NBA roundup: Parker scores 27 as Spurs hold off Pelicans
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Tony Parker capped a 27-point outing with several clutch layups in the final minutes, and San Antonio beat reeling New Orleans 101-95 for its fifth consecutive win.
Tim Duncan scored 18 points before fouling out with 6:02 to go in what turned out to be a surprisingly tense game between the Western Conference-leading Spurs and a hobbled Pelicans squad that has lost six straight since an injury to leading scorer Ryan Anderson.
Manu Ginobili added 14 points, Kawhi Leonard 13 and Marco Belinelli 12 for San Antonio.
Anthony Davis had 22 points and 11 rebounds, and gave New Orleans its last lead at 87-86 with 7:08 to play. Brian Roberts, starting at point guard for the injured Jrue Holiday, scored 19.
WIZARDS 102, BULLS 88
CHICAGO (AP) — John Wall and Nene had 19 points apiece, Trevor Ariza scored 16 and Washington ended Chicago's five-game win streak.
The Wizards led by 13 early in the fourth quarter and hung on after the Bulls made one last push.
Nene scored eight points in the final period and Bradley Beal came on strong down the stretch to finish with 13. He hit a jumper and 3-pointer during a nine-point run that bumped Washington's lead to 96-82 with about 3 minutes left.
Wall scored four points during that spurt and had seven assists in the game. The Wizards had dropped five of seven.
Carlos Boozer scored 19 for Chicago and Joakim Noah grabbed 16 rebounds, but with a chance to reach .500 for the first time since November, the Bulls came up short. They also lost for the first time since trading Luol Deng to Cleveland last week, after winning three without him.
RAPTORS 116, BUCKS 94
TORONTO (AP) — Kyle Lowry scored 23 points, Jonas Valanciunas had 17 points and 10 rebounds, and Toronto handed struggling Milwaukee its sixth straight loss.
DeMar DeRozan added 19 points and Patrick Patterson 18 as Toronto won for the eighth time in nine games. The Atlantic Division leaders snapped a five-game home slide against the Bucks, beating them in Toronto for the first time since Jan. 22, 2010.
The Raptors won their second straight over Milwaukee after losing the previous 10 meetings.
The victory gave Toronto a five-game home winning streak. At 19-17, the Raptors are two games above .500 for the first time since March 9, 2010, when they were 32-30.
Ersan Ilyasova scored a season-high 27 points for the Bucks, winless since beating the Lakers in Los Angeles on New Year's Eve. The NBA's worst team at 7-30, Milwaukee has lost 14 of 16 overall.
MAVERICKS 107, MAGIC 88
DALLAS (AP) — Monta Ellis scored 21 points, Dirk Nowitzki added 15 and Dallas extended Orlando's longest losing streak of the season to eight games.
The Mavericks won their third straight against sub-.500 teams since a blowout loss at San Antonio. Dallas now heads into a three-game stretch against Western Conference playoff contenders starting Wednesday at the Los Angeles Clippers.
Nowitzki did most of his damage in the first half with 10 points, two nights after scoring 20 in the third quarter on his way to a season-high 40 against New Orleans.
Jameer Nelson scored 21 and Glen Davis added 19 points and eight rebounds for the Magic, who got swept on a swing through five Western Conference cities and lost by an average of 20 points.
The Mavericks (23-16) moved seven games over .500 for the first time since the end of the lockout-shortened 2011-12 season.
Vince Carter had 17 points, including consecutive baskets in an 8-0 run that finally put Orlando away in the fourth quarter.