Dwight Howard had 30 points and 16 rebounds and Jameer Nelson scored 23 of his 26 points in the second half as the Orlando Magic outlasted the New York Knicks 116-110 on Tuesday night.
The Magic trailed 58-47 at halftime, but surged in the second half as the Knicks struggled from the field.
The win was the Magic’s third straight and fifth in six games. It was also Orlando’s second win this season over the Knicks, who host the Magic twice before the end of the month.
Photo: Reuters
New York fell to two wins and two losses since acquiring All-Star Carmelo Anthony and Chauncey Billups. The Knicks finished 1-1 on the Florida swing, following their win over Miami on Sunday.
Amare Stoudemire and Billups led New York with 30 points apiece, followed by Anthony with 25.
MAVERICKS 101, 76ERS 93
In Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Jason Terry scored 30 points, Jason Kidd had a triple-double, and Dallas won their seventh straight game.
Dirk Nowitzki added 22 points for the Mavericks, who have won a whopping 17 of 18 games to move into second place in the Western Conference.
Terry used near-flawless shooting over the second and third quarters to give the Mavs the lead, then sealed the win late in the fourth with a dunk where he waved his arms in celebration.
Kidd had 13 points, 13 assists, 10 rebounds and no turnovers.
LAKERS 90, TIMBERWOLVES 79
In Minneapolis, Minnesota, Pau Gasol, Andrew Bynum and the Lakers’ towering front line overwhelmed Kevin Love on the boards in a victory over Minnesota.
Gasol had 17 rebounds and 12 points, Bynum had 14 points and seven boards and the Lakers scored 28 second-chance points to overcome a poor shooting night and win their fifth straight game.
Wes Johnson had 20 points and eight rebounds for the Timberwolves, who led for much of the first three quarters before the Lakers asserted themselves.
Love had 13 points and 11 rebounds, his 47th straight double-double.
The last time he did not have one was against the Lakers on Nov. 19, but he was just 2 for 10 from the floor and barely kept the longest double-double streak since 1980 alive.
Kobe Bryant scored 24 points, but made just 8 of 18 shots in an ugly offensive game for both teams.
GRIZZLIES 109, SPURS 93
In Memphis, Tennessee, Darrell Arthur and Zach Randolph each scored 21 points and Memphis took advantage of San Antonio’s poor ball handling.
Tony Allen added 20 points, missing only one of his nine shots, and Mike Conley had 18 points and nine assists as Memphis won their season-best fifth straight home game.
Gary Neal was the only Spur to finish in double figures with 14 points. Starters Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili and DeJuan Blair had nine points apiece, as they sat out the fourth quarter.
The Spurs (49-11) were playing their first game without starting point guard Tony Parker, who is expected to miss two to four weeks after straining his left calf when the Spurs beat Memphis on Saturday.
PACERS 109, WARRIORS 100
In Indianapolis, Indiana, Danny Granger scored 27 points, hitting all 16 free throws, as Indiana held off Golden State.
Darren Collison scored 11 points for Indiana, eight in the third quarter, when the Pacers outscored Golden State 37-26 to turn a three-point deficit into a nine-point lead.
Reggie Williams had 25 points off the bench for Golden State, which rallied from a double-digit, first-half deficit to lead by nine points late in the second quarter before faltering.
RAPTORS 96, HORNETS 90
In Toronto, Jose Calderon had 22 points and 16 assists, while DeMar DeRozan scored 17 points as Toronto beat New Orleans for just their fourth win in 24 games.
Returning to the lineup after missing Sunday’s loss to Dallas with flu-like symptoms, Andrea Bargnani scored 14 points for Toronto, which also got 14 from Sonny Weems and 13 from James Johnson.
David West scored 19 points and former Raptor Jarrett Jack had 17, but the Hornets lost for the ninth time in 12 games.
It was another difficult night for Hornets point guard Chris Paul, who made just three of 10 shots and finished with seven points, five assists and four rebounds.
BUCKS 92, PISTONS 90
In Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Brandon Jennings scored 21 points, making the clinching free throws with 5.9 seconds left and leading Milwaukee over Detroit.
Detroit’s Richard Hamilton emerged from coach John Kuester’s doghouse to score 10 points in 26 minutes off the bench, but missed his first four shots and his final eight attempts.
Milwaukee won for only the third time in nine games despite having their top frontcourt players on the bench due to injury and illness. The Pistons have lost seven of nine.
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