James added nine assists and eight rebounds, but fell just short of passing Kobe Bryant as the active scoring leader at the Garden. James improved his average to 30.4 points, with Bryant averaging 30.5 in 11 visits, according to STATS LLC

James had scored 50 or more in two of his last three visits, joining Michael Jordan as the only visiting players with multiple 50-point games at the current building. Suns 110, Celtics 103=

At Boston, Jason Richardson bounced back from his worst game of the season to score 34 points with 10 rebounds as Phoenix rebounded from its only defeat.

Kevin Garnett had a season-high 26 points for Boston — the most he’s scored since missing the end of the 2008-09 season and the playoffs with strained ligaments in his right knee.

Steve Nash had 16 points with 12 assists for Phoenix, shaking loose to hit a 3-pointer with 51 seconds left after Boston closed an 11-point fourth-quarter gap to four points. Amare Stoudemire added 22 points, while Richardson finished 6 for 7 from 3-point range. Magic 110, Pistons 103=

At Orlando, Florida, Dwight Howard had 22 points and 12 rebounds to help Orlando hold off Charlie Villanueva and Detroit.

Villanueva scored 22 of his 28 points in the fourth quarter, but it wasn’t enough to get past the defending Eastern Conference champs, who led by 19 early and never trailed at all.

Matt Barnes had 18 points and nine rebounds for the Magic and Jameer Nelson also scored 18, with eight assists. Bucks 87, Timberwolves 72=

At Minneapolis, Andrew Bogut bested Al Jefferson inside with 17 points and 10 rebounds and Luke Ridnour had 16 points off the bench as Milwaukee used a second-half surge to top Minnesota.

Rookie Brandon Jennings had his first clunker for the Bucks, putting up nine points on 4 for 16 shooting, but his backup Ridnour helped counter a career-high 20 points by Timberwolves rookie Jonny Flynn. Heat 96, Nuggets 88=

At Miami, Dwyane Wade scored 22 points and Jermaine O’Neal added 18 as Miami dealt Denver its first loss of the season.

Mario Chalmers scored 16 points, Quentin Richardson added 13 and Udonis Haslem finished with 11 points and 10 rebounds for the Heat, who are 5-1 for only the third time in their 22 seasons and beat Denver for the first time since Dec. 17, 2004.

Denver got 30 points from Carmelo Anthony, and little from anyone else: Reserve Arron Afflalo scored 18 for the Nuggets, who were held more than 27 points below their season average. Pacers 102, Wizards 86=

At Indianapolis, Tyler Hansbrough scored 13 points in his pro debut as Indiana downed Washington.

The first-round draft pick from North Carolina missed the preseason and the first four regular-season games with a right shin injury.

Danny Granger scored 22 points and T.J. Ford added 18 points and 10 rebounds for the Pacers.

Caron Butler led the Wizards with 24 points and 12 rebounds, and Brendan Haywood had nine points and 19 rebounds. Gilbert Arenas, who had averaged 28 points, finished with 13 and took only 10 shots. 76ers 97, Nets 94=

At Philadelphia, Andre Iguodala scored 16 points, including a late 3-pointer, to give Philadelphia the lead over New Jersey.

Lou Williams scored 18 points and Jason Kapono had 14 for Philadelphia, which rebounded fromscored 27 points as Toronto used a 27-4 run in the third quarter to take control.

Hedo Turkoglu and Jose Calderon both had 16 points for Toronto, while Andrea Bargnani added 14.

Chris Paul led New Orleans with 21 points and a season-high 18 assists, while Bobby Brown added 16 points. Bobcats 103, Hawks 83=

At Charlotte, Nort Carolina, Raja Bell scored 24 points as Charlotte downed a road-weary Atlanta.

Bell hit 9 of 12 shots, including 5 of 6 from 3-point range, Flip Murray added 15 points in his Charlotte debut, and Gerald Wallace offset a poor shooting night with 18 rebounds in the Bobcats’ second straight win.

Josh Smith and Jamal Crawford each scored 13 points for Atlanta, but combined to shoot 10 of 27 from the field.