Bucks top Bobcats, Nets hold off Warriors

Yi Jianlian had a breakout game with a season-high 29 points on 14-of-17 shooting and 10 boards to lead the Bucks over the Bobcats 103-99. Yi started the game shooting 12-of-12, missing his first shot in the 3rd quarter. Michael Redd added 27 markers for the Bucks. Vince Carter hit a three in the final seconds of the game to help give the Nets the win over the Warriors 100-95. Carter finished with 23 points while Richard Jefferson led the team with 31. Jason Kidd had his 94th career triple-double with 15 points, 12 assists and 11 rebounds.

Portland keeps hot streak alive

Everyone has counted them out when their newly won franchise player Greg Oden went down with injury, but right now the Blazers are the hottest team in the league, beating the Nuggets for their 10th straight win. Martell Webster had 19 while Brandon Roy and LaMarcus Aldridge both added 18 for the young Blazers team. Roy, last year's rookier of the year, was instrumental in leading the resurgance in the team, scoring a team-high 23.6 points during the winning streak. Carmelo Anthony had 34 points and 12 boards while Allen Iverson also scored 34 for the Nuggets.

Nets edges Heat, Nuggets outlat Rockets

Vince Carter scored 31 points while Richard Jefferson added 29 as the Nets beat the Heat in OT 107-103. The Nets were down by 7 late in the fourth quarter but went ahead in the final seconds thanks to Carter's 3-point shot. but Udonis Haslem hit a jumper in the waning seconds to send the game to overtime. Dwayne Wade had his second consecutive season-high in points scoring 41 on 15-of-23 shooting. With Mcgrady missing, the Nuggets' two big stars outmatched Houston's lone superstar, giving the Nuggets a head-earned 112-111 double-overtime win. Carmelo Anthony had 37 points and had a career-high 16 rebounds, while Allen Iverson had 36 points and nine assists for the Nuggets. But is was Anthony Carter who game the Nuggets the win with a floater 0.8 left in double-OT. Yao Ming had 26 points and 19 rebounds for the Rockets, who have lost 5-of-6.

Mavericsk beat Suns, Spurs lose to Grizzles

Dirk Nowitzki scored the Mavericks' final 8 points and finished with 31 to lead the Mavericks over the Suns 108-105. Dallas was in the lead throughout the game, going up by 17 in the first period. Stoudamire had 25 points and 4 blocks for the Suns. The worst team in the NBA almost blew away their lead but still came out on top over the Spurs 88-85. The Grizzlies made a last second 3-pointer over Tim Duncan courtesy of Rudy Gay. Manu Ginobili tied the game at 85 with a dunk with 2.4 seconds left. Mike Miller scored a season-high 31 points for the Grizzlies, while Gay added 23.

Lakers surge past Bulls

The Lakers are maturing as team, with Sasha Vujacic scoring 19 points and Lamar Odom having a double-double of 17 points and 16 boards to help bring the Lakers past the Bulls 103-91. Kobe Bryant scored a quiet 18 points for the Lakers, who had 6 players in double figures. The Lakers made an 11-point run put together by various team members to stretch the lead to 14 in the final minutes of the game. Luol Deng finished with 26 points for the Bulls.

Spurs lose at home, Nowitzki outplays Howard

The Suns got some measure of revenge for last season's playoff exit as they handed the Spurs its first home loss with a 100-95 victory. Grant Hill led the Suns with 22 points, while Steve Nash had 10 points and 10 assists. The Spurs were stilling missing Tony Parker, but got a big night from Tim Duncan who had season-highs in points and rebounds with 36 and 17. Dirk Nowitzki showed Howard what the reigning MVP can do, scoring 11 of his 31 points in the final period along with getting 11 boards to guide the Mavericks over the Magic 111-108. Howard was unstoppable in the first quarter with 16 points on 6-of-8 shooting, but the Mavericks stepped up their D and forced Howard to go 3-for-8 the rest of the game.

Boston extends streak

The Celtics are continuing to show great defensive prowess, matching their longest winning streak in 14 years with a 90-77 win over the Raptors. Boston has won 9 straight, and are now 20-2. Paul Pierce scored 18 markers, while Kevin Garnett had 16 for the Celtics, who won again despite Ray Allen missing his second straight game. Rajon Rondo is stepping up in place of Allen, scoring 14 points and adding 4 assists. Chris Bosh had 17 and 13 for the Raptors.

Nets beat Cavaliers, Boston dumps Milwaukee

Cleveland's Hack-a-Boone didn't work as the Nets went past the Cavaliers for a 105-97. Looking for a different way to come back into the game, the Cavaliers tried fouling reserve Josh Boone, who scored a season-high 15 points, but Boone made 2-of-4 despite being a 21% free throw shooter this season. Vince Carter matched his season-high 32 points, and Richard Jefferson added 24 for the Nets. The Big Three were just the Big Two, but the Celtics still came out romping, routing the Bucks 104-82. Paul Pierce had a season-high 32 points, and Kevin Garnett had 15 points and 7 boards in just 29 minutes for the Celtics, who pulled away behind a big third-quarter.

Lakers beat Spurs

The Lakers were already given a big edge, but they only were able to squeeze past the Spurs 102-97. Kobe Bryant scored 30 points for the Lakers, who used an 18-5 run in the final period to keep the Spurs away for good. With both Duncan and Parker missing the game, Manu Ginobili was left to leading the team, but the Spurs' leading scorer had only 14 points and made 7 turnovers for the Spurs. Bruce Bowen led the Spurs with 22 markers.

Cleveland stops streak, Wizards beat Wolves

Lebron James came back from injury as a reserve to spark the Cavaliers in a 118-105 victory over the Pacers. James had 17 points in only 22 minutes, while Larry Hughes had a big night off the bench with 36 points, his season-high. Caron Butler and Antawn Jamison continue to carry the Wizards in Gilbert Arenas' absense, both posting double-doubles leading the Wizards atop the Wolves 102-88. Butler had 20 points and 10 rebounds and Jamison had 22 points and 13 rebounds for the Wizards, who got 6 players score in double figures.

Heat edge Suns, Knicks lose to Mavericks

Dwayne Wade scored 10 points in the final 4 minutes to lead the Heat over the Suns 117-113. Wade had 16 in Miami's blistering 40-point 1st quarter. Miami controlled most of the game until the final 1:10 where the Suns made 5 three-pointers, but could not get over the hump. Steve Nash had 14 assists for the Suns, who had 4 players score 19 points. Dirk Nowitzki had a season-high 36 markers to power the Mavericks over the Knicks 99-89. Dallas led by as many as 23 points but led the lead slip to 7, causing their coach Avery Johnson to have some hard words after the game. The fans booed their own Knicks center Eddie Curry and coach Isaiah Thomas during the game.

Wolves stuff Suns, Celtics win over Bulls

The high-powered Suns offense was snuffed out by the Wolves, with Al Jefferson tieing his career-high 32 bounds and grabbing 20 boards to power the Wolves over the Suns 100-93. At one point in the second half Jefferson scored 10 straight points and was unstoppable for the Suns. Steve Nash had 14 points and 15 assists for the Suns. The Boston Big Three may bot have been their usual spectacular selves, but the Celtics still had enough to beat the Bulls 92-81. Ray Allen scored 21 and Rajon Rondo tied his season-high 18 points to lead the Celtics, who got only 10 points for Paul Pierce and 16 from Kevin Garnett.

Nuggets run over Mavericks

Allen Iverson may not have scored more than 50 as he did the other nightm but he did come up with the victory. Iverson scored 35 points on 12-of-19 shooting and dished out 12 assists to power the Nuggets over the Mavericks 122-109. Iverson sparked a 13-2 run in the final minute of the game to close out victory. Linas Kleiza had a season-best 23 points and Carmelo also scored 23 for the Nuggets.

Lakers overcome Iverson, Suns scorch Raptors

The Lakers overcame Iverson's season-high 51-point explosion by limiting him to just two in the final quarter to beat the Nuggets 111-107. Bryant scored 25, Vladimir Radmanovic had 21, and Derek Fisher added 20 for the Lakers. The Lakers held Iverson to just 4 shots in the 4th quarter. The Suns had a new season-high in points to outscore the Raptors 136-123. Leandro Barbosa led the charge with 35 and Steve Nash had a season-high 18 assists for the Suns. TJ Ford scored 27 for the Raptors, who're still missing Chris Bosh due to a strained groin.

Magic outlasts Warriors, Mavericks edge Bulls

Dwight Howard almost lost the game for the Magic, but he redeemed himself by helping his team win in overtime 123-117 over the Warriors. Howard scored 4 points of his 18 in the extension and grabbed 23 boards. After he missed a dunk with less than 20 secs left in regulation, he slammed the basket's padding costing them a technical free throw. Josh Howard tied his season-high 27 points and Dirk added 25 to help Dallas hold off Chicago 103-98. The Mavericks led by as many as 16 in the final period but it was chopped down to 3 near the final seconds of the game. Jason Terry shot 2 free throws to seal the game.

Magic beat Lakers, Knicks loses to Suns

The Magic pulled away late in the game using a 9-0 run to beat the Lakers 104-97. Rashad Lewis paced the Magic with 18 markers, while Dwight added 17. Bryant scored 28 for the Lakers, but 19 of those where in the first quarter. Grant Hill continues to show that despite his age, he's still an NBA superstar. Hill had a season-high 28 points to bring the Suns a victory over the Knicks 115-104. He scored 9 points near the end of the game pull pull the Suns away for good.

Nets win, Hornets stop Dallas

Vince continued his off-the-bench start success with 24 points to lead the Nets over the 76ers 94-92 in overtime. Jefferson scored 23 and Kidd added 19 for the Nets, who were behind by 18 in the first half. Peja Stojakovic had 22 points and shot a 3 pointer at the end of regulation in bringing the Hornets a victory over the Mavericks 112-108. The Hornets stopped their 21-game losing streak to the Mavericks. Tyson Chandler had a double-double of 21 points and 13 boards for the Hornets.

Jazz dump Lakers, Suns stop Magic

Andre Kirilenko got the 3rd triple-double of his career with 20 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists in leading the Jazz over the Lakers 120-96. The Jazz had no problems matching up to the Lakers, even with Boozer and Okur missing in action. Dwight Howard had another monster game with 30 points and 23 rebounds but it wasn't enough as the Magic fell to the Suns 106-110. Raja Bell had a season-high 20 points and Steve Nash dished out 14 assists and adding 15 points for the Suns.