Dirk Nowitzki scored 28 points to help the Dallas Mavericks beat the Detroit Pistons 92-88 in a matchup of the top NBA teams from the Eastern and Western conferences on Sunday.
Devin Harris added 22 for the Mavericks, who avenged a 92-82 home loss to the Pistons on Dec. 7 by ending Detroit's five-game winning streak.
Detroit was coming off its first 5-0 West Coast trip in 15 years, but played without All-Star point guard Chauncey Billups, who injured his groin in Friday's win at Phoenix.
Ronald Murray scored 18 points to lead six Pistons in double figures.
The Pistons led 73-69 early in the fourth, but the Mavericks answered with a 9-0 run. Detroit came back to tie it at 81, then the Pistons struggled from the field and the foul line -- Richard Hamilton was 2-for-7 on free throws in the quarter.
Knicks 92, Raptors 74
At New York, Stephon Marbury scored 14 of his 21 points in a dominant third quarter that lifted New York past Toronto.
Rookie Renaldo Balkman added 15 points and 12 rebounds as an energetic replacement for center Eddy Curry, who battled foul trouble and was held to five points.
Balkman made all seven shots he took, and his rebounding and defense helped spark a 27-5 run that gave the Knicks a 20-point lead.
Chris Bosh scored 21 points for the Raptors, who have lost two straight after a four-game winning streak. T.J. Ford added 14 points.
Magic 97, Heat 83
At Miami, Hedo Turkoglu scored 11 of his 20 points in the first quarter, Dwight Howard added 17 points and 11 rebounds, and Orlando ended Miami's nine-game winning streak.
Orlando also ended Miami's run of 14 straight wins at home by shooting 50 percent and outrebounding the Heat 44-34. Darko Milicic had 12 points and 10 rebounds for the Magic.
Lakers 109, Timberwolves 102
At Los Angeles, Kobe Bryant became the first Los Angeles player in 44 seasons with consecutive 50-point games, following a 65-point effort with 50 against Minnesota.
After shooting 23-for-39 from the field in Friday's overtime victory against Portland, Bryant was 17-for-35 against the Timberwolves, who lost their 10th straight road game.
The last time a Lakers player scored 50 or more points in consecutive games was in December 1962, when Elgin Baylor did it in three straight contests. Only two other players in the last 10 years have recorded back-to-back 50-point games -- Antawn Jamison (51-51) in December 2000 and Allen Iverson (54-51) in December 2004.
Nets 101, Clippers 95
At East Rutherford, New Jersey, Jason Kidd had 23 points and 13 assists, and hit four free throws in the final 18.5 seconds to lead New Jersey over Los Angeles.
Vince Carter added 22 points and Richard Jefferson had 18 points and 12 rebounds to help the Nets win for the third time in four games and remain in a playoff position with 15 games left in the regular season.
Mikki Moore added seven of his 13 points in the fourth quarter for New Jersey, which forced 18 turnovers by the Clippers.
SuperSonics 95, Trail Blazers 77
At Portland, Oregon, Rashard Lewis had 27 points and 12 rebounds, and Seattle snapped a five-game losing streak with a victory over Portland.
Chris Wilcox scored 26 for the Sonics, who led by as many as 14 points early, but let the Blazers close the gap in the fourth quarter before pulling away with a 20-4 run.
Rockets 124, Sixers 74
At Philadelphia, Yao Ming (姚明) scored 24 points, Tracy McGrady added 21, and Houston coasted past Philadelphia.
Luther Head scored 13 points off the bench for Houston, while Chuck Hayes finished with 12 points and 13 rebounds in helping the Rockets set season highs in points and margin of victory.
It was the most points allowed in a game this season by the 76ers and largest margin of defeat in Wachovia Center history.
The game was never close after the opening minutes and the Rockets beat the 76ers just about every way possible. Houston had a 54-36 edge on the glass and a 54-8 advantage on points in the paint.
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