Pau Gasol delivered a “double-double” and blocked Boston's final attempt at the buzzer as the Los Angeles Lakers held on for an 88-87 NBA overtime victory against the Celtics in Boston Thursday. Kobe Bryant led the Lakers with 27 points, but Spain's Gasol played a key role with 25 points and 14 rebounds as Los Angeles – who have struggled on the road this season – ended Boston's five-game winning streak. With 9.8 seconds to play in regulation Gasol tipped in Bryant's missed jump shot, knotting the score at 82-82. Boston swingman Mickael Pietrus of France was off-target with a three-point attempt as time expired in regulation, sending it to overtime. As the clock ticked down in the extra period, Gasol was right there under the basket when Boston's Paul Pierce missed. Although the Celtics came up with the rebound, Gasol stretched to block Ray Allen's attempt at a game-winning put-back, sealing the one-point victory. Andrew Bynum also notched a “double-double” for the Lakers with 16 points and 17 rebounds. Allen led the Celtics with 22 points. Pierce added 18 with nine rebounds. Rockets 96, Suns 89: Luis Scola scored 16 points, Patrick Patterson added 14 and the Houston Rockets outlasted the Phoenix Suns. Chase Budinger and Kyle Lowry each scored 12 points, and the Rockets used a 57-13 edge in scoring from their backups to win their third straight and fourth in five games. Channing Frye, playing the entire second half, scored a season-high 21 points, and Marcin Gortat added 16 for the Suns, whose season-best, three-game winning streak was snapped. Steve Nash, selected to his eighth All-Star game earlier Thursday, scored 14 points on 7-for-7 shooting and had 13 assists. Warriors 109, Nuggets 101: Stephen Curry scored a season-best 36 points and Golden State handed fading Denver its fifth straight loss, the Nuggets' longest losing streak in five seasons. Klay Thompson added 19 points, Dorrell Wright had 15 and Monta Ellis 14 for the Warriors, who snapped a two-game skid and posted just their third win in nine road games. Arron Afflalo led the Nuggets with 26 points. In another high-scoring game, Sacramento Kings edged Oklahoma City Thunder 106-101.
