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Nuggets score 122 on Kings

Although it’s been a challenging first two months of the season with a long stretch of road games, the Denver Nuggets appeared pretty fresh Sunday against the Sacramento Kings.

Reserve JaVale McGee scored 19 points, Danilo Gallinari had 18 and the Nuggets built a big lead in the first half to cruise past the Kings 122-97.

It was a lopsided victory for the road-tested Nuggets, who have opened the season with 18 of their first 25 games coming away from home. Already ahead by 18 at the half, Denver outscored the Kings 33-21 in the third quarter to take a 97-67 lead heading into the fourth…

”I’m enjoying what we are going through,” said Andre Iguodala, who had 11 points, eight rebounds and eight assists. ”We have a tough schedule and it’s a chance for us to build something. We’re trying to play at a high level and be mentally tough.” ..

Sacramento’s Aaron Brooks committed a hard foul against Andre Miller late in the first quarter and a mild altercation ensued involving DeMarcus Cousins of the Kings and Kenneth Faried of the Nuggets. All four players were given technical fouls.

Reserve Jordan Hamilton had a season-high 15 points and Kosta Koufos had 12 points for the Nuggets, who improved to 7-11 on the road this season. Ty Lawson added 11 points and seven assists. Denver’s reserves had 64 points.

— Reported by the Associated Press

Kobe scores 34, Lakers beat Sixers

Kobe Bryant scored 34 points, Metta World Peace added 19 points and a career-high 16 rebounds and the Los Angeles Lakers won consecutive games for the first time in nearly a month with a 111-98 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers on Sunday.

Dwight Howard had 17 points and 11 rebounds for the Lakers, who led 60-50 at halftime. Darius Morris had a career-high 15 points, all in the first half, and Chris Duhon scored 14.

The Lakers (11-14), who beat Washington 102-96 on Friday night, won two in a row for the first time since a three-game streak from Nov. 16-20.

Even without injured stars Steve Nash and Pau Gasol, the Lakers hardly resembled the team which entered the night four games below .500.

Nick Young paced the reeling Sixers (12-12) with 30 points while Spencer Hawes and Evan Turner added 16 apiece. Thaddeus Young had 14 for Philadelphia, which dropped its third straight game for the first time this season.

— Reported by the Associated Press

Jose Calderon triple-double helps Raptors beat Rockets

Add tight defense to a triple-double, and it was quite a game for Jose Calderon.

Calderon had 18 points, 14 assists, and 10 rebounds to lead short-handed Toronto over the Houston Rockets 103-96 Sunday, giving the Raptors consecutive wins for the first time in eight long months.

Calderon started for the third straight game in place of the injured Kyle Lowry, who has a tear in his right triceps.

The 31-year-old Spanish guard, who’s the longest serving Raptor, has been a perennial backup in Toronto…

Alan Anderson had 24 points, while DeMar DeRozan added 19 points for the Raptors, who hadn’t won consecutive games since April 13 and 15 of last season.

Ed Davis added 13 points for Toronto.

James Harden scored 28 points for the Rockets, while Marcus Morris added 19.

The Raptors took a 77-71 lead into the fourth quarter, and stretched their advantage to nine points. But Houston made for some tense moments late in the game, cutting Toronto’s lead to four points with a couple of minutes to go.

— Reported by the Associated Press

Knicks edge Cavs despite 41 points from mask-wearing Kyrie Irving

Once they outlasted Kyrie Irving, the New York Knicks could turn their attention to the next point guard coming to Madison Square Garden.

Even Linsanity shouldn’t be as tough to deal with as the guy wearing the black mask Saturday night.

Raymond Felton scored 25 points, Tyson Chandler had 23, and the New York Knicks overcame Irving’s career-high 41 points and the absence of Carmelo Anthony to post a 103-102 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers.

The Knicks won their fourth straight when Anderson Varejao missed the second of two free throws with 1 second left. They improved the NBA’s only unbeaten home record to 10-0, their best start since the 1991-92 team won its first 11 at Madison Square Garden.

”Guys stepped up. Raymond played great, Tyson played great, and it was just enough,” Knicks forward Steve Novak said.

Anthony, the NBA’s No. 2 scorer, missed the game after spraining his left ankle Thursday in the third quarter of a victory over the Los Angeles Lakers. But Chandler scored 21 in the second half and grabbed 10 rebounds, and Felton and Jason Kidd combined for 15 assists.

It almost wasn’t enough thanks to Irving, who had no problems wearing a black protective mask after breaking a bone in his face on a hard fall Friday night against Milwaukee…

Rookie Chris Copeland scored 11 in his first career start in place of Anthony, who had 30 points in 22 minutes before getting hurt when he landed awkwardly after a hard foul by Dwight Howard. The Knicks improved to 2-1 without him, adding this to a surprising rout in Miami on Dec. 6.

— Reported by Brian Mahoney of the Associated Press

Ricky Rubio returns for Timberwolves in OT win over Mavericks

The white sleeve on Ricky Rubio’s left knee served as a reminder of what he went through to get back on the court.

While it served to protect his surgically repaired joint, it clearly does nothing to constrict the creativity and unbridled joy that made him one of the most exciting players in the league before he went down last season.

Nine long months later, it’s as if Rubio never left.

Zipping passes between his legs to his Timberwolves teammates in a dazzling season debut, Rubio had nine assists and eight points in 18 minutes of Minnesota’s 114-106 overtime victory over the Dallas Mavericks on Saturday night.

Andrei Kirilenko scored five of his 14 points in overtime while Rubio watched from the bench because of a minutes restriction…

Nikola Pekovic scored 21 points for the Timberwolves, who won their fourth straight game despite playing without All-Star Kevin Love because of an illness.

O.J. Mayo had 20 points, six assists and five rebounds and Shawn Marion had 14 points and 10 rebounds for the Mavericks, who led by 13 early before Rubio came off the bench for the first time since he tore the ACL and LCL in his left knee in March…

Alexey Shved had 18 points and six assists and the Wolves scored the first 10 points in overtime to send an amped crowd home happy.

Derek Fisher scored 20 points for the Mavericks, who turned the ball over 20 times. They led 98-96 after Fisher’s four-point play with 2:50 to go.

— Reported by Jon Krawczynski of the Associated Press

Damian Lillard scores 29, Blazers beat Spurs

Rookie guard Damian Lillard had a career-high 29 points and the Portland Trail Blazers handed the San Antonio Spurs their second straight loss with a 98-90 victory Thursday night.

The Spurs, who have lost only six games this season, trailed by as many as 12 points in the second half but Manu Ginobili’s layup cut the deficit to 89-85. J.J. Hickson answered for the Blazers with a running hook that made it 91-85 with 2:36 left.

Danny Green hit a 3-pointer to pull the Spurs closer again, but Portland clung to the lead and Nicolas Batum—who has been bothered by a sore back— made a 3 that gave Portland a 96-90 advantage with 1:08 left. Batum hit two free throws with 8 seconds to go for the final margin.

It was Lillard’s 13th game this season with 20 or more points. LaMarcus Aldridge added 22 points for the Blazers and Hickson finished with 12 points and 12 rebounds.

Tony Parker had 21 points for the Spurs, who were coming off a 99-96 loss at Utah on Wednesday night that snapped a five-game winning streak…

The Blazers were without starter Wesley Matthews for the second straight game…

— Reported by Anne M. Peterson of the Associated Press

Melo scores 30, Knicks beat slumping Lakers

Carmelo Anthony scored 22 of his 30 points in the first quarter, and the New York Knicks held on after he departed with a sprained left ankle to beat the Los Angeles Lakers 116-107 on Thursday night in coach Mike D’Antoni’s return to Madison Square Garden.

Firing in 3-pointers and moving the ball to open shooters, things they often struggled to do under D’Antoni, the Knicks won for the eighth time in nine games and improved to 9-0 at home for the first time since the 1992-93 season.

Meanwhile, things are starting as poorly for D’Antoni in Los Angeles as they ended in New York. The Lakers, still without Steve Nash and Pau Gasol, were never really in the game while losing their fourth straight and falling to 9-14.

Raymond Felton scored 19 points, and Tyson Chandler and J.R. Smith added 18 apiece for the Knicks.

Kobe Bryant had 31 points and 10 rebounds for the Lakers. Metta World Peace finished with 23 points and Dwight Howard had 20.

The Lakers did cut what was a 26-point deficit to 113-107 when World Peace converted a three-point play with 1:27 remaining, but the Knicks took more than a minute off the clock while twice grabbing offensive rebounds on the next possession before Chandler made a free throw with 18 seconds to play…

D’Antoni was loudly booed during pregame introductions, Knicks fans who appreciated the rugged defensive teams of the 1990s never truly embracing his offense-first style. D’Antoni said he enjoyed his time in New York and said earlier Thursday the Knicks, who lead the NBA in 3-pointers per game and fewest turnovers, were playing the way he’d like his team to play.

— Reported by Brian Mahoney of the Associated Press

Devin Harris, Josh Smith lead Hawks past Bobcats 113-90

Kyle Korver thinks the Atlanta Hawks have been too hesitant to beat a struggling opponent decisively.

That wasn’t the case this time.

Devin Harris scored 20 points, Josh Smith added 18 and the surging Hawks beat Charlotte 113-90 on Thursday night to hand the Bobcats their 10th straight defeat.

”I think mentally, in the locker room, we just decided that we were going to do it,” Korver said. ”It’s easy to let up when you’ve got a lead and you’re trying to create some energy, and we’ve done that several times.”

Gerald Henderson finished with 17 points and Ramon Sessions had 16 for Charlotte.

The Hawks are 12-3 since losing three of their first five games this season. Atlanta, which moved into a first-place tie with Miami in the Southeast Division, has won two straight and five of six…

Lou Williams had eight of his nine assists in the first half for Atlanta. Williams, who finished with 13 points, matched his career high in assists, and Ivan Johnson added a season-high 16 points.

Hawks center Al Horford finished with 11 points and three rebounds, ending his streak of seven consecutive double-doubles…

Hawks starting F DeShawn Stevenson scored nine points after missing Wednesday’s win at Orlando with a knee injury.

— Reported by George Henry of the Associated Press

Jazz shock Spurs with Mo Williams 3-point buzzer-beater

Mo Williams’ 3-pointer at the buzzer [see video] lifted the Utah Jazz to a 99-96 victory over San Antonio on Wednesday night, snapping the Spurs’ five-game winning streak.

Paul Millsap led Utah with 24 points and 12 rebounds, Al Jefferson scored 21 points and Gordon Hayward added 19.

The Jazz trailed by eight with a little more than 4 minutes remaining but fought back. Williams’ winning shot was his only 3 of the night and he finished with eight points on 3-for-9 shooting from the field.

Tim Duncan and Tony Parker each scored 22 points to lead the Spurs, who swept the Jazz out of the playoffs in the first round and had won 11 of the last 12 meetings.

Danny Green’s 19-footer gave the Spurs a 96-94 lead and Millsap tied it with 40 seconds left.

Millsap’s offensive rebound gave the Jazz the final shot. Williams made it and turned and ran toward the other end of the court only to be mobbed by his teammates.

— Reported by Lynn DeBruin of the Associated Press

Klay Thompson scores 27, Warriors beat Heat

The Golden State Warriors used a savvy play by a rookie and took advantage of a defensive breakdown to surprise the Miami Heat on Wednesday.

Draymond Green, a second-round draft pick out of Michigan State, made a layup with 0.9 seconds left give the Warriors a 97-75 win over the Heat.

The Heat left him open under the basket as there was miscommunication between Ray Allen and Shane Battier.

”With the last shot, Coach didn’t point out who specifically was going to take the shot,” Green said. ”We were going to find out who was open and make the best play. Of course guys are going to go with Klay (Thompson) and Steph (Curry). I just happened to be wide open and (Jarrett Jack) found me.”

Klay Thompson tied a season high with 27 points to lead the Warriors, who have won five straight…

LeBron James led Miami with 31 points as he reached the 20-point mark for the 25th consecutive game, the longest current streak in the NBA…

David Lee scored 22 points and grabbed 13 rebounds and Jack added 20 points off the bench for the Warriors…

The Heat received a scare in the second quarter when Lee sent James to the floor with a flagrant foul sending James to the floor on his back.

James popped up quickly, but spent the next couple of minutes stretching out his right shoulder before knocking down the free throw and hitting a shot on the ensuing possession for a 47-43 lead.

— Reported by the Associated Press