Gilbert Arenas came out of a recent personal slump by scoring 45 points -- 25 more than LeBron James -- and the Washington Wizards ended a three-game losing streak by beating the Cleveland Cavaliers 111-99 in the NBA on Saturday.
There was a scary moment for the hosts, though, when guard Jarvis Hayes went down to the floor after a collision with Cleveland's Shannon Brown with two-and-a-half minutes left. Play was stopped for about 10 minutes while Hayes was immobilized and taken away on a stretcher. There was no immediate word on his condition.
Heat 93, Hawks 88, OT
At Atlanta, Dwyane Wade scored 37 points, Jason Williams hit the go-ahead basket on a 3-pointer from the corner with 1:31 left in overtime and Miami broke a three-game losing streak.
Atlanta, which started the season 4-1, lost its third in a row. All three have been tight -- two in overtime, the other a two-point defeat. Joe Johnson led the Hawks with 22 points.
Pistons 104, Rockets 92
At Auburn Hills, Michigan, Richard Hamilton scored 30 points and Chauncey Billups added 23 as Detroit won its second straight.
Rasheed Wallace finished with 15 points and 11 rebounds for Detroit and Tayshaun Prince scored 15 points.
Trail Blazers 86, Nets 68
At East Rutherford, New Jersey, Zach Randolph had 20 points and 16 rebounds as Portland snapped a four-game losing streak.
LaMarcus Aldridge and Jarrett Jack each had 12 points and Ime Udoka added 10 for the Blazers, who scored the first 13 points of the game and never relinquished the lead.
Magic 97, Bobcats 83
At Orlando, Florida, Dwight Howard posted his second 20-20 game this season with 24 points and 21 rebounds, and Orlando ran away from Charlotte.
Darko Milicic had 14 points and eight rebounds and Grant Hill added 15 points as Orlando won its fourth straight game.
Celtics 122, Knicks 118
At New York, Paul Pierce scored 39 points and Boston withstood a late charge to beat New York for its third straight victory.
The three-game winning streak is Boston's longest since winning four straight from April 12-17, last year.
Hornets 99, Timberwolves 96
At Minneapolis, Peja Stojakovic made a 3-pointer with 0.6 seconds to play to lift New Orleans over Minnesota.
Chris Paul added a career-high 35 points -- including two crucial shots against Kevin Garnett and a pair of free throws in the closing seconds -- and Stojakovic finished with 20 as the Hornets sent the Wolves to their sixth defeat in seven games.
Mavericks 89, Grizzlies 84
At Dallas, Dirk Nowitzki had 24 points and 13 rebounds, and Dallas extended its winning streak to five games by beating Memphis in the second meeting between the teams in 24 hours.
Jason Terry hit his first five 3-pointers and added 19 points for the Mavericks, who won 115-103 in Memphis on Friday night in the first of a rare back-to-back, home-and-home situation.
Pacers 102, Bucks 100
At Milwaukee, Jermaine O'Neal had 20 points, 12 rebounds and eight blocked shots, and Indiana rallied from a 17-point deficit to beat Milwaukee.
Indiana, which snapped a three-game losing streak, played without leading scorer Al Harrington, who is day-to-day with a back injury sustained Friday night at New Jersey.
Jazz 120, Suns 117, OT
At Salt Lake City, Deron Williams had 25 points and 14 assists, and Utah matched the best start in franchise history at 9-1.
Carlos Boozer added 22 points and 16 rebounds for the Jazz, who played their third straight game without Andrei Kirilenko, who was out with a sprained right ankle. The Jazz fought back from an 16-point, fourth-quarter deficit to tie the game at 106 at the end of regulation.
Nuggets 117, Raptors 109
At Denver, Carmelo Anthony scored 34 points -- his sixth straight game of 30 or more -- and Denver won at home for the first time this season while handing Toronto its fifth straight loss.
T.J. Ford scored 26 points and had a career-high 18 assists for the Raptors. Chris Bosh had 31 points and nine rebounds.
Warriors 107, SuperSonics 95
At Oakland, California, Monta Ellis scored a career-high 31 points, matched his career high with seven assists and also grabbed seven rebounds, leading Golden State to its sixth straight home victory.
Mickael Pietrus had 19 points and a career-best 12 rebounds in the Warriors' fifth consecutive victory overall. Golden State has won six straight at home for the first time since a seven-game winning streak from March 15-April 6, 2004.
Ray Allen had a season-high 34 points and 11 rebounds for Seattle, while Rashard Lewis added 17 points and seven boards and Luke Ridnour 15 points and five assists.
Clippers 103, 76ers 97, OT
At Los Angeles, Elton Brand scored 32 points and reserve Corey Maggette added 21, rallying Los Angeles over Philadelphia.
MOTHER KNOWS BEST: Warriors’ coach Kerr said his 91-year-old mother criticized him for his attitude toward officials that led to his ejection from Monday’s game Shai Gilgeous-Alexander on Wednesday rescued the Oklahoma City Thunder with a game-tying buzzer-beater before finishing with 46 points in a 129-125 overtime victory against the Utah Jazz. The reigning NBA champions looked to be heading for a third straight loss after the Jazz inched into a 114-112 lead following Lauri Markkanen’s layup with just three seconds remaining in the fourth quarter. However, NBA Most Valuable Player Gilgeous-Alexander drained a superb 13-foot jump shot to tie it up at 114-114 as the buzzer sounded to send the game into overtime. Gilgeous-Alexander then took over in the extra period with nine points as the Western
Manchester City have confirmed defender Josko Gvardiol suffered a broken leg in Sunday’s 1-1 draw with Chelsea at the Etihad Stadium. Gvardiol was one of two City centerbacks who went off injured in the second half, along with Ruben Dias, before Enzo Fernandez scored a stoppage-time equalizer for the visitors. The draw left second-placed City six points behind English Premier League leaders Arsenal. City, announcing Gvardiol sustained a tibial fracture to his right leg, added in a statement issued on Monday: “The defender will have surgery later this week and assessment remains ongoing to ascertain the full extent of the
His team were knocked out of the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in agonizing fashion on Tuesday, but the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s (DR Congo) human statue Michel Kuka Mboladinga would be remembered as the tournament’s most remarkable supporter. The colorfully dressed Kuka has earned fame as the fan who stands completely immobile throughout his team’s games, looking toward the sky with his right arm raised and palm open. He has become a media star and on Tuesday was accompanied by a delegation of several hundred Congolese supporters whose trip to Morocco was paid for by the country’s government. They took their
Bangladesh will not play their Twenty20 World Cup matches in India after Mustafizur Rahman was released by his Indian Premier League team amid growing tensions between the countries, Bangladesh’s sports adviser Asif Nazrul said on Sunday. Kolkata Knight Riders said on Saturday they had released the Bangladeshi bowler after being told to do so by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). Bangladesh are scheduled to play three Twenty20 World Cup matches in Kolkata next month, with the Feb. 7-March 8 tournament being cohosted by India and Sri Lanka. “Bangladesh will not go to India to play the