NHL Hockey Betting

OKLAHOMA CITY 91, TORONTO 83

OKLAHOMA CITY With their third win of the season hanging by a thread Friday night, the youngsters of the Oklahoma City Thunder wouldnt let it slip away.

Nursing a two-point edge late in the fourth quarter, the Thunder staged an 8-0 run to put the game away, snapping an eight-game skid with a 91-83 victory over the struggling Toronto Raptors.

Chris Boshs free throw with 1:51 on the clock cut the Raptors deficit to 83-81, but rookie point guard Russell Westbrook gave the Thunder a bit of breathing room just under a minute later, burying a 15-footer to push the lead to four. Bosh misfired on the other end and Westbrook found second-year forward Jeff Green for a driving dunk.

Westbrook and reigning Rookie of the Year Kevin Durant added two free throws apiece over the final 28 seconds to cap the spurt and put the game on ice. It is just Oklahoma Citys third victory of the season and first since a 111-103 triumph over Memphis on November 29.

Durant finished with 23 points despite 8-of-23 shooting, while Westbrook collected 19 and eight assists.

With their fourth straight loss, the Raptors fell to just 2-7 under new head coach Jay Triano, who took over for the fired Sam Mitchell on December 3. Bosh registered 22 points and 16 boards but was a miserable 6-of-18 from the floor.

MIAMI 89, LA LAKERS 87

MIAMI Kobe Bryants 10-foot jumper went halfway down before spinning out as the Miami Heat survived a fourth-quarter rally by the Los Angeles Lakers for an 89-87 victory.

After Dwyane Wade - who scored 35 points - knocked down 1-of-2 foul shots, the Lakers called a timeout with 6.5 seconds left. They got the ball to Bryant off the inbounds play and he worked his way toward the hoop before firing and seeing the ball just rim out.

The Heat used a strong third quarter to take a 12-point lead going into the final dozen minutes and needed that entire advantage as the Lakers outscored them, 24-14, in the final quarter.

Bryant finished with 28 points, Derek Fisher added 13 and Pau Gasol netted 13 and 11 rebounds for the Lakers, but missed the first of two free throws with less than 10 seconds left. He could have tied the game had he hit both.

Daequan Cook scored 14 points off the bench for Miami.

UTAH 120, DETROIT 114 (2OT)

AUBURN HILLS, Michigan The Utah Jazz kept their winning streak against the Detroit Pistons alive - with a major assist from a former Piston.

Mehmet Okur, who broke into the NBA with Detroit and was a member of the squad that won the 2004 NBA championship, scored 12 of his 26 points in the fourth quarter and added three more in the second overtime as the Jazz survived with a thrilling 120-114 triumph.

Utah has won nine of the last 10 meetings with Detroit, including the last seven in a row. The Jazz havent lost at the Palace since March 13, 2005.

Neither team had much room to breathe all night - particularly down the stretch. One dramatic shot would be answered by another. A game-changing turnover would be reciprocated moments later on the other end.

Jazz point guard Deron Williams thought he had the game won with a turnaround, fadeaway jumper with less than three seconds remaining in regulation. But Richard Hamilton answered from the baseline on the other end to force the extra frame.

In the first overtime, it was the other way around. Detroit took a lead on Tayshaun Princes jumper with 35 seconds on the clock - and it was Williams who responded, connecting from 18 feet to force another overtime.

But this time, the Jazz were finally able to maintain some semblance of control - albeit by the slimmest of margins, for most of the period. Paul Millsaps dunk put the Jazz ahead for good just 15 seconds into the second overtime, but the Pistons didnt make it easy, repeatedly pulling to within one or two points but failing to get over the hump.

With Utah nursing a one-point lead with less than a minute left, Williams barreled into the paint but kicked out to an open Kyle Korver on the left wing. After struggling all night, Korver buried it from long range, opening up a four-point cushion. Allen Iversons driving layup moments later pulled Detroit back to within two, but the Jazz closed out the victory at the foul line.

NEW JERSEY 121, DALLAS 97

EAST RUTHERFORD, New Jersey Devin Harris had 41 points and 13 assists to help the New Jersey Nets spoil Jason Kidds return to his old stomping grounds and cruise to a 121-97 victory over the Dallas Mavericks.

Vince Carter added 34 points, 10 rebounds and six assists, while Yi Jianlian contributed 16 points and 10 rebounds for the Nets.

Kidd spent 6 1/2 seasons with the Nets and helped them to consecutive Eastern Conference titles before being traded to Dallas last season for a package that included Harris. He had 17 points and seven assists in his first trip back to the IZOD Center since the high-profile deal.

Dirk Nowitzki poured in 24 points to pace the Mavericks, who have dropped two of their last three contests.

BOSTON 126, CHICAGO 108

BOSTON The superlatives continue to mount for the Boston Celtics. More may be on the horizon.

In their highest-scoring output this season, the Celtics got a career-high 25 points from Kendrick Perkins and 15 assists from Rajon Rondo en route to their 17th straight win, a 126-108 rout of the Chicago Bulls.

Boston (25-2), which set a season high for assists (40) and got every player but little-used center Patrick OBryant in the scoring column, can match the franchise record for consecutive wins - set in the 1981-82 season - with a victory over the New York Knicks on Sunday. A win would also tie the NBAs best start after 28 games.

The 1966-67 Philadelphia 76ers and 1969-70 Knicks both started 26-2 before winning the NBA championship.

Ray Allen led the Celtics with 27 points, Kevin Garnett had 17 and Paul Pierce chipped in 16. Boston led at halftime, 57-55, but blew it open after intermission, making all five of its 3-point tries in the third.

CLEVELAND 105, DENVER 88

DENVER LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers do not seem to be interested in playing close games this season.

James collected 33 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists as the Cavaliers blew out the Denver Nuggets, 105-88.

Cleveland, which now owns the NBAs second-best record at 22-4, won its 18th game by double digits and has only one victory by less than five points this season.

One of those double-digit victories came on November 13 in Cleveland when the Cavaliers defeated the Nuggets, 110-99.

With Fridays win, Cleveland swept the season series from Denver for the first time since the 1999-2000 season.

Cleveland came out sizzling in this one as it raced out to a 37-21 first-quarter lead behind James 14 points on 6-of-6 shooting.

Zydrunas Ilgauskas, who returned to the lineup after missing three games due to a sprained left ankle, added nine points as the Cavaliers shot 15-of-20 from the field in the opening quarter.

MILWAUKEE 105, NEW YORK 81

NEW YORK Just like the traffic that Al Harrington experienced, the New York Knicks had a performance in which they went nowhere. For the Milwaukee Bucks, their showing was a relatively smooth trip.

Michael Redd scored 21 points as the Bucks routed the Knicks, 105-81.

Richard Jefferson and rookie Luc Richard Mbah a Moute added 16 apiece for Milwaukee, which has won the first three meetings with New York to claim the season series - something that could be significant if the teams are jockeying for playoff position.

The Bucks improved to 12-16, with three of their best performances have come against the Knicks. The Bucks posted an eight-point win here last month and blew out the Knicks on November 21 - the same day that Jamal Crawford and Zach Randolph were traded.

In this one, the Bucks shot 47 percent (42-of-90) and capped a stretch of six out of seven games on the road by posting their fourth straight win over the Knicks and third win in four games overall.

Nate Robinson scored 21 points for the Knicks (11-15), who could not overcome a 15-point first quarter and shot 39 percent (29-of-75). They also were unable to overcome 23 turnovers and lost their third in row.

LA CLIPPERS 117, INDIANA 109 (2OT)

INDIANAPOLIS Zach Randolph is quietly turning into a legitimate go-to guy for the Los Angeles Clippers. The talented journeyman continued his hot streak with 34 points and 16 boards to lead his new team to a 117-109, double-overtime victory over the Indiana Pacers.

Acquired last month in the high-profile deal that sent Tim Thomas and Cuttino Mobley to the New York Knicks, Randolph has been a force over the last month. He now has four 30-point showings in his last five games. Not coincidentally, the Clippers have won four of five.

However, it was his teammates that did the heavy lifting in the second overtime session to seal the win.

Al Thornton opened up the frame with a go-ahead jumper, then added a pair of free throws to give L.A. a four-point cushion. With just over a minute left and the Clippers nursing a four-point lead, rookie guard Eric Gordon buried a 3-pointer and the Pacers could never recover.

The Pacers put a shorthanded lineup on the floor, as starters Danny Granger, Troy Murphy and Marquis Daniels were all out due to a viral infection. Jarrett Jack picked up the offensive slack, pouring in 27 points and dishing out seven assists.

PHILADELPHIA 109, WASHINGTON 103

WASHINGTON Louis Williams had a career-high 26 points, Thaddeus Young and Andre Iguodala each added 18 as the Philadelphia 76ers beat the Washington Wizards, 109-103.

Philadelphia played its first game without Elton Brand, who dislocated his right shoulder in Wednesdays win over Milwaukee. Brand, who will be out about a month, was replaced in the starting lineup by Young.

It was the third straight win for Tony DiLeo - who replaced Maurice Cheeks as Philadelphias coach last Saturday - his second against Washington.

The Wizards (4-20), who lost for the fifth straight time, dropped to 3-10 under their own new coach, Ed Tapscott, who replaced Eddie Jordan on November 24.

The Sixers took a 103-101 lead when Iguodala hit two free throws with 2:15 to play.

Andray Blatche tried a two-pointer from the corner with just 25 seconds to play, but it bounced away. Iguodala hit two more free throws with 16.5 seconds to play to make it 105-101.

HOUSTON 107, SACRAMENTO 96

HOUSTON The Houston Rockets started a busy stretch of basketball with a 107-96, come-from-behind victory over the struggling Sacramento Kings.

In the first of a four-games-in-five-nights stretch, the Rockets (17-9) shrugged off a slow start to win their sixth straight home game to improve to 9-3 here.

Yao Ming and Luis Scola led the Rockets with 30 and 23 points, respectively, and Tracy McGrady and Aaron Brooks chipped in with 18 and 10, respectively.

McGrady also had a game-high eight assists for the Rockets, who will play the Timberwolves in Minneapolis Saturday before traveling to New Jersey and Cleveland on Monday and Tuesday.

John Salmons scored 26 points for Sacramento, which fell to 7-20 overall and lost its fifth straight road game. Bobby Jackson scored 19 points off the bench, while Brad Miller and Francisco Garcia added 17 and 14 points, respectively.

ATLANTA 115, GOLDEN STATE 99

ATLANTA After toiling around for three quarters, Ronald Murray, Joe Johnson and the Atlanta Hawks finally put away the woeful Golden State Warriors.

Johnson ignited a big fourth-quarter run with a pair of buckets and Murray scored 13 of his 20 points in the frame, leading the Hawks to a 115-99 victory over the Warriors.

Marvin Williams poured in 22 points and Al Horford and Josh Smith added 14 each for Atlanta, which improved to 10-2 at home this season.

Marco Belinelli tallied a career-high 27 points for shorthanded Golden State, which played without leading scorers Corey Maggette and Stephen Jackson.

Atlanta trailed by two entering the final quarter before Johnson and Murray took control.

The Hawks captain, Johnson ignited the rally with a jumper 15 seconds into the final quarter to knot the game at 81-81 before Brandan Wright split a pair of free throws to give the Warriors their last lead.

CHARLOTTE 112, MEMPHIS 83

MEMPHIS, Tennessee Boris Diaw scored a season-high 26 points and grabbed 10 rebounds, while Emeka Okafor contributed 25 points as the Charlotte Bobcats thwarted the Memphis Grizzlies, 112-83.

After missing one game to attend his fathers funeral, Gerald Wallace scored 22 points on 9-of-11 shooting and added nine rebounds for the Bobcats, who won two games in a row for the second time this season.

Charlotte shot 66 percent (50-of-76) from the floor and outrebounded Memphis, 41-23.

Rudy Gay recorded 17 points and Darko Milicic added 11 for the Grizzlies, who have dropped two straight games following a four-game winning streak.