Nene helps Wizards bully Chicago
(The Sports Xchange) – Back in the starting lineup after coming off the bench for the last 12 games, Nene came alive with 19 points and several emphatic dunks, leading the Washington Wizards to a 102- 88 points victory over the Chicago Bulls.
Wizards guard John Wall added 18 points and seven assists and forward Trevor Ariza finished with 16 points.
The Wizards (17-19) had lost eight of their last 10 games in Chicago but now have won seven of its last nine road games overall.
Carlos Boozer led the Bulls with 19 points as Chicago (17-19) had a five-game winning streak snapped, losing for the first time since trading top scorer Luol Deng to Cleveland.
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Knicks 98, Suns 96 (Overtime)
The New York Knicks squandered a 14-point lead, but still pulled out an overtime win over the Phoenix Suns for their season-high fifth straight win.
Carmelo Anthony had 29 points, 16 rebounds and four assists, guard Raymond Felton added 19 points for the Knicks (15-22), who played the first of four games in five nights.
Goran Dragic led the Suns (21-16) with 28 points.
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Spurs 101, Pelicans 95
Tony Parker scored a game-high 27 points, including three driving layups in the final six minutes, to lift the San Antonio Spurs to a victory over the New Orleans Pelicans.
In winning their fifth consecutive game, the Spurs (30-8) hung tough after losing power forward Tim Duncan, who picked up his sixth foul with 6:08 left and the Spurs clinging to an 89-88 lead. Duncan finished with 18 points and nine rebounds.
The Pelicans (15-22) lost their sixth straight despite a strong game from Anthony Davis, who had 22 points and 11 rebounds for his 17th double-double of the season.
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Mavericks 107, Magic 88
The Mavericks found little resistance from the hurting Orlando Magic as they blew them out in an easy win.
Monta Ellis scored 21 points in the Mavericks’ third straight win.
Dallas (23-16) is a season-high seven games over .500.
The Magic (10-28) finished up a forgettable five-game road trip through the Western Conference without a win, and their overall losing streak is up to eight.
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Rockets 104, Celtics 92
Dwight Howard scored 32 points and grabbed 11 rebounds, and guards James Harden and Jeremy Lin each had 16 points as the Houston Rockets overcame a sluggish start to hand the Boston Celtics their ninth straight loss.
Guard Avery Bradley scored 14 of his 24 points in the first quarter for Boston (13-26), mired in its longest losing streak since dropping 18 in a row from Jan. 7-Feb. 11, 2007.
The Rockets (25-14) turned a nine-point halftime lead into a 20-point cushion late in the period en route to victory.
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Raptors 116, Bucks 94
Kyle Lowry had 23 points, five assists and four steals as the Toronto Raptors defeated the Milwaukee Bucks.
Ersan Ilyasova recorded 29 points and nine rebounds for the Bucks (7-30) who lost their sixth straight.
DeMar DeRozan added 19 points, seven rebounds and seven assists for the Raptors (19-17), who have won eight of their past 10 games.
