Associated Press
The NBA roundup …
HOUSTON — Kevin Martin scored 25 points, Luis Scola added 18 and Kyle Lowry had 16 points, nine rebounds and eight assists to lead the Houston Rockets to a 105-85 win over the San Antonio Spurs on Thursday.
The Rockets took advantage of the Spurs’ poor shooting at the start and built a big lead. First-year Houston coach Kevin McHale was able to rest his starters in the fourth quarter, with his team playing the first of three games on consecutive nights.
DeJuan Blair scored 22 points and grabbed 12 rebounds for San Antonio, which shot 38 percent (35 of 93) and went 2 for 17 from 3-point range. Tim Duncan went 1for 8 from the field and scored four points and Richard Jefferson went 2 for 10 and had only five points for the Spurs.
Magic 94, Nets 78
ORLANDO, Fla. — Ryan Anderson scored 22 points, Dwight Howard had 16 points and 24 rebounds and the Orlando Magic cruised to a 94-78 win over the New Jersey Nets.
Jason Richardson added 16 points for the Magic — including 15 in the first half — and J.J. Redick scored 15 points off the bench.
It was the 49th career 20-rebound game for Howard, who neared his career high of 26 rebounds.
Rookie forward MarShon Brooks led the Nets with 17 points. Deron Williams missed his first six shots and finished 2 of 12 from the field with only 10 points.
Thunder 104, Mavericks 102
OKLAHOMA CITY — Kevin Durant scored 30 points and hit a 3-pointer at the final buzzer to lift the Oklahoma City Thunder to a 104-102 victory against the Dallas Mavericks in a rematch of last season’s Western Conference finals.
The Thunder let Dallas wipe away a five-point deficit in the final 46 seconds to go ahead on Vince Carter’s 3-pointer with 1.4 seconds remaining. That was just enough time for Oklahoma City to get the ball to Durant, who drilled a 3 from the right wing.