Yao Ming had 20 points and 13 rebounds, and the Houston Rockets capitalized on an injury to Keith Van Horn and a poor game by Allen Iverson as the Rockets muscled out the 76ers by 88 to 79 in Philidelphia.
Iverson missed 19 of his 23 shots, including his final 16, and finished with just eight points -- all in the first quarter. He wasn't fouled and missed his only free throw.
The Sixers lost Van Horn to a sprained left foot in the second quarter. X-rays were negative, but Van Horn was to have an MRI and didn't return.
James Posey added 19 points and 12 rebounds as the Rockets moved within one game of Phoenix for the final playoff spot in the Western Conference.
Heat 83, Nets 99
In New Jersey, Jason Kidd scored 13 of his 30 points in the third quarter to hold off a Miami rally and lead the New Jersey Nets to victory over the Heat.
Coupled with Philadelphia's loss to Houston, the first-place Nets opened a one game lead over the 76ers in the Atlantic Division on Friday night.
Richard Jefferson added 18 points and Rodney Rogers came off the bench for 12 as the Nets swept the four-game season series from Miami for the first time.
Brian Grant had 23 points and eight rebounds and Caron Butler had 15 points for Miami, which lost its fourth straight overall and seventh straight on the road.
Spurs 124, Raptors 98
In Toronto, Lenny Wilkens set the NBA record for most career coaching losses, dropping his 1,107th game as Malik Rose scored 23 points to lead the San Antonio Spurs to their eighth straight victory.
Wilkens, already the winningest coach in league history with 1,292 victories, surpassed Bill Fitch's record with one of the Raptors' most lopsided losses of the season.
Stephen Jackson added 22 points for the Spurs, who shot 77.1 percent in the first half. San Antonio has won 16 of 17 on the road. Tim Duncan had 13 points and eight rebounds before leaving the game late in the first half with a mildly sprained right ankle.
The Spurs, a half-game behind Dallas for the best record in the NBA, made 15 straight shots in the second quarter and finished the period 16-of-18.
Pacers 98, Pistons 92
In Auburn Hills, Michigan, Jer-maine O'Neal had 29 points and 13 rebounds and Ron Artest scored 20 to lead a second-half comeback.
Indiana has won four of its last five games after losing 15 of 19 to pull within two games of Detroit in the Central Division. The Eastern Conference-leading Pistons have just a half-game lead over New Jersey after losing three of five.
After trailing for much of the game, Indiana took control with a 13-2 run over the final minute of the third quarter and the first few minutes of the fourth to go ahead 88-80. The Pistons didn't get closer than six after that.
Kings 93, Celtics 92
In Boston, Chris Webber hit a game-winning 3-pointer with 4.6 seconds left, atoning for a pair of missed free throws seconds earlier.
Webber had 27 points with 11 rebounds, scoring 11 in the fourth quarter.
The Kings led by 19 in the third quarter, but Boston mounted a 15-2 run and took the lead in the final minute thanks to 18 fourth-quarter points from Paul Pierce. He scored 40 in all, but missed a well-defended pull-up jumper at the buzzer that would have won it.
Lakers 102, Grizzlies 101
In Memphis, Tennessee, Kobe Bryant hit a 21-footer as time expired, completing the Lakers' comeback from a 23-point fourth-quarter deficit.
Bryant's basket from the top of the key came off Robert Horry's inbounds pass with 3.3 seconds remaining. It gave Bryant 21 points, including 10 in the fourth quarter.
Shaquille O'Neal led the Lakers with 33 points and 19 rebounds, hitting 13 of his 20 shots from the floor. Los Angeles won for the sixth time in seven games.
Memphis, which has lost six straight, was led by 18 points each from Jason Williams and Pau Gasol.
Bucks 95, Cavaliers 93
In Milwaukee, Michael Redd scored 22 points and combined with Toni Kukoc to dominate the second half as the Milwaukee Bucks moved closer to a playoff berth.
The Bucks reduced their magic number to three over Washington in the race for the East's final playoff berth. Any combination of three Milwaukee victories and/or Washington losses gives the berth to the Bucks.
Kawhi Leonard on Sunday scored 41 points, grabbed eight rebounds and made four steals to lead the Los Angeles Clippers in a lopsided 115-96 victory at Minnesota. The 34-year-old forward, a two-time NBA champion, matched the second-best road scoring effort of his career as the Clippers improved to 25-27. “Just being aggressive. My teammates trust me,” Leonard said. “Every moment when I touch the ball — assist, shooting the basketball or getting a rebound — I’m just trying to help the team win.” Leonard made three steals in a row at the start of the contest. “Just wanted to come out early in the
FLOP TO CONQUEROR: It was sweet vindication for Sam Darnold, who played for four NFL teams before his debut season in Seattle ended in the ultimate win The Seattle Seahawks on Sunday coasted to Super Bowl glory, routing the New England Patriots 29-13 as Sam Darnold sealed his journey from flop quarterback to conqueror of the NFL’s biggest prize. Brushing off a reputation for wilting in big games, journeyman quarterback Darnold threw for a touchdown and 200 yards on the grandest stage of all to give the Seahawks their second-ever Lombardi Trophy. “It’s unbelievable. Everything that has happened in my career, but to do it with this team, I wouldn’t want it any other way,” Darnold said. The victory was buoyed by a dominant defensive display and kicker Jason Myers’
Donyell Malen on Monday scored in each half as AS Roma beat Cagliari 2-0 to stay in touch with the chasing pack at the top of Serie A. Leaders Inter are eight points clear of city rivals AC Milan and nine ahead of reigning champions SSC Napoli. Roma are three points further back along with Juventus. Dutch centerforward Malen had scored only once in four appearances since joining on loan from Aston Villa last month, but he proved his worth on Monday with two excellent finishes. He ran on to a clever through-ball from Gianluca Mancini and his deft chip over the goalkeeper
FIRST MEDALS: Franjo von Allmen of Switzerland secured the first gold medal of the Milan Games yesterday, winning the men’s downhill ski race The Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics opened on Friday with a glittering ceremony at the San Siro stadium echoed by festivities at Games venues across the snow-capped Italian Alps. The extravaganza reflected the most geographically widespread Olympics in history. It culminated in the lighting of two cauldrons, one at Milan’s Arch of Peace and one in Cortina d’Ampezzo, the chic resort 400km from Milan that is hosting the women’s alpine skiing. Alberto Tomba and Deborah Compagnoni, two Italian skiing Olympic champions of the past, lit an intricate cauldron inspired by Leonardo da Vinci’s knot patterns at Milan’s Arch of Peace. In the freezing mountain air of
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