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Howard, Orlando Top Cats

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: December 15, 2007

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Dwight Howard had 33 points and 18 rebounds and the Orlando Magic wore down the undermanned Charlotte Bobcats 103-87 on Friday night to snap a three-game losing streak.

Howard, who recorded his league-leading 20th double-double, would have had an even bigger night if not for 11-of-20 shooting from the free-throw line.
Hedo Turkoglu added 22 points for the Magic, who improved to an NBA-best 12-3 on the road and snapped out of their recent doldrums after their surprising 16-4 start.

CELTICS 104, BUCKS 82: Paul Pierce scored a season-high 32 points and Kevin Garnett had an easy 15 with seven rebounds as Boston overcame Ray Allen's absence to match the franchise record with a 12-0 start at home.

With Allen sitting out a game or two to rest a sore ankle, Tony Allen started and scored 11 points. Rajon Rondo scored 17 with eight assists for Boston, which also won its first 12 home games in 1984 en route to the '85 NBA Finals.

Garnett played just 29 minutes for the Celtics, who pulled away when they outscored Milwaukee 32-15 in the third.

NETS 105, CAVALIERS 97: Vince Carter matched a season-high with 32 points and Richard Jefferson had 24 as New Jersey snapped a four-game losing streak.

Jason Kidd finished with eight points, 11 assists and eight rebounds as the Nets overcame their usual slow start at home to win for only the second time in seven games - both against Cleveland.

BULLS 101, KNICKS 96: Luol Deng scored 29 points, Kirk Hinrich delivered the second triple-double of his career, and Chicago handed New York its fifth straight loss.

The Bulls' 16-point fourth-quarter lead shrank to three in the final minute. But Hinrich hit four free throws in the final 23 seconds and Ben Gordon added two more to help seal the win.

RAPTORS 104, PACERS 93: Jason Kapono scored 17 of his career-high 29 points in the fourth quarter to help Toronto win its fourth straight win.
Chris Bosh had 22 points and 16 rebounds, and Jose Calderon had a career-high 16 assists and 18 points for the Raptors, who overcame a 17-point third-quarter deficit.

KINGS 109, 76ERS 99: Brad Miller had 25 points and 10 rebounds and Mikki Moore tied his career-high with 24 points as Sacramento became the final NBA team to win a road game.

John Salmons contributed 19 points and Beno Udrih had 15 for the Kings, who entered the game with nine straight road losses to open a season, matching a team record set in 1987-88 and again in 1993-94.

SUPERSONICS 99, TIMBERWOLVES 88: Chris Wilcox had 19 points and 11 rebounds to help Seattle overcome a sluggish start to beat Minnesota.

Kurt Thomas added 18 for Seattle, which won its second straight on the road, and fourth game in six starts overall.

CLIPPERS 98, GRIZZLIES 91: Chris Kaman and Corey Maggette both scored 23 points and Kaman grabbed 16 rebounds, as the Clippers used a 10-2 fourth-quarter run to beat Memphis.

Cuttino Mobley scored 17 points for the Clippers, who sent Memphis to its sixth straight loss.

PISTONS 91, HAWKS 81: Chauncey Billups scored 23 points and Tayshaun Prince added 17 points and 10 rebounds for Detroit. Detroit has won eight of its last 10 games, while the Hawks lost their second straight after a three-game winning streak.

MAVERICKS 89, HORNETS 80: Jason Terry scored 25 points and reserve Jerry Stackhouse added 16 to lead Dallas.

Josh Howard added 15 points for Dallas, but reigning league MVP Dirk Nowitzki continued to struggle. He had only seven points on 2-of-8 shooting, and is 8-for-23 from the floor over the last two games.

NETS: A 23-year-old model has filed a lawsuit accusing star Jason Kidd of groping and threatening her at a Manhattan nightclub two months ago.

A spokesman for Kidd denied the allegations as a "false" and "defamatory" attempt to get money from the player who earns almost $20 million a year.

TRADE: The Bobcats' search for a big man ended when they acquired center Nazr Mohammed from the Pistons in exchange for center Primoz Brezec and forward Walter Herrmann.

Mohammed, averaging 3.3 points and 3.5 rebounds in 21 games for the Pistons, will provide the Bobcats depth they've been missing since Sean May underwent season-ending knee surgery during training camp.

The Associated Press

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