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.
Bayer 04 Leverkusen go into today’s match at TSG 1899 Hoffenheim stung from their first league defeat in 16 months. Leverkusen were beaten 3-2 at home by RB Leipzig before the international break, the first loss since May last year for the reigning league and cup champions. While any defeat, particularly against a likely title rival, would have disappointed coach Xabi Alonso, the way in which it happened would be most concerning. Just as they did in the Supercup against VfB Stuttgart and in the league opener to Borussia Moenchengladbach, Leverkusen scored first, but were pegged back. However, while Leverkusen rallied late to
The lights dimmed and the crowd hushed as Karoline Kristensen entered for her performance. However, this was no ordinary Dutch theater: The temperature was 80°C and the audience naked apart from a towel. Dressed in a swimsuit and to the tune of emotional music, the 21-year-old Kristensen started her routine, performed inside a large sauna, with a bed of hot rocks in the middle. For a week this month, a group of wellness practitioners, called “sauna masters,” are gathering at a picturesque health resort in the Netherlands to compete in this year’s Aufguss world sauna championships. The practice takes its name from a
Japanese players are moving to English soccer in record numbers and more look set to follow with clubs attracted by their quality, strong work ethic and value for money. Kaoru Mitoma is the standout talent of five Japanese players in the English Premier League, with eight more in the Championship and two in League One. Liverpool midfielder Wataru Endo, the captain of Japan, believes his compatriots are “being held in higher esteem” by English clubs compared with the past. “The staff at Liverpool ask me about lots of Japanese players, not necessarily with a view to a transfer, but just saying this or
Taiwan yesterday survived Bosnia and Herzegovina to win their Davis Cup World Group I tie at the Taipei Tennis Center. The tight series started on Saturday with world No. 123 Jason Tseng losing 3-6, 7-5, 6-4 to Mirza Basic in the opening singles matchup. However, teammate Tony Wu kept the tie even, dominating world No. 86 Damir Dzumhur 6-2, 6-1. Yesterday, 24-year-old Ray Ho and partner 25-year-old Hsu Yu-hsiou kept up the momentum, making short work of Basic and Nerman Fatic, winning 6-3, 6-4. Tseng then suffered another defeat, losing 6-4, 2-6, 6-2 to Dzumhur in a brutal match that lasted more than two