SCOREBOARD
Thursday, Dec. 6
Miami at Portland (10:30 p.m. EST). The Trail Blazers return home after picking up their first road win on Monday.
STARS
Tuesday
-Amare Stoudemire, Suns, scored 42 points and grabbed 13 rebounds to lead Phoenix past Indiana 121-117.
-Richard Jefferson, Nets, had a season-high 36 points to help New Jersey defeat Cleveland 100-79.
-Michael Redd, Bucks, poured in 25 points, including 10 in the final 3:36, to help Milwaukee get past the Los Angeles Clippers 87-78.
-Kevin Martin, Kings, scored 25 points before leaving the game in the third quarter with a pulled groin and Sacramento beat Utah 117-107.
LEBRON-LESS
New Jersey beat Cleveland 100-79 on Tuesday to hand the Cavaliers their fourth straight loss, including the last three without LeBron James, out with a sprained left index finger. Cleveland had won three straight against the Nets at home in the regular season, last losing Dec. 9, 2005.
NOT SO GOOD
Kobe Bryant scored 20 points and added five assists to help the Los Angeles Lakers rout Minnesota 116-95 on Tuesday and drop the Timberwolves to 2-14 this season. Minnesota has lost its last three games by a combined 65 points. The win snapped a two-game slide for the Lakers. … Milwaukee downed the Clippers 87-78 to hand Los Angeles its sixth straight loss, matching their longest slide of last season. The last time the Clippers lost more than six straight was an eight-game slide in February 2005.
STREAKS
Steve Nash had 18 points and 17 assists to help Phoenix get past Indiana 121-117 on Tuesday for their third straight win and fifth straight against the Pacers. … Detroit downed Atlanta 106-95 for its sixth win in seven games. The Pistons have won 30 of the last 40 games against the Hawks since the 1997-98 season
SNAPPED
Milwaukee snapped a four-game losing streak with an 87-78 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers on Tuesday. The win was also the Bucks’ first in five tries against the Clippers. … Detroit beat Atlanta 106-95 to end the Hawks’ streak of not giving up 100 points at seven games.
STRONG IN DEFEAT
Jermaine O’Neal scored a season-high 30 points on 14-for-20 shooting in Indiana’s 121-117 loss to Phoenix on Tuesday. … Jamaal Tinsley chipped in 19 points and 12 assists in the loss. … Deron Williams had 30 points and seven assists in Utah’s 117-107 loss to Sacramento. Carlos Boozer added 19 points and 11 rebounds for the Jazz and has 14 double-doubles in 18 games this season.
SPEAKING
“You go up 15, and the way you got up there is also the way they’re going to get it back. So you just have to kind of put your seat belt on and ride through it.” – Phoenix coach Mike D’Antoni, on the Suns allowing Indiana to rally from a 12-point deficit before winning 121-117 on Tuesday.
