NBA: Nuggets trip skidding Spurs; Heat roast T’Wolves
DENVER—San Antonio’s worrying form dip continued with a 112-106 loss to the Denver Nuggets on Tuesday in which the Spurs threatened a comeback from a big deficit yet could not sink the vital shots in the final seconds.
San Antonio suffered its fourth loss in five games and dropped to second in the Southwest Division behind idle Memphis. Other leading teams had wins on Tuesday, with Miami, Atlanta, Chicago and Golden State among the victors.
Denver’s Danilo Gallinari had a season-high 28 points as the Nuggets opened a 98-83 lead, only for San Antonio to finish strongly.
Tim Duncan had 31 points—also a season high—to go along with 18 rebounds for the Spurs, who closed to 105-102. A turnover by Denver gave the Spurs a chance to get closer but they missed three straight 3-pointers in the final 24 seconds.
The Miami Heat survived a huge differential in rebounding to beat the Minnesota Timberwolves, 103-92.
Dwyane Wade scored 24 points and LeBron James added 22 points and 11 assists for the Heat, who gave up 21 of the game’s first 24 rebounds and wound up getting beaten 52-24 on the boards, yet still won. James topped the 20-point mark for a 43rd straight game.
Utah Jazz made an impressive comeback then held on despite late errors, winning, 92-90, at the Brooklyn Nets, with Mo Williams scoring 19 points and Al Jefferson adding 16 points and 11 rebounds.
The Chicago Bulls surged in the fourth quarter to see off the Boston Celtics, 100-89, with Luol Deng and Carlos Boozer scoring 21 points apiece.
The Milwaukee Bucks held on in a tight finish to edge the Indiana Pacers, 98-93.
The Dallas Mavericks had the ideal opponent for ending a three-game skid, beating Philadelphia, 107-100, to make it seven successive home wins over the 76ers.
OJ Mayo scored 26 points and Chris Kaman added 20, combing for 17 of Dallas’ last 19 points. The Mavericks had to overcome the loss of veteran point guard Derek Fisher to a game-ending knee injury in the first-quarter.
Golden State Warriors brought their impressive road form back home, beating the struggling New Orleans Hornets, 103-96.
David Lee had 26 points and nine rebounds while Klay Thompson finished with 19 points for the Warriors, who went 6-1 on their road trip. They built a 14-point lead in the second quarter and held on to improve to 17-8; the team’s best start for 21 years.
The Los Angeles Lakers overcame an 18-point third-quarter deficit to overrun Charlotte, 101-100, handing the Bobcats a 12th straight loss.
Kobe Bryant scored four of his 30 points in the final 1:26, while Jodie Meeks and Metta World Peace each had 17 points for the Lakers, who won their third straight.
The Atlanta Hawks needed overtime to edge the Washington Wizards, 100-95.
The Toronto Raptors downed the Cleveland Cavaliers, 113-99, in a meeting of two struggling teams. AP
