PHOENIX (AP) - Shannon Brown scored 20 of his 24 points in the third quarter Saturday night, leading the Phoenix Suns to a 125-105 victory over a Los Angeles Lakers team playing without Kobe Bryant for the first time in two seasons.
An injured left shin ended Bryant's string of 138 consecutive regular-season games played. The NBA's leading scorer watched the Suns' reserves dominate the second quarter, then Brown go off against his former team in the third.
Michael Redd scored 17 of his 20 points in the second quarter for the Suns in their highest-scoring game of the season.
Pau Gasol had 30 points and 13 rebounds, and Andrew Bynum added 23 points and 18 boards for the Lakers, who surrendered the most points they have allowed this season.
CELTICS 86, PACERS 72
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) - Paul Pierce scored 24 points to help Boston beat Indiana.
Ray Allen added 19 points, Kevin Garnett scored 15 and Rajon Rondo had 12 assists for the Celtics. Boston snapped a two-game skid and remained ahead of the Philadelphia 76ers at the top of the Atlantic Division.
Danny Granger scored 20 points, David West had 16 and Roy Hibbert added nine points and 17 rebounds for Indiana.
The Pacers had won four in a row and had scored more than 100 points in five consecutive games, but they matched their lowest point total of the season against Boston.
HAWKS 116, BOBCATS 96
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) - Joe Johnson scored 18 points on 8-of-10 shooting, and eight Atlanta players scored in double digits.
The Hawks broke open the game in the third quarter by shooting 17 of 23 from the field while scoring a season-high 38 points. They won their third straight and remained in second place in the Southeast Division, ahead of the struggling Orlando Magic.
Zaza Pachulia had 12 points and 16 rebounds, while Jannero Pargo had 15 points and nine assists for the Hawks. Ivan Johnson added 17 points.
Corey Higgins, the son of Charlotte president of basketball operations Rod Higgins, scored a career-high 22 points for the Bobcats, who've lost 11 straight.
HORNETS 99, TIMBERWOLVES 90
NEW ORLEANS (AP) - Jason Smith had a career-high 26 points and 10 rebounds, leading New Orleans past struggling Minnesota.
Smith, who had his third career double-double, made his first eight shots and finished 12 for 16. Chris Kaman added 21 points on 9-for-10 shooting and Greivis Vasquez had 10 assists for New Orleans, which bounced back from its most lopsided loss of the year - 128-104 at San Antonio on Friday.
Kevin Love had 29 points and 12 rebounds for Minnesota, which lost its fifth in a row and 13th in its last 17. Michael Beasley, who was questionable with a toe injury, added 20 points.
GRIZZLIES 94, MAVERICKS 89
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) - Rudy Gay scored 25 points, Zach Randolph added 15 points and 11 rebounds, and Memphis built a big early lead and held on to beat Dallas.
Gilbert Arenas added 14 points and made three 3-pointers, while Mike Conley finished with 12 points for Memphis, which won its second straight and seventh in the last nine games.
Dirk Nowitzki led the Mavericks with 17 points and eight rebounds, and Brandan Wright added 16 points. Vince Carter had 14 points, while Shawn Marion finished with 12 points and 11 rebounds in the Mavericks' second straight loss.
Memphis moved two games ahead of Dallas for fifth place in the Western Conference.
BUCKS 116, TRAIL BLAZERS 94
MILWAUKEE (AP) - Beno Udrih scored a season-high 21 points, Brandon Jennings also added 21, and Milwaukee beat Portland to tighten the race for the final playoff berth in the Eastern Conference.
Ersan Ilyasova chipped in 20 points for Milwaukee, which moved within a half-game of idle New York with its fourth straight victory. The Bucks are .500 (28-28) for the first time since they were 2-2 on Jan. 2.
LaMarcus Aldridge finished with 21 points for Portland. Wesley Matthews added 14 points for the Trail Blazers, who were hoping to win consecutive road games for the first time this season.
MAGIC 88, 76ERS 82
PHILADELPHIA (AP) - Dwight Howard had 20 points and 22 rebounds, and Glen Davis had 23 points and 12 rebounds to help Orlando snap its five-game losing streak.
J.J. Redick scored 11 of his 19 points in the fourth quarter as the Magic pushed aside the lingering rift between Howard and coach Stan Van Gundy to win for the first time since March 26.
Led by Howard, the Magic outrebounded the Sixers 53-41. Howard had 13 defensive boards.
Thaddeus Young scored 20 points, Jodie Meeks had 16 and Lou Williams 15 for Philadelphia. The Sixers have lost nine of their last 13 games and are in serious danger of missing a playoff spot after leading the Atlantic Division for most of the season.
CLIPPERS 109, KINGS 94
LOS ANGELES (AP) - Blake Griffin had 27 points and 14 rebounds, Randy Foye scored 25 points while hitting seven 3-pointers, and the surging Clippers moved within a half-game of the Pacific Division lead.
Chris Paul had 19 points and 15 assists in the Clippers' eighth win in nine games overall and their second in three days over the Kings, sweeping the season series with their California rivals. The Clippers (34-22) are right behind the Lakers (35-22), who lost at Phoenix, for the division lead and the No. 3 playoff seed.
DeMarcus Cousins had 15 points and 20 rebounds after stoking a feud with pointedly critical comments about Griffin this week. Tyreke Evans and Travis Outlaw scored 14 points apiece.
WARRIORS 112, NUGGETS 97
OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) - David Lee had 17 points and nine rebounds, and the Golden State Warriors got a big lift from their reserves to put a dent in Denver's playoff hopes.
Reserves Brandon Rush added 20 points, Nate Robinson had 14 points and seven assists, and Richard Jefferson scored 10 points to help the Warriors to a rare blowout victory at home.
Denver could have moved into the sixth spot in the Western Conference with a win, but instead dropped into the No. 8 seed, a half-game behind Houston and Dallas.
Ty Lawson had 21 points and six assists for the Nuggets, who were outrebounded and gave up 58 points in the paint.