ATLANTA — Josh Smith had a night to remember, especially after one he and the rest of the Atlanta Hawks would like to forget.

Jamal Crawford scored 25 points, and Smith had 22 points, nine rebounds, six blocked shots and seven assists in the Hawks' 125-100 victory over the Denver Nuggets last night.

The Hawks were coming off a 103-83 loss to Charlotte on Friday night.

"It's a big statement. Having a letdown loss last night, and being able to come in and beat the number two or three team last year in the Western Conference. That's a big boost of confidence," said Smith, 8 of 10 from the field and 6 of 8 from the line.

The Hawks had seven players in double figures. Joe Johnson added 21 points, Marvin Williams had 14, Mo Evans 12, and Al Horford and Mike Bibby 11 each.

The Nuggets lost their second straight after winning their first five.

"We didn't have enough energy. We never did get a grip," Denver coach George Karl said.

CELTICS 86, NETS 76

Rajon Rondo and Paul Pierce each scored 16 points, and visiting Boston bounced back from its first loss of the season to beat winless New Jersey. Ray Allen scored eight of his 12 points in the fourth quarter for the Celtics.

MAVERICKS 129, RAPTORS 101

Dirk Nowitzki had 29 points and nine rebounds, and Josh Howard scored 16 in his season debut for host Dallas following ankle and wrist injuries. Jason Terry added 19 points, and Shawn Marion had 18 points and eight rebounds for Dallas.

BULLS 93, BOBCATS 90

John Salmons scored 27 points, and Joakim Noah added a career-high 21 points and had 16 rebounds in host Chicago's third straight win. The Bulls had a 16-0 run in the third and fourth quarters that turned a nine-point deficit into a 77-70 lead.

BUCKS 102, KNICKS 87

Andrew Bogut scored a season-high 22 points and had eight rebounds, and rookie Jodie Meeks added 19 points for host Milwaukee. Brandon Jennings added 17 points for the Bucks.

KINGS 104, JAZZ 99

Tyreke Evans scored a career-high 32 points and visiting Sacramento held off Utah. Deron Williams had 29 points and 15 assists for Utah.

CLIPPERS 113, GRIZZLIES 110

Chris Kaman had 26 points and nine rebounds, and host Los Angeles won its third straight. Rudy Gay led the Grizzlies with 33 points.

NOTES

Grizzlies: Disgruntled Memphis guard Allen Iverson returned to his home in Atlanta after receiving permission to leave the team to attend to personal business. Iverson has played in three games since returning from a hamstring injury, averaging 12.3 points and 3.7 assists in 22.3 minutes.

Nets: New Jersey's Chris Douglas-Roberts has tested positive for swine flu. He had started every game for the winless Nets until missing a loss at Philadelphia on Friday with flu-like symptoms. Douglas-Roberts has been averaging 15.6 points and 4.8 rebounds in five games.

Pistons: Detroit forward Tayshaun Prince will be out of the lineup indefinitely due to a small rupture of a disc in his lower back. The 6-foot-9 Prince has appeared in three games this season, averaging 12.3 points, 5 rebounds and 2.3 assists.

Bulls: Chicago forward Tyrus Thomas had surgery on his left forearm yesterday, a day after he broke it during a weight-training session. Thomas is expected to miss four to six weeks.