The AP reports: Marco Belinelli’s achingly perfect jumper from behind the backboard just rubbed it in for the Milwaukee Bucks. They couldn’t keep up when the Golden State Warriors finally played their beautiful game in the fourth quarter. Stephen Jackson scored 21 points, C.J. Watson added 19 and the Warriors won their second straight after a nine-game losing streak, 119-96 over the slumping Bucks on Wednesday night… Andris Biedrins had 18 points and 14 rebounds for the Warriors, who pulled away with a 22-5 run to begin the fourth after leading just 82-81 entering the period… Michael Redd scored 27 points for the Bucks… Richard Jefferson scored 17 points, and Luke Ridnour added 13 for Milwaukee in another meeting between the clubs that played two preseason games in China in October.
Dec 11: Nuggets 116, Wolves 105
The AP reports: Carmelo Anthony matched George Gervin’s NBA record with 33 points in the third and finished with a season-high 45 points in the Denver Nuggets’ 116-105 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday night… Chauncey Billups added 24 points in Denver’s eighth straight win over Minnesota. After the game, he was still in awe of Anthony’s performance… Al Jefferson had 26 points and 12 rebounds, and Randy Foye also scored 26 points for Minnesota, which has lost seven straight games and two in a row since Kevin McHale took over as head coach on Monday.
Dec 11: Spurs 95, Hawks 89
The AP reports: Sometimes Manu Ginobili enjoys the thought of coming off the bench. It looks as if Wednesday was one of those nights. Ginobili scored 27 points in a return to his sixth-man role to help the San Antonio Spurs beat Atlanta 95-89 for their fourth straight victory. Ginobili, the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year last season, scored 14 points in the fourth quarter… Tim Duncan, playing in his 1,000th NBA game in the regular season and playoffs, added 19 points and 11 rebounds. Joe Johnson led Atlanta (12-9) with 29 points on 13-of-20 shooting from the floor. Ginobili was 8-of-12, including 5-of-7 from the 3-point line, and made six free throws without a miss.
Dec 11: Hornets 105, Bobcats 89
The AP reports: Chris Paul had 15 points and 15 assists, and the Hornets led by as many as 23 points in the first half on the way to their seventh victory in eight games… Rookie D.J. Augustin scored a career-high 28 points to lead Charlotte, which took the floor with a depleted lineup shortly after a multiplayer trade that sent leading scorer Jason Richardson to Phoenix… Alexis Ajinca scored 12 points, and Matt Carroll 10 for Charlotte. David West and Peja Stojakovic each scored 17 points for New Orleans. Chandler had 13 points and 11 rebounds for the Hornets, who had a new look, too. They wore the white, red and black throwback uniforms of the old New Orleans Buccaneers of the ABA.
Dec 11: Cavs 101, Sixers 93
The AP reports: LeBron James scored 29 points, Mo Williams added a season-high 27 and the Cavaliers cruised to their 10th consecutive victory, beating the Philadelphia 76ers 101-93 on Wednesday night… Anderson Varejao added 15 points, and Ben Wallace had 10 rebounds for the Central Division-leading Cavaliers, 18-1 in their last 19 games, 19-3 overall and 7-3 on the road. They are one win shy of tying the franchise record of 11 straight wins set during the 1988-89 season… Center Zydrunas Ilgauskas limped to the locker room with 9:39 left in the fourth with a sprained left ankle. He did not return… Andre Iguodala scored a season-high 27 points for the 76ers. Andre Miller added 22, and Lou Williams had 13 of his season-high 22 in the fourth for Philadelphia. The 76ers have dropped two straight and seven of nine to fall to 9-13.
Dec 11: Grizzlies 108, Thunder 102
The AP reports: Rudy Gay had 22 points, and Mike Conley scored 14 of his season-high 16 points in fourth quarter to help the Grizzlies beat the Oklahoma City Thunder 108-102 on Wednesday night for their first winning streak of the season… Mayo added 18 points in the first three quarters to pass Magic Johnson for the third longest streak of double-figure scoring games to start a career at 22. Only Dan Issel (27) and Bobby Jones (24), who played for the Denver Nuggets in the franchise’s first season in the NBA in 1976, had longer streaks. Kevin Durant scored 28 points, Russell Westbrook added 15 and Jeff Green had 13 for Oklahoma City, which got one of its league-low two wins at Memphis on Nov. 29. Desmond Mason, Nick Collison and Joe Smith also scored 10 apiece.
Dec 11: Knicks 121, Nets 109
The AP reports: Al Harrington scored a season-high 39 points, fellow New Jersey high school star Tim Thomas also had his best game of the season, and New York rallied to beat the Nets 121-109 on Wednesday night… Harrington was a point shy of his career high, while Thomas scored a season-high 26… But they got by with huge efforts from their newcomers and a steady one from Chris Duhon, who finished with 10 points and 10 assists. Wilson Chandler added 24 points for the Knicks, who rebounded from a 105-100 loss in Chicago on Tuesday night and won for just the second time in six games. Devin Harris scored 32 points for the Nets, but he couldn’t sustain his blistering start and New Jersey was denied a third straight victory. Vince Carter had 18.
Dec 11: Raptors 101, Pacers 88
The AP reports: Raptors forward Jermaine O’Neal scooped up the game ball as the final buzzer sounded, not to remember a victory over Indiana, his former team, but to give new coach Jay Triano a memento from his first win. Jason Kapono scored a season-high 25 points, Chris Bosh added 21 points and 10 rebounds and the Raptors snapped a five-game losing streak with a 101-88 victory over the Pacers on Wednesday night… Jamario Moon also had a season high with 17 points for Toronto, including a putback dunk on O’Neal’s miss in the third quarter. Joey Graham had 12 points, and Jose Calderon added 11 points and 14 assists… Danny Granger led Indiana with 22 points, Murphy had 20 points and 20 rebounds, and Marquis Daniels finished with 21 points. The Pacers have lost four straight and nine of 11.
Melo scores 33 in one quarter
Wednesday night the Denver Nuggets hosted the Minnesota Timberwolves, and home star forward Carmelo Anthony put on an incredible scoring display.
In the third quarter, Melo scored 33 points, scoring in a variety of ways, including jumpers in the face of defenders, cuts to the basket, and any other way he felt like it.
Anthony’s outburst is the greatest single-quarter point scoring in Nuggets history.
At the end of the third quarter the Nuggets lead the Wolves, 84-78.
Minnesota was actually playing a terrific game until the third. At halftime they were up 56-44.
For the game, Melo is 15-of-24 for 42 points, 9 rebounds, 2 assists and 4 steals.
–InsideHoops.com editor
Suns trade for Jason Richardson
Uptrade: Trade is now official. Click here.
The Arizona Republic (Paul Coro) reports: The Suns acquired dynamic shooting guard Jason Richardson today in a trade with the Charlotte Bobcats that will also bring second-year forward Jared Dudley and a 2010 second-round draft choice to the Suns in exchange for shooting guard Raja Bell, forward Boris Diaw and rookie point guard Sean Singletary. The deal, pending players passing physicals, brings a new dimension to the Suns’ shooting guard position with Richardson, who can hit 3-pointers and be an athletic fit into an uptempo system like he starred in during five seasons with Golden State… Richardson makes $12,222,222 this season, $13,333,333 next season and $14,444,444 in 2010-11. Diaw was under contract for $9 million per season through 2011-12. Bell is making $5 million this season and gets $5.25 million next season in his contract’s final year.
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