HoopsVibe

Final Score: Dallas 105, Charlotte 99

Charlotte, NC (Sports Network) - Dirk Nowitzki and Michael Finley each scored 20 points to lead Dallas past a pesky Charlotte team, 105-99, at Charlotte Arena. Jason Terry tallied 17 points while Jerry Stackhouse contributed 17 off the bench for Dallas. The Mavericks have now won four straight and improved to 11-5 on the road, the second-best mark in the NBA. Charlotte was paced by Emeka Okafor, who scored 24 points and grabbed 15 rebounds to record his 26th double-double of the season. Jason Hart finished with 13 points and 10 assists as the Bobcats lost their seventh straight contest.

Final Score: New Jersey 104, Boston 98

East Rutherford, NJ (Sports Network) - Vince Carter scored 25 points and Travis Best added 24 off the bench, leading New Jersey to a 104-98 victory over Boston at Continental Airlines Arena. Jason Kidd collected 14 points, nine rebounds and nine assists in the win, which snapped the Nets' two-game losing streak. Kidd made a clutch three-pointer and some key free throws down the stretch as Boston climbed back into the game. Paul Pierce scored 22 points with seven rebounds to lead the Celtics, who had a two-game winning streak end. Gary Payton added 16 points in defeat and Ricky Davis scored 13 off the bench.

Final Score: Houston 92, New York 91

New York, NY (Sports Network) - Scott Padgett's basket at the buzzer lifted the Houston Rockets over the New York Knicks, 92-91, at Madison Square Garden. Tracy McGrady, who set up the winning hoop, scored a game-high 35 for Houston, which has won two straight. Yao Ming added 22 points and 12 boards as the Rockets have captured six of eight overall and five of seven on the road. Stephon Marbury had 20 points and Jamal Crawford tallied 18 points for the Knicks, who have lost five straight and fell to 1-10 in their last 11 contests.

Final Score: Indiana 106, Miami 100 (OT)

Miami, FL (Sports Network) - Jamal Tinsley had 30 points and Reggie Miller had eight of his 18 points in overtime, as the Indiana Pacers topped the Miami Heat, 106-100. Jermaine O'Neal had 26 points and 14 rebounds for the Pacers, who have won 10 straight meetings with the Heat in regular-season play. Indiana finished its brief three-game road trip 2-1. Dwyane Wade had 30 points and nine rebounds to pace the Heat, losers of four of six. Shaquille O'Neal added 24 points, 10 rebounds and three blocked shots.

Final Score: Chicago 95, Atlanta 85

Chicago, IL (Sports Network) - Kirk Hinrich finished with a team-high 23 points, dished out nine assists and grabbed seven rebounds to lead Chicago past Atlanta, 95-85 at The United Center. Antonio Davis added a season-high 17 for Chicago, while Eddy Curry netted 18 points in the win. The Bulls have won eight of their last nine contests and this was their sixth straight home victory. Antoine Walker scored a game-high 25 points to go along with seven rebounds for Atlanta, and Al Harrington tallied 21 in the loss. The Hawks have lost three consecutive games and four of their last five.

Final Score: Milwaukee 89, Detroit 86

Milwaukee, WI (Sports Network) - Mike James scored a team-high 20 points against his former club, and the Milwaukee Bucks beat the Detroit Pistons, 89-86, at the Bradley Center. James came off the bench to hit 6-of-9 field goal attempts, including four three-pointers, to lead Milwaukee, which won for just the second time in seven outings. Joe Smith had 14 points, Redd finished with 13 and Mason chipped in with 10 for the Bucks. Leading Detroit, which has lost five of six at Milwaukee, was Tayshaun Prince, who tied a career-high with 26 points.

Final Score: San Antonio 128, Phoenix 123 (OT)

Phoenix, AZ (Sports Network) - Manu Ginobili scored a career-high 48 points, including six in overtime, and San Antonio overcame a 17-point, fourth-quarter deficit to beat Phoenix 128-123 and maintain its hold on the best record in the NBA. Tim Duncan added 30 points and 19 rebounds for the Spurs, who scored 40 points in the fourth quarter to erase an 88-71 deficit. They held a 111-108 lead with 7.3 seconds remaining in regulation, but Shawn Marion tied it for Phoenix with a buzzer-beating, three-pointer. Marion ended with 37 points to lead the Suns, and his 17 in the third quarter was one more than San Antonio scored as a team. Steve Nash added 16 points and 13 assists in his return after missing three games with a thigh and back injury. The Suns dropped all three of those games, and their season-high losing streak now stands at six.

Final Score: Denver 92, Memphis 82

Denver, CO (Sports Network) - Earl Boykins continued to stand tall as the league's smallest player scored a team-high 25 points and the Denver Nuggets cooled off the red-hot Memphis Grizzlies, 92-82, at the Pepsi Center. Coming off the bench, the 5-foot-5 Boykins hit 10-of-13 field goal attempts and handed out a season-high 10 assists for Denver, which has won two straight. Marcus Camby added 18 points, 13 rebounds and six blocks for the Nuggets, who were without the services of Carmelo Anthony and Nene.

Final Score: LA Lakers 105, Golden State 101

Los Angeles, CA (Sports Network) - Chucky Atkins scored 26 points and dished out 10 assists to lead the Los Angeles Lakers to a 105-101 win over the Golden State Warriors at the Staples Center. Lamar Odom added 25 points for the Lakers, who continue to play without injured star Kobe Bryant. Los Angeles is 3-1 since Bryant's injury, which came early in a 98-94 win over Cleveland five games ago. Jumaine Jones had 16 points and nine boards and Caron Butler tallied 14 points and nine rebounds for Los Angeles, which has won six of eight overall and six of seven at home.

Final Score: Minnesota 112, Seattle 107

Seattle, WA (Sports Network) - Wally Szczerbiak scored a season-high 34 points off the bench as the Minnesota Timberwolves ended a two-game skid with a 112-107 victory over the Seattle SuperSonics. Szczerbiak shot 11-of-19 from the field, and added six rebounds and eight assists for the Timberwolves, who came out strong in this game and held on in the fourth quarter for a much-needed win. Kevin Garnett contributed 24 points, eight rebounds and seven helpers. Seattle was paced by Ray Allen's 25 points, six rebounds and four assists. Luke Ridnour had a career-high 19 points on 7-of-8 shooting for the Sonics, losers of two in a row.