The Battle For Florida Highlights Wednesday Night In NBA

Amare Stoudemire was perfect from the field in the third quarter, when he scored 18 of his game-high 28 points, leading Phoenix to a 126-111 win over the Memphis Grizzlies. Steve Nash registered 11 points and 16 assists for the Suns, who have won four of their last five games overall and remained unbeaten in six home contests this season. Jason Richardson scored 20 for Phoenix, which has beaten the Grizzlies in 12 of the last 13 meetings.

Jason Terry scored 27 points and Jason Kidd climbed into second place on the league’s all-time list for assists as Dallas blew out Houston, 130-99, at the Toyota Center. Kidd, who had nine points and seven helpers, has 10,337 career assists. That moved him past Mark Jackson (10,334) into second place with John Stockton (15,806) holding the all-time lead.

Donte Greene poured in 24 points and had career-highs with five assists and six blocks, as the Sacramento Kings used a balanced attack to dominate the lowly New York Knicks, 111-97, at ARCO Arena.

Finally, the New Jersey Nets moved a loss closer to the record for the NBA’s worst start to a season on Wednesday night when they dropped their 15th straight game, 93-83 to the Portland Trail Blazers.

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LeBron James poured in a game-high 34 points, grabbed eight rebounds, and dished out seven assists, as the Cleveland Cavaliers handled the struggling Detroit Pistons, 98-88, at The Palace of Auburn Hills. Mo Williams added 14 points and eight assists for the Cavaliers, who have won three in a row and eight of nine. Anthony Parker and Daniel Gibson each chipped in 13 points for Cleveland, which shot 50 percent from the field.

Darren Collison outplayed fellow rookie Brandon Jennings, as his 18-point night included a three-pointer to send the game into overtime and a go-ahead free throw in the extra session to lead New Orleans to a 102-99 victory over Milwaukee. Collison, still starting in placed of the injured Chris Paul, also had eight assists and seven rebounds in the Hornets’ fourth win in five games. David West ended with a game-high 27 points and 10 rebounds for the victors.

Carmelo Anthony netted 22 points and six other Nuggets scored in double-figures, as Denver earned a 124-111 win over Minnesota, dealing the Timberwolves their 14th straight defeat. Chauncey Billups was 4-of-4 from three-point range and finished with 19 points, while Nene went for 17 points, eight rebounds and six assists for the Nuggets, who shot 52.5 percent from the field, including 10-of-18 from beyond the arc. Denver has won three straight and five of its last six.

Tony Parker poured in 32 points and dished out seven assists, as the San Antonio Spurs continued their dominance over the Golden State Warriors in the Alamo City with a 118-104 victory at AT&T Center. The Spurs have topped the Warriors 23 straight times in San Antonio and haven’t lost to Golden State at home since drafting star forward Tim Duncan with the No. 1 overall pick in 1997.