KNICKS 91, BOBCATS 82

Knicks 91, Bobcats 82
NEW YORK -- Tim Thomas scored 20 points to lead five New York starters in double figures. The Knicks, who this month lost in Charlotte despite 41 points from Jamal Crawford, played without their injured shooting guard this time. Crawford was placed on injured reserve with turf toe of his right foot. Emeka Okafor had 23 points and 15 rebounds for the Bobcats for his 15th straight double-double, the most in a row by a rookie since Shaquille O'Neal had 15 straight for Orlando during the 1992-93 season.
Bucks 99, Bulls 92
MILWAUKEE -- Michael Redd scored 20 of his season-high 39 points in the first quarter. Redd, who made eight of his first 11 shots, was 15-of-27 from the floor as Milwaukee snapped its five-game losing streak. Joe Smith added a season-high 21 points to go with nine rebounds for the Bucks, who beat Chicago for the 13th straight time in Milwaukee. Ben Gordon had 19 points for Chicago, which had its five-game winning streak halted.
Spurs 107, Celtics 90
SAN ANTONIO -- Tony Parker scored a season-high 27 points and San Antonio fended off a series of rallies by Boston. Tim Duncan had 14 points and 11 rebounds to improve to 15-0 against the Celtics. Devin Brown added 17 points, including four 3-pointers, and Bruce Bowen finished with 15 points. Ricky Davis led Boston with 21 points on 8-for-11 shooting, while Paul Pierce scored 16. Down by 15 to start the final period, Boston pulled within 92-84 on a 19-footer jumper by Davis with nearly five minutes left. But Bowen's third 3-pointer of the game and a driving layup by Parker started a 12-4 run to seal the win.
Suns 106, Raptors 94
PHOENIX -- Amare Stoudemire scored 33 points and the Phoenix Suns held off a strong Toronto comeback for their 11th consecutive victory. The Suns won for the 20th time in 21 games to boost their NBA-best record to 24-3 and maintain their grip on first place in the Pacific Division. During their latest winning streak -- they won nine in a row earlier this season -- the Suns have scored at least 100 points in each game. The last time Phoenix won 11 straight was March 20-April 10, 1997. The 11 consecutive wins ties Miami for the longest streak this year. Steve Nash had 18 points and 13 assists for Phoenix, making him the first NBA player in history to register 10 or more assists in 11 consecutive wins. Shawn Marion added 18 points and 18 rebounds, and Quentin Richardson also scored 18.
Timberwolves 109, Wizards 74
MINNEAPOLIS -- Wally Szczerbiak's 23 points led four starters in double figures as Minnesota routed Washington. Sam Cassell had 22 points, Kevin Garnett 18 and Latrell Sprewell 11 for Minnesota, which snapped a two-game losing streak. The Timberwolves have beaten the Wizards seven straight times. Gilbert Arenas scored 21 points to lead Washington, which wrapped up a five-game road trip with its worst loss of the season, eclipsing a 105-74 setback at Cleveland Nov. 13. Larry Hughes added 13 for the Wizards. Garnett scored nine of his points in the third quarter, including an alley-oop from Anthony Carter, as Minnesota built a 19-point lead. He added 12 rebounds and eight assists -- the 14th team he's led Minnesota in all three categories.
Rockets 96, Clippers 79
HOUSTON -- Tracy McGrady and Jim Jackson each scored 21 points to help Houston defeat the Los Angeles Clippers. Yao Ming had 20 points and 11 rebounds as Houston won for the seventh time in 10 games. It was Yao's third straight double-double and team-high 11th of the season. Corey Maggette scored 23 points to lead the Clippers, who lost their eighth straight to the Rockets. Los Angeles has not defeated Houston since Dec. 14, 2002. Houston used a 12-0 run to take command in the first quarter. Yao had 11 points during the period, including seven free throws, to help the Rockets take a 31-20 lead.The Rockets weren't done. They went on a 11-0 second-quarter run to up their lead to 48-33. Yao had 17 at the half and Houston led 52-40. Los Angeles scored the first nine points of the third quarter to close the margin to 52-49. But consecutive 3s by Jackson pushed Houston's lead back to nine.
Mavericks 102, Nuggets 88
DENVER -- Sensing teammate Michael Finley was about to go on a scoring streak, Jerry Stackhouse started yelling "Get warm Fin, get warm!" Finley did, and Dirk Nowitzki took it from there. Finley hit three straight baskets during a key third-quarter run and Nowitzki took over from there, scoring 25 of his 38 points in the second half to help the Dallas Mavericks rally. Finley and Nowitzki were a combined 7-of-20 in the first half before taking over in the second, allowing the Mavericks to turn a 12-point deficit into a three-point lead at the end of the third quarter. Finley finished with 20 points and Erick Dampier added 13 points and 10 rebounds.
Warriors 98, Kings 94
SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- Jason Richardson scored all 26 of his points in the second half to lead Golden State. The Warriors snapped an 11-game losing streak in Sacramento and won for just the second time in 22 games there, dating back to April 9, 1998. Troy Murphy had 19 points and 13 rebounds for the Warriors, who had lost four of five games and are 3-10 on the road this season. Cliff Robinson added 11 points, while Speedy Claxton had 10 points and nine assists.
Associated Press
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