NBA roundup
Pistons hold off Raptors AUBURN HILLS, Mich. (AP) – Richard Hamilton scored six of his 19 points in overtime as the Detroit Pistons held off the Toronto Raptors 90-86 on Wednesday night.
Rasheed Wallace added 16 points, while Ben Wallace had 15 points, 16 rebounds and six blocks for the Pistons, blew a 12-point fourth-quarter lead, but recovered to win their third straight.
Toronto lost Vince Carter to a strained left Achilles’ tendon in the opening minute of the second half. Carter was driving along the baseline when he pulled up and fell near Pistons owner Bill Davidson’s seat. He was helped to the locker room and didn’t return.
Carter’s status for Toronto’s game against Denver on Friday night was not immediately known.
The game was played a few hours after five Indiana Pacers and seven fans were charged in the melee that broke out at the end of a nationally televised game at Detroit on Nov. 19, one of the worst brawls in U.S. sports history.
Donyell Marshall scored 22 points to lead the Raptors.
T’wolves 119, 76ers 84
PHILADELPHIA – Eddie Griffin scored a career-high 27 points and Latrell Sprewell had 24 in his return from a one-game suspension for Minnesota.
Kevin Garnett added 19 points for the Timberwolves, who have won six of seven.
Sprewell returned to the lineup after being suspended by the NBA for yelling a sexual vulgarity at a fan in Los Angeles on Saturday night. He shot 9-of-14.
Nuggets 111, Wizards 105
WASHINGTON – Andre Miller had a season-high 34 points, eight rebounds and eight assists to lead Denver.
Carmelo Anthony added 23 points and Marcus Camby 16 points and nine rebounds as the Nuggets won the first of seven road games in 11 days, their longest trip since the 1987-88 season.
Gilbert Arenas led Washington with 28 points, and Antawn Jamison added 27 points and 11 rebounds as the Wizards’ four-game home winning streak ended.
Grizzlies 97, Hawks 89
ATLANTA – Pau Gasol scored 24 points to lead Memphis over the Hawks, the Grizzlies’ third win in four games under new coach Mike Fratello.
Mike Miller and Stromile Swift added 13 points, and Lorenzen Wright and Earl Watson each had 11 for the Grizzlies.
Heat 101, Bucks 96
MILWAUKEE – Shaquille O’Neal scored eight of his 18 points in the fourth quarter for Miami.
O’Neal played just 21 minutes because of foul trouble, but made his presence felt down the stretch despite picking up his fifth foul with 8:23 left.
Udonis Haslem made all 12 of his free throws to finish with 20 points for Miami, which improved to 11-2 against the Eastern Conference. Dwyane Wade had 17 points and 10 assists, and Eddie Jones also scored 17 points.
Knicks 86, Hornets 79
NEW ORLEANS – Stephon Marbury had 22 points and nine assists to help the New York Knicks end a three-game losing streak and drop the New Orleans Hornets to 0-9 at home.
After shooting 2-of-12 in the Knicks’ loss Tuesday night in Memphis, Marbury started 1-for-6 but made five of his next 11 shots, including four 3-pointers. His last basket, a driving scoop shot with about two minutes to go, stopped a 6-0 Hornets run that trimmed New York’s lead – once as large as 24 – to 10.
Kurt Thomas scored 15 points and grabbed 15 rebounds, while Nazr Mohammed made his first five shots, finishing with 14 points on 6-of-7 shooting from the field, to carry the Knicks to an early double-digit lead. Mohammed also had nine rebounds, while Tim Thomas scored 11 points.
Lee Nailon and reserve guard Dan Dickau led New Orleans with 17 points each.