SAN ANTONIO — Here's one more reason for the Boston Celtics to regret not getting the chance to draft Tim Duncan in 1997: They haven't beaten the San Antonio Spurs since.

Duncan scored 20 points and had 10 rebounds last night as the Spurs beat the Celtics for the 17th straight time, 101-89.

Boston is the only team in the NBA without a victory over San Antonio during the Duncan era, though it had some chances last night when the Spurs surrendered several double-digit leads.

"We played well for the majority of the time," Duncan said. "We had a little bit of ups and downs — a little more than we wanted to."

San Antonio led by as many as 16 in the third quarter, but the Celtics trimmed that to 75-65 at the end of the period.

Boston's Orien Greene scored on a fast-break layup to make it 79-71 with about 10 minutes remaining. But Duncan then made a left-handed jumper and Nick Van Exel found Manu Ginobili for an alley-oop layup, and after that the Celtics never got closer than 10.

"I thought we caught the Spurs on an off night," Boston coach Doc Rivers said. "They were beatable."

But the last time the Celtics did beat San Antonio was in January 1997, five months before Duncan was drafted first overall by the Spurs. The Celtics finished with the NBA's worst record during the 1996-97 season and had the best shot at Duncan, but they ended up getting Chauncey Billups with the third pick.

"They're a well-oiled machine — they've been together for a long time and they understand what it takes to win," said Paul Pierce, who led Boston with 24 points. "They withstand runs, they don't get rattled. ... They are definitely a team we can learn from."

NUGGETS 100, HEAT 92

MIAMI — Carmelo Anthony scored a season-high 40 points, including a pair of game-sealing free throws with 14 seconds left, helping Denver send Miami to its fourth straight loss.

Anthony was 13 of 30 from the field and 13 of 14 from the foul line, finishing one point shy of his career high. Marcus Camby had 18 points and 12 rebounds for the Nuggets, who opened a six-game road trip.

NETS 109, CAVALIERS 100

CLEVELAND — Vince Carter scored a season-high 38 points and Richard Jefferson added 18, including nine in the final 5:07, as New Jersey held off Cleveland for its fourth straight road victory.

LeBron James scored 32 points and became the first Cleveland player to score 30 or more points in four straight games since 1981, but it wasn't enough as the Cavaliers dropped to 7-2 at home.

MAVS 90, GRIZZLIES 83

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Dirk Nowitzki matched his season high with 35 points and grabbed nine rebounds, helping Dallas end Memphis' six-game winning streak.

Nowitzki was 13 of 29 from the field and 8 of 9 from the free-throw line before fouling out with 37 seconds left. The Mavericks extended their winning streak to four.

76ERS 119, BOBCATS 115

PHILADELPHIA — Allen Iverson missed his first five shots, but finished with 43 points, and Kyle Korver had 26 to help Philadelphia beat Charlotte and end a four-game losing streak.

The Sixers led 114-99 with 3:47 left, but the Bobcats closed to 117-113 on a layup by Bernard Robinson with 1:12 remaining. However, Jumaine Jones missed two 3-point shots and the Sixers sealed it on free throws by Korver and Andre Iguodala.

SUPERSONICS 106, JAZZ 90

SALT LAKE CITY — Rashard Lewis scored 26 points and Reggie Evans grabbed a season-high 18 rebounds as Seattle cruised past Utah.

The Sonics' win was marred by forward Danny Fortson's ejection in the fourth quarter, when he had to be restrained by teammate Ray Allen, coach Bob Weiss and assistant Jack Sikma after receiving his second technical foul of the game.

LAKERS 93, BULLS 80

CHICAGO — Kobe Bryant scored 23 points, Lamar Odom added 19, and Los Angeles beat Chicago for its fourth straight victory.

On a night when they retired Scottie Pippen's number 33, the Bulls rallied from a 47-37 halftime deficit to tie it at 63 with 2:47 left in the third quarter. But Bryant made two free throws and Devean George hit a 3 to put the Lakers ahead to stay.

SUNS 85, KNICKS 81

PHOENIX — Steve Nash scored 19 points, Raja Bell had 17 and Phoenix rallied from an early 12-point first-half deficit, then held off New York for its ninth consecutive victory, the most by an NBA team this season.

The win, Phoenix's eighth in a row at home, lifted the Suns into a tie with the Clippers for first place in the Pacific Division, setting up a showdown between the teams today at Los Angeles.

PISTONS 106, WARRIORS 103

OAKLAND, Calif. — Rasheed Wallace scored 10 of his 22 points in the fourth quarter, and Chauncey Billups had 29 points and the go-ahead basket with 2:12 remaining as Detroit beat Golden State for its fifth straight victory.

Golden State took a 94-92 lead with 3:41 left on a Jason Richardson dunk, but Wallace hit two free throws and then capped a stellar defensive game by stealing Baron Davis' pass and hitting Billups for the go-ahead layup with 2:12 left.

BLAZERS 98, HORNETS 95

PORTLAND, Ore. — Reserve Juan Dixon scored a season-high 28 points and rookie Martell Webster made a go-ahead 3-pointer in overtime, leading Portland over New Orleans.

Ruben Patterson added a fadeaway jumper with 10.5 seconds left for the Blazers, who snapped a six-game losing streak while handing the Hornets their fourth straight loss.