LOS ANGELES — The winless New Jersey Nets fired coach Lawrence Frank yesterday, several hours before they matched the worst start in NBA history with their 17th straight loss.

Assistant Tom Barrise temporarily replaced his friend, but the Nets remained 0-for-the-season with a 106-87 loss to the defending champion Los Angeles Lakers. Kobe Bryant led the Lakers with 30 points.

Though Frank's departure has been widely expected while New Jersey lost every game in the season's first 4 1/2 weeks, several of Frank's players claimed they were stunned by the news.

"It's tough, because he was the hardest worker on the team," said center Brook Lopez, who led New Jersey with 26 points and 12 rebounds. "He's so passionate about what he does. It was a rough situation, and he did a great job of not using our injuries as an excuse. He came in every night and had us prepared."

The Nets won't choose a permanent replacement for Frank until after they return from their four-game road trip today.

Frank's 225 victories are the most in franchise history, and he had a career .500 record before this disastrous, injury-plagued season. He also was the longest-tenured coach in the East, but he couldn't repair a trade-depleted roster featuring eight players who missed multiple games with injuries.

"He wasn't dealt a royal flush," said Rafer Alston, who joined New Jersey in the June trade sending star scorer Vince Carter to Orlando. "It's almost like he had a pair of 2's, and he tried to fight."

Celtics 92, Heat 85: Kevin Garnett scored 24 points on 11-of-12 shooting and Ray Allen delivered the big blow with a 3-pointer with 1:38 left for visiting Boston. Dwyane Wade scored 27 points for Miami.

Clippers 98, Grizzlies 88: Eric Gordon scored 29 points and host Los Angeles rallied from a 20-point deficit to give coach Mike Dunleavy his 600th regular-season victory. Marc Gasol led Memphis with 26 points.

Timberwolves 106, Nuggets 100: Ryan Gomes scored 27 points to help visiting Minnesota snap a 15-game losing streak. Carmelo Anthony scored 32 points for Denver, which lost to Minnesota for the first time in 11 meetings.

Magic 114, Knicks 102: Rashard Lewis scored a season-high 26 points as Orlando won its sixth straight on the road. Nate Robinson scored 24 points for New York, which lost its fifth straight.

Spurs 97, 76ers 89: Tim Duncan scored 22 points as host San Antonio won its fifth straight. Andre Iguodala scored 21 points for Philadelphia, which dropped its sixth in a row.

Suns 113, Raptors 94: Steve Nash had 20 points and 16 assists as visiting Phoenix won its fourth straight. Chris Bosh had 30 points and 17 rebounds for Toronto, which has lost three straight.

Pistons 94, Hawks 88: Ben Wallace had 18 rebounds, including 11 offensive boards, to help host Detroit end a seven-game losing streak. Josh Smith led Atlanta with 21 points.

Kings 112, Hornets 96: Sergio Rodriguez scored a career-high 24 points, Jason Thompson had 22 points and 14 rebounds and host Sacramento won its third straight. David West scored 24 points for New Orleans.

Rockets 100, Thunder 91: Aaron Brooks scored 18 of his 21 points in the second half and Carl Landry had 21 points and 10 rebounds to lead visiting Houston. Kevin Durant scored 25 points to lead Oklahoma City.