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Monster game from DeMarcus Cousins helps Kings beat Cavs

DeMarcus Cousins didn’t let his frustration affect his game, which hasn’t always been the case this season for the emotional Sacramento Kings center.

Despite drawing a technical and flagrant foul during a short span in the third quarter, Cousins regained his focus and still had one of his best games of the season.

Cousins had 26 points, 14 rebounds and six assists in helping the Kings snap a four-game losing streak with a 124-118 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Monday night.

The maturity of Cousins hasn’t gone unnoticed by Kings coach Keith Smart, who in late December suspended the third-year center following a verbal confrontation on the court.

Smart was pleased how Cousins handled a potentially damaging situation against Cleveland. He was called for a technical foul in the third quarter after committing his first foul of the game. Less than a minute later, Cousins was called for a controversial flagrant 1 foul against Zeller…

The Kings leading scorer and rebounder, Cousins made 7 of 14 shots, hit all 12 free-throw attemps, and also contributed three blocks and two steals, the second one which he converted into a layup late in the game…

Marcus Thornton had 20 points and Tyreke Evans added 18 for the Kings. Fredette had 16 points, John Salmons 14 and rookie Thomas Robinson tied a career high with 12 points and added seven rebounds.

Reserve Dion Waiters scored a career-high 33 points for the Cavaliers, who have lost three straight and eight of 10. CJ Miles scored 17 points and Tristan Thompson had 17 points and 15 rebounds. Kyrie Irving had 15 points, but shot 6 of 19 and had six turnovers.

— Reported by Jeff Weidel of the Associated Press

Kevin Durant scores 41, Thunder beat Suns

When Kevin Durant takes over a game, it’s quite a show.

This time, it was at the expense of Marcin Gortat and the rest of the Phoenix Suns.

Durant scored 27 of his 41 points in the second half – 19 in the fourth quarter- and the Oklahoma City Thunder became the NBA’s first 30-game winner this season by beating the Suns 102-90 on Monday night.

Russell Westbrook added 36 [with eight rebounds and five assists] for the Thunder, but it was Durant who took over late in his fourth 40-point game, falling one shy of the season-high 42 he scored two games earlier against the Los Angeles Lakers.

Durant sank an array of pull-up jumpers, added a couple of casual 3-pointers, made a handful of layups, then punctuated his night with a spectacular dunk over Gortat for a three-point play.

”I am just having a lot of fun out there,” he said. ”I got away with a carry on that (last) play, but I was able to free myself up. I saw the lane. Everyone knows he does a great job of contesting in the lane. I just tried to finish with some strength.” …

Shannon Brown scored 21 for the Suns. Gortat had 19 points and 15 rebounds, but was the unfortunate would-be defender on Durant’s spectacular dunk late in the game…

The Thunder were without Serge Ibaka for the second game in a row with a chest contusion. Phoenix didn’t have Jared Dudley (right wrist strain) or Jermaine O’Neal (back spasms).

— Reported by Bob Baum of the Associated Press

Darren Collison leads balanced Mavs over Wolves

Darren Collison now runs the floor where J.J. Barea was the spark that helped rally the Dallas Mavericks to their first championship two seasons ago.

Dallas’ new point guard made sure one of his predecessors didn’t finish off another comeback Monday night.

Collison led six players in double figures with 23 points and the Mavericks matched their season high with a third straight win, holding off a pair of Barea-engineered surges in a 113-98 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves.

”I felt like we were going to attack,” said Collison, who also had nine assists and three steals.

That used to be Barea’s job coming off the bench in Dallas, until he became a starter midway through the 2011 NBA finals on Dallas’ home court and helped erase a 2-1 series deficit against Miami.

He was finally back on that floor after sitting out Minnesota’s first two trips with injuries since signing as a free agent when Mavericks owner Mark Cuban decided not to bring back several key pieces of the title team.

The diminutive guard is a reserve again, and he had former teammate Dirk Nowitzki and others chasing him all over the court while running the pick-and-roll and scoring 11 second-quarter points. He led the Timberwolves with 21 and was on the floor for a second-half rally that cut a 23-point deficit to eight…

O.J. Mayo and Elton Brand had 20 points each for Dallas. It was a season high for Brand. Mayo matched Collison’s nine assists, and the Maverick had a season-high 33 as a team. Nowitzki, Chris Kaman and Vince Carter had 10 points apiece…

Interim Minnesota coach Terry Porter said there was nothing new on the status of Adelman, who has been out since the last home game, Jan. 8 against Atlanta, attending to his wife, who was hospitalized. Minnesota plays at home Thursday against the Clippers.

— Reported by Schuyler Dixon of the Associated Press

Clippers without Chris Paul beat Grizzlies without Rudy Gay

Playing without Chris Paul proved no problem for the Clippers. Not having Rudy Gay was a much bigger issue for the Memphis Grizzlies.

Reserves Jamal Crawford and Matt Barnes each scored 16 points, and the Clippers easily routed the Grizzlies 99-73 Monday night with Paul missing his first game this season because of a bruised right kneecap.

”Missing the best point guard in the world in Chris Paul, we all had to play collectively and step it up, and I thought we did a good job of that,” Crawford said.

The matchup between two of the best teams in the West wasn’t close after the first quarter. While Paul watched from the bench, the Grizzlies were without their leading scorer: Gay was excused for his grandmother’s funeral in Baltimore.

This also was the Clippers’ first trip to Memphis since they won Game 7 of their opening-round playoff series last May. All they did was match their largest margin of victory on the road this season while holding the Grizzles to a season-low in points and their worst field goal shooting percentage on their home court in franchise history…

Eric Bledsoe, starting for Paul, had 14 points, and Blake Griffin scored 10. Clippers coach Vinny Del Negro was able to give nine players at least 17 minutes each before heading to Houston for the second half of a back-to-back Tuesday night…

Zach Randolph had 15 for Memphis, which lost its second straight blowout, after losing 104-83 at Dallas on Saturday night. Wayne Ellington added 11 in a rare start in place of Gay, and Darrell Arthur had 10 as the Grizzlies shot just 30.3 percent (27 of 89), a franchise-low at home. Randolph said they really missed Gay’s ability to drive and relieve pressure…

The Clippers had a 40-36 scoring edge in the paint as DeAndre Jordan and Griffin helped limit Randolph to 5-of-16 shooting and Marc Gasol to 4 of 13.

— Reported by Teresa M. Walker of the Associated Press

Bulls shut down Hawks in 97-58 rout

Tom Thibodeau sent a strong wake-up message to his team at a heated shootaround Monday morning. He got the response he was looking for.

Carlos Boozer had 20 points and 13 rebounds, Luol Deng scored 18 points and the Chicago Bulls held Atlanta to a franchise-low 20 points in the first half of a 97-58 victory over the Hawks on Monday night…

Reserve forward Mike Scott scored 10 points to lead Atlanta as none of the starters reached double figures. Josh Smith and Kyle Korver had nine points each.

Jeff Teague had a layup with 7.9 seconds left to prevent the Hawks’ lowest scoring total in franchise history…

The Bulls held the Hawks to just five points in the second quarter and led 48-20 at the break. Ivan Johnson had a basket for the Hawks with 2:54 left in the first quarter, and Atlanta did not score again until Al Horford’s tip with 5:15 left in the second. The Hawks missed 17 consecutive shots during the drought while getting outscored 14-0.

They finished the 2 for 21 from the field in the second quarter, with Smith making a free throw and a jumper for Atlanta’s other points. The Hawks shot 20.5 percent on 8-of-39 shooting in the first half. Josh Smith was 3 for 10 and Horford 2 for 8 in the opening two periods…

The Bulls set a record for the fewest points allowed, eclipsing the previous mark of 59 by Orlando last March 19. Atlanta’s 20 points in the first half also set a Chicago record for the fewest allowed in a half, bettering the 22 scored by the Knicks in 1999. The Bulls also limited New York to five points in the second quarter of that game…

The Hawks’ previous scoring lows were six points in a quarter (at Minnesota) in 1994, and 25 in a half – accomplished three times, most recently against New Orleans in 2011.

— Reported by the Associated Press

Celtics cruise to 100-89 win over Bobcats

It wasn’t too long ago that Rajon Rondo was one of the NBA’s up-and-coming ball-handlers, trying to show he belonged with veterans like Chris Paul, Jason Kidd and Steve Nash.

Now the Celtics point guard is trying to prove to the youngsters that he can still play. ”I’m getting a little bit older and the younger guys are coming in, and I may have a mark on my back being an older guy, having made a couple of All-Star (games),” Rondo said after recording his third triple-double of the season on Monday night in a 100-89 victory over the Charlotte Bobcats. ”I have a target on my back every night so I just want to go out and do what I do best: run the show and make some shots.”

Rondo scored 17 points with 12 assists and 10 rebounds – his 26th career triple-double, including playoffs. Motivated by facing 22-year-old Charlotte point guard Kemba Walker, Rondo had a hand in the Celtics’ first 19 points as they opened a double-digit lead early in the first quarter and coasted to their sixth consecutive victory…

Paul Pierce scored 19 and Avery Bradley added 16 for Boston. Kevin Garnett, who needed 13 points to tie Patrick Ewing for 16th on the NBA’s career scoring list, was 2 for 11 from the field and scored just seven points to go with his 10 rebounds.

Hakim Warrick and Ramon Sessions had 16 points apiece and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist scored 10 with eight rebounds for the Bobcats, who lost their third straight and their 23rd in the last 25 games since opening the season 7-5.

— Reported by Jimmy Golen of the Associated Press

Wizards win 3rd straight, crush Magic 120-91

For most of the first half of the season, the Washington Wizards consistently lost. They’re suddenly unbeatable, having won three straight.

Emeka Okafor had 19 points and 11 rebounds, leading six players in double figures as Washington cruised to its easiest win of the season, 120-91 victory over the Orlando Magic on Monday night.

”That was a beautiful thing tonight,” Wizards coach Randy Wittman said. ”This has been building.”

The Wizards were just 4-28 before their streak, but beat Oklahoma City, Atlanta and now Orlando – all at home – to nearly double their wins total. Washington leaves Tuesday on a five-game, eight-day road trip while the nation’s capital will be consumed by Inauguration ceremonies.

John Wall had 12 points and six assists in 20 minutes in his second game of the season after missing the Wizards’ first 33 with a left knee injury…

Washington shot a season-best 56.1 percent, scored its most points and had its most assists. Emeka Okafor had 19 points and 11 rebounds, A.J. Price and Kevin Seraphin had 18, Beal scored 17, and Jan Vesely matched his season high with 10…

Jameer Nelson had 19 points and 12 assists to lead Orlando, and Nikola Vucevic added 13 points and 13 rebounds. Arron Afflalo, who had 30 points against the Clippers, missed 10 of 11 from the field and finished with two points…

Magic F Hedo Turkoglu did not play for the third straight game. He scored just one point in 37 minutes in his three previous games.

— Reported by the Associated Press

Lakers end 6-game losing streak with win over Cavaliers

Dwight Howard arrived at Staples Center expecting to sit out another game to rest his injured shoulder. He ended up helping the Los Angeles Lakers out of their longest losing streak in nearly six years, which made that shoulder feel a whole lot better.

Howard had 22 points and 14 rebounds in his return from a three-game absence, and the Lakers snapped their six-game losing streak with a 113-93 victory over the

Cleveland Cavaliers on Sunday night.

”When we play like this, we win, and we win big,” Howard said. ”We’ve just got to continue to learn from games like that, and hopefully we can just string together some wins.”

Kobe Bryant scored 23 points for the Lakers, who finally earned their first victory of 2013 while ending their longest skid since February 2007. Howard went 9 for 11 despite his torn labrum while leading Los Angeles to a comfortable victory over the lowly Cavaliers, who beat the Lakers last month.

Steve Nash said the win was ”mandatory” for the Lakers, and they played with an appropriate effort. Nash had 10 points and nine assists for the Lakers, whose skid has been severe enough to cause fans to worry about this star-packed roster’s playoff chances even in mid-January…

Irving and Dion Waiters scored 15 points apiece for Cleveland, which has lost seven of nine. Alonzo Gee added 14 points for the Cavaliers, who fell behind by 19 points in the first quarter of their second stop on a five-game West Coast road trip…

Nash hit three free throws, improving to 18 for 18 this season and increasing his minuscule lead on Mark Price for the best free throw percentage in NBA history. … Cleveland continues its road trip in Sacramento on Monday night against the Kings, who have lost four straight. … The Lakers won despite 22 turnovers, including 18 by their starting lineup.

— Reported by Greg Beacham of the Associated Press

Nuggets rally past Warriors for 5th straight win

Danilo Gallinari scored 21 points, Ty Lawson had 20, and the Denver Nuggets rallied to beat the Golden State Warriors 116-105 on Sunday night for their season-high fifth straight win.

Wilson Chandler scored 14 points in his first game in two months for Denver after being sidelined since early November because of pain in his left hip, which was surgically repaired last spring.

Stephen Curry scored 29 points, including seven 3-pointers, to lead Golden State. David Lee added 23 points and 13 rebounds and Harrison Barnes had 21 points.

Down by eight going into the fourth quarter, Denver opened the period with a 19-2 flurry to go up 98-89. Andre Miller and Corey Brewer each scored six points, running the floor and scoring primarily on layups. Kenneth Faried converted a three-point play when he muscled in a dunk and was fouled by Lee.

Lee broke up the flurry with a dunk and Curry conected on successive 3-pointers to pull the Warriors to within 100-97 with 6:10 remaining.

Brewer, who finished with 13 points, and Gallinari hit 3-pointers around a dunk by Gallinari to rebuild the Nuggets’ lead to 108-97. Barnes’ 3-pointer with 4:00 left cut the Warriors’ deficit to nine points but Faried shook loose for a breakaway dunk and the Warriors didn’t threaten again.

— Reported by Dennis Georgatos of the Associated Press

Tony Parker leads Spurs past Timberwolves, 106-88

Tony Parker scored 20 points to lead the San Antonio in a 106-88 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Sunday night, extending the Spurs’ home winning streak to 12 games.

Gary Neal was 3 for 3 on 3-pointers in scoring 15 points for San Antonio, which beat Minnesota at home for the 16th straight time. Tim Duncan added 14 points and nine rebounds and Tiago Splitter had 10 points. Manu Ginobili scored 12 points in the first half before leaving with a strained left hamstring.

J.J. Barea scored 15 points, Nikola Pekovic had 14 and Luke Ridnour 13 for the Timberwolves.

San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich was ejected with 7:22 remaining in the game following a double technical for arguing a foul called against Splitter on Barea. The ejection sparked an 11-0 run for the Spurs, including a dunk and two reverse layups by Splitter.

The Spurs started 3 for 9 from the field with two turnovers in falling behind 16-7. Following a timeout, San Antonio went on a 13-1 run as Minnesota missed 11 shots in a 5-minute drought…

Minnesota F Kevin Love (fractured hand), G Brandon Roy (knee), G Chase Budinger (knee) and Malcolm Lee (knee) did not play. … San Antonio has had 12 different starters this season, the most of any NBA team.

— Reported by Raul Dominguez of the Associated Press