Bryant’s 34 pts powers Lakers against T-wolves
MINNEAPOLIS — Kobe Bryant scored 34 points and Andrew Bynum added 26 points and 10 rebounds to lift Los Angeles Lakers to a 105-102 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday.
Bynum dominated the smaller Wolves down low and Bryant made four free throws in the final 16 seconds for the Lakers, who beat the Timberwolves for the 18th straight time.
Derrick Williams had 22 points and 10 rebounds and Nikola Pekovic had 25 points and 13 boards for the Wolves, who found out less than 30 minutes before the game that leading scorer and rebounder Kevin Love could not play because of back spasms.
CELTICS 104, TRAIL BLAZERS 86
At Boston, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen each scored 22 points as Boston rebounded from a lopsided loss and handed one to Portland.
The win came after Boston lost by 32 points at Atlantic Division-leading Philadelphia on Wednesday, its worst setback in more than six years.
Article continues after this advertisementKevin Garnett grabbed seven defensive rebounds to move into second place on the NBA’s career list with defensive rebounds since the league started keeping the stat in 1973-74. He has 10,122 and moved ahead of Robert Parish (10,117). Karl Malone holds the top spot with 11,406.
Article continues after this advertisementLaMarcus Aldridge led the Trail Blazers with 22 points.
CAVALIERS 96, THUNDER 90
At Oklahoma City, Antawn Jamison scored 21 points and Kyrie Irving orchestrated a decisive run in the final 3 minutes as Cleveland snapped Oklahoma City’s 14-game home winning streak.
The Cavaliers scored their first consecutive road wins of the season by turning the normally fast-breaking Thunder into a half-court team. Oklahoma City converted only three transition baskets until trying to make a dramatic comeback in the final minute.
PISTONS 86, HAWKS 85
At Auburn Hills, Michigan, Tayshaun Prince made a driving left-handed shot with 24.3 seconds remaining as Detroit held on to beat Atlanta.
NETS 83, BOBCATS 74
At Charlotte, North Carolina, Kris Humphries had 20 points and 15 rebounds as New Jersey overcame an injury to Deron Williams to beat Charlotte.
Anthony Morrow scored all 17 of his points in the fourth quarter to help the Nets break open a tight game.
76ERS 104, JAZZ 91
At Philadelphia, Lou Williams and Thaddeus Young scored 21 points each, lifting Philadelphia past Utah.
Evan Turner had 16 points and 12 rebounds, Jrue Holiday also scored 16 point, and Andre Iguodala added 10 points, 10 assists and seven rebounds for the Sixers, who followed Wednesday’s 32-point victory over the Boston Celtics with another impressive performance.
BUCKS 119, KNICKS 114
At Milwaukee, Ersan Ilyasova scored 26 points, including a critical putback in the final minute, as Milwaukee held on to beat New York.
Brandon Jennings and Mike Dunleavy added 25 points each for the Bucks, who were coming off a last-second loss at home to Chicago on Wednesday.
CLIPPERS 120, SPURS 108
At San Antonio, Chris Paul had 36 points and 11 assists, and Mo Williams scored a season-high 33 as the Los Angeles Clippers ended a 17-game losing streak at San Antonio.
It was the Clippers’ first victory in San Antonio in a decade, and a 3-point barrage led by Williams is what finally snapped their long skid here. Williams was 7 of 9 from behind the arc, including consecutive makes in the fourth that deflated the Spurs.
NUGGETS 110, HORNETS 97
At Denver, Arron Afflalo scored 28 points and Al Harrington had 20 as Denver pulled away to win for the fifth time in six games since the All-Star break.
Nene added 12 points and Ty Lawson had 11 points to go with 10 assists for the Nuggets.
Lance Thomas scored 18 points to lead the Hornets, who lost their fourth in a row.
KINGS 110, MAVERICKS 97
At Sacramento, California, Tyreke Evans and Marcus Thornton each scored 17 points to help Sacramento end a 10-game losing streak against Dallas.
Rookie Isaiah Thomas added 14 points, including three 3-pointers in the third quarter, for the Kings, who last beat Dallas on Jan. 11, 1999.
Jason Terry scored 23 points to lead the Mavericks, who have lost six straight road games for the first time since November 1999.
