Mavs claim victory
The New Orleans Hornets suffered a double loss in their first game since GM Jeff Bower replaced fired Byron Scott as coach.
(AP) -- First, they lost a game, 86-78, to Portland behind LaMarcus Aldridge's 20 points and 13 rebounds.
More importantly, they lost All-Star point guard Chris Paul, who suffered a sprained ankle and had to be helped off the court. Paul left the arena on crutches. He said he would not play tonight in Atlanta and beyond that could not be sure about how serious the injury was.
In the rest of the NBA action:
— Atlanta went into Boston and upset the Celtics 97-86. Joe Johnson scored 24 points, Jamal Crawford had 18. The Celtics have lost twice in 10 games, both on Friday nights at home.
— Sacramento beat Houston 109-100. That's the Kings' fourth straight win. Jason Thompson had a career-high 27 points and added 11 rebounds.
— Denver took advantage of the L.A. Lakers playing their second game in two nights and ran away from the defending NBA champions in the second half, 105-79. That ends the Lakers' six-game win streak. Carmelo Anthony had 25.
— Toronto beat the L.A. Clippers 104-89. Chris Bosh led the way with 21 points and 14 boards.
— Carlos Boozer had 24 points and 12 rebounds, Wesley Matthews added a career-high 16 points and the short-handed Utah Jazz ran past the Philadelphia 76ers 112-90. The Jazz were playing without point guard Deron Williams but still had seven players in double figures. Williams was given permission to temporarily leave the team to deal with a family medical issue.
— Dirk Nowitzki scored 15 of his 20 points in a tense third quarter and also grabbed 11 rebounds to lead the Dallas Mavericks to a 89-77 victory over Minnesota.
— Dwight Howard had 26 points and 12 rebounds and Matt Barnes added 13 points and 13 rebounds and the Orlando Magic put away winless New Jersey 88-72. The Nets are 0-and-9.
— Stephen Jackson scored 23 and the Golden State Warriors sent the New York Knicks to the worst 10-game start in franchise history with a 121-107 loss. The Knicks are 1-and-9.
(Copyright ©2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
