- Times Leader

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CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Deron Williams scored a franchise-record 57 points to lift the New Jersey Nets to a 104-101 victory over the Charlotte Bobcats on Sunday night.

Williams, who came into the game averaging 21.7 points, shot 16 of 29 from the field and was a perfect 21 for 21 from the free-throw line.

Williams broke the franchise’s previous mark of 52 points, shared by Mike Newlin and Ray Williams. It was the second-most points scored against the Bobcats, one shy of Kobe Bryant’s 58 in 2006.

Corey Maggette had 24 points and Gerald Henderson added 15 for the Bobcats, who’ve lost five straight and 21 of their last 22.

Lakers 93, Heat 83

LOS ANGELES — Kobe Bryant scored 33 points in his third straight stellar performance since Dwyane Wade broke his nose in the All-Star game, and Wade managed just 16 points before fouling out midway through the fourth quarter of the Lakers’ victory over the Miami Heat.

Metta World Peace scored 17 points while leading a solid defensive effort for the Lakers, who have won 17 of their last 18 home games. Andrew Bynum had 16 points and 13 rebounds as Los Angeles never trailed in the final 44 minutes against Miami, snapping a four-game skid in Bryant’s head-to-head matchups with Wade’s Heat.

Celtics 115, Knicks 111

BOSTON — Celtics guard Rajon Rondo had his second triple-double in three games, spoiling Harvard grad Jeremy Lin’s return to Boston.

Rondo had 18 points, 20 assists and a career-high 17 rebounds, and Paul Pierce scored 34 — including a 3-pointer with 4.9 seconds left in regulation. Kevin Garnett finished with 18 points with 10 rebounds.

Bulls 96, 76ers 91

PHILADELPHIA — Derrick Rose tied a season high with 35 points, and Joakim Noah had 11 points and 18 rebounds to lead the Chicago Bulls to their sixth straight win.

In a battle of division leaders, the Bulls made all the big shots over the final minutes to end a three-game losing streak against the Sixers.

Raptors 83, Warriors 75

TORONTO — DeMar DeRozan scored 25 points, James Johnson had 12 points and 12 rebounds and the Toronto Raptors beat Golden State, snapping a five-game losing streak against the Warriors.

Amir Johnson had 11 points and 13 rebounds, Leandro Barbosa scored 18 points and Ed Davis grabbed 12 rebounds for the Raptors, who had lost 11 of their last 14.

Clippers 105, Rockets 103

HOUSTON — Chris Paul had 28 points and 10 assists, Blake Griffin added 14 points and 11 rebounds and the Los Angeles Clippers beat the Houston Rockets in overtime.

Randy Foye had 15 points and Caron Butler and Mo Williams had 14 apiece for the Clippers, who beat Houston for only the eighth time in the last 33 meetings.

Suns 96, Kings 88

PHOENIX — Steve Nash had 19 points, Marcin Gortat scored 14 and matched his season high with 17 rebounds, and the Phoenix Suns won their third in a row with a victory over the Sacramento Kings.

In all three wins, the Suns rallied from double-digit deficits, something the franchise hadn’t done since November 2002.