NBA Capsules: Carmelo Anthony scores 27 in Knicks debut

NEW YORK (AP) - Carmelo Anthony's debut on the big stage was a huge hit.

Anthony had 27 points and 10 rebounds, hitting a pair of clutch buckets down the stretch in front of a crowd that cheered his every move as New York beat the Milwaukee Bucks 114-108 on Wednesday night in his Knicks debut.

Anthony made only 10 of 25 shots but was at his best in the closing minutes, helping New York hold on after fellow superstar Amare Stoudemire fouled out. He matched the third-highest scoring game in a Knicks debut since 1964, just two points shy of Keith Van Horn's 29 on Oct. 29, 2003.

Chauncey Billups, who came with Anthony from Denver in Tuesday's blockbuster trade, finished with 21 points and eight assists as the Knicks won their third straight. Toney Douglas scored 23 points and Stoudemire had 19.

John Salmons scored 27 points for the Bucks.

Mavericks 118, Jazz 99

DALLAS (AP) - Dirk Nowitzki scored 23 points and Dallas cruised past the reeling Jazz a few hours after Utah traded away leading scorer Deron Williams.

Peja Stojakovic hit four 3-pointers and scored 18 points, and Shawn Marion contributed 16 points for the Mavericks, who had seven double-figure scorers in their fourth straight victory. Dallas has won 14 of its last 15 overall.

Al Jefferson scored 30 points, Paul Millsap had 18 and Andrei Kirilenko 17 for the Jazz, who have lost five straight.

Williams bid farewell to teammates and coaches before flying back to Salt Lake City on Wednesday afternoon, shortly after the team traded him to the New Jersey Nets. The Jazz got Devin Harris and Derrick Favors in the three-team deal, along with the Nets' first-round draft pick, cash and the Golden State Warriors' first-round draft pick in 2012.

Spurs 109, Thunder 105

SAN ANTONIO (AP) - Tony Parker scored the last of his 20 points on a 16-footer with 26.1 seconds left, and Gary Neal added 19 points to lead San Antonio to the victory.

The Spurs improved to 47-10, moving within three wins of their total from last season.

Kevin Durant led the Thunder with 30 points, and Russell Westbrook had 25. Jeff Green airballed a 3-pointer with 5.4 seconds remaining that would've tied the game.

Parker's final jumper was the only second-chance points in the entire game for the Spurs.

Kings 111, Magic 105

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) - Jermaine Taylor had 21 points, Beno Udrih added 18 and the Kings snapped a five-game losing streak against the Magic.

Samuel Dalembert and Jason Thompson had 17 points apiece for Sacramento, which won for just the third time in its last 11 games.

Dwight Howard had 31 points and 17 rebounds for Orlando. Hedo Turkoglu added 19 and Jameer Nelson 15.

The Kings played their fourth straight game without starting shooting guard Tyreke Evans, who is recovering from plantar fasciitis in his left foot. But Sacramento got a very solid night from Taylor, who played his college ball at nearby Central Florida.

Suns 105, Hawks 97

PHOENIX (AP) - Channing Frye scored six of his 20 points in the final four minutes and the Suns pulled away from the short-handed Hawks.

Jared Dudley went 4 for 5 from 3-point range and finished with 17 points for Phoenix. Steve Nash scored all 13 of his points in the second half and had 10 assists, but also finished with seven turnovers.

Josh Smith scored 26 for the Hawks, who trailed by as many as 18 in the first half but rallied to tie it at 92 with five minutes left. Jamal Crawford had 19 points and Al Horford added 17.

Atlanta announced before the game it had traded guards Mike Bibby and Jordan Crawford, forward Maurice Evans and a 2011 first-round draft choice to the Washington Wizards for guard Kirk Hinrich and forward Hilton Armstrong.

Hornets 98, Clippers 87

NEW ORLEANS (AP) - Chris Paul had 19 points and 10 assists, leading New Orleans to the victory.

David West scored 22 for the Hornets, who were able to overcome Blake Griffin and control the inside, even with center Emeka Okafor missing his 10th straight game with a strained left hip.

Willie Green scored 17 points for New Orleans, which shot 51.3 percent (40 of 78) in winning for only the third time in 12 games.

Griffin had 21 points and 13 rebounds, but the Clippers turned the ball over 23 times, leading to 25 Hornets points.

Earlier in the day, the Hornets traded shooting guard Marcus Thornton, a popular former LSU star, to Sacramento for power forward Carl Landry, who was expected to join the club on Thursday.

76ers 117, Wizards 94

PHILADELPHIA (AP) - Jrue Holiday scored 20 points, Thaddeus Young had 18 points and 10 rebounds and the 76ers improved to 18-9 at home.

Elton Brand and Evan Turner added 15 points apiece for the Sixers (28-29), who eclipsed last season's win total of 27. Marreese Speights had 14, Jodie Meeks finished with 12 and Andre Iguodala 10.

John Wall had 21 points and 12 assists for Washington (15-41), while Trevor Booker tied his career high with 21 points. Raptors 118, Bulls 113

TORONTO (AP) - Andrea Bargnani and DeMar DeRozan each scored 24 points, Jose Calderon had 17 assists and the Toronto Raptors beat the Bulls 118-113 on Wednesday night, snapping Chicago's four-game winning streak and spoiling Joakim Noah's return from thumb surgery.

Derrick Rose scored 19 of his 32 points in the fourth quarter and had 10 assists, and Carlos Boozer had 24 for the Bulls, who had won 10 of their previous 12.

Amir Johnson scored 17 points, Leandro Barbosa had 13 and Sonny Weems 12 as the Raptors beat the Bulls for the first time in three meetings. Toronto had won just two of its last 20.

Pacers 102, Pistons 101

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) - Brandon Rush's dunk with 5.4 seconds remaining gave the surging Pacers the victory.

Tyler Hansbrough scored 21 points for Indiana, which squandered a 16-point second-half lead before a dramatic, back-and-forth final sequence.

With 11.1 seconds remaining, Austin Daye's 17-footer gave the Pistons their first lead since the first quarter. But on the ensuing possession, Danny Granger drew a double-team and found Rush for a dunk in traffic in the lane.

A turnover on the ensuing possession secured the victory for Indiana, which won for the ninth time in 12 games since interim coach Frank Vogel took over for Jim O'Brien in late January.

Greg Monroe scored 27 points for the Pistons, who lost for the 10th time in 14 games.

Rockets 124, Cavaliers 119

CLEVELAND (AP) - Reserve Chase Budinger scored a career-high 30 points, including 11 straight in the fourth quarter, and Kevin Martin added 30 more to lead the Rockets to the win.

Budinger and Martin combined to score Houston's final 24 points as the Rockets avoided losing to the NBA's worst team.

The Cavaliers, coming off a shocking upset of the two-time defending champion Los Angeles Lakers in their final game before the All-Star break, were led by Antawn Jamison's 26 points. Ramon Sessions added 20 and 12 assists for Cleveland.

Chuck Hayes had 17 rebounds for the Rockets, who are hoping to gain ground in the Western Conference, which has been shaken up by the blockbuster trades of Carmelo Anthony and Deron Williams.

Grizzlies 104, Timberwolves 95

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - Zach Randolph had 24 points and 10 rebounds while Mike Conley added 22 points to help the Grizzlies cruise to the win.

Tony Allen, who has moved into the starting lineup when Rudy Gay injured his shoulder, and Sam Young each scored 16 points for the Grizzlies (32-27).

Minnesota's Kevin Love recorded his 44th double-double in a row with 15 points and 11 rebounds. Love, an All-Star selection, now has equaled Moses Malone's streak of consecutive double-doubles for Philadelphia in 1982-83.

Wayne Ellington added 16 points for Minnesota while Luke Ridnour finished with 15. Lakers 106, Trail Blazers 101, OT

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) - Kobe Bryant had 37 points and the Los Angeles Lakers overcame a 10-point deficit late in the fourth quarter to beat Portland, snapping the Trail Blazers' season-best, six-game winning streak.

LaMarcus Aldridge had 29 points and 14 rebounds for the Blazers, but didn't hit a shot in the fourth quarter and missed two key free throws in the extra period.

Lamar Odom and Ron Artest each hit a 3-pointer to help Los Angeles to a 95-92 lead in overtime. Rudy Fernandez responded with a tying 3 and Andre Miller's jumper gave the Blazers the lead, but Pau Gasol hit a turnaround hook shot and added a free throw before Bryant's jumper with 27.9 seconds left gave Los Angeles a 100-97 advantage.

Gasol fouled Aldridge, who missed both free throws to all but seal it for the Lakers.