NBA: Nowitzki-less Mavericks no match for Spurs

SAN ANTONIO (AP) - Tony Parker scored 18 points, DeJuan Blair had 18 points and 13 rebounds, and the San Antonio Spurs handed the reeling Dallas Mavericks their fourth straight loss, 101-89 on Friday night.

Dirk Nowitzki missed his ninth straight game because of an ailing right knee and the once-mighty Mavs lost for the seventh time since the All-Star forward went out.

The Spurs (34-6) won their fifth straight and beat Dallas for a second time with Nowitzki sidelined. The injury has prevented a full-strength showdown between the NBA-best Spurs and Mavs, who have slipped seven games behind their Texas rivals in the Southwest Division.

Shawn Marion led Dallas with 14 points.

Nowitzki told ESPN during the broadcast that he hopes to return as early as Saturday at Memphis.

Celtics 99, Bobcats 94

BOSTON (AP) - Shaquille O'Neal had 23 points, five rebounds and five blocks in a season-high 35 minutes for the short-handed Boston Celtics as they held off Charlotte and ended the Bobcats' four-game winning streak.

O'Neal went 10 for 12 from the field as he huffed and puffed up and down the court all night and even made all three of his foul shots. Boston was missing Kevin Garnett for the ninth straight game and played without Paul Pierce much of Friday because of foul trouble. Pierce still finished with 19 points.

Rajon Rondo added 18 points and 13 assists and Ray Allen scored eight of his 19 in the fourth quarter, leading Boston on a 10-2 run that broke open the game.

Gerald Wallace led Charlotte with 20 points. The Bobcats fell to 6-3 under interim coach Paul Silas.

Lakers 100, Nets 88

LOS ANGELES (AP) - Kobe Bryant scored 27 points, Pau Gasol had 20 points and nine rebounds, and Los Angeles hung on to beat New Jersey for its seventh straight victory.

Lamar Odom had 14 points and 11 rebounds as the Lakers extended the NBA's longest active winning streak despite never shaking the struggling Nets, who got 35 points from Brook Lopez in their ninth loss in 10 games.

Sasha Vujacic scored 17 points and Jordan Farmar had 12 in both reserve guards' return to Staples Center with New Jersey after winning two titles with the Lakers.

Ron Artest scored 14 points for Los Angeles, which has been perfect since an embarrassing blowout loss to Memphis at home on Jan. 2, its fourth defeat in six games.

Kings 93, Knicks 83

NEW YORK (AP) - Beno Udrih scored 29 points on 11-of-14 shooting and Sacramento snapped a three-game losing streak with a victory over the lethargic New York Knicks.

Rookie center DeMarcus Cousins added 16 points and 10 rebounds, and reserve Carl Landry had 15 points for the Kings, now 1-3 on their six-game road trip. They have won four in a row at Madison Square Garden.

Tyreke Evans managed just nine points on 4-of-15 shooting in his return to the lineup after missing three games with a sprained left ankle, but the Kings didn't need much from their star guard on a night when the Knicks couldn't do anything offensively.

Amare Stoudemire had 25 points and 13 rebounds but shot 6 of 22 for New York, which shot a season-worst 31.5 percent from the field.

Bulls 99, Pacers 86

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) - Derrick Rose had 29 points and 10 rebounds to help Chicago beat Indiana.

Rose, who scored 20 points in the second half, also had five assists. Luol Deng had 17 points and five assists, Carlos Boozer scored 14 points and Kurt Thomas had a season-high 18 rebounds.

Danny Granger scored 22 points for the Pacers, but he shot 4 for 17 in the first three quarters when the game was in doubt. Indiana failed to notch its first three-game winning streak of the season.

Chicago held the Pacers to 33 percent shooting.

76ers 95, Bucks 94

PHILADELPHIA (AP) - Lou Williams hit the go-ahead 3-pointer with 43 seconds left and scored 25 points to lead Philadelphia past Milwaukee.

The Sixers blew a 15-point lead and were on the brink of losing their third straight game as they make a push for the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference.

Williams delivered with a clutch basket at the end of a quarter as he has throughout the season. He buried a 3 over a lunging John Salmons for a 95-94 lead.

The Bucks, who began the day percentage points behind the 76ers, failed to score on two more possessions. Corey Maggette led Milwaukee with 16 points. Earl Boykins had 11 assists but missed a 3-point attempt as time expired.

Andre Iguodala and Elton Brand each scored 15 points for the Sixers.

Pistons 101, Raptors 95

TORONTO (AP) - Tracy McGrady scored 22 points and Rodney Stuckey had 19 in Detroit's victory over Toronto.

Charlie Villanueva had 16 points and eight rebounds while rookie Greg Monroe scored 12 for the Pistons, who had lost five of six. Chris Wilcox had 12 rebounds and four points.

Andrea Bargnani scored 31 points and DeMar DeRozan had 15 for the Raptors, who have lost eight of 10 at home and nine of 12 overall. Jose Calderon added 13 assists.

The Pistons had lost 12 of their previous 13 road games, including the past five in a row. Detroit's last road win was a 115-93 win at Toronto on Dec. 15.

Hornets 110, Rockets 105, OT

HOUSTON (AP) - David West scored 29 points, Jarrett Jack added 23 points and seven assists and the New Orleans Hornets rallied from 16 points down in the third quarter to beat Houston in overtime.

Emeka Okafor had 17 points and 15 rebounds for the Hornets, who have won five straight over Houston. Chris Paul had a quiet night, with 11 points, eight assists and five turnovers.

Kyle Lowry matched his season high with 28 points and Kevin Martin added 26 for the Rockets, who have lost seven of their last eight games and four consecutive home games.

Jazz 121, Cavaliers 99

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) - Deron Williams scored 26 points, reserve C.J. Miles added 20 and Utah cruised past hapless Cleveland.

The win was the third straight for Utah, while the Cavaliers (8-31) have lost 12 in a row, 26 of their last 29 and 18 straight on the road.

Antawn Jamison scored 26 points for the injury-riddled Cavs, who used only eight players. They were coming off the worst loss in franchise history, a 112-57 humiliation in Los Angeles against the Lakers.

Utah went on a 14-0 run in the second quarter to take a 49-31 lead. The Jazz led 70-50 at halftime.

The Cavs cut it to 89-83 in the third on a 3-pointer by Jamison with 2:16 left. But Miles hit another 3 and Mehmet Okur added a free throw to give Utah a 93-83 lead entering the fourth.

Warriors 122, Clippers 112

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) - Monta Ellis scored 30 points, Stephen Curry had 23 and Golden State pulled away late for a victory over Los Angeles.

Vladimir Radmanovic hit a pair of 3-pointers during the key 10-0 run in the fourth quarter that sealed the win. He finished with 13 points and David Lee added 19 points and nine rebounds for the Warriors, in the midst of their longest home stretch of the season.

Blake Griffin had 28 points and 13 rebounds, and Eric Gordon scored 28 for a Clippers team that failed again to piece together a four-game winning streak. Los Angeles was trying to win four in a row for the first time since the beginning of the 2007-08 season after a big win over Miami earlier this week.

Radmanovic broke a 106-all tie on a 3-pointer with a little more than 3 minutes remaining.

Suns 115, Trail Blazers 111

PHOENIX (AP) - Steve Nash had 23 points, including a 3-pointer that put Phoenix ahead for good with 1:11 to play, and handed out 13 assists to lead the Suns over Portland.

Grant Hill, back after missing two games with a sprained knee, scored 21 for the Suns, who have won consecutive games for the first time since Dec. 5.

Andre Miller scored all 19 of his points in the second half for the Trail Blazers in the last of four games between the teams this season. Portland won the first three.

Six players, including all five starters, reached double figures for Phoenix.

Wesley Matthews scored 26 and LaMarcus Aldridge 25 for the Blazers.