Mavericks clamp down on injury-depleted Phoenix
With two guards out temporarily and two key big men out much longer, the Phoenix Suns are relying even more on NBA Most Valuable Player Steve Nash.
Opponents know it, too, especially the newly defense-oriented Dallas Mavericks.
Jason Terry scored 23 points and helped hold Nash, his predecessor as the Dallas point guard, to one basket in the second half, sending the Mavericks past the Suns 102-96 Wednesday night.
“We were just trying to contain him,” Terry said of Nash. “He’s the toughest guard in the league to stay with.”
Dirk Nowitzki had 29 points, 13 rebounds and three blocks for Dallas.
Meeting in Dallas for the first time since Nash embarrassed Terry for the winning basket in a second-round playoff series, Terry outplayed the reigning MVP and former Mavs star this time – though it wasn’t a fair fight because of Phoenix’s depleted lineup.
Nash was 6 of 18 for 20 points with five assists.
Rockets 111, Warriors 105 (OT): At Oakland, Calif., rookie guard Luther Head hit a tying 3-pointer with 2.7 seconds left in regulation, Yao Ming scored four of his 30 points in overtime and Houston defeated Golden State for its fifth win in six games.
Magic 105, Knicks 90: At New York, Grant Hill made a key 3-pointer during a decisive run in his season debut, and Dwight Howard had 23 points and 13 rebounds to help Orlando defeat struggling New York.
Hill missed Orlando’s first 19 games following surgery for a sports hernia on Oct. 31. He started and scored seven points in 22 minutes, and he was on the floor late in the second quarter when the Magic took control for good.
Lakers 94, Grizzlies 79: At Memphis, Tenn., Kobe Bryant scored 27 points and Los Angeles completed a successful road trip with a victory over Memphis.
The victory gave the Lakers a 5-1 record on the trip and snapped a five-game losing streak in Memphis.
Pistons 109, Kings 98: At Auburn Hills, Mich., Chauncey Billups had 28 points and a career-high 19 assists and Richard Hamilton scored 36 points to lead Detroit past Sacramento.
The Pistons improved to 16-3, tying the 1996-97 team for the best start in franchise history.
Jazz 82, Trail Blazers 77: At Salt Lake City, Andrei Kirilenko had 21 points, 16 rebounds and eight blocks to lead Utah to a win over Portland.
Heat 100, Bucks 83: At Milwaukee, Dwyane Wade scored 27 points and Gary Payton added 20 to give Miami coach Pat Riley his second win in as many nights, a victory over Milwaukee.
Hornets 102, Clippers 89: At Oklahoma City, J.R. Smith scored 21 points and matched his career high with six 3-pointers as New Orleans held off a late charge to defeat Los Angeles.
Celtics 85, Pacers 71: At Boston, Paul Pierce had 25 points and seven rebounds to lead Boston over Indiana.
76ers 106, Hawks 101: At Philadelphia, Allen Iverson scored 39 points, Chris Webber had 29 and Philadelphia held off Atlanta.
Bulls 105, Raptors 94: At Toronto, Darius Songaila scored 18 points and Chicago beat Toronto for the 10th straight time.
Bobcats 91, Nets 83: At East Rutherford, N.J., Brevin Knight scored a season-high 25 points and Charlotte snapped an eight-game losing streak by defeating New Jersey.
Off the court
Utah Jazz rookies Deron Williams and Robert Whaley have been cited for giving false names to police officers investigating a Park City, Utah, bar brawl for which they otherwise would not have faced any charges. The two were cited with one count each of providing false information to a peace officer, police Lt. Rick Ryan said. The fight began early Sunday inside a bar when some Denver fans approached the two players and said they didn’t like the Jazz. … New York Knicks president Isiah Thomas said he contacted the Indiana Pacers, but he won’t trade any of his young players for Ron Artest. Artest, who this week asked to be dealt from Indiana, said his preference would be to join the Knicks. … Washington rookie forward Andray Blatche was assigned to the Roanoke Dazzle of the NBA’s D-League.