Gordon, Duhon lead Bulls to rare win over Spurs
Gordon, Duhon lead Bulls to rare win over Spurs
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Ben Gordon scored 19 points and Chris Duhon added 18, including 10 in the final quarter, to lift the Chicago Bulls to a 106-99 victory over the NBA champion San Antonio Spurs at the SBC Center on Friday.
Luol Deng contributed 17 points for Chicago, while Andres Nocioni had 13 points and Kirk Hinrich helped out with a double-double (10 points and 10 assists) as the Bulls notched their first win over the Spurs in nearly five years.
Tim Duncan had another solid night for the Spurs, hitting for 24 points, hauling in 11 boards and blocking four shots and Manu Ginobili scored 16, but their efforts were in vain as San Antonio watched their five-game winning streak come to a halt.
After jumping out to a 12-5 lead, the Spurs trailed 21-17 after the first quarter and 45-43 going into the intermission.
The contest remained tight through most of the second half, the Spurs pulling level 85-85 midway through the final quarter but they would get no closer as the Bulls hung on to claim their second consecutive win.
In Miami, Josh Howard poured in 25 points and grabbed 11 rebounds and Dirk Nowitzki chipped in with a 23-point performance as the Dallas Mavericks held on to hand the Heat a rare home defeat 103-90.
Erick Dampier had 17 points, Marquis Daniels 14 and Jason Terry had the small double-double with 10 points and 10 assists as the Mavericks extended their win streak to seven games.
Jason Williams had a season-high 24 points, six rebounds and five assists and Dwyane Wade had 23 in the loss as the Heat's six game home winning run came to an end.
The Heat continue to play without center Shaquille O'Neal, who missed his 10th consecutive game with an injured ankle.
In Auburn Hills, Gilbert Arenas poured in 39 points and dished out eight assists and Caron Butler added 27 points as the Washington Wizards pulled out of a five-game losing skid with a 120-114 double-overtime win over the Detroit Pistons.
Antawn Jamison added 22 points and snared a season-high 20 rebounds as the Wizards handed the Pistons their first home loss of the season.
Rasheed Wallace had 33 points and 11 rebounds for the Pistons, who absorbed just their second loss of the season.
In Indianapolis, Al Harrington had 17 points as the Atlanta Hawks upset the Indiana Pacers 87-85, registering their second consecutive win after opening the season with nine straight losses.
Joe Johnson scored 16 points and dished out nine assists while Josh Childress hit a double-double with 14 points and 13 rebounds for the Hawks.
Jermaine O'Neal had a game-high 30 points for the Pacers.
In Orlando, Jameer Nelson drained a season-high 24 points and Dwight Howard added 21 points and 18 rebounds, powering the Magic to a 104-89 win over the Portland Trail Blazers.
Steve Francis chipped in with 12 points and nine assists for the Magic while Darius Miles had 23 points in the loss for Portland.
In Boston, Paul Pierce hit for a game-high 27 points, including the winning lay-up with less than a second left on the clock, to earn the Celtics a 90-89 win over the Charlotte Bobcats.
Ricky Davis helped with 25 points and dished out six assists while Raef LaFrentz notched a double-double with 22 points and 10 rebounds in the win.
In Minneapolis, Wally Szczerbiak drained 30 points and added six rebounds and six assists to power the Minnesota Timberwolves to a 99-91 win over the Milwaukee Bucks.
Marko Jaric added a season-high 24 points and Kevin Garnett had 17 points, 12 rebounds and six assists in the win.
In Memphis, Shane Battier scored 20 points, including 12 in the fourth quarter, as the Grizzlies claimed a 86-81 win over the slumping Houston Rockets.
Jon Barry had 16 points and Yao Ming contributed 15 points and 12 rebounds in a losing cause as the Rockets suffered their sixth straight defeat.
In Denver, Carmelo Anthony poured in 35 points as the Nuggets eased past the Los Angeles Clippers 105-95 for their fifth win in six games.
In Salt Lake City, Jason Richardson had 29 points, including two clutch free throws, and Baron Davis added 13 points and 10 assists as the Golden State Warriors edged the Utah Jazz 94-90.
In Sacramento, Bonzi Wells hit the game-winning jumper with two seconds to play and Mike Bibby scored a game-high 25 points in leading the Kings to a 106-104 win over the Toronto Raptors.
In Phoenix, Steve Nash scored 27 points and dished out six assists while Kurt Thomas had a season-high 19 rebounds, steering the Suns past the New Jersey Nets 92-81.
