nba roundup

Nuggets 123, Raptors 116

TORONTO

George Karl earned his 1,000th coaching victory, as Al Harrington scored a season-high 31 points and Nene added 26 to help Denver. The seventh coach in NBA history with 1,000 wins, Karl also notched his 900th in Toronto, a 114-107 victory on Dec. 31, 2008. He shook hands with some fans next to the Nuggets’ bench in the final seconds of the game and was hugged by Denver’s players and assistant coaches at the final buzzer. Chauncey Billups scored 21 points and Gary Forbes had 15 for the Nuggets.

Pacers 100, Bobcats 92

INDIANAPOLIS

Danny Granger scored 18 points to help the Pacers. Brandon Rush added 16 points and Mike Dunleavy 15. Roy Hibbert had 13 points, 14 rebounds, six assists and three blocks for the Pacers. Gerald Wallace led the Bobcats with 26 points. Ex-Pacer Stephen Jackson had 15 points and eight assists, but he shot 7 for 17 from the field and committed seven turnovers. Nazr Mohammed had 13 points and five blocks, and Kwame Brown had a season-high 12 rebounds for Charlotte.

Thunder 97, Hornets 92

NEW ORLEANS

Russell Westbrook had 29 points and 10 assists, Kevin Durant scored 25 points, and the Thunder beat New Orleans. Westbrook scored 16 points in the second half, including an 18-foot jumper as he was fouled by Chris Paul to give the Thunder a 93-87 lead with 1:41 to go. Serge Ibaka had 18 points and nine rebounds, and Jeff Green added 13 points for Oklahoma City (16-8), which won for the third time in four games.

Bulls 88, Lakers 84

CHICAGO

Derrick Rose had 29 points and nine assists, and the Bulls held off a late rally. The Bulls hit eight 3-pointers, three by Rose, who made the shot a key part of his game during the offseason. Reserve swingman Kyle Korver connected on a trio of 3s and scored 13 points for Chicago, which held a 26-13 edge in bench points. The 84 points marked a season low for the Lakers. The two-time defending NBA champions were led by Kobe Bryant’s 23 points, though he shot just 9 for 23 from the floor.

Bucks 97, Rockets 91

MILWAUKEE

Andrew Bogut had 24 points, 22 rebounds and blocked five shots to lead Milwaukee. It was Bogut’s fourth 20-20 performance of his career and his best rebounding effort since dislocating his right elbow, breaking his hand and wrist in an eye-averting fall last April.

Timberwolves 109, Pistons 99

MINNEAPOLIS

Kevin Love had 27 points and 18 rebounds and Darko Milicic blocked a career-high seven shots to lead Minnesota. Richard Hamilton scored 26 points and rookie Greg Monroe grabbed 15 rebounds in his first career start for the Pistons.

Spurs 108, Hawks 92

SAN ANTONIO

Richard Jefferson and Manu Ginobili scored 18 points apiece, and the Spurs won their fourth straight to keep the NBA’s best record. Tony Parker added 17 points for the Spurs, who again denied the Hawks their first victory in San Antonio since 1997. DeJuan Blair had 16 points and 12 rebounds. Jamal Crawford led the Hawks with 23 points.

Knicks 101, Wizards 95

WASHINGTON

The Knicks have their longest winning streak in nearly a decade, and Amare Stoudemire has the type of streak the franchise hasn’t seen since 1962. Stoudemire had 36 points and 10 rebounds to help overcome his 11 turnovers, and December’s turnaround team won its seventh in a row.

Associated Press