NBA: Carter, Kidd both notch triple-doubles
Vince Carter and Jason Kidd became the first teammates with triple-doubles in the same game since Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen in 1989, leading the New Jersey Nets to a 120-114 overtime victory over the injury-ravaged Washington Wizards on Saturday night in East Rutherford, N.J.
Carter matched his season high with 46 points, added a season-high 16 rebounds and 10 assists. Kidd tied a career high with 16 rebounds, equaled his season high with 18 assists and added a late free throw for 10 points.
Richard Jefferson matched his season high with 27 points and the Nets finished with a franchise-record 17 3-pointers in winning for the fifth time in seven games to prevent the Wizards from clinching a playoff berth.
Antawn Jamison scored a season-high 37 points and hit a 3-pointer with 1.1 seconds left in regulation to lead Washington, which lost its fourth straight. Jarvis Hayes added a career-high 29 points for the Wizards, who lost All-Stars Gilbert Arenas (knee) and Caron Butler (hand) in the past week with major injuries.
The victory moved New Jersey within three games of Washington in the race for the sixth seed in the Eastern Conference. Both teams have six games to play, and they play each other again Tuesday in Washington.
Jordan had 41 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds, while Pippen added 15 points, 12 assists and 10 rebounds in a 126-121 win over the Los Angeles Clippers on Jan. 3, 1989.
Mavericks 86, Trail Blazers 74: At Dallas, Jason Terry scored 22 of his 29 points by halftime and Devin Harris added 18, leading Dallas over Portland to reach the verge of clinching the top seed in the Western Conference.
The next Dallas victory or loss by Phoenix will wrap up the No. 1 seed.
Dirk Nowitzki scored 11 points for Dallas on 4-of-10 shooting. He played just 26 minutes. Rookie Maurice Ager played 26 minutes, nearly triple his previous most, and had two emphatic dunks among his season-high eight points.
Hornets 96, Timberwolves 94: At Minneapolis, Chris Paul scored 18 points and had 10 assists in his return and Rasual Butler added 17 to help New Orleans defeat Minnesota.
Marc Jackson added 15 points and 11 rebounds starting in place of injured Tyson Chandler (left big toe). David West also had 15 points for the Hornets.
Rashad McCants led Minnesota with 17 points and Mike James had 15, but they combined for only seven in the second half. Kevin Garnett scored five of his 13 points in the final minute, including a 3-pointer with 1.8 seconds to play to make it 95-94.
Spurs 112, Warriors 99: At San Antonio, Tim Duncan scored 28 points, Manu Ginobili added 25, and San Antonio beat Golden State to hand the Warriors a setback in their drive for a playoff spot.
The Warriors had won four straight and were trying to match a season-high winning streak. Golden State entered the contest one game behind the Los Angeles Clippers for the final playoff spot in the Western Conference.
Magic 116, Grizzlies 89: At Orlando, Fla., Dwight Howard had 31 points and 11 rebounds, and Orlando beat short-handed Memphis to remain in eighth place in the Eastern Conference.
Howard, whose first seven field goals were dunks, finished 10 of 13 from the field. Hedo Turkoglu and Grant Hill each added 15 points as Orlando’s starting five hit 25 of 32 field-goal attempts.
Pacers 105, Celtics 98: At Indianapolis, Mike Dunleavy scored 22 points and Jermaine O’Neal added 14 points and 14 rebounds, leading Indiana to a victory over short-handed Boston.
The win kept Indiana within one game of the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference behind Orlando.
Allan Ray had 22 points and Sebastian Telfair scored 21 for the Celtics, who dressed only eight players. Paul Pierce (sore left elbow) was the biggest name on Boston’s long injured list.
Knicks 118, Bucks 113 (OT): At Milwaukee, Eddy Curry scored a career-high 43 points, including his first 3-pointer of the season to force overtime, and New York beat Milwaukee.
Nate Robinson matched a career high with 34 points for the Knicks, who snapped a four-game losing streak and remained three games behind eighth-place Orlando in the Eastern Conference.
Milwaukee, which lost for the ninth time in 10 games, got 27 points and seven rebounds from Ruben Patterson.
Nuggets 96, Clippers 93: At Los Angeles, Allen Iverson scored 17 of his 34 points in the fourth quarter and Linas Kleiza hit a go-ahead 3-pointer with 15.8 seconds to play, leading Denver to a victory over Los Angeles.
Corey Maggette scored 24 points and Elton Brand had 22 points and 13 rebounds for the Clippers, who squandered a chance to eclipse the .500 mark.
The victory helped Denver tie the Lakers for sixth place in the standings.
Around the league
Dallas’ Josh Howard and Portland’s Brandon Roy were out with injuries when their teams met in Dallas. Howard sprained an ankle the night before and Roy didn’t dress because of a knee injury. … New York guard Stephon Marbury sat out the Knicks’ game at Milwaukee because of a right turf toe injury. Milwaukee’s Brian Skinner also missed the game with an ear infection.