SAN ANTONIO (AP) - Tim Duncan scored 19 points, Tony Parker had 18 and the San Antonio Spurs won their third in a row, beating the New Orleans Hornets 93-81 Thursday night.
A night after Duncan scored 25 in a win over Houston, it was somewhat surprising that he even played. Coach Gregg Popovich has vowed to limit the 35-year-old's minutes and playing the West's worst team seemed to invite a night off.
But the Hornets didn't make it easy. Carly Landry scored 17 points and Greivis Vasquez added 16 points staring in place of Jarrett Jack, keeping New Orleans close before the Spurs blew out the game in the fourth.
Jack sat out with a sore knee but the pain isn't considered serious. The Hornets have lost 12 of their last 13.
Tiago Splitter added 16 points and Danny Green had 11 off the bench for the Spurs, who improved to an NBA-best 12-1 at home. They need to stockpile all the home wins they can: After hosting the NBA-leading Oklahoma City Thunder on Saturday night, the Spurs won't be back home for three weeks.
The San Antonio Rodeo runs the Spurs out of town every February - but the franchise has never seen a stretch like this. The compressed schedule in wake of the NBA lockout has San Antonio in the midst of playing 16 of 21 games outside the AT&T Center, the toughest road run in Spurs history.
BULLS 105, KNICKS 102
NEW YORK (AP) - Derrick Rose scored 32 points to outduel fellow All-Star starter Carmelo Anthony.
Rose had 15 in the fourth quarter and repeatedly answered when the Knicks rallied. With Chicago leading 88-83 midway through the final period, the reigning MVP scored on three straight possessions. He split Anthony and Amare Stoudemire to flip in a shot from past the backboard, then hit a 3-pointer to put the Bulls up 95-88.
Stoudemire had 34 points and 11 rebounds but missed a 3-pointer that would have tied the game with 10 seconds left. New York has lost 10 of 12 and now heads into its first back-to-back-to-back since 1999 with coach Mike D'Antoni facing more questions about his job security. New York must travel to Boston to play Friday night before returning home to face the Nets on Saturday.
Anthony had 26 points but just 4 in the fourth quarter and missed a desperation 3 at the buzzer that would have sent the game to overtime. Twice in the last 2 minutes with the Knicks trailing by 3, he had his shot blocked.
NUGGETS 112, CLIPPERS 91
LOS ANGELES (AP) - Danilo Gallinari scored 21 points, including all five of his 3-pointers, and the Denver Nuggets beat the Clippers 112-91 Thursday night, ending Los Angeles' season-high four-game winning streak.
Ty Lawson added 18 points, Arron Afflalo 15 and Timofey Mozgov 11 for the Nuggets, who had lost two straight overall and three in a row to the Clippers, their longest active losing streak against any team.
Blake Griffin led the Clippers with 18 points, Chris Paul added 15 points and nine assists, and Caron Butler had 11 after missing Wednesday night's win at Utah with a sore lower back. Earlier Thursday, Griffin and Paul were voted to the starting lineup for the All-Star game, giving the Clippers two players on the team for the first time since 1976.
WARRIORS 119, JAZZ 101
OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) - Stephen Curry scored 29 points and had a season-high 12 assists and Monta Ellis added 33 points.
David Lee added 23 points and 14 rebounds for the Warriors. Golden State has won two straight since losing the first four games on its six-game homestand.
Curry and Ellis, who were on the bench for most of the fourth quarter in Tuesday's win over Sacramento when coach Mark Jackson played mainly reserves, didn't get much of a rest against the Jazz while leading the Warriors to their highest point total of the season.
Paul Milsap had 15 points and 11 rebounds for Utah. The Jazz played without starting point guard Devin Harris, who was a late scratch due to a strained left hamstring.
KINGS 95, TRAIL BLAZERS 92
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) (AP) - Marcus Thornton scored 20 points and John Salmons had a season-high 19 for Sacramento, which snapped a five-game losing streak.
The Blazers had beaten the Kings in 12 of the previous 13 games, but Sacramento ran off five straight points late in the game and held off Portland, which missed two 3-pointers in the final 10 seconds.
LaMarcus Aldridge had 28 points and 14 rebounds for the Blazers, who have lost four straight on the road, where they are 3-9 this season. Jamal Crawford scored 17 points and Raymond Felton 15 points and 10 assists. Portland made just 8-of-16 free throws.
Tyreke Evans scored 18 points, Marcus Thornton and Jason Thompson added 13 points and 12 rebounds for the Kings.
GRIZZLIES 96, HAWKS 77
ATLANTA (AP) - Rudy Gay scored 21 points to lead five Memphis players in double figures and Memphis blew out the listless Atlanta Hawks.
The Grizzlies pulled away late in the first half, closing on an 18-7 run that gave the Grizzlies a 10-point lead at the break. They totally blew it open in the third quarter after Atlanta missed its first seven shots and turned it over three times.
The Hawks were coming off a 4-1 road trip that left them tied with Miami for the Southeast Division lead. But they looked exhausted in their return to Philips Arena, putting up ugly jumpers, playing pedestrian defense and struggling just to hang on to the ball.
Tony Allen and O.J. Mayo scored 18 apiece for Memphis, while Mike Conley had 15. Marc Gasol turned in a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds, while Dante Cunningham chipped in with 10 rebounds off the bench.
Josh Smith led the Hawks with 11 points, playing only 19 minutes.