Putti and Parker scored 42 points and became the all-time franchise assists leader for the San Antonio Spurs in a 107-96 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Saturday night.

His nine assists moved him past Avery Johnson in Spurs history, but this night wasnt about his passing. Parker joined Kobe Bryant, Dwight Howard, Anthony Morrow and LeBron James as the only NBA players to eclipse 40 points in a game this season.

Bryant, Howard and James were chosen All-Star starters this week. Reserves are announced Thursday.

If Parkers name wasnt in the mix before, it almost certainly is now.

“I would like to go again eventually,” said Parker, a three-time All-Star who hasnt been since 2009. “Well see what happens.”

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All-Star Kevin Durant had 22 points and 11 rebounds for Oklahoma City (18-5), which was headed for its first blowout loss of the season before closing a 24-point deficit in the fourth. The convincing win over the NBAs winningest team was just the springboard San Antonio needed before spending next three weeks on the road – where the Spurs have hardly been as dominant.

The Thunder has jumped ahead of the rest of the NBA, in part, by being the best road team. But this time they ran straight into the NBAs best home team, which was never clearer than in the third quarter when the Spurs tripled an 8-point lead in a span of 8 ½ minutes.

Parkers most electrifying game since scoring 43 in a playoff win over Dallas in 2009 saw to that.

“Coming off pick and rolls, [Parker] was getting to the rim,” Durant said. “He is so quick and he was beating our bigs to the lane sometimes. Its tough for our bigs to guard someone as fast as Tony.”

Parker, whos spent all his 11 years in the NBA in San Antonio, now has 4,477 career assists. He scored 16 points in the third, going 6 for 9 from the floor and sinking all four of his foul shots. In a game worthy of a s with 2:28 left in the third, when he surpassed the franchise assists record that Johnson had held since 2001.

The record dish fittingly came on a pick-and-roll with Tim Duncan, his longtime co-pilot in San Antonios last three championships. And up against the NBAs top team, the duo looked as though they didnt even miss Manu Ginobili, whos missed the last month with a broken hand.

Parker was 16 of 29 from the floor, made 10 of 12 free throws and upped his scoring average to 18 points.

“(Parker) knew he had to have a big game tonight, and we knew we had to score points against these guys,” Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said.

Duncan had 13 points and 15 rebounds. Rookie Kawhi Leonard, getting his starting job back so he could guard Durant, added 15 points and hit all three of his 3-pointers. San Antonios four-game winning streak is its longest all season.

James Harden had 19 points off the bench for the Thunder. Russell Westbrook had 18 points and six assists.

“Tony Parker had his way with us,” Thunder coach Scott Brooks said. “Thats as aggressive as Ive seen him in a long time.”

At times, it was an intense start to the Thunders five-game road trip. A scramble for a loose ball between Parker and Westbrook in the second quarter escalated into a quick scrape of swats and kicks, with Parker getting whistled for a personal foul and Westbrook shoving aside the Frenchmans leg so he could get up.

Parker, visibly annoyed, was pulled off the pile by Blair, and the players on the Thunders bench sprung to their feet. Parker responded by darting full steam on a fast break and drawing a foul at the rim. One possession later, Parker hit a tough 17-footer falling away, adding to an entire games worth of highlights.

The Spurs improved to 13-1 at home, best in the NBA. But theyll now play their next nine away from the AT&T Center as part of their annual Rodeo Road Trip. San Antonio is 3-8 on the road.

Notes

Thunder G Thebo Sefolosha missed his fourth consecutive game with a sore right foot. Following Thursdays win over New Orleans, Popovich ridiculed a reporter who suggested that 7-footer Tiago Splitter attempted anything but layups, saying his last jumper was probably in Spain in 2003. Two nights later? Splitter badly missed a 13-foot fadeaway with the shot clock running down.

Dwyane Wade scored 26 points, and James had 19 points and 12 rebounds to lift the Miami Heat to a 99-79 win over the Philadelphia 76ers on Friday night.

Needing a jumpstart in the fourth, James shifted to point guard, sparking a dominant late run that put away the pesky Sixers. James led a makeshift lineup that included Udonis Haslem and Mike Miller to a 15-0 spurt in the quarter. It turned a tight one for 36 minutes into a comfortable victory and handed the Sixers just their third home loss of the season.

Wade used a pair of ferocious dunks during the game-changing run that pushed the Sixers first sellout crowd of the season toward the exits.

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“When hes out there and were all on the same page on what were running offensively,” Wade said, “it makes us a dynamic team.”

Mario Chalmers scored 13 points and Chris Bosh had 12 to help the Heat in a needed bounce-back game. James had six of his eight assists in the fourth.

“Tonight was probably the best game from start to finish, as far as playing hard and communicating on both ends, that we had all season,” James said. “So it was a good win.”

James scored a season-high 40 points in a loss at Milwaukee on Wednesday night. The Heat held a tough practice Thursday in Philadelphia to get back on track. The Heat went broke down all aspects of the team via film and some honest communication.

“It was no-holds barred, no tongues being held,” James said. “If were going to be held to a championship standard, we need to go out and play like it. No one can take things personal if someone says something to him. Weve got to take constructive criticism.”

Thaddeus Young scored 16 points for the Sixers, who snapped a four-game winning streak.

The Sixers opened the week with wins against Orlando and Chicago. The Heat squashed the home-week sweep.

Miamis 113-92 win on Jan. 21 was Philadelphias only double-digit loss of the season. Entering the fourth, duplicating that feat seemed out of reach.

Unlike the Sixers, the Heat can turn to their stable of stars to crank up the pressure.

Wade started the run easily enough with free throws. Haslem and Miller buried mid-range jumpers, James followed with a 3 and the game changed in a hurry.

The Sixers (12-3 at home) had grown used to the confetti gun blasting off after each victory. By the time they dusted off the seldom-used inspirational movie scene video reel, it was too late. Wade, Bosh and James were headed toward the bench, another win over the Sixers in the books.

“They started to crank it up and we took a few bad shots,” Young said. “We went cold and didnt play together. We knew there would be some rough times, but well be OK. We know were a good team. There wont be any heads down.”

The Heat played in Philadelphia for the first time since they blew a six-point lead with 95 seconds to play in Game 4 of their opening round playoff series. Jrue Holiday hit a late 3 that sliced the deficit to one and Lou Williams made the go-ahead 3-pointer from the top of the arc over a lunging Wade with 8.1 seconds left for an 86-82 win.

“Our first-round series against them was arguably the toughest, outside the finals,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said before the game.

Last season, opening round. This season, something deeper?

The Sixers had stamped themselves as a rising threat in the East. The Heat couldnt shake the upstart Sixers in front of 20,694 fans and never led by more than seven in the first half.

The Sixers have done serious damage this season in the third quarter, putting teams away with big runs and tough defensive efforts. The Bulls scored 11 points in the third Wednesday. The Magic scored only nine points Monday.

The defense was as tight as usual, limiting the Heat to 16. The offense (6 of 18) never got going.

“The third quarter was a grind out,” Wade said.

Boshs putback ended an 0-for-10 start to the third for the Heat for a two-point lead. While the Heat struggled, the Sixers couldnt capitalize. Elton Brand and Tony Battie, two frontcourt starters, both went scoreless.

Andre Iguodala, who has cranked up his numbers when the Sixers need him most, continued with the clutch stops. He intercepted a pass from Wade into the post and drove the length of the court for a monster one-handed jam that had fans jumping out of their seats. But he went only 4 for 10 from the floor for 10 points.

The Sixers could never take the lead in the third and that cost them in the final minutes. James scored the last eight points of the third, including a long jumper that made it 67-63. Iguodala buried a 50-footer that was waved off after review.

Philadelphias winning streak was put to rest in the fourth.

“They just overwhelmed us in the fourth quarter,” coach Doug Collins said. “They put a push on us and we didnt have any resistance, so credit to them.”

Notes

The Heat only made 11 of 20 free throws. They made up for that number with just nine turnovers. The Sixers missed eight of their first nine shots in the third quarter. Brand was scoreless for the fifth time in 823 career games and third time as a Sixer. Former 76er Rick Mahorn, TV personality Jane Pauley, cartoonist Garry Trudeau and actress Mary Carey were all at the game. Not counting playoffs, the Heat have won nine straight over the Sixers.

Rose had 32 points, 13 assists and a basket seemingly every time the Knicks were poised to rally in the Bulls 105-102 victory.

“Every time I step on the court, theyre coming at me,” Rose said. “I love it where its a challenge like that. Im not backing away from it, and I dont want them to back away from it. Its just be on every night.”

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This night brought relief for a Chicago team in the middle of a nine-game road trip and more distress for New York and its embattled coach, who opened a back-to-back-to-back with their 10th loss in 12 games.

“For the most part, we played extremely hard tonight,” Anthony said. “Weve got to pat ourselves on the back for something. We can go and magnify the turnovers late in the second quarter; we still a chance to win the basketball game.”

Rose had 15 of his points in the fourth quarter, scoring on three consecutive possessions during one spectacular 79-second burst. He split Anthony and Amare Stoudemire to flip in a shot from past the backboard, then hit a 3-pointer to put the Bulls up 95-88 with less than six minutes left.

Stoudemire had a season-high 34 points and 11 reboun that would have tied the score.

“He can make that shot as well as anybody,” coach Mike DAntoni said.

Said Stoudemire: “That shot normally falls for me.”

Anthony had 26 points but only four in the fourth quarter and missed a desperation 3 at the buzzer that would have sent the game to overtime. Twice in the last 92 seconds with the Knicks trailing by 3, he had his shot blocked.

New York still had its chances. Landry Fields baseline drive with 23.4 seconds left pulled the Knicks within 1. New York had no choice but to foul Kyle Korver, a 74 percent free-throw shooter, with 13.7 seconds to go. He hit both.

After Stoudemire missed, a miscommunication by the Bulls kept things interesting. With Chicago lea but they were supposed to do so only with a 3-point lead.

Anthony made both, and Rose failed to clinch the victory when he missed something he seemed more focused on afterward than his 32 points. Anthony couldnt make him pay when his 33-footer bounced off the rim.

“We always say you got to find a way, and the good teams in this league find different ways to win games,” Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau said of his Eastern Conference leaders. “Ideally, youd like to count on both your offense and your defense.”

Allowing New York to shoot 49 percent is not his idea of defense, but Chicago more than made up for it by making nearly 53 percent of its field goals and 6 of 13 3-point attempts.

With the Knicks trailing by 11 at halftime, Anthony scored 12 in the third. His driving bank shot with 44.1 seconds left in the period tied the score for the first time since late in the first quarter.

But on the Bulls next possession, Jared Jeffries was called for a foul on Ronnie Brewer. When Tyson Chandler barked to the refs, he received a technical. Korver hit that free throw, and New York never tied it again.

The Knicks had to dig out of a hole after committing five turnovers in the last 3½ minutes of the first half, including one immediately after a timeout with 1:36 left. Joakim Noah had two dunks and Brewer added a third as the Bulls pulled ahead 55-42 with 25.8 seconds remaining.

With boos pouring down from the stands, Anthony missed a jumper, then missed a layup after an offensive rebound. His third try with less than a second to go finally went in.

Notes

Rose scored at least 30 points for the fourth time in five games. The Bulls nine-game road trip is the clubs longest since the 1992-93 season. They improved to 2-2 after losing at Philadelphia 98-82 a night earlier. The Knicks got only six points off the bench, all by Toney Douglas. New York is playing three games in three days for the first time since 1999. New York must travel to Boston to play Friday night before returning home to face the Nets on Saturday. Knicks rookie Iman Shumpert had a career-high eight assists.

Somehow, the Milwaukee Bucks have bragging rights.

Brandon Jennings scored 31 points, including three 3-pointers in a critical stretch of the fourth quarter, and Milwaukee beat Miami 105-97 on Wednesday for the Bucks second win over the Heat this seaso he scored a season-high 40 points, including a powerf Jennings and the Bucks walked away with a win.

And, apparently, a little bit of admiration from James.

“Me and LeBron looked at each other,” Jennings said. “I said, 40? He said, Youve got 31, though.”

Jennings also had eight assists with no turnovers while Drew Gooden added 17 points and nine re including a victory over the Los Angeles Lakers last Saturday.

The Bucks also beat the Heat 91-82 in Miami on Jan. 22.

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James had 24 points in the first quarter, the most points any player has scored in a quarter this season, according to STATS LLC. But he went cold in the second half.

“You always give credit where credit is due,” James said. “They made some shots in the third quarter and fourth quarter. They got back into it. They made a run. We held it as much as possible.”

Dwyane Wade added 23 points for the Heat, but it wasnt enough.

“What that second half showed is we still have a long way to go as a ballclub just in terms of playing consistently,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. “We were playing very good basketball in the first half. Its a fragile game. In this league it can go the other way quickly if youre not staying consistent to your identity.”

Bucks fans chanted “overrated” in the final minutes of the game.

“We cant just have an ordinary energy game, we have to have an extraordinary game against them,” Bucks coach Scott Skiles said. “The guys came out in the second half and really took it to them.”

Milwaukee trailed 60-47 at the half but closed the gap in the third quarter. The Heat went into the fourth with a 79-76 lead.

Ersan Ilyasova converted a three-point play to tie the score at the start of the fourth, and Jennings hit a running layup to give the Bucks an 81-79 lead with 11:06 left.

Milwaukees fourth-quarter run continued, and the Bucks led 87-82 when Luc Richard Mbah a Moute scored inside. The Heat than drew a shot-clock violation with the ball in James hands, and Jennings hit a 3-pointer on the other end to give Milwaukee a 90-82 lead with 6:40 to go.

After a pair of free throws by Gooden, Wade missed a contested layup, and Jennings hit anoth and Jennings drilled yet another 3, giving the Bucks a 98-82 lead.

With Milwaukee later leading 101-92, James was called for traveling in transition with just over two minutes left.

James shot 5 for 12 in the second half.

“Hes not easy to stop,” Jennings said. “He got it going early, but I think we did a great job [in the] second half, just countering him on everything.”

A large part of the credit goes to Mbah a Moute, the Bucks defensive ace.

“Its a tough job, going against those guys,” Mbah a Moute said. “But its a fun job, too. Those guys are the best and its always fun to play against the best.”

Wednesdays game had all the makings of a Heat blowout early on, thanks to James. Already off to a sizzling start, James finished the first quarter in memorable fashion.

“The first half, it felt like LeBron was going to go for like 60 or whatever,” Jennings said.

With under a minute left in the quarter, he took the ball away from Milwaukees Beno Udrih, took a couple of steps and finished with a powerful windmill dunk with 32.9 seconds left in the quarter.

As if that wasnt enough, James then hit a 3 with 2.2 seconds left in the quarter.

James huge dunk drew a gasp, then a roar from the crowd. It even had a pair of Bradley Center ushers recreating the dunk during the first-quarter break.

But the Heat couldnt keep the lead.

“I dont think we relaxed,” Wade said. “They played well. Give them credit. Im not taking anything away from the Bucks.”

Notes

According to STATS, James 24 points matches his career high in a quarter, accomplished three previous times. Stephen Jackson returned for the Bucks, after serving a one-game NBA suspension in Milwaukees victory over the Los Angeles Lakers on Saturday, then being benched against Detroit on Monday. Jackson played nine-plus minutes and didnt score. The Bucks recalled rookie guard Darington Hobson from the Fort Wayne Mad Ants of the NBA Development League.

Anthony scored 25 points in his return to the lineup, Landry Fields added 16 of his 18 in a flawless first half, and the Knicks snapped a three-game losing streak with a 113-86 victory over the Detroit Pistons on Tuesday night.

Tyson Chandler had 17 points and Amare Stoudemire 15 for the Knicks, whose slumbering offense awoke in just their second victory amazingly t and fell just a point short of matching their highest scoring effort.

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“A lot of that is Melo,” Knicks coach Mike DAntoni said. “You could see he was well, he looked good and we play a lot off him and he draws a lot of attention, makes it easy for everybody else, kind of puts everybody else back in their roles that they do. And we struggled with him out or with him hurt.”

Anthony had missed two straight games because of injuries to his ankle, wrist and thumb, finally shutting it down after shooting just 31.7 percent in six games since he was hurt on Jan. 12 at Memphis. But he drove easily and shot well after deciding shortly before the game he was ready to go, going 9 of 14 from the field and handing out six assists.

“My legs felt great out there tonight,” Anthony said. “I felt refreshed. Just taking these five, six days off that I did really helped me out big time. I could feel me having my explosiveness back. A lot of the things that I was doing prior to the Memphis game, it came back tonight.”

Jonas Jerebko scored 15 points and Greg Monroe had 13 points and 12 rebounds for the Pistons (4-19), who lost their sixth straight and are struggling to even be competitive while playing without Ben Gordon, Charlie Villanueva and Will Bynum.

“Were not even putting ourselves in a position where these games are in doubt,” Pistons coach Lawrence Frank said. “Were all embarrassed that were not doing better. We all have to raise our hands and figure out ways we can improve.”

Fields, who has played better lately after struggling early, made all six of his attempts in the first half, including four 3-pointers. The Knicks made 23 of 35 shots (65.7 percent) in the first half, going 6 of 8 behind the arc, and kept it up the rest of the night.

The Knicks have been in a season-long shooting slump, coming into the game 29th in the NBA in field-goal percentage at 41.4 percent. DAntoni traced much of the problems to Anthonys physical struggles, saying the Knicks had no way to attack without him.

But theyve shredded the Pistons twice, dunking 13 times in a 103-80 victory on Jan. 7 in Detroit. All 12 players scored Tuesday, with reserve Bill Walker chipping in 11 points.

The Pistons trailed by double digits after one quarter in their previous two games, and were quickly down 17-7 in this one. They cut into the lead before Fields and Anthony made 3-pointers in the final 25 seconds of the period to give New York a 33-24 lead. Detroit kept it close until late in the second, but New York finished the half with a flurry and blew it open easily in the third quarter, when the Pistons managed just 12 points.

“We just didnt give ourselves a chance,” forward Tayshaun Prince said. “When youre losing games and playing the way were playing, the one thing you want to do is give yourself a chance to win, but we dont do that.”

New York had botched home games against sub-.500 teams Charlotte, Toronto, Phoenix and Milwaukee, but couldnt afford to blow this one with a back-to-back-to-back set that includes Chicago and Boston starting Thursday.

They got plenty of rest for that, emptying the bench early in the fourth.

“We were moving the ball,” Fields said, “and just going in tonight we wanted to make a statement going into these next three games. So I think we did that.”

Notes

The Pistons finish a stretch of three games in three nights Wednesday at New Jersey, where Frank was the Nets coach from 2004 until he was fired after losing his first 16 games in the 2009-10 season. DAntoni said he doesnt expect Baron Davis to play until next week. Davis is still recovering from a herniated disk in his back and started practicing last week, but wasnt ready to debut during their four-game road trip and sat out practice Monday. DAntoni said Davis didnt have a setback, but the team felt it was better to give him more time.

Griffin had 22 points to go with Chris Pauls 26 points and 14 assists in a 112-100 victory Monday night that snapped the Thunders four-game winning streak in a matchup of division leaders.

Griffin downplayed his monster move after the game, a sly smile only briefly breaking his serious expression.

“CP commands so much attention out there. He came off the pick-and-roll and he hit me in stride,” Griffin said.

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Paul added: “I told Blake after the game, `Thanks for letting me be part of that.”

DeAndre Jordan grabbed Griffin from behind in a celebratory bear hug as the basket got replayed over and over in the third quarter.

Jordan, who had 11 points and 11 rebounds, couldnt help himself.

“I was shocked. I didnt know what to do, so I just grabbed him. I hit him kind of hard,” he said. “Im going to go home and watch it again. Its probably going to be the screensaver on my phone.”

Griffin said he knew hed made an impression judging by the crowds raucous response. Then he felt Jordan behind him.

“He armlocked me,” Griffin said. “I couldnt breathe.”

Paul had 26 points and 14 assists, Caron Butler also had 22 points, Chauncey Billups scored 13 and Mo Williams 12 as the Pacific-leading Clippers dunked with high-flying abandon against the team with the NBAs best record at 16-4. They won their third in a row to follow up a 109-105 victory at Denver a night earlier that began a stretch of five games in seven nights.

“Were not going to read too much into it,” Paul said of the back-to-back wins. “It let us know what were capable of. We can explode offensively.”

Kevin Durant had 36 points and 13 rebounds, and Russell Westbrook added 31 for the Northwest-leading Thunder, whose league-best road record dropped to 8-3. They had won 11 of their previous 12.

“Chris Paul was running around, getting what he wanted to get on the floor and making passes to guys for wide-open dunks and 3s,” Durant said. “Its tough to stop.”

Griffins monster mash had everyone talking and tweeting, but the Clippers put together a stunning sequence going into halftime.

They shocked the Thunder with four consecutive 3-pointers in less than a minute to lead 64-46. The flurry by Williams (two), Butler (one) and Billups (one) stopped the Thunders 11-2 run that had drawn them within six points.

“I told Mo that might have been the greatest exchange I have been part of since Ive been in the NBA,” Paul said. “That got the crowd into it. Four 3s in under a minute is unbelievable.”

Jordan said: “We were just hot. It really didnt look like it was real. We were on a high, but we knew we had to come out in the third and knock them out flat.”

The Thunder bumbled their way into the half, with Westbrook and Durant combining on three straight turnovers that led to the Clippers long-range fireworks. Williams and Butler had two steals in the run.

“That doesnt happen, and it probably wont happen again the rest of the year, that a team will make that many 3s in a minute,” Thunder coach Scott Brooks said. “But they made the shots. They started the game with a lot of urgency and they had us back on our heels.”

Los Angeles shot 71 percent from long range in a half that also featured a series of huge dunks by Jordan, Griffin, Durant and Westbrook, although both teams missed their share of dunks, too.

Daequan Cook was the only other Oklahoma City player in double figures with 12 points. Durant and Westbrook scored all but two of the Thunders 25 points in the third quarter, which the Clippers ended on a 3-pointer by Paul to lead 90-70.

Durant and Westbrook began the fourth on the bench, although they both stood up when Cook hit his second 3-pointer of the period to get the Thunder to 95-81. Griffin then scored five in a row, capped by a two-handed jam that extended the Clippers lead to 100-81.

The Thunder outscored Los Angeles 30-22 in the fourth, but never made a big run to ge just off their season high of 14 against Denver on Sunday.

They made 10 3s in the first half, led by four from Butler, who connected from his favorite spot in the left corner.

The Thunders only lead was four points to start the game.

Notes

Butler reached the 10,000-point mark on his third 3-pointer in the first quarter. Durant and Westbrook have scored at least 25 points each 37 times in their four seasons together. The Clippers improved to 10-2 at home. It was the Clippers 12th consecutive sellout this season and 24th in a row overall dating to last season. The crowd of 19,404 included Larry King and Los Angeles Angels pitcher Dan Haren. home. It was the Clippers 12th consecutive sellout this season and 24th in a row overall dating to last season. The crowd of 19,404 included Larry King and Los Angeles Angels pitcher Dan Haren.

Billups homecoming couldnt have gone better. He scored a season-high 32 points and drew a crucial foul in the waning seconds to help seal the Los Angeles Clippers 109-105 victory that snapped the Denver Nuggets six-game winning streak Sunday night.

It was Billups first game at the Pepsi Center since the Nuggets included him in the Carmelo Anthony trade nearly a year ago.

The veteran guard received a rousing ovation during introductions.

“That was beautiful, man,” Billups said. “That was beautiful.”

The only visitor who got louder applause was Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow, sitting courtside.

“That ovation was well-deserved,” Nuggets guard Arron Afflalo said about Billups.

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Those cheers quickly turned to groans the rest of the night as Billups reminded the Nuggets and their fans just what theyd lost even as Denver has won 32 of 45 since the blockbuster trade.

Just when the Nuggets started to pull away in the fourth quarter, going up five, Billups took over as he had so many times in this building.

His sixth 3-pointer tied it at 99, and his three-point play finished off an 8-0 spurt that gave the Clippers a 102-99 lead with 2:37 left.

The Nuggets regained the lead 105-104 on Nenes dunk with 47 seconds remaining. But Chris Pauls two free throws gave Los Angeles the lead for good with 36 seconds left.

Trailing 107-105, the Nuggets got the ball into Nene down low, but he pushed off against Billups and was whistled for an offensive foul with 18 seconds left.

“Yeah, we knew we were switching and I figured at some point Id probably be on him,” Billups said. “And they wanted to exploit the mismatch when they went to Nene vs. me and I was just kind of fronting him and as soon as he grabbed me, pushed me, boom, I went down.”

A little overacting helped as Billups hit the floor hard.

“I mean, my back is hurting,” Billups cracked. “Hey, I need a chiropractor, man.”

In the other locker room, Nene said: “It was the wrong call, but thats the ruling. It was a bad call and they won.”

Nuggets coach George Karl said, “We didnt get a generous whistle. I thought the last play Chauncey was actually trying to foul Nene on purpose. That is a tough call in that situation.”

Paul was fouled on the ensuing inbounds and sank two free throws to cap the win. He finished with 25 points, and Blake Griffin added 17.

“Chaunceys like me. It doesnt matter where you play, you want to win,” Paul said. “You couldnt care less if youre at home or youre a thousand miles away from home, you just want to win.”

Actually, it meant a lot to Billups.

“Its just always good to play in front of your family and its always good to compete against friends,” Billups said.

“Youd be hard pressed to say an sure its special to come back,” Clippers coach Vinny Del Negro said. “Im happy Chauncey played well.”

Billups had 15 points at the half and really got hot in the third quarter, sinking three straight 3-pointers, including one with Rudy Fernandez all over him.

“I think we saw Chauncey do a similar thing to Detroit when we went back to Detroit,” Karl said. “When he gets in that zone .”

Billups spent 2½ years in his second stint with the Nuggets, instantly turned a middling Denver team into a contender when he came over from Detroit for Allen Iverson in 2008. He guided the Nuggets to a franchise-best 54 wins and the Western Conference finals that year.

“Ive told the story that if we dont make the Chauncey trade, I dont think Im here right now,” Karl said. “We were playing very ordinary basketball. Then we made the trade and we went from ordinary to good pretty quick. I remember when [former Nuggets general manager Mark Warkentien] called and said the trade was done, I was downstairs in my house and I actually think I got down on my knees and thanked God.”

And Karl nearly cried 11 months ago when Billups, who starred at the University of Colorado, got caught up in Anthonys trade demand and was included in the 13-player, three-way deal on Feb. 22, 2011, that sent him to New York.

“I think everybody knows it was a sad day when we had to part with him,” Karl said. “I mean, it was hard on everybody.”

Billups included.

He said Sunday night he wasnt happy about getting dragged away from Denver because of Anthonys desire to play in the Big Apple.

“It really wasnt my fight – although I had to go down,” Billups said. “So, that was frustrating. … You know, Ive accomplished a lot in my career and Ive done a lot, being thrown in a deal for some people that havent accomplished what Ive accomplished? So, that was the frustration that I had, but it is what it is.”

Billups wasnt done being dissed.

The Knicks invoked the amnesty clause thats part of the new collective bargaining agreement and cut him last fall without having to count his $14.5 million salary against their cap. Billups let it be known he wanted to clear waivers so he could go wherever he wanted, but he was claimed by the Clippers and briefly contemplated retirement.

“It was weird,” Billups said. “I was hoping to get through it. Didnt. But all things happen as theyre supposed to, you know? And Im here and Im happy to be here. We have a great, young team. Im still able to be me and do what I do, so its a blessing.”

Hes a big part of Del Negros star-studded veteran cast that includes Griffin, Paul, Mo Williams and Caron Butler thats speeding the learning curve for younger teammates while also stealing the buzz from Kobe Bryant and the Lakers in Los Angeles.

Billups departure led to more playing time for Ty Lawson in Denver, and he was slated to start Sunday night after missing time with a sprained left ankle, but he was a late scratch.

Unable to run the Clippers ragged, the Nuggets found themselves in a tight game and things didnt go their way down the stretch, thanks to Billups.

“It was a good loss, if there is such a thing,” Karl said. “We just have to keep our heads up and regroup and get Ty back on the court.”

Notes

The Nuggets have lost three straight to the Clippers, their longest losing streak against any team. Billups said hes trying to get former Denver teammate Kenyon Martin to join the Clippers after his Chinese team ends its season.

They didnt need ei another sign of just how bad the Lakers have been on the road this season.

Drew Gooden scored 23 points and the undermanned, undersized Bucks beat the Lakers 100-89.

“I mean, what are you going to do?” Milwaukees Mike Dunleavy said. “Boguts not going to come in with a better ankle. Were not going to get Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. So we know that weve got to play these big guys with guys with lesser size, but you do it with hard work and toughness.”

Kobe Bryant scored 27 with nine assists and eight rebounds, but it wasnt enough to keep the Lakers from falling to 1-7 on the road this season.

Bryant didnt have an explanation for the Lakers road woes, but said he and Lakers coach Mike Brown would meet to try and figure it out.

“We will have to put our heads together,” Bryant said. “Me and Coach Brown will have to sit down and think of what is going on and how we can be a much better road team.”

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Ersan Ilyasova and Dunleavy added 15 points each for the Bucks.

With Bogut out, the Lakers tried to take advantage of their pair of 7-footers, Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum. It wasnt as easy as it seemed going in.

“In the first half, we did a decent job,” Gasol said. “In the second half, there were not many touches. Defensively there was no excuse, [weve] got to do better. They were beating us all over the court.”

Bynum scored 15 points with nine rebounds. Gasol had 12 points and 15 rebounds, but shot 6 for 18 from the floor.

“It means a lot, especially with Bogut not being there,” said Luc Richard Mbah a Moute, the defensive ace who spent much of the evening hounding Bryant. “Hes always our anchor down there in the front line. For us to go out there and make it tough on a guy like Gasol, its big. Thats probably the reason why we won the game.”

Brown said he saw his team playing on its heels.

“Milwaukee was just more physical than us,” Brown said. “They got up into us, they bothered us, they pressured us.”

Bryant did make six free throws to break Jerry Wests franchise record for free throws made. Coming into Saturdays game, Bryant needed three makes to tie Wests mark of 7,160.

Bryant also came closer to becoming the Lakers career leader in field goals made. He was 10 of 21 from the floor Saturday, leaving him three short of tying Abdul-Jabbars franchise record of 9,935.

Bryant said the Lakers arent panicking.

“In this locker room, I dont think so,” Bryant said. “Theres concern and determination that we want to fix things. If we solve that issue, then well be all right.”

The Bucks managed to beat the Lakers without Jackson, whose suspension was announced a few hours before the game.

The NBA suspended Jackson one game for verbal abuse of a game official and failure to leave the court in a timely manner at the end of the Bucks 107-100 loss at Chicago on Friday night.

Its another rough moment for Jackson, who was benched by coach Scott Skiles in the Bucks Jan. 20 game at the New York Knicks.

Bogut, meanwhile, fractured his left ankle in Wednesdays game at Houston and is expected to miss up to 12 weeks.

Even without Bogut and Jackson, the Bucks were in control most of the way Saturday. Ilyasova hit a jumper at the horn to end the third quarter, and the Bucks took an 80-73 lead into the fourth.

The Bucks led 85-76 after an inside score from Ilyasova with just under eight minutes left, but Bryant scored five straight points to cut the lead to four.

Mbah a Moute hit a jumper, then Gooden scored on a turnaround hook shot and hit a pair of free throws to run the lead back to 91-81.

Andrew Bynum scored inside, but Dunleavy hit a long jumper to give the Bucks a 93-83 lead with just over two minutes left.

After Bryant made a pair of free throws, Dunleavy drilled a 3-pointer to put the game away with 1:24 left.

Lakers rookie guard Andrew Goudelock scored 13 points despite being hospitalized for dehydration overnight. Goudelock was coming off his best performance of the year, having scored a career-high 14 points against the Clippers on Wednesday.

And in terms of contributions from the Lakers reserves, that was about it.

The Bucks, meanwhile, got big nights from Ilyasova and Dunleavy off the bench.

“We needed pretty much everybody,” Mbah a Moute said. “I think everybody tonight came in and had good effort. We need to sustain that for the rest of this season, with Bogut not being there.”

Notes

The Bucks bench outscored the Lakers 37-24. It was the 12th game in a row and 15th of the season in which the Bucks had at least one reserve score in double figures. Saturdays attendance was 18,027, the largest Bucks crowd of the season to date.

Then both took turns teasing teammate James Harden for his sparkling, spiked black shoes.

“See this tension in the locker room?” Durant said, smiling at a small group of reporters inside.

While they might not be the best dressed, the Thunder sure look every bit like the NBAs top team.

Durant had a season-high 37 points and 14 rebounds, Westbrook dazzled with 28 points and 11 assists and the Thunder started a critical road stretch with a 120-109 victory over the Golden State Warriors on Friday night.

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Weeks after a reported squabble between the dynamic duo, Oklahoma City (16-3) owns the leagues best record and only seems to be getting stronger.

“If we play the right way and play team basketball, I dont think there are too many teams that can beat us,” Westbrook said.

Sure seemed that way in the Bay Area.

Harden scored 19 points off the bench and Westbrook added seven steals and six rebounds in the Thunders fourth straight win. Oklahoma City pulled away with a 14-3 run late in the fourth quarter to begin a string of nine of 11 away from home.

Dorell Wright scored 23 and David Lee had 19 points and seven rebounds for the Warriors, who pushed another one of the NBAs elite to the brink. While Golden State already topped Miami, Chicago and Orlando this season, rookie coach Mark Jacksons bunch came up short this time.

“They have a different motor. Theyre a different animal, and weve got to learn how to do that,” Jackson said. “We dont have the luxury to be able to turn it on when we want. Its a good lesson for us.”

The Thunder overcame a few second-half lapses before flexing their muscles for good.

Westbrooks running layup extended Oklahoma Citys lead to turned back the momentum with a frantic fourth-quarter rally.

Nate Robinson, with the Thunder late last season, shook off a defender with a nifty behind-the-back dribble and pulled up for a mid-range jumper that sliced Oklahoma Citys lead to three. He pumped his chest running back on defense, waving to fans and taunting his one-time Thunder teammates.

The celebration turned out to be premature.

Oklahoma City put away the pesky Warriors with a 14-3 run over the next highlight-filled five minutes. None more impressive than Westbrooks bounce pass to Harden, who lobbed an alley-oop that Durant finished with a powerful one-handed slam.

Serge Ibaka also had 20 points and 12 rebounds for Oklahoma City, which plays at the Los Angeles Clippers on Monday night. The Thunder also held guard Stephen Curry, who had a season-high 32 points Wednesday night against Portland, to 15 points and six assists.

“I like the fact that everybody participated, that everybody was aggressive,” Thunder coach Scott Brooks said.

The Thunders dynamic duo showed no West Coast hangover.

Durant and Westbrook sliced and soared through the middle with ease, shredding Golden States undersized perimeter players. The long and lengthy scorers each had nine points in the first quarter to give Oklahoma City a 26-16 lead.

“I was passed due for a big scoring night,” Durant said. “Man, it feels good to score some points.”

The loudest noise of the period still belonged to a former Thunder teammate.

Robinson banked a shot from just beyond half-court at the buzzer, bringing another sold-out crowd of 19,596 in the basketball-starved Bay Area roaring to its feet. He stared back at the Oklahoma City bench for several seconds in the 5-foot-9 guards familiar flair, which had some added incentive.

Robinson, a three-time NBA slam dunk champion, was sent from Boston to Oklahoma City as part of the deal that brought center Kendrick Perkins to the Thunder at the trade deadline last year. After a short and unspectacular tenure, the Thunder released Robinson before this season.

The momentum carried over and the Warriors whittled the Thunders double-digit lead with some strong contributions off the bench. Rookie Klay Thompson scored 10 of his 14 points in the second quarter and Brandon Rush gave Durant fits defensively.

Monta Ellis free throw evened the score at 50 late in the half before the Thunder scored seven straight capped by Westbrooks jumper to go ahead 57-52 at the break.

“Theyve been together a long time and have grown up a lot together,” Curry said. “They know each other well, they know what it takes to finish out games just with that chemistry that they have. Thats where were trying to go.”

Notes

Oklahoma City G Thabo Sefolosha didnt play in the second half because of a sore right foot. Oakland Raiders owner Mark Davis was sitting courtside. The Warriors have sold out six of 11 home games this season. Brooks grew up about an hour southeast of the Bay Area in Lathrop, Calif.

For a while it appeared as though the Magic would return the favor. Instead, the Celtics took advantage of Orlandos fourth-quarter meltdown and erased a 27-point deficit to hand the Magic an even more humbling defeat on their home floor, 91-83 on Thursday night.

Paul Pierce had 24 points and 10 assists, and ETwaun Moore added 16 points off the bench to help Boston beat Orlando for the second time this week.

Pierce and Moore had 10 points each in the fourth quarter to surge past a Magic team that led by 11 points entering the fourth quarter before shooting 2 for 17 from the field in the final 12 minutes. They scored just eight points in the period.

“Everybody was big,” Pierce said. “Obviously, when you got a rookie [Moore] who hasnt pl thats big for us.

“This team decided to stand up and fight.”

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Moore said the Celtics needed a game like this.

“Its definitely a confidence builder for our whole team,” Moore said. “Knowing we can play with some of the best teams out there.”

Dwight Howard led the Magic with 16 points and 16 rebounds. Jason Richardson added 13 points, and Ryan Anderson had 12.

The Celtics have won three straight for just the second time this season. It also was their fourth consecutive victory over the Magic, dating to last season.

Since a season-best, five-game winning streak, the Magic have lost three times in five games, including a 31-point defeat at Boston on Monday.

“We thought it was going to be easy after the first two quarters,” Howard said. “We cant allow that to happen. Weve got to change. We have to change what we do, and guys have to know their roles and do it. Thats just the bottom line.”

The Celtics disrupted the Magics offensive flow in the fourth, so much so that it led to a pair of late, frustration technical fouls on Howard and Anderson.

Magic coach Stan Van Gundy said tempers boiled up so much that it got to a point where players were simply driving to the basket trying to make plays on their own.

“Their pressure, again, really pushed us sideways,” Van Gundy said. “We got frustrated with the officials and we got totally off our game.”

Asked if he thought the Celtics did better with Xs and Os late, Richardson said there wasnt a singular scapegoat issue.

“It was everything,” he said.

After being mostly manhandled on both ends for three quarters, Boston found its energy in the final 12 minutes, sparked by Pierce and Moore.

The Celtics opened the fourth quarter with a 15-1 run and grabbed their first lead since the opening period, 79-76 with 7:32 to play.

The Magic went 0-for-7 from the field, missed 5 of 6 free throws and committed three turnovers during Bostons spurt.

A free throw by Pierce after Andersons technical foul made it 84-78 with 3:47 remaining. The Magic got within 84-80 after a pair of free throws by Hedo Turkoglu, but no closer.

“That was a character builder for our team, it really was,” Celtics coach Doc Rivers said. “Its all that we talked about at halftime. Not a big game plan, we didnt make any big changes. We just kept talking about it being a character builder for this basketball team.

“We needed every single guy today and that was terrific.”

Early on, it seemed like the Magics night.

In a reversal of its dismal performance in the first half of Monday eclipsing its point total in the entire first game by a basket in the opening 24 minutes.

With three starters out, including center Jermaine ONeal, Rivers was forced to start Kevin Garnett opposite Howard.

The move worked out early. one while setting a screen, and the second defending Garnett about 15 feet from the basket. He was forced to the bench less than three minutes in.

The Magic picked it up on both ends without him, and closed the quarter on a 30-11 run to build a 16-point lead.

But all that energy evaporated when it counted.

Now the Magic, a team that was seemingly ready to turn a corner will have to look inward if theyre going to become an elite team, Van Gundy said.

“Weve got to get to where we can just play the game,” he said. “Ive got to find a solution to that.”

Notes

This marked the biggest lead the Magic have blown in a loss since 2001 when it blew a 22-point lead at Dallas. Magic owner Rich DeVos and former guard Nick Anderson presented Howard with a plaque to commemorate him passing Anderson as the Magics career leading scorer. Howard broke the mark against Indiana earlier this week. Rivers was given his third technical foul of the season with 8:47 left in the first quarter. The Celtics played without G Rajon Rondo , who missed his fourth game because of a sore right wrist, G Ray Allen , who was out for a second game with an injured left ankle, and C Jermaine ONeal , out because of a sore left knee. Rivers said Rondo is still in pain, and there is no timetable for his return.