Associated Press
The NBA roundup …
ATLANTA ó The Atlanta Hawks were fortunate that they were at home and the opponent was the struggling Charlotte Bobcats.
Joe Johnson scored 18 of his 28 points in the second half to lead the Hawks to an 83-79 victory over Charlotte on Monday night, extending the Bobcats’ losing streak to seven.
Al Horford added 12 points and 14 rebounds for Atlanta (15-9), which won its third straight and improved to 9-1 at home with six straight games at Philips Arena coming up.
Boris Diaw led Charlotte (7-18) with a season-high 25 points. Raymond Felton added 15.
Atlanta snapped Cleveland’s 11-game winning streak with a 97-92 victory on Saturday night. Next up is Boston on Wednesday night. The Celtics have won 15 straight and are 23-2 after beating Utah on Monday night.
“It’s going to be fun,” Johnson said.
Celtics 100, Jazz 91
BOSTON ó Rajon Rondo scored 12 of his career-high 25 points in the final 5:20, and Kevin Garnett had 19 points and 10 rebounds on Monday night to lead the Boston Celtics to their 15th consecutive victory, 100-91 over the Utah Jazz.
Kendrick Perkins added 15 points and 14 rebounds for Boston, which avenged the worst loss of its championship season. Paul Pierce scored 15 points before he hurt his left knee during a scramble for a defensive rebound with 31 seconds left. He said he should be all right.
Paul Millsap scored a career-high 32 points with 10 rebounds for Utah.
Nuggets 98, Mavericks 88
DALLAS ó Reserve J.R. Smith scored 25 points, Carmelo Anthony added 23, and Denver beat Dallas to extend its winning streak to four games.
Chauncey Billups had 15 points and eight assists for the Nuggets, who have won seven of eight and improved to 16-4 since Billups joined the team after a Nov. 3 trade with the Detroit Pistons.
Dirk Nowitzki had 27 points and 10 rebounds, and Jason Terry scored 19 points for the Mavericks, who had won 11 of their previous 13.
Bucks 98, Heat 83
MIAMI ó Michael Redd scored 16 of his 21 points in the first quarter, and Milwaukee started quickly before holding off a late rally to beat Miami.
Andrew Bogut had 20 points and 11 rebounds, and Charlie Villanueva added 20 points for Milwaukee, which won on the road for the first time since beating Charlotte on Nov. 22.
Nets 94, Raptors 87
TORONTO ó Vince Carter had 20 points and 10 rebounds, Ryan Anderson scored 21 points, and New Jersey beat Toronto to snap a three-game losing streak.
Devin Harris added 16.
Pacers 118, Wizards 98
WASHINGTON ó Danny Granger scored 27 points and Marquis Daniels had 20 points as Indiana snapped a six-game losing streak.