NBA Friday’s games

January 24, 2009 at 12:00a.m.

Bobcats 98, Suns 76

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Boris Diaw dominated Phoenix a month after being dealt by the Suns, scoring 26 points and grabbing 11 rebounds to lead the surging Charlotte Bobcats. Gerald Wallace added 28 points, and former Sun Raja Bell had nine points and a career-high eight assists in Charlotte’s fifth win in six games. Shaquille O’Neal had 20 points for the Suns. Jason Richardson, Charlotte’s top scorer before the trade, finished with eight points for Phoenix.

Knicks 108, Grizzlies 88

NEW YORK — David Lee had 19 points and 14 rebounds, and New York won its third straight game to hand Memphis its eighth straight loss, a day after the Grizzlies fired coach Marc Iavaroni. Rudy Gay led Memphis with 20 points. Assistant Johnny Davis directed the Grizzlies as an interim coach. Lionel Hollins is working on a contract with Memphis to serve as head coach for the third time — the first time without the interim label.

Mavericks 112, Pistons 91

AUBURN HILLS, Mich. — Dirk Nowitzki scored 26 points, Josh Howard added 22 and Dallas rebounded from its worst performance of the season. The Mavericks were coming off a 133-99 loss in Milwaukee on Wednesday night. Brandon Bass added a season-high 18 points, and Jason Kidd had 11 points and 10 assists for Dallas. Richard Hamilton, coming off the bench for just the second time in his Detroit career, led the Pistons with 17 points.

Spurs 94, Nets 93

SAN ANTONIO — Tim Duncan had 30 points and 15 rebounds, and Michael Finley hit a pivotal 3-pointer for San Antonio with 22.6 seconds left. One night after NBA fans voted Duncan to his 10th straight All-Star start, he led the Spurs to their fourth straight victory. Devin Harris scored 27 points, and Vince Carter had 26 for New Jersey. The Nets have lost five straight.

Timberwolves 116, Hornets 108

MINNEAPOLIS — Al Jefferson had 24 points and 14 rebounds, and Randy Foye had 24 points and eight assists to help Minnesota improve to 8-2 in January. James Posey had 24 points and tied a career high with seven 3-pointers for New Orleans. Chris Paul added 23 points and 12 assists.

Hawks 117, Bucks 87

ATLANTA — Flip Murray scored a season-high 25 points, Josh Smith had 24 and Atlanta Hawks raced away to its biggest victory of the season. Mike Bibby had 15 assists for the Hawks, who shot 56 percent from the field while winning their third in a row. Charlie Villanueva led Milwaukee with 27 points.

Pacers 107, Rockets 102

INDIANAPOLIS — Danny Granger scored 25 points, T.J. Ford added 21, and Troy Murphy had 14 points and 16 rebounds to help Indiana snap a two-game losing skid. Luis Scola led Houston with a career-high 25 points. Houston center Yao Ming left the game with a sore right knee and did not play in the second half.

Raptors 114, Bulls 94

CHICAGO — Jose Calderon had 23 points on 9-of-10 shooting and added 10 assists in his return to Toronto’s lineup, helping the Raptors snap a seven-game losing streak. Ben Gordon scored 19 points for Chicago. The Bulls have lost four straight.

Associated Press