Billups out for season

LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS guard Chauncey Billups will miss the remainder of the season after tearing his left Achilles' tendon during a victory over the Magic in Orlando on Monday.

The team said an MRI yesterday confirmed Billups' injury.

Billups will return to Los Angeles for further evaluation; a date for surgery hasn't been determined. The five-time All-Star, whom the Clippers claimed off waivers in December, was averaging 14.9 points and 4.0 assists in 30.4 minutes per game.

"It's a big blow for us, all the things that Chauncey brings off the court, on the court," coach Vinny Del Negro said. "We're just going to have to have other guys step up and we're going to have to move forward and do whatever we can to support him and handle this as best we can."

Billups had scored 11 of his 18 points in the fourth quarter when he turned to run up the court and buckled to the ground with 5:48 left in the game. He needed assistance to make it off the court.

He said he doesn't plan to retire.

"No, sir. There is no way I'm going to crawl out of the league," said Billups, 35. "I'm going to be back. Trust me."

The Clippers play the 76ers at the Wells Fargo Center Friday night.

Noteworthy * 

San Diego prosecutors won't file criminal charges against Kobe Bryant after reviewing allegations by a man who accused the Los Angeles Lakers star of injuring him during a scuffle at church. The city attorney's office said that there was insufficient evidence to prove charges beyond a reasonable doubt. It says it did an exhaustive investigation that included interviews with independent witnesses.

Police have said Bryant took the man's cellphone in August, apparently thinking it was being used to take his picture during a Sunday service at the St. Therese of Carmel Church. The man went to a hospital for treatment of an injured wrist. Bryant has denied the allegations. The accuser's name has not been released.

* The Knicks expect Carmelo Anthony to miss a week or 2 with a strained right groin.

* Denver forward Danilo Gallinari is expected to miss a month with a severely sprained left ankle.

In games last night * 

At Boston, Paul Pierce passed Larry Bird for No. 2 on the Celtics' career scoring list, finishing with 15 points as Boston increased its winning streak to five games with a 94-84 victory over the Charlotte Bobcats.

* At Miami, Dwyane Wade scored 26 points, LeBron James added 24 against his former team and the Heat tuned up for a long road trip by beating the Cleveland Cavaliers, 107-91.

* At Milwaukee, Steve Nash hit a driving layup with 5 seconds left, giving the Phoenix Suns a 107-105 victory over the Bucks.

* At Minneapolis, Nikola Pekovic had 23 points and 10 rebounds, and Michael Beasley added 17 points and 14 boards to lead the Minnesota Timberwolves to an 86-84 victory over Sacramento.

* At Indianapolis, Danny Granger scored 12 of his 16 points in the fourth quarter, and Darren Collison had 25 points to lead the Indiana Pacers to a 104-99 win over the Utah Jazz.