Nowitzki lifts Mavs past Timberwolves
MINNEAPOLIS – A little confrontation woke Dirk Nowitzki right up.
Nowitzki scored 15 of his 20 points in a tense third quarter and had 11 rebounds to lead the Dallas Mavericks to an 89-77 victory against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday night.
Nowitzki had a quiet five points and five rebounds in the first half before jawing with Timberwolves rookie Jonny Flynn five minutes into the third.
Magic 88, Nets 72: At Orlando, Fla., Dwight Howard had 26 points and 12 rebounds, Matt Barnes added 13 points and 13 rebounds, and Orlando put away winless New Jersey.
The Nets got a triple-double from point guard Rafer Alston, the first triple-double of his career, but they fell to 0-9. They are the NBA’s only winless team.
Jazz 112, 76ers 90: At Philadelphia, Carlos Boozer had 24 points and 12 rebounds, Wesley Matthews added a career-high 16 points, and short-handed Utah ran past Philadelphia.
Warriors 121, Knicks 107: At New York, Stephen Jackson scored 23 points, three other players had 22, and Golden State sent New York to the worst 10-game start in franchise history (1-9).
Trail Blazers 86, Hornets 78: At New Orleans, LaMarcus Aldridge had 20 points and 13 rebounds, helping Portland to a victory against a New Orleans team that lost Chris Paul to a sprained ankle while trying to adjust to new head coach Jeff Bower.
Hawks 97, Celtics 86: At Boston, Joe Johnson scored 24 points, Jamal Crawford had 18, and Atlanta pulled away in the fourth quarter.
Raptors 104, Clippers 89: At Los Angeles, Chris Bosh had 21 points and 14 rebounds for Toronto, which overcame an early 22-point deficit and made four three-point shots during a game-ending 16-0 run that carried them to victory against Los Angeles.
The Raptors began a four-game road trip with their fourth consecutive victory against the Clippers at Staples Center.
Nuggets 105, Lakers 79: At Denver, Carmelo Anthony got the better of Ron Artest, scoring 25 points in 29 minutes and leading Denver past Los Angeles.
Kings 109, Rockets 100: At Sacramento, Calif., Jason Thompson had a career-high 27 points and added 11 rebounds for Sacramento, which won its fourth consecutive game, defeating Houston.
