SCOREBOARD
Monday, Jan. 7
Denver at Phoenix (9 p.m. EST). Two of the Western Conference’s top teams meet.
STARS
Saturday
-Yao Ming, Rockets, scored 30 points, grabbed eight rebounds and dished out six assists in a 103-91 win over the Knicks.
-Ben Wallace, Bulls, hit the go-ahead free throw and blocked Brad Miller’s jumper with a second left to lift Chicago to a 94-93 victory over the Sacramento Kings.
-Jason Kidd, Nets, had 10 points, 14 assists and 13 rebounds for his ninth triple-double of the season, and New Jersey beat the Atlanta Hawks 113-107.
ECHOES OF JUNE
Glen Davis scored a career-high 20 points in a 92-85 win over the Detroit Pistons on Saturday night in a marquee game that lived up to its billing. For the first time since 1981, two NBA teams entered a game on January 5 with a combined 54 wins. For the first time since 2000, two teams played with each riding at least an eight-game winning streak. The Celtics extended their winning streak, which started after losing to Detroit at home, to nine games and snapped Detroit’s streak at 11 games.
STAT-STUFFER
Jason Kidd had 10 points, 14 assists and 13 rebounds for his ninth triple-double of the season, and the New Jersey Nets beat the Atlanta Hawks 113-107 on Saturday night. Kidd’s second triple-double in two games came in New Jersey’s fifth straight win, moving the Nets (17-16) above .500 for the first time since November.
FRIENDLY CONFINES
Portland has a 10-game winning streak at the Rose Garden and is 15-3 at home overall.
STREAKS
New Orleans’ 118-113 victory over the Phoenix Suns on Saturday night was the Hornets’ sixth straight road win.
STRONG IN DEFEAT
Josh Smith scored 34 points in Atlanta’s 113-107 loss to the New Jersey Nets on Saturday night. … Zach Randolph had 22 rebounds in New York’s 103-91 loss to the Houston Rockets.
SPEAKING
“They were stopping me and stepping up against Ray and Garnett. And, that left Baby open.” – Paul Pierce on Glen Davis, who scored a career-high 20 points, giving the Celtics’ Big Three a huge lift in a 92-85 win over Detroit on Saturday night.