Allan Houston scored 29 points and Kurt Thomas had a career-high six blocks to go with 22 points as the New York Knicks dealt the Cleveland Cavaliers their 15th straight loss, 125-93, on Monday.
The Knicks surpassed the 100-point mark for just the second time this season while enjoying their first lopsided victory.
PHOTO: REUTERS
Latrell Sprewell added 20 points and 11 assists for the Knicks, who have won three successive games for the first time since January. Led by Thomas going 11-for-15, the Knicks shot 53 percent from the field.
Dajuan Wagner had 25 points and 10 assists for the Cavs, who are closing in on the longest losing streak in franchise history -- 19 games during the 1981-82 season. The 32-point margin of defeat matched their second-largest of the season.
Celtics 102, Magic 97
In Orlando, Florida, Paul Pierce scored 27 points and Eric Williams added a season-high 21 as Boston won for the sixth time in seven games.
Pierce hit four free throws in the final 1:07, shooting 10-for-12 from the line, to snap the Magic's three-game winning streak. He also had 10 rebounds, eight assists and five steals.
Orlando's Tracy McGrady, his first step diminished after turning an ankle early, scored 25 points. Grant Hill had 22 points and a season-high 13 rebounds, and Mike Miller had 18 points.
Mavericks 113, Raptors 102
In Dallas, Steve Nash scored seven of his 25 points during a crucial fourth-quarter run as Dallas extended its home winning streak to nine games.
Dirk Nowitzki added 23 points, Nick Van Exel had 17 points in a reserve role and Michael Finley added 15 for the Mavericks, who improved their league-best record to 16-1.
Alvin Williams scored 27 points, Morris Peterson added 24 and Antonio Davis scored 18 for the Raptors, who lost for the seventh time in nine games.
Vince Carter, who scored 17 points, picked up his fifth foul with 2:17 left in the third quarter and didn't return until 8:51 remained in the game.
Jazz 102, Pacers 91
In Salt Lake City, John Stockton had 22 points and 10 assists, and Karl Malone added 21 points as Utah held Reggie Miller scoreless and snapped Indiana's four-game winning streak.
Miller, playing his fifth game since returning from an ankle bruise, was 0-for-3 from the field and the line and held without a point for the first time since 1989 as Indiana lost for just the third time this season.
Matt Harpring finished with 15 points and nine rebounds, and Andrei Kirilenko scored 13 for the Jazz, who won for the seventh time in eight games.
Heat 100, Suns 90, OT
In Phoenix, Travis Best made a tying layup with 37 seconds remaining in regulation, then added three baskets in overtime to lead Miami over Phoenix.
After missing his first nine field-goal attempts of the game, Best made five shots in succession to boost the Heat, finishing with 16 points.
Eddie Jones led Miami with 21 points, rookie Caron Butler had 20 and Brian Grant had 17 points and 17 rebounds.
Shawn Marion topped the Suns with 30 points, rookie Amare Stoudemire had a season-high 20 points and nine rebounds.
A sumo star was born in Japan on Sunday when 24-year-old Takerufuji became the first wrestler in 110 years to win a top-division tournament on his debut, triumphing at the 15-day Spring Grand Sumo Tournament in Osaka despite injuring his ankle on the penultimate day. Takerufuji, whose injury had left him in a wheelchair outside the ring, shoved out the higher-ranked Gonoyama at the Edion Arena Osaka to the delight of the crowd, giving him an unassailable record of 13 wins and two losses to claim the Emperor’s Cup. “I did it just through willpower. I didn’t really know what was going
The US’ Ilia Malinin on Saturday produced six scintillating quadruple jumps, including a quadruple Axel, in the men’s free skate to capture his first figure skating world title. The 19-year-old nicknamed the “Quad god,” who is the only skater to land a quadruple Axel in competition, dazzled with an array of breathtakingly executed jumps starting with his quad Axel and including a quadruple Lutz in combination with a triple flip and a quadruple toe loop in combination with a triple toe. He added an unexpected triple-triple combination at the end to earn a world-record 227.79 in the free program for a championship
Shohei Ohtani’s interpreter is being criminally investigated by the IRS, and the attorney for his alleged bookmaker said Thursday that the ex-Los Angeles Dodgers employee placed bets on international soccer — but not baseball. The IRS confirmed Thursday that interpreter Ippei Mizuhara and Mathew Bowyer, the alleged illegal bookmaker, are under criminal investigation through the agency’s Los Angeles Field Office. IRS Criminal Investigation spokesperson Scott Villiard said he could not provide additional details. Mizuhara, 39, was fired by the Dodgers on Wednesday following reports from the Los Angeles Times and ESPN about his alleged ties to an illegal bookmaker and debts well
MLB on Friday announced a formal investigation into the scandal swirling around Shohei Ohtani and his former interpreter amid charges that the Los Angeles Dodgers superstar was the victim of “massive theft.” The Dodgers on Wednesday fired Ippei Mizuhara, Ohtani’s long-time interpreter and close friend, after Ohtani’s representatives alleged that the Japanese two-way star had been the victim of theft, which was reported to involve millions of dollars and link Mizuhara to a suspected illegal bookmaker in California. “Major League Baseball has been gathering information since we learned about the allegations involving Shohei Ohtani and Ippei Mizuhara from the news media,” MLB