Toronto, ON (Basketball News) - Lamar Odom scored a team-high 19 points on 8- of-12 shooting, as the Los Angeles Lakers cruised past Toronto, 102-91, at Air Canada Centre. Smush Parker went 3-for-4 from behind the arc and finished with 15 points for the Lakers, who have won three straight. Kobe Bryant took just 12 shots in the game and netted only 11 points, but dished out a season-high nine assists in the win. Forward Chris Bosh led all scorers with 22 points and also collected 10 rebounds, a career-high six assists and two blocked shots for Toronto, which has dropped two straight and eight of 10.
Final Score: Milwaukee 88, Philadelphia 85
Philadelphia, PA (Basketball News) - Michael Redd poured in a game-high 24 points, including six in the final 2:04, as the Milwaukee Bucks scored the final 10 points, on the way to an 88-85 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers. Rookie Andrew Bogut had the go-ahead basket with 10.7 seconds left, Maurice Williams contributed 16 points and Jamaal Magloire added seven points and 14 rebounds for the Bucks, who have beaten the Sixers in all three meetings this season. Allen Iverson scored 23 points for the Sixers, who have dropped a season-high four in a row. Samuel Dalembert added 13 points and 12 rebounds, while Chris Webber scored 11, but missed the potential tying three-pointer at the buzzer.
Final Score: Chicago 102, Orlando 93
Orlando, FL (Basketball News) - Jannero Pargo scored a season-high 23 points, as Chicago’s bench boosted the Bulls to a 102-93 victory over the Orlando Magic at the TD Waterhouse Centre. Luol Deng added 22 points and grabbed 10 rebounds, as the Bulls’ bench outscored Orlando’s 59-24. Pargo led the Bulls in scoring after spending most of the season on the inactive list. Mike Sweetney, who chipped in with 12 points, was one of several players who picked up the scoring slack in the absence of guard Kirk Hinrich. The Kansas product suffered a concussion when Dallas forward Dirk Nowitzki elbowed him in the face early in the first period of Monday’s 102-94 loss. Dwight Howard led the Magic with 17 points and 16 boards on the night before his 20th birthday.
Final Score: New Jersey 97, Charlotte 84
Charlotte, NC (Basketball News) - Vince Carter recorded 23 points, seven rebounds and five assists to lead the New Jersey Nets past the Charlotte Bobcats, 97-84, on Wednesday night. Richard Jefferson had 21 points and seven boards, while Jason Kidd finished with 11 points, 11 assists and eight rebounds for the Nets, who put the brakes on a two-game losing streak. The Nets earned their 1000th win on Wednesday. Since entering the NBA in 1976-77, the Nets have posted a 1000-1362 mark. Brevin Knight paced the Bobcats with a season-high 23 points, six rebounds and five assists. Primoz Brezec netted 11 points in the loss — Charlotte’s fifth in a row.
Final Score: Boston 101, New Orleans/Oklahoma City 87
Oklahoma City, OK (Basketball News) - Paul Pierce poured in 28 points and connected on 13-of-16 from the charity stripe, as the Boston Celtics cruised to a 101-87 victory over the New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets at the Ford Center. Pierce also grabbed 12 rebounds, while Ricky Davis contributed 26 points for the Celtics, who have won two of their last three games, but have still yet to win consecutive contests this season. Mark Blount scored 19 points and Al Jefferson tallied 16 points off the bench, as Boston’s reserves outscored New Orleans/Oklahoma City’s, 39-17. David West led all scorers with 29 points, while Chris Paul filled the box score with 16 points, 10 rebounds and six assists in the loss. The Hornets have lost three in a row.
Final Score: San Antonio 98, Miami 84
San Antonio, TX (Basketball News) - Tim Duncan had 28 points and 16 rebounds, as the San Antonio Spurs continued their domination of the Miami Heat with a 98-84 victory at the SBC Center. Manu Ginobili added 27 points and Tony Parker contributed 14 points and 11 assists for the Spurs, who won their fifth straight contest and moved to 15-3 this season. The Spurs have won eight of the last 11 meetings and are 18-1 all-time at home against the Heat. Miami’s only win at San Antonio was on December 23, 1996. Dwyane Wade had 31 points, six rebounds and 10 assists for the Heat, who lost their third straight. However, Miami is inching closer at getting back All- Star center Shaquille O’Neal, who is still sidelined with an ankle injury and has not played since November 3.
Final Score: Utah 95, Atlanta 83
Salt Lake City, UT (Basketball News) - Matt Harpring poured in a season-high 30 points and grabbed seven rebounds, leading the Utah Jazz to a 95-83 win over the Atlanta Hawks at the Delta Center. Mehmet Okur chipped in 17 points, while Andrei Kirilenko contributed 14 points and a career-high 10 assists for the Jazz, who have won just twice in their last six games. Milt Palacio added 10 points and nine assists in the win. Joe Johnson led the Hawks with 19 points. Salim Stoudamire netted 15 points and Al Harrington had 11 for Atlanta, which has lost seven in a row to fall to just 2-16 on the season.
Final Score: Minnesota 84, Portland 74
Portland, OR (Basketball News) - Marko Jaric scored 19 points, including 10 in the fourth quarter, as the Minnesota Timberwolves rallied from 14 points down to defeat Portland, 84-74, at the Rose Garden. Wally Szczerbiak also poured in 19 points and Kevin Garnett posted a double- double with 16 points and 14 rebounds for Minnesota, which went a perfect 4-0 on its road trip and has now won six of seven. Zach Randolph scored a team-high 15 points and pulled down 10 boards for the Trail Blazers, who are losers of six straight.
Final Score: LA Clippers 84, New York 79
Los Angeles, CA (Basketball News) - Elton Brand and Cuttino Mobley both scored 24 points to lead the Los Angeles Clippers to an 84-79 win over the New York Knicks at Staples Center. Brand pulled down 11 rebounds, while Sam Cassell added 16 points and 11 assists for the Clippers, who battled back to win for the third straight time. Los Angeles also improved to 8-1 at home, where they have won the last seven meetings with New York. Eddy Curry scored 17 of his 24 points in the first half and grabbed 11 boards for the Knicks, losers of three of their last four games. Stephon Marbury netted 12 points and Jamal Crawford chipped in 11 in the loss.
Final Score: Phoenix 118, Golden State 110
Oakland, CA (Basketball News) - Steve Nash scored 28 points and dished out 14 assists to pace the Phoenix Suns to their eighth consecutive win, 118-110, over the Golden State Warriors. Shawn Marion had 27 points and 14 rebounds, while Kurt Thomas totaled 16 points and 17 boards for Phoenix, which used a big run in the closing minutes to win at the Arena in Oakland for the 12th time in the last 18 meetings. Baron Davis totaled 28 points and six rebounds before fouling out for the Warriors, who had their five-game winning streak broken. Mike Dunleavy added 21 points, Derek Fisher had 18 and Jason Richardson scored 17.
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