The AP reports: After getting a rousing ovation and a hug from a little girl sitting courtside who was wearing one of his old Nuggets jerseys, Marcus Camby watched Nene and Renaldo Balkman each post a double-double in Denver’s 107-94 win over the Los Angeles Clippers on Saturday night… Camby struggled with his shot, scoring 11 points on 3-of-10 shooting and pulling down 11 rebounds. Balkman scored a career-best 22 points to go with his 11 rebounds—his second straight double-double playing in place of Martin (back)—and Nene scored 17 points and pulled down 10 boards. Carmelo Anthony added 18 points and J.R. Smith 17 for Denver. Al Thornton led Los Angeles with 19 points.
Parker scores 28 as Spurs beat Rockets 88-85
The AP reports: Tony Parker scored 28 points, Tim Duncan added 15 points and 12 rebounds and the San Antonio Spurs beat the Houston Rockets 88-85 on Saturday night. Parker also had eight assists and Michael Finley added 17 points for the Spurs, who came up with two defensive stops in the final 15 seconds to beat the Rockets for the 12th time in the last 17 meetings. Ron Artest scored 21 points and Yao Ming had 18 points and 11 rebounds for the Rockets, who’ve lost two straight home games after winning the previous 12… Aaron Brooks scored 18 points for the Rockets, but went 7-for-18 from the field.
Gordon, Salmons lead Bulls over Hornets, 97-79
The AP reports: Ben Gordon scored 27 points, John Salmons added 24, and the Chicago Bulls pounded the surging New Orleans Hornets 97-79 Saturday night despite another strong effort by Chris Paul. Back home after an 0-3 road trip, the Bulls wasted little time taking it to a Western Conference contender… Paul scored 29 after back-to-back 30 point performances despite the Bulls’ best efforts to contain him… Salmons buried 5-of-8 3s, while Gordon rebounded from two subpar performances by hitting 3-of-7 from beyond the arc. Brad Miller added 15 points and nine rebounds for Chicago, which sandwiched dramatic losses at Miami and at Philadelphia in the old Spectrum around a blowout at Orlando.
Love scores 22, Timberwolves beat Bobcats 108-100
The AP reports: Rookie Kevin Love scored 22 points, Rodney Carney and Ryan Gomes added 21 each and the Minnesota Timberwolves beat the Charlotte Bobcats 108-100 on Saturday night. Craig Smith had 15 points for the Timberwolves, who snapped a four-game skid against Charlotte and handed the Bobcats their third straight loss. Gerald Wallace had 26 points to lead Charlotte, Raja Bell scored 21 and D.J. Augustin finished with 18. The Bobcats, whose skid follows a team-record, six-game winning streak, entered the day one-half game behind Chicago and Milwaukee for the Eastern Conference’s final playoff spot.
Wade gets 50, Heat beat Jazz in 3OT
The AP reports: Dwyane Wade finished with 50 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists in another dazzling show, Jermaine O’Neal added 28 points and the Heat pulled off two huge last-ditch rallies before beating the Utah Jazz in a triple-overtime epic, 140-129 on Saturday… Wade tied his career high in scoring, set new bests in minutes (52 1/2 ), field goals made (19) and attempted (39), plus passed Alonzo Mourning to become Miami’s all-time points leader… Mario Chalmers scored 23 points for Miami, which shot 35-for-39 from the foul line and moved a season-high seven games over .500 (36-29). The Heat also got back within 1 1/2 games of Atlanta for fourth place in the Eastern Conference, and improved to 5-0 in overtime this season. Deron Williams scored 30 points and had 13 assists for the Jazz, who also got a season-high 25 points from Kyle Korver, along with seven rebounds and six assists. Carlos Boozer finished with 20 points and 13 rebounds for the Jazz.
Jackson, Ellis lead Warriors over Mavericks
The AP reports: Stephen Jackson scored 31 points, Monta Ellis had season highs of 29 points and 11 rebounds, and the Golden State Warriors put a dent into Dallas’ playoff run, beating the Mavericks 119-110 Friday night… Jason Kidd recorded his second triple-double of the season with 21 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds for the Mavericks, who had a three-game winning streak snapped. Kidd has 102 career triple-doubles, third on the list behind Oscar Robertson (181) and Magic Johnson (138). Dirk Nowitzki had 27 points and Jason Terry added 20… The Warriors lost center Andris Biedrins to a sprained left ankle after eight minutes, but Ronny Turiaf had another big game in his place.
LeBron’s 51 points give Cavs the Central title
The AP reports: LeBron James’ triple-double streak is over, though so is Cleveland’s division title drought. James scored 51 points, including six in overtime, and the Cavaliers clinched the Central Division title Friday night with a 126-123 victory over the Sacramento Kings. Although James failed to extend his triple-double streak to four games, he was clearly the difference, scoring a combined 22 points in the fourth quarter and overtime. He added nine assists while falling five points short of his career high… Anderson Varejao had 18 points and 12 rebounds for Cleveland, which secured its first division title since 1976 and just the second in franchise history… Kevin Martin scored 34 points for the Kings, who fell to 0-25 against the Eastern Conference. Bobby Jackson and Jason Thompson both had 19 points and Will Solomon scored 18.
Roy has 31 and Blazers beat Nets 109-100
The AP reports: Brandon Roy figured his shots had to start falling eventually—and they did. He wound up with 31 points and the Portland Trail Blazers beat the New Jersey Nets 109-100 on Friday night… Nicolas Batum hit a 3-pointer to make it 101-96 with 29 seconds left and seal it. The rookie from France had a career-high 20 points. LaMarcus Aldridge added 19 points and 10 rebounds for Portland. Devin Harris scored 27 points for the New Jersey, which has lost five of seven. The Nets were coming off a 116-112 loss at Golden State which denied them a chance to move into playoff position.
Paul scores 30 as Hornets beat Bucks 95-86
The AP reports: Chris Paul skidded through a slick spot and hit the deck hard early in the third quarter. He stayed down for a few seconds, worried he might have hurt his ribs. Fortunately—for New Orleans, anyway—Paul was wearing a pad that absorbed most of the impact. So he got back up to score 22 of his 30 points the rest of the way as the Hornets beat the Milwaukee Bucks 95-86 on Friday night… David West scored 21 and Rasual Butler hit a pair of key 3-pointers down the stretch for the Hornets, who have won nine of their last 10 games… Richard Jefferson scored 27 for Milwaukee, which has lost five of its last six.
Knicks win third in row on road, 102-94 vs. Wolves
The AP reports: Nate Robinson fought through a stomach virus—he was throwing up on the bench— to finish with 25 points, and Wilson Chandler scored 24 points to spark the Knicks to their third straight win. “Definitely still have a long way to go, but we’re definitely headed in the right direction,” said Larry Hughes, who had 12 points… Ryan Gomes tied his season high with 28 points and Sebastian Telfair added 22 for Minnesota, which fell to 2-13 without Al Jefferson after turning the ball over 19 times.