The New Jersey Nets matched the worst start to an NBA season with their 17th straight loss Sunday, with Kobe Bryant scoring 30 points in the Los Angeles Lakers' 106-87 victory. A few hours after New Jersey fired coach Lawrence Frank, the undermanned Nets had little prayer of keeping up with the defending league champions, who won their sixth straight game. Falling behind by 27 points in the first half despite clearly playing hard for temporary head coach Tom Barrise, the Nets matched the starts of the 1988-89 Miami Heat and the 1999 Los Angeles Clippers. New Jersey must beat the Dallas Mavericks at home on Wednesday to avoid sole possession of an embarrassing NBA record. Celtics 92, Heat 85: At Miami, Kevin Garnett scored 24 points on 11 of 12 shooting and Ray Allen delivered the big blow with a 3-pointer with 1:38 left as Boston rallied to beat Miami. Paul Pierce scored 15 points and Kendrick Perkins finished with 14 points and 13 rebounds for Boston, which opened a four-game trip by winning its fourth straight. Rajon Rondo had 13 points and 11 assists for the Celtics, who wasted an 11-point third-quarter lead and were down by five with 9 minutes remaining. Dwyane Wade scored 27 points for Miami, which has lost six of nine and opens a trip Tuesday in Portland. Michael Beasley added 18 and Jermaine O'Neal finished with 14 points and 10 rebounds for the Heat. Clippers 98, Grizzlies 88: At Los Angeles, Eric Gordon scored 29 points as the Los Angeles Clippers rallied from a 20-point deficit to beat Memphis and give coach Mike Dunleavy his 600th regular-season victory. Al Thornton scored seven of his 18 points in the final 2:26 for the Clippers, who held the Grizzlies to just 2-for-18 shooting in the fourth quarter. Timberwolves 106, Nuggets 100: At Denver, Ryan Gomes scored 27 points to help Minnesota snap a 15-game losing streak. Pistons 94, Hawks 88: At Detroit, Ben Wallace had 18 rebounds, including 11 offensive boards, to help undermanned Detroit end a seven-game losing streak. Suns 113, Raptors 94: At Toronto, Steve Nash had 20 points and 16 assists and Jason Richardson scored 22 points as Phoenix downed Toronto for its fourth straight win. Magic 114, Knicks 102: At New York, Rashard Lewis scored 13 of his season-high 26 points in the third quarter as Orlando won its sixth straight on the road. Spurs 97, 76ers 89: At San Antonio, Tim Duncan scored 22 points and Tony Parker added 16 as San Antonio won its fifth straight game. Rockets 100, Thunder 91: At Oklahoma City, Aaron Brooks scored 18 of his 21 points in the second half and Carl Landry had 21 points and 10 rebounds to lead Houston. Kings 112, Hornets 96: At Sacramento, California, Sergio Rodriguez scored a career-high 24 points, and Jason Thompson had 22 points and 14 rebounds as Sacramento won its third straight.
