Brooklyn-native Carmelo Anthony carried the scoring load for New York with a season-high 45 points, but it was Jason Kidd who put the dagger in his former-team. Kidd, who missed the first matchup against the Nets two weeks ago, shot 6-of-8 from downtown and buried the deciding triple late in fourth to lift the Knicks to a 100-97 victory over Brooklyn to even the season series. Anthony shot 15-of-24 from the field, including 5-of-7 from three-point range while Kidd totaled 18 points, six assists and six rebounds for New York, which has won six of its last seven games since losing to the Nets on Nov. 26. Deron Williams tallied 18 points and 10 assists for Brooklyn, which lost its fifth straight game and has won just twice since beating New York. Andray Blatche led the Nets in scoring with 23 while Gerald Wallace and Joe Johnson followed with 17 and 16 points, respectively, in the loss.
Final Score: Cleveland 100, LA Lakers 94
Cleveland, OH (Sports Network) - Kyrie Irving dropped in 28 points and handed out 11 assists in his return to the hardwood on Tuesday as the Cleveland Cavaliers knocked off the Los Angeles Lakers, 100-94, at Quicken Loans Arena. Irving saw his first game action since fracturing his left index finger in a Nov. 18 loss at Philadelphia. C.J. Miles buried five three-pointers en route to 28 points, while Anderson Varejao contributed 20 points, nine boards and five assists for the Cavs, who snapped a five-game skid. Kobe Bryant went off for a game-high 42 points on 16-of-28 shooting to go with five rebounds, while Dwight Howard added 19 points and 20 boards for the free-falling Lakers, who have lost eight of their last 11 games. Metta World Peace finished with 13 points and nine rebounds for the visitors, who played without forward Pau Gasol for the fifth consecutive game.
Final Score: Denver 101, Detroit 94
Auburn Hills, MI (Sports Network) - Ty Lawson and the Nuggets bench helped Denver overcome an early deficit and down the Detroit Pistons, 101-94, at the Palace of Auburn Hills. The Nuggets trailed by 17 just 6:38 into the game, but quickly recovered and never trailed in the second half, thanks in part to Lawson scoring 26 points with seven assists and no turnovers. Denver's reserves also contributed to the turnaround, as Corey Brewer had 15 points, JaVale McGee 12 and Andre Miller 11 with seven assists to pull the Nuggets even on their five-game road trip with one test remaining. Jason Maxiell logged 18 points, six rebounds and six blocks for Detroit, while Brandon Knight and Rodney Stuckey added 20 and 17 points, respectively, in defeat.
Final Score: Washington 77, New Orleans 70
New Orleans, LA (Sports Network) - Jordan Crawford scored 26 points on 24 shots to lead the Washington Wizards to their first road victory of the season in a 77-70 decision over the New Orleans Hornets. The Wizards lost their first eight games away from the nation's capital, but held the Hornets to 28 second-half points to overcome a double-digit deficit and win for the third time this season. Bradley Beal netted 15 points and Nene chipped in 10 points and 10 rebounds for the victors. Not even the return of Anthony Davis could prevent New Orleans from losing their fourth in a row. The No. 1 pick in the 2012 draft had missed 11 games with a stress reaction in his left ankle and put up 13 points, eight rebounds, three blocks and three steals in 25 minutes off the bench Tuesday. Ryan Anderson led the Hornets with 17 points and 11 boards.
Final Score: LA Clippers 94, Chicago 89
Chicago, IL (Sports Network) - Blake Griffin had 22 points and 10 rebounds in the Clippers' seventh straight victory, a 94-89 triumph over the Chicago Bulls. Chris Paul added 18 points for Los Angeles, which is in the midst of its longest winning stretch since 1991-92 when the Danny Manning-led squad won a team-record eight consecutive contests. Carlos Boozer tallied 24 points and 13 boards for Chicago, which had their three-game winning streak snapped.
