Nuggets 113, Cavaliers 83

Cleveland – Carmelo Anthony scored 27 points, All-Star sidekick Allen Iverson added 25, and Denver rolled over listless and limping Cleveland.

Anthony didn’t have to play in the fourth quarter and improved to 8-2 in his pro career against good friend LeBron James, who scored 30 points – in three quarters – but got little help from a Cleveland team missing four key players, including two starters.

Denver led by 11 points after one quarter, 18 at halftime and pushed its advantage to 26 by the end of the third. At the end of the period, James stormed off the court, took a seat at the far end of Cleveland’s bench and didn’t take part in coach Mike Brown’s huddle before the fourth quarter began.

As he sat alone, Cavaliers guard Damon Jones yelled in James’ direction. But Cleveland’s superstar never acknowledged his teammate and stared straight ahead without saying a word.

Lakers 104, Heat 94

Miami – Kobe Bryant scored 33 points, and Los Angeles used a 16-2 second-half run to pull away and beat the skidding Heat in Miami’s first home game of its post-Shaquille O’Neal era.

Mark Blount finished with 22 points for Miami, which has lost seven straight and 22 of its last 23. Dwyane Wade scored 19 and Shawn Marion, playing his first game for the Heat since Wednesday’s stunning deal that sent O’Neal to the Phoenix Suns for him and Marcus Banks, finished with 15 points and 14 rebounds.

Celtics 98, Spurs 90

Boston – Paul Pierce scored 35 points, Ray Allen had 19, and Rajon Rondo had 12 assists and 11 rebounds as Boston improved to 5-2 since losing Kevin Garnett to an abdominal strain.

Coach Doc Rivers said before the game that he isn’t expecting his big man back before next weekend’s All-Star break.

Tim Duncan had 22 points, 14 rebounds and six assists, and Manu Ginobili scored 21 for the Spurs, who lost for the first time in five games. San Antonio got within four points in the final minute, but twice Ginobili was forced to take off-balance threes that weren’t even close.

Nets 101, Mavericks 82

East Rutherford, N.J. – Vince Carter scored 25 of his 29 points after nearly being knocked out by an elbow to the head, and inconsistent New Jersey scored 21 straight points to stun Dallas.

Richard Jefferson added 19 points and Jason Kidd put aside trade rumors once again to finish with 13 points, 14 assists and six rebounds, falling four rebounds shy of his 100th career triple-double.

Pistons 113, Bobcats 87

Auburn Hills, Mich. – Tayshaun Prince scored 14 of his 21 points in the first quarter, and Detroit won its eighth straight game.

Richard Hamilton added 18 for Detroit, which had seven players with at least eight points.

Jason Richardson, playing 30 minutes south of his hometown, led all scorers with 27 points.

Raptors 105, T’wolves 82

Minneapolis – Andrea Bargnani scored 16 points and Jose Calderon had 15 points and 10 assists for his second consecutive double-double to help Toronto beat Minnesota.

All-Star Chris Bosh added 14 points for the Raptors, and T.J. Ford had seven points and 13 assists, his highest totals since returning to the lineup from injury Feb. 4.

Al Jefferson led Minnesota with 18 points.

Suns 108, Wizards 106

Phoenix – Amare Stoudemire had 31 points, including two game-clinching free throws with 7.5 seconds to play, and Phoenix handed Washington its seventh straight loss.

The skid is Washington’s longest in nearly four years.