Ill Duncan, Spurs end Nets' streak

In between runs to the bathroom, Tim Duncan had enough left to help San Antonio keep its own run alive and end New Jersey's.

Still affected by flu symptoms that kept him out of the Spurs' last game, Duncan struggled early but made some key plays down the stretch as San Antonio beat New Jersey, 83-73, last night to snap the Nets' 12-game home winning streak and prevent them from tying the franchise record.

Manu Ginobili scored 22 points and Tony Parker added 19 for the Spurs (39-10), who won their season-high eighth game in a row and have won 12 of their last 13.

Interspersed between his exits, Duncan scored 10 of his 12 points in the second half, including 6 in the fourth quarter.

''It took him almost the whole game to feel comfortable with his shot," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. ''He had to hit the bathroom about seven or eight times during the game. We tried not to play him too many minutes in a row, tried to pace him in between bathroom runs."

Duncan missed five of his first six shots to start the game, but helped the Spurs pull away in the final four minutes after running to the locker room during a timeout midway through the quarter.

With the Spurs up, 69-66, in what had developed into a back-and-forth game, Duncan rebounded a miss by Parker and scored in the lane off a pass from Nick Van Exel with 4:12 left. A minute later, he rebounded a miss by Van Exel that led to Bruce Bowen's 3-pointer to extend the lead to 8. Duncan followed that with a bank shot that built the lead to 76-66.

''I made it through, that's all I can say," Duncan said after emerging from the trainer's room. ''I didn't play a great game, but it was just good to be out there. I wasn't 100 percent, but I helped the team win and that's what it's all about."

Jazz 94, Timberwolves 80 -- Reserve Matt Harpring scored 25 points and grabbed eight rebounds, leading visiting Utah past Minnesota.

Andrei Kirilenko had 19 points and Mehmet Okur added 19 points and 10 rebounds, helping the Jazz win for the fourth time in five games.

Starting point guard Keith McLeod, who appeared in 33 games for the Timberwolves in the 2003-04 season, chipped in 13 points. And Carlos Boozer played, too, getting 2 points in six minutes -- his first action in nearly a year after fighting foot and hamstring problems.

Wizards 101, Cavaliers 89 -- Gilbert Arenas, still feeling snubbed despite his day-late All-Star selection, turned his frustration into 32 points and outshone All-Star starter LeBron James in Washington.

Arenas also had 10 assists, 8 rebounds, and even a career-high 3 blocked shots. Antawn Jamison scored 28 points, including a huge 9-point stretch that stalled Cleveland's momentum in the fourth quarter, as the Wizards won their fourth straight.

James had an off night, scoring 18 points, although he also had 9 rebounds and 8 assists.

Raptors 88, Bobcats 73 -- Charlie Villanueva scored 24 points and All-Star Chris Bosh added 16 points and 10 rebounds to lead visiting Toronto over undermanned Charlotte (minus four starters).

Mike James scored 18 points for the Raptors, who opened the second half on a 20-2 run to erase a 1-point deficit and snap a two-game losing streak.

Matt Carroll scored a career-high 26 points for the Bobcats, who shot a franchise record-low 31.8 percent.

Pistons 84, Magic 73 -- Rasheed Wallace scored 26 points, Richard Hamilton had 23, Chauncey Billups had 11 points and 14 assists, and Ben Wallace contributed 10 rebounds as visiting Detroit rode its four All-Stars to victory.

Suns 112, Kings 104 -- Steve Nash scored 24 points, including a key basket and a pair of late free throws, and had 13 assists to help host Phoenix withstand a furious fourth-quarter Sacramento comeback from 93-76 down.

Hornets 111, Knicks 100 -- Speedy Claxton scored 18 points and added a season-high 11 assists in place of injured point guard Chris Paul and David West added 21 points and 10 rebounds as New Orleans beat New York in Oklahoma City.

Pacers 107, Warriors 95 -- Stephen Jackson scored 30 points, and host Indiana beat Golden State for its fourth straight victory.