Kevin Garnett had 23 points and 22 rebounds as the Minnesota Timberwolves held on for their third straight victory, 86-85 over the New Jersey Nets on Sunday.
The Nets, who trailed by as many as 21 in the first half, nearly rallied for the win by outscoring the Wolves 23-9 in the fourth quarter. The Nets' final chance came when Kenyon Martin grabbed a rebound off Chauncey Billups' miss with 5.6 seconds left. But Sam Mitchell altered Jason Kidd's last-second baseline jumper.
NEW JERSEY (85)
Martin 5-15 2-2 12, Van Horn 4-6 0-0 10, MacCulloch 5-6 3-3 13, Kittles 3-12 4-6 10, Kidd 3-11 2-2 9, A.Williams 2-5 2-2 6, Jefferson 1-3 2-2 4, Harris 7-11 2-2 17, Collins 0-1 2-2 2, Johnson 1-4 0-0 2. Totals 31-74 19-21 85.
MINNESOTA (86)
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Garnett 9-17 5-6 23, Mitchell 4-8 1-2 9, Nesterovic 7-11 0-0 14, Szczerbiak 4-12 0-0 9, Billups 6-16 3-4 15, Pack 0-2 0-0 0, Peeler 3-8 0-0 7, Smith 0-0 1-2 1, Trent 2-5 4-6 8, Lopez 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 35-79 14-20 86.
New Jersey 17 21 24 23 --; 85
; Minnesota 28 29 20 9 --; 86
; 3-Point Goals-- New Jersey 4-11 (Van Horn 2-2, Harris 1-2, Kidd 1-4, Martin 0-1, Kittles 0-2), Minnesota 2-12 (Peeler 1-3, Szczerbiak 1-3, Mitchell 0-1, Billups 0-5). Fouled out-- None. Rebounds-- New Jersey 40 (Harris 6), Minnesota 55 (Garnett 22). Assists-- New Jersey 24 (Kidd 10), Minnesota 22 (Billups, Garnett 6). Total fouls-- New Jersey 17, Minnesota 19. Flagrant fouls-- Collins. A-- 15,221 (19,006).
CELTICS 110, BUCKS 80
Paul Pierce scored 19 of his 32 points in the third quarter to help the Celtics recover from their worst loss of the season with their biggest win.
MILWAUKEE (80)
Robinson 11-22 5-5 29, Mason 2-6 0-0 4, Przybilla 3-3 0-0 6, Thomas 0-6 0-0 0, Cassell 5-16 7-8 18, Pope 2-8 1-2 5, Ham 2-6 1-2 5, Anthony 3-8 0-0 7, Johnson 0-2 0-0 0, Alston 2-4 0-0 6. Totals 30-81 14-17 80.
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BOSTON (110)
Walker 7-21 0-0 15, Williams 4-7 11-11 19, Battie 1-2 1-2 3, Strickland 3-6 3-4 10, Pierce 11-19 6-8 32, Rogers 6-8 0-0 16, Delk 2-8 0-0 5, McCarty 3-8 0-2 8, Blount 1-2 0-0 2, Brown 0-3 0-0 0, Forte 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 38-84 21-27 110.
Milwaukee 16 27 20 17 --; 80
; Boston 26 28 28 28 --; 110
; 3-Point Goals-- Milwaukee 6-16 (Alston 2-2, Robinson 2-4, Cassell 1-2, Anthony 1-3, Thomas 0-1, Ham 0-1, Pope 0-3), Boston 13-34 (Rogers 4-5, Pierce 4-7, McCarty 2-6, Strickland 1-2, Delk 1-4, Walker 1-9, Williams 0-1). Fouled out-- None. Rebounds-- Milwaukee 47 (Mason 11), Boston 59 (Battie 10). Assists-- Milwaukee 18 (Cassell 6), Boston 25 (Walker 9). Total fouls-- Milwaukee 22, Boston 19. A-- 18,624 (18,624).
KINGS 92, HAWKS 91
Chris Webber had 29 points and 12 rebounds as Sacramento ended a 12-game losing streak in Atlanta -- since Feb. 16, 1988.
SACRAMENTO (92)
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Turkoglu 5-16 4-5 14, Webber 14-23 1-1 29, Divac 1-6 1-2 3, Bibby 3-15 1-2 7, Christie 3-11 2-2 9, Jackson 4-9 0-0 8, Pollard 4-5 1-1 9, Wallace 5-8 1-2 11, Funderburke 1-1 0-0 2. Totals 40-94 11-15 92.
ATLANTA (91)
Johnson 3-7 0-0 6, Abdur-Rahim 7-18 2-2 17, Mohammed 4-16 1-2 9, Terry 7-17 3-3 20, Newble 6-11 4-4 16, Henderson 0-1 0-0 0, Kukoc 1-5 0-0 2, Vaughn 9-12 0-0 20, Mottola 0-2 1-2 1. Totals 37-89 11-13 91.
Sacramento 20 25 25 22 --; 92
; Atlanta 22 26 25 18 --; 91
; 3-Point Goals-- Sacramento 1-10 (Christie 1-5, Jackson 0-1, Turkoglu 0-4), Atlanta 6-18 (Terry 3-6, Vaughn 2-3, Abdur-Rahim 1-2, Newble 0-1, Kukoc 0-3, Johnson 0-3). Fouled out-- None. Rebounds-- Sacramento 54 (Webber 12), Atlanta 58 (Mohammed 17). Assists-- Sacramento 24 (Webber 7), Atlanta 22 (Terry 9). Total fouls-- Sacramento 12, Atlanta 18. Technicals-- Sacramento Defensive Three Second, Atlanta Defensive Three Second. A-- 19,841 (19,445).
PACERS 100, HEAT 81
Ron Artest had 24 points, nine rebounds and eight steals as the Pacers, holding the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference, remained 11⁄2; games ahead of Toronto. Artest made 10 of 18 field goals and 3 of 4 free throws. He also blocked two shots.
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Reserve Jonathan Bender added 19 points for Indiana, which earned its 1,000th victory in 26 NBA seasons. The Pacers joined San Antonio as the second of four former ABA franchises to reach that mark. Including their ABA seasons, the Pacers have won 1,427 regular-season games.
MIAMI (81)
Gill 3-7 0-0 6, Grant 4-9 0-0 8, Mourning 3-6 2-2 8, Jones 5-13 4-6 15, Strickland 4-9 2-3 10, Gatling 2-3 1-2 5, House 3-10 0-0 6, Ellis 2-5 2-2 7, Carter 1-5 0-0 2, Stepania 3-5 2-3 8, Allen 1-2 2-2 4, Marks 0-0 2-2 2. Totals 31-74 17-22 81.
INDIANA (100)
Artest 10-18 3-4 24, Foster 4-7 0-1 8, B.Miller 2-6 3-4 7, R.Miller 6-12 1-1 14, Tinsley 1-3 0-0 3, Croshere 2-7 4-4 8, Bender 5-7 9-10 19, Ollie 2-7 9-9 13, Brezec 0-2 0-2 0, Sundov 2-3 0-0 4. Totals 34-72 29-35 100.
Miami 19 15 29 18 --; 81
; Indiana 22 33 27 18 --; 100
; 3-Point Goals-- Miami 2-10 (Jones 1-3, Ellis 1-3, Gill 0-1, Carter 0-1, House 0-2), Indiana 3-13 (R.Miller 1-2, Tinsley 1-3, Artest 1-4, Bender 0-1, Croshere 0-3). Fouled out-- None. Rebounds-- Miami 37 (Mourning 6), Indiana 55 (B.Miller 11). Assists-- Miami 15 (Jones, Strickland 3), Indiana 20 (Artest 9). Total fouls-- Miami 26, Indiana 23. Technicals-- Mourning, Indiana defensive three second. A-- 15,382 (18,345).
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MAVERICKS 110, WIZARDS 103
Steve Nash answered a charge from Michael Jordan with back-to-back long jumpers and a three-point play in the final three minutes for the Dallas.
Nash scored 19 of his 22 points in the second half and had 10 of the Mavericks last 14 points. Nash also had 12 assists.
DALLAS (110)
Griffin 5-12 4-4 15, Nowitzki 7-14 6-6 23, LaFrentz 4-8 0-0 8, Finley 5-9 4-6 15, Nash 7-15 4-5 22, Wang 3-3 0-0 7, Van Exel 7-11 2-2 16, Najera 1-2 0-0 2, Buckner 1-3 0-0 2. Totals 40-77 20-23 110.
WASHINGTON (103)
R.Hamilton 10-22 3-3 23, Jones 5-8 0-0 10, Laettner 4-9 2-2 11, Alexander 7-10 4-4 18, Whitney 5-9 0-0 13, Jordan 4-14 2-2 10, Brown 2-6 2-2 6, Lue 2-5 0-0 4, Nesby 4-6 0-0 8. Totals 43-89 13-13 103.
Dallas 22 25 32 31 --; 110
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; Washington 22 23 29 29 --; 103
; 3-Point Goals-- Dallas 10-20 (Nash 4-6, Nowitzki 3-5, Wang 1-1, Griffin 1-1, Finley 1-3, Van Exel 0-1, LaFrentz 0-3), Washington 4-9 (Whitney 3-5, Laettner 1-1, Lue 0-1, Nesby 0-2). Fouled out-- None. Rebounds-- Dallas 45 (Nowitzki, LaFrentz 12), Washington 41 (Laettner 11). Assists-- Dallas 22 (Nash 12), Washington 27 (R.Hamilton, Jordan 5). Total fouls-- Dallas 17, Washington 21. Technicals-- Nowitzki. A-- 20,674 (20,674).
MAGIC 97, KNICKS 90
Tracy McGrady had 31 points, nine rebounds and seven assists, and the Magic went on a game-ending 10-3 run.
NEW YORK (90)
Anderson 8-16 2-2 19, Weatherspoon 5-12 2-2 12, Thomas 8-17 4-7 20, Sprewell 4-14 6-6 15, Jackson 3-10 0-0 8, Knight 0-0 0-0 0, Ward 2-5 3-6 7, Harrington 0-1 2-2 2, Postell 2-4 2-2 7, Spencer 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 32-79 21-27 90.
ORLANDO (97)
M.Williams 4-5 0-0 8, Garrity 6-12 1-1 14, Reid 2-10 3-3 7, McGrady 12-23 5-7 31, Armstrong 5-13 2-2 13, Miller 6-14 2-2 15, Hudson 1-4 0-0 3, DeClercq 1-3 0-1 2, Ewing 2-6 0-0 4, Buechler 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 39-90 13-16 97.
New York 24 26 21 19 --; 90
; Orlando 23 18 33 23 --; 97
; 3-Point Goals-- New York 5-17 (Jackson 2-3, Postell 1-2, Sprewell 1-5, Anderson 1-7), Orlando 6-24 (McGrady 2-6, Hudson 1-3, Garrity 1-4, Armstrong 1-5, Miller 1-6). Fouled out-- None. Rebounds-- New York 56 (Thomas, Weatherspoon 13), Orlando 51 (Reid 11). Assists-- New York 22 (Jackson 9), Orlando 18 (McGrady 7). Total fouls-- New York 20, Orlando 19. Technicals-- Orlando Defensive Three Second. A-- 15,524 (17,248).
RAPTORS 72, 76ERS 70
Antonio Davis scored 16 points, including a go-ahead tip-in with 44.8 seconds left.
The Raptors won their fifth straight game without Vince Carter.
TORONTO (72)
J.Williams 0-3 0-0 0, A.Davis 6-17 4-6 16, Montross 2-6 0-0 4, A.Williams 5-13 3-4 14, Peterson 4-15 0-0 11, Clark 2-6 0-0 4, Childs 6-10 1-2 14, Jackson 0-0 0-0 0, Olajuwon 4-8 1-1 9. Totals 29-78 9-13 72.
PHILADELPHIA (70)
Harpring 2-4 4-5 8, Coleman 7-13 1-2 16, Mutombo 5-8 3-5 13, Snow 5-17 3-6 13, McKie 5-14 2-4 12, Bell 0-1 2-2 2, Blount 1-3 0-0 2, McKey 0-1 0-0 0, Cummings 2-6 0-0 4. Totals 27-67 15-24 70.
Toronto 19 13 21 19 --; 72
; Philadelphia 26 17 9 18 --; 70
; 3-Point Goals-- Toronto 5-8 (Peterson 3-4, Childs 1-1, A.Williams 1-3), Philadelphia 1-4 (Coleman 1-1, McKie 0-3). Fouled out-- None. Rebounds-- Toronto 47 (J.Williams 9), Philadelphia 55 (Mutombo 11). Assists-- Toronto 18 (Childs 9), Philadelphia 15 (Snow 7). Total fouls-- Toronto 26, Philadelphia 21. Technicals-- A.Williams, Philadelphia Defensive Three Second 2. Flagrant fouls-- Childs. A-- 20,650 (20,444).
LAKERS 96, SPURS 95
Derek Fisher made two free throws with 15.9 seconds remaining to cap a 6-0 game-finishing run for the Lakers.
Shaquille O'Neal blocked a shot by Tim Duncan with about seven seconds left, and Duncan applauded because he thought was fouled.
SAN ANTONIO (95)
Bowen 3-9 2-2 8, Duncan 11-28 4-4 26, Robinson 3-5 1-2 7, S.Smith 4-11 1-3 11, Parker 7-13 4-4 20, Ferry 2-3 2-2 7, Rose 4-7 0-0 8, Daniels 1-4 4-4 6, Parks 1-1 0-0 2, M.Bryant 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 36-81 18-21 95.
L.A. LAKERS (96)
Fox 2-4 0-0 4, Walker 2-5 1-2 5, O'Neal 8-19 8-9 24, K.Bryant 11-24 9-9 31, Fisher 3-9 2-2 9, Horry 8-14 4-4 23, George 0-4 0-0 0, Hunter 0-0 0-2 0, Shaw 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 34-80 24-28 96.
San Antonio 22 26 29 18 --; 95
; L.A. Lakers 23 22 29 22 --; 96
; 3-Point Goals-- San Antonio 5-18 (Parker 2-5, S.Smith 2-6, Ferry 1-2, Daniels 0-1, Bowen 0-4), L.A. Lakers 4-12 (Horry 3-7, Fisher 1-3, George 0-1, Shaw 0-1). Fouled out-- Robinson, Rose. Rebounds-- San Antonio 48 (Duncan 11), L.A. Lakers 50 (O'Neal, K.Bryant, Walker 9). Assists-- San Antonio 14 (Duncan 8), L.A. Lakers 18 (Horry 4). Total fouls-- San Antonio 27, L.A. Lakers 22. Technicals-- Bowen, O'Neal, Fox, George. A-- 18,997 (18,997).
PISTONS 86, NUGGETS 82
The Pistons clinched a playoff spot as Jerry Stackhouse scored 22 points, four in the final 30 seconds.
The Pistons, who went 32-50 last season, moved within 21⁄2; games of New Jersey for the top spot in the Eastern Conference. They lead Milwaukee and Charlotte by 51⁄2; games in the Central Division and are on pace to have home-court advantage for the first time since 1991.
DENVER (82)
Howard 8-16 0-0 16, Anderson 0-2 2-2 2, Bateer 3-5 0-0 6, Cheaney 10-18 2-2 22, Satterfield 6-14 1-2 14, Hamilton 3-5 2-3 8, Harvey 2-6 2-2 6, Posey 2-6 0-0 6, Arroyo 1-3 0-0 2. Totals 35-75 9-11 82.
DETROIT (86)
Curry 1-2 2-2 4, Wallace 3-5 1-4 7, Robinson 2-9 0-4 4, Stackhouse 6-17 10-11 22, Atkins 5-10 0-0 11, Williamson 5-11 6-6 16, Rebraca 0-1 0-0 0, Jones 3-6 0-0 7, Barry 5-11 3-4 15. Totals 30-72 22-31 86.
Denver 21 20 24 17 --; 82
; Detroit 22 26 11 27 --; 86
; 3-Point Goals-- Denver 3-4 (Posey 2-2, Satterfield 1-2), Detroit 4-19 (Barry 2-5, Atkins 1-4, Jones 1-4, Curry 0-1, Robinson 0-2, Stackhouse 0-3). Fouled out-- None. Rebounds-- Denver 49 (Harvey, Hamilton 10), Detroit 44 (Wallace 18). Assists-- Denver 17 (Howard 8), Detroit 19 (Stackhouse, Jones 4). Total fouls-- Denver 25, Detroit 14. Technicals-- Denver Defensive Three Second, Harvey, Barry. A-- 16,658 (22,076).
