Nets Remain Hot at Home

Vince Carter made his case on Saturday that he should’ve been voted a starter for the Eastern Conference for this month’s All-Star game.

Carter had 28 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists for the second triple-double of his career, and the New Jersey Nets beat the Miami Heat, 105-92, for their 10th straight home win at East Rutherford, N.J.

Carter put more than half of his points on the board in the first quarter when he was being guarded by the Heat’s Dwyane Wade, the player who beat him out for one of the starting guard positions for the Eastern Conference.

“I was taking what they were giving me early,” Carter said. “I was free on some pick-and-rolls and was able to get into the lane and make things happen. Later I was able to find open guys, and they were knocking them down.”

Richard Jefferson scored 26 points for New Jersey, which shot 53% and never trailed.

Wade scored 31 points for the Heat but got little help from his teammates, who shot 36%. Shaquille O’Neal finished with 11 points, his fourth-lowest total of the season.

Philadelphia 100, Cleveland 95 -- Allen Iverson scored 34 points in his return to the starting lineup to lead the 76ers at Cleveland..

Iverson, who sat out the previous four games because of sore ankles, went 14 of 14 from the foul line. He came in averaging 32.1 points in 14 games in Cleveland.

LeBron James scored 31 points to lead the Cavaliers.

Indiana 93, Detroit 85 -- Stephen Jackson shook off a recent injury that sent him to the hospital to score 20 points and grab seven rebounds, and the Pacers upset the Pistons at Indianapolis.

Richard Hamilton led the Pistons with 31 points on 14-for-24 shooting, and Rasheed Wallace had 17 points.

Jackson was hospitalized because of a bruised hip and scraped elbow after Wednesday’s game against the Lakers..

Golden State 109, Minnesota 77 -- Jason Richardson had 23 points and seven rebounds at Oakland after sitting out four games because of a sore back.

Kevin Garnett had 15 points and 11 rebounds for his 32nd double-double of the season. Ricky Davis scored 20 points and had five rebounds in the Timberwolves’ most lopsided loss of the season.

Phoenix 118, Chicago 101 -- Shawn Marion had 26 points and 11 rebounds, All-Star game starter Steve Nash had 21 points and seven assists, and the Suns beat the Bulls at Phoenix.

Ben Gordon scored a career-best 39 points on 14-for-21 shooting for Chicago. He made eight three-pointers, tying the team record.

Dallas 110, Seattle 91 -- Josh Howard had 23 points at Dallas to lead the Mavericks to their 11th straight victory, matching the NBA’s longest winning streak this season.

Jason Terry finished with 22 points, and Dirk Nowitzki and Jerry Stackhouse had 17 each. Ray Allen led the SuperSonics with 17 points.

Denver 105, Portland 104 -- Andre Miller stole the ball from Jarrett Jack at midcourt and scored the winning basket with 4.3 seconds left at Denver, ending the Nuggets’ four-game losing streak.

Carmelo Anthony led the Nuggets with 33 points and Miller had 10. Zach Randolph scored 28 for the Trail Blazers.

Orlando 100, Boston 91 -- Dwight Howard and Steve Francis each scored 18 points at Orlando as the Magic ended a four-game losing streak.

Paul Pierce scored 37 points, including 15 in the fourth quarter, but had little help as the Celtics lost their fifth straight game.

Washington 98, Atlanta 85 -- Antawn Jamison had 27 points and 15 rebounds as the host Wizards ended the Hawks’ three-game winning streak.

Joe Johnson led Atlanta with 16 points. Reserve Tyronn Lue scored 14 points.

Milwaukee 88, Memphis 78 -- Michael Redd scored 23 points at home in his return to the Bucks’ lineup after sitting out a game because of back spasms.

The Bucks overcame an eight-point second quarter -- tying their lowest-scoring quarter in franchise history -- with defense and clutch scoring from center Jamaal Magloire in the fourth quarter. Magloire finished with 17 points and 11 rebounds.

Pau Gasol had 19 points for the Grizzlies.

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Indiana Pacer forward Jonathan Bender, 25, retired Saturday after he was unable to recover from a series of knee injuries. Bender played seven seasons with the Pacers. His best season was in 2001-2002, when he averaged 7.8 points and 3.1 rebounds.