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Rudy Gay has 20 in debut, Raptors rout Clippers 98-73

The way Blake Griffin saw it, a sloppy effort by the Los Angeles Clippers only made things easier for Rudy Gay and the fired-up Raptors.

Gay wowed a sellout crowd by scoring 20 points in his Toronto debut, leading the Raptors to a 98-73 rout of the short-handed Clippers on Friday night.

”The way we played had a big effect on their flow,” Griffin said. ”Not to take anything away from them – they did a good job – but our defense was terrible.”

The Clippers were pretty terrible on offense, too, setting season lows for points and field goal percentage (34.7). Los Angeles’ previous low in points was 76 at Brooklyn on Nov. 23, while its previous low in field goal percentage was 36.6 on Jan. 19 in a home win over Washington.

”We didn’t execute very well, we didn’t shoot it very well,” coach Vinny Del Negro said. ”We struggled in a lot of areas.”

Amir Johnson had 19 points and matched his career high with 16 rebounds for the Raptors. DeMar DeRozan also scored 19 as Toronto welcomed Gay with a winning effort two days after the high-scoring forward was acquired from the Memphis Grizzlies in a three-team trade that included Detroit…

John Lucas scored 17 and Aaron Gray had seven points and 12 rebounds for the Raptors, who handed the Clippers their fourth straight loss in Toronto and their largest defeat of the season…

Griffin had 17 points and nine rebounds for the Clippers, who were without point guard Chris Paul (bruised right kneecap) for the sixth straight game…

Jamal Crawford scored 14 points, Caron Butler had 12 and Eric Bledsoe 10 for Los Angeles, which has dropped five of eight overall.

— Reported by Ian Harrison of the Associated Press

Suns rally to beat Lakers 92-86

Steve Nash’s first trip back to Phoenix to play the Suns was an evening of triumph.

For the Suns, not Nash.

Michael Beasley scored a season-high 27 points and the Suns rallied from 13 down in the fourth quarter to hand Nash’s Los Angeles Lakers their eighth straight road loss 92-86 on Wednesday night.

The Lakers, who had won three straight – all at home, lost Dwight Howard when he reinjured his right shoulder with 6:57 to play. Coach Mike D’Antoni said he thinks the injury is something that Howard will have to deal with all season.

”It is my understanding that it is something that will hurt, then it will go away and he will be able to play,” D’Antoni said.

Beasley, whose previous season best of 25 came two games earlier, scored on a scrambling layup as the shot clock was expiring to put the Suns ahead 88-86 with 43.8 seconds to play.

”I’m just playing aggressive,” Beasley said. ”I’m trying to turn over a new leaf. No more nonchalant Beas. I’m back to the Beast.”

Kobe Bryant had 17 points and nine assists, but missed what would have been the tying layup with 24 seconds to play. Howard had nine points and 14 rebounds before he left after aggravating the shoulder injury that sidelined him for three games earlier this month. Metta World Peace scored 15, Pau Gasol 14 and Antawn Jamison 13 for Los Angeles.

— Reported by Bob Baum of the Associated Press

Klay Thompson leads short-handed Warriors past Cavs

Tired, short-handed and eager to get home, the Golden State Warriors could have taken the night off.

Instead, they looked like a team that needs to be taken seriously.

Klay Thompson scored a career-high 32 points and the Warriors, playing without three starters and a key reserve, beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 108-95 Tuesday night.

The Warriors were missing guard Stephen Curry (ankle), center Andrew Bogut (ankle) and forward Harrison Barnes (knee). Also, Carl Landry, one of the first players off Golden State’s bench, didn’t play because of a shoulder injury.

In all, the Warriors were missing an average of 49.1 points and 19.5 rebounds, but that didn’t matter. Golden State shot 54 percent, including 11 for 16 on 3-pointers as it hit the first nine from beyond the arc. The Warriors took control in the second quarter and built a 16-point lead in the second half.

”No matter who is out there, we’re still going to play Warriors basketball,” said David Lee, had 20 points and 13 rebounds. ”We could have mailed it in on the last game of a road trip, but everybody stepped up with a bunch of guys out.” …

Jarrett Jack, starting at point guard, had 26 points and 12 assists.

”I had to channel my inner Stephen Curry tonight,” he said.

Cavaliers guard Kyrie Irving, who missed the morning shootaround because he was sick, scored 14 points on 5-for-17 shooting in 36 minutes. Irving was coming off the best week of his career when he averaged a league-best 35.7 points in three wins, was selected as a reserve to the Eastern Conference All-Star team, and was named the conference’s player of the week on Monday.

— Reported by the Associated Press

Blazers come from behind to beat Mavs 106-104

LaMarcus Aldridge’s buzzer-beating shot had barely left his hands when teammate Nicolas Batum raised his arms in victory.

Aldridge’s turnaround jumper fell as time ran out and the Portland Trail Blazers came back from a 21-point third-quarter deficit to beat the Dallas Mavericks 106-104 on Tuesday night.

”I knew,” Batum said. ”I knew he was going to make it.”

Aldridge finished with 29 points and 13 rebounds for Portland, which trailed 101-94 with 2:18 left. J.J. Hickson had a season-high 26 points and 15 rebounds for his 25th double-double…

Dirk Nowitzki finished with 26 points for Dallas, which had won six of its last eight games.

”We cannot let Aldridge get set on the block 10 feet from the basket and let him turn around and shoot a wide-open shot,” Nowitzki said. ”We make those mistakes, especially on the road, and you are going to get bit.”

The Mavericks were without center Chris Kaman, who sustained a concussion in a collision during practice on Monday, according to coach Rick Carlisle. There was no timetable for Kaman’s return. He is averaging 12.4 points and 6.2 rebounds this season.

— Reported by Anne M. Peterson of the Associated Press

Jennings scores 30 as Bucks beat Pistons 117-90

After Milwaukee’s reserves helped turn things around, Brandon Jennings turned the game into a rout.

Jennings scored 20 of his 30 points in the third quarter as the Bucks cruised to a 117-90 victory over the Detroit Pistons on Tuesday night.

Mike Dunleavy had 17 points and Monta Ellis added 14 for the Bucks, who rallied from a 15-point first-quarter deficit to take a 10-point lead at halftime. The Milwaukee reserves outscored Detroit’s 59-41, including 28-10 in the key second quarter.

”We got a ton of energy from our second unit to help us get back into the game – that really set the tone and got everybody’s blood going a little,” Milwaukee coach Jim Boylan said. ”And then Brandon came out and what can you say about that third quarter? Just ‘wow’.”

Jennings, considered a possibility to replace injured Boston guard Rajon Rondo at the All-Star game, certainly didn’t hurt his chances against Detroit. At one stretch in the third period, he hit four straight 3-pointers while accounting for all of the scoring during the Bucks’ 16-0 run that gave them an 85-56 lead…

Rookie Andre Drummond had 18 points and 18 rebounds for Detroit, while Greg Monroe scored 14 points. Drummond became just the second teenager to have an 18-18 game since 1985-86, joining Dwight Howard.

— Reported by the Associated Press

Lakers edge Hornets for 3rd straight win

Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers really think they’re on to something, even if it’s nothing revolutionary. They’re gaining confidence in their newfound attitude and approach with each victory they’re producing.

Not even a fantastic fourth-quarter rally by the New Orleans Hornets could shake Kobe’s conviction that the Lakers have finally figured out a few things about their puzzling season.

Dwight Howard scored 24 points, Bryant had 14 points and 11 assists in another pass-first performance, and the Lakers hung on to beat New Orleans 111-106 Tuesday night for their first three-game winning streak in five weeks.

Earl Clark had 20 points and 12 rebounds for the Lakers (20-25), who jumped to an 18-point lead midway through the fourth quarter with their third straight game of patient passing and hard-nosed defense quarterbacked by Bryant. The fifth-leading scorer in NBA history has warmly embraced his new role as a playmaker – no surprise for somebody whose first basketball muse was Magic Johnson.

”It’s working pretty well,” said Bryant, whose 39 assists in the Lakers’ last three games are the biggest three-game total of his 17-season career. ”It’s very easy for me to look over the defense and know where they’re coming from, just kind of line my guys up in the right way and just pick them apart.” …

Eric Gordon scored 18 of his 25 points in the first half for the Hornets, who got within one point on Greivis Vasquez’s running jumper.

Ryan Anderson scored 11 of his 16 points in the fourth quarter for the Hornets, who had won eight of 12, including an impressive victory in Memphis two nights earlier at the start of their five-game trip. Anderson, Vasquez and Robin Lopez led the impressive late rally that just fell short, with Lopez finishing with 16 points and nine rebounds.

— Reported by Greg Beacham of the Associated Press

Rockets beat Jazz in Utah by 45 points

The Houston Rockets had plenty of trouble getting to Salt Lake City as a blizzard left them grounded for a while in western Colorado.

Once they arrived, they made the Jazz pay, rolling to a 125-80 victory on Monday night and handing Utah the most-lopsided home loss in franchise history.

”We could have had Michael Jordan in his prime with us tonight . and it wouldn’t have mattered (the way we played),” Jazz center Al Jefferson lamented…

James Harden continued to do most of the damage, scoring 25 points despite sitting the entire fourth quarter with the rest of the Rockets starters…

When he wasn’t driving the lane, the Rockets were pouring in 3-pointers.

They hit 16 of 34 on the night to tie their season high for shots made beyond the arc.

But it was their pace that floored the Jazz, outscoring Utah 26-2 on the break…

The Rockets held Utah to 39.5 percent shooting, and the Jazz made just 5 of 18 3-pointers.

Carlos Delfino and Marcus Morris each hit four 3-pointers alone for Houston and Omer Asik tied a career high with 19 rebounds.

Every Rockets player scored, including six in double figures, with Morris adding 16 and Delfino 14…

Randy Foye led Utah with 12 points.

— Reported by Lynn DeBruin of the Associated Press

Kobe leads Lakers past Oklahoma City 105-96

Kobe Bryant had 21 points, 14 assists and nine rebounds, Steve Nash added seven of his 17 points in the final 5 1/2 minutes, and the Los Angeles Lakers held off the NBA-leading Oklahoma City Thunder 105-96 Sunday.

Pau Gasol scored 16 points in a reserve role as the Lakers picked up the most impressive victory of their thoroughly unimpressive season, coolly maintaining a small lead down the stretch of their second straight win after a four-game skid.

Los Angeles had lost nine of its last 11 against the powerful Thunder, including four of five in the clubs’ second-round playoff series last spring.

Kevin Durant scored 35 points and Russell Westbrook had 17 points, 13 assists and nine rebounds for the road-weary Thunder, who finished their longest trip of the season at 3-3.

Bryant and Westbrook briefly tangled in the third quarter in an exchange that earned a technical foul for Kobe. Both All-Star guards entered the fourth quarter needing just one rebound for a triple-double, but neither got it.

Westbrook also missed his first eight shots and 12 of his first 13 before finding his shot, but the Lakers didn’t wilt down the stretch…

Howard had eight points and 10 rebounds while fighting foul trouble and missing eight of his 10 free throws. Bryant and Nash led a passionate effort by the Lakers, whose season-long missteps and embarrassments have left them well out of the playoff picture heading into the second half of the season.

— Reported by Greg Beacham of the Associated Press

Celtics beat Heat in 2 OT; Rondo out for year

Paul Pierce hit a go-ahead jumper with 31 seconds left and the Boston Celtics beat the Miami Heat 100-98 in double overtime Sunday after learning that All-Star point guard Rajon Rondo will miss the rest of the season with a knee injury.

Rondo will have surgery for a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee. He was hurt late in Boston’s 123-112 loss, also in two overtimes, to the Atlanta Hawks on Friday night.

This game was the first in Boston for Ray Allen since he left the Celtics after five seasons and signed as a free agent with Miami. He scored 21 points.

Kevin Garnett had 24 points and 11 rebounds, and Pierce added 17 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists for the Celtics, who ended a six-game losing streak, their longest in six seasons. LeBron James had 34 points for the Heat, whose winning streak stopped at four.

Pierce’s basket gave the Celtics a 99-98 lead. James had a chance to put the Heat ahead but missed a 12-foot jumper with 6.8 seconds to go from the left with defender Jeff Green jumping out at him. Pierce got the rebound and was fouled by Shane Battier.

He sank the first shot. Then, as a fan shouted ”This one’s for Rondo,” he missed the second.

Miami had one last chance, but Battier missed a long jumper at the buzzer.

The Heat also could have won in the first overtime, but Dwyane Wade, who had 17 points, also missed a long jumper as the buzzer sounded. They had led 93-89 after consecutive baskets by James, but Garnett hit a layup with 1:45 remaining and a shot from the right baseline with 1:14 to go.

— Reported by Howard Ulman of the Associated Press

Rockets continue to beat the Nets

Jeremy Lin said the Houston Rockets just needed to see what they were doing wrong in order to fix it.

James Harden scored 29 points, Chandler Parsons added 16 points and a career-high 11 assists and the Rockets dominated inside to beat Brooklyn 119-106 on Saturday night for their 12th consecutive win over the Nets.

Omer Asik had 20 points and 16 rebounds for Houston, which outrebounded the Nets 50-31 and outscored Brooklyn 60-24 in the paint. Houston had 31 assists on 43 field goals and committed only 11 turnovers, the team’s lowest total in three weeks.

The Rockets dropped seven in a row from Jan. 9-19, and Lin said a lengthy film session on Thursday helped them correct their mistakes…

Nets star Deron Williams scored 27 points, but cooled off after a 20-point first quarter. He was ejected with 1:07 left after arguing a call with referee David Jones and didn’t speak to the media after the game…

Brook Lopez scored 21 points and Joe Johnson added 13 for Brooklyn, which trailed by as much as 18 in the first half.

“We dug a hole because we weren’t defending well or we couldn’t put the ball in the basket,” Nets coach P.J. Carlesimo said.

The Rockets had 17 assists on their first 20 field goals. Parsons had eight assists by himself in the first half, matching his career high for a game…

Harden missed a free throw, snapping a streak of 36 straight successful foul shots.

— Reported by Chris Duncan of the Associated Press