawks sixth man Jamal Crawford(notes) hit a pair of free throws with 8:23 left in regulation to make it 86-71 for the game’s biggest lead. But he and his teammates soon lost their shooting touch, as Crawford combined with Al Horford(notes), Mike Bibby(notes) and Marvin Williams(notes) to finish just 17 for 54 from the field. “They were smart enough to stay in the zone (defense) until late in the game,” Crawford said. “When they (switched), we were up 13 in the fourth quarter. We got some great shots. Shots that, if we came in here tomorrow, we’d knock down most of them.” Nowitzki hit 15-of-26 shots for the Mavs, and teammate Shawn Marion(notes) finished with 14 points after going 7 for 11 from the field. The story, however, was Kidd, who had nine points, four rebounds, three assists and one steal in the final 4:53. “Well, it wasn’t at first,” Kidd said. “I missed a lot of open shots and I thought I was letting my teammates down.”

vs(From the Associated Press) - Derrick Rose(notes) thought he capped off a spectacular fourth quarter with a game-winning layup, but instead had to take a secondary role as his teammates finished off the Trail Blazers in overtime. Rose scored 33 points and Luol Deng(notes) added seven of his 23 in the extra period to lead the Chicago Bulls to a 115-111 victory over Portland on Friday night. Rose scored 12 points in the fourth quarter, but was held scoreless in overtime when the Blazers started trapping him in the frontcourt. Rose thought he had it won with a layup over LaMarcus Aldridge(notes) as time expired to end regulation, but the ball rimmed out...Brandon Roy’s(notes) jumper with 3:46 left in overtime gave the Blazers a 107-106 lead, but Kirk Hinrich(notes) answered for the Bulls with a driving layup, Deng made a fadeaway jumper, and Joakim Noah(notes) found Taj Gibson(notes) for a layup to put the Bulls up 112-107 with 2:09 remaining...The Bulls have won six of seven since the All-Star break. “We had stretches of good play and stretches of bad play but we were to take care of business in overtime,” Hinrich said. Aldridge finished with a season-high 32 points and Roy added 23 for Portland. After missing seven games with plantar fasciitis, Noah has played sparingly in four games as he tries to return to full strength. When he was on the bench, the Blazers took advantage. Aldridge had 26 points through the first three quarters on 12-of-17 shooting, but Noah slowed down Aldridge late in the game with his defense...Noah finished with 11 rebounds in 27 minutes and slowed down Aldridge in the fourth quarter.

vs(From the Associated Press) - Russell Westbrook’s(notes) first season in the NBA was a trial by fire in trying to play a mostly new position at the highest level. And it showed. As the Oklahoma City Thunder go through perhaps the league’s most remarkable turnaround this season, none of their players embodies it more than their second-year point guard. Westbrook scored 18 points, matched his own franchise record with 15 assists and narrowly missed his second triple-double against the Minnesota Timberwolves in less than a week, and the Thunder cruised to a 109-92 victory Friday night. “He’s been like an MVP,” said teammate Kevin Durant(notes), who finished with 25 points. “A lot of people talk about me myself, but I think he’s been the best player on our team, the guy that’s the catalyst for our offense and defense. He’s been keeping everybody involved and also making shots himself. He’s putting a lot of pressure on the defense, man, and he’s been playing phenomenal...Oklahoma City never trailed had seven players score in double figures, including Nick Collison(notes) (right knee) and rookie Serge Ibaka(notes) (back), who had missed the Thunder’s previous game with injuries. Ibaka had a career-high 14 points and Collison scored 10...Kevin Love(notes) led the Timberwolves with 19 points and eight rebounds. He has led Minnesota in scoring each of the past four games while coming off the bench. “He struggled and resisted a little bit coming off the bench but for our team, it gives us better opportunities with both of our units,” said Wolves coach Kurt Rambis, who moved Love into a reserve role last month. “Once he got himself into a comfort area in playing off the bench, his numbers just climbed right back up again.”

vs(From the Associated Press) - Stephen Jackson(notes) prevented the Charlotte Bobcats’ four-game road trip from being a complete disaster. Jackson scored 32 points and grabbed a season-high 11 rebounds, helping the Bobcats withstand a fourth-quarter rally and defeat the Memphis Grizzlies 93-89 on Friday night...Jackson, 13 of 26 from the field, scored 19 points in the second half. Boris Diaw(notes) added 18 for Charlotte, while Tyrus Thomas(notes) finished with 13, missing only one of his seven shots. Zach Randolph(notes) led the Grizzlies with 24 points and 10 rebounds. Rudy Gay(notes) added 20 points, O.J. Mayo(notes) 14 and Mike Conley(notes) 13, including 11 in the fourth quarter as the Grizzlies erased an eight-point Charlotte lead...“My thing is getting us to the playoffs,” said Gerald Wallace(notes), who had 10 points and eight rebounds. “We’re more focused on getting there. It’s our first berth (in franchise history), and we’ve got a good chance. We let some games slip away that we should have won. We’re back in the fight.”...The Bobcats were short-handed up front as Nazr Mohammed(notes) and Tyson Chandler(notes) both sat out with injuries. Memphis, the league leader in points in the paint, couldn’t capitalize on the Bobcats’ shortcomings, Charlotte eventually outscoring Memphis 44-40 inside for the game. And the Bobcats’ front line also made things difficult defensively, blocking seven shots—four by Theo Ratliff(notes) and three by Thomas. “A lot of guys think twice now before going to the rim,” Charlotte coach Larry Brown said of the Bobcats’ interior defense.



vs(From the Associated Press) - Kevin Martin(notes) is getting comfortable in Houston, and finally got his first win as a member of the Rockets. Martin had his best game since being traded to Houston, scoring 33 points to lead the Rockets to a 109-104 win over the San Antonio Spurs on Friday night...“It’s getting there,” Martin said. “Tonight was just another step forward … Over time, you get better and more comfortable with the team. It’s only four games and I just feel good to be here.” Houston led by 13 before the Spurs scored 10 consecutive points, capped by a 3-pointer by George Hill(notes), to cut the lead to 105-102 with 8 seconds remaining. Aaron Brooks(notes), who scored 31, hit four free throws sandwiched around a bucket by San Antonio to secure the win and end a three-game losing streak for Houston...Luis Scola(notes) added a career-high 30 points for Houston to mark the first game in team history in which three Rockets players scored at least 30 points. Scola believed Martin’s play was the key to Houston’s win. “The guys who have been here before him could finally make him comfortable and can find a way that he likes playing where he feels more effective and we need him scoring,” Scola said. “That’s the truth. So, if he feels comfortable, everything else will be easier for us.”...Hill led San Antonio with 26 points, and Tim Duncan(notes) added 17. Popovich used his bench extensively in the second half after the starters allowed Houston to jump out to the early lead.

vs(From the Associated Press) -
Robin Lopez(notes) went to the free-throw line two points from tying the family’s single-game scoring mark. He didn’t get it, but his career-best 30 points and 12 rebounds were more than enough to help the Phoenix Suns beat the Los Angeles Clippers 125-112 on Friday night for their fifth straight victory. “I wasn’t even aware of it,” said a smiling Lopez, whose twin brother, Brook, leads the fraternal competition with a 32-point game. “I was just trying to catch (teammate) Goran Dragic’s(notes) 32 points.”...Amare Stoudemire added 20 points and Grant Hill(notes) had 18 points, six rebounds and six assists for the Suns, who won for the sixth time in seven games since the All-Star break. Phoenix has won 12 of its past 14 overall. Eric Gordon(notes) scored 25 points, Travis Outlaw(notes) had 16 and Craig Smith(notes) had 16— 14 in the first half—and for the Clippers, whose three-game winning streak ended. “They stretched us out pretty good,” Gordon said. “We were playing good defense, then they stretched us out and started knowing down a lot of 3s. We just couldn’t score as much as they did.” Chris Kaman(notes) scored 12 first-half points for Los Angeles, but was whistled for a pair of technicals 20 seconds into the second half and ejected...“Chris has to keep his cool, especially being an All-Star center,” said Baron Davis(notes), who finished with 13 points on 5-of-13 shooting. “He knows we need him. It was just an unfortunate situation.”...“It was a good win, but on defense, not so good,” Suns coach Alvin Gentry said. “They had a lot of penetration and we didn’t do a good job keeping them out of the paint.”

vs(From the Associated Press) -
Nothing comes easy for the Denver Nuggets against the Detroit Pistons, especially winning. Chauncey Billups(notes) scored 25 points, Carmelo Anthony(notes) added 24 and the Nuggets snapped their longest active losing streak to a single opponent by beating the Pistons 107-102 on Friday night. “I know my record against Detroit is terrible,” Anthony said. “It’s good to get this one tonight after the grueling trip we had. We had to grind this one out.” J.R. Smith(notes) added 15 points and Arron Afflalo(notes) had 14 for the Nuggets, who had lost their previous seven games to the Pistons. Joey Graham(notes), who with Malik Allen(notes) played in place of the injured Kenyon Martin(notes) (knee contusion), chipped in 13 points...Richard Hamilton(notes) led the Pistons with 20 points, Rodney Stuckey(notes) added 19 and Jason Maxiell(notes) had 16 off the bench...“It could have gone either way,” Hamilton said. “Chauncey had a big shot with that 3. We had our chances. We didn’t value the ball on a couple of possessions and they got the win.” Detroit coach John Kuester lamented the turnover factor in the fourth quarter, when the Pistons had seven of their 17 turnovers in the games. “That ends up hurting you so bad,” he said. “We need quality possessions. You’ve got to make sure you continually get good opportunities and it just didn’t happen. They clamped down on us defensively, and we have to fight through that.”

vs(From the Associated Press) - One of David West’s(notes) best efforts of the season seemed destined to go to waste until seldom-used reserve Aaron Gray(notes) sauntered onto the court and put his 7-foot, 270-pound frame on Dwight Howard(notes). West had 40 points and 10 rebounds, and Gray slowed Orlando’s All-Star center enough to help the Hornets erase an 18-point hole en route to a 100-93 victory over the Magic on Friday night...Howard led Orlando with 26 points and 10 rebounds, but scored only five points and threw down only one of his eight dunks after Bower called on Gray in the third quarter to muscle Howard away from the basket. That’s when the Hornets’ comeback began and the Magic ran out of steam, hitting only four of 18 shots in the fourth quarter...Marcus Thornton(notes) scored 18 for the Hornets, including a 3-pointer that made it 96-86 with 51 seconds to go. Fellow rookie Darren Collison(notes) added 16 points. Jameer Nelson(notes) scored 19 for the Magic, while J.J. Redick(notes) added 11 and Matt Barnes(notes) 10. Howard was able to establish good inside position against Hornets 6-10 starting center Emeka Okafor(notes). His seventh dunk of the game, along with his short hook and free throw, helped fuel a 13-2 run that put the Magic up 71-53. Soon after, Bower subbed in Gray, a third-year pro out of Pittsburgh, and Howard’s offense fell off dramatically...Orlando coach Stan Van Gundy spoke bitterly of his team’s 18 turnovers and general collapse. “We looked for opportunities to relax, lose focus and let down, and we deserved to lose,” Van Gundy said. “We’ve gotten to the point where Dwight can’t merely be very good. He has to be absolutely dominant for us to win.

vs(From the Associated Press) - Sacramento Kings coach Paul Westphal and feuding starting center Spencer Hawes(notes) put on a little scripted celebration together before the tip, and the fun continued after the game started. Beno Udrih(notes) scored a season-high 25 points, Tyreke Evans(notes) had 24 points, eight rebounds and seven assists, and the Kings snapped a five-game losing streak with a 103-99 victory Friday night over the Utah Jazz...Carl Landry(notes) also scored 15 points for Sacramento. The Kings shot 54 percent and made 12-of-17 shots in the fourth quarter. Carlos Boozer(notes) had 26 points, 10 rebounds and six assists for the Jazz, who had won 18 of their previous 21 games. Andrei Kirilenko(notes) scored 16 points, and Deron Williams(notes) added 10 points and 13 assists for Utah, which shot 41 percent and scored only two points in the game’s final two minutes. “Well, you have to make shots and we didn’t shoot the ball very well,” Utah coach Jerry Sloan said. “They made it tough on us, kept us on the perimeter and we seemed to enjoy it out there.”...Udrih made a rare start and proved he belonged on the floor right away, getting 10 points in the opening quarter. He was even better in the fourth, making all five shots and scoring 11 points. “They (Evans and Udrih) both played well together,” Williams said. “Any time Beno comes out and gets 25 points, it’s tough to beat them. And Evans makes me look small and he’s able to do so much around the lane. He’s a tough matchup for any point guard.”

vs(From the Associated Press) - Kobe Bryant(notes) was perfectly content to let Andrew Bynum(notes) and Pau Gasol(notes) do the heavy lifting in a grind-it-out victory over the Philadelphia 76ers. It had more to do with matchups than Bryant’s left ankle, though. Gasol had 23 points and 11 assists, and the Los Angeles Lakers held the 76ers to one field goal over the final 3:40 of a 99-90 victory Friday night. Bynum, who was fined $25,000 by the NBA earlier in the day for publicly criticizing the officiating following Wednesday’s 101-96 loss at Dallas, finished with 20 points and 13 rebounds. Bryant contributed 19 points and eight assists in his first home game since Feb. 5. The defending NBA champions are 2-1 since Bryant returned to the lineup. “I felt fine. If they needed me to go off, I could have, but we had so many mismatches with Pau, Andrew and Lamar (Odom) in the fourth quarter,” Bryant said. “My ankle feels 100 percent. I feel strong. I feel solid.”...Samuel Dalembert(notes) had 24 points and 11 rebounds for the 76ers, who were trying for their second straight road victory over the Lakers. Andre Iguodala(notes) chipped in with 13 points, 10 assists and nine rebounds...The Lakers, back at Staples Center for the first time since an 87-86 defeat against Boston on Feb. 18, have not lost consecutive home games since March 2008, when they were beaten by Golden State, Charlotte and Memphis. “I think we should focus on what we can do better as a team—to be in a better position when we get to the playoffs, as far as the level of play and how we feel about what we are doing here,” Gasol said. “We are all great quality players and we are talented, but we have to do the little things. And everybody is more willing to do them.”