MINNEAPOLIS (AP) Troy Hudson filled the shoes of Sam Cassell just fine, helping end the New Jersey Nets' winning streak at 14 games.

Hudson, making his first start of the season in place of the injured Cassell, scored a season-high 29 points as Minnesota beat New Jersey 81-68 on Wednesday night, handing Nets coach Lawrence Frank his first loss.

Hudson, the streaky shooter who has been hampered all season by a sprained ankle, erased any hope for Frank's 14th consecutive win with 12 fourth-quarter points. Hudson and Fred Hoiberg scored Minnesota's first 20 points of the quarter, and the Wolves used a 15-0 run to open a 75-58 lead.

Kevin Garnett scored 18 points and Wally Szczerbiak, who missed 53 games with a plantar fascia strain, added a season-high 14 points. Kenyon Martin led the Nets with 18 points.

Hornets 99, Clippers 93

NEW ORLEANS (AP) Baron Davis' 26 points and nine assists led the New Orleans Hornets out of a two-game losing skid.

Jamaal Magloire had 21 points and 14 rebounds, including a jump hook off an offensive rebound to give New Orleans a 91-85 lead with just under two minutes left.

Jamal Mashburn scored 20 for the Hornets, while P.J. Brown hit a pair of late jumpers and grabbed a key rebound with 28 seconds remaining as part of his 14 points and 12 rebounds.

Elton Brand led Los Angeles with 19 points, while reserve Chris Wilcox had 18.

Bucks 106, Celtics 104

BOSTON (AP) Walter McCarty's 3-pointer was waved off at the buzzer, the referees ruling it came too late as the Boston Celtics lost their seventh in a row.

Michael Redd scored 26 points and Desmond Mason added 21 for Milwaukee, which won back-to-back road games for the second time this season. Boston has dropped 13 of 14.

After the Celtics took a 101-100 lead on a three-point play by Mark Blount, Milwaukee responded with baskets by Keith Van Horn, Damon Jones and Redd to take a 106-101 lead.

Paul Pierce led the Celtics with 21 points before fouling out with 2:49 remaining. Blount chipped in 20 points and 10 rebounds.

Wizards 76, Raptors 74

TORONTO (AP) Gilbert Arenas scored all seven of his points in the final five minutes and Kwame Brown had 16 points as the Washington Wizards ended a five-game losing streak.

Arenas, who had just one assist, scored seven straight points to give Washington a four-point lead with 3:25 left. After Toronto's Donyell Marshall made a hook shot to cut the lead to one with 58 seconds left, Brown missed a 7-foot jump shot.

Toronto's Roger Mason missed a reverse layup with 15 seconds left before Jerry Stackhouse made one of two free throws to give Washington a 76-74 lead. Toronto's Jannero Pargo, signed to a contract on Tuesday, missed badly with a 3-point shot at the buzzer.

Warriors 99, Grizzlies 92

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) Speedy Claxton scored a career-high 28 points and handed out seven assists as Golden State snapped Memphis' five-game winning streak.

It was a sloppy game with 29 turnovers and 62 fouls _ 31 on each team. Four players fouled out, and Memphis coach Hubie Brown was ejected for two of the seven technical fouls that were called.

The Warriors pulled away in the fourth, a period in which the Grizzlies have played well this season _ particularly at home.

Claxton, who had been struggling with a sprained right thumb, shot only 6-of-18 from the field but was 16-of-18 from the line. James Posey led Memphis with 25 points and 10 rebounds.

Pistons 107, Bulls 88

CHICAGO (AP) Richard Hamilton scored 21 points and Rasheed Wallace added 15 points and seven rebounds.

Chauncey Billups had 14 points and Ben Wallace had 13 points and eight rebounds for the Pistons, who have beaten the Bulls eight straight times.

Chicago has lost three straight and five of seven and is tied with Orlando for the fewest wins in the NBA _ 16.

Detroit extended its lead on Rasheed Wallace's alley-oop dunk from Prince to make it 92-73 with 8:00 left in the game _ a play that sent Bulls chairman Jerry Reinsdorf, who was in attendance, out of his suite.

Suns 113, Knicks 95

PHOENIX (AP) The Phoenix Suns snapped an eight-game losing streak and spoiled Stephon Marbury's return.

Joe Johnson scored 16 of his 22 points in the second half and Amare Stoudemire had 24 points and 14 rebounds as the Suns dominated the boards 58-26 and handed the Knicks their fourth straight loss.

The Suns' Shawn Marion made his first seven shots and was 9-for-12 for 18 points before being sidelined by a sprained left ankle with 6:01 left in the third quarter. New York's Tim Thomas left three minutes into the game with a hyperextended right elbow.

Lakers 112, Nuggets 111

DENVER (AP) Kareem Rush hit a 3-pointer with 3.2 seconds left, lifting the Los Angeles Lakers to a controversial win.

Kobe Bryant, playing his second game in Denver since being charged with sexually assaulting a woman at a Colorado resort last summer, had 35 points and 10 assists for the Lakers, who won their fifth straight game.

Carmelo Anthony had 35 points for Denver, whose losing streak stretched to a season-high four games.

Denver's Andre Miller appeared to hit the rim with a shot that barely beat the shot clock and Anthony rebounded, but the whistle blew for a shot-clock violation. The officials huddled and ruled it was an inadvertent whistle, resulting in a jump ball. The Lakers got possession, and Rush hit his 3-pointer. Miller missed a desperation shot at the end.

Rockets 90, Cavaliers 84

HOUSTON (AP) Cuttino Mobley scored 22 points and fed the ball to Yao Ming for a crucial dunk in the closing seconds as the Houston Rockets held off LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers.

The loss snapped Cleveland's three-game winning streak and gave the Rockets their second victory of the season over the Cavs in a duel of the NBA's two most recent No. 1 draft picks, Yao and James.

Yao finished with 17 points and eight rebounds and Jackson added 15. Clarance Weatherspoon had nine of his 12 points in the fourth quarter.

Ilgauskas and Jeff McInnis each had 17 points for the Cavaliers. Boozer had 16 points and 18 rebounds.

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