LOS ANGELES ( AP) — Kobe Bryant scored 33 points in his third straight stellar performance since Dwyane Wade broke his nose in the All-Star game, and Wade managed just 16 points before fouling out midway through the fourth quarter as the Los Angeles Lakers rolled to a 93- 83 victory over the Miami Heat in NBA action on Sunday.
Metta World Peace scored 17 points while leading a solid defensive effort for the Lakers, who have won 17 of their last 18 home games. Andrew Bynum had 16 points and 13 rebounds as Los Angeles never trailed in the final 44 minutes against Miami, snapping a four- game skid in Bryant’s head- to- head matchups with Wade’s Heat.
LeBron James had 25 points, 13 rebounds and seven assists for the Heat, who lost on the final two stops of their three- game trip after nine consecutive victories.
Nets 104, Bobcats 101
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Deron Williams scored a franchise record 57 points to lift the New Jersey Nets to a victory over the Charlotte Bobcats.
Williams, who came into the game averaging 21.7 points, shot 16 of 29 from the field and was a perfect 21 for 21 from the free-throw line.
Williams broke the franchise’s previous mark of 52 points, shared by Mike Newlin and Ray Williams. It was the second-most points scored against the Bobcats, one shy of Kobe Bryant’s 58 in 2006.
Bulls 96, 76ers 91
PHILADELPHIA ( AP) — Derrick Rose tied a season high with 35 points, and Joakim Noah had 11 points and 18 rebounds to lead the Chicago Bulls to their sixth straight win.
In a battle of division leaders, the Bulls made all the big shots over the final minutes to end a three- game losing streak against the Sixers.
Raptors 83, Warriors 75
TORONTO (AP) — DeMar DeRozan scored 25 points, James Johnson had 12 points and 12 rebounds and the Toronto Raptors beat Golden State, snapping a five-game losing streak against the Warriors.
Amir Johnson had 11 points and 13 rebounds, Leandro Barbosa scored 18 points and Ed Davis grabbed 12 rebounds for the Raptors, who had lost 11 of their last 14. Clippers 105, Rockets 103
HOUSTON ( AP) — Chris Paul had 28 points and 10 assists, Blake Griffin added 14 points and 11 rebounds and the Los Angeles Clippers beat the Houston Rockets in overtime.
Randy Foye had 15 points and Caron Butler and Mo Williams had 14 apiece for the Clippers, who beat Houston for only the eighth time in the last 33 meetings.
Kevin Martin scored 25 points, and Samuel Dalembert and Luis Scola each grabbed 12 rebounds for the Rockets, who’ve lost three in a row after winning their previous four.
Neither team led by more than seven points, and there were 20 ties and 24 lead changes before Paul scored on a drive and sank a free throw in the final minute of overtime to secure the victory.
Suns 96, Kings 88
PHOENIX ( AP) — Steve Nash had 19 points, Marcin Gortat scored 14 and matched his season high with 17 rebounds, and the Suns earned their third consecutive victory.
In all three wins, the Suns rallied from double- digit deficits, something the franchise hadn’t done since November 2002.
Jared Dudley scored eight of his 14 in the fourth quarter, when Phoenix pulled away. Shannon Brown added 13, including consecutive 3-pointers in the decisive run to open the final period.
Marcus Thornton scored 23 and Tyreke Evans 17 for Sacramento. DeMarcus Cousins added 16 points and 14 rebounds, but the Kings shot just 33 percent in the second half to fall to 4-19 on the road.
Nuggets 99, Spurs 94
SAN ANTONIO (AP) — Ty Lawson had 22 points and 11 assists and sank the gamesealing jumper with 11.9 seconds left, and the injury-laden Denver Nuggets overshadowed the return of Manu Ginobili to beat the Spurs.
Still without leading scorer Danilo Gallinari and Nene, the Nuggets won their third in a row with a short-handed cast that became just the third team to beat San Antonio at home.
Tony Parker led the Spurs with 25 points. Ginobili scored eight in 24 minutes, playing his first game in two weeks after straining a stomach muscle. He missed a month earlier with a broken hand.
Gary Neal had a chance to tie in the closing seconds, but his 3-pointer rimmed out.
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