Brand secures Bulls victory

Bulls 96 Celtics 79

Bulls 96 Celtics 79

In Chicago, Elton Brand had 26 points and 14 rebounds as Chicago beat Boston for its first three-game winning streak since 1998.

Toni Kukoc added 23 and eight assists, and Matt Maloney, signed on Friday, finished with 16, including 3-of-6 from 3-point range.

The victory gives Chicago three wins a row since the 1998 NBA Finals, when the Bulls won Games 2, 3 and 4 on their way to their sixth title. The last time they won more than two in the regular season was from March 14 to April 7, 1998, when they won 13 straight.

Paul Pierce led the Celtics with 20 points.

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Spurs 127, Magic 92

In San Antonio, Tim Duncan scored 22 points in just 27 minutes as San Antonio routed Orlando.

The NBA champion Spurs put the Magic away early, using a 24-0 run to take a 27-4 lead before the Magic made a field goal.

Orlando missed its first nine shots from the field and had six turnovers before Monty Williams made a layup with 3:39 left in the first period. Corey Maggette led Orlando with 17 points.

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Jazz 103, Rockets 87

In Houston, Karl Malone scored 32 points as Utah beat Houston to extend its winning streak to six games.

The Rockets lost to the Jazz for the 11th straight time in the regular-season games, and dropped their third game in a row and fifth in their last six.

Bryon Russell matched his career high with 25 points and added 10 rebounds for the Jazz. Houston's Carlos Rogers hit a free throw in the final seconds to equal his career high of 28 points.

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Mavericks 95, Hawks 85

In Dallas, Michael Finley had 28 points, nine assists and six rebounds as Dallas beat Atlanta to end a five-game losing streak.

Dallas was 1-9 in its previous 10 and had not won at home since December 11. Isaiah Rider led Atlanta with 24 points.

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Nuggets 97, Hornets 92

In Denver, Nick Van Exel was 7-of-11 from 3-point range in a 32-point performance as Denver beat Charlotte.

Elden Campbell led Charlotte with 21 points and 14 rebounds. The Hornets have lost five in a row and seven consecutive games on the road.

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Bucks 130, Wizards 129, 2 OT

In Milwaukee, Scott Williams' layup with two-tenths of a second left in double overtime gave Milwaukee an extraordinary victory over Washington.

Mitch Richmond, who finished with 25 points, hit a desperate fallaway jumper with 1.6 seconds left to give Washington a 129-128 lead. After a timeout, Vinny Del Negro inbounded the ball to Williams, who spun on Jahidi White and scored easily.

Tracy Murray, who had 27 points, hit a last-second jumper in regulation, scored seven points in the first overtime and looked like a hero for the Wizards. But Sam Cassell made two free throws with two-tenths of a second left to force double overtime.

Glenn Robinson led the Bucks with 34 points, and Ray Allen added 28. Rod Strickland had 24 points and 12 assists for the Wizards. Cassell had 16 points and 10 assists.

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Lakers 110, SuperSonics 100

In Seattle, Kobe Bryant scored 31 points as Angeles beat Seattle extend its winning streak to 14 games.

Glen Rice finished with 24 points, and Shaquille O'Neal added 23 for the Lakers, who overcame a 19-point deficit in the third quarter. Vin Baker led the Sonics with 31 points, Gary Payton had 23 and Ruben Patterson added 21.

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Clippers 107, Pacers 94

In Los Angeles, Michael Olowokandi scored a career-high 24 points and had 17 rebounds as Los Angeles snapped Indiana's seven-game winning streak.

Maurice Taylor and Tyrone Nesby each added 23 points, helping the Clippers end a four-game losing streak and a 12-game skid against the Pacers - including five straight at home.

Travis Best scored 20 points, Jalen Rose had 17 and Reggie Miller added 16 for the Eastern Conference-leading Pacers.

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Suns 96, Trail Blazers 91

In Portland, Oregon, Bonzi Wells scored 13 of his career-high 23 points in the fourth quarter, and Brian Grant's dunk with 31.5 seconds left helped Portland rally to beat Phoenix.

Grant added 21 points and 11 rebounds for the Blazers, who came back from a 10-point deficit early in the fourth quarter. Rex Chapman led the Suns with 20 points, and Jason Kidd had 13 points and 14 assists.

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Cavaliers 89, Knicks 86

In New York, Bob Sura scored 25 points, including a key 3-pointer with 10.8 seconds left, as the Cleveland Cavaliers won on the road for just the third time this season with an 89-86 victory over the New York Knicks.

Sura's 3-pointer came in a game-closing 14-4 run in which he accounted for eight of Cleveland's points Saturday night.

The Cavs, who blew an early 17-point lead, snapped a seven-game road losing streak and put together their first two-game winning streak since the second week of December.

Lamond Murray added 15 points, Shawn Kemp had 12 and Brevin Knight 11. Allan Houston, who led New York with 23 points, missed a 3-pointer at the buzzer that would have tied it.

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Timberwolves 110, Pistons 105

In Auburn Hills, Michigan, Terrell Brandon had 28 points and Kevin Garnett added 22 points and 14 rebounds as Minnesota beat Detroit 110-105, snapping Detroit's six-game winning streak.

Grant Hill led Detroit with 40 points, becoming the first Pistons player to score 30 or more in four straight games since Joe Dumars in 1992-93. Hill had consecutive 42-point performances in Orlando and Atlanta and 31 against Milwaukee on Thursday night.

Minnesota, which extended its own winning streak to four games, improved to 16-14 - the first time the Timberwolves have been two games over .500 since they were 7-5.

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Nets 90, Heat 89

In Miami, Scott Burrell hit one of three free throws with 5.1 seconds to play as New Jersey beat Miami 90-89.

Burrell, who was just outside the 3-point arc, drew a foul from Alonzo Mourning to set up the winning free throw. Burrell connected on the second of his three opportunities.

Stephon Marbury had 20 points and 11 assists, and Kerry Kittles and Kendall Gill each scored 16 points for the Nets. Mourning had 23 points, 18 rebounds, and six blocks for Miami.