DENVER - Kenneth Faried had a career-high 25 rebounds to go along with 26 points, and the Denver Nuggets beat the Minnesota Timberwolves 106-102 on Friday night.Wilson Chandler scored 21 points for the Nuggets, who had lost two in a row. Ty Lawson finished with 16 points and 11 assists.Faried tied the NBAs highest rebounding total this season. Mavericks centre Tyson Chandler also had 25 rebounds in a 109-102 victory over the New York Knicks on Nov. 26.It was Farieds best game since he had 22 points and 17 rebounds in a victory over Detroit on opening night.Thaddeus Young led Minnesota with 23 points. Rookie guard Andrew Wiggins had 22 points for the Timberwolves, who have lost seven straight and 13 of 14.PELICANS 97, SPURS 90NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Anthony Davis had 22 points, 12 rebounds and five blocks, leading New Orleans to the win.The Pelicans earned consecutive wins over the Spurs for the first time in team history. They also won 100-99 in San Antonio on Nov. 8.Ryan Anderson scored 22 points for New Orleans (15-14), and Jrue Holiday added 15 points and seven assists.San Antonio played without point guard Tony Parker, who was sidelined by a lingering left hamstring strain. Parker played the previous two games, including Thursdays 114-106 loss to Oklahoma City, but coach Gregg Popovich said the injury is still a problem.Tim Duncan had 20 points and 11 rebounds for the Spurs (18-13), and Cory Joseph also scored 20 points. San Antonio has dropped six of seven.ROCKETS 117, GRIZZLIES 111, OTMEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — James Harden had 32 points and 10 assists for Houston, and Josh Smith scored 21 points in his Rockets debut.Trevor Ariza had 15 points for the Rockets, who took over the top spot in the Western Conferences Southwest Division. Dwight Howard had only six points, but connected on all four of his free throws in overtime. He also grabbed 11 rebounds.Marc Gasol led Memphis with 29 points, and Beno Udrih scored 17. Vince Carter had 10, including a pair of 3-pointers in the fourth quarter that fueled a Memphis rally.The teams were tied at 104 at the end of regulation after Gasols jumper at the end of the fourth bounced away.TRAIL BLAZERS 114, 76ERS 93PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Damian Lillard had 28 points and nine assists, and Portland won for the seventh time in eight games.Lillard, who had scored at least 40 points in two of Portlands previous three games, had 19 second-half points for the Blazers (24-7). Wesley Matthews went 7 of 14 from 3-point range and finished with 25 points.Joel Freeland pulled down a career-high 17 rebounds, most by a Blazer this season.Tony Wroten, who missed Philadelphias last game with a right knee sprain, came off the bench to score 22 points. Michael Carter-Williams had 17 points.Philadelphia (4-24) had won two in a row.SUNS 115, KINGS 106SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Marcus Morris had 20 points and nine rebounds for Phoenix, and Isaiah Thomas keyed the decisive run against his former team.In his first game back in Sacramento, Thomas led an 18-7 spurt to start the fourth quarter that put Phoenix up by 15. The former Kings fan favourite finished with 17 points, five assists and three rebounds in just 29 minutes.Darren Collison scored 19 points for the Kings, who sorely missed DeMarcus Cousins inside. The franchise centre sat out with a stomach illness.Interim coach Tyrone Corbin said the illness is unrelated to the viral meningitis that sidelined Cousins for 10 games previously.BUCKS 107, HAWKS 77ATLANTA (AP) — Reserve forward Jared Dudley made all 10 shots, including four 3-pointers, and scored a season-high 24 points to lead Milwaukee to the road win.Brandon Knight added 16 points for Milwaukee, which snapped Atlantas five-game winning streak.The Hawks had won 14 of 15 but were routed in front of a rare sellout crowd at home.After Dudley made back-to-back 3-pointers for a 21-18 Milwaukee lead with 2:51 left in the first quarter, the Bucks led the rest of the way and went ahead by 30 in the final period.Paul Millsap led the Hawks with 22 points and 11 rebounds.CAVALIERS 98, MAGIC 89ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — LeBron James had 29 points and eight assists, helping Cleveland rally for the win.Kevin Love scored 22 points and reserve Dion Waiters added 17 for Cleveland, which bounced back from a 101-91 loss at Miami on Christmas. Tristan Thompson grabbed 13 rebounds.The Cavaliers played without point guard Kyrie Irving, who was sidelined by a bruised knee.Tobias Harris led Orlando with 16 points. Nik Vucevic had 12 points, seven assists and eight rebounds, and reserve Evan Fournier scored 15.The Magic lost for the fifth time in the last six games.THUNDER 98, HORNETS 75OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Russell Westbrook scored 29 points, and Oklahoma City snapped Charlottes four-game winning streak.The Hornets scored the games first basket, and then the Thunder reeled off nine straight points to take a lead they never relinquished in winning for the second straight day.Oklahoma Citys Serge Ibaka had 13 points, 14 rebounds and four blocks.Brian Roberts led the Hornets with 17 points.The Thunder played their fifth straight game without Kevin Durant, who has a sprained ankle.MAVERICKS 102, LAKERS 98DALLAS (AP) — Rajon Rondo scored a season-high 21 points in his fourth game with Dallas, and Dirk Nowitzki had 14 while moving up another spot on the NBAs scoring list.Rondo, traded from Boston last week, also had eight rebounds and seven assists in Dallas franchise-best fifth straight win against the Lakers in the regular season.Kobe Bryant missed his third straight game for Los Angeles to rest his sore body. He could return Sunday at home against Phoenix.Carlos Boozer scored 18 points for the Lakers, who lost again on the second night of a back-to-back after beating NBA-leading Golden State in the first game without Bryant.Nowitzki passed Elvin Hayes for eighth on the NBAs scoring list, and 10th on the combined NBA-ABA list. Nowitzki, in his 17th season, finished at 27,322 points, nine ahead of Hayes.PISTONS 119, PACERS 109AUBURN HILLS, Mich. (AP) — Greg Monroe had 19 points and 15 rebounds, Andre Drummond scored 20 points and Detroit ended a four-game skid.The Pistons had seven players score in double figures. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope had 15 points, and Brandon Jennings finished with 14 points and 10 assists.Roy Hibbert paced Indiana with 19 points, but foul trouble sent him to the bench in the third quarter, and the Pistons took advantage. They outscored the Pacers 36-29 in the period to take an 11-point lead into the fourth.NETS 109, CELTICS 107BOSTON (AP) — Jarrett Jack made a tiebreaking jumper with 28 seconds left, lifting Brooklyn to the road win.Jack had 27 points and Alan Anderson scored 15 for the Nets, who won their third straight and improved to 12-2 against sub-.500 teams. Mason Plumlee had 14 points and 12 rebounds.Jeff Green scored 22 points for Boston, which has dropped three in a row. Jared Sullinger had 19 points and eight rebounds.The Celtics had a chance to tie it at the buzzer, but Sullingers shot from the left baseline rimmed out. Joe Pepitone Jersey . -- Desperate to stop Tom Bradys latest comeback bid, the Miami Dolphins sought help from a reserve safety making his NFL debut after being signed Tuesday off the San Francisco 49ers practice squad. Dillon Maples Jersey . "Today was a very great day for me. It was always my dream to be good in GS," Wierather said. "I took quite a long time to get there. It feels awesome to have my first win (in GS)." Wierather leads overall with 595 points from Lara Gut (568), who finished second, and Maria Hoefl-Riesch of Germany (535). https://www.cheapcubs.com/1660t-brandon-...ersey-cubs.html. -- Creighton apparently has Villanovas number. Billy Williams Jersey . Ending a nine-game losing streak? That gave the Milwaukee Bucks veteran forward a reason to smile. Greg Maddux Jersey . - Whether its because of her improved play or the reason for it, Michelle Wie appears as comfortable on and off the golf course as at any time in her career.TORONTO - Under interim coach Peter Horachek, the Toronto Maple Leafs are a conundrum. The defensive inconsistency that cost Randy Carlyle his job is mostly gone, but at the same time the goals have disappeared.When you think about it, if youre playing better defensively and youre giving up less chances, youre thinking youre going to be in a better position, Horachek said.Youd think that, but the Leafs have scored just seven goals during an embarrassing 0-7-1 slide, including just five at even strength. It has become a baffling stretch of a season thats beginning to look all too much like — to quote former Leafs GM Brian Burke — an 18-wheeler going off a cliff.If youre getting the same number of chances as we were when we were not playing as well defensively, you would think that the message should be: Just finish your chances, Horachek said after Thursdays 3-1 loss to the Coyotes. Because were not getting less chances, were getting the same number of chances.Injuries have played a role, but now that Joffrey Lupul is back and only captain Dion Phaneuf is missing, its no longer a valid excuse.Lupul returned Thursday night against Arizona after missing 11 games with a lower-body injury. Forced to watch a lot of bad hockey, the winger saw improvement at one end of the ice but not much to show for it at the other.Our team game looks better, but individually were struggling to make the big play at the critical time, Lupul said. Were doing some things right, but obviously youve got to score goals.Phil Kessel scored his 20th of the season against Arizona, but it was also his first at even strength in 19 games dating to Dec. 16.Hopefully I can get going, Kessel said. Its frustrating right now.Kessel said he wasnt sure if his goal might jump-start the offence going into Saturdays game at the Philadelphia Flyers, the first of three straight on the road. As a team, hes not quite sure what the Leafs have to do to score.Youve got to bury it, right? Kessel said. I think weve got to get more bodies to the net and create more secondary chances. Get a break, once in a while. Get a good bounce. We dont seem to be getting them.ddddddddddddBad bounces are bothering the bewildered Leafs, but its more than that. Theyve struggled to score since Horachek arrived preaching a more defensively responsible style.Changing systems on the fly is guaranteed to cause some stumbling, but 14 goals in 10 games and only one victory to show for isnt what management wanted to see after firing Carlyle.Perhaps this should have been expected. When the Capitals visited for Horacheks debut, his friend and mentor Barry Trotz offered some thoughts on what happens early in a transition like this, similar to the one he made in Washington months ago.Theres growing pains because youre going to play really well, and even if youre playing well defensively you might not get the wins, Trotz said. You always get tested how far youre going to come off the rail, if you will, to have balance in your game.Balance has been difficult for the Leafs to find. Progress is being measured in tiny increments.In Wednesdays shootout loss at the New Jersey Devils, Horachek was glad his team didnt give up a first-period goal — which had been a trend — and didnt have to play catch-up. He was also satisfied with the quality of scoring chances.Were getting chances from the A areas, Horachek said. We have to spend more time in those areas, whatever you want to call it, the lions den, the house, and get more people in those areas.Sometimes when the goals arent going in, you have to get more of a greasy goal, youre going to have to get more of an ugly goal. Pucks are going (to have) to have more traffic and people slapping in a rebound or going off a skate and youre going to have to find ways to get it in.These Leafs are built more to score on the rush than from the side of the net. With goals hard to come by from anywhere, Lupul said that after a while Im sure guys lose their confidence.Horachek is trying to keep confidence up.You have to take solace in that and say, OK, its moving in the right direction, he said. Were going to stay course, believe in what were doing and hopefully things will be more favourable.---Follow @SWhyno on Twitter ' ' '