Richard Jefferson matched his career-high with 27 points as the New Jersey Nets beat the Boston Celtics for the second time in six days, 87-74 on Tuesday.
Boston missed a chance to move one game behind first-place New Jersey in the Atlantic Division. Philadelphia is in second place.
Paul Pierce led the Celtics with 23 points before spraining his left ankle in the final seven seconds of the third quarter. The injury did not appear serious, and with the Nets holding a big lead, Pierce spent the rest of the game on the bench.
PHOTO: REUTERS
The Nets have won just four of their last 12 games, with two of the victories coming against the Celtics.
Pistons 94, Wizards 90, OT
In Washington, Richard Hamilton damaged his former team's playoff prospects by scoring six of his 16 points in overtime as Detroit beat Washington.
Hamilton, who shot just 4-of-12 in regulation, was 3-of-5 in the extra period, including three straight jumpers that gave the Pistons a four-point lead.
Jerry Stackhouse scored 28 points and Michael Jordan had 23 for the Wizards, who fell back into a tie with Milwaukee for eighth place in the Eastern Conference. They now leave for a six-game West Coast road trip.
76ers 103, Heat 83
In Miami, Allen Iverson scored 32 points as Philadelphia improved to 15-2 since the All-Star break and kept pace with the Nets in the Atlantic Division with a win over Miami.
Timberwolves 96, Grizzlies 80
In Minneapolis, Kevin Garnett made eight consecutive field goals in the second half and finished with 29 points and 19 rebounds as Minnesota ended Memphis' six-game winning streak.
Garnett, who shot just 5-for-15 in first half, was 9-of-11 in the second half as the Wolves beat the Grizzlies for the eighth consecutive time. It was Garnett's 18th consecutive double-double and his NBA-best 59th of the season.
Bulls 103, Hawks 78
In Chicago, Jalen Rose broke out of his scoring slump with 31 points as Chicago snapped a three-game losing streak with a win over Atlanta.
Mavericks 114, Cavaliers 93
In Dallas, Steve Nash came back after a one-point first half and scored 18 during a third-quarter surge as the Dallas Mavericks shook off a lethargic start to win their third straight game.
Dallas improved its league-best record to 51-16, moving within six victories of matching last season's franchise-best total with 15 games remaining.
Knicks 105, Spurs 97
In San Antonio, Allan Houston scored 36 points, including 16 in the fourth quarter, as New York snapped San Antonio's six-game winning streak.
Houston was coming off a 50-point performance in his last game, a victory over the Bucks that kept the Knicks in the playoff picture. He made six 3-pointers to help New York move within two games of Milwaukee and Washington for the eighth and final playoff spot in the East.
Latrell Sprewell added 17, Michael Doleac had 14 and Kurt Thomas 13 for the Knicks, who outscored the Spurs 36-19 in the final quarter.
Jazz 91, Nuggets 82
In Salt Lake City, Matt Harpring scored 22 points and Karl Malone added 18 while collecting his 5,000th career assist in Utah's win over Denver.
Harpring shot 9-of-11, making three 3-pointers, as Utah led by double digits for almost all of the final three quarters. It was Utah's first game at home after a five-game road trip.
Malone, who was one rebound short of his first triple-double since 1999 the last time he played Denver, sat the last 10:20 but still finished with nine assists, six rebounds and five steals.
Kings 117, Warriors 91
In Sacramento, California, Scot Pollard had 15 points and 12 rebounds, and Peja Stojakovic scored 20 points to lead seven Kings in double figures as Sacramento beat Golden State for the 14th consecutive time.
SuperSonics 100, Rockets 94
In Seattle, Rashard Lewis scored 25 points and Ray Allen had 23 to lead Seattle over Houston, who were without coach Rudy Tomjanovich for the first time in 11 years. Assistant coach Larry Smith coached in his place.
ANFIELD BLUES: Kylian Mbappe arrived at Anfield on a run of 21 goals in 17 games, but he managed just three attempts in the match, none of them hitting the target Kylian Mbappe has been nearly unstoppable this season, but he hit a roadblock in their UEFA Champions League match at Anfield on Tuesday. For the second year running, the Real Madrid forward had a night to forget at Merseyside as Liverpool won 1-0. Mbappe looked a shadow of the player who has been tearing defenses apart all season. “We were lacking that threat in the final third,” said Madrid coach Xabi Alonso, without naming Mbappe individually. The FIFA World Cup winner for France rarely looked capable of finding a breakthrough against a Liverpool team who have been so defensively fragile for much of the
LOCAL SUCCESS: In the doubles, Taiwan’s Hsieh Su-wei and Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia defeated Italians Sara Errani and Jasmine Paolini in straight sets Elena Rybakina on Monday punched her ticket to the WTA Finals last four with an impressive 3-6, 6-1, 6-0 victory over second seed Iga Swiatek in round-robin play in Riyadh. After cruising past Amanda Anisimova in her opener on Saturday, Rybakina claimed her second win of the week to guarantee herself top spot in the Serena Williams Group. Anisimova on Monday rallied back from a set and a break down to triumph 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 in her all-American battle with seventh seed Madison Keys, who has been eliminated from the competition. “Madi was playing so well, it was quite a battle out there,”
Erling Haaland on Sunday scored twice to propel Manchester City up to second in the English Premier League with a 3-1 win over AFC Bournemouth. The Cherries started the day in second thanks to the longest unbeaten run in the English top flight, but Andoni Iraola’s side were undone by the scintillating form of the Norwegian striker, who took his tally to 13 Premier League goals in 10 games. Haaland’s relentless streak is maintaining City’s title challenge as they reduced the gap to leaders Arsenal back to six points and edged one point ahead of Liverpool, who they face at the weekend. “Important
For almost 30 minutes, Vitomir Maricic did not take a breath. Face down in a pool, surrounded by anxious onlookers, the Croatian freediver fought spasming pain to redefine what doctors thought was possible. When he finally surfaced, he had smashed the previous Guinness World Record for the longest breath-hold underwater by nearly five minutes. However, even with the help of pure oxygen before the attempt, it had pushed him to the limit. “Everything was difficult, just overwhelming,” Maricic, 40, told reporters, reflecting on the record-breaking day on June 14. “When I dive, I completely disconnect from everything, as if I’m not even there.
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