Steve Nash (left) was under pressure all night by a determined Chris Paul, who outscored Nash, 21-12, in the Hornets' win.
(CHRIS GRAYTHEN/GETTY IMAGES)
NBA roundup
Chris Paul had 21 points and 10 assists, outplaying Steve Nash, the point guard he admires most, and lifting the Hornets to a 101-98 victory over the Phoenix Suns last night in New Orleans.
Accurate perimeter shooting was the difference for the Hornets, who hit 12 3-pointers. Paul made three, the last putting New Orleans ahead for good midway through the fourth quarter after the Suns had erased a 16-point deficit to briefly take a lead of their own.
Guarded tightly by an energetic Paul most of the night, Nash was effective but well short of his best, finishing with 12 points and seven assists. He also turned the ball over twice.
Leandro Barbosa scored 19 points for Phoenix, which has lost three of its last four games.
Knicks 94, Nets 86 - Eddy Curry scored 23 points, a night after hitting rock bottom during a scoring slump, and host New York snapped a five-game losing streak.
Jamal Crawford led New York with 32 points.
The 6-foot-11-inch Curry was scoreless in 13 minutes Friday at Chicago, his first game without a point since Jan. 29, 2003. Curry had been held in single digits in six of the previous nine games, dropping his scoring average to 14.3 per game, but bounced back by going 9 of 16 from the field and grabbing nine rebounds.
Bucks 95 Timberwolves 92 - Michael Redd scored 32 points and made two pressure free throws late to help host Milwaukee hold off Minnesota.
Yi Jianlian, the sixth overall pick in the 2007 NBA draft, had a career-high 22 points and Mo Williams added 19 for Milwaukee, which extended Minnesota's losing streak to four games.
Former Boston College standout Craig Smith scored 30 points and grabbed 10 rebounds and Al Jefferson had 23 points and 15 rebounds for the Timberwolves, who have lost nine of the last 10 road games.
Trailing, 84-74, Jefferson scored 5 points and Ryan Gomes hit a 3-pointer as Minnesota pulled to 84-82 with 1:41 to go. Yi answered with a 3-pointer that put the Bucks up by 5.
Pacers 106, Heat 103 - Jamaal Tinsley scored 26 points, Jermaine O'Neal started a crucial fourth-quarter run with three straight baskets, and visiting Indiana extended its dominance of Miami.
Indiana started the final period on a 14-4 run to take control and has won 18 of the last 22 regular-season meetings with Miami. Dwyane Wade finished with 24 points, but his potentially game-tying 3-pointer bounced off the rim as time expired.
76ers 92, Cavaliers 86 - Andre Miller and Andre Iguodala scored 20 points apiece to lead visiting Philadelphia.
After Damon Jones's 3-pointer gave the Cavaliers a 75-74 lead with 7:57 to play, 4 points by Iguodala, including a three, and baskets by Miller and Samuel Dalembert provided an 8-0 run that gave Philadelphia the lead for good. Iguodala later added a key 3-point play.
Grizzlies 123, Magic 119 - Rudy Gay scored a career-high 32 points and Juan Carlos Navarro added 25 to help visiting Memphis snap a six-game losing streak.
The Grizzlies hit 12 3-pointers, including two clutch ones from Navarro in the final three minutes.
Spurs 102, Nuggets 91 - Michael Finley and Fabricio Oberto each scored a season-high 21 points to lead host San Antonio.
Oberto, who was 10 of 11 from the field, also grabbed 13 rebounds for the Spurs. Tim Duncan had 8 points in his return after missing four games with a sprained right ankle. Tony Parker sat out his second straight game for the Spurs with a sprained left ankle.
Mavericks 96, Rockets 83 - Josh Howard scored 23 points and Dirk Nowitzki added 20 as visiting Dallas won for the 10th time in the last 11 meetings with Houston.
Wizards 92, Kings 79 - DeShawn Stevenson had 19 points, including five 3-pointers, to lead shorthanded Washington to a win over visiting Sacramento. Already without starting point guard Gilbert Arenas, recovering from left knee surgery last month, Washington announced earlier in day that backup Antonio Daniels would be out 2-4 weeks with a sprained MCL.
Hawks 93, Bobcats 84 - Joe Johnson scored 31 points, Marvin Williams had 20, and Atlanta beat Charlotte, giving the Bobcats their eighth road loss in nine games.
Jazz 96, SuperSonics 75 - Carlos Boozer had 21 points and 16 rebounds to help host Utah snap a six-game skid.
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