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Augustin helps Bobcats send reeling Celtics to another loss

THE Charlotte Bobcats stunned Boston 114-106 in overtime to continue the Celtics' sudden slide in the NBA yesterday.

Beaten by their surprising nemesis for the second time in two seasons, the defending champions have quickly gone from unbeatable to vulnerable. After a team-record 19-game winning streak and an NBA-record 27-2 start, the Celtics lost for the fifth time in seven games, leaving battered, bruised and angry by coach Larry Brown's upstart Bobcats.

Paul Pierce scored 28 points, but had a key turnover in overtime. Ray Allen scored 20 points on 7-of-20 shooting for the Celtics.

Raymond Felton scored 25 points and rookie D.J. Augustin added 11 of his 20 points in overtime for Charlotte.

Hornets 116, Lakers 105

At Los Angeles, David West scored 15 of his 40 points in the fourth quarter, and Chris Paul added 32 points and 15 assists as New Orleans snapped the Los Angeles Lakers' 15-game home winning streak.

West shot 14-of-23 from the floor and 12-of-13 from the foul line in matching his career high. He also grabbed 11 rebounds as the Hornets (21-10) won for the 16th time in 21 games and avenged two losses to the Lakers in New Orleans earlier this season.

Kobe Bryant led the Lakers with 39 points and seven assists, but scored only two in the fourth quarter.

Magic 89, Wizards 80

At Orlando, Florida, Hedo Turkoglu scored 22 points and Orlando held off a late scoring burst by Caron Butler to beat Washington.

Orlando center Dwight Howard had his league-leading 25th double-double, with 15 points and 16 rebounds. Jameer Nelson added 14 points for the Magic, who rebounded from their loss at Toronto on Sunday.

Butler had 29 points, all in the second half, and Antawn Jamison scored 13 for the recently energized Wizards, who fell to 0-3 against Orlando this season.

76ers 104, Rockets 96

At Philadelphia, Andre Iguodala scored 28 points and reeling Philadelphia returned home from a dreadful road trip to beat Houston.

The Sixers needed to escape the Lone Star State to finally defeat a team from Texas. They lost at Dallas and San Antonio in the final two games of a 1-5 road trip and had lost five of seven overall, parking them in last place in the Atlantic Division.

Heading home was the perfect tonic. Iguodala continued on his recent scoring surge and scored nine points in the third quarter to help the Sixers stretch the lead to 11.

Luis Scola led six Rockets in double figures with 18 points and grabbed 17 rebounds.

Timberwolves 94, Grizzlies 87

At Memphis, Tennessee, Randy Foye scored 23 points, including the go-ahead 3-pointer with 40 seconds left, as Minnesota weathered a late rally to beat Memphis.

Following his basket, Foye blocked O.J. Mayo's shot on the next Grizzlies possession, leading to a fast-break bucket by Ryan Gomes, and the Timberwolves secured their third straight win _ their longest winning streak since January 2007.

Al Jefferson added 19 points, 12 rebounds and four blocks for Minnesota, which scored the final seven points, five by Foye.

Hakim Warrick scored 22 points and Mayo added 20 points, eight rebounds and five assists for Memphis.

Thunder 107, Knicks 99

At Oklahoma City, Kevin Durant had 27 points and 12 rebounds and Jeff Green scored 27 points as Oklahoma City held off New York.

The Thunder (5-30) continued their recent offensive surge, shooting 52.7 percent from the field _ including an 11-for-16 performance by Durant. Still, they nearly blew a 23-point second-half lead before recovering.

Al Harrington scored 21 points and Chris Duhon added 18 for the Knicks (13-20), who were coming off a victory over defending NBA champion Boston. New York, which beat the Thunder by 10 points on Nov. 14, shot 39.8 percent.

Russell Westbrook added 22 points and nine assists for Oklahoma City.

Bulls 99, Kings 94

At Chicago, Ben Gordon scored 24 points and Chicago beat Sacramento to snap a three-game losing streak.

The Bulls converted 33 of 36 free throws, but the three they missed nearly cost them. After making its first 29, Chicago hit just four of its final seven, allowing Sacramento to stay in the game.

Trailing 97-94 after Chicago's Drew Gooden hit 1-of-2 with 9.1 seconds left, Sacramento had a chance to tie it. But Kevin Martin missed a finger roll with 4 seconds left and Thabo Sefolosha hit two more free throws to seal it for the Bulls.

Kevin Martin had 29 points for the lowly Kings, who have dropped 10 of 11.

Mavericks 107, Clippers 102

At Dallas, Dirk Nowitzki scored 34 points, including the go-ahead jumper with 37 seconds left right after he blocked a shot as Dallas held on to beat the short-handed Los Angeles Clippers.

The Mavericks needed a game-ending 11-1 run to avoid being upset at home by Los Angeles, which had only eight players in uniform because of injuries and a suspension.

Rookie guard Eric Gordon led the Clippers with 32 points, but he was blocked driving for a layup with 48 seconds left by Nowitzki, who then hit a high-arching 11-footer at the other end for a 103-102 lead.

 

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