AROUND THE NBA

AROUND THE NBA
Wednesday's other games
Suns 104, Wizards 99
WASHINGTON -- Shawn Marion scored 28 points, and the Phoenix Suns rallied from an eight-point fourth-quarter deficit. Marion made 12 of 16 shots and scored nine points in the final period, including an alley-oop dunk, a three-point play and a driving dunk that kept the Suns close after the Wizards took an 88-80 lead. Steve Nash added 19 points and 16 assists for the Suns, who have won the first two games of a five-game road trip. Caron Butler scored 22 points, Antawn Jamison had 19, and Gilbert Arenas struggled to score 16 for the Wizards, who lost for the first time in four games since moving Butler to the starting lineup. The game featured two of the five NBA teams averaging more than 100 points, and it didn't disappoint. Neither team had a double-digit lead, and the Suns avenged a 112-111 loss to the Wizards at Phoenix earlier this month.
Magic 105, Knicks 95
ORLANDO, Fla. -- Grant Hill made several key baskets and scored 26 points, and Steve Francis had 17 points and six assists in Orlando's victory over New York. The Magic spoiled a strong performance from New York's Eddy Curry. Playing in just his second game after missing four straight with a sprained ankle, Curry had a season-high 29 points and nine rebounds. However, he left in the fourth quarter with a strained right calf. The Knicks shot just 36 percent. New York's reserves outscored its starters 75-20 -- helped by Curry and 24 points from Jamal Crawford. Stephon Marbury had five points, shooting 0-for-7 from the field. The Knicks fell to 7-20.
Raptors 108, Hawks 102
TORONTO -- Mike James scored 28 points, Morris Peterson added a season-high 26, and Toronto beat Atlanta in a matchup of two of the NBA's worst teams. James also had nine assists and six rebounds for the Raptors, who improved to 2-12 at home. They also beat Miami on Nov 20. Toronto is 7-22 overall, while Atlanta is 7-20. Al Harrington had 25 points for the Hawks, who are 0-2 against Toronto this season. Atlanta has lost nine of its last 10 visits to Toronto.
Bobcats 93, Bulls 80
CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Melvin Ely scored 20 points and Primoz Brezec added 17 points and 14 rebounds to lead undermanned Charlotte over Chicago. Despite being without four of their top seven scorers for most of the game because of injury, the Bobcats forced 25 turnovers and outrebounded the Bulls 50-38 to win for the fifth time in seven games.
Luol Deng scored 18 points and Darius Songaila added 12 for the Bulls, who lost their fifth straight, their longest skid since starting 0-9 last season. The Bobcats, who started with only 11 healthy players, lost starting guard Brevin Knight to a sprained left ankle in the second quarter.
Timberwolves 108, SuperSonics 95
MINNEAPOLIS -- Wally Szczerbiak scored 30 points and Kevin Garnett had 26 points and 10 rebounds as Minnesota snapped a two-game losing streak by beating Seattle. Eddie Griffin added a season-high 22 points for the Wolves and grabbed 12 rebounds for his second double-double of the season. Minnesota won for only the second time in eight games despite playing with a banged-up frontcourt. With starting center Michael Olowokandi sidelined by a right elbow injury and backup Mark Madsen limited by a bruised back, Minnesota kept a three-guard lineup for most of the game with Garnett and Griffin up front. Ray Allen led Seattle with 24 points, while Reggie Evans and Damien Wilkins each had 15. Rashard Lewis scored 14.
Hornets 92, Rockets 90
OKLAHOMA CITY -- David West made a jump shot from the foul line with 1.8 seconds remaining. West's shot came on Chris Paul's 15th assist, a career high for the rookie, and helped the Hornets end a two-game losing streak. Houston lost its fourth straight despite a season-high 38 points from Tracy McGrady. McGrady scored 21 points in the first half against Utah on Tuesday night before leaving at halftime when he learned his fiancee had gone into labor. He picked up where he left off Wednesday with 10 in the first quarter and 23 at halftime. J.R. Smith, just 2-of-19 in the previous three games, scored 16 for the Hornets and Speedy Claxton had 14.
Associated Press
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