The AP reports: Pouring in 30 points and grabbing 14 rebounds before taking it easy after the third quarter, LeBron James and the Cavaliers shook off a terrible start to a four-game road swing with a 97-86 win over the Spurs, who again kept Tim Duncan in street clothes… Tony Parker, who averaged 38 points the last two games, was one of four Spurs with 11 points. Duncan missed his third consecutive game for San Antonio with a right quad injury but is expected to return as soon as Sunday. Delonte West added 17 points and Zydrunas Ilgauskas had 10 for Cleveland, which will resume its four-game road swing Sunday at Atlanta. They’ll do so without Wallace, who is expected to miss four to six weeks after breaking his right fibula in a 93-74 loss to the Rockets on Thursday.
Shaq scores 45, Suns beat Raptors 133-113
The AP reports: A week shy of his 37th birthday, Shaquille O’Neal scored 45 points Friday night—his biggest offensive performance in six years—powering the Phoenix Suns to a 133-113 victory… Louis Amundson scored a career-high 20 as the Suns outscored the Raptors in the paint by a remarkable 90-36. Matt Barnes added 18. Grant Hill had 14 points and 12 assists, just two shy of his career high set 11 years ago for the Suns, who were without Steve Nash for the second straight game with a sprained right ankle. Former Suns star Shawn Marion led Toronto with 27 points and 11 rebounds. Andrea Bargnani added 21 points and Bosh 19.
Nuggets end skid against Lakers with 90-79 win
The AP reports: J.R. Smith scored 22 points and hounded Kobe Bryant all night and the Nuggets beat cold-shooting Los Angeles 90-79 to end to end a nine-game losing streak against the Lakers. The Nuggets got solid performances from reserves Smith and Chris Andersen, who tied a career high with seven blocks, pulled down 12 rebounds and chipped in 11 points, and their defense was, to a man, absolutely outstanding… Kobe Bryant scored 29 points but he needed 31 shots to do it, sinking 10 of them, and he was hounded by Smith in the fourth quarter when the Nuggets held the Lakers to 16 points and Bryant went 2-for-9… Lamar Odom was 5-for-17 and the bench was a combined 3-for-19.
Mavericks rally to defeat Thunder 110-108 in OT
The AP reports: Even with Oklahoma City missing Kevin Durant, the Dallas Mavericks turned to two of its stars to fend off the Thunder on Friday night. Dirk Nowitzki scored 17 of his 41 points in the fourth quarter and overtime, Jason Kidd hit two big 3-pointers in the extra period, and the Mavericks overcame a 12-point deficit to beat the short-handed Oklahoma City Thunder 110-108… Russell Westbrook, who hit a 3-pointer to send it to overtime, scored 33 points and Green added 28 points for the Thunder, who have lost seven straight. Dallas’ Josh Howard had 13 points and James Singleton added 12 points and nine rebounds.
Chandler’s tip-in gives Hornets 95-94 win over Bucks
The AP reports: Tyson Chandler tipped in a missed shot off the backboard with 3.3 seconds left to give the Hornets a 95-94 win after they blew a 17-point lead with four minutes remaining… Chris Paul had a season-high 20 assists, and West scored 28 points to lead the Hornets, who won their third straight. Richard Jefferson had a team-high 22 points, and Bell added 21 for the Bucks, who lost their second in a row but made the Hornets sweat after trailing by double digits for almost the entire second half. Milwaukee had its second-worst shooting performance of the year through the first three quarters.
Roy scores 19 as Blazers beat Wolves 102-82
The AP reports: Brandon Roy scored 19 points in only three quarters against Minnesota, leading Portland to a 102-82 victory over the listless Timberwolves on Friday night… Rudy Fernandez added 18 points for the Blazers, who snapped a five-game road losing streak by sending the sputtering Wolves to their eighth-straight home loss. Travis Outlaw and LaMarcus Aldridge each added 15 points and Sergio Rodriguez had 12 for the Trail Blazers, who built a 19-point lead through three quarters and were never threatened… Mike Miller and Craig Smith each scored 16 points to lead Minnesota, which continues to struggle without Al Jefferson in the lineup.
Celtics beat Pacers 104-99 in Marbury debut
The AP reports: Ray Allen added 30 points and Rajon Rondo matched his career high with 17 assists for Boston. Glen “Big Baby” Davis, starting in place of the injured Kevin Garnett, scored 18, and Kendrick Perkins had 11 rebounds. Marbury finished with eight points and two assists in under 13 minutes— just hours after clearing waivers and signing with the Celtics for their push toward the playoffs and a try at back-to-back NBA titles… T.J. Ford scored 23 and Troy Murphy had 20 points and 13 assists for the Pacers, who had won three out of four.
Miller, 76ers hold off frisky Knicks 108-103
The AP reports: Andre Miller had 25 points and six assists to lead Philadelphia, which has won two in a row since ending a four-game losing streak. Andre Iguodala added 15 points for the Sixers and Samuel Dalembert had 14 rebounds… Thaddeus Young scored 23 points, but his block prevented the Knicks from getting within two points for the fourth time in the fourth quarter, a situation the Sixers desperately wanted to avoid in frenzied Madison Square Garden… Al Harrington added 23 points for New York and David Lee had 17 with 11 rebounds for his 22nd straight double-double and NBA-best 47th of the year.
Horford double-double, Hawks beat Heat 91-83
The AP reports: Al Horford had 21 points and a career-high 22 rebounds and Joe Johnson scored 24 points Friday night in helping the Atlanta Hawks to a 91-83 win over the Miami Heat… The Hawks, who had lost three straight and four of five on a recent West Coast trip, also got 14 points from Josh Smith, 13 from Marvin Williams and 12 from Flip Murray. Michael Beasley led Miami with 23 points, 16 in the fourth period, and 21 from Dwyane Wade, who also had 10 assists.
With Obama in front row, Wizards beat Bulls 113-90
The AP reports: Caron Butler implored the officials not to start the game until a certain special spectator reached his front-row seat. And when President Barack Obama finally arrived Friday night, delaying the tipoff by a few minutes, Butler and the rest of the Washington Wizards set out to send a message to the First Fan by beating his Chicago Bulls… But with Antawn Jamison leading the way with 27 points and 11 rebounds, Washington led by as many as 15 in the first quarter and—after the Bulls closed within 49-45 at halftime—by 25 in the fourth period to the delight of most of the 18,114 in attendance… John Salmons scored 25 for the Bulls, who shot under 40 percent and were outrebounded 53-37.