NBA ROUNDUP | Wednesday's games

Nets 96, Magic 85
ORLANDO, Fla. -- Vince Carter scored 32 points and Richard Jefferson added 18 to lead New Jersey to its fourth straight win and Orlando's third straight loss. Jameer Nelson scored seven points in a 13-2 Magic run that gave them a 77-76 lead with 8:25 left in the fourth quarter. But Carter made two free throws and threw down an alley-oop from Jason Kidd that gave the Nets an 81-77 lead. The Magic wouldn't seriously threaten with 6:28 left. Grant Hill, in his fourth game back from surgery Oct. 31, had 16 points, as did Steve Francis. Dwight Howard added 14 points, 15 rebounds for the Magic.
76ers 111, Warriors 100
PHILADELPHIA -- Allen Iverson scored 38 points, Chris Webber added 27 and streaking Philadelphia won for the sixth time in seven games, beating Golden State. With the Sixers seemingly headed toward another typical tight, frantic fourth, they instead pulled away from the Warriors with an 11-2 run to open the quarter. Jason Richardson scored 24 points, Mike Dunleavy had 22 and Baron Davis 16 for the Warriors.
Pacers 97, Clippers 75
INDIANAPOLIS -- Stephen Jackson scored 24 points and Jamaal Tinsley had 17 points and eight assists to help Indiana beat the Los Angeles Clippers. The Pacers held the Clippers to 37 percent shooting from the field to sweep the season series. Indiana defeated the Clippers 97-92 on Nov. 27 at the Staples Center. Elton Brand led the Clippers with 29 points and 12 rebounds. He shot 11-for-20 from the field, but the rest of the team shot 22-for-69. The Pacers countered Brand's dominance with balance. Rookie Danny Granger had a career-high 16 points and added seven rebounds and Jermaine O'Neal had 15 points and 11 rebounds.
Spurs 109, Knicks 96
NEW YORK -- Michael Finley scored 19 points and San Antonio shot 56 percent in their victory over the Knicks, who have lost seven straight games. Tony Parker added 18 points and 10 assists as the Spurs' starting guards combined to make 15 of 22 shots against the Knicks' dismal perimeter defense. Finley was 8-of-12 in another start in place of Manu Ginobili, and Parker was 7-for-10. Tim Duncan played only 22 minutes and scored 13 points. Jamal Crawford scored 16 points for New York, and Channing Frye and Stephon Marbury each added 14.
Celtics 101, Jazz 89
BOSTON -- Paul Pierce scored 30 points and Ricky Davis added 20 to help Boston beat the Utah Jazz. Mehmet Okur led the Jazz with 23 points and 11 rebounds. Matt Harpring added 19 points and 10 rebounds. Delonte West, who returned to the Celtics lineup after missing a game with a concussion scored 15 points and had five assists. Mark Blount scored 14 and Al Jefferson had 10 points.
Timberwolves 88, Hornets 69
MINNEAPOLIS -- Wally Szczerbiak scored 21 points and the Minnesota Timberwolves ended a four-game losing streak with a win over New Orleans. Kevin Garnett had 17 points, nine assists and seven rebounds for Northwest Division-leading Minnesota, whose skid was its longest since dropping six straight from Jan. 30 to Feb. 8 last season. Szczerbiak has been the Wolves' leading scorer in eight of their 10 December games. He has scored at least 20 points in each of his last six games, the longest streak of his career. Rookie Chris Paul scored 15 points and David West added 11 for New Orleans.
Grizzlies 89, Trail Blazers 79
MEMPHIS, Tenn. -- Pau Gasol scored 26 points and grabbed 12 rebounds Wednesday night to lead the Memphis Grizzlies to a 89-79 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers. Gasol shot 11-of-17 from the field and led a 50-34 Memphis advantage in the paint. Gasol also had five blocks. Memphis built the lead to its biggest of the game at 72-62 when Miller scored on a fast break drive with 7:34 left. Portland answered by getting the ball inside to Zach Randolph, who scored twice as part of a 6-0 mini-run. Eventually, with Randolph and Ruben Patterson scoring inside, Portland cut into the lead, trailing by 3 on three occasions, the last coming with just under three minutes left at 80-77. But a 3-pointer from Damon Stoudamire and four final points from Gasol rebuilt the lead to 89-79, sending the Trail Blazers to their fifth loss in six games.
Associated Press