The AP reports: Al Harrington made five 3-pointers and scored 33 points Saturday night, helping the Knicks beat the slumping Sacramento Kings 114-90. “(Harrington) is a guy who’s a shot-maker and plays solid defense,” said teammate David Lee, who dominated the inside with 17 points and 19 rebounds… Although the Knicks only used seven players for much of the game, it was so one-sided in the fourth quarter that even Jerome James earned playing time… After missing seven of the past eight games with a strained groin, point guard Nate Robinson had 19 points for the Knicks, who won their second straight and moved within a game of .500 at 11-12. Tim Thomas scored 11 points and Chris Duhon added 10 points and eight assists.
Dec 13: Magic 103, Jazz 94
The AP reports: Could Dwight Howard be going from Superman to super sub? The All-Star center missed the first game of his career Saturday night, and coach Stan Van Gundy joked he might not get his starting spot back after the Orlando Magic used a dominating third quarter to beat the Utah Jazz 103-94… Rashard Lewis scored 27 points and Hedo Turkoglu added 22 for Orlando (18-6), which improved to 9-3 on the road this season… Andrei Kirilenko and Deron Williams each scored 17 points for Utah (15-10), which committed 22 turnovers, its second-highest total of the season.
Dec 13: Nuggets 123, Warriors 105
The AP reports: The Denver Nuggets didn’t need another 33-point third quarter from Carmelo Anthony. Fourteen was enough to put away Golden State. Anthony had 27 points and nine rebounds, Chauncey Billups added 16 points and 11 assists, and the Nuggets beat the Warriors 123-105 on Saturday night… Kenyon Martin, who returned to the lineup after missing two games with a sprained left wrist, had 15 points for the Nuggets, who had six players score in double figures. Jamal Crawford scored 25 points and Rob Kurz had 20 points and seven rebounds for the Warriors, who have lost 11 of their last 13.
Dec 13: Mavs 103, Thunder 99
The AP reports: Dirk Nowitzki had one of the best scoring nights of his career, Jason Terry put up another 20-point game and the Dallas Mavericks shot better than 50 percent from the floor. Despite those performances, the Mavericks still needed a late rally to fend off the struggling Oklahoma City Thunder. Nowitzki scored a season-high 46 points, Terry added 28 and Dallas won for the 11th time in 13 games, beating the Thunder 103-99 on Saturday… Jeff Green scored 25 points and Kevin Durant added 22, but none in the fourth quarter. Rookie Russell Westbrook chipped in with 19 points and eight rebounds.
Dec 13: Bulls 113, Nets 104
The AP reports: Ben Gordon and the Bulls knew Vince Carter would come out firing after the worst shooting performance of his career, but they overcame that with their depth. Gordon scored 29 points and Derrick Rose had nine of his 22 in the fourth quarter to lead Chicago to a 113-104 victory over the New Jersey Nets on Saturday night… Chicago got help from its young front line, who had been inconsistent all season. Tyrus Thomas scored 16 points and Joakim Noah added seven points and eight rebounds for the Bulls, who improved to 8-3 at home… Devin Harris finished with 22 points and seven assists. Carter and Harris were a combined 24-of-25 from the free throw line.
Dec 13: Bucks 121, Pacers 103
The AP reports: Michael Redd scored 27 points and Andrew Bogut had 20 points and 20 rebounds to lead Milwaukee. Charlie Villanueva added 26 points, 24 in the first half, to equal a season high and help the Bucks snap a three-game losing streak. Jefferson had 20 points, 10 in the fourth quarter. T.J. Ford had a season-high 27 points for Indiana… Rookie Brandon Rush, the 13th pick in the draft out of Kansas, had 16 off the bench for the Pacers. Danny Granger, coming off a career-high 42 points in a loss to the Detroit Pistons on Friday night, added 14.
Dec 13: Sixers 104, Wizards 89
The AP reports: It had been 18 years since Tony DiLeo paced the sideline as a coach—and that came in another country. Though he couldn’t revel in the circumstances of his elevation to coach of the Philadelphia 76ers because of his close relationship with Maurice Cheeks, the experience didn’t seem any different. Elton Brand scored a season-high 27 points, leading Philadelphia to a 104-89 victory over the struggling Washington Wizards on Saturday night in DiLeo’s coaching debut with the 76ers… Lou Williams added 15 points, Thaddeus Young and Andre Iguodala each had 14, and Willie Green scored 13 for the Sixers, who snapped a three-game losing streak and improved to 10-14… The Sixers had lost their previous five home games. Samuel Dalembert pulled down 17 rebounds and Andre Miller had a season-high 12 assists.
Dec 13: Hawks 97, Cavs 92
The AP reports: Mike Bibby scored 24 points, Marvin Williams hit the clinching free throws, and Atlanta snapped the Cleveland Cavaliers’ 11-game winning streak with a 97-92 victory Saturday night. LeBron James had 33 points and nine assists for the Cavs, who overcame a 14-point deficit in the third quarter to take a 70-68 lead early in the fourth on Mo Williams’ layup… Cleveland was playing its second straight game without injured starting center Zydrunas Ilgauskas. Anderson Varejao’s 11 points and eight rebounds weren’t enough to compensate on the front line with Ben Wallace going scoreless on just two shots from the field.
Dec 13: Pistons 90, Bobcats 86
The AP reports: Allen Iverson and the rest of the Detroit Pistons starters retreated to the end of the bench to start the fourth quarter. Taking advantage of the ragged debut by Charlotte Bobcats newcomers Boris Diaw and Raja Bell, the Pistons led by 22 points and the regulars were certain their night was over… Hamilton added 18 points, and Rodney Stuckey had 13 points and 10 assists in his third straight start at point guard for the Pistons, who won their second straight game with their new, smaller lineup despite being outscored 30-12 in the final period… Gerald Wallace had 22 points and nine rebounds for the Bobcats in his return after missing three games following the death of his grandmother. Wallace’s father also died on Thursday, and he may miss another game next week.
Bonzi Wells signs in China
Xinhau reports: Former Houston Rockets’ guard Bonzi Wells arrived China on Friday afternoon to join Shanxi Zhongyu of the Chinese Basketball Association league, the club confirmed on Friday. The 32-year-old agreed a one-year contract with the club and the details of the contract were not disclosed. The club manager Zhang Beihai denied a rumour of 80,000 U.S.-dollar salary for the former teammate of Yao Ming, the most famous Chinese basketball player in the NBA, saying Well’s salary is around half of the amount.