NBA Wrap: Nuggets hand Wolves 14th straight loss

MINNEAPOLIS — Carmelo Anthony scored 22 points and Nene had 17 points, eight rebounds and six assists as the Denver Nuggets handed the Minnesota Timberwolves their 14th straight loss with a 124-111 victory on Wednesday. The Timberwolves have not won since an opening night victory over New Jersey. Their 1-14 mark is the worst 15-game start in team history. Corey Brewer had the first double-double of his career with a career-high 22 points and 13 rebounds. Jonny Flynn scored 20 points for the Wolves, who cut the lead to eight points in the fourth before fading to yet another loss. Cavaliers 98, Pistons 88 At Auburn Hills, Michigan, LeBron James scored 12 of his 34 points in the first quarter to help Cleveland build a cushion it used to cruise to a win over Detroit. James' strong start gave the Cavs a nine-point lead to start the second quarter. Reserve Daniel Gibson and Mo Williams combined to score 18 points in the second quarter to put them ahead by 18 at halftime. Pacers 86, Clippers 73 At Indianapolis, Troy Murphy had 18 points and 11 rebounds as Indiana beat the Los Angeles Clippers to snap a four-game losing streak. Dahntay Jones scored 18 and Brandon Rush added 13 points and 11 rebounds for the Pacers. Baron Davis had 25 points and Marcus Camby added 15 points and 21 rebounds for the Clippers. Celtics 113, 76ers 110 At Boston, Rajon Rondo scored six points during a key run early in the fourth quarter and made a shot clock-beating jump shot on the baseline in the closing seconds as Boston overcame poor 3-point shooting to beat Philadelphia. Paul Pierce led Boston with 27 points, including a game-tying 3-pointer early in the 14-3 spurt. Kevin Garnett had 19 points and Ray Allen 18. Rondo finished with 10 points and seven assists. Andre Iguodala paced the undermanned 76ers with 25 points, nine rebounds and nine assists. Jason Kapono had a season-high 20 points and Willie Green added 18. Bobcats 116, Raptors 81 At Charlotte, North Carolina, Gerald Wallace broke out of his shooting slump with 31 points and grabbed 13 rebounds to help Charlotte to the most lopsided victory in team history, over Toronto. Stephen Jackson added 23 points for Charlotte, which dominated the listless Raptors. The sixth-year Bobcats' previous biggest win was a 32-point rout of Indiana on Nov. 16, 2005. Chris Bosh had 18 points and 14 rebounds, and Andrea Bargnani scored 15 for the Raptors. Heat 99, Magic 98 At Orlando, Florida, Michael Beasley dunked a missed shot by Dwyane Wade with 1.6 seconds remaining to lift Miami to a victory over Orlando. Wade's jumper was short, and Beasley soared in the air to take the rebound and seal the victory, which didn't come without controversy. Dwight Howard and the Magic bench pleaded for a goaltending call to no avail. Beasley had 15 points and 11 rebounds, and Wade overcame a slow start to finish with 24 points to help Miami rally from an 11-point deficit. Spurs 118, Warriors 104 At San Antonio, Tony Parker scored 32 points as San Antonio overcame another iron man performance by Monta Ellis in a victory over Golden State. Tim Duncan had 20 points and nine rebounds for the Spursin their season-best third consecutive victory. Ellis scored 42 points on 16-of-25 shooting to equal his career high. Mavericks 130, Rockets 99 At Houston, Jason Kidd moved into second place on the NBA's career assists list and Jason Terry scored 27 points as the Dallas Mavericks shot 65.5 percent in a victory over Houston. Kidd delivered seven assists to reach 10,337 in his career. He came in needing five to pass Mark Jackson's career total (10,334), and now trails only John Stockton (15,806). Dirk Nowitzki scored 25 and Tim Thomas added a season-high 23 for the Mavericks. Carl Landry scored 24 points for the Rockets. Hornets 102, Bucks 99 At New Orleans, David West had 27 points and 10 rebounds as New Orleans defeated Milwaukee. Rookie point guard Darren Collison scored 18 points, including a 3-pointer to tie it with 7.5 seconds left in regulation. Luke Ridnour scored a season-high 23 points and Hakim Warrick added 22 points and 10 rebounds for Milwaukee. Suns 126, Grizzlies 111 At Phoenix, Amare Stoudemire scored 18 of his 28 points during a torrid third quarter as Phoenix beat Memphis for its 15th consecutive home victory. In the third quarter, the scintillating, high-scoring Suns hit their first 12 field-goal attempts and finished the quarter 17 for 20. Trail Blazers 93, Nets 83 At Portland, Oregon, the New Jersey Nets moved a loss closer to the record for the NBA's worst start to a season when they dropped their 15th straight game to Portland. Greg Oden continued a recent run of strong play with 18 points and eight rebounds for the Blazers. The NBA record is 17 straight losses to start a season, set by the 1988-89 expansion Miami Heat and matched by the Los Angeles Clippers in the lockout-shortened 1999 season. Kings 111, Knicks 97 At Sacramento, California, Donte Greene made six 3-pointers and tied a career high with 24 points as Sacramento beat New York. Rookie Tyreke Evans had 19 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists for Sacramento, which snapped a four-game losing streak. David Lee had 25 points and 12 rebounds for the struggling Knicks. Nate Robinson also scored 25 points and Al Harrington added 17 for New York. – AP