Timberwolves 101, Heat 91

Timberwolves 101, Heat 91

MINNEAPOLIS — Rashad McCants continued his sharp shooting streak with 27 points and Minnesota snapped an eight-game losing streak. Dwyane Wade had 25 points, seven assists and five rebounds for Miami, which played its sixth straight game without Shaquille O’Neal and has lost eight in a row to fall to an Eastern Conference-worst 8-27. Al Jefferson added 18 points and 10 rebounds, and Marko Jaric had 17 points and eight assists for the Timberwolves, who notched just their fifth win of the season, and first since defeating Indiana on Dec. 21.

Bucks 87, 76ers 83

PHILADELPHIA — Charlie Bell and Mo Williams each scored 21 points as Milwaukee beat Philadelphia. Milwaukee has won three of four since the calendar turned, including all three games away from home. Andrew Bogut had 13 points and 12 rebounds, and Charlie Villanueva added 15 points and 10 boards for the Bucks. Andre Iguodala scored 21 points and Samuel Dalembert had 16 points and 16 rebounds for the 76ers, who have lost four straight. The Sixers lost three in a row to complete a season-high six-game road trip.

Rockets 92, Wizards 84

WASHINGTON — Luther Head’s season-high 24 points and Rafer Alston’s double-double led Houston past the Washington Wizards for the Rockets’ third consecutive victory. Alston finished with 15 points, 10 assists and seven rebounds, and Yao Ming scored 21 points for Houston, which is 5-2 since McGrady went down last month with a left knee injury. McGrady, sitting on the sideline in a jacket and tie, will be checked out by the Rockets’ medical staff Thursday to determine when he’ll be able to return. The Wizards also had a star scorer in street clothes, of course: Gilbert Arenas, out probably another two months after left knee surgery. But the two past All-Stars who have been leading the team in his absence, Caron Butler and Antawn Jamison, were quite quiet Tuesday.

Bobcats 115, Nets 99

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Jason Richardson scored 25 points and Charlotte overcame Jason Kidd’s third consecutive triple-double. Gerald Wallace added 21 points and 11 rebounds and Emeka Okafor and Nazr Mohammed added 17 points apiece for the Bobcats, who shot 59 percent in their highest-scoring game of the season. Charlotte snapped a three-game losing streak. The Nets had their five-game winning streak snapped despite Kidd’s 13 points, 11 rebounds and 12 assists. He became the first player since Detroit’s Grant Hill 11 seasons ago to have three straight triple-doubles. Richard Jefferson had 25 points and Vince Carter scored 17 on 5-of-15 shooting for the Nets, who struggled to defend inside in their worst performance in weeks.

Lakers 117, Grizzlies 101

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Derek Fisher scored 26 points and Kobe Bryant added 25 to lead Los Angeles past Memphis. It was the 13th win in 16 games for the Lakers, who have won six of their last eight road games. The Grizzlies, who never led, were paced by Mike Miller with 19 points. Pau Gasol added 18 points and 12 rebounds. Rudy Gay finished with 15 points. Memphis didn’t give itself much of a chance by committing 20 turnovers that led to 25 Lakers points. In the second half, the Grizzlies got only as close as 12 points, and the Lakers answered with seven in a row to put away the game.

Associated Press