Associated Press
The NBA roundup …
INDIANAPOLIS ó Danny Granger had 27 points to lead the Indiana Pacers to a 98-93 victory over the Charlotte Bobcats on Sunday night.
T.J. Ford and Mike Dunleavy each scored 13, and Troy Murphy added 11 points and 14 rebounds for the Pacers (17-27), who won a season-high fifth consecutive home game.
Raja Bell and Boris Diaw had 18 points apiece, and Emeka Okafor finished with 14 points and eight rebounds for Charlotte (18-26). The Bobcats had won five of six.
Charlotte cut the deficit to 96-93 on Bell’s jumper with 1:25 left, and Jeff Foster’s free throw gave Indiana a four-point lead. Following two missed free throws by Diaw and Gerald Wallace’s missed 3-pointer, Ford hit a free throw to seal the victory.
Lakers 99, Spurs 85
LOS ANGELES ó A matchup of the Western Conference’s best teams turned out to be a mismatch. Kobe Bryant scored 22 points before sitting out the fourth quarter, Pau Gasol added 16 points, five rebounds and four assists, and the Los Angeles Lakers routed the San Antonio Spurs 99-85y.
The win was the fourth straight and 14th in 17 games for the Lakers (35-8).
Celtics 124, Mavericks 100
BOSTO ó Ray Allen scored 20 of his 23 points in the first half when the Celtics opened a 27-point lead, and Eddie House added seven 3-pointers to help Boston beat the Dallas Mavericks and give the defending NBA champs their eighth straight win.
Kevin Garnett scored 23, and Rajon Rondo had 13 points and 14 assists for Boston. After a 2-7 slump that was the worst of the new Big Three era, the Celtics have won eight in a row by an average of 16 points, and six straight in double digits.
Suns 104, Hawks 99
ATLANTA ó Amare Stoudemire scored 23 points, and Shaquille O’Neal had 19 points and 11 rebounds to help Phoenix snap a three-game losing streak.
Steve Nash, who finished with 14 points and 13 assists, used a give-and-go with Stoudemire to make it 102-99 with 26.2 seconds remaining.
Raptors 113, Kings 97
TORONTO ó Chris Bosh scored 31 points, Andrea Bargnani added 24 and the Toronto Raptors beat Sacramento, handing the Kings their fifth straight loss.
Rockets 108, Pistons 105
AUBURN HILLS, Mich. ó Ron Artest scored three of his 24 points at the line in the final 14 seconds, helping the Houston Rockets hold off the Detroit Pistons.
Artest and Tracy McGrady returned to the lineup for the Rockets, who were without Yao Ming because of a knee injury.
Timberwolves 109, Bulls 108, OT
MINNEAPOLIS ó Al Jefferson scored a season-high 39 points to lead Minnesota to a 109-108 overtime victory over the Chicago Bulls, the Timberwolves’ ninth win in 11 games.