Hornets hit new low in loss to Heat

Dwyane Wade had 18 points and seven assists, and the Miami Heat built a 25-point first-quarter lead on the way to an easy 97-68 win over the New Orleans Hornets at Miami.

Miami’s 56-25 halftime lead matched the franchise’s largest after two quarters – plus marked the lowest scoring first-half in Hornets’ history; Charlotte had 27 at halftime in Minnesota on Nov. 9, 1990.

Suns 113, Nets 105: At Phoenix, Amare Stoudemire scored 33 points on 13-for-16 shooting, and Steve Nash had a season-high 30 points to help Phoenix snap a six-game losing streak by beating New Jersey.

Mavericks 95, Nuggets 93: At Dallas, Dirk Nowitzki scored nine of his 35 points in the final 5 minutes – including a three-point play with 17.9 seconds – to lift Dallas over Denver.

Bucks 101, Knicks 96: At New York, Desmond Mason scored 22 points to lead six Milwaukee players in double figures, and the Bucks spoiled the debut of New York coach Herb Williams.

Raptors 103, Bobcats 92: At Toronto, Jalen Rose scored 14 of his 22 points in the fourth quarter to help Toronto hand Charlotte its eight straight loss.

Spurs 103, Kings 73: At Sacramento, Calif., Tim Duncan had 23 points and 13 rebounds, and San Antonio snapped Sacramento’s six-game win streak in the King’s worst home loss in more than seven years.