(The Sports Xchange) – Highlights of Wednesday’s National Basketball Association games.
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Bobcats 109, Pacers 87
Al Jefferson scored 34 points, including 20 in the first half, and the Charlotte Bobcats snapped a three-game losing streak with a victory over the Indiana Pacers.
The Bobcats (28-33) raced to a 28-8 lead after one quarter and never trailed the rest of the way, although the Pacers got as close as three at one point late in the second quarter.
Jefferson, who had 38 points and 19 rebounds in Monday’s loss at Miami, finished 16-for-25 from the field.
Trade deadline acquisition Evan Turner scored 22 points for the Pacers (46-15) but they lost a second straight game to see their Eastern Conference lead trimmed to 1.5 games over Miami.
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Rockets 101, Magic 89
James Harden scored 31 points and center Dwight Howard had 19 points and 13 rebounds, leading the Houston Rockets to a victory over the Orlando Magic.
The Rockets have the best record (21-6) in the NBA since Jan. 1, determined to secure home court for the first round of the playoffs. After a slow start, they dominated the second half when Harden scored 25 of his points.
The Magic were led by guard Arron Afflalo, who had 18 points in his first game back after missing five with a sprained ankle.
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Warriors 108, Celtics 88
Putting on a clinic against a weak opponent, the Warriors never trailed and capped a 4-2 road trip with a blowout of the Boston Celtics.
Golden State forward David Lee scored 18 points and grabbed 10 rebounds and guard Klay Thompson also had 18 points as the Warriors (38-24), who led by as many as 31 points, removed their starters before the end of the third quarter.
The Celtics (20-41) lost for the sixth time in their past seven games.
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Knicks 118, Timberwolves 106
Carmelo Anthony scored 33 points, 20 of them in the first half, and the New York Knicks rolled past Minnesota.
Kevin Love scored just one point after halftime on a 19-point night for the Timberwolves, who had their playoffs hopes damaged.
Minnesota (30-30) entered the night 4.5 games behind Phoenix for the West’s eighth and final playoff spot and fell further behind.
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Nuggets 115, Mavericks 110
Wilson Chandler scored 21 points, guard Ty Lawson had 20 and the Denver Nuggets used a fast start and strong finish to beat the Dallas Mavericks.
The Nuggets (26-34) had an 11-0 run in the second quarter to take control, then added a 16-2 spurt in the fourth to end a six-game losing streak.
The Mavericks (36-26) are now tied for eighth in the Western Conference, one game ahead of Memphis.
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Nets 103, Grizzlies 94
Marcus Thornton came off the bench to score a game-high 20 points and lead the Brooklyn Nets to a win that moved them above .500 for the first time this season.
Brooklyn improved to 30-29 with their seventh wire-to-wire victory of the season.
