Jazz beat Rockets 99-86

The AP reports: The Jazz had a season-high 12 blocks, made six steals and forced 12 turnovers while winning their third straight, 99-86 over the Rockets on Tuesday night. “That shows how we were playing good help defense,” said Utah’s Ronnie Brewer, who scored 12 of his 17 points in the third quarter. “We really defended well tonight.” … Deron Williams had 19 points and 12 assists for the Jazz, whose defense compensated for a poor night on the boards, getting outrebounded 52-42… Aaron Brooks scored 20 points and Yao Ming added 14 points and 13 rebounds for the Rockets… Carlos Boozer had 13 points and eight rebounds and Mehmet Okur finished with 12 points, six rebounds and four blocks. Paul Millsap spelled Boozer when he got in foul trouble and finished with 15 points, nine rebounds and three blocks. Brewer and Andrei Kirilenko added two blocks each… Shane Battier scored 18, Ron Artest had 13 points and 11 rebounds and Luis Scola added 10 points and 12 rebounds as all five Houston starters scored in double figures.

Parker scores 30, Spurs beat Warriors 107-106

The AP reports: Gnawed by last-second losses in their previous two outings, the Spurs got redemption when Roger Mason made an 18-footer with 23.9 seconds left and watched Monta Ellis clank a running 3-pointer at the buzzer to escape with a 107-106 win over the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday night. Tony Parker scored 30 points and Tim Duncan scored 13 of his 21 in the fourth quarter, when the Spurs blew a late six-point lead but survived at the end… This one could’ve been another stinger. Ellis missed one chance to win the game on a jumper with 5.9 seconds left but missed, then the shot as time expired. He led the Warriors 27 points.Golden State played again without Jamal Crawford, who missed his fourth straight game in what has become a bizarre subplot with Warriors coach Don Nelson. In the past week, Crawford has been benched, allowed back, and benched himself—all while being perfectly healthy.

Lakers rest starters in 107-89 blowout of Thunder

The AP reports: To Kobe Bryant, a little bit of rest is way overrated. Getting ready for the playoffs is what the last stretch of the season is all about. Bryant scored 19 points before taking the fourth quarter off, and the Los Angeles Lakers cruised to a 107-89 win against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Tuesday night… Lamar Odom scored 18 points before fouling out and Pau Gasol had 14 points, 14 rebounds and seven assists for Los Angeles. Kevin Durant scored 24 points to lead Oklahoma City, which had all five starters reach double figures but never cut the Lakers’ lead to less than 17 points in the second half… Jeff Green scored 12 points, Nenad Krstic added 11 and Thabo Sefolosha, Russell Westbrook and Nick Collison each had 10 for Oklahoma City.

Hinrich leads Bulls over Pistons, 99-91

The AP reports: Kirk Hinrich scored 24 points filling in for injured phenom Derrick Rose, and the Chicago Bulls beat Detroit 99-91 Tuesday night to pull within a game of the seventh-place Pistons in the Eastern Conference… Ben Gordon scored 19, Tyrus Thomas had 18 points and 12 rebounds, Joakim Noah scored 15 points and grabbed 10 rebounds, and John Salmons added 16 points as the Bulls earned their fifth win in six games… Tayshaun Prince and Will Bynum scored 20 each for the Pistons, who clearly miss injured stars Allen Iverson, Rasheed Wallace and Richard Hamilton. Bynum also had nine assists while Antonio McDyess scored 16, but the Bulls simply pulled away in the second half.

Court fines Allen Iverson 260k

The AP reports: Pistons guard Allen Iverson must pay $260,000 for standing idly by and watching his bodyguard beat up another man in a 2005 bar fight, a federal appeals court ruled Tuesday. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit rejected Iverson’s attempt to throw out the verdict decided by a jury in 2007. Bar patron Marlin Godfrey accused Iverson’s bodyguard, Jason Kane, of punching, kicking and hitting him with a bottle because he refused to vacate the VIP section at Washington club Eyebar to make way for the basketball star and his entourage.

LeBron James does yoga

The Cleveland Plain Dealer (Brian Windhorst) reports:  As LeBron James has matured, part out of necessity and part out of pride, he’s serious about preparing and maintaining his body for the rigors of an NBA season. That includes a wide range of measures from diet and recovery techniques to the Vajrasana, Virasana and the particularly stunning Salamba Sarvangasana. They are yoga poses, and they are also an essential part of James’ routine every week. “Yoga isn’t just about the body, it’s also about the mind, and it’s a technique that has really helped me,” James said. “You do have to focus because there’s some positions that can really hurt you at times if you aren’t focused and breathing right.” From the “thunderbolt pose” to the “hero pose” to even “downward facing dog,” James has become a devout believer in the benefits of yoga. He and Cavs assistant athletic trainer Mike Mancias have been developing a regimen over the past two years.

Pacers move TJ Ford to bench

The Indianapolis Star (Mike Wells) reports: T.J. Ford has been in this position before. He knows from his experience with the Toronto Raptors that complaining won’t get him far. That’s why the Indiana Pacers point guard is taking the high road after his recent demotion. Pacers coach Jim O’Brien replaced Ford with Jarrett Jack at point guard against Charlotte on Saturday. Ford is taking it in stride, and handling the situation with professionalism. “I know how to handle this situation better than I did in the past,” said Ford, who was involved in a point guard controversy with the Raptors last season. “It’s not a big issue to me. Just do what you’re supposed to do, whether they put you in the game or not. It’s your job to be ready and be prepared for whatever happens. “I’m not a person that asks questions or reasons why certain things happen. He’s the coach and he has the right to make whatever adjustments he wants.”

Hill, Richardson lead Suns over Nuggets 118-115

The AP reports: Grant Hill hit a 12-foot jumper in the lane to break a tie with 58.6 seconds remaining, then added a free throw with 6.2 seconds left to help Phoenix extend its season-high winning streak to five games in a 118-115 victory over Denver on Monday night. “That may have been the only jumper I hit,” said Hill, who had a double-double with 23 points and 10 rebounds, but also committed six turnovers… Carmelo Anthony, who led the Nuggets with 29 points, missed a 3-pointer from the left wing in the final second. Billups had 20 points… Shaquille O’Neal, who played only 24 minutes because of foul trouble, had six of his 19 points in the final 5:04, when he made four of five free throws. Kenyon Martin had 18 points and J.R. Smith 14 for Denver (45-26), who remained tied for the best start in franchise history.

Miller helps 76ers rally past Trail Blazers in OT

The AP reports: Andre Miller had 27 points and 10 rebounds and scored the go-ahead basket with 1:56 remaining in overtime as Philadelphia rallied for a 114-108 win over Portland on Monday night… Philadelphia relied on a three-man performance to pull out the win as Miller, Andre Iguodala and Thaddeus Young combined to score 77 points. Iguodala and Young scored 25 points each. Young made 10 of 15 shots and scored 17 points during the second half and overtime… Philadelphia also shut down Portland’s Brandon Roy. The Sixers held the Blazers’ All-Star guard to 12 points, ending his personal streak of consecutive 20-point or more performances at 12… Portland’s LaMarcus Aldridge had 24 points and 12 rebounds, while Steve Blake scored 22 points.