Associated Press
The NBA roundup …
MINNEAPOLIS ó Kobe Bryant scored 28 points to move past Elgin Baylor into 20th place on the NBA’s career scoring list and the Los Angeles Lakers outlasted the Minnesota Timberwolves for a 111-108 victory Sunday night.
Lamar Odom had 25 points and 14 rebounds, and Pau Gasol added 25 points for the team with the league’s best record.
Rockets 99, Bobcats 78
HOUSTON ó Ron Artest scored 26 points, Yao Ming added 19 points and seven rebounds and Houston continued to win without Tracy McGrady.
Raymond Felton, Boris Diaw and Emeka Okafor scored 13 points apiece for the Bobcats.
Celtics 128, Suns 108
PHOENIX ó Rajon Rondo scored a career-high 32 points to go with 10 assists on his 23rd birthday and the Boston Celtics didn’t need Kevin Garnett to beat the Phoenix Suns.
Ray Allen scored 31 and Paul Pierce 26 in Boston’s first game since Garnett went down with a strained muscle in his right knee that is expected to sidelined him for at least two weeks.
Raptors 111, Knicks 100
TORONTO ó Andrea Bargnani had 28 points and 10 rebounds to help the Raptors beat New York two days after absorbing a 30-point loss against the Knicks.
Pacers 98, Bulls 91
INDIANAPOLIS ó Troy Murphy had a season-high 27 points and the Pacers survived a second-half stretch of 11 minutes without a field goal to beat Chicago.
Magic 122, Heat 99
ORLANDO, Fla. ó Dwight Howard had 32 points and 17 rebounds, and the Orlando Magic withstood a career-high 50 points by Dwyane Wade to rout the Miami Heat.
Blazers 116, Clippers 87
PORTLAND, Ore. ó Steve Blake tied the NBA mark with 14 first-quarter assists and LaMarcus Aldridge scored 28 points as the Portland Trail Blazers rolled past the Los Angeles Clippers.
Bucks 120, Nuggets 117
MILWAUKEE ó Charlie Villanueva scored nine of his season-high 36 points in the fourth quarter to help the Milwaukee Bucks beat the Denver Nuggets.
Cavaliers 99, Pistons 78
CLEVELAND ó Delonte West scored 25 points in his first game since mid-January and LeBron James added 20, leading the Cleveland Cavaliers over the Detroit Pistons.