Wizards 94, Lakers 91

Wizards 94, Lakers 91
WASHINGTON -- Gilbert Arenas scored 34 points and keyed a second-half comeback to lead Washington to its third straight victory. The Wizards, who trailed by as many as 16 in the second quarter and nine at the break, ended the third quarter with a 21-3 run to take a 72-66 lead. Arenas scored 10 points during the surge. Washington's second-half run came after it shot just 15-for-45 from the field in the first half. Arenas shot 7-for-14 in the first half while the rest of the Wizards went 8-for-31. Antawn Jamison added 15 points and 11 rebounds for Washington. Kobe Bryant finished with 31 points after missing his first six shots. He scored 20 in the first half but was only 4-of-11 in the second half. Smush Parker added 16 points for the Lakers, who were only 14-of-38 in the second half.
Magic 108, Bucks 93
ORLANDO, Fla. -- Steve Francis scored 21 points and Grant Hill added 20 to lead Orlando, which snapped a four-game losing streak and won for the first time on its six-game homestand. Dwight Howard returned from a sprained right ankle that kept him out of most of Friday's loss to the Lakers and finished with 19 points and 14 rebounds. Hedo Turkoglu scored 14 points. The Magic had lost six of seven to the Bucks, who had won two straight overall and nine of their last 12. The 108 points were a season high for Orlando, who came into the game 29th in the league in scoring, averaging 87.7 points. Milwaukee star Michael Redd missed his first six shots and went 4-for-16 from the field, finishing with 17 points. T.J. Ford had 19 points and nine rebounds and Jamaal Magloire added 14 points and nine rebounds.
Nets 109, Knicks 101
NEW YORK -- Vince Carter scored 27 points and Richard Jefferson added 23 to lead the New Jersey Nets to their sixth consecutive win. Carter has led New Jersey in scoring in all the six wins. He has averaged 34 points during that span, New Jersey's longest winning streak since a franchise-record 14 straight victories in 2004. Jason Kidd added nine assists and reserve forward Clifford Robinson had 16 points.
Suns 103, Timberwolves 89
MINNEAPOLIS -- Boris Diaw had a career-high 31 points, 11 rebounds and five assists to lead Phoenix, which had lost five of its last seven games. Steve Nash, too quick for any of Minnesota's point guards, had 24 points and 12 assists. Shawn Marion added 21 points and 16 rebounds for the Suns. Kevin Garnett finished with 26 points and 19 rebounds, and Wally Szczerbiak added 27 points for the Timberwolves.
Mavericks 102, Pacers 80
DALLAS -- Devin Harris scored 20 points, including a 20-footer that he intended to be a pass, and Jerry Stackhouse proved his injured knee is doing fine with an active third quarter that featured a tremendous dunk, leading the Dallas Mavericks to a highlight-filled victory. Dirk Nowitzki added 23 points to help the Mavs tie San Antonio for the best record in the Western Conference at 21-7.
Associated Press
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