Jazz ends Blazers' streak
Andrei Kirilenko had 14 points, eight rebounds and seven assists and the Utah Jazz finally ended Portland's near-perfect December, beating the Trail Blazers 111-101 on Monday night to snap their 13-game winning streak.
Portland lost for the first time since a 100-79 defeat at San Antonio on Dec. 2. The Blazers won their next 13, including two over Utah, and were three victories away from tying the franchise record.
Portland coach Nate McMillan was attending a family funeral and not with the team to see the streak come to an end. It was just as well he missed it.
The Blazers couldn't overcome a cold stretch in the third quarter, going scoreless for almost 3 minutes and without a field goal for 4:34 as the Jazz pulled away on a 20-3 run. Portland also failed to capitalize on a huge advantage from the foul line.
The Blazers were 33-for-43 from the line, going 4-for-9 in the fourth quarter.
Raptors 97, Hornets 92: Chris Bosh scored 29 points and visiting Toronto rallied from a 10-point fourth-quarter deficit to beat New Orleans. The Hornets' winning streak ended at five after Chris Paul committed a turnover with just over a minute to go and then missed a pair of crucial free throws that could have given New Orleans the lead with 25.8 seconds left. Paul finished with 23 points, 16 assists and seven rebounds.
Warriors 112, Rockets 95: Baron Davis scored 23 points and Al Harrington had 16 points and 11 rebounds as Golden State overcame 21 turnovers to rally past host Houston. Davis had 7 assists, Monta Ellis scored 20 and Stephen Jackson sank four 3-pointers and added 18 points for the Warriors, who outscored Houston 37-15 in the final quarter to win for the 19th time in 26 games.
Bobcats 107, Pacers 103 (OT): Gerald Wallace led a furious comeback in the fourth quarter and took charge in overtime, finishing with 36 points and giving host Charlotte a win over Indiana. Charlotte snapped a four-game losing streak by rallying from a 13-point deficit with under 6 minutes left in regulation behind a series of spectacular plays from Wallace. Wallace had two 3-point plays late in regulation. He then hit two 3-pointers in OT and 4 straight free throws in the final 22 seconds. Wallace scored 20 points in the fourth quarter and overtime. He also had 8 rebounds and 4 steals. Jermaine O'Neal had 20 points and 13 rebounds for Indiana.
Pistons 114, Bucks 69: Richard Hamilton scored 22 points and Chauncey Billups added 13 points and 12 assists, helping host Detroit Pistons rout Milwaukee for its ninth straight win. The 45-point margin of defeat was the third-worst in Bucks history. The Pistons have won 17 of 19, including a franchise-record 15 wins in December. Michael Redd led the Bucks with 18 points, and Yi Jianlian had 12.