Nenad Krstic had 21 points and 10 rebounds, and the New Jersey Nets won their ninth straight game, holding the Phoenix Suns to their lowest point total of the season in a 110-72 rout on Monday night.
Vince Carter added 20 points for the Nets (41-28), who trimmed their magic number to clinch the Atlantic Division to five and the number to clinch an Eastern Conference playoff berth to two.
The 38-point margin of victory was the biggest of the season for the Nets, who won a season-high 10 straight from Dec. 16 through Jan. 8.
PHOTO: AP
The margin of defeat was the largest of the season for the Suns (47-22). They entered averaging an NBA-high 108.4 points and hadn't been held below 85 this season. They shot a franchise-worst 26.8 percent (26-of-97).
Steve Nash, the reigning NBA Most Valuable Player, was held scoreless for the first time all season. He played 26 minutes. Amare Stoudemire, in just his third game since returning after missing the first 66 after surgery on his left knee, failed to score and grabbed just two rebounds.
Heat 96, Pacers 91
At Miami, Florida, Shaquille O'Neal had 23 points and 11 rebounds, Dwyane Wade survived a tough offensive night to score 22, and Miami rallied from a 14-point second-half deficit to beat Indiana.
The Heat beat the Pacers for only the second time in the teams' last 16 regular-season meetings, doing so even after getting hit with five technical fouls and losing starting forward Udonis Haslem to an ejection in the second quarter after scuffling with Indiana's Jermaine O'Neal.
Jason Williams added 18 points for Miami, which outrebounded Indiana 53-32 and moved closer to wrapping up its second straight Southeast Division title.
Antoine Walker had 11 for Miami.
Stephen Jackson scored 22 points for Indiana, which got 19 more from Peja Stojakovic and 17 from Jermaine O'Neal, who fouled out in the final minute. Jamaal Tinsley scored 10 for the Pacers.
Jazz 104, Hornets 80
At Salt Lake City, Utah, Deron Williams had 20 points and five assists, and Utah (33-37) passed the slumping Hornets (32-37) in the Western Conference standings.
Matt Harpring had 15 points and 11 rebounds for Utah, which shot 56 percent (37-for-66) from the floor and outrebounded the Hornets 45-23.
Carlos Boozer had 21 points and eight rebounds and Andrei Kirilenko finished with 13 points, eight assists, five blocks and six rebounds.
The Hornets lost for the 12th time in 13 games and fell to 0-3 on a road trip that wraps up today at Golden State.
Wizards 116, Warriors 98
At Oakland, California, Gilbert Arenas scored 40 points and Antawn Jamison added 31 as the former Warriors beat their old team, leading Washington over Golden State.
Arenas hit seven 3-pointers and had 10 assists, while Jamison added 14 rebounds in a sensational two-man show for the Wizards, who have won two of the first three games on their longest road trip of the season.
Jason Richardson scored 18 points for the Warriors, who were mostly lifeless until the fourth quarter.
One night earlier, they snapped the Sacramento Kings' 14-game home winning streak -- and Washington was to visits Arco Arena yesterday for the next stop on their six-game trip.
‘AWFUL PERFORMANCE’: Golden State were always chasing the game after failing to threaten from long range, making just eight of 33 three-point attempts Aaron Gordon on Monday scored 38 points as the Denver Nuggets shrugged off the absence of Nikola Jokic to halt the Golden State Warriors’ seven-game winning streak with a 114-105 victory over their Western Conference rivals. A dazzling display from Gordon inspired what was ultimately a comfortable win for Denver, who were missing regular starters Jokic and Jamal Murray from their lineup. The absentees were barely felt by Denver, who startled the Warriors early at San Francisco’s Chase Center and led for most of the game. The Warriors threatened to stage a late rally after slashing the Nuggets’ fourth-quarter lead from 15 points
Barcelona’s Ferran Torres scored twice on Sunday to help secure a late 4-2 comeback win at Atletico Madrid in a pulsating La Liga clash that took the Catalan side back to the top of the table. Barca have 60 points and a game in hand after last week’s postponement of their home game with CA Osasuna. They are level on points with Real Madrid, who won 2-1 at Villarreal on Saturday. “I am happy and proud of this team,” Barcelona head coach Hansi Flick told a news conference. “They never give up... It’s a great three points and we are happy to
Chris Wood has fired Nottingham Forest into surprise UEFA Champions League contention and now the striker wants to score the goals to help New Zealand make history at the FIFA World Cup. New Zealand are strong favorites to qualify out of the Oceania region over the next week and reach the World Cup for only the third time. At the country’s two previous appearances at the finals, in 1982 and 2010, they have failed to win a match in six attempts. With Wood captaining the side and leading from the front, he told local media yesterday that the current squad can finally deliver
Paolo Banchero on Sunday scored 24 points as the Orlando Magic overturned a 13-point deficit to end the Cleveland Cavaliers’ 16-game unbeaten streak with a gutsy 108-103 road victory. Cleveland, the runaway Eastern Conference leaders, had looked poised to extend their franchise-record winning run after surging clear of Orlando early in the third quarter, but after a season where they have staged hefty winning comebacks of their own, the tables turned on Cleveland in the face of a furious burst of Orlando scoring. The Magic outscored Cleveland 35-23 in the third quarter, with Franz Wagner leading the charge with nine points and
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