Rookie Andrew Bogut made two free throws late in overtime, then blocked a potential game-tying shot at the buzzer on Tuesday to lift the Milwaukee Bucks past the Dallas Mavericks 113-111.
Bogut, the No. 1 pick in the draft, finished with a career-high 19 points. He added 14 rebounds.
T.J. Ford had a career-high 24 points, including a key 3-pointer with 31 seconds remaining. Bobby Simmons led Milwaukee, playing without leading scorer Michael Redd, with 26 points.
Jason Terry had 37 points for Dallas, but Bogut blocked his running 10-footer at the buzzer to seal the victory and snap Dallas' four-game winning streak. Milwaukee had lost four of five.
Rockets 100, Hawks 85
At Houston, Sidelined since Nov. 18 with a back injury,Tracy McGrady returned to score 25 points and Houston snapped a seven-game losing streak by beating Atlanta.
The Rockets lost all eight games McGrady missed after he strained his back in practice on Nov. 4.
Yao Ming scored 25, and Juwan Howard and rookie Luther Head each added 12 points for Houston, which reached 100 points for the first time this season.
Joe Johnson scored 17 and Al Harrington and Salim Stoudamire added 14 points apiece for the Hawks.
Clippers 93, Timberwolves 84
At Minneapolis, Sam Cassell shook off flu-like symptoms to hit a big 3-pointer down the stretch, staving off a furious rally by his former team as the Los Angeles Clippers beat Minnesota.
The Clippers led by 16 points with 10 minutes to play in the game before Kevin Garnett and the Wolves responded with a 14-0 rally. Garnett finished with 29 points and 13 rebounds.
The Timberwolves cut the gap to two points down the stretch before Cassell hit his 3-pointer from the left elbow with 2:45 to play, giving the Clippers a five-point lead that was too much for Minnesota to overcome.
Corey Maggette led the way with 30 points and 10 rebounds and Elton Brand added 19 points and 13 boards for the Clippers (10-4), who are guaranteed of having the best November in franchise history with one game left in the month.
76ers 107, Trail Blazers 83
At Philadelphia, Allen Iverson scored 38 points and Chris Webber had 16 points and 15 rebounds to lead Philadelphia over Portland.
Kyle Korver added 16 points for the Atlantic Division-leading Sixers (8-7). Philadelphia had lost four of its previous five games after winning six in a row. The Sixers outrebounded the Blazers 60-30.
Zach Randolph scored 24 and Darius Miles had 13 for Portland, which has lost five of seven.
It was the first game for Sixers coach Maurice Cheeks against his former team. Cheeks coached the Blazers nearly four seasons before he was fired last March. In May, he returned to Philadelphia, where he starred on the Sixers' championship team in 1983.
Spurs 90, Lakers 84
At San Antonio, Manu Ginobili scored 15 of his 22 points in the second half as San Antonio fended off a late charge by the Los Angeles Lakers.
The win was the Spurs' sixth straight over the Lakers, who played their first game in San Antonio under coach Phil Jackson since a victory over the Spurs in Game 5 of the 2004 playoffs on a last-second basket by Derek Fisher.
Kobe Bryant, averaging better than 40 points in his last five games, struggled to get open shots while being defended by Bruce Bowen. Bryant finished with 25 points, but shot 9-for-33.
Bulls 85, Magic 76
At Chicago, Kirk Hinrich scored 20 points and tied a career high with 14 assists to lead Chicago over Orlando.
Luol Deng tied his season high with 21 points, and Michael Sweetney scored 12 in Chicago's fourth straight victory.
Four-time NBA all-star DeMarcus Cousins arrived in Taiwan with his family early yesterday to finish his renewed contract with the Taiwan Beer Leopards in the T1 League. Cousins initially played a four-game contract with the Leopards in January. On March 18, the Taoyuan-based team announced that Cousins had renewed his contract. “Hi what’s up Leopard fans, I’m back. I’m excited to be back and can’t wait to join the team,” Cousins said in a video posted on the Leopard’s Facebook page. “Most of all, can’t wait to see you guys, the fans, next weekend. So make sure you come out and support the Beer
Revelations of positive doping tests for nearly two dozen Chinese swimmers that went unpunished sparked an intense flurry of accusations and legal threats between the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and the head of the US drug-fighting organization, who has long been one of WADA’s fiercest critics. WADA on Saturday said it was turning to legal counsel to address a statement released by US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) CEO Travis Tygart, who said WADA and anti-doping authorities in China swept positive tests “under the carpet by failing to fairly and evenly follow the global rules that apply to everyone else in the world.” The
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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