Knicks beat Philadelphia for 5th straight victory
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PHILADELPHIA — Amare Stoudemire had 21 points and nine rebounds to lead the New York Knicks to their fifth straight victory, 82-79 over the Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday night.
Jeremy Lin scored 18 points and Carmelo Anthony had 10 to help the Knicks pull within three games of the Atlantic Division leaders.
Elton Brand had 12 points and 12 rebounds for the Sixers. Jrue Holiday scored 16.
The game ended with thousands of New York fans chanting, “Let’s go Knicks!” They had reason to celebrate after Stoudemire hit a pair of big buckets down the stretch to clinch the win.
Each team was backed by a heavyweight A-list supporter: Co-owner Will Smith rooted on the Sixers and Spike Lee sat adjacent to the Knicks bench.
Bulls 94, Raptors 82
TORONTO — John Lucas scored all 13 of his points in the fourth quarter, Luol Deng had 17 points and 10 rebounds, and the Chicago Bulls rallied to beat the Toronto Raptors.
Kyle Korver also came up big in the final quarter, scoring all 10 of his points in the fourth as the Bulls came back after trailing by 12 early in the second half.
Magic 103, Suns 93
ORLANDO, Fla. — Ryan Anderson hit seven 3-pointers and scored 29 points, Dwight Howard added 28 points and 16 rebounds, and the Orlando Magic held off the Phoenix Suns.
Orlando led by as many as 22 points before the Suns surged with under five minutes to play. But the Magic, who were 11 for 23 from beyond the arc, were able to string together enough baskets down the stretch to hold on to the victory.
Hawks 103, Cavaliers 102
ATLANTA — Joe Johnson hit a tying 3-pointer at the end of regulation and knocked down a baseline jumper with 10 seconds left in overtime, giving the Atlanta Hawks a victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers.
The Hawks rallied from 16 points down early on and a six-point deficit in OT, pulling even on Johnson’s third trey of the night and a three-point play by Josh Smith, who led Atlanta with 32 points and 17 rebounds.
Wizards 108, Nets 89
NEWARK, N.J. — Nene had 22 points and 10 rebounds in his Washington debut, and the Wizards defeated New Jersey in game marred by the third-quarter ejections of Nets’ All-Star point guard Deron Williams and head coach Avery Johnson.
Williams and Johnson were tossed by referee Josh Tiven with 5:18 left in the third quarter for arguing a non-call on a Williams’ drive to the basket seconds earlier. Tiven appeared to call all four technical fouls, getting Williams first and then the coach after his best player was ejected.
Thunder 114, Clippers 91
OKLAHOMA CITY — Kevin Durant had 32 points and nine rebounds, Russell Westbrook added 19 points and the Oklahoma City Thunder shut down Blake Griffin and beat the Los Angeles Clippers.
Playing in his hometown, Griffin was held to a career-low seven points in the rematch of a Clippers victory perhaps best remembered for his emphatic dunk over Kendrick Perkins.
Griffin didn’t have any dunks in this one, settling mostly for long jumpers and hook shots, and went just 3 for 11 from the field.
Warriors 101, Hornets 92
NEW ORLEANS — Rookie Klay Thompson scored a career-high 27 points, David Lee added 25 and the Golden State Warriors ended a four-game losing streak with a win over the New Orleans Hornets.
The Warriors trailed 58-51 midway through the third quarter before Thompson sparked a 20-5 run. He hit a 3-pointer and converted a three-point play to give the Warriors a 60-58 lead. He also got the assist on Brandon Rush’s wide open 3-pointer that gave Golden State the lead for good, 63-60.
Lee, who also had 11 rebounds, finished the spurt with a jumper that made it 71-63.
