NBA roundup: Celtics lose ninth straight
Celtics 92 Rockets 104
Dwight Howard had 32 points and 10 rebounds, and the Rockets beat Boston 104-92 to send the skidding Celtics to their ninth consecutive defeat.
The Celtics hacked Howard over and over again in the fourth quarter and sent him to the line 14 times. The big man made six and finished 10 of 18 in all.
Jeremy Lin added 16 points and nine assists for Houston. James Harden scored 16 and Chandler Parsons added 14 after missing three games with a knee injury.
Avery Bradley had 24 points for the Celtics, on their longest losing streak since dropping a franchise-record 18 straight games in 2007.
Raptors 116 Bucks 94
Kyle Lowry scored 23 points, Jonas Valanciunas had 17 points and 10 rebounds, and Toronto beat Milwaukee 116-94 on Monday night to hand the Bucks their sixth straight loss.
The Atlantic Division leaders won for the eighth time in nine games and moved ahead of idle Atlanta into third place in the Eastern Conference standings.
DeMar DeRozan added 19 points, Patrick Patterson 18 and John Salmons 10. The victory gave Toronto its first five-game home winning streak since Dec. 14, 2012, to Jan. 2, 2013.
Ersan Ilyasova scored a season-high 29 points, Brandon Knight had 16 and Giannis Antetokounmpo 11 for the Bucks, winless since beating the Lakers in Los Angeles on New Year's Eve.
Pelicans 95 Spurs 101
Tony Parker capped a 27-point outing with three clutch layups in the final minutes, and the Spurs held on for their fifth straight victory, 101-95 on Monday night.
Tim Duncan scored 18 points and grabbed nine rebounds before fouling out with 6:02 to go. Manu Ginobili added 14 points for San Antonio, which sent hobbled New Orleans to its sixth straight loss since leading scorer Ryan Anderson went out with a herniated disk.
Anthony Davis had 22 points and 11 rebounds, while Brian Roberts, starting at point guard for the injured Jrue Holiday (fracture right tibia), scored a season-high 19 points for New Orleans.
Bulls 88 Wizards 102
John Wall and Nene had 19 points apiece, Trevor Ariza scored 16, and the Wizards beat the Chicago Bulls 102-88 on Monday night.
The Wizards led by 13 early in the fourth and hung on down the stretch after a 12-point lead was cut to five, snapping the Bulls' five-game win streak.
Carlos Boozer scored 19 for Chicago, and Joakim Noah grabbed 16 rebounds.
Mavericks 107 Magic 88
Monta Ellis scored 21 points, Dirk Nowitzki added 15 and the Mavericks beat Orlando 107-88 on Monday night, extending the Magic's longest skid of the season to eight games.
Jameer Nelson scored 21, and Glen Davis added 19 points and eight rebounds for the Magic, who got swept on a swing through five Western Conference cities and lost by an average of 20 points.
The Mavericks (23-16) moved seven games over .500 for the first time since the end of the lockout-shortened 2011-12 season -- the year after they won the franchise's first championship.