Chauncey Billups had 26 points and 10 assists, and Tayshaun Prince added 21 points to lead the Detroit Pistons over the Toronto Raptors 105-98 in the NBA on Wednesday.
Detroit shot 10-for-14 from beyond the 3-point arc -- a season-high 71 percent.
The Pistons (51-12) need 13 wins in their final 19 games to break the franchise record of 63, set in 1988-1989 when they won their first championship.
Morris Peterson scored 23 points and Mike James added 22 for the Raptors, who have lost 10 of 13.
Toronto All-Star Chris Bosh went 6-for-18 for 15 points.
Nuggets 101, Pacers 109
At Indianapolis, Carmelo Anthony hit an 18-foot fadeaway to break a tie with 2.2 seconds left and finished with 31 points to lead Denver.
It was the third straight game Anthony topped 30 points. Andre Miller added 21 points, nine assists and six rebounds to help the Nuggets (37-29) improve to 4-1 on their season-high seven-game road trip. They have won four straight over the Pacers.
Peja Stojakovic led the Pacers (32-20) with 22 points, but his potentially winning 3-pointer rimmed out at the buzzer. Stephen Jackson had 21 points as the Pacers rallied from a 16-point third-quarter deficit to finally tie the score 1:10 to go, but they never led.
Wizards 107, Bobcats 99
At Washington, Gilbert Arenas scored 12 of his 34 points in the fourth quarter, and Washington swept a home-and-home series from Charlotte.
Antawn Jamison scored 20 points and Caron Butler had 18 for Washington, which has won three straight and completes the season series with Charlotte with a 3-1 record.
Jumaine Jones scored 25 points in Charlotte's third straight loss. Bernard Robinson had a career-high 21 points, including 16 in the first half, as the Bobcats hung around despite falling behind 12-0 at the start.
Nets 78, Trail Blazers 65
At East Rutherford, New Jersey, Vince Carter scored 26 points, Richard Jefferson had 22, and New Jersey held Portland to a team record-low five points in the fourth quarter. Nenad Krstic added 20 points as the Nets extended their winning streak to three. They did it without a single point from Jason Kidd, who did have six rebounds and seven assists.
The 65 points equaled the third-fewest allowed by the Nets and marked the second dismal effort in two nights for Portland. It lost 95-66 at Chicago on Tuesday.
Bucks 104, Bulls 88
At Milwaukee, Bobby Simmons scored 26 points and Michael Redd added 23 to lead Milwaukee.
Milwaukee (32-32) got back to .500 for the first time since March 1 and split the season series with Chicago (29-36), which now trails the Bucks by three-and-a-half games and the Philadelphia 76ers by three games for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.
T.J. Ford had 12 points and 10 assists, while Joe Smith had 15 points and Charlie Bell added 13 points for Milwaukee.
Magic 114, Jazz 108, OT
At Orlando, Florida, Jameer Nelson scored 25 points, four in overtime, and added nine assists for Orlando.
Nelson made a 20-foot jumper from the corner with 27 seconds left that put Orlando up 110-107. Dwight Howard, who had 16 points and 11 rebounds, followed with a pair of free throws to extend the lead to 112-107 with 11 seconds to play.
Knicks 121, Hawks 117, 2OT
At New York, Nate Robinson scored five of his 18 points in the second overtime while Stephon Marbury and the rest of the Knicks' starters watched from the bench as New York beat Atlanta.
Jamal Crawford led New York with 21 points and Qyntel Woods added 18, going 8-for-8 from the field.
Marbury, feuding with coach Larry Brown, scored all of his eight points in the first half, going 2-for-7 from the field and 4-for-10 from the foul line. He sat out the entire fourth quarter and overtime periods, joined by fellow high-priced veterans like Steve Francis and Jalen Rose.
Suns 126, Clippers 95
At Phoenix, Steve Nash was 9-of-11 from the floor and had 25 points and 12 assists before sitting out the fourth quarter of the Suns' easy victory over the Los Angeles Clippers.
The Suns made 16 3-pointers, three shy of the franchise record, in 31 attempts.
Mavericks 95, Rockets 81
At Houston, Dirk Nowitzki had 30 points and 11 rebounds, Jason Terry added 19 points, and Dallas beat Houston.
Rawle Marshall, Marquis Daniels and Jerry Stackhouse added 12 points apiece as Dallas inched a half-game ahead of idle San Antonio for the best record in the Western Conference. The Mavs have already clinched a playoff spot and beat the Rockets for the 12th in 15 meetings.
Yao Ming scored 36 points and grabbed 12 rebounds for Houston.
Lakers 92, Timberwolves 89
At Los Angeles, Kobe Bryant scored 25 points, including a pair of layups in heavy traffic during the final 35 seconds, and the Los Angeles Lakers handed Minnesota its season-worst sixth straight defeat.
Lamar Odom had 20 points, 12 rebounds and eight assists for the Lakers, who barely avoided their first four-game sweep at the hands of the Timberwolves.
Kwame Brown had 13 points and nine rebounds.
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
Forget Real Madrid, Manchester City or Paris Saint-Germain, the world’s best soccer team — statistically speaking — might be a little-known outfit from the closed central Asian nation of Turkmenistan. Founded last year, Arkadag, named in honor of former Turkmen president Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow, have been unstoppable, notching up 36 consecutive domestic victories in a run still ongoing. The side have not lost a single competitive match and swept to a league and cup double in their inaugural season — success unthinkable almost anywhere else. However, in Turkmenistan, it could hardly have gone any other way. The energy-rich country is one of the most closed
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