Kobe Bryant missed Los Angeles' game against Portland on Saturday night because of a sore left ankle.

CLIPPERS: Mike Dunleavy stepped down as head coach, retaining his job as general manager.

ORLANDO, Fla. --- Dwight Howard helped the Orlando Magic beat a top conference rival for the second game in a row.

ATLANTA --- Joe Johnson scored 16 of his 27 points in the fourth quarter and the Atlanta Hawks beat Boston 100-91 on Friday night.

HOUSTON - Josh Smith scored 22 points and grabbed 10 rebounds and the Atlanta Hawks snapped a 10-game losing streak in Houston with a 102-95 victory over the Rockets on Monday night.

NUGGETS: Sulking guard J.R. Smith , whose behavior has rubbed management the wrong way, has the team talking about a possible punishment.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Jameer Nelson scored six of his 21 points in overtime and the Orlando Magic recovered after blowing a big lead to beat the Charlotte Bobcats 106-95 on Saturday night for their third straight victory.

ATLANTA --- The Charlotte Bobcats were one of the hottest teams in the NBA. The Hawks took care of that with two dominating quarters. Jamal Crawford scored 24 points, Al Horford had 23 and Atlanta overwhelmed the Bobcats in the first and third periods on the way to a 103-89 victory Friday night.

ATLANTA - The Atlanta starters were having trouble generating much enthusiasm, so it was up to the backups to make sure the Hawks didn't lose to the Sacramento Kings. Jamal Crawford scored 20 points to lead a strong effort by the reserves, and the Hawks bounced back to beat the Kings 108-97.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Stephen Jackson scored 29 points to surpass 10,000 career points, Gerald Wallace added 29 points and 13 rebounds, and the Charlotte Bobcats continued one of their best stretches in franchise history with a 125-99 rout of the Phoenix Suns on Saturday night.

WASHINGTON --- Washington Wizards star Gilbert Arenas pleaded guilty Friday to carrying a pistol without a license in the District of Columbia, a felony conviction that could jeopardize his future in the NBA.