The Atlanta Hawks became the last NBA team to win a game, outlasting the Boston Celtics 120-117 on Wednesday night as Al Harrington scored 34 points.
Zaza Pachulia added 19 points and 13 rebounds as the Hawks finally won after losing their first nine games -- the longest winless start in franchise history.
Joe Johnson scored 13 points, all in the second half, and made three free throws in the final 30 seconds to help the Hawks protect the lead.
Topping their previous scoring high for the season by 23 points, the Hawks finally won by shooting 56 percent from the field.
Paul Pierce hit a 3-pointer at the final buzzer for 33 points. Ricky Davis added 25 points for the Celtics, who fell to 0-4 on the road. Overall, Boston has lost four of its last five games.
Pistons 114, Nuggets 89
At Auburn Hills, Michigan, Richard Hamilton scored 19 points and Chauncey Billups added 16 points and 11 assists for Detroit.
The victory came four days after the Pistons (9-1) lost for the only time this season, 119-82 at Dallas. Detroit put seven players in double figures and had a season-high 35 assists.
Ben Wallace added 13 points and 13 rebounds for the Pistons, while reserve Maurice Evans scored a season-high 16. Marcus Camby led the Nuggets (7-6) with 15 points and 10 rebounds, while Carmelo Anthony scored 12.
Suns 100, Rockets 88
At Houston, Shawn Marion and James Jones each scored 19 points and Phoenix made 14 of 27 3-pointers to beat Houston.
After hitting only 8-of-42 from 3-point range the previous two games, Phoenix had its highest 3-point total of the season. Jones was 5-of-10.
Derek Anderson scored 23 points for Houston. The Rockets, who have lost five straight, played without Tracy McGrady, who missed his third straight game and sixth overall with back problems. He's day-to-day.
Rockets rookie Luther Head had his second straight strong game with 15 points and a career-high 10 rebounds.
Heat 100, Trail Blazers 79
At Miami, Dwyane Wade scored 19 points and tied his personal high with 11 rebounds for his 23rd career double-double, leading Miami over Portland.
Jason Williams added 16 points, and James Posey and Antoine Walker each had 12 for Miami. Coming off a loss at previously winless Toronto on Sunday, the Heat improved to 5-3 without injured center Shaquille O'Neal.
Wade shot 7-of-13 from the field and 5-of-6 from the foul line in his sixth double-double of the season.
Bobcats 108, Knicks 95
At Charlotte, North Carolina, Gerald Wallace returned from a wrist injury to score 24 points and grab nine rebounds, leading Charlotte over New York.
Kareem Rush added 22 points and Emeka Okafor had 19 points and 11 rebounds for the Bobcats, who won for only the second time in nine games.
Stephon Marbury scored 21 points for the Knicks, who were held without a field goal for more than five minutes in the third quarter.
Magic 91, Wizards 83
At Orlando, Florida, Hedo Turkoglu had a season-high 23 points and seven rebounds, helping Orlando overcome an injury-depleted backcourt and beat Washington.
The Wizards lost their fifth straight after a 5-1 start and got a rare off night from leading scorer Gilbert Arenas, who finished with 19 points and nine assists but shot 6-of-19. He was averaging 27.5 points and had five 30-point games this season.
Already playing without All-Star forward Grant Hill, Orlando also was missing leading scorer Steve Francis, who injured a rib in a car accident after Saturday's 98-95 loss to New Orleans. DeShawn Stevenson played with floating cartilage in his left knee sustained in practice on Monday, but managed 15 points.
Hornets 84, Timberwolves 80
At Oklahoma City, Chris Paul scored 19 of his 21 points in the second half to rally New Orleans from a 12-point halftime deficit.
David West added 22 points and 12 rebounds and P.J. Brown scored 13 for the Hornets, who trailed by as many as 18 points in the first half and beat Minnesota for the first time in eight tries. Their last win over the Timberwolves was on Feb. 25, 2002, when the team was still based in Charlotte.
Kevin Garnett finished with 24 points and 11 rebounds for his third consecutive double-double and his sixth of the season.
Bucks 108, 76ers 97
At Milwaukee, Allen Iverson scored an NBA season-high 45 points, but Michael Redd had 32 to lead Milwaukee over Philadelphia.
Iverson, who was 13-of-30 from the floor and 17-of-19 from the line, surpassed the 43 points Kobe Bryant had for the Los Angeles Lakers against Chicago three days ago. Gilbert Arenas also had 43 for Washington against San Antonio on Nov. 12. Joe Smith had 18 points and 13 rebounds, Bobby Simmons scored 15 points and Maurice Williams 14 for Milwaukee.
Chris Webber, Steven Hunter and John Salmons each had 11 points for the Sixers.
Spurs 113, Warriors 89
At Oakland, California, Tim Duncan had his NBA-leading 10th double-double by halftime on the way to 19 points and 12 rebounds, and San Antonio beat Golden State for its fifth straight victory.
Tony Parker added 26 points, six assists and five rebounds and Manu Ginobili had 14 points and five assists for the Spurs, who won for the eighth time in nine games. They made 17 of their first 23 shots to quickly turn this one into a rout, beating the Warriors for the fourth consecutive time.
Other games
At Sacramento, California, Mike Bibby scored 25 points and Bonzi Wells had 23 points and nine rebounds as the Kings beat the New Jersey Nets 114-105.
At Los Angeles, Corey Maggette scored 30 points, Sam Cassell had 10 of his 26 in the fourth quarter, and the Los Angeles Clippers rallied late to beat Toronto Raptors 103-100 for its fourth consecutive victory.
Carlos Alcaraz on Sunday fought through a second-set slump to post a roller-coaster 6-1, 2-6, 6-3 victory over Damir Dzumhur in his opening match at the Cincinnati Open. The Spaniard, playing his first tournament since losing to Jannik Sinner in the Wimbledon final, raced through the first set, but completely lost his way in the second, dropping his serve twice against the 33-year-old Bosnian. Alcaraz regained his intensity and cut down his errors in the third set as a seventh ace took him to a match point that was converted when Dzumhur fired wide. “It was just a roller coaster,” said the second
Taiwan’s men’s basketball team on Monday clinched a spot in the FIBA Asia Cup quarter-finals with a 78-64 win over Jordan in Saudi Arabia, securing their best finish in the tournament since placing fourth in 2013. The win was sweet revenge for Taiwan, who were denied a quarter-final spot by Jordan at the same stage of the previous Asia Cup in 2022 after blowing a nine-point lead in the final minute and losing 97-96 on a half-court buzzer-beater. “History is part of the journey,” Taiwan head coach Gianluca Tucci said when asked about the 2022 collapse of the team, who he did
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NEXT ROUND: World No. 1s Jannik Sinner and Aryna Sabalenka opened their title defenses with straight-sets wins, while Iga Swiatek and Taylor Fritz also advanced Jannik Sinner and Aryna Sabalenka got their title defenses off to smooth starts as they powered into the third round of the ATP-WTA Cincinnati Open on Saturday. The men’s and women’s top seeds, each ranked No. 1 in the world, were both competing for the first time since Wimbledon, where Sinner lifted the title and Sabalenka bowed out in the women’s semi-finals. Sinner crushed Colombian Daniel Elahi Galan 6-1, 6-1 in steamy afternoon weather, while Sabalenka beat 2023 Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova 7-5, 6-1 under the lights of the night session. Sabalenka needed 54 minutes and a service break in the final game
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