NBA Scores & More: Celtics Survive Cavs' Comeback Attempt, Grizzlies Steal One From Nuggets In OT

The Memphis Grizzlies needed a win Tuesday night. Riding a four-game losing streak, the Grizzlies would drop below .500 with another loss. Unfortunately, they were playing the Denver Nuggets, owners of the second best record in the Western Conference. Through grit and determination, mostly on the defensive end, Memphis managed to get the all-important win in overtime, 100-97.

It didn't start out well for the Grizzlies, as they shot just 28 percent in a brutally ugly first half. Still, somehow they trailed by only a dozen, despite the frigid shooting. The Grizzlies continued to struggle putting the ball in the basket and were shooting just 31 percent through three quarters, but had managed to cut the lead to seven.

However, every time Memphis made a run, the Nuggets seemed to have an answer. Denver is one of the deepest teams in the league, and they somehow find a different player or two to step up every game. The team's leading scorers on the season are youngsters Danilo Gallinari and Ty Lawson, but although Lawson returned from a two-game absence Tuesday night, it was the crafty old veterans Al Harrington and Andre Miller that carried the Nuggets down the stretch of this one. With Gallinari ice cold (1 for 10) and Lawson a relative non-factor (12 points), Harrington (23 points, 21 of them after halftime) and Miller (20 points, 8 in the fourth quarter) were the offense for the Nuggets in the second half.

The Nuggets built the lead back up to 12 on a Harrington three-pointer three minutes into the final period, and three minutes later with just six minutes left in the game the lead was still 10. But suddenly the Grizzlies starting making shots. Memphis went on a 10-1 run to cut the lead to a single point, the closest the game had been since the first quarter. The Grizzlies finally got back to even on an O.J. Mayo floater with 33 seconds left, and after the teams exchanged one more basket each, the game went to overtime.

Denver again took control of the game in the extra period. They still held a four-point lead at 97-93 with under two minutes to go when everything changed. After a Denver steal, Lawson, one of the quickest players in the league with the ball in has hands, raced ahead of the pack for what looked like an easy layup that would give the Nuggets a six-point lead and ice the game. But Rudy Gay got the chase down block and ignited the break in the other direction. Given that baskets had not been coming easy for Memphis, Mayo's fast break layup was manna from heaven, and instead of being down six they were down only a bucket. On the next Denver possession, Tony Allen blocked Harrington's shot, and the Grizzlies had the ball down two in the final minute. After a miss and an offensive rebound, Mayo got a clean look at a three and gave the Grizzlies their first lead of the game since 19-18 and, eventually, the victory.

Memphis got balanced scoring from Gay (20), Marc Gasol (20), Mayo (18) and Allen (17). Allen, not a noted scorer, came up huge both with his points as well as with eight rebounds and four blocked shots. For Gay it was a bounce back game after scoring just a single point in 35 minutes in a loss to the Spurs Monday.

It's not easy to win a game while shooting just 38 percent, but Memphis is just the team to do it. The Grizzlies lead the league in forcing turnovers, and by generating 25 Denver miscues and grabbing 17 offensive rebounds, the Grizzlies manufactured just enough extra possessions to steal a crucial win. This was a typical, ugly Memphis game -- terrible shooting, but dominant in all the hustle stats. With 13 steals, 9 blocked shots, 25 forced turnovers and 17 offensive rebounds, the Grizz just outworked the Nuggets.

For Denver, it is the second straight heartbreaking loss and drops their record to 14-7. The Grizzlies end that nasty four-game slide and improve to 11-10.

For more on the Nuggets, check out the Denver Stiffs blog. As for the Grizzlies, they're Straight Outta Vancouver.

Both the New York Knicks and the Detroit Pistons came into Tuesday night's match-up reeling something fierce. Each team had lost nine of its last ten games, though Detroit's struggles were of the forgivable rebuilding project variety and New York's were grounds for near-pandemonium from the fans. Anyway, one team's streak had to end, and the team that seemed less fit for a massive losing streak had the upper hand. The Knicks handled the Pistons pretty easily, leading from the outset and finishing with a 113-86 advantage.

New York benefited quite a bit from the return of Carmelo Anthony. Anthony, who had missed the last two games to rest his ankle and wrist injuries, tested his sore ankle before game time, deemed it playable, and proceeded to log his best game in weeks. Melo finally looked himself, draining isolation jumpers, whirling to the rim for easy finishes, and -- most importantly -- pinching the defense to create opportunities for his teammates. And for once, those teammates followed through. Landry Fields, in particular, awoke from a season-long downtown drought to sink four of six three-pointers, including three in the first quarter alone. His superb sniping was part of a 9-18 outside effort and 42-70 (60 percent) shooting overall -- only the second time the Knicks had cracked 50 percent in a game this season (the other being a similar win over the Bobcats). Tyson Chandler chipped in 17 points off inside finishes and free throws and Amar'e Stoudemire added 15 of his own.

The Pistons, still missing Ben Gordon and Charlie Villanueva (what up free agent class of '09!), never looked particularly interested in competing, though they got decent contributions from a few of their young folks. Jonas Jerebko's team-leading 15 points came almost entirely in garbage time, but Greg Monroe's 13-point, 12-rebound performance was the real deal, and the Pistons got a few nice baskets from the penetration of Rodney Stuckey and Walker Russell Jr. off the bench. Detroit's loss was their second in consecutive nights, and they'll have little rest (albeit minimal travel) before visiting the Nets on Wednesday to complete a back-to-back-to-back run of games.

The Knicks, whose win moved them to 8-13, have a day off before beginning a back-to-back-to-back of their own against the Bulls, Celtics and Nets.

Check out Posting and Toasting for more Knicks coverage and Detroit Bad Boys for more on the Pistons.

Coming off a 12-0 fourth quarter comeback run to beat the Boston Celtics two days ago, the Cleveland Cavaliers once again tackled a steep fourth quarter comeback Tuesday night in Cleveland. Down as much as 22 points in the game and 18 points going into the fourth quarter, the Cavaliers cut the Celtic lead down to two with 1:18 left, but couldn't make shots at the end, and Kevin Garnett hit a turnaround with a minute left to lift the Celtics to a 93-90 win.

The Cavs came on strong in the fourth quarter by speeding up the pace of their offense and scoring better in transition, before Boston's defense could set up shop.This aggressive approach plus using rookie Kyrie Irving as an off-guard down in the final quarter, where he scored 13 points, helped to make things interesting. Cleveland shot 60 percent in the fourth quarter, slicing the previously large lead down to give them the chance to win.

Ray Allen was all over the place for Boston, playing the role of penetrator and playmaker in point guard Rajon Rondo's continued absence. Allen bolted down the lane on a number of possessions and flip a pass over his shoulder to a waiting Celtic jump shooter. Allen finished with only 10 shot attempts (12 points) and eight assists to lead the team.

The Celtics were very democratic with their shot distribution, with no Boston player having more than 14 shot attempts (Paul Pierce), and seven players with seven or more shot attempts. Pierce led Boston with 20 points (seven in the fourth quarter) and had six assists while Brandon Bass pitched in 13, including two late buckets and a 6-9 shooting night.

Irving continued to show his scoring prowess against Boston, leading Cleveland with 21 points overall and proving hard for even the energetic Avery Bradley to defend. Also, Anderson Varejao had 20 points and 20 rebounds for Cleveland in the loss, his first ever 20-20 game and the fourth player to do it this season. The 20 rebounds are a career high and the previous closest he came was a 16-point, 18-rebound game in 2008.

Jeff Clark at Celtics Blog exhales:

Deja vu isn't any fun when you are experiencing a nightmare all over again. The Celtics once again held a large lead in through 3 quarters and once again let the Cavs go on a huge run in the 4th quarter. They played passively and let Cleveland be the aggressors. This time, however, they had enough of a cushion (20 points at one point) that they were able to hang on by the skin of their teeth for the victory. Let's not do this again real soon, shall we?

For the Cleveland side of the story, check out Fear the Sword.

Prior to Tuesday night's game between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Charlotte Bobcats, the FOX Sports West broadcast noted a very strange stat: the Lakers franchise has a sub .500 all-time head-to-head record against only two NBA teams, the Boston Celtics and the Charlotte Bobcats. Lakers players may not have known the particulars or peculiarities of that stat, but they did play with a purpose from the opening tip and marched to a 106-73 win. The Bobcats still lead the all-time series 8-7 after Tuesday's blowout loss to the Lakers, but at this point that seems like nothing more than an interesting bit of trivia.

Kobe Bryant walked onto the court almost visibly determined to disprove the idea that Gerald Henderson can effectively defend him. In the first quarter alone, Kobe matched the entire Bobcats team with 18 points, and did so a very impressive 7-12 shooting from the field. He measured Henderson with each dribble and rained jumpers from all over the court on his way to a game-high 24 points -- which he scored before the first half ended. Kobe's early assertion of dominance opened up the paint for Andrew Bynum, who finished the contest with 20 points on 8-11 shooting and a game-high 11 rebounds.

The Lakers took their foot off the gas a bit after opening up a commanding 60-36 lead at halftime and allowed the Bobcats to cut the margin to 15 points after three periods, but then they hit 7-11 threes (12-26 for 46.2 percent for the game) in the fourth to secure the 106-73 win. Boris Diaw scored the opening basket of the game and put Charlotte up 2-0, but that was the only time the Bobcats held the lead on the evening.

For most of the night, Charlotte showed why they hold the NBA's worst record at 3-19. No starter shot even 50 percent from field, and the team hit just 31 of 89 shots for 34.8 percent shooting. Meanwhile, DeSagana Diop and Byron Mullens got outworked and out-muscled in the paint, where the Lakers scored 44 points and finished 66.7 percent of their shots.

With starting point guard D.J. Augustin still out (toe), rookie Kemba Walker got the nod again and helped to ineffectively carry the load along with Gerald Henderson. Walker scored 12 points, dished out 6 assists and limited himself to just 1 turnover in a solid performance, while Henderson led the team with 14 points. Offseason addition Reggie Williams played his first game of the season after knee surgery, and managed to produce 6 points on 3-7 shooting in just over 13 minutes of play. The entire performance looked uninspired and sleepy, but perhaps it was just the talent gap rearing it's ugly head in this one.

For the Lakers, the win moves them to 13-9 overall and marks a two-game winning streak they will test during an upcoming six-game road trip. Meanwhile, the Bobcats drop to an NBA-worst 3-19 and have now lost nine games in a row.

For more Lakers news and information, be sure to read Silver Screen and Roll. Bobcats coverage is available at Rufus On Fire. .