Kobe Bryant never gets tired of being the Lakers' closer. And though he savored the chance to stop Los Angeles' longest losing streak in nearly three years with yet another flawless game-winning shot, Bryant is hoping he won't have to bail out the Lakers quite so frequently in the final weeks before they defend their title.

Mike Dunleavy and the Los Angeles Clippers parted company for good Tuesday, barely a month after he relinquished his head coaching duties to focus solely on being general manager. Now that arrangement is over, with the team announcing his departure in an e-mailed statement. Assistant general manager Neil Olshey will take over Dunleavy's job.

A serious mismatch on paper, it looked even more ridiculous in real life: Milwaukee Bucks point guard Brandon Jennings, all of 6-foot-1 and 169 pounds, standing up to Boston Celtics forward Glen Davis -- a player 8 inches taller and nearly 130 pounds heavier. Still, Jennings didn't back down from an on-court confrontation with Davis in the fourth quarter.

The Los Angeles Clippers were distraught and dejected, stunned after losing two things Tuesday night. Their game to the Orlando Magic. Their general manager Mike Dunleavy. The way both happened caught them by surprise. Dwight Howard had 22 points and 15 rebounds to help the Magic roll past the Clippers, 113-87 on Tuesday night to tie a season high with their sixth straight victory.

Pistons guard Rodney Stuckey will miss at least a second game after collapsing in Cleveland. Detroit president of basketball operations Joe Dumars says Stuckey won't play Wednesday night against Utah and there is no timetable for his return, which will be determined by doctors. Stuckey was out of the lineup against Houston on Sunday, two days after he was wheeled off the court on a stretcher...

His right wrist wrapped in ice, Deron Williams insisted he feels no pain when he soars for dunks. It hurts when he shoots, though. The way he played Tuesday, it was hard to tell. Williams got the better of Derrick Rose, finishing with 28 points and a season-high 17 assists, while CJ Miles scored a season-best 26 points to lead the Utah Jazz to a 132-108 victory over the Chicago Bulls.

The Charlotte Bobcats keep finding new ways to beat the Miami Heat, and that just might end up deciding which team goes to the playoffs. That prospect left Dwyane Wade fuming after the Heat's second-half offensive meltdown. Thanks to D.J. Augustin's big fourth quarter, Raymond Felton's steady play and Wade's shooting woes, the Bobcats earned their third straight win over Miami, 83-78...

With just 16 games left in the season, Brandon Roy will take any win, even the clumsy ones. Roy scored 19 points to lead the Portland Trail Blazers to what Roy called an "up and down" 88-81 victory over the Sacramento Kings on Tuesday night. "It's not winning the way we want," Roy said, "but we've got to keep trying to push to try to find it." The Kings pulled...

With Kenyon Martin's left knee aching, Carmelo Anthony vowed to be more of a force on the boards. With coach George Karl's health problems, Chauncey Billups pledged to take on more leadership responsibilities -- if that's even possible. These have turned into trying times for the Denver Nuggets, leaders of the Northwest Division.

For the Houston Rockets, who need as many hands on deck as possible to get out of the win-lose blahs, it was good enough simply to see Trevor Ariza and Kyle Lowry back on the court. Ariza returned after missing seven games with a left hip injury, and Lowry was back after sitting out 12 games with a sprained left ankle.