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Spurs snap Nets' 10-game winning streak
(Agencies)
Updated: 2006-01-11 15:29
Raja Bell led Phoenix with 30 points, followed by Marion with 28, Steve Nash
with 26, James Jones with 22 and Boris Diaw with 12.
Nash fouled out with 35 seconds left in the third overtime. Ten seconds
later, Bell fouled Andre Miller, who sank both free throws for a 137-135 lead.
House hit a jumper with 12 seconds left, tying it at 137 and setting up
Anthony's game-winner — with tissue paper stuffing his left nostril to keep
blood from gushing out.
Anthony scored with 2:30 left in the third overtime to give the Nuggets a
131-129 lead, but he was inadvertently kicked in the face by teammate Eduardo
Najera and was bleeding during the timeout. He stayed in the game with watery
eyes.
Miller made two poor decisions in the closing seconds of the second overtime.
First, he inexplicably inbounded to Earl Watson beyond the arc with 1 second on
the shot clock and Najera open underneath for a tip-in with the Nuggets trailing
125-123.
After Najera's steal of Nash led to a fast-break basket by Boykins, Miller
rebounded Bell's errant 3-pointer with 3.4 seconds left and instead of calling
the Nuggets' final timeout, he lofted a desperation shot from three-quarters
quart as coach George Karl threw his arms up in disbelief.
Boykins scored nine points in the first overtime, but with the score tied at
117, he missed a 12-footer at the buzzer that would have won it.
Marion missed a 10-footer that would have won the game for the Suns in
regulation.
Denver didn't really feel the absence of Kenyon Martin (back), their top
rebounder with Marcus Camby (finger) out until the closing minutes of
regulation, when the Suns got three straight offensive rebounds while clinging
to a 104-103 lead. Finally, Kurt Thomas fouled Watson while grabbing a fourth
consecutive offensive board. Watson sank one of two shots to tie it at 104.
The highlight of the first half came when an official whistled Miller for a
foul on Jones. The official mistakenly ruled that Jones was shooting when fouled
and also that he was beyond the arc. With a sheepish grin, Jones sank all three
foul shots.
Hamilton pumps Pistons past Hornets
OKLAHOMA CITY - Richard Hamilton scored 30 points, including 20 in the second
half, and the Detroit Pistons rallied to beat the New Orleans Hornets 96-86 on
Tuesday night.
Chauncey Billups added 18 points for the Pistons, who
improved their NBA-best record to 27-5.
The Hornets lost their second straight game despite the unexpected return of
rookie point guard Chris Paul, who started despite a torn ligament in his right
hand.
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