NBA \ Thursday-Wednesday games

Magic 93, Hawks 76

ATLANTA — Dwight Howard had 22 points and 17 rebounds while Vince Carter added 21 points for Orlando. The Hawks, attempting to tie Phoenix for the NBA’s best record, dropped to 11-4. They missed a chance to improve to 8-0 at home for the first time since 1993-94. Orlando wiped away the disappointment of a one-point home loss to Miami on Wednesday night with its sixth win in seven games. Atlanta, which has dropped two straight following a seven-game winning, blew a 14-point lead after Joe Johnson banked in a jumper to begin the third quarter. The Magic went on a 25-10 run that ended with Carter’s three-point play and a 64-63 advantage with 2:09 left in the third.

Johnson finished with 22 points for the Hawks, who fell a half-game behind Orlando for the Eastern Conference and Southeast Division lead.

Wednesday

Trail Blazers 93, Nets 83 PORTLAND, Ore. — The New Jersey Nets moved a loss closer to the record for the NBA’s worst start to a season when they dropped their 15th straight game. Greg Oden continued a recent run of strong play with 18 points and eight rebounds for the Blazers, who have won 10 of their last 12. Portland has won six straight at home. The NBA record is 17 straight losses to start a season, set by the 1988-89 expansion Miami Heat and matched by the Los Angeles Clippers in the lockout-shortened 1999 season.

Nuggets 124, Timberwolves 111

MINNEAPOLIS — Carmelo Anthony scored 22 points and Nene had 17 points, eight rebounds and six assists as the Nuggets handed the Timberwolves their 14th straight loss. The Timberwolves have not won since an opening night victory over New Jersey. Their 1-14 mark is the worst 15-game start in team history. Corey Brewer had the first double-double of his career with a career-high 22 points and 13 rebounds. Jonny Flynn scored 20 points for the Wolves, who cut the lead to eight points in the fourth before fading to yet another loss.

Kings 117, Knicks 97

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Donte Greene made six 3-pointers and tied a career high with 24 points, and the Kings never trailed in a victory over the Knicks. Leading by 10 points at the half, the Kings built the margin to 93-73 with an impressive third quarter and the lead remained in double figures the rest of the game. Rookie Tyreke Evans had 19 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists for Sacramento, which snapped a four-game losing streak. It was the first time in eight games that the rookie from Memphis failed to score 20 or more.

David Lee had 25 points and 12 rebounds for the struggling Knicks. Nate Robinson also scored 25 points and Al Harrington added 17 for New York, which shot 38 percent.

Pacers 86, Clippers 73

INDIANAPOLIS — Troy Murphy had 18 points and 11 rebounds, and the Pacers beat the Clippers to snap their four-game losing streak. Dahntay Jones scored 18 and Brandon Rush added 13 points and 11 rebounds for the Pacers (6-7). Indiana played without All-Star swingman Danny Granger, who missed the game with a sprained ligament in his left knee. Baron Davis had 25 points and Marcus Camby added 15 points and 21 rebounds for the Clippers (6-10), who dropped their third straight road game.

Celtics 113, 76ers 110

BOSTON — Rajon Rondo scored six points during a key run early in the fourth quarter, nailed a shot clock-beating jumper on the baseline in the closing seconds, and the Celtics overcame poor 3-point shooting to beat the 76ers. Paul Pierce led Boston with 27 points, including a game-tying 3-pointer early in the 14-3 spurt. Kevin Garnett had 19 points and Ray Allen 18. Rondo finished with 10 points and seven assists. Andre Iguodala paced the undermanned 76ers with 25 points, nine rebounds and nine assists. Jason Kapono had a season-high 20 points on 8 of 11 shooting off the bench.

Bobcats 116, Raptors 81

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Gerald Wallace broke out of his shooting slump with 31 points and grabbed 13 rebounds, helping the Bobcats to the most lopsided victory in team history, over the Raptors. Stephen Jackson added 23 points for Charlotte, which dominated the listless Raptors. The sixth-year Bobcats’ previous biggest win was a 32-point rout of Indiana on Nov. 16, 2005. While Wallace entered as the NBA’s third-leading rebounder, he was shooting 38 percent from the field and averaging only 13.7 points. But he took advantage of one of the NBA’s worst defenses by beating numerous defenders off the dribble. Chris Bosh had 18 points and 14 rebounds, and Andrea Bargnani scored 15 for the Raptors.

Heat 99, Magic 98

ORLANDO, Fla. — Michael Beasley dunked a missed shot by Dwyane Wade with 1.6 seconds remaining, lifting the Heat to a victory over the Magic. Wade’s jumper was short, and Beasley soared in the air to take the rebound and seal the victory, which didn’t come without controversy. Dwight Howard and the Magic bench pleaded for a goaltending call to no avail.

Spurs 118, Warriors 104

SAN ANTONIO — Tony Parker scored 32 points and the Spurs overcame another iron man performance by Monta Ellis. Tim Duncan had 20 points and nine rebounds for the Spurs, who used a 22-3 run spanning the third and fourth quarters for their season-best third consecutive victory. One night after a season-high, 37-point performance in a 111-103 victory at Dallas, Ellis topped it by scoring 42 points on 16-of-25 shooting to tie his career high. After playing all 48 minutes in each of the Warriors’ previous two games, Ellis finally left Wednesday’s midway through the fourth quarter but came back in with a little more than 3 minutes remaining. He finished with 44 minutes.

Mavericks 130, Rockets 99

HOUSTON — Jason Kidd moved into second place on the NBA’s career assists list, Jason Terry scored 27 points and the Dallas Mavericks shot 65.5 percent. Kidd delivered seven assists to reach 10,337 in his career. He came in needing five to pass Mark Jackson’s career total (10,334), and now trails only John Stockton (15,806). Dirk Nowitzki scored 25 and Tim Thomas added a season-high 23 for the Mavericks, who went 9 for 17 from 3-point range. Shawn Marion, who missed the last three games with a sprained left ankle, started and scored 12 in 31 minutes. Carl Landry scored 24 points for the Rockets, who’ve lost 14 of their last 18 games against Dallas.

Hornets 102, Bucks 99

NEW ORLEANS — David West had 27 points and 10 rebounds, and the Hornets defeated the Bucks. Rookie point guard Darren Collison scored 18 points, including a 3-pointer to tie it with 7.5 seconds left in regulation. Collison also stole the ball from fellow rookie Brandon Jennings and drew a foul late in overtime, then hit two free throws to help New Orleans extend its home overtime winning streak to 11.

Luke Ridnour scored a season-high 23 points and Hakim Warrick added 22 points and 10 rebounds for Milwaukee, which lost its second straight when Michael Redd’s attempted game-tying 3 bounced out as time expired in overtime.

Suns 126, Grizzlies 111

PHOENIX — Amare Stoudemire scored 18 of his 28 points during a torrid third quarter and the Suns beat the Grizzlies for their 15th consecutive home victory. In the third quarter, the scintillating, high-scoring Suns hit their first 12 field-goal attempts and finished the quarter 17 for 20. The Suns are 12-3, the best record in the NBA. They are the only team in the league to score at least 100 points in every game this season. They also have scored at least 100 points in 32 consecutive home games. Their 126 points against Memphis were a season high — home or away.

Associated Press