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(From the Associated Press) - The Los Angeles Clippers were distraught and dejected, stunned after losing two things Tuesday night. Their game to the Orlando Magic. Their general manager Mike Dunleavy. The way both happened caught them by surprise. Dwight Howard(notes) had 22 points and 15 rebounds to help the Magic roll past the Clippers, 113-87 on Tuesday night to tie a season high with their sixth straight victory...“It’s just like another monkey wrench in a roller-coaster season for us,” said Clippers guard Baron Davis(notes), who was nauseous, dizzy and had a stomach ache earlier in the day. The Magic left the Clippers just as woozy. Jameer Nelson(notes) had 17 points and Rashard Lewis(notes) added 15 as Orlando took a 26-point halftime lead, cruising to a blowout after beating the Lakers in an NBA finals rematch Sunday...Davis fought through the sickness that forced him to miss the morning shootaround. He came off the bench to finish with 16 points, and Chris Kaman(notes) added 12 as Los Angeles lost for the sixth time in the last seven games.
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(From the Associated Press) - The Charlotte Bobcats keep finding new ways to beat the Miami Heat, and that just might end up deciding which team goes to the playoffs. That prospect left Dwyane Wade(notes) fuming after the Heat’s second-half offensive meltdown. Thanks to D.J. Augustin’s(notes) big fourth quarter, Raymond Felton’s(notes) steady play and Wade’s shooting woes, the Bobcats earned their third straight win over Miami, 83-78 on Tuesday night to further crowd the Eastern Conference playoff race...“The ball didn’t go in the basket the same,” Wade said when asked about the second half, when he shot 3 for 11. “I ain’t giving Charlotte no credit if that’s what you’re looking for.” Wade scored 27 points, but clanged a tying 3-point attempt in the final seconds for the Heat, who blew a 15-point lead and had their three-game winning streak snapped. “He can say whatever he wants to say,” said Charlotte’s Gerald Wallace(notes), who grabbed 17 rebounds. “We’re over here as a team, we know what we did. He says he doesn’t credit us. He had what, 17 in the first half? How many did he have in the second half?”...“It felt like a playoff game, honestly,” said Felton, who had 15 points and 11 assists. “It was a big win for us.”...It left a rare, big crowd for an early midweek game in Charlotte celebrating, including owner-to-be Michael Jordan. Attending his fourth straight game since agreeing to buy the club, Jordan grinned and slapped some high-fives after Charlotte improved to 23-8 at home. “I wouldn’t want to come to a game and support a team that hasn’t been winning, that’s been one of the worst teams in the league,” said Stephen Jackson(notes), who scored 17 points. “Now we’ve got a chance to bounce back and get to the playoffs. … They’re coming and supporting us, so we can’t fall short.”
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(From the Associated Press) - For the Houston Rockets, who need as many hands on deck as possible to get out of the win-lose blahs, it was good enough simply to see Trevor Ariza(notes) and Kyle Lowry(notes) back on the court. Ariza returned after missing seven games with a left hip injury, and Lowry was back after sitting out 12 games with a sprained left ankle. Neither was spectacular, but both shook off the rust as the yo-yo Rockets moved back above .500 Tuesday night with a 96-88 win over the Washington Wizards. “It’s good to be at full strength,” said Ariza, who played 28 minutes off the bench, made 3 of 7 3-pointers and finished with 13 points. “Now we’ve got to get in sync, back to our roles and understand what we’re trying to do.”...Luis Scola(notes) had 23 points and 10 rebounds, and Kevin Martin(notes) scored 21 points for the Rockets, who took the lead for good midway through the second quarter and were hardly threatened in the second half by the Wizards, who have lost four straight and six of seven and drew a season-low 10,422 to the Verizon Center. “I couldn’t make a shot, but we won a game—who cares?” said Lowry, who went 1 for 6 from the field and finished with six points in 19 minutes. “I stepped wrong a few times and I’m a little sore, but other than that I’m fine.”..."You just have to keep going for it, hope you do get that streak that can send you in the other direction,” coach Rick Adelman said. “We’ve just kind of been in ‘hit and miss’ over the last three weeks.” A good place to start is the Wizards, who are still sporting a who-are-these-guys look after the suspension of Gilbert Arenas(notes) and the house-cleaning deals just before the trade deadline. Andray Blatche(notes), who has become the go-to player by default, had 18 points and eight rebounds but also five turnovers and sat out the final 4 1/2 minutes in his first game after learning the pitfalls of trash-talking Kevin Garnett(notes)...Nick Young(notes) added 18 points for the Wizards, and Al Thornton(notes) had 15. Washington’s best spurt came on a 10-0 run in the first quarter, but the Rockets were in charge the rest of the way, closing the first half with an 11-4 run to go ahead 48-40 and pushing the lead to 18 in the third quarter on rookie Jordan Hill’s(notes) dunk. Hill finished with 11 points, one shy of his career high, and matched his career high with eight rebounds.
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(From the Associated Press) - The Indiana Pacers made it look easy without their top scorer in the lineup. With Danny Granger(notes) suspended one game by the NBA for his part in an altercation in Phoenix on Saturday, the Pacers used Dahntay Jones’(notes) 25 points and Brandon Rush’s(notes) 24 to beat the Philadelphia 76ers 107-96 on Tuesday night. Troy Murphy(notes) had 19 points, Roy Hibbert(notes) scored 12 and T.J. Ford(notes) added 11 for the Pacers (21-43), who snapped a four-game losing streak and won for just the second time in nine games...The Pacers had 32 assists on their 42 made field goals. They turned the ball over just 10 times, compared to Philadelphia’s 21 turnovers. “We took advantage of moving the ball,” Jones said. “Our guards did a good job of distributing the ball and taking the right shots. It was a good team effort.” Jrue Holiday(notes) scored 21 points and Samuel Dalembert(notes) added 16 points, 11 rebounds and four blocks for the 76ers (23-40). Philadelphia has dropped six of eight since Allen Iverson(notes) left the team for personal reasons...“Give them credit,” said 76ers guard Willie Green(notes), who finished with 13 points. “I think we played a well-rounded game. Both teams are hungry and want to get some wins and gain some momentum. Tonight, I thought they forced their will a little more than we did.”
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(From the Associated Press) - A serious mismatch on paper, it looked even more ridiculous in real life: Milwaukee Bucks point guard Brandon Jennings(notes), all of 6-foot-1 and 169 pounds, standing up to Boston Celtics forward Glen Davis(notes)—a player 8 inches taller and nearly 130 pounds heavier. Still, Jennings didn’t back down from an on-court confrontation with Davis in the fourth quarter. The rookie’s aggressive reaction to a hard foul midway through the period appeared to kick-start the Bucks, who came back and took down yet another Eastern Conference heavyweight with a 86-84 victory over the Celtics on Tuesday. “No doubt about it,” Jennings said. “Once that happened, I said, ‘Oh, yeah, it’s on now.”’...Andrew Bogut(notes) had 25 points and 17 rebounds for the Bucks, who were coming off Saturday’s victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers—although they didn’t have to face LeBron James(notes)...Carlos Delfino(notes) started for Milwaukee despite experiencing flulike symptoms earlier in the day, scoring 19 points. Rajon Rondo(notes) had 20 points for Boston. Recently signed free agent Michael Finley(notes) made his Celtics debut, hitting a long jumper and a 3-pointer on back-to-back possessions in the second quarter. He scored five points in 7:53 on the court...Garnett had 14 points and 10 rebounds. He was coming off one of the worst shooting nights of his career against Washington, going 0 for 7 from the floor. But he got off a quick start Tuesday, hitting 4-of-8 shots for eight points with nine rebounds as the Celtics took a 46-42 lead in the first half.
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(From the Associated Press) - His right wrist wrapped in ice, Deron Williams(notes) insisted he feels no pain when he soars for dunks. It hurts when he shoots, though. The way he played Tuesday, it was hard to tell. Williams got the better of Derrick Rose(notes), finishing with 28 points and a season-high 17 assists, while CJ Miles(notes) scored a season-best 26 points to lead the Utah Jazz to a 132-108 victory over the Chicago Bulls...Miles scored 16 in the fourth, hitting four of his six 3-pointers, as the Jazz outscored Chicago 40-27 and secured at least a .500 record for the 26th time in 27 years. “A couple of times, I was just standing,” Miles said. “But most of the time, I was sliding up and down. They have to pay attention to Deron when he’s penetrating. It’s Deron Williams. Same thing with D-Rose on the other end.” With 25 points and a career high-tying 13 assists, Rose didn’t exactly get dominated in a matchup of All-Star point guards. But the Bulls tied a season high with their fifth straight loss even though Brad Miller(notes) scored 20. Luol Deng(notes) added 14 points after missing practice the previous day with flu symptoms, but sat out the fourth quarter because of a strained right calf. He’s scheduled for an MRI on Wednesday, another blow for a team in the middle of a brutal nine-game stretch against contenders...Besides the big games from Williams and Miles, Utah got 16 points and 10 rebounds from Carlos Boozer(notes). Paul Millsap(notes) added 16 points and nine rebounds, and Mehmet Okur(notes) scored 14.
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(From the Associated Press) - With just 16 games left in the season, Brandon Roy(notes) will take any win, even the clumsy ones. Roy scored 19 points to lead the Portland Trail Blazers to what Roy called an “up and down” 88-81 victory over the Sacramento Kings on Tuesday night. “It’s not winning the way we want,” Roy said, “but we’ve got to keep trying to push to try to find it.”...Nicolas Batum(notes) and Andre Miller(notes) each had 14 points for Portland. Tyreke Evans(notes) scored 18 points for the Kings, who have lost three straight overall. Carl Landry(notes) finished with 17 points and eight rebounds. “Another game for us against a really good team where we had a chance to win in the last few minutes and came away dry,” coach Paul Westphal said. Marcus Camby(notes) returned after sitting out the Blazers’ last game, a 118-106 loss at Denver, with a sprained left ankle...Camby, who had six points, was crucial for Portland’s defense with five blocked shots. “We don’t win the game tonight if he doesn’t make some of the plays he made,” Portland coach Nate McMillan said...Portland opened its biggest lead at 52-40 on LaMarcus Aldridge’s(notes) layup and free throw, but Landry dunked to close out the half at 52-42. Landry’s jumper narrowed it to 58-56 midway through the third quarter. Landry, acquired from the Rockets in a three-team, nine-player trade last month, had scored at least 20 points in the last three games. “We are growing,” Landry said. “We just have to learn how to play together.”
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(From the Associated Press) - Kobe Bryant(notes) never gets tired of being the Lakers’ closer. And though he savored the chance to stop Los Angeles’ longest losing streak in nearly three years with yet another flawless game-winning shot, Bryant is hoping he won’t have to bail out the Lakers quite so frequently in the final weeks before they defend their title. Bryant hit a 17-foot jumper with 1.9 seconds left, and the Lakers rallied in the fourth quarter to snap their three-game losing streak with a 109-107 victory over the Toronto Raptors on Tuesday night. Chris Bosh(notes) hit a 3-pointer with 9.5 seconds left to tie it for the Raptors, who outplayed the champs for most of the first three quarters before losing on yet another big shot by Bryant, who scored 14 of his 32 points in the fourth quarter...Andrew Bynum(notes) scored 22 points and Pau Gasol(notes) had 17 points and nine rebounds for the Lakers, who returned from a winless road trip to beat Toronto for the eighth straight time at Staples Center. Lamar Odom(notes) had 10 points, eight rebounds, five assists and several big fourth-quarter plays for the Lakers, who pushed their suddenly tenuous lead over Dallas atop the Western Conference standings back to three games while winning their only home game in a 16-day stretch...Bosh scored 22 points in his second game back from a seven-game injury absence, and Andrea Bargnani(notes) had 21 as the Raptors opened a four-game road trip by struggling from the field in the final minutes of their sixth loss in seven games. Jarrett Jack(notes) added 18 points, but Toronto managed just four field goals in the final eight minutes.
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(From the Associated Press) - The Los Angeles Clippers were distraught and dejected, stunned after losing two things Tuesday night. Their game to the Orlando Magic. Their general manager Mike Dunleavy. The way both happened caught them by surprise. Dwight Howard(notes) had 22 points and 15 rebounds to help the Magic roll past the Clippers, 113-87 on Tuesday night to tie a season high with their sixth straight victory...“It’s just like another monkey wrench in a roller-coaster season for us,” said Clippers guard Baron Davis(notes), who was nauseous, dizzy and had a stomach ache earlier in the day. The Magic left the Clippers just as woozy. Jameer Nelson(notes) had 17 points and Rashard Lewis(notes) added 15 as Orlando took a 26-point halftime lead, cruising to a blowout after beating the Lakers in an NBA finals rematch Sunday...Davis fought through the sickness that forced him to miss the morning shootaround. He came off the bench to finish with 16 points, and Chris Kaman(notes) added 12 as Los Angeles lost for the sixth time in the last seven games.
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(From the Associated Press) - The Charlotte Bobcats keep finding new ways to beat the Miami Heat, and that just might end up deciding which team goes to the playoffs. That prospect left Dwyane Wade(notes) fuming after the Heat’s second-half offensive meltdown. Thanks to D.J. Augustin’s(notes) big fourth quarter, Raymond Felton’s(notes) steady play and Wade’s shooting woes, the Bobcats earned their third straight win over Miami, 83-78 on Tuesday night to further crowd the Eastern Conference playoff race...“The ball didn’t go in the basket the same,” Wade said when asked about the second half, when he shot 3 for 11. “I ain’t giving Charlotte no credit if that’s what you’re looking for.” Wade scored 27 points, but clanged a tying 3-point attempt in the final seconds for the Heat, who blew a 15-point lead and had their three-game winning streak snapped. “He can say whatever he wants to say,” said Charlotte’s Gerald Wallace(notes), who grabbed 17 rebounds. “We’re over here as a team, we know what we did. He says he doesn’t credit us. He had what, 17 in the first half? How many did he have in the second half?”...“It felt like a playoff game, honestly,” said Felton, who had 15 points and 11 assists. “It was a big win for us.”...It left a rare, big crowd for an early midweek game in Charlotte celebrating, including owner-to-be Michael Jordan. Attending his fourth straight game since agreeing to buy the club, Jordan grinned and slapped some high-fives after Charlotte improved to 23-8 at home. “I wouldn’t want to come to a game and support a team that hasn’t been winning, that’s been one of the worst teams in the league,” said Stephen Jackson(notes), who scored 17 points. “Now we’ve got a chance to bounce back and get to the playoffs. … They’re coming and supporting us, so we can’t fall short.”
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(From the Associated Press) - For the Houston Rockets, who need as many hands on deck as possible to get out of the win-lose blahs, it was good enough simply to see Trevor Ariza(notes) and Kyle Lowry(notes) back on the court. Ariza returned after missing seven games with a left hip injury, and Lowry was back after sitting out 12 games with a sprained left ankle. Neither was spectacular, but both shook off the rust as the yo-yo Rockets moved back above .500 Tuesday night with a 96-88 win over the Washington Wizards. “It’s good to be at full strength,” said Ariza, who played 28 minutes off the bench, made 3 of 7 3-pointers and finished with 13 points. “Now we’ve got to get in sync, back to our roles and understand what we’re trying to do.”...Luis Scola(notes) had 23 points and 10 rebounds, and Kevin Martin(notes) scored 21 points for the Rockets, who took the lead for good midway through the second quarter and were hardly threatened in the second half by the Wizards, who have lost four straight and six of seven and drew a season-low 10,422 to the Verizon Center. “I couldn’t make a shot, but we won a game—who cares?” said Lowry, who went 1 for 6 from the field and finished with six points in 19 minutes. “I stepped wrong a few times and I’m a little sore, but other than that I’m fine.”..."You just have to keep going for it, hope you do get that streak that can send you in the other direction,” coach Rick Adelman said. “We’ve just kind of been in ‘hit and miss’ over the last three weeks.” A good place to start is the Wizards, who are still sporting a who-are-these-guys look after the suspension of Gilbert Arenas(notes) and the house-cleaning deals just before the trade deadline. Andray Blatche(notes), who has become the go-to player by default, had 18 points and eight rebounds but also five turnovers and sat out the final 4 1/2 minutes in his first game after learning the pitfalls of trash-talking Kevin Garnett(notes)...Nick Young(notes) added 18 points for the Wizards, and Al Thornton(notes) had 15. Washington’s best spurt came on a 10-0 run in the first quarter, but the Rockets were in charge the rest of the way, closing the first half with an 11-4 run to go ahead 48-40 and pushing the lead to 18 in the third quarter on rookie Jordan Hill’s(notes) dunk. Hill finished with 11 points, one shy of his career high, and matched his career high with eight rebounds.
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(From the Associated Press) - The Indiana Pacers made it look easy without their top scorer in the lineup. With Danny Granger(notes) suspended one game by the NBA for his part in an altercation in Phoenix on Saturday, the Pacers used Dahntay Jones’(notes) 25 points and Brandon Rush’s(notes) 24 to beat the Philadelphia 76ers 107-96 on Tuesday night. Troy Murphy(notes) had 19 points, Roy Hibbert(notes) scored 12 and T.J. Ford(notes) added 11 for the Pacers (21-43), who snapped a four-game losing streak and won for just the second time in nine games...The Pacers had 32 assists on their 42 made field goals. They turned the ball over just 10 times, compared to Philadelphia’s 21 turnovers. “We took advantage of moving the ball,” Jones said. “Our guards did a good job of distributing the ball and taking the right shots. It was a good team effort.” Jrue Holiday(notes) scored 21 points and Samuel Dalembert(notes) added 16 points, 11 rebounds and four blocks for the 76ers (23-40). Philadelphia has dropped six of eight since Allen Iverson(notes) left the team for personal reasons...“Give them credit,” said 76ers guard Willie Green(notes), who finished with 13 points. “I think we played a well-rounded game. Both teams are hungry and want to get some wins and gain some momentum. Tonight, I thought they forced their will a little more than we did.”
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(From the Associated Press) - A serious mismatch on paper, it looked even more ridiculous in real life: Milwaukee Bucks point guard Brandon Jennings(notes), all of 6-foot-1 and 169 pounds, standing up to Boston Celtics forward Glen Davis(notes)—a player 8 inches taller and nearly 130 pounds heavier. Still, Jennings didn’t back down from an on-court confrontation with Davis in the fourth quarter. The rookie’s aggressive reaction to a hard foul midway through the period appeared to kick-start the Bucks, who came back and took down yet another Eastern Conference heavyweight with a 86-84 victory over the Celtics on Tuesday. “No doubt about it,” Jennings said. “Once that happened, I said, ‘Oh, yeah, it’s on now.”’...Andrew Bogut(notes) had 25 points and 17 rebounds for the Bucks, who were coming off Saturday’s victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers—although they didn’t have to face LeBron James(notes)...Carlos Delfino(notes) started for Milwaukee despite experiencing flulike symptoms earlier in the day, scoring 19 points. Rajon Rondo(notes) had 20 points for Boston. Recently signed free agent Michael Finley(notes) made his Celtics debut, hitting a long jumper and a 3-pointer on back-to-back possessions in the second quarter. He scored five points in 7:53 on the court...Garnett had 14 points and 10 rebounds. He was coming off one of the worst shooting nights of his career against Washington, going 0 for 7 from the floor. But he got off a quick start Tuesday, hitting 4-of-8 shots for eight points with nine rebounds as the Celtics took a 46-42 lead in the first half.
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(From the Associated Press) - His right wrist wrapped in ice, Deron Williams(notes) insisted he feels no pain when he soars for dunks. It hurts when he shoots, though. The way he played Tuesday, it was hard to tell. Williams got the better of Derrick Rose(notes), finishing with 28 points and a season-high 17 assists, while CJ Miles(notes) scored a season-best 26 points to lead the Utah Jazz to a 132-108 victory over the Chicago Bulls...Miles scored 16 in the fourth, hitting four of his six 3-pointers, as the Jazz outscored Chicago 40-27 and secured at least a .500 record for the 26th time in 27 years. “A couple of times, I was just standing,” Miles said. “But most of the time, I was sliding up and down. They have to pay attention to Deron when he’s penetrating. It’s Deron Williams. Same thing with D-Rose on the other end.” With 25 points and a career high-tying 13 assists, Rose didn’t exactly get dominated in a matchup of All-Star point guards. But the Bulls tied a season high with their fifth straight loss even though Brad Miller(notes) scored 20. Luol Deng(notes) added 14 points after missing practice the previous day with flu symptoms, but sat out the fourth quarter because of a strained right calf. He’s scheduled for an MRI on Wednesday, another blow for a team in the middle of a brutal nine-game stretch against contenders...Besides the big games from Williams and Miles, Utah got 16 points and 10 rebounds from Carlos Boozer(notes). Paul Millsap(notes) added 16 points and nine rebounds, and Mehmet Okur(notes) scored 14.
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(From the Associated Press) - With just 16 games left in the season, Brandon Roy(notes) will take any win, even the clumsy ones. Roy scored 19 points to lead the Portland Trail Blazers to what Roy called an “up and down” 88-81 victory over the Sacramento Kings on Tuesday night. “It’s not winning the way we want,” Roy said, “but we’ve got to keep trying to push to try to find it.”...Nicolas Batum(notes) and Andre Miller(notes) each had 14 points for Portland. Tyreke Evans(notes) scored 18 points for the Kings, who have lost three straight overall. Carl Landry(notes) finished with 17 points and eight rebounds. “Another game for us against a really good team where we had a chance to win in the last few minutes and came away dry,” coach Paul Westphal said. Marcus Camby(notes) returned after sitting out the Blazers’ last game, a 118-106 loss at Denver, with a sprained left ankle...Camby, who had six points, was crucial for Portland’s defense with five blocked shots. “We don’t win the game tonight if he doesn’t make some of the plays he made,” Portland coach Nate McMillan said...Portland opened its biggest lead at 52-40 on LaMarcus Aldridge’s(notes) layup and free throw, but Landry dunked to close out the half at 52-42. Landry’s jumper narrowed it to 58-56 midway through the third quarter. Landry, acquired from the Rockets in a three-team, nine-player trade last month, had scored at least 20 points in the last three games. “We are growing,” Landry said. “We just have to learn how to play together.”
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(From the Associated Press) - Kobe Bryant(notes) never gets tired of being the Lakers’ closer. And though he savored the chance to stop Los Angeles’ longest losing streak in nearly three years with yet another flawless game-winning shot, Bryant is hoping he won’t have to bail out the Lakers quite so frequently in the final weeks before they defend their title. Bryant hit a 17-foot jumper with 1.9 seconds left, and the Lakers rallied in the fourth quarter to snap their three-game losing streak with a 109-107 victory over the Toronto Raptors on Tuesday night. Chris Bosh(notes) hit a 3-pointer with 9.5 seconds left to tie it for the Raptors, who outplayed the champs for most of the first three quarters before losing on yet another big shot by Bryant, who scored 14 of his 32 points in the fourth quarter...Andrew Bynum(notes) scored 22 points and Pau Gasol(notes) had 17 points and nine rebounds for the Lakers, who returned from a winless road trip to beat Toronto for the eighth straight time at Staples Center. Lamar Odom(notes) had 10 points, eight rebounds, five assists and several big fourth-quarter plays for the Lakers, who pushed their suddenly tenuous lead over Dallas atop the Western Conference standings back to three games while winning their only home game in a 16-day stretch...Bosh scored 22 points in his second game back from a seven-game injury absence, and Andrea Bargnani(notes) had 21 as the Raptors opened a four-game road trip by struggling from the field in the final minutes of their sixth loss in seven games. Jarrett Jack(notes) added 18 points, but Toronto managed just four field goals in the final eight minutes.
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