LeBron James had the wrong guys show up for his party.
Jermaine O'Neal scored 21 points and Ron Artest hit a crucial 3-pointer in the final minute as the Indiana Pacers wrecked James' 19th birthday Tuesday night with a 92-89 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Artest scored 18 points, none bigger than his 3 with 54.6 seconds left, as the Pacers improved to 23-10 -- the best record in the NBA's Eastern Conference.
PHOTO: AP
James finished with 22 points, 10 rebounds and four assists in 38 minutes but the Cavaliers' rookie guard couldn't shake free and take over in the closing minutes with Artest playing belly-to-belly defense on him. James, who came in averaging 27.8 points in his last 10 games, finished 9-of-20 from the floor and missed all four of his 3-pointers.
Hawks 83, Wizards 73
In Washington, Shareef Abdur-Rahim had 25 points and 16 rebounds to help the Atlanta Hawks end a nine-game road losing streak.
Stephen Jackson scored 16 points, Jason Terry added 13 and Dion Glover 10 for the Hawks, who hadn't won on the road since beating Milwaukee 101-93 on Nov. 18.
Larry Hughes had 24 points for the Wizards.
The Wizards, who tied a franchise record for fewest wins in December with two, managed only two field goals and a goaltending bucket from the field in the final quarter, in which they shot 3-for-17.
Knicks 102, Heat 73
In New York, Keith Van Horn had a steal and buzzer-beating dunk to cap a dominant first quarter, and the New York Knicks -- after making a trade -- cruised past the Miami Heat.
The Knicks won their fourth in a row, with all the victories coming in convincing fashion, for their first four-game winning streak in 23 months. The last three victories have all been by at least 20 points, the first time New York has done that since November, 1997.
Van Horn scored 22 points, shooting 10-for-16 from the field in breaking 20 for the fifth time in six games. Shandon Anderson came off the bench to add 21. Before the game, the Knicks acquired point guard Moochie Norris and center John Amaechi from Houston for Clarence Weatherspoon.
Lamar Odom led Miami with 19 points.
Timberwolves 98, Bulls 93
In Minneapolis, Kevin Garnett had 28 points and 15 rebounds to lead Minnesota to its eighth victory in nine games.
Latrell Sprewell had 27 points -- 20 in the first half -- and Sam Cassell had 21 points and nine assists for Minnesota, which beat the Bulls for the 10th straight time.
The Timberwolves held on despite blowing a 20-point first-half lead and missing nine free throws in the fourth quarter, including four straight by Garnett in the final two minutes.
The Bulls stayed in it thanks to their reserves, who outscored Minnesota's 29-10. Eddy Curry, playing in just his second game since returning from a bone bruise to his knee, had 16 points before fouling out after 24 minutes. Kirk Hinrich led the Bulls with 17 points.
SuperSonics 105, Grizzlies 99
In Memphis, Tennessee, Rashard Lewis scored 33 points and Ray Allen had nine in the final three minutes to lead Seattle past slumping Memphis.
Lewis and Allen scored Seattle's final 15 points as the SuperSonics pulled away late. Allen finished with 22 points, playing in his fourth game of the season after right ankle surgery.
The Grizzlies have lost seven straight, matching their longest losing streak under second-year coach Hubie Brown. Pau Gasol had 32 points and 11 rebounds to lead Memphis, which played without second-leading scorer Bonzi Wells who was recovering from a concussion he received during Monday's game.
Mavericks 101, Bucks 92
In Dallas, Antoine Walker had 22 points and 14 rebounds, and Dirk Nowitzki made two key fourth-quarter 3-pointers to help Dallas withstand a late rally by Milwaukee.
Steve Nash added 14 points and 12 assists, Antawn Jamison came off the bench to score 17, and Nowitzki had 20 points and 11 rebounds to help Dallas to its third straight win. The Mavericks improved to 14-2 at home.
Michael Redd led the Bucks with 25 points while Desmond Mason added 18.
Toronto 81, Denver 74
In Denver, Alvin Williams and Jalen Rose each had 17 points, and Williams hit four free throws in the last two minutes as Toronto snapped Denver's three-game winning streak.
Vince Carter added 15 points on 5-for-16 shooting. Toronto has now won two of its last 20 road games against Western Conference opponents.
Carmelo Anthony had 19 points and seven rebounds, while Voshon Lenard added 17 points for the Nuggets, who lost for only the fourth time at home.
Rose hit a 3-pointer to put Toronto ahead 76-69 with 2:21 left and two free throws by Williams pushed the lead to 78-69 with 1:44 remaining. The Nuggets were within 78-74 with 51 seconds left after Lenard and Andre Miller hit each a 3-pointer, but Williams sealed the win with two free throws with 15 seconds left.
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Taiwanese judoka Yang Yung-wei on Saturday won silver in the men’s under-60kg category at the Asian Judo Championships in Hong Kong. Nicknamed the “judo heartthrob” in Taiwan, the Olympic silver-medalist missed out on his first Asian Championships gold when he lost to Japanese judoka Taiki Nakamura in the finals. Yang defeated three opponents on Saturday to reach the final after receiving a bye through the round of 32. He first topped Laotian Soukphaxay Sithisane in the round of 16 with two seoi nage (over-the-shoulder throws), then ousted Indian Vijay Kumar Yadav in the quarter-finals with his signature ude hishigi sankaku gatame (triangular armlock). He
Rafael Nadal on Wednesday said the upcoming French Open would be the moment to “give everything and die” on the court after his comeback from injury in Barcelona was curtailed by Alex de Minaur. The 22-time Grand Slam title winner, back playing this week after three months on the sidelines, battled well, but eventually crumbled 7-5, 6-1 against the world No. 11 from Australia in the second round. Nadal, 37, who missed virtually all of last season, is hoping to compete at the French Open next month where he is the record 14-time champion. The Spaniard said the clash with De Minaur was
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