BOSTON (AP) Vince Carter scored 26 points, Rashard Lewis had
16 points and 10 rebounds, and the Orlando Magic beat the Boston
Celtics 83-78 on Friday night.
Dwight Howard grabbed 15 boards and Mickael Pietrus added 14
points for Orlando, which won the rematch of last season's Eastern
Conference semifinal for its fourth consecutive victory.
Paul Pierce scored 21 for Boston, which has lost three of its
last four, and three of five at home. Kevin Garnett scored 13
points with 11 rebounds, and Ray Allen had 15 points for the
Celtics.
^Cavaliers 105, Pacers 95=
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) LeBron James scored a season-high 40 points,
and Cleveland rallied to beat Indiana.
James also had nine rebounds and seven assists for Cleveland
(9-4).
Danny Granger had 19 points and nine rebounds, and Dahntay Jones
added 17 points for the Pacers (5-5), who lost their second in a
row.
^Hawks 105, Rockets 103=
ATLANTA (AP) Josh Smith soared through the lane to drop in a
missed shot with 0.7 seconds remaining and Atlanta won its seventh
in a row, beating Houston to maintain the NBA's best record.
Marvin Williams scored a season-high 29 points and Jamal
Crawford added 21 points for the Hawks. Carl Landry led five
Houston players in double figures with 18.
The Hawks improved to 7-0 at Philips Arena, their best start at
home since 1997, and snapped the Rockets' two-game winning streak
on the road.
^Raptors 120, Heat 113=
TORONTO (AP) Chris Bosh had 29 points and 12 rebounds, Andrea
Bargnani had 24 points and 10 rebounds and the Raptors snapped a
three-game losing streak.
It's the second straight game that Bosh and Bargnani each had a
double-double. Hedo Turkoglu added 19 points, with Jarrett Jack
scoring 17 and Jose Calderon recording 10 assists.
Dwyane Wade shook off a recent slump to score 30 points for the
Heat, who have lost three straight and four of five. Mario Chalmers
added 30 points, Michael Beasley had 21 points and 12 rebounds, and
former Raptors star Jermaine O'Neal finished with 17.
^Bucks 95, Bobcats 88=
MILWAUKEE (AP) Rookie Brandon Jennings scored 29 points to
lead Milwaukee over Charlotte, with minority owner Michael Jordan
on hand to witness his Bobcats drop their seventh straight.
Milwaukee (7-3) finished the homestand 5-1 and is off to its
best start since going 9-1 in 2001, even though the Bucks were
without guard Michael Redd (sprained left knee) and center Andrew
Bogut (strained left leg).
Stephen Jackson, in town for the second time in seven days after
being traded from the Warriors to the Bobcats, scored 22 points in
his third game with his new team. Gerald Wallace added 22 points
and 10 rebounds, and Flip Murray had 17 points for Charlotte.
^Mavericks 104, Kings 102=
DALLAS (AP) Jason Terry scored 12 of his 20 points in the
fourth quarter, and Dallas got 52 points from the bench in winning
its fifth straight.
Terry had six points during a 12-4 run that gave the Mavericks a
cushion in the fourth.
Dirk Nowitzki added 20 points, Drew Gooden pulled down a
season-high 16 rebounds, and Jason Kidd and reserve Kris Humphries
each added 15 points.
Sacramento rookie Tyreke Evans had 29 points, seven rebounds and
a season-high 10 assists.
^Warriors 108, Trail Blazers 94=
OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) Monta Ellis scored a season-high 34
points and had eight assists, Anthony Morrow added 23 points, and
Golden State beat Portland to snap a three-game losing streak.
Anthony Randolph had 15 points and 11 rebounds, Corey Maggette
added 13 points and Stephen Curry had 12 for the Warriors, who won
their ninth straight home game against the Blazers.
Rudy Fernandez had 19 points and five assists, Brandon Roy added
17 points and Greg Oden had 16 points but was plagued by foul
trouble throughout the second half for Portland, which lost for
just the second time in nine games.
^Clippers 106, Nuggets 99=
LOS ANGELES (AP) Reserve forward Rasual Butler scored 27
points, Al Thornton added 18 and Los Angeles withstood an early
scoring spree from Carmelo Anthony to beat Denver.
Chris Kaman had 13 points, seven rebounds and six assists for
the Clippers.
The Nuggets, coming off one-sided victories over the Lakers and
Toronto Raptors, lost to the Clippers for the first time since Nov.
11, 2007. They had won the previous seven meetings, including a
four-game sweep last season. Anthony led Denver with 37 points and
Nene had 18 points and 12 rebounds.
^Grizzlies 102, 76ers 97=
PHILADELPHIA (AP) Rudy Gay tied his season high with 33
points, including a clutch jumper with 19 seconds remaining, Zach
Randolph added 21 points and 11 rebounds, and Memphis registered
its their first road win of the season.
Marc Gasol had 19 points and O.J. Mayo 12 for the Grizzlies
(4-8), who have won three straight and improved to 1-6 on the road.
It was their first three-game winning streak in November since
2005, and their first victory in Philadelphia since Feb. 9, 2005.
Lou Williams scored a career-high 31 points, Elton Brand added
22 and Andre Iguodala had 15 for the Sixers (5-7).
^Thunder 127, Wizards 108=
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) Kevin Durant scored 35 points, Russell
Westbrook added 26 and Oklahoma City had its highest-scoring output
of the season.
Rookie James Harden followed his 24-point performance by hitting
his first three 3-pointers and finishing with 25 points to set
another career best. Jeff Green had 19 points and 14 rebounds, and
Thabo Sefolosha added 16 points.
Caron Butler scored 24 for the Wizards, who have lost seven of
eight.
(Copyright 2009 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)