Final Score: Toronto 119, Charlotte 107
Charlotte, NC (Basketball News) - Chris Bosh scored 27 points and grabbed nine rebounds to lead the Toronto Raptors to a 119-107 win over the Charlotte Bobcats in a high-scoring affair at Charlotte Coliseum. Jalen Rose netted 23 points while Donyell Marshall and Rafer Alston both chipped in 18 for the Raptors, who put an end to a two-game losing streak. Marshall also hauled in 12 boards. Emeka Okafor poured in 29 points and grabbed 14 rebounds and Matt Carroll added 17 points for the Bobcats, who have dropped three straight contests.
Final Score: Washington 111, Orlando 102
Orlando, FL (Basketball News) - Gilbert Arenas scored a game-high 31 points, including a run-stuffing five straight late in the contest, as Washington continued surging toward the postseason with its fourth straight victory by recording a 111-102 win over Orlando at the TD Waterhouse Centre. Arenas went 8-of-16 from the floor for Washington, which has won eight of its last 11 games and cleared a hurdle with its first win in seven trips to Orlando. Larry Hughes had 30 points, nine rebounds and a team-high five assists, while Etan Thomas chipped in 10 points and 10 boards in the win. The Wizards moved one game in front of idle Chicago for fourth place in the Eastern Conference standings. Leading Orlando, which had a two-game winning streak snapped, were Steve Francis with 21 points, 10 rebounds and five assists and rookie Dwight Howard with 22 points and 11 boards.
Final Score: Boston 116, Atlanta 100
Atlanta, GA (Basketball News) - Ricky Davis poured in a season-high 36 points to lead Boston past Atlanta, 116-100, at Philips Arena. Davis finished the game 14-of-17 from the floor and went 8-for-10 from the free throw line as the Celtics snapped their four-game losing streak. Paul Pierce added 17 points, while Gary Payton collected 14 points and dished out eight assists in the win. Boston is now four games ahead of Philadelphia in the Atlantic Division. Josh Childress led the way for Atlanta with a career-high 26 points. Tony Delk chipped in 18 points as the Hawks lost for the 11th straight time.
Final Score: New Jersey 93, New York 91
New York, NY (Basketball News) - Vince Carter had 31 points and six assists as New Jersey gained ground in the Eastern Conference playoff race with a 93-91 victory over rival New York at Madison Square Garden. Jason Kidd collected 18 points and eight rebounds while Clifford Robinson contributed 12 points off the bench to help the surging Nets to their third straight win and eighth triumph in 10 games. New Jersey is now just a half-game behind Philadelphia. Stephon Marbury finished with 26 points and Jamal Crawford recorded 23 for the Knicks, who have dropped five in a row.
Final Score: Detroit 97, LA Clippers 84
Auburn Hills, MI (Basketball News) - Tayshaun Prince had 23 points to lead the Detroit Pistons past the Los Angeles Clippers, 97-84, at the Palace. Ben Wallace added 16 points and 13 rebounds for the Pistons, who clinched a playoff spot and won for the third time in their last four tries, while stretching their lead over idle Chicago to 4 1/2 games in the Central Division. Detroit also welcomed head coach Larry Brown back to the bench. The Hall of Famer had missed his team’s last 10 games, while recovering from surgery related to the hip procedure he had in the fall. Marko Jaric had 24 points and Elton Brand chipped in 22 and 11 boards for Los Angeles, which dropped its fourth straight game and sixth in its last nine tries.
Final Score: Sacramento 128, Cleveland 109
Cleveland, OH (Basketball News) - Peja Stojakovic, Mike Bibby and Cuttino Mobley each scored 22 points as the Sacramento Kings used a big second-quarter run to defeat the Cleveland Cavaliers, 128-109, at Gund Arena. Kenny Thomas added 18 points and eight rebounds for the Kings, who have won four of their last six and moved one-half game ahead of Houston into fifth place in the Western Conference. LeBron James scored a game-high 35 points to go along with nine rebounds for the Cavaliers, who hold the seventh seed in the East.
Final Score: Memphis 93, Milwaukee 82
Milwaukee, WI (Basketball News) - Pau Gasol finished with 20 points and Shane Battier added 18 as Memphis pulled away from Milwaukee, 93-82, at the Bradley Center. Mike Miller finished with 14 points and buried a crucial three-pointer late in the contest, halting the Grizzlies three-game skid. Bonzi Wells had 13 points off the bench for Memphis, which is tied for seventh place with Denver in the Western Conference. Desmond Mason led all scorers with 24 points for the Bucks, who lost for the eighth straight time. Michael Redd netted 17 points, while Joe Smith pulled down a game-high 12 rebounds in the losing effort.
Final Score: New Orleans 76, Houston 73
Houston, TX (Basketball News) - Lee Nailon scored a team-high 16 points off the bench as New Orleans overcame an 18-point deficit to beat undermanned Houston, 76-73, at the Toyota Center. Also coming off the bench, Dan Dickau had 14 points and six assists, P.J. Brown added 13 points and eight rebounds and Chris Andersen contributed nine points, including five crucial free throws, to go along with his game-high 16 boards in the win. Leading the Rockets, who played without All-Star center Yao Ming, was Tracy McGrady with 21 points on just 5-of-20 shooting. Yao was sidelined with a sore right calf.
Final Score: Golden State 108, Utah 91
Salt Lake City, UT (Basketball News) - Derek Fisher had 19 points to lead a balanced Golden State scoring attack as the Warriors snapped a 19-game road losing streak to Utah with a 108-91 victory at the Delta Center. Jason Richardson added 18 points and reserves Mickael Pietrus and Zarko Cabarkapa scored 15 and 14, respectively, for the Warriors, who posted their fourth straight win overall and seventh triumph in eight games. Golden State, which last won in Salt Lake City on November 11, 1994, had seven players finish with double-figure points. Gordan Giricek netted 17 points and Mehmet Okur scored 14 for the Jazz, who have dropped three in a row and 13 of 15.
Final Score: Phoenix 107, Minnesota 98
Phoenix, AZ (Basketball News) - Steve Nash poured in a game-high 28 points and handed out 11 assists to lead Phoenix to a 107-98 win over Minnesota at America West Arena. Amare Stoudemire, who returned from a two-game absence, finished with 22 points and nine rebounds for the Suns, who have won four straight games and remain the frontrunner in the Western Conference. Quentin Richardson ended with 18 points, Joe Johnson added 15 and Shawn Marion finished with 14 points and 16 boards in the win. Wally Szczerbiak scored 18 points and Kevin Garnett went for 15 points and 15 rebounds for the Timberwolves, who had their five-game winning streak halted and are currently on the outside looking in for the final playoff spot in the West.
Final Score: Denver 102, San Antonio 84
Denver, CO (Basketball News) - Marcus Camby compiled 15 points, 10 rebounds and eight blocked shots as the Denver Nuggets downed the San Antonio Spurs, 102-84, at the Pepsi Center. Earl Boykins came off the bench to score a game-high 23 points for the Nuggets, who have won two straight and nine of 11. Denver remained tied with Memphis for seventh place in the Western Conference, with the Nuggets holding the tiebreaker. Tony Parker poured in 17 points as the Spurs saw their winning streak snapped at three games. San Antonio, which is still without the injured Tim Duncan, fell two games behind Phoenix in the race for the top seed out of the West.
Final Score: Seattle 89, Portland 87
Seattle, WA (Basketball News) - Ray Allen scored 19 points and Damien Wilkins added 17 as Seattle edged Portland, 89-87, at Key Arena. Nick Collison finished with 14 points and eight rebounds for the SuperSonics, who won their third straight game. Reggie Evans pulled down 13 rebounds in the win. Shareef Abdur-Rahim led all scorers with 21 points and Sebastian Telfair netted 18 points for the Trail Blazers, who have lost three straight and 10 of their last 11 games. Darius Miles had 13 points, while Joel Przybilla grabbed 13 rebounds in the loss.
New Orleans Hornets 
Phoenix Suns 
