Ben Wallace made two late free throws -- his first points of the game -- and had a block on the next possession, helping the Detroit Pistons beat the Atlanta Hawks 87-84 Saturday night.
Richard Hamilton scored 28 and Bob Sura added a season-high 13 for the Pistons, who snapped a two-game losing streak. Sura was the 24th player this season to get his highest point total against Atlanta.
Jason Terry and Shareef Abdur-Rahim scored 20 apiece but couldn't stop the Hawks from losing for the ninth time in 10 games.
Wallace was 0-for-3 from the field but came through at the line after being fouled on a layup with 1:44 left and the score 81-81. Only a 53 percent foul shooter, he swished both shots to give Detroit the lead for good.
Knicks 100, Heat 80
In Miami, Keith Van Horn scored 28 points and point guard Frank Williams moved into the starting lineup, helping New York to its most lopsided victory this season.
The Knicks scored 13 of the game's first 15 points, then closed the third quarter with an 18-2 run to build their advantage to 83-59. Van Horn scored 17 points in the quarter, including all four of his 3-pointers.
Williams, a second-year guard making his first NBA start, had 14 points -- including baskets in the final second of the second and third periods.
Allan Houston added 15 points for New York, which shot 51 percent.
Lamar Odom scored 25 points for the Heat.
Nets 82, Pacers 75
In Indianapolis, Jason Kidd's 56th career triple-double came one night after his 55th.
Kidd had 16 points, 14 assists and 10 rebounds for his NBA-leading sixth triple-double of the season, and the New Jersey Nets withstood a fourth-quarter rally.
Kenyon Martin added 23 points and 13 rebounds for the surging Nets, who won for the ninth time in 11 games.
The Eastern Conference-leading Pacers looked disinterested for three-and-a-half quarters and lost their second game in a row for the first time this season.
Mavericks 104, Grizzlies 98
In Dallas, Michael Finley scored 24 points, including a key 3-pointer and another long jumper in the closing minutes, and Dirk Nowitzki had 18 points and 17 rebounds.
The Grizzlies got a scare when 70-year-old coach Hubie Brown needed medical attention during a timeout with 4:51 left. He recovered quickly and remained on the bench the rest of the game.
Coming off a Christmas victory at Sacramento, the Mavs avenged a loss at Memphis earlier this season.
The Grizzlies have lost five straight, adding to what already was their longest skid this season.
Bulls 100, Wizards 86
In Chicago, Jamal Crawford made five 3-pointers and scored a career-high 42 points.
Coming off a 30-point performance at Cleveland on Friday, Crawford outdid himself. He was 16-for-27 from the floor and 5-for-7 from 3-point range. Prior to Friday, Crawford shot just 14-for-54 in the previous three games.
Chicago started to pull away late in the third quarter, using a 12-2 run to turn a 61-60 deficit into a nine-point lead. Crawford scored nine of Chicago's 12 points.
Crawford hit a jumper to give the Bulls a 71-63 lead at the end of the third quarter, then extended Chicago's lead with a 3-pointer to make it 82-64.
Larry Hughes had 22 points for Washington and Etan Thomas added 10.
OUT AGAINST INDONESIA: Taiwan reached the semi-finals at the tournament for the first time by defeating Denmark, with Chou Tien-chen beating Viktor Axelsen Taiwan yesterday crashed out of the Thomas Cup team competition in Chengdu, China, but achieved their best result at the top-tier badminton event by reaching the semi-finals. Indonesia were too good in the semis, winning 3-0 to advance to today’s final against China, who eliminated Malaysia 3-1. In the opening singles of the men’s team clash at the Hi-Tech Zone Sports Center Gymnasium 2, Anthony Ginting defeated Taiwan’s Chou Tien-chen 21-18, 21-19 in 51 minutes, which put a huge hole in Taiwan’s aspirations to perhaps even make the final. In the men’s doubles, Fajar Alfian and Muhammad Ardianto downed Lee Yang and Wang
Rafael Nadal on Tuesday lost in straight sets to 31st-ranked Jiri Lehecka in the fourth round at the Madrid Open, while Taiwan’s Hsieh Su-wei advanced to the semi-finals in the women’s doubles. Nadal said that he was feeling good about his progress following his latest injury layoff. Nadal called it a “positive week” in every way and said his body held up well. “I was able to play four matches, a couple of tough matches,” Nadal said. “So very positive, winning three matches, playing four matches at the high level of tennis. I enjoyed a lot playing at home. I leave here with
Top-ranked Iga Swiatek on Saturday came through “the most intense and crazy final” she has ever contested to avenge her loss to Aryna Sabalenka in last year’s Madrid Open final with a grueling three hour, 11 minute victory in the Spanish capital. Coming back from 1-3 down in the decider and saving three match points in total, Swiatek claimed a 7-5, 4-6, 7-6 (9/7) victory to secure the Madrid Open trophy for the first time. “Well, who is going to say now that women’s tennis is boring, right?” Swiatek said. Swiatek, who picked up the 20th title of her career, and ninth at
When 42-1 underdog James ‘Buster’ Douglas shocked ‘Iron’ Mike Tyson 34 years ago at the Tokyo Dome, the result reverberated worldwide. Spectators at the 45,000-plus seater venue witnessed one of boxing’s biggest upsets as unbeaten heavyweight champion Tyson was knocked out in the 10th round by the unheralded Douglas in February 1990. Boxing returns to the famous venue on Monday for the first time since that unforgettable encounter when Japan’s undisputed super-bantamweight world champion Naoya ‘Monster’ Inoue puts his belts on the line against Mexican Luis Nery. The 31-year-old Inoue (26-0, 23 KOs) is a huge star in Japan and is just