50 for Iverson

PHILADELPHIA (AP) Allen Iverson scored a season-high 50 points, leading the Philadelphia 76ers to a 98-86 victory over the Atlanta Hawks on Saturday night.

Kenny Thomas had 13 rebounds and reserve John Salmons added 13 points for Philadelphia, which leads the Atlantic Division despite a 9-9 record.

Jason Terry had 20 points and Shareef Abdur-Rahim had 17 for the Hawks, who are off to a 6-12 start.

It was the ninth time, including playoffs, that Iverson has scored 50 or more points in his eight seasons. He had 55 in a playoff victory over New Orleans last April.

Iverson was coming off a season-low 12-point performance in which he missed 15 of 19 shots in a loss to Indiana on Friday night.

Knicks 79, Hornets 74

NEW YORK (AP) Allan Houston scored 18 points, and Dikembe Mutombo added 13 points, 12 rebounds and five blocks to help New York beat New Orleans.

Mutombo got the Knicks started with 11 points and seven rebounds in the first half, and Houston scored 13 during a sluggish second half for both teams.

David Wesley's 16 points led the Hornets, who committed six of their 16 turnovers in the fourth quarter and shot just 32 percent from the field. Baron Davis had 13 points and 10 assists.

Pistons 80, Wizards 69

WASHINGTON (AP) Richard Hamilton scored 25 points and Chauncey Billups added 22 to lead Detroit to its eighth win in nine games against Washington.

Detroit's win overshadowed a solid game by Brendan Haywood, who led the Wizards with a career-high 23 points and season-high 11 rebounds.

Moments after Jarvis Hayes tied the game at 65 with a dunk with 6:57 remaining, Washington coach Eddie Jordan drew a technical for charging onto the court as Hamilton was making a layup.

Hamilton made the free throw for a 68-65 lead with 6:37 left and the Pistons never trailed again.

Heat 78, Raptors 66

MIAMI (AP) Rookie Dwyane Wade scored 16 points to lead Miami over short-handed Toronto, which played without starters Antonio Davis and Jerome Williams.

Davis and Williams are part of a six-player trade that will send Jalen Rose to the Raptors, Bulls general manager John Paxson said Saturday night. The deal is pending league approval Monday.

Rookie forward Chris Jeffries, also involved with the trade, did not dress for the Raptors.

Toronto, which has yet to reach 90 points in regulation this season, was held below 70 points for the fifth time.

Grizzlies 122, Cavaliers 115, 2OT

CLEVELAND (AP) Pau Gasol scored a career-high 37 points and Memphis Grizzlies completed its second-biggest comeback with a double-overtime win over Cleveland.

Shane Battier added 22 points and a career-high 12 rebounds for the Grizzlies, who trailed by 24 in the first half and 16 going into the fourth quarter.

Memphis' comeback was its biggest since overcoming a 25-point deficit to beat Portland on March 25, 2002.

Cavs rookie LeBron James had his best game as a pro _ 33 points, 16 rebounds and seven assists _ but had two costly turnovers late in the first overtime period that helped Memphis rally.

Mike Miller added 20 points and a career-high 13 assists for the Grizzlies, who clawed back by scoring the first 18 points of the fourth quarter.

Mavericks 92, Timberwolves 88

DALLAS (AP) Michael Finley scored 25 points and rookie Josh Howard provided a much-needed spark in the second half, carrying Dallas past Minnesota in a matchup of teams playing their fourth game in five nights.

Missing Dirk Nowitzki (sprained ankle) and Danny Fortson (suspended), Dallas needed fresh legs to remain undefeated at home. Howard came through, scoring seven points during a 22-4 run that turned a 12-point deficit into a six-point lead early in the fourth quarter.

Kevin Garnett _ who had 28 points and 20 rebounds _ single-handedly kept the Timberwolves close, scoring eight of their last nine, including a jumper that tied it at 81 with 3:46 left.

He also had a 3-pointer and two free throws in the final 27 seconds that prevented the Mavericks from sealing the victory.

After Steve Nash made a pair of foul shots with 2 seconds left, Minnesota's last chance ended when Sam Cassell fumbled an inbounds pass. When time expired, Cassell punted the ball high over the court, landing in the seats.

Bucks 100, Celtics 94

MILWAUKEE (AP) Joe Smith made two free throws with 11 seconds left and Toni Kukoc scored nine fourth-quarter points to lead Milwaukee past Boston in the second game of a home-and-home series between the teams.

Milwaukee blew a 15-point second-quarter lead, fell behind by 12 in the third quarter and rallied to become the first team to score 100 points against the Celtics this season.

Michael Redd had 23 points, Desmond Mason had a season-high 22 points and Smith had 16 points and 11 rebounds for Milwaukee.

Mike James had a career-high 23 points and Paul Pierce scored 21 for the Celtics, which beat the Bucks 106-96 Friday night in Boston.

SuperSonics 95, Rockets 88

SEATTLE (AP) Rashard Lewis scored 27 points in his return from a one-game absence and rookie Luke Ridnour had eight of his 11 points in the fourth quarter for Seattle.

Lewis, who shot 9-of-18 from the floor, missed Friday night's loss at Utah because of a death in his family.

Antonio Daniels made his first start of the season, scoring 13 points, while Ronald Murray came off the bench for 12 and Brent Barry added 10. The Sonics had lost three of four at home.

Steve Francis led the Rockets with 28 points, but he scored only four in the fourth quarter _ all from the foul line.

Nuggets 98, Clippers 86

LOS ANGELES (AP) Vashon Lenard scored a season-high 26 points and Denver never trailed in handing the Los Angeles Clippers their sixth straight loss.

Point guard Andre Miller had 19 points and seven assists in his return to Staples Center, where he spent an unproductive and unhappy season with the Clippers before joining Denver as a free agent when Los Angeles declined to match the Nuggets' six-year, $51 million offer sheet.

Corey Maggette had 22 points and eight rebounds for the Clippers, who were 29-for-83 from the field and have failed to shoot 50 percent or better this season.

Spurs 91, Warriors 89

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) Nick Van Exel scored 16 of his 29 points in the fourth quarter to help Golden State beat San Antonio.

Van Exel, playing a backup role because of a sore left knee, either tied the score or gave the Warriors the lead with five of his seven fourth-quarter baskets, including a long 3 with 20 seconds left that proved to be the winner.

Tim Duncan, who missed a wide-opener 20-footer in the final second, led the defending NBA champion Spurs with 27 points and 15 rebounds. Tony Parker added 19 points, and Rasho Nestorovic had 14 points and 11 rebounds.

Via Associated Press

Philadelphia 76ers, Miami Heat, Cleveland Cavaliers, Atlanta Hawks

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Boozer may miss three more games

Cavaliers forward Carlos Bozzer is still recovering from a sprained ankle, could miss three more games.

"He won't play at New Orleans tonight and could be sidelined at Detroit Friday and possibly at home against Memphis Saturday."

Via Bob Finnan of the Lorain Morning Journal

Cleveland Cavaliers

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Davis bounces back with Cavs

CLEVELAND (AP) Cavaliers coach Paul Silas changed his mind and took guard Ricky Davis to New Orleans for Cleveland's game Wednesday night against the Hornets.

On Monday, Silas banned Davis from two practices and said his third-leading scorer _ as well as forward Michael Stewart _ would not travel with the Cavs for one game.

Silas, though, had an apparent change of heart Tuesday, allowing Stewart to practice and saying that Davis would accompany the team to New Orleans.

``He's going,'' said Silas, who met with Davis shortly before the team departed Gund Arena. ``I just think it's necessary.''

It's been a strange two days for the Cavs, who suspended forward Ira Newble for one game following his argument with Silas after Cleveland's loss Saturday in Atlanta.

The club's decision to keep Davis and Stewart away from the team raised more questions than answers after Silas and general manager Jim Paxson refused to say what led to the players being disciplined.

Paxson said Tuesday night that it would be up to Silas whether or not Davis would play in Wednesday's game. Paxson said Silas had a positive meeting with Davis before the team left for New Orleans.

``Paul felt as if we could move forward,'' Paxson said. ``He wants to change the environment and send the message to all of our players that this has to be about team first.''

Silas, who will face the Hornets for the first time since being fired by New Orleans owner George Shinn in May, said Tuesday that he may have reacted too quickly in benching Davis.

``We really didn't get a chance to talk and I have a tendency to do that sometimes,'' he said.

The friction between Davis and Silas dates to their days together in Charlotte, where the fifth-year guard began his NBA career.

In Cleveland, the two seemed to have worked out their difference as Davis has played well in the first month of the season, averaging 15.3 points, 5.9 rebounds and 4.9 assists through 14 games.

Davis, who intentionally missed a shot at his own basket last season in a game against Utah to get a rebound for his first triple-double, has even looked to pass more than in recent years.

But last week, problems surfaced. Silas benched Davis during the fourth quarter of two games. Silas didn't give his reasons, but it's probably because the 6-foot-7 guard was doing too much freelancing on offense and not staying within the club's offensive system.

Stewart, who has only played in two games this season, was surprised to learn Monday that he was being punished. He said it was simply a misunderstanding with Silas.

``We talked about it, and it's over,'' said Stewart, currently on the injured list.

Silas seemed to regret not talking to Stewart before keeping him out of practice Monday, saying it was probably a mistake.

``You make decisions _ sometimes they're good and sometimes they're bad. But you live by them and you go on,'' he said.

Even if Davis comes back, the Cavaliers, who have lost 29 straight road games, will be short-handed in New Orleans.

Leading rebounder Carlos Boozer has a sprained ankle and is not likely to play until Saturday, and forward Chris Mihm has had lower back spasms the past few days.

Via Associated Press

Cleveland Cavaliers

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