Morrison finds shot in upset of the Spurs

Rookie Adam Morrison decided to relax a little bit after putting too much pressure on himself in the first few games of his career.

The idea paid off as Morrison scored 27 points, surpassing his career high of 21 from one night earlier, and the Charlotte Bobcats beat the host Spurs, 95-92, in overtime Wednesday night at San Antonio.

“The coaches were telling me I was putting too much pressure on myself,” he said after making 12 of 23 shots while mostly being defended by Bruce Bowen. “Everyone was expecting so much out of me, especially at the pick I went [third overall].”

Morrison made only 10 of 43 shots (23%) in the five games before Tuesday. But he has gone 21 of 41 in the last two.

The Bobcats ended a four-game losing streak and beat the Spurs for the first time in franchise history. Charlotte made five of seven shots in overtime; San Antonio made only three of 12.

Tony Parker scored 25 points and Tim Duncan added 24 and 13 rebounds for the Spurs, who had won five in a row.

New Orleans 100, Detroit 99 -- Rookie Hilton Armstrong made a free throw with three seconds left, then got the rebound and batted the ball to midcourt as time expired after missing his second as the Hornets sent the host Pistons to 3-5 for the first time since the 2000-01 season.

Chris Paul had 20 points and 13 assists for New Orleans. Armstrong, who had never scored an NBA point, finished with 17 and nine rebounds. Detroit’s Chauncey Billups led all scorers with 29.

Sacramento 115, Memphis 111 -- Mike Bibby had 32 points and 10 assists at Sacramento in the Kings’ fourth straight victory. Chucky Atkins scored 27 for Memphis, which has lost five in a row.

Cleveland 100, Portland 87 -- After not taking a shot in the first quarter, LeBron James finished with 32 points, seven assists and seven rebounds at Cleveland and the Cavaliers led by as many as 20 points in winning their fourth in a row.

New York 102, Washington 82 -- Rookie Renaldo Balkman scored a season-high 18 points to help the Knicks end a three-game losing streak and win at Madison Square Garden for the first time this season. Gilbert Arenas had 22 points for Washington, which shot only 31.5%

Orlando 108, Denver 99 -- Keyon Dooling had 25 points to help the host Magic overcome the Nuggets and Carmelo Anthony, who scored 34 points but committed two turnovers in the final 2:15.

Philadelphia 96, Seattle 90 -- Allen Iverson scored 12 of his 28 points in the third quarter to help the visiting 76ers end a three-game losing streak. Rashard Lewis scored 25 for Seattle.

New Jersey 100, Milwaukee 87 -- Jason Kidd had a season-high 25 points, 11 assists and eight rebounds to pick up the slack for a flu-ridden Vince Carter (15 points) at East Rutherford, N.J.

Mo Williams had 26 points for Milwaukee.

Boston 114, Indiana 88 -- Paul Pierce scored 32 points and the host Celtics opened the third quarter with a 13-1 run to win for only the second time in eight games. Al Harrington scored 23 for Indiana.

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Denver Nuggets forward Kenyon Martin will miss the rest of the season after undergoing arthroscopic surgery on his right knee, the team said.