SCOREBOARD
Thursday, Feb. 14
Dallas at Phoenix (10:30 p.m. EST). The Mavericks travel to the desert to take on the new-look Suns.
STARS
Tuesday
-Paul Pierce, Celtics, had 28 points and 12 rebounds in a 104-97 victory over Indiana.
-J.R. Smith, Nuggets, made a career-best eight 3-pointers and scored 28 points in a 114-113 overtime victory over Miami.
-Chris Paul, Hornets, had 25 points and 14 assists in a 100-86 victory over Chicago.
-Hakim Warrick, Grizzlies, had 24 points and 13 rebounds in a 107-94 win over Sacramento.
EIGHT IS ENOUGH
J.R. Smith made a career-best eight 3-pointers and scored 28 points, and Denver edged Miami 114-113 in overtime Tuesday night. He sparked a big Denver run from a 14-point deficit in the first half, and in the fourth quarter he hit four 3s in the first 5:07 – answering Miami baskets with three of those long jumpers. Smith became the third player to hit eight 3-pointers against Miami.
CLUTCH
etroit to its ninth win in a row, 94-90 over Atlanta on Tuesday night. Billups went 0-for-8 from the field through the first three quarters, but he scored 10 straight points for Detroit in the fourth, including a couple of 3s, turning a three-point deficit into an 89-86 lead with 2:25 remaining. Billups finished it off with the biggest shot of the game, a jumper over Anthony Johnson with 22 seconds remaining for a 92-89 lead.
ROAD WOES
Sebastian Telfair scored 24 points and Al Jefferson added 16 points and 11 rebounds in Minnesota’s 92-88 loss to New Jersey Tuesday. The Timberwolves lost for the 23rd time in 25 road games this season.
SNAPPED
Hakim Warrick had 24 points and 13 rebounds – both season-high totals – to lead Memphis to a 107-94 victory over Sacramento on Tuesday night. The victory snapped a six-game losing streak for the Grizzlies and was Memphis’ first win since trading Pau Gasol to the Lakers on Feb. 1.
STRONG IN DEFEAT
Kevin Martin had 33 points but Sacramento lost to Memphis 107-94. … Josh Smith scored 30 points but Atlanta lost to Detroit 94-90. … Dwyane Wade scored a game-high 29 points and had 10 assists, but missed a 22-footer at the buzzer for Miami in the Heat’s 114-113 overtime loss to Denver.
SPEAKING
“You know me, man, you know me. Late in games, if I have an opportunity I’m going to take advantage of that, whether I’m hot or not. I always feel like that fourth quarter is a different game.”- Detroit’s Chauncey Billups after the Pistons 94-90 victory over Atlanta. Billups scored 12 of his 16 points in the final period to rally the Pistons to their ninth win in a row.