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NBA

Bryant's 51 lifts Lakers

DENVER -- Kobe Bryant scored an NBA season-high 51 points -- in less than three quarters -- as the Lakers beat the Nuggets 113-102 Wednesday night, extending their win streak to seven.

Bryant was 15-for-28 from the field and 18-of-20 on free throws to score 40 or more for the 11th time this season. He reached 50 points for the third time in his career.

It was the first 50-point game this season. Bryant's career high is 56, set last season against Memphis. Juwan Howard had 22 points to lead Denver, which has lost three straight.

76ERS 119, BULLS 111 (OT): Allen Iverson scored four of his 36 in overtime for host Philadelphia. The Sixers had an 11-point lead with 3:45 left in the fourth, but Jalen Rose's 18-footer with 7.6 seconds left tied it at 109. Rose finished with season highs of 38 points and 13 assists. Tyson Chandler had 21 points and 17 rebounds for the Bulls, who are 2-26 on the road.

WARRIORS 113, KNICKS 107: Troy Murphy made an 18-footer from the corner with 1:11 left to stop a late rally for visiting Golden State. Murphy finished with 17 points and 13 rebounds. Allan Houston scored 32 to lead the Knicks, who pulled within three with 8.5 seconds left and played the final 5:12 without Latrell Sprewell.

WOLVES 102, CAVS 91: Kevin Garnett had 26 points and 17 rebounds for his 41st double double of the season to lead visiting Minnesota. Wally Szczerbiak scored 18 for the Timberwolves, who won their fourth straight and 10th in 12 games. Ricky Davis scored 26 to lead Cleveland, which is 2-8 under interim coach Keith Smart.

BUCKS 120, MAVS 114: Ray Allen scored 28 and Tim Thomas had a season-high 27 for host Milwaukee. Toni Kukoc scored nine in a 16-4 run that gave Milwaukee a 110-100 lead with 5:15 left. Dirk Nowitzki had 27 points for Dallas, which has lost three straight.

GRIZZLIES 97, NETS 90: Earl Watson, forced into a starting role because of injuries, scored a career-high 21 points and had six assists to lead host Memphis, which snapped a seven-game skid. Watson started for reserve Brevin Knight (wrist); starter Jason Williams was out with the flu. Jason Kidd scored 28 as the Nets cut the lead to one twice.

ROCKETS 106, JAZZ 76: Steve Francis scored 36, and Yao Ming had 11 of his 15 in the second half for visiting Houston, which ended a three-game losing streak. Utah's Karl Malone, who broke his nose late in Tuesday's game, finished with 13 points -- seven below his average -- and sat out the fourth.

PACERS 83, HORNETS 72: Brad Miller scored 18 and Reggie Miller added 17 for visiting Indiana. Jamal Mashburn scored 18 to lead the Hornets, who shot just under 33 percent and failed to score 20 in each of the first three quarters.

RAPTORS 97, HAWKS 96: Vince Carter scored 13 of his 21 in the final five minutes for host Toronto. The Raptors are 5-1 since Carter returned after missing 23 straight games with a strained right knee. Glenn Robinson had 26 points for the Hawks.

MAGIC: Shawn Kemp took a drug test, but what happens next is anyone's guess. Neither the NBA, players association nor overseers of the anti-drug program are allowed to tell Kemp or the Magic his results.

"We hope to get the results back sooner than later," coach Doc Rivers said. "They, for whatever reason, keep us out in the cold. I'm not a big fan of that."

Kemp missed his first game of the season Tuesday when he was suspended indefinitely for violating the terms of the anti-drug program. He called the situation "a misunderstanding" involving a mandatory test he missed. Kemp said he rescheduled the test last week, which he has done before, and was surprised about the suspension.

NUGGETS: Rookie Nikoloz Tskitishvili missed a team flight and a practice after he was stopped by police on the way to the airport because of traffic violations. The 19-year-old said he was pulled over en route to Denver International Airport on Monday because he had expired license plates.

An officer discovered he had a warrant for failure to appear in court for a speeding ticket, careless driving and failure to yield to an emergency vehicle. While he was at the police station paying $300 for the tickets, his truck was stolen. When police found it, the tires were gone.

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