Hornets 111, Warriors 108

Hornets 111, Warriors 108
NEW ORLEANS -- Rodney Rogers scored 20 points and Bostjan Nachbar had 19 as New Orleans ensured the it would not match the NBA's worst record. New Orleans got the benefit of a controversial call with 4.3 seconds left after Dan Dickau was trapped on an inbound pass and lost the ball. Richardson failed to control the loose ball and rookie J.R. Smith dove on it, calling timeout as he slid out of bounds. Referee Michael Smith gave New Orleans the timeout, drawing protests from the Warriors, who trailed 109-108. Smith then caught the next inbound pass as he was fouled and made both free throws. Mike Dunleavy Jr. had a chance to tie it with a 3-point attempt that bounced off the front iron as time expired, ensuring a second straight victory for New Orleans (10-40). The worst NBA record is 9-73 by the 1972-73 Philadelphia 76ers.
Grizzlies 88, Trail Blazers 82
MEMPHIS, Tenn. -- Stromile Swift scored 23 points and Mike Miller added 22 in the sluggish Grizzlies' victory. Swift also had eight rebounds before leaving the game with 5:45 left after banging his left knee. Miller was 4-of-8 from 3-point range and 9-of-14 overall to help Memphis win its third straight and sixth in the last seven. Bonzi Wells added 13 points for Memphis and tied a career high with 14 rebounds against his former team. Zach Randolph led the Trail Blazers with 26 points and 12 rebounds. Ruben Patterson scored 20 points, and Damon Stoudamire, who had scored at least 30 points in the last two games, added 16 on 5-of-17 shooting.
Spurs 101, Nets 91
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- Tony Parker scored 17 of his 27 points in the fourth quarter, and San Antonio took over after Bruce Bowen got New Jersey's Vince Carter so angry that he picked a second technical foul with 9:45 to go. Carter, who scored 43 points on 14-of-24 shooting, became so enraged after tangling legs with Bowen after missing a jumper that he screamed at the Spurs' forward and walked menacingly toward him with 9:45 left. Tim Duncan, who missed the last two games because of a sprained right ankle, had 16 points and 15 rebounds for the Spurs.
Celtics 111, Knicks 94
BOSTON -- Ricky Davis scored 25 points, Paul Pierce had 17, and Raef LaFrentz added 15 points and 14 rebounds to help Atlantic Division-leading Boston (26-25) move above .500 for the first time since Nov. 12. New York dropped its 14th game in 16 tries to fall to 3-18 in 2005 and 19-31 overall. Stephon Marbury scored 31 points, his fifth straight game with 30 or more. Boston outscored New York 27-11 in the third quarter en route to its fifth victory in six games and its fourth straight over the Knicks.
Wizards 94, Clippers 91
WASHINGTON -- Gilbert Arenas scored 14 of his 35 points in the fourth quarter and Antawn Jamison hit a big 3-pointer in the final minute to lead the Wizards. Arenas reached the 30-point mark for the ninth time in 14 games and was again the catalyst in the final period as the Wizards held firm in a tight finish to sweep their four-game homestand.
Rockets 91, Pacers 83
INDIANAPOLIS -- Bob Sura scored 17 points and Houston won its sixth straight game, holding Indiana to a single point in the final 7 minutes. After trailing by 15 points, Indiana rallied to tie it at 82, with Reggie Miller hitting two 3-pointers. But the Pacers missed their final 12 shots as the Rockets pulled away in the closing minutes. Tracy McGrady and Yao Ming added 16 points each for Houston, and Juwan Howard had 14 points and 12 rebounds. Jermaine O'Neal and Stephen Jackson had 18 points apiece for the Pacers, Fred Jones finished with 14, and Miller and Anthony Johnson added 11 each.
Heat 97, Bobcats 87
CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Shaquille O'Neal had 32 points and 12 rebounds to lead Miami to its fifth straight victory and ninth in 10 games. Damon Jones added 22 points despite playing on a sprained ankle. Emeka Okafor returned for Charlotte after missing five games with a sprained left ankle, only to aggravate the injury and hobble off the court with 5:41 remaining. He finished with 13 points and seven rebounds.
76ers 106, Raptors 91
TORONTO -- Allen Iverson had 30 points and eight assists to help Philadelphia end a two-game losing streak. Kenny Thomas added 21 points and eight rebounds, and rookie Andre Iguodala had 16 points and eight rebounds. Jalen Rose had 23 points for the Raptors.
Jazz 100, Timberwolves 82
SALT LAKE CITY -- Carlos Boozer answered criticism from team owner Larry Miller with 21 points and 11 rebounds, and Andrei Kirilenko had 20 points and 10 rebounds for the Jazz. Boozer, whose toughness was questioned publicly by Miller earlier in the week, had his 22nd double-double of the season but first in more than two weeks. It was just the second game in the last six Boozer scored in double figures, not the kind of production Miller had in mind when Boozer signed a $68 million deal last summer.
SuperSonics 113, Suns 105
PHOENIX -- Ray Allen climbed out of an awful shooting night with 14 of his 21 points in the fourth quarter and the SuperSonics had seven players in double figures. Rashard Lewis scored 23 points, going 4-of-7 from 3-point range, and Antonio Daniels had 20 in the Sonics' fifth win in a row. Vladimir Radmanovic added 13, Jerome James and Luke Ridnour had 12 apiece, and Reggie Evans had 10 points and 11 rebounds. Seattle, coming off a home victory over Sacramento on Thursday night, improved to 9-2 against the top six teams in the NBA.
Associated Press