CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Steve Smith scored 20 points and hit two clutch shots in the final three minutes as the Charlotte Bobcats overcame a 41-point performance from Jamal Crawford and defeated the New York Knicks 107-101.

Smith hit a contested 3-pointer from the right wing with 2:29 left to break a tie, then drained a fallaway jumper with 1:52 left to put the Bobcats ahead 101-97.

Emeka Okafor added 20 points and 18 rebounds – his sixth straight double-double – while Brevin Knight had 18 assists and hit two clinching free throws with 38.8 seconds left.

Crawford shot 17-of-25 but managed just four points in the final quarter and missed his last five shots. He also had a turnover with 44 seconds left and the Knicks trailing by four.

Nets 109, Hawks 88

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. – Eric Williams scored 21 points and the New Jersey Nets shot a season-high 54.4 percent from the field in a 109-88 win over Atlanta on Saturday night, the Hawks’ ninth straight loss.

Richard Jefferson rebounded from his worst game of the season – seven points and no field goals against Washington – with 14 points, seven rebounds and seven assists. Rodney Buford, who has struggled with his shooting all season, added a season-high 18 points as New Jersey won for just the fourth time in 16 games.

Al Harrington had 17 points and Antoine Walker 15 for Atlanta.

Spurs 104, Bucks 83

MILWAUKEE – Tim Duncan’s 20 points led San Antonio to a 104-83 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks on Saturday night, improving the Spurs’ record to 15-3 for the best start in franchise history.

The Spurs also got 13 points apiece from Tony Parker, Beno Udrih and Devin Brown and 12 from Manu Ginobili in winning their NBA-best seventh straight game.

The Spurs, coming off a last-second win over Detroit at home the night before and playing their fourth game in five nights, looked tired and slow – but still more energetic and quicker than the Bucks, who lost for the ninth time in 10 games.

Cavaliers 105, Raptors 97

CLEVELAND – Drew Gooden scored 27 points and LeBron James had 27, his final field goal coming on a monstrous dunk that sent the Cleveland Cavaliers to a 105-97 win Saturday night over the feuding Toronto Raptors, who didn’t have Vince Carter.

Cleveland, which won its seventh straight home game, entered the night tied with Indiana atop the NBA’s Central Division. The Cavaliers are in first place for the first time since Dec. 19, 2000.

Wizards 95, Bulls 88

WASHINGTON – The Washington Wizards are off to their best start in 30 years despite a messy performance against a last-place team.

Gilbert Arenas scored a season-high 34 points, and Larry Hughes padded his NBA lead with seven of his team’s 17 steals Saturday to rally the Wizards to a 95-88 victory over the Chicago Bulls.

The Wizards, who have epitomized losing for more than a decade, improved to 10-5, their best 15-game record since the 1974-75 team that started 11-4 and won a franchise record 60 games.

Mavericks 109, Jazz 86

DALLAS – Dirk Nowitzki followed up his 53-point outburst with 30 points and seven rebounds as the Dallas Mavericks routed the Utah Jazz 109-86 Saturday night.

Nowitzki wasn’t quite as sharp as he was two nights earlier in setting a franchise scoring record against Houston, but his 10-for-19 field goal shooting and 8-for-8 performance from the free throw line were good enough to send the Mavericks to their fourth victory in five games.

Jason Terry scored a season-high 19 points and added nine assists, and Jerry Stackhouse added 18 points for Dallas. Josh Howard contributed 17 points and 10 rebounds.

Matt Harpring’s 22 points paced the Jazz, who’ve lost four straight and five of six. Carlos Arroyo added 16 points. Carlos Boozer, who started night as Utah’s top scorer (20.8 ppg), finished with only eight points and two rebounds.

Dallas ended the third quarter with a 7-2 spurt, the final five points coming from Terry, and took a 75-68 advantage into the final quarter.

Nowitzki knocked down a 20-footer to open the fourth quarter, and Terry connected on a 3-pointer with 9:23 remaining to end an 18-6 run for an 86-72 edge. Dallas went on to lead by as many as 25.

Notes: Utah coach Jerry Sloan shook up his starting lineup, inserting former Maverick Raja Bell at shooting guard for Gordon Giricek and Mehmet Okur at center for Jarron Collins. … Darrell Armstrong, acquired from the New Orleans in a trade on Friday to add backcourt depth, made his Mavericks debut in the second quarter. He had two points in eight minutes.

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