Celtics stop Pistons’ streak
The Eastern Conference finals in June might look a lot like a matchup did in January.
Glen Davis scored a career-high 20 points, giving Boston’s Big Three a huge lift in a 92-85 win over the Detroit Pistons on Saturday night in Auburn Hills, Mich., in a marquee game that lived up to its billing.
For the first time since 1981, two NBA teams entered a game on Jan. 5 with a combined 54 wins. For the first time since 2000, two teams played with each riding at least an eight-game winning streak.
The Celtics extended their winning streak, which started after losing to Detroit at home, to nine games and snapped Detroit’s streak at 11 games.
Hornets 118, Suns 113: Chris Paul scored 28 points, including 14 in the fourth quarter, and had 10 assists to help rally New Orleans to a road victory over Phoenix, ending the Suns’ four-game winning streak.
The win was the Hornets’ 23rd of the season, tying Phoenix for the most in the Western Conference. It also ended the Suns’ streak of 20 consecutive victories when leading entering the fourth quarter.
Leandro Barbosa led Phoenix with 28 points, while Steve Nash had 23 points and 11 assists.
Trail Blazers 103, Jazz 89: Martell Webster had a career-high 26 points, 24 in the third quarter alone, and the Trail Blazers got their revenge against Utah by beating the Jazz in Portland.
Earlier this week, the Jazz snapped a 13-game Portland winning streak with a 111-101 victory in Salt Lake City.
The Blazers, who led by as many as 20 points, have won three straight since the streak-stopping loss. They have lost just one of their last 17 games.
Rockets 103, Knicks 91: Yao Ming scored 30 points, grabbed eight rebounds and dished out six assists and the Rockets won for the fourth time in six games without injured Tracy McGrady, beating New York in Houston.
Rookie point guard Aaron Brooks scored a career-high 22 for the Rockets, who’ve won six straight meetings with the Knicks.
Zach Randolph scored 18 points and grabbed a career-high 22 rebounds for the Knicks, who’ve dropped seven games in a row, and 13 of 14 on the road this season.
Bulls 94, Kings 93: Ben Wallace hit the go-ahead free throw and blocked Brad Miller’s jumper with a second left to lift the Bulls to a victory over Sacramento in Chicago.
Andres Nocioni, starting in place of an ailing Luol Deng, scored 26 points to pace the Bulls. Ben Gordon added 20 points.
Nets 113, Hawks 107: Jason Kidd had 10 points, 14 assists and 13 rebounds for his ninth triple-double of the season, and New Jersey opened the fourth quarter on a 15-0 run to rally past the Hawks in Atlanta.
It was the second triple-double in two games for Kidd.