Boston's Big Three against New Jersey's Great Eight had the look of a mismatch. Instead, the Celtics had to work hard to keep the injury-decimated Nets winless. Rajon Rondo and Paul Pierce each scored 16 points, and Boston bounced back from its first loss of the season with an 86-76 victory Saturday night.

Chris Douglas-Roberts has tested positive for swine flu, another blow to a New Jersey Nets team that is losing players as quickly as games. Douglas-Roberts had started every game for the winless Nets until missing a loss at Philadelphia on Friday with flu-like symptoms. Nets president Rod Thorn confirmed on Saturday that Douglas-Roberts tested positive for the H1N1 virus.

Andre Iguodala and the Philadelphia 76ers did just enough to win. With the Sixers still stinging from a 31-point loss three nights earlier, that was just fine by them. Iguodala scored 16 points, including a late 3-pointer to give Philadelphia the lead, and knocked the ball away from Terrence Williams' hands before the Nets could attempt a tying shot to give the 76ers a 97-94 win over New Jersey...

Down by a point after sub-par first-half performances by Chauncey Billups and Carmelo Anthony, the Denver Nuggets become the latest team to take advantage of the New Jersey Nets' woes in the third quarter. Billups and Anthony woke up the Nuggets by leading a 44-point third-quarter assault that carried unbeaten Denver to its fifth straight win, a 122-94 decision over the victory over the...

Just when you thought nobody could match the Charlotte Bobcats' offensive ineptitude, the New Jersey Nets one-upped them. Try more than 10 minutes without a point and nearly 11 1/2 without a field goal. Add in another key injury and another deflating loss and the Nets' season is already in a freefall.

Gilbert Arenas scored 32 points, barely cracked a smile on the court and afterward declared: "I don't get excited anymore." Andray Blatche scored a flashy career-high 30, strutted to the crowd after a highlight-reel baseline dunk and wore his fancy sunglasses as he approached reporters in the locker room.

While a sprained left ankle spoiled Vince Carter's return to New Jersey, it did nothing to slow down Dwight Howard and the Eastern Conference champion Orlando Magic. Carter scored 16 points before leaving the game against his former teammates in the second quarter, but Howard more than made up for his absence with 20 points, 22 rebounds and four blocks in a 95-85 victory Friday night.

David Vaughn knows the adulation of NBA crowds. He also knows the humbling task of maneuvering his 6-foot-9 frame into his Chevy Impala to sleep. Less than a decade after the end of a four-season NBA career, the former power forward spent six months on the streets of Orlando, Fla., having run through the $2.2 million he earned in the league.

Kurt Rambis knows his first year coaching the young and rebuilding Minnesota Timberwolves is going to be a long one. He said before his first game that, above all else, he wants to see his players show their fans that they won't quit and will play hard until the final buzzer. Rookie Jonny Flynn clearly has been listening.