LOS ANGELES — Caron Butler scored 17 of his 19 points in the opening quarter when the Clippers shot 77 percent and Los Angeles led all the way in beating the Houston Rockets 106-96 Wednesday night for their third win in a row. Blake Griffin had 20 points and 11 rebounds, Chauncey Billups had 19 points, Jamal Crawford scored 13 points and Chris Paul had 10 points and 11 assists as the Clippers started all their regulars after the lineup had been hit by injuries during their recent Grammy road trip. Chandler Parsons scored 17 points, Jeremy Lin added 14 points and James Anderson had a season-high 14 for the Rockets, who have lost five straight to the Clippers and three of five overall. James Harden missed the game with a sprained right ankle and sore left knee after stepping on David Lee's left shoe in the fourth quarter against Golden State. Harden is the Rockets' lone All-Star selection. Spurs 96, Cavaliers 95: Kawhi Leonard made a 3-pointer with 2.9 seconds remaining to give San Antonio its 14th win in 15 games with a victory over Cleveland. Leonard's basket came after Dion Waiters' jumper with 9.5 seconds to go put Cleveland up 95-93. The Spurs had stars Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili on the floor together for the first time since Jan. 13. Kyrie Irving, who had a season-low six points, missed a desperation runner as time expired. Raptors 92, Knicks 88: Reserve Alan Anderson scored 26 points in one of the few good offensive performances for either team, and Toronto beat New York for its fourth straight victory. DeMar DeRozan added 20 points for the Raptors, who overcame a 4-for-21 performance from Rudy Gay because Knicks star Carmelo Anthony was just as bad. Anthony finished with 12 points and 12 rebounds but shot 5 of 24 for the Knicks, who dropped their final two games leading into the All-Star break. J.R. Smith led the Knicks with 26 points. Raymond Felton had 16 but shot 3 of 9. Gay finished with 11 points one night after hitting the go-ahead basket with 4.9 seconds left in a victory over Denver. Mavericks 123, Kings 100: Vince Carter scored 26 points to pass Larry Bird on the NBA's career scoring list, and Dallas Mavericks headed into the All-Star break with a victory against Sacramento. Carter scored 17 of Dallas' last 21 points in the third quarter to help turn aside a Sacramento rally. He made five of seven 3-pointers in the quarter and ended the night with 21,796 career points for 29th on the all-time list. Bird had 21,791. Dirk Nowitzki finished with 17 points, including a 3-pointer to put Dallas ahead 100-79 early in the fourth quarter. Tyreke Evans scored 23 as the Kings lost their 18th regular season game in a row in Dallas. Nets 119, Nuggets 108: Joe Johnson scored 26 points, including five 3-pointers, and C.J Watson added 25 points and five 3s to help Brooklyn beat Denver. All-Star center Brook Lopez had 23 points and eight rebounds, and Kris Humphries chipped in with 14 points for Brooklyn. The 119 points were a season high for the Nets, who also tied a season best with 16 3-pointers. Brooklyn is now 2-1 in games played without star point guard Deron Williams, who has sat out the last two due to sore ankles. Ty Lawson led the Nuggets with 26 points and hit all of his five 3-point attempts. Pacers 101, Bobcats 77: Paul George posted his first career triple-double with 23 points, 12 rebounds and a career-high 12 assists, and Indiana snapped a two-game skid with a win over Charlotte. Tyler Hansbrough tied a season high with 19 points and grabbed 10 rebounds for the Pacers starting in place of David West, who was sidelined by an eye injury. Byron Mullens led the Bobcats with 19 points and Gerald Henderson chipped in 14. Hawks 108, Magic 76: Josh Smith had 30 points and 10 rebounds, and Al Horford added 26 points and 12 rebounds to help Atlanta blow past Orlando. The Hawks led by as many as 38 and decimated the Magic defense on the way to earning their ninth consecutive regular-season win over their division rivals. Jameer Nelson and Andrew Nicholson led the Magic with 10 points apiece. No other Orlando players reached double-figures. Pistons 96, Wizards 85: Will Bynum scored six of his 20 points during a late run to help lead Detroit to a win over Washington. Other results: Bucks 94, 76ers 92; Jazz 97, Timberwolves 93; Hornets 99, Trail Blazers 63. — Agencies
