NBA Today - February 4
Associated Press
Detroit at Cleveland (2:30 p.m. EST). The Pistons have the best road record (14-9) in the Eastern Conference..
STARS
Friday
-Carmelo Anthony and Steve Blake, Nuggets. Anthony scored 33 points and Blake had 19 points and 14 assists in Denver`s 114-107 win over Portland.
-Luol Deng, Bulls, scored 27 points and grabbed 12 rebounds to lead Chicago to a 107-101 victory over Seattle.
-Elton Brand, Clippers, scored 26 points and grabbed 19 rebounds and Los Angeles defeated Boston 100-89.
-Baron Davis, Warriors, scored 25 points and added 12 assists in Golden State`s 102-101 victory over Philadelphia.
CLOSE CALL
Denver`s Carmelo Anthony and J.R. Smith were involved in a fender bender on their way to the team shootaround Friday morning, coach George Karl said. Neither player was injured and both played against Portland on Friday night. They missed the shootaround so they could take care of paperwork following the mishap. Anthony scored 33 points and Smith added 17 in Denver`s 114-107 overtime win.
UNLUCKY IRISH
Boston lost its franchise-record 14th consecutive game Friday night, falling 100-89 to the Los Angeles Clippers. The Celtics have not won since beating Memphis on Jan. 5. In addition to their overall streak, they`ve lost a franchise-record 11 consecutive home games and are a league-worst 4-19 at home. Boston is 2-20 since Paul Pierce went out with a stress reaction in his left foot.
ROLLING RAPTORS
Toronto beat Atlanta 103-91 on Friday night. Winners of five of six, the Atlantic Division-leading Raptors improved to 24-23, the first time since 2001-02 that they`ve been over .500 this late in a season. Toronto hasn`t had a winning record since it started the 2004-05 season 4-3.
OUT
Orlando forward Grant Hill is expected to miss at least two weeks because of a sprained knee. Hill sprained his medial collateral ligament Wednesday against Milwaukee. He is the Magic`s second-leading scorer, averaging 15 points in 39 games. Orlando beat New Jersey 119-86 on Friday night.
STRONG IN DEFEAT
Andre Iguodala had his third career triple-double with 25 points, 13 assists and 10 rebounds, but Philadelphia lost to Golden State 102-101 on Friday night. ... Joe Johnson scored 28 points in Atlanta`s 103-91 loss to Toronto.
SPEAKING
``I try to look at him as just another player. He`s a good player, but there`s also Dwyane Wade, LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony - who I`ve all played against. Maybe last year I was a little enamored by the superstars, but this year they`re just another player to me.`` - Indiana`s Danny Granger after the Pacers 95-84 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday night. The second-year forward helped hold Kobe Bryant to 22 points on 7-of-25 shooting from the field as the Pacers rallied in the fourth quarter to win for the fifth time in six games.