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Jazz spoil Billups' Pistons comeback

Chris Webber, bottom, of the Detroit Pistons tries for a rebound against Mehmet Okur, bottom left, of the Utah Jazz on Wednesday at the Palace of Auburn Hills in Auburn Hills, Michigan. PHOTO: AFP

The Utah Jazz spoiled Chris Webber's debut and Chauncey Billups' comeback with the Detroit Pistons.

Deron Williams scored a career-high 31 points, had 10 assists and made a 3-pointer with 44 seconds left to help the Jazz hold off Detroit for a 100-99 victory on Wednesday night.

The Pistons had a chance to win the game after a timeout with 5.1 seconds left, but Billups missed a shot just before the buzzer.

Mehmet Okur had 10 of his 22 points in the fourth quarter to help Utah improve to 4-0 over the last two seasons against his former team. Utah's Carlos Boozer had 20 points and nine rebounds and reserve Matt Harping added 10 points.

Webber, who signed the previous day, was with the team for only the morning shootaround before entering the game with 10:07 left in the first half and was welcomed by a standing ovation. The five-time All-Star made his first shot before missing his next four and finishing with two points, five rebounds and three assists.

Billups, who missed the previous eight games with a calf injury, had 26 points and seven assists in 35 minutes. The Pistons were 3-5 without the All-Star guard in the lineup.

Suns 100, Rockets 91

At Houston, Steve Nash had 21 points and 14 assists as Phoenix overcame an early 15-point deficit to win its 11th straight game.

Amare Stoudemire scored 22 points and grabbed 11 rebounds for the Suns, who are 29-3 in their last 32 games. They became the second team in franchise history to have two winning streaks of more than 10 games in one season. The 1992-93 Suns had winning streaks of 14 and 11 games on their way to the NBA finals.

Rafer Alston matched a career high with 29 points to lead the Rockets, who played without Tracy McGrady. The six-time All-Star sat out with stiffness in his lower back.

Shane Battier and Luther Head added 16 points apiece for Houston, which dropped to 1-9 with both McGrady and Yao Ming (姚明) out of the lineup. Yao is out until at least the end of February with a broken right leg.

Wizards 99, Knicks 98

At Washington, Caron Butler put home the one-handed slam with 2.2 seconds left to give the first-place Wizards their ninth straight home win and a half-game lead over Orlando in the Southeast Division.

Butler had 27 points and a career-high 10 assists. Gilbert Arenas, who has been stealing headlines with high-scoring games and buzzer-beating game-winners, was shadowed by Stephon Marbury all evening and was held to 16 points on 4-for-14 shooting. Washington improved to a meager 4-14 when he scores 26 or fewer.

Quentin Richardson scored a season-high 35 points and grabbed 10 rebounds to lead the Knicks, who had won four of five to move into contention in the weak Atlantic Division.

Raptors 101, Kings 85

At Toronto, Morris Peterson scored 22 points and Chris Bosh added 20 to help Atlantic Division-leading Toronto to a victory.

Jose Calderon had 11 points and nine assists for the Raptors, who won the first of a five-game homestand. Toronto plays three other teams with losing records during the stand.

Mike Bibby scored 21 points and Ron Artest had 18 for the Kings, who have lost seven straight -- their longest skid since closing the 1997-98 season with seven consecutive losses.

Nets 92, Bobcats 85

At Charlotte, Vince Carter scored 26 points and had two big baskets late in the fourth quarter as New Jersey hung on to beat Charlotte.

Jason Kidd added 17 points for the Nets, who saw a 23-point third-quarter lead sliced to seven after going nearly five minutes without a point.

The Nets started 11-17, but their recent hot streak has moved them within two games of .500 and to the top of the weak Atlantic Division.

Hawks 105, Timberwolves

At Minneapolis, Joe Johnson had 29 points and eight assists to lead Atlanta to its third straight victory.

Josh Smith added 21 points and five rebounds for the Hawks, who have their longest winning streak since they won four in a row from Nov. 3-10.

Bulls 99, Bucks 90

At Milwaukee, Andres Nocioni scored 21 points, Ben Gordon added 20 and Luol Deng had 19 to lead Chicago to its third straight victory.

Grizzlies 118, 76ers 102

At Memphis, Tennessee, Mike Miller scored 30 points and Rudy Gay added 23 to lead the Memphis in a matchup of the NBA's two worst teams.
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