Gallinari scores 19 as Nuggets top Cavaliers 111-103
CLEVELAND — Danilo Gallinari scored 19 points, Kenneth Faried added 17 and the Denver Nuggets won their ninth straight game with a 111-103 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Saturday night.
The Nuggets, who have won 15 of 17, are on their longest winning streak since posting 10 straight victories from March 30-April 15, 2005.
Kyrie Irving led Cleveland with 26 points, but was plagued by foul trouble. The loss ended Cleveland’s three-game winning streak that matched a season high. The Cavaliers haven’t won four games in a row since March 17-24, 2010, which was LeBron James’ final season with the franchise.
76ERS 87, BOBCATS 76
Lavoy Allen had 14 points and a career-high 22 rebounds, and Jrue Holiday scored 20 points to lead the Philadelphia 76ers past the Charlotte Bobcats.
Evan Turner had 16 points and 10 rebounds, and Jeremy Pargo scored 12 points in his Sixers debut. Pargo signed a 10-day contract this week after he was waived by Cleveland. The Sixers improved to 5-2 on their eight-game homestand that ends Monday against the Los Angeles Clippers. The solid showing at home has helped the Sixers inch closer to the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference.
Ramon Sessions scored 20 points, Byron Mullens had 16 and Gerald Henderson 13 as the NBA-worst Bobcats lost their seventh straight.
MAVERICKS 116, WARRIORS 91
Shawn Marion scored a season-high 26 points, O.J. Mayo added 19 and the Dallas Mavericks handed the Golden State Warriors their fourth straight loss.
Dirk Nowitzki scored 15 points and Darren Collison keyed a first-quarter run for Dallas, which beat Golden State for the first time this season after dropping their first two meetings to the Warriors by a combined seven points.
The Mavericks built a 27-point lead in the second quarter to put away the Warriors early.
Golden State’s Stephen Curry had 18 points on 8-of-23 shooting and Carl Landry added 13.
PISTONS 105, BUCKS 100
Charlie Villanueva hit a 3-pointer with 9.7 seconds left and Rodney Stuckey sealed the win with two free throws as the Detroit Pistons beat the Milwaukee Bucks.
Brandon Jennings, who scored 26 points, took an inbounds pass from Monta Ellis and made a tough fadeaway shot with 47.8 seconds left. But Jose Calderon, who tied his season high with 23 points, came back with a running layup for Detroit that tied it at 100.
After a timeout, the Pistons worked the ball to Villanueva, who got it at the top of the key and swished a 3. On the Bucks’ next possession, Jennings fired up a 31-foot 3-point attempt with 3.2 seconds left. Stuckey’s two free throws with 1.6 seconds remaining were the final margin.
KINGS 120, JAZZ 109
Isaiah Thomas scored 25 points and Marcus Thornton had 24 for the Sacramento Kings in a victory over the Utah Jazz.
It was a boisterous crowd of 16,193 that was chanting “Sacramento!” just before tipoff in support of the Kings, who could be sold and move to Seattle next season.
Alec Burks had a career-high 24 points and Al Jefferson scored 16 for the Jazz, who dropped their second straight game. Enes Kantor had 15 points and DeMare Carroll had 14.
Jason Thompson had 21 points for the Kings, who snapped a four-game losing streak and had lost eight of nine games, most of them on a recent dismal road trip.
