NEW ORLEANS -- Carmelo Anthony scored 17 of his 31 points in the fourth quarter to help the Denver Nuggets overcome an 11-point deficit in the final 10 minutes for a 94-93 victory over the New Orleans Hornets on Sunday night.
Anthony hit all 14 free throws he took, 10 in the final period, and grabbed 10 rebounds. Earl Boykins scored 16 points, hitting all six of his free throws -- including two with 4.6 seconds left to ice the game for Denver, which finished the game on a 15-7 run.
Dan Dickau hit a meaningless three at the buzzer and led New Orleans with 22 points, but he also accounted for one of what turned out to be three critical missed free throws by the Hornets in the fourth quarter.
The Nuggets shot 33-of-36 from the foul line, while the Hornets finished 19-of-24. Denver also outscored New Orleans 25-2 on fast breaks while forcing 24 Hornets turnovers -- the third straight time a Nuggets opponent had committed at least 20.
Kenyon Martin added 12 points for Denver, including a pair of alley-oop dunks. But he was ejected early in the fourth when referee Joe Crawford gave him a second technical for repeatedly bickering with officials. Full story
Timberwolves 91, Blazers 83
PORTLAND, Ore. -- Latrell Sprewell scored 27 points, including a key 3-pointer with just more than a minute left, and the Minnesota Timberwolves beat the Portland Trail Blazers.
The victory snapped Minnesota's five-game losing streak on the road which dated back to a 92-83 win at Portland on Jan. 22.
The Timberwolves also swept the Blazers in their four-game series this season. It was the first time Minnesota swept Portland since the team joined the NBA in 1989-90.
Nick Van Exel scored 26 points for the Blazers, who have lost six of their last eight. The two wins came against Charlotte and Atlanta, who rank at the bottom of the Eastern Conference.
Jazz 99, Rockets 92
HOUSTON -- Matt Harpring scored 28 points, and Raja Bell added 21 to lead the Utah Jazz to a victory over the Houston Rockets.
Houston, which led by as many as 10 points in the first half, has dropped three straight after winning eight in a row.
Bell's 3-pointer with 8:51 remaining capped five straight points by the Jazz and put Utah ahead 78-73. Utah used an 8-2 run that ended with Bell's tip-in basket with 4:40 remaining to extend the lead to 88-78.
Bell was perfect from 3-point range, going 3-of-3 -- all coming in the second half.
Clippers 111, Hawks 104
LOS ANGELES -- Corey Maggette scored 25 points to help the Los Angeles Clippers send the Atlanta Hawks to their 19th consecutive road loss.
Chris Wilcox got all nine of his points in the final 7:26 after sitting the first three quarters and Bobby Simmons finished with 24 points for the Clippers, who have won two straight since a season-worst eight-game losing streak. Elton Brand had 12 points and 13 rebounds, and Chris Kaman contributed 14 points and 10 boards.
Tyronn Lue scored a season-high 24 points and Al Harrington added 23 for the Hawks, who haven't won on the road since beating the defending champion Pistons 88-72 on Dec. 10. They have allowed 100 or more points in nine straight games, their longest such streak since a 14-game stretch from Feb.24-March 9, 1993.
Atlanta is 2-26 on the road, with the only other victory coming on Nov. 12 in a one-point decision over New Orleans. The Hawks' longest road losing streak during one season was in 1995-96, when they dropped their final 21. The franchise lost 29 consecutive road games from Jan. 28-Nov. 26, 1976.
