NBA ROUNDUP \ Tuesday’s other games
Nets 87, Bucks 80
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — This is why the New Jersey Nets won’t just give Jason Kidd away. Kidd scored of seven of his nine points in the final 1:42 and added 11 assists as the Nets snapped a nine-game losing streak. Ignoring the distractions Kidd created a day earlier with his comments encouraging a trade, the Nets held the Bucks to 37.5 percent shooting and avoided their first double-digit skid since dropping their final 11 games of the 1999-00 season. Richard Jefferson scored 20 points and Vince Carter had 16 points and matched a season high with 12 rebounds for the Nets. Bostjan Nachbar had 14 points. Royal Ivey scored 19 points for the Bucks, who were without leading scorer Michael Redd for the second straight game because of a left knee strain that will also keep him out of tonight’s game at Philadelphia.
Pistons 110, Pacers 104
INDIANAPOLIS — Rasheed Wallace had 24 points and 10 rebounds to help the Pistons beat the Pacers. Tayshaun Prince scored 17 points and Chauncey Billups added 13 points and eight assists for the Pistons, who won their third straight game. Mike Dunleavy led Indiana with 25 points and seven assists. Travis Diener scored 18 points and Jeff Foster had 11 points and 13 rebounds for the Pacers, who have lost four in a row.
Wizards 108, Raptors 104, OT
WASHINGTON — Andray Blatche had 19 points and eight rebounds in only his second start of the season, and Antawn Jamison finished with 24 points and 20 rebounds to lead Washington to an overtime victory over Toronto. Chris Bosh led the way with 37 points and 12 rebounds for the Raptors, who trailed by as many as 12 points in the fourth quarter. Anthony Parker’s high-arching 3-pointer curled into the net as the regulation buzzer sounded, forcing the extra period.
Celtics 117, Heat 87
MIAMI — Leon Powe scored a career-high 25 points with 11 rebounds, Rajon Rondo tied a career-high with 23 points, and Tony Allen scored 20 points with six assists to lead the NBA-best Celtics to an overwhelming victory over the Heat — who followed the win that snapped their 15-game losing streak with an absolute clunker. The Celtics played without Kevin Garnett (strained abdominal muscle) and Ray Allen (flu), and the third member of their star triumverate, Paul Pierce, was scoreless for most of the first half.
Mark Blount scored 20 points for Miami.
Bulls 96, Timberwolves 85
CHICAGO — Kirk Hinrich finished with 27 points after a rough start as Chicago spoiled Randy Foye’s return from a knee injury. Although they began the night with the NBA’s worst record, the Timberwolves were showing signs of progress. They had won three of four, beating Phoenix along the way, and the lone loss during that stretch was by one to Boston. Foye scored 11 points in 17 minutes in his first appearance of the season, but the good news ended there for the Timberwolves. Hinrich hit a jumper midway through the third quarter to break a 49-49 tie after missing 11 of his first 12 shots, and the Bulls started to pull away. He scored 12 points in the period as Chicago built a 71-62 lead. Andres Nocioni added 18 points for Chicago, which had lost three of four, and the Bulls got a solid outing from Joakim Noah (10 points, 13 rebounds).
Rockets 111, Warriors 107
HOUSTON — Yao Ming scored eight of his 36 points in the final 2 1/2 minutes and had 19 rebounds to help the Houston Rockets hold on to beat Golden State. Rafer Alston had 17 points and a season-high 12 assists as the Rockets overcame the absence of Tracy McGrady to win for the fifth time in six games and snap a four-game losing streak to the Warriors. Houston led 52-31 late in the second quarter, but the Warriors spent the second half gradually chipping away. They took their first lead, at 102-101, on Baron Davis’ 3-pointer with 2:11 left in the game. Yao overpowered Golden State’s undersized frontcourt all night and muscled his way down low on every Rockets’ possession down the stretch. He went 6-for-6 from the free-throw line and flipped in a hook shot after that as Houston pulled away late. Davis sank another 3-pointer with 15.5 seconds left for the final margin. He finished with 21 points, six rebounds and six assists. McGrady sat out with flu-like symptoms, the 15th game he’s missed this season. The Rockets improved to 8-7 without him.
Associated Press