McGrady Gets 51, but Magic Loses

Earl Boykins and Andre Miller each scored 27 points, and the Denver Nuggets withstood 51 points from Tracy McGrady to hand the Orlando Magic its eighth consecutive loss, 106-101, Friday night at Denver.

Boykins had 11 points in the fourth quarter and Miller had eight to help the Nuggets offset 19 points by McGrady in the period.

McGrady made 20 of 30 shots, including eight of 11 from three-point range.

Nugget rookie Carmelo Anthony overcame poor shooting to score 17 points, pull down 14 rebounds and dish out seven assists. Anthony made only six of 23 shots.

Anthony’s rebound basket and jumper gave Denver an 82-78 lead early in the fourth quarter. Orlando cut the deficit to one point, but Miller and Boykins then hit consecutive three-pointers, making it 92-85 with 5:25 left.

Philadelphia 100, San Antonio 96 -- Allen Iverson scored 15 of his 36 points in the fourth quarter and had 12 assists to lead the 76ers at Philadelphia.

The Spurs were led by Tim Duncan, who had 35 points and 15 rebounds, and Manu Ginobili, who had 21.

Houston 90, Phoenix 85 -- Steve Francis had 26 points and Yao Ming had 21 points and 14 rebounds at Houston to lead the Rockets to their fourth consecutive victory over the Suns.

Yao missed two free throws with 43 seconds left, but then made two with 30 seconds to play. Francis made two foul shots with 22 seconds remaining and two more with 10 seconds left.

Indiana 101, Seattle 78 -- Ron Artest shut down Rashard Lewis, which helped the Pacers get past the SuperSonics at Indianapolis.

Artest did a masterful job defending Lewis, who entered as the NBA’s third-leading scorer, limiting him to 12 points and five-of-16 shooting.

New Jersey 85, New York 80 -- Jason Kidd scored 11 of his 19 points in the fourth quarter at East Rutherford, N.J., and the Nets dealt the Knicks their third consecutive loss.

Boston 91, Cleveland 82 -- Cavalier rookie LeBron James scored only 10 points and was three of 12 shooting before a crowd of 17,624 at the Fleet Center. Paul Pierce scored 19 points as Boston sent Cleveland to its 27th consecutive road loss.

Miami 105, Washington 101 -- Eddie Jones scored 27 points and reached a three-point milestone to help the Heat win in overtime in Miami.

Jones became the 24th player in NBA history with 1,000 career three-point baskets. He finished with four, giving him 1,002 for his career and tying him with Danny Ainge for 23rd on the career list.

Utah 85, Minnesota 77 -- Carlos Arroyo scored a career-high 30 points to lead the Jazz to its first road win in five games this season.

Sacramento 94, Toronto 64 -- The Kings took control with a 25-8 run in the third quarter and won their 21st consecutive home game against an Eastern Conference opponent.

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Chicago Bull guard Jamal Crawford was released from a Chicago hospital Friday with a sprained neck, a day after falling on his head during a game against the Minnesota Timberwolves. Tests at Rush University Medical Center revealed no further damage, club spokesman Brandon Faber said .... Pacer forward Jermaine O’Neal was fined $5,000 by the NBA for criticizing the officiating during Tuesday night’s 78-76 home loss to Boston.... The Celtics put center Raef LaFrentz, who has tendinitis in his right knee, on the injured list. He will be sidelined a minimum of five games, with his earliest return date Nov. 26.