James Has Late Chances, but Cavaliers Fall Again

LeBron James missed a free throw with six-tenths of a second left and Alan Henderson’s tip-in bounced out at the buzzer, leaving the Nuggets to celebrate a 90-89 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Wednesday night at Denver.

James finished with 24 points, but the Cavaliers lost their fifth straight, including the first four on their Western trip. Carmelo Anthony and Earl Boykins led the Nuggets with 17 points apiece.

Anthony drove past Ira Newble for a dunk that gave Denver an 89-87 lead with 21 seconds left. He then fouled Sasha Pavlovic with 11 seconds left.

Pavlovic missed both shots, but Eric Snow got the rebound. Eduardo Najera stole the ball under the basket and was fouled by Snow with 4.6 seconds left.

With a chance to seal it, Najera made his first shot but missed his second, leaving the Cavaliers down, 90-87, with a chance to send the game into overtime with a three-point basket.

Andre Miller fouled James before he could set up for a three-pointer, and James made his first shot, then purposefully misfired his second and grabbed his own rebound while getting fouled by Kenyon Martin. James made the first shot to make it 90-89, then missed his second.

Orlando 106, Washington 98 -- Coming off the bench for the first time in his six-year NBA career, Steve Francis had 12 points, seven rebounds and seven assists in his first game back from a two-game team suspension at Orlando, Fla., to help the Magic end a four-game losing streak.

Detroit 117, Atlanta 89 -- Despite missing 11 of their first 16 shots, the Pistons, with Chauncey Billups scoring 23 points, earned the expected result and their fifth straight victory in a matchup of the NBA’s best and worst records at Atlanta.

New Orleans 87, Memphis 79 -- Chris Paul had 16 points and David West had 12 points and 13 rebounds at Oklahoma City to help the Hornets (19-19) win their fourth in a row and surpass their win total from last season. Mike Miller scored 21 for Memphis.

Dallas 103, Houston 76 -- Dirk Nowitzki scored 13 of his 29 points in the third quarter as the Mavericks opened a five-game trip impressively. Rafer Alston had 17 points for the Rockets, who suffered their seventh straight loss overall and at home.

San Antonio 95, Milwaukee 92 -- Tim Duncan scored 26 points at San Antonio to help the Spurs win for the ninth time in 10 games. Michael Redd scored 26 for Milwaukee in a game featuring 18 ties.

Indiana 98, Charlotte 92 -- Anthony Johnson scored 16 of his career-high 27 points in the second half to lead the Pacers at Indianapolis. Brevin Knight had 15 points and 15 assists for Charlotte.

New Jersey 101, Philadelphia 90 -- Vince Carter had 31 points and 10 assists and the Nets led by as many as 17 points in the fourth quarter at Philadelphia. Allen Iverson had 36 points for the 76ers, losers of seven of their last 10 games.

Boston 103, Minnesota 96 -- Paul Pierce scored 14 of his 25 points in the fourth quarter to help the Celtics overcome a 14-point second-quarter deficit at Boston. Kevin Garnett had 29 points and 13 rebounds for Minnesota but was held to two points in the fourth quarter.

Portland 96, Toronto 94 -- Zach Randolph scored 22 points and the host Trail Blazers blew a 17-point fourth-quarter lead before winning its fourth in a row for the first time this season.

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Orlando forward Grant Hill will be sidelined seven to 10 days because of continued abdominal pain, the team said.... Former Laker guard Chucky Atkins and Washington agreed to a contract buyout. Atkins, earning $4.5 million, hadn’t played in the past five games, partially due to his wife giving birth.