Michael Jordan scored 27 points in 43 minutes Tuesday as the Washington Wizards beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 93-84, despite the absence of leading scorer Jerry Stackhouse.
Facing constant double-teams, Jordan made 13 of 26 shots and had eight assists as the Wizards held off a stubborn challenge by the NBA's worst team. Neither team led by double digits until the final two minutes, even though starting Cleveland point guard Smush Parker sprained his right ankle on a layup in the first quarter and did not return.
PHOTO: AP
Jordan scored 45 points in 44 minutes in a victory over New Orleans on Saturday with Stackhouse on the bench with a groin injury. Stackhouse is expected to return after the All-Star break.
Tyronn Lue added 15 points and six assists for the Wizards, who take a two-game winning streak into the break.
Lakers 97, Pacers 94
In Indianapolis, Kobe Bryant scored 35 points, Shaquille O'Neal fought off foul trouble for 19 points and 12 rebounds, and Devean George hit a key 3-pointer in the Los Angeles Lakers' win over Indiana.
It was the first game between the teams since Reggie Miller and Bryant fought after a Los Angeles win last March at the Staples Center. Bryant threw a punch at Miller and the two landed on the scorers' table near the Pacers' bench.
The Lakers led by nine points with 2 minutes remaining before Indiana reeled off six straight points to trail 94-91 with less than a minute remaining.
Knicks 105, Clippers 92
In New York, Latrell Sprewell broke the NBA record for most 3-pointers in a game without a miss, going 9-for-9 from behind the arc as New York beat the Los Angeles Clippers.
Sprewell broke the record of 8-for-8 held by Jeff Hornacek, Sam Perkins and Steve Smith, making consecutive 3-pointer midway through the fourth quarter to break the record after a 19-point lead had shrunk to nine.
Sprewell finished with a season-high 38 points, shooting 14-for-19 overall. The crowd called for him to take another 3-pointer in the closing minutes, but he did not oblige the one time he had a brief open look with about 35 seconds remaining.
Trail Blazers 96, Magic 89
In Orlando, Florida, Scottie Pippen had his first double-double of the year with 25 points and 17 rebounds as Portland defeated Orlando for the eighth consecutive time.
Rasheed Wallace added 15 points, 10 rebounds, six assists and three blocked shots for Portland. Bonzi Wells and Ruben Patterson had 12 points each for the Blazers.
A 4.5m jump shot by Wells at 5:08 in the second period broke a 31-31 tie and the Trail Blazers stayed in the lead the rest of the way. Portland has won 13 of its last 17 overall.
Timberwolves 103, Rockets 89
In Minneapolis, Kevin Garnett scored 23 points, and Rasho Nesterovic added 19 and played tough defense against Chinese rookie Yao Ming as Minnesota beat Houston.
Garnett grabbed 11 boards and added nine assists for the Timberwolves, who lost by 20 points at Houston on Friday.
While Garnett narrowly missed his fourth triple-double of the season, Nesterovic held his own against the 2.23m Yao and provided timely baskets for Minnesota. Nesterovic went 9-for-14 from the floor, including several hook shots over Yao which brought loud cheers from the crowd.
Steve Francis led Houston with 31 points on 11-of-21 shooting. Yao, who had his 14th double-double Friday against the Wolves, scored 12 points on a 4-for-7 performance.
Raptors 98, Bucks 95
In Milwaukee, All-Star Vince Carter scored 25 points, two short of his season high, and blocked the potential tying shot by Ray Allen just ahead of the final buzzer as Toronto beat Milwaukee.
Antonio Davis added 16 points, Morris Peterson 14, Voshon Lenard and Jerome Williams 13 each and Alvin Williams 11 for Toronto, which has won four of five since Carter's return from a knee injury.
Michael Redd scored 24 points, Allen had 21, Sam Cassell 20 and Anthony Mason 13 for the Bucks, who lost for the third time in 13 games.
Kings 110, Mavericks 109
In Dallas, Keon Clark's high-flying dunk off a missed 3-pointer with 16.5 seconds remaining capped a thrilling showdown between the Western Conference division leaders.
Michael Finley's 3-pointer with 57 seconds remaining put Dallas, which had trailed by 16, ahead 107-106. After Mike Bibby and Dirk Nowitzki traded tough jumpers, the Mavericks still led by one point.
Nuggets 102, Bulls 100, OT
In Denver, Juwan Howard scored 30 points and Chris Whitney hit five free throws in the final 20.6 seconds of overtime as Denver beat Chicago to win consecutive games for the first time since Jan. 8 to Jan. 10.
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