NBA roundup
Bryant pours in 58, but falters in 3rd OT as Bobcats outlast Lakers CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) – Kobe Bryant scored 58 points, but committed two key errors in the third overtime and the Charlotte Bobcats outlasted the Los Angeles Lakers 133-124 on Friday night.
After fouling Derek Anderson on a 3-point attempt with 1:14 left, Bryant missed a long jumper and fouled on a charging call on the next possession to end his night. He hit 22 of 45 shots and his performance trailed only his 81-point game last January in Toronto and a 62-point effort last December in Dallas.
Emeka Okafor had 22 points and a career-high 25 rebounds, Gerald Wallace scored 28 points and Matt Carroll added a career-high 27 for the Bobcats, who played their first triple-overtime game in franchise history.
Raymond Felton added 22 points and 15 assists in 57 minutes for the Bobcats, who snapped a three-game losing streak.
Nets 91, Heat 81
MIAMI – New Jersey scored 21 consecutive points in the third quarter to beat the short-handed Heat, who were without Dwyane Wade.
Wade was sidelined with a sore wrist he injured in a loss Wednesday. The Heat were also without Shaquille O’Neal, who has missed the past 23 games with a knee injury, and reserve forward James Posey, who served a one-game suspension for a flagrant foul.
Wizards 112, Magic 111
WASHINGTON – Caron Butler made the go-ahead basket, a 16-footer from the baseline with 46 seconds remaining, Gilbert Arenas scored 14 of his 36 points in the fourth quarter, and Washington took sole possession of the Southeast Division lead.
Washington has won a season-high five straight and has made up a six-game deficit to the Magic since the start of December. The Wizards have scored 106 or more points in 13 straight games, more than compensating for the fact that they’re last in the league in scoring defense. They haven’t been in first place this late since 1978-79.
Cavaliers 109, Bucks 99
CLEVELAND – LeBron James scored 32 points in his final game as a 21-year-old, Donyell Marshall scored a season-high 29, and Cleveland snapped Milwaukee’s six-game winning streak.
Larry Hughes emerged from a shooting slump with 26 points for the Cavaliers, who blew most of a 21-point lead in the second half before hanging on to win their seventh in a row at home against Milwaukee.
Pacers 93, Pistons 92
AUBURN HILLS, Mich. – Darrell Armstrong made a free throw with 0.9 seconds left to give Indiana the victory over Detroit.
Bulls 107, Raptors 97
TORONTO – Luol Deng scored 25 points and Ben Gordon added 22 to lead Chicago to its 15th straight victory over Toronto.
Deng had 19 points in the second half for the Bulls, who shot a season-high 59.7 percent. Chicago has not lost to Toronto since Dec. 6, 2002, when it ended a 16-game losing streak to the Raptors.
T’wolves 101, Sonics 82
MINNEAPOLIS – Ricky Davis scored 24 points and Mark Blount added 18 to lead Minnesota past the sleepy SuperSonics.
Suns 108, Knicks 86
PHOENIX – Steve Nash and Raja Bell scored 20 points apiece, and Phoenix coasted past New York in the opener of a five-game road trip for the Knicks.
Rockets 94, Hawks 68
HOUSTON – Tracy McGrady showed no signs of his recent back problems, scoring 31 points in Houston’s rout of Atlanta.
Juwan Howard added 17 points, 13 rebounds and five assists, and Dikembe Mutombo grabbed a season-high 14 rebounds as the Rockets won for the second time in three games since Yao Ming broke a bone under his right knee. Yao is out at least six weeks.
McGrady was playing his third game since missing the previous seven with back spasms. He took over the game with an 18-point second quarter, then left in the third quarter with an apparently minor thumb injury.
The Hawks have lost six in a row and 10 of their last 11. Atlanta shot 35 percent (25 of 72) from the field and went 0-for-11 from 3-point range.