NBA: Lakers capture all-star shootout
Kobe got even with Gil.
Two of the NBA’s riveting stars spent Saturday night trying to outdo each other, point for point, flashy move for flashy move, their last meeting seven weeks ago much on their minds. The much-anticipated Round 2 went to Kobe Bryant, who scored 39 points to lead the Los Angeles Lakers over Gilbert Arenas and the Washington Wizards 118-102 in Washington.
Bryant made 14 of 26 shots, was 9 of 10 from the free-throw line and had six rebounds and six assists in 44 minutes for the Lakers, who are 2-2 halfway through an eight-game road trip. His highlights included a 360-degree dunk, but he mostly helped his team more with a steady performance that outshone the erratic Arenas.
Arenas dropped a franchise-record 60 points in a 147-141 overtime win at Los Angeles on Dec. 17, but he set the tone this time with an airball on the game’s first possession. He went 9 for 29 from the field and finished with 37 points – mainly because he was 16 for 17 from the free-throw line.
Bobcats 98, Warriors 90: At Charlotte, N.C., Raymond Felton scored eight of his 22 points in the fourth quarter and Gerald Wallace added 21 points and 16 rebounds to lead Charlotte to a victory over Golden State.
Felton recovered after taking an elbow to the head in the third quarter that forced him to miss 5 minutes.
Rookie Adam Morrison added eight points on 3-of-10 shooting.
Knicks 94, Magic 86: At Orlando, Fla., Eddy Curry bulled his way to 27 points, reserve Channing Frye added 18, and New York seized control early and held on to beat Orlando.
Stephon Marbury had 14 points and six assists for New York, which held Orlando to 37.7 percent shooting for the game.
Pacers 116, Grizzlies 110: At Memphis, Tenn., Jermaine O’Neal had 25 points and 17 rebounds, Jamaal Tinsley also scored 25 points, and Indiana beat Memphis.
Ike Diogu added 19 points, including 10 in the fourth quarter, to help the Pacers win for the sixth time in seven games. Danny Granger scored 14, and Mike Dunleavy finished with 13.
Hornets 87, Rockets 74: At Houston, Devin Brown had 18 points, seven rebounds and five assists to lead New Orleans over Houston.
Tyson Chandler had 11 points and 12 rebounds and Chris Paul had 12 points with nine assists.
Paul shot 4 of 12 in his third game back after missing 17 with a sprained right ankle.
Heat 117, Bucks 98: At Milwaukee, Dwyane Wade capped his special weekend with 32 points and 11 assists, and Jason Kapono added a career-high 28 points to lead Miami over Milwaukee.
Wade, who went 11 of 17 from the field, also had his collegiate jersey retired in a ceremony during the Providence-Marquette game.
Mavericks 94, Timberwolves 93: At Dallas, All-Star snub Josh Howard and Jason Terry both had 22 points and Dallas defeated Minnesota and frustrated Kevin Garnett.
Garnett was in early foul trouble and didn’t get his first rebound until midway through the third quarter. The former MVP went on to grab 12 rebounds to go with his 25 points – 10 in the fourth quarter.
Jazz 108, Suns 105: At Phoenix, Mehmet Okur scored 18 of his 28 points in the second half, including a decisive 19-footer with 5.1 seconds remaining, and Utah beat Phoenix.
Deron Williams also scored 28 and added 10 assists for the Jazz, who have handed Phoenix three of its 10 losses this season and have won four straight against the Suns overall.
Kings 94, Nuggets 87: At Sacramento, Calif., Kevin Martin scored 28 points to help Sacramento beat Denver.
Ron Artest had 21 points, 11 rebounds and five steals for the Kings, who won with assistant Scott Brooks running the team instead of head coach Eric Musselman, who was serving the first of a two-game suspension for driving under the influence.
Bulls 88, Trail Blazers 86: At Portland, Ben Gordon scored 15 of his 33 points in the fourth quarter and Chicago beat Portland.
Zach Randolph had 27 points and seven rebounds to lead the Blazers. Jarrett Jack and Brandon Roy each added 16 points for Portland.
Chicago won despite scoring just 12 points in the first quarter and 14 in the third.