SAN ANTONIO: The San Antonio Spurs handed the reeling Dallas Mavericks their fourth straight NBA loss, 101-89 Friday. Dirk Nowitzki missed his ninth straight game because of a knee injury and the once-mighty Mavs lost for the seventh time since the All-Star forward went out. Tony Parker scored 18 points and DeJuan Blair had 18 points and 13 rebounds for the Spurs , who won their fifth straight. The Nowitzki injury has twice prevented a full-strength showdown between the NBA-best Spurs and Mavs, who have slipped seven games behind their Texas rivals in the Southwest Division. Shawn Marion led Dallas with 14 points. Celtics 99, Bobcats 94: In Boston, the hosts held off Charlotte, inflicting the Bobcats first defeat in five games. Shaquille O'Neal had 23 points, five rebounds and five blocks in a season-high 35 minutes for the short-handed Celtics. O'Neal went 10 for 12 from the field as he huffed and puffed up and down the court all night and even made all three of his foul shots. Boston was missing Kevin Garnett for the ninth straight game and played without Paul Pierce much of Friday because of foul trouble. Pierce still finished with 19 points. Gerald Wallace led Charlotte with 20 points. Bulls 99, Pacers 86: In Indianapolis, Derrick Rose had 29 points and a season-high 10 rebounds to help Chicago beat Indiana. Rose, who scored 20 points in the second half, also had five assists. Luol Deng had 17 points and five assists for the Bulls. Danny Granger scored 22 points for the Pacers, but shot 4 for 17 in the first three quarters when the game was up for grabs. Hornets 110, Rockets 105, OT: In Houston, New Orleans came from 16 points down in the third quarter to beat Houston in overtime. David West scored 29 points while Jarrett Jack added 23 points and seven assists for the Hornets, who have won five straight over Houston. Kyle Lowry matched his season high with 28 points for the Rockets, who have lost seven of their past eight games and four straight on the road. Lakers 100, Nets 88: In Los Angeles, the hosts made it seven wins in succession by hanging on to beat New Jersey. Kobe Bryant scored 27 points and Pau Gasol had 20 points and nine rebounds as the Lakers extended the NBA's longest active winning streak. The struggling Nets got 35 points from Brook Lopez in their ninth loss in 10 games. Suns 115, Trail Blazers 111: In Phoenix, Steve Nash had 23 points, including a 3-pointer that put Phoenix ahead for good with 1:11 to play, and handed out 13 assists to lead the Suns over Portland. Jazz 121, Cavaliers 99: In Salt Lake City, Deron Williams scored 26 points as Utah cruised past hapless Cleveland. Kings 93, Knicks 83: In New York, struggling Sacramento's uncanny run of wins at Madison Square Garden continued, posting a fourth straight road win over New York. 76ers 95, Bucks 94: In Philadelphia, Lou Williams hit the go-ahead 3-pointer with 43 seconds left and scored 25 points to lead Philadelphia past Milwaukee. Warriors 122, Clippers 112: In Oakland, Golden State pulled away late to beat Los Angeles. Pistons 101, Raptors 95: In Toronto, Tracy McGrady scored 22 points to lead Detroit over Toronto.
