DENVER — Carmelo Anthony scored 29 points, Allen Iverson added 28 and the Denver Nuggets spoiled the return of Kevin Garnett, holding on for a 124-118 victory over the Boston Celtics on Tuesday night.
Denver also halted the Celtics' dominance over Western Conference teams this season, snapping their string of 16 straight wins.
Garnett, who had been out since Jan. 25 with a strained abdominal muscle, wasn't his flashy self, finishing with four points on 2-of-7 shooting in close to 21 minutes of action. He also had eight rebounds.
Paul Pierce scored 24 points, Rajon Rondo added 22 and Leon Powe had 13 points and 11 rebounds for the Celtics, who had won five straight.
Ray Allen, fresh off his 28-point performance at Sunday's All-Star game, scored 14 of his 20 points in the first quarter. He went 2-for-10 after the opening 12 minutes.
Garnett cut a once 10-point fourth-quarter deficit to 105-104 on a dunk with 3:35 remaining, but Denver reeled off six straight points, including a 3-pointer by Marcus Camby, to build the lead back up.
Camby finished with 11 points and 13 rebounds and Kenyon Martin had 19 points for Denver, which won for the fourth time in five games.
Garnett came in averaging 19.2 points and 9.9 rebounds this season, and anchoring a Celtics defense that's allowing an NBA-low 89.4 points per game.
ROCKETS 93, CAVALIERS 85: At Cleveland, Rafer Alston scored 22 points, Yao Ming added 16 points and 14 rebounds, and the Houston Rockets tied a team record with their ninth straight road win over the Cleveland Cavaliers, who wasted a triple-double from LeBron James.
The Rockets went into the All-Star break as the Western Conference's hottest team and they didn't cool off, winning their ninth in a row to improve to 18-3 since Jan. 4. Still, they came in tied for seventh in the brutal West. Houston last reeled off nine victories in a row on the road in 1993.
James, who won his second All-Star MVP in three years on Sunday in New Orleans, finished with 26 points, 13 rebounds and 11 assists. It was his fifth triple-double this season and career No. 15.
MAGIC 103, PISTONS 85: At Auburn Hills, Mich., Rashard Lewis scored 20 points, reserve Keith Bogans added 19 and Orlando ended Detroit's 10-game winning streak. On the game's first possession, Rasheed Wallace blocked a dunk attempt by fellow All-Star and new dunk champion Dwight Howard, but that was one of Detroit's only highlights.
KNICKS 113, WIZARDS 100, OT: At Washington, Zach Randolph had 24 points and 10 rebounds, Jamal Crawford added 21 points and the Knicks broke a franchise record by scoring 23 points in overtime. New York broke the team mark of 19 overtime points, set in a victory over Detroit in 1964.
SPURS 85, BOBCATS 65: At San Antonio, Manu Ginobili scored 18 points to lead the San Antonio Spurs over the Charlotte Bobcats in the defending NBA champions' first home game in more than three weeks. Tim Duncan shot poorly, going just 2-of-12 from the field, but he got five blocks and 15 rebounds.
LAKERS 122, HAWKS 93: At Los Angeles, Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol each scored 23 points before sitting out the fourth quarter, and Los Angeles beat Atlanta for its fifth straight victory. It was Gasol's first home game with Los Angeles, Bryant's first since deciding to forego surgery on his injured shooting hand, and Mike Bibby's debut with Atlanta following Saturday's trade from Sacramento.
SUPERSONICS 108, GRIZZLIES 101: At Seattle, Earl Watson scored a season-high 26 points for Seattle and Wally Szczerbiak had 24, including the go-ahead score with 31 seconds remaining.
KINGS 105, TRAIL BLAZERS 94: At Portland, Ore., Ron Artest scored 24 points, Francisco Garcia added 23, and Sacramento snapped a three-game losing streak by beating Portland.
TIMBERWOLVES 104, 76ERS 88: At Minneapolis, reserve Rashad McCants scored 20 points, Al Jefferson had 19 points and 14 rebounds, and Minnesota snapped a five-game losing streak.