Magic KO Wizards
Hedo Turkoglu scored 22 points and the Orlando Magic held off a late scoring burst by Caron Butler in an 89-80 victory over the Washington Wizards Tuesday.
Butler had 29 points, all in the second half, but the recently energized Wizards (7-26) failed in their bid to win for the fourth time in six games.
Orlando center Dwight Howard had his league-leading 25th double-double, with 15 points and 16 rebounds. Jameer Nelson added 14 points for the Magic.
Antawn Jamison scored 14 for the Wizards.
Sixers 104, Rockets 96: Andre Iguodala scored 28 points and reeling Philadelphia returned home from a dreadful road trip to beat Houston.
The Sixers needed to escape the Lone Star State to finally defeat a team from Texas. They lost at Dallas and San Antonio in the final two games of a 1-5 road trip and had lost five of seven overall, parking them in last place in the Atlantic Division.
Heading home was the perfect tonic. Iguodala continued on his recent scoring surge and scored nine points in the third quarter to help the Sixers stretch the lead to 11.
Luis Scola led six Rockets in double figures with 18 points and grabbed 17 rebounds.
Bobcats 114, Celtics 106: Raymond Felton scored 25 points, rookie D.J. Augustin added 11 of his 20 points in overtime, and Charlotte stunned Boston to continue the Celtics’ sudden slide.
Beaten by their surprising nemesis for the second time in two seasons, the defending champions came undone in OT, and they’ve quickly gone from unbeatable to vulnerable.
After a team-record 19-game winning streak and an NBA-record 27-2 start, the Celtics lost for the fifth time in seven games, leaving battered, bruised and angry by Larry Brown’s upstart Bobcats.
Paul Pierce scored 28 points, but had a key turnover in overtime. Ray Allen scored 20 points on 7-of-20 shooting for the Celtics.
Thunder 107, Knicks 99: Kevin Durant had 27 points and 12 rebounds, Jeff Green scored 27 points, and Oklahoma City held off New York.
Oklahoma City (5-30) continued its recent offensive surge, shooting 52.7 percent from the field, including an 11-for-16 performance by Durant, but nearly blew a 23-point, second-half lead before recovering.
Bulls 99, Kings 94: Ben Gordon scored 24 points and Chicago beat Sacramento to snap a three-game losing streak.
The Bulls converted 33 of 36 free throws, and the three foul shots they missed nearly cost them the game.
After making its first 29, Chicago converted just four of its final seven, allowing Sacramento to stay in the game.
Carmelo out: Denver Nuggets All-Star Carmelo Anthony will miss at least three weeks with a fracture to his shooting hand, but won’t need surgery.
The team said Tuesday Anthony will be fitted for a removable splint after breaking a bone in his right hand in a 135-115 victory over the Indiana Pacers Monday night.
Denver plays at Memphis on Jan. 27.
Anthony was injured early in the third quarter when Pacers center Jeff Foster swatted at the ball, catching a good chunk of Anthony’s hand.