NBA : Bosh leads Raptors past Magic
Chris Bosh scored a career-high 41 points and outplayed Dwight Howard in a matchup of All-Star big men as the Toronto Raptors won their season-high fourth straight with a 113-103 victory over the Orlando Magic on Wednesday night in Toronto.
Bosh, who scored 31 points in the second half, also had eight rebounds for the Atlantic Division-leading Raptors, who have won nine of 11.
Bosh, elected to the Eastern Conference All-Star team for the first time, went 13 for 25 from the field and 15 for 17 from the line. His previous career high was 37 points on Dec. 27, 2005, against Detroit.
Howard had 32 points on 13-for-14 shooting for the Magic.
Orlando has lost 11 of 14 to fall to .500 (25-25) for the first time since early November.
Spurs 110, Wizards 83: At Washington, Tony Parker and Tim Duncan scored 20 points apiece, and San Antonio pulled away in the second half to a win over the Wizards.
76ers 92, Bobcats 83: At Philadelphia, Andre Iguodala scored 27 points and Andre Miller had 13 to lead the surging 76ers to a victory over Charlotte.
Cavaliers 94, Clippers 77: At Cleveland, Zydrunas Ilgauskas scored 16 points with a season-high 16 rebounds, Larry Hughes scored 15 points and the Cavaliers cruised to an easy win over Los Angeles.
Heat 91, Celtics 79: At Boston, Dwyane Wade had 30 points and nine assists to lead Miami to its fifth consecutive victory, beating Boston and sending the Celtics to a franchise-record 16th loss in a row.
Timberwolves 121, Warriors 93: At Minneapolis, Kevin Garnett had 17 points, 15 rebounds and 10 assists, and Minnesota snapped a four-game losing streak by beating Golden State.
Mavericks 113, Grizzlies 97: At Dallas, Dirk Nowitzki scored 18 of his 38 points in a flawless first quarter, and the Mavericks beat Memphis to match a franchise record by winning their 16th straight home game.
Nets 87, Hawks 85: At Atlanta, Vince Carter made the go-ahead layup with 7.6 seconds remaining, grabbed a critical rebound on Atlanta’s final possession, and New Jersey stopped a four-game losing streak with a victory over the Hawks.
Hornets 114, Nuggets 112 (OT): At Denver, Desmond Mason scored 23 points, including a putback at the buzzer to give New Orleans a wild victory over the Nuggets.
Around the league
Indiana Pacers guard Jamaal Tinsley and teammates Marquis Daniels and Keith McLeod were involved in a fight with a bar manager after a home loss to Golden State. No one was immediately arrested or charged after the Tuesday fight. … Former NBA center John Amaechi, who spent five seasons with four teams, became the first NBA player to publicly acknowledge he is gay. … Starting center Erick Dampier missed Dallas’ game against Memphis because of a sore right knee. … Animal services officers seized a Great Dane from the mansion of Sacramento Kings star Ron Artest, saying the dog was underfed. … Los Angeles Lakers center Kwame Brown will be sidelined another four to six weeks after seeking a second opinion with a foot doctor in Indianapolis. … Hall of Famer George Gervin will join the San Antonio team that will try to defend its shooting stars title on All-Star Saturday night on Feb. 17.