Chris Webber had 27 points and 21 rebounds, and Allen Iverson added 19 points and 10 assists to help the Philadelphia 76ers win their third consecutive game 90-89 in overtime over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Monday night.
Wally Szczerbiak scored 23 points, Kevin Garnett had 19 and Marko Jaric added 14 points and 10 assists for the Wolves, who ended a five-game winning streak that had sent them to the top of the National Basketball Association's Northwest Division.
After the Sixers wasted a 10-point lead in the final four-and-a-half minutes of the fourth quarter, Webber scored the go-ahead basket in overtime and made a key block on Garnett that denied the tying field goal.
Bucks 112, Knicks 92
In New York, reserve Dan Gadzuric scored a season-high 18 points, and the Milwaukee Bucks won their third consecutive game.
Michael Redd finished with 31 points to lead Milwaukee, which has won six of seven and improved to 10-1 against Eastern Conference teams. Maurice Williams added 15. Rookie Channing Frye scored a career-high 30 points for the Knicks, who dropped their third straight. Nate Robinson and Eddy Curry each had 15.
Lakers 109, Mavericks 106
In Dallas, Kobe Bryant swished a shot with 34.9 seconds left that was spectacular even by his standards -- about a 30-footer falling away with a hand in his face and the shot clock expiring -- to send the Lakers past the Mavericks.
Bryant scored 43 points, including a 3-pointer that tied it at 97 and his amazing 3 that put the Lakers ahead 104-102. Bryant was forced to put up the long shot from the right wing because Dallas center DeSagana Diop had knocked the ball from him at the top of the key. Bryant knew the 24-second clock was running out, so he heaved it up with Adrian Griffin coming at him.
Diop had a chance to tie it for Dallas after that, but missed his second foul shot. Los Angeles stretched the lead to four on a free throw by Bryant and a pair by Luke Walton, who had rebounded Bryant's missed second free throw.
After a 3-pointer by Devin Harris got the Mavericks back within one with 8.5 seconds left, Smush Parker made two free throws to give the Lakers the winning margin. Dallas' Jason Terry missed a 3 at the buzzer.
Nowitzki had 27 points and 15 rebounds, but the Mavericks ended a five-game winning streak. Marquis Daniels scored 23, Terry had 20 and Harris 19.
Hornets 91, Suns 87
In Phoenix, J.R. Smith scored a season-high 26 points, including four free throws in the last 17.6 seconds, and the New Orleans Hornets held off the Phoenix Suns to snap a five-game losing streak.
Desmond Mason added 22 points and rookie Chris Paul had 19 points, seven assists, seven rebounds and four steals for the Hornets, playing their third road game in four nights.
New Orleans never trailed after an early 5-4 deficit, and led 87-75 after Paul's 3-pointer with 3:26 to play.
The Suns sank four 3-pointers after that to make it close.
Jazz 92, Pistons 78
In Salt Lake City, Andrei Kirilenko had 22 points, 12 rebounds and seven assists, and the short-handed Utah Jazz ended Detroit's six-game winning streak.
Kirilenko also had four blocks and Mehmet Okur finished with 24 points and 12 rebounds against his former team.
Already depleted by injuries and illness, Utah lost center Greg Ostertag 2:07 into the game with a sore knee.
The remaining 10 members of the Jazz -- actually nine because rookie C.J. Miles didn't play -- became just the third team to beat the Pistons this season.
Detroit shot only 9-for-32 from the field in the second half and gave Utah two baskets on goaltending calls in the fourth quarter, when the Jazz outscored the Pistons 29-12.
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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