Dwyane Wade scored 19 points and Miami used a big third quarter to pull away to a 97-70 victory over Minnesota on Sunday night.
Shaquille O'Neal had 16 points for Miami, which allowed a season low in points, set a season high for margin of victory and held the Timberwolves to their lowest point total this season.
James Posey had 11 points for the Heat, who moved to a season-high six games over .500 (19-13).
Wally Szczerbiak scored 19 points and Kevin Garnett matched a season low with 11 for Minnesota, which has won two of its last 10 games but remains atop the Midwest Division.
Miami outscored Minnesota 25-6 in the opening 7:30 of the third quarter, turning a three-point halftime deficit into a 66-50 lead. Wade had nine points in the run and O'Neal added six.
Clippers 100, Trail Blazers 94
At Portland, Oregon, Elton Brand had 20 points and 11 rebounds and the Clippers snapped a losing streak at the Rose Garden that dated to 1999.
The Clippers had lost 12 straight in Portland since an 89-83 win on April 11, 1999, and 26 of 29 since the start of the 1991-1992 season.
After getting off to a 10-5 start this November, the Clippers went 6-7 in December, wrapping up the month with a 111-92 loss to Boston on Saturday.
Cuttino Mobley had 23 points for the Clippers and Sam Cassell added 22.
Juan Dixon had 24 points for the Blazers.
Jazz 98, Lakers 94
At Los Angeles, Andrei Kirilenko scored 23 points, Keith McLeod scored four of his 15 points in the final 78 seconds and Utah took full advantage of Kobe Bryant's suspension.
Bryant was suspended for two games without pay by the NBA after committing a flagrant foul against Mike Miller during last Wednesday's overtime loss to Memphis. The Lakers' star will forfeit US$289,943 in salary. Bryant won't accompany the team to Salt Lake City for the second half of the home-and-home set with the Jazz, but will return to the lineup on Friday night to face Philadelphia.
Brian Cook connected on his first eight shots and finished with 19 points for the Lakers, who lost their fourth straight game after winning nine of their previous 11. The third-year forward finished 8-for-10 while playing a season-high 40 minutes.
Mavericks coach Avery Johnson talks about consistency day to day, practice to practice, game to game.
String together enough consistent performances, and certain objectives begin to fall into place. One such aim can easily be graded with each new moon.
"We have a goal to win 10 games a month," guard Marquis Daniels said.
So far, the Mavs (22-8) are 2-for-2. They followed up a 10-4 November with a 12-4 march through the last month of 2005, setting the franchise record for wins in December.
The only time any Mavs team bettered last month came in 2002, when coach Don Nelson's squad went 14-1 in November. The Mavs have won 10 or more games in five consecutive months, the longest such streak in team history.
By comparison, the Mavs won at least 10 in a month only once for the entire decade of the 1990s. They lost at least 10 in a month 27 times.
Extending the streak to six consecutive months and beyond will be a challenge, considering how the schedule plays out the rest of the way.
The Mavs have 15 games this month, beginning Tuesday against Portland at American Airlines Center. Nine of the games are on the road, where the Mavs are 11-4.
February features only 11 games, though nine are at home. Of the 17 games in March, 11 are away.
If, somehow, the Mavs manage to hit double-figure wins in each of the next three months, the run is sure to end in April. Nine games are on the docket for the last month of the regular season.
Should the Mavs continue on their current pace, the second 60-win season in franchise history is within reach. That should put them in contention for the Southwest Division crown and the top seed in the Western Conference.
Though that sounds like another lofty aim, the Mavs haven't lost sight of the big picture.
"We're just focused on achieving our goals, and that's to continue to get better for the playoffs," Jerry Stackhouse said.
US track and field athletes have about four dozen pieces to choose from when assembling their uniforms at the Olympics. The one grabbing the most attention is a high-cut leotard that barely covers the bikini line and has triggered debate between those who think it is sexist and others who say they do not need the Internet to make sure they have good uniforms. Among those critical or laughing at the uniforms included Paralympian Femita Ayanbeku, sprinter Britton Wilson and even athletes from other countries such as Britain’s Abigail Irozuru, who wrote on social media: “Was ANY female athlete consulted in
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
Former US Masters champion Zach Johnson was left embarrassed after a foul-mouthed response to ironic cheers from spectators after a triple bogey at Augusta National on Friday. Johnson, the 2007 Masters winner, missed the cut after his three-over-par round of 75 left him on seven-over 151 for 36 holes, his six on the par-three 12th playing a big role in his downfall. Television footage showed Johnson reacting to sarcastic cheers and applause when he tapped in for the triple bogey by yelling: “Oh fuck off.” Such a response would be considered bad form in any golf tournament, but is particularly out of keeping
Taiwan’s Lee Jhe-huei and Yang Po-hsuan on Saturday won the men’s doubles bronze medal at the Badminton Asia Championships in Ningbo, China, after they were bested by the hosts in their semi-final. The Taiwanese shuttlers lost to China’s Liang Wei Keng and Wang Chang, who advanced to yesterday’s final against Malaysia’s Goh Sze Fei and Nur Izzudin. The Chinese pair outplayed Lee and Yang in straight games. Although the Taiwanese got off to a slow start in the first game, they eventually tied it 14-14, before Liang and Wang went on to blow past them to win 21-17. In the second game, Lee and