Final Score: Atlanta 119, Sacramento 97
Atlanta, GA (Sports Network) - Al Horford scored a team-high 23 points, grabbed 12 rebounds and dished out six assists as the Atlanta Hawks routed the Sacramento Kings, 119-97, at Philips Arena. Josh Smith went for 21 points and 10 boards, while Joe Johnson donated 20 points for Atlanta, which has won six straight, including a 98-80 drubbing of Portland on Sunday. The Hawks are perfect on their seven-game homestand, which concludes on Thursday against Dallas. Mike Bibby registered 18 points to go along with seven assists and five rebounds in the victory. Kevin Martin led all scorers with 31 points for the Kings, who have dropped three in a row. Jason Thompson finished with 13 points and eight boards, while Spencer Hawes and Andres Nocioni scored 14 and 11 points, respectively, in defeat. Sacramento fell to 0-27 against Eastern Conference opponents this season.
Final Score: Cleveland 97, Orlando 93
Cleveland, OH (Sports Network) - LeBron James scored 43 points, including the go-ahead three-pointer and two game-sealing free throws with 8.7 seconds left, to lift the Cavaliers over the Magic, 97-93, at Quicken Loans Arena. James also had 12 rebounds, eight assists and four steals for Cleveland, which won its sixth straight game and 10th in 11 tries. Mo Williams chipped in 21 points and Anderson Varejao 12 in the win. Zydrunas Ilgauskas totaled 11 boards and eight points for the Cavs, who improved to 30-1 at home. Rafer Alston donated 23 points and Courtney Lee 19 for Orlando, which saw its three-game winning streak come to an end. Dwight Howard ended with 13 points and 15 boards in defeat, while Hedo Turkoglu scored 16 and doled out seven helpers.
Final Score: Chicago 127, Boston 121
Chicago, IL (Sports Network) - John Salmons tied a career high with 38 points, as the Bulls snapped a six-game losing streak against the Celtics with a 127-121 victory over Boston at the United Center. Brad Miller chipped in with 21 points and 14 rebounds for the Bulls, who have won two in a row. Tyrus Thomas added 18 points and Ben Gordon 17 in the win. Derrick Rose ended with 11 points and eight assists for Chicago, which won its seventh straight at home. Paul Pierce totaled 37 points and Rajon Rondo 26 with 10 helpers for the Celtics, who dropped their second straight, fourth in five tries and failed to lock up the Atlantic Division title. Ray Allen had 17 points and Kendrick Perkins 14 to go with 10 boards. Leon Powe recorded just two points and three boards in 4:22 before leaving the game early with a bruised right knee.
Final Score: Dallas 103, Detroit 101
Dallas, TX (Sports Network) - Dirk Nowitzki tallied 30 points and Erick Dampier posted a solid 16-point, 13-rebound effort as the Dallas Mavericks held off the Detroit Pistons, 103-101, for their eighth straight win at American Airlines Center. Jason Terry scored 18 points and fellow reserves Brandon Bass and James Singleton chipped in 12 and 11 points, respectively for Dallas, which was coming off losses to the Lakers and Warriors. Tayshaun Prince carried the Pistons with 28 points and seven rebounds, while Rodney Stuckey finished with 17 points and seven assists for Detroit, which has lost three of four without center Rasheed Wallace (calf).
Final Score: San Antonio 93, Minnesota 86
San Antonio, TX (Sports Network) - Tony Parker poured in a game-high 24 points and dished out six assists, as the San Antonio Spurs hung on to beat the Minnesota Timberwolves, 93-86, at the AT&T Center. Kurt Thomas added 10 points, 10 boards, and six helpers for the Spurs, who collected their ninth straight win against the lowly T-Wolves. Roger Mason tallied 15 points, while Fabricio Oberto added 12 points off the bench for the victors. The Southwest Division-leading Spurs decided to sit All-Star forward Tim Duncan against Minnesota. San Antonio wants to keep Duncan fresh for the playoffs. A right quad injury forced Duncan to miss three games in February. Minnesota was paced by Kevin Love, who grabbed 19 rebounds to go along with his 17 points. Sebastian Telfair ended with 17 points and five assists for the Timberwolves, who dropped to 10-22 on the road this season. Randy Foye finished with 10 points, while Mike Miller had 15 points off the bench in defeat.
Final Score: Utah 103, Washington 88
Salt Lake City, UT (Sports Network) - Carlos Boozer had 13 points and 15 rebounds to lead the Utah Jazz in a 103-88 rout of the Washington Wizards. Mehmet Okur and Ronnie Brewer scored 13 points each for the Jazz, who snapped a three-game slide. Kyle Korver added 15 points and Deron Williams 12 with eight assists in the win. Nick Young and Juan Dixon donated 14 points each for the Wizards, who have lost three of four and eight of their last 10 overall. Antawn Jamison gave 13 points and 10 boards in defeat.
Final Score: Golden State 127, LA Clippers 120
Oakland, CA (Sports Network) - Monta Ellis scored 29 points, doled out six assists and grabbed five rebounds to lead Golden State past the Los Angeles Clippers, 127-120, spoiling Baron Davis' return to ORACLE Arena. Davis, who missed the Clippers' last trip to Oakland on January 25 with a bruised tailbone, played his first game in Oakland since opting out of the final year of his contract with the Warriors last offseason to sign a five-year, $65 million dollar contact with LA. He finished with 29 points and seven helpers. Corey Maggette totaled 21 points and Anthony Morrow 20 for the Warriors, who have won three of four. Kelenna Azubuike ended with 16 points and nine boards in the win. Golden State's Stephen Jackson did not play due to a one-game suspension levied for his 16 technical fouls on the season.
Final Score: Philadelphia 94, LA Lakers 93
Los Angeles, CA (Sports Network) - Andre Iguodala knocked down a game-winning three-pointer just before the final buzzer sounded, as the Philadelphia 76ers nipped the Los Angeles Lakers, 94-93, at Staples Center. Iguodala, who missed his previous six attempts from downtown prior to nailing the game-winner, finished with 25 points for the Sixers, who were coming off a perfect three- game homestand. Lou Williams chipped in 18 points and six assists, and Donyell Marshall was a spark off the bench by hitting all three of his tries from behind the arc in the fourth quarter. Pau Gasol paced the Lakers with 25 points, eight rebounds and six assists, while Lamar Odom ended with 14 points and 11 rebounds in the Lakers' first loss in four games. Kobe Bryant finished with a paltry 11 points on 5-of-15 shooting.
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