LeBron James hit the first game-winning shot of his career with 0.9 seconds left in overtime, finishing with 37 points and his ninth career triple-double in the Cleveland Cavaliers' 120-118 victory over Charlotte on Wednesday night.
The winning shot came when James got the ball at the top of the key and dribbled into a rhythm before firing a 21-footer that rattled the rim and went in as his teammates mobbed him. James also had 12 assists and 11 rebounds to help Cleveland move closer to securing its first playoff berth since 1998.
Raymond Felton scored 30 points for Charlotte.
Pistons 82, Heat 73
Chauncey Billups had 24 points and 10 assists at Auburn Hills, Michigan, and Detroit rallied past Miami in a matchup of the top teams in the Eastern Conference.
Shaquille O'Neal (thumb) returned to the Miami lineup after sitting out Tuesday's loss in Minnesota because of a thumb injury, but the Heat lost his backup, Alonzo Mourning, to a calf strain in the second quarter. As a result, O'Neal played a season-high 43 minutes, scoring 27 points.
He didn't get much help from Dwyane Wade, who was held to a season-low 13 points on 3-for-15 shooting.
Detroit has won 16 straight at home, five short of the team record. The Pistons also clinched the outright Central Division title, and reduced their magic number for the East title to six over Miami.
76ers 115, Hawks 106
At Philadelphia, Allen Iverson scored 29 points in his return to Philadelphia's lineup, and Kyle Korver added 23 and Chris Webber had 21 to help the 76ers snap a four-game losing streak.
Iverson, the NBA's second-leading scorer with an average of 33.2 points, missed the last four games after he bruised and sprained his foot against Memphis on March 12.
Andre Iguodala had 17 points for the Sixers, who shot 51 percent from the floor. The Sixers made 10 of 15 3-pointers.
Pacers 95, Bulls 85
In Indianapolis, Jermaine O'Neal scored 16 points in his first game in two months, Stephen Jackson had 12 of his 24 in the fourth quarter, and Indiana beat Chicago.
O'Neal missed 24 games with a torn left groin. He entered the game in the first quarter for his first appearance since Jan. 24, and scored on his first shot with 5:58 left in the period. Andres Nocioni had 17 points and 10 rebounds in the Bulls' fourth straight loss. Ben Gordon, Chicago's leading scorer, was held to nine points on 3-for-15 shooting.
Magic 111, Knicks 87
In Orlando, Florida, Dwight Howard had 23 points and seven rebounds, and the Magic rolled in Steve Francis' return to Orlando.
Howard missed the first start of his career for Orlando after showing up late for shootaround, but the second-year standout scored 10 points in a 4-minute span of the first half -- many of them on putback dunks for three-point plays.
Celtics 110, Raptors 96
At Boston, Paul Pierce scored 32 points for the Celtics.
Delonte West scored 21 points and Wally Szczerbiak added 19. Boston has defeated Toronto eight straight times at home, with Toronto's last win coming on Nov. 23, 2001. Mike James led the Raptors with 31 points.
Bayer 04 Leverkusen go into today’s match at TSG 1899 Hoffenheim stung from their first league defeat in 16 months. Leverkusen were beaten 3-2 at home by RB Leipzig before the international break, the first loss since May last year for the reigning league and cup champions. While any defeat, particularly against a likely title rival, would have disappointed coach Xabi Alonso, the way in which it happened would be most concerning. Just as they did in the Supercup against VfB Stuttgart and in the league opener to Borussia Moenchengladbach, Leverkusen scored first, but were pegged back. However, while Leverkusen rallied late to
The lights dimmed and the crowd hushed as Karoline Kristensen entered for her performance. However, this was no ordinary Dutch theater: The temperature was 80°C and the audience naked apart from a towel. Dressed in a swimsuit and to the tune of emotional music, the 21-year-old Kristensen started her routine, performed inside a large sauna, with a bed of hot rocks in the middle. For a week this month, a group of wellness practitioners, called “sauna masters,” are gathering at a picturesque health resort in the Netherlands to compete in this year’s Aufguss world sauna championships. The practice takes its name from a
Japanese players are moving to English soccer in record numbers and more look set to follow with clubs attracted by their quality, strong work ethic and value for money. Kaoru Mitoma is the standout talent of five Japanese players in the English Premier League, with eight more in the Championship and two in League One. Liverpool midfielder Wataru Endo, the captain of Japan, believes his compatriots are “being held in higher esteem” by English clubs compared with the past. “The staff at Liverpool ask me about lots of Japanese players, not necessarily with a view to a transfer, but just saying this or
Taiwan yesterday survived Bosnia and Herzegovina to win their Davis Cup World Group I tie at the Taipei Tennis Center. The tight series started on Saturday with world No. 123 Jason Tseng losing 3-6, 7-5, 6-4 to Mirza Basic in the opening singles matchup. However, teammate Tony Wu kept the tie even, dominating world No. 86 Damir Dzumhur 6-2, 6-1. Yesterday, 24-year-old Ray Ho and partner 25-year-old Hsu Yu-hsiou kept up the momentum, making short work of Basic and Nerman Fatic, winning 6-3, 6-4. Tseng then suffered another defeat, losing 6-4, 2-6, 6-2 to Dzumhur in a brutal match that lasted more than two