Jamal Crawford matched a season-high with 30 points and Corie Blount made a huge block in the final minute, leading the Chicago Bulls to an 87-80 win Saturday night over the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Crawford's final basket was a dunk with 21 seconds left after Blount swatted away Kevin Ollie's layup and made a quick outlet pass.
Crawfordshot 12-of-20 and added five assists as the Bulls stopped a four-game losing streak and won for just the fourth time in 19 games.
PHOTO: AP
LeBron James scored 18 points (7-of-24 shooting) and missed a 3-pointer with 35 seconds left that would have put the Cavaliers ahead. Cleveland missed its final seven shots and scored just one point over the last 3:34.
Heat 92, Wizards 84
In Washington, Eddie Jones scored 22 points and Rasual Butler added 10 in the fourth quarter as Miami won its third straight.
PHOTO: AP
Lamar Odom added 17 points and Dwyane Wade had 15 for the Heat, who have won four of six and seven of nine. Wade sprained his right wrist when he was pushed from behind in a scrum under the Heat basket with 1:20 remaining in regulation. X-rays were negative, and he will be reevaluated today.
Larry Hughes led the Wizards with 21 points. Washington, which fell to 0-8 against Atlantic Division teams, has dropped three straight and 11 of 14. Jarvis Hayes added 14 points.
Hornets 109, Hawks 79
In New Orleans, David Wesley scored a season-high 32 points, including five 3-pointers, and the Hornets handed the Hawks their ninth straight road loss.
It was the most dominant performance in weeks for New Orleans, which came in having lost four of five games -- including a blown 16-point, second-half lead in Cleveland on Tuesday.
Wesley, who had some poor shooting nights during the slump, was 13-of-18 from the field. Baron Davis scored 21 points for New Orleans, while P.J. Brown shot 7-of-9 for 16 points to go with nine rebounds. Jamaal Magloire grabbed 11 rebounds.
None of Atlanta starters reached double figures.
Nets 82, Pistons 79
In Auburn Hills, Michigan, Jason Kidd had 24 points, 12 assists and 11 rebounds for his league-leading fifth triple-double.
Kidd made all six of his free throws in the final 1:13, and Chauncey Billups missed two 3-pointers in the final seconds.
Kidd shot 7-of-18, including 4-of-5 on 3-pointers, and Richard Jefferson scored 27 for the Atlantic Division-leading Nets, who have won eight of 10.
The reeling Pistons have lost seven of nine.
Knicks 98, Grizzlies 94
In Memphis, Tennessee, Keith Van Horn scored 28 points and grabbed 13 rebounds and Allan Houston added 23 points.
The win snapped a seven-game road losing streak for the Knicks, while Memphis dropped its fourth straight and had its six-game home winning streak stopped.
Van Horn connected on 10 of 17 shots, and Houston was 9-of-14 from the field as the Knicks shot 52 percent. Kurt Thomas and Frank Williams each had 18 for New York, Williams adding six assists in a reserve role.
Six Grizzlies finished in double figures, led by Pau Gasol with 20 points.
Spurs 98, Magic 83
In San Antonio, the Spurs used a late 15-0 run to break open a tight game and win their 12th straight.
Tim Duncan led San Antonio with 27 points and 16 rebounds, while Tony Parker added a season-high 22 points and Robert Horry had 14 -- his high total with the Spurs.
The Spurs began its winning streak Dec. 5 in Orlando after losing four straight and dropping into last place in the Midwest Division. San Antonio now sits atop the division.
Orlando didn't break the run until Zaza Pachulia put in a layup with 3.9 seconds remaining. The Magic missed seven straight shots and had three turnovers during the drought.
Bucks 101, Pacers 96
In Milwaukee, Damon Jones scored all 14 of his points in the fourth quarter to help the Milwaukee Bucks climb above .500 for the first time in more than six weeks.
Michael Redd scored 26 points, including a key 3-pointer with just over a minute remaining, as the Bucks came back after trailing by as many as 15. Milwaukee outscored Indiana 34-19 in the fourth quarter.
It was Milwaukee's second victory against the Pacers in as many tries this season. The Bucks shot over 53 percent in both games.
The victory pushed Milwaukee's record to 15-14. Indiana dropped to 21-9 -- still the East's best record.
Celtics 104, Suns 102
In Phoenix, Ricky Davis hit a 6m jumper with 2.8 seconds left and Paul Pierce scored 19 of his 27 points in the second half as the Celtics overcame a 17-point third-quarter deficit. The game was reminiscent of the teams' meeting three weeks ago when the Suns produced the biggest comeback their history, rallying from 29 points down to win. This time, it was the Celtics who came from behind.
Walter McCarty added a season-high 20 points for the Celtics, and Mark Blount also had a season high with 16. Davis, obtained in a recent trade with Cleveland, had his Celtics' high with 14.
Shawn Marion topped the Suns with 25 points.
Nuggets 95, Rockets 94
In Denver, rookie Carmelo Anthony scored a career-high 37 points and Voshon Lenard hit three free throws after being fouled behind the arc with 8.3 seconds left.
Anthony was 13-for-22 from the field and scored 22 of his points in the third quarter for the Nuggets, who had lost five straight to Houston. Andre Miller added 22 points and seven assists.
Reserve Maurice Taylor had 22 points for Houston.
Bologna on Thursday advanced past Empoli to reach their first Coppa Italia final in more than half a century. Thijs Dallinga’s 87th-minute header earned Bologna a 2-1 win and his side advanced 5-1 on aggregate. Giovanni Fabbian opened the scoring for Bologna with a header seven minutes in. Then Viktor Kovalenko equalized for Empoli in the 30th minute by turning in a rebound to finish off a counterattack. Bologna won the first leg 3-0. In the May 14 final in Rome, Bologna are to face AC Milan, who eliminated city rivals Inter 4-1 on aggregate following a 3-0 win on Wednesday. Bologna last reached the
If the Wild finally break through and win their first playoff series in a decade, Minnesota’s top line likely will be the reason. They were all over the Golden Knights through the first two games of their NHL Western Conference quarter-finals series, which was 1-1 going back to Minnesota for Game 3 today. The Wild tied the series with a 5-2 win on Tuesday. Matt Boldy had three goals and an assist in the first two games, while Kirill Kaprizov produced two goals and three assists. Joel Eriksson Ek, who centers the line, has yet to get on the scoresheet. “I think the biggest
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Noelvi Marte on Sunday had seven RBIs and hit his first career grand slam with a drive off infielder Jorge Mateo, while Austin Wynn had a career-high six RBIs as the Cincinnati Reds scored their most runs in 26 years in a 24-2 rout of the Baltimore Orioles. Marte finished with five hits, including his eighth-inning homer off Mateo. Wynn hit a three-run homer in the ninth off catcher Gary Sanchez. Cincinnati scored its most runs since a 24-12 win against the Colorado Rockies on May 19, 1999, and finished with 25 hits. Baltimore allowed its most runs since a 30-3 loss to
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