SCOREBOARD
Saturday, Dec. 1
Minnesota at Memphis (8 p.m EST). The Timberwolves are 1-5 on the road this season.
STARS
Friday
-Deron Williams, Jazz, scored a career-high 35 points to help Utah rout the Los Angeles Lakers 120-96.
-Kevin Durant, SuperSonics, had 35 points, including 22 in the second half, and Seattle edged Indiana 95-93.
-Manu Ginobili, Spurs, scored a season-high 31 points in San Antonio’s 106-91 victory over Minnesota.
-Jamal Crawford and Zach Randolph, Knicks, chipped in 25 points apiece to help New York edge Milwaukee 91-88.
-Paul Pierce, Celtics, 27 points, including 18 in the first quarter, and Boston wasted most of a 28-point lead before beating Miami 95-85.
-Andrea Bargnani and Carlos Delfino, Raptors, had career highs with 26 and 24 points, respectively, and Toronto beat Cleveland 91-82.
REDEMPTION
Jamal Crawford made the go-ahead basket with 28 seconds left, and New York beat Milwaukee 91-88 on Friday for its third win in four games. The Knicks, 104-59 losers at Boston the previous night, erased a 17-point deficit to hand the Bucks their third straight loss. … Denver defeated the Los Angeles Clippers 123-107 to rebound from their most lopsided defeat of the season, a 127-99 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday.
AK TRIPLE-DOUBLE
Andrei Kirilenko finished with 20 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists, along with six steals and four blocks in Utah’s 120-96 win over the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday. It was Kirilenko’s first triple-double since March 2006 against Sacramento.
DOMINANCE
Phoenix defeated Orlando 110-106 on Friday and have handed the Magic two of their four losses this season. Orlando had been 9-1 since losing to the Suns on Nov. 10. … San Antonio defeated Minnesota 106-91 on Friday and has won 11 of the last 14 games against the Timberwolves. Minnesota has not won a season series from the Spurs since 1999-2000. … New Orleans downed Atlanta 92-86 to move to 17-9 in their last 26 games against the Hawks. … Dallas extended its home winning streak against Portland to nine games with a 91-80 triumph.
SNAPPED
Philadelphia squeaked past Washington 85-84 on Friday to snap a two-game losing streak at home and a four-game skid against the Wizards. … Phoenix ended a two-game slide with a 110-106 win over Orlando. … Denver snapped a three-game skid with a 123-107 win over the Clippers, handing Los Angeles their sixth loss in seven games.
SCORING STREAK
Carmelo Anthony scored 24 points to help Denver beat the Los Angeles Clippers 123-107 on Friday. Anthony has scored 10 or more points in 147 straight games, the longest active streak in the league. Boston’s Kevin Garnett had scored 10 or more in 411 straight games before an eight-point performance on Thursday.
LAST BUT NOT LEAST
Seattle downed Indiana 95-93 on Friday to become the final NBA team to win a home game this season. The SuperSonics were 0-7 at home and had lost 11 straight home games dating to March 30 last season. Seattle (3-14) snapped a six-game skid and avoid the worst 17-game start in franchise history. The 1967-68 Sonics started 2-14 as well, before winning their 17th game.
STRONG IN DEFEAT
Dwight Howard scored 30 points and added 23 rebounds but Orlando couldn’t overcome Phoenix, losing 110-106 on Friday. Hedo Turkoglu added 25 points for the Magic. … Michael Redd scored 27 points, but missed two late 3-point attempts in Milwaukee’s 91-88 loss to New York. … LaMarcus Aldridge had 22 points, 12 rebounds and a career-high five blocked shots but Portland fell to Dallas 91-80. … Kobe Bryant had 28 points but Utah blew out the Los Angeles Lakers 120-96.
STARS SIT OUT
Toronto beat Cleveland 91-82 on Friday in a game that stars LeBron James and Chris Bosh missed with injuries. James, the league’s leading scorer, was out of the Cavaliers’ lineup with a sprained left index finger, while Bosh sat out with a strained groin as the Raptors won their third straight. Cleveland has lost two straight following a four-game winning streak.
SPEAKING
“We know we can play without him but its easier said than done.” – Cleveland forward Drew Gooden, after the Cavaliers lost 91-82 to Toronto on Friday without LeBron James. Cleveland lost for just the second time in eight games without James since the start of the 2005-06 season.