LeBron James had the wrong guys show up for his party.
Jermaine O'Neal scored 21 points and Ron Artest hit a crucial 3-pointer in the final minute as the Indiana Pacers wrecked James' 19th birthday Tuesday night with a 92-89 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Artest scored 18 points, none bigger than his 3 with 54.6 seconds left, as the Pacers improved to 23-10 -- the best record in the NBA's Eastern Conference.
PHOTO: AP
James finished with 22 points, 10 rebounds and four assists in 38 minutes but the Cavaliers' rookie guard couldn't shake free and take over in the closing minutes with Artest playing belly-to-belly defense on him. James, who came in averaging 27.8 points in his last 10 games, finished 9-of-20 from the floor and missed all four of his 3-pointers.
Hawks 83, Wizards 73
In Washington, Shareef Abdur-Rahim had 25 points and 16 rebounds to help the Atlanta Hawks end a nine-game road losing streak.
Stephen Jackson scored 16 points, Jason Terry added 13 and Dion Glover 10 for the Hawks, who hadn't won on the road since beating Milwaukee 101-93 on Nov. 18.
Larry Hughes had 24 points for the Wizards.
The Wizards, who tied a franchise record for fewest wins in December with two, managed only two field goals and a goaltending bucket from the field in the final quarter, in which they shot 3-for-17.
Knicks 102, Heat 73
In New York, Keith Van Horn had a steal and buzzer-beating dunk to cap a dominant first quarter, and the New York Knicks -- after making a trade -- cruised past the Miami Heat.
The Knicks won their fourth in a row, with all the victories coming in convincing fashion, for their first four-game winning streak in 23 months. The last three victories have all been by at least 20 points, the first time New York has done that since November, 1997.
Van Horn scored 22 points, shooting 10-for-16 from the field in breaking 20 for the fifth time in six games. Shandon Anderson came off the bench to add 21. Before the game, the Knicks acquired point guard Moochie Norris and center John Amaechi from Houston for Clarence Weatherspoon.
Lamar Odom led Miami with 19 points.
Timberwolves 98, Bulls 93
In Minneapolis, Kevin Garnett had 28 points and 15 rebounds to lead Minnesota to its eighth victory in nine games.
Latrell Sprewell had 27 points -- 20 in the first half -- and Sam Cassell had 21 points and nine assists for Minnesota, which beat the Bulls for the 10th straight time.
The Timberwolves held on despite blowing a 20-point first-half lead and missing nine free throws in the fourth quarter, including four straight by Garnett in the final two minutes.
The Bulls stayed in it thanks to their reserves, who outscored Minnesota's 29-10. Eddy Curry, playing in just his second game since returning from a bone bruise to his knee, had 16 points before fouling out after 24 minutes. Kirk Hinrich led the Bulls with 17 points.
SuperSonics 105, Grizzlies 99
In Memphis, Tennessee, Rashard Lewis scored 33 points and Ray Allen had nine in the final three minutes to lead Seattle past slumping Memphis.
Lewis and Allen scored Seattle's final 15 points as the SuperSonics pulled away late. Allen finished with 22 points, playing in his fourth game of the season after right ankle surgery.
The Grizzlies have lost seven straight, matching their longest losing streak under second-year coach Hubie Brown. Pau Gasol had 32 points and 11 rebounds to lead Memphis, which played without second-leading scorer Bonzi Wells who was recovering from a concussion he received during Monday's game.
Mavericks 101, Bucks 92
In Dallas, Antoine Walker had 22 points and 14 rebounds, and Dirk Nowitzki made two key fourth-quarter 3-pointers to help Dallas withstand a late rally by Milwaukee.
Steve Nash added 14 points and 12 assists, Antawn Jamison came off the bench to score 17, and Nowitzki had 20 points and 11 rebounds to help Dallas to its third straight win. The Mavericks improved to 14-2 at home.
Michael Redd led the Bucks with 25 points while Desmond Mason added 18.
Toronto 81, Denver 74
In Denver, Alvin Williams and Jalen Rose each had 17 points, and Williams hit four free throws in the last two minutes as Toronto snapped Denver's three-game winning streak.
Vince Carter added 15 points on 5-for-16 shooting. Toronto has now won two of its last 20 road games against Western Conference opponents.
Carmelo Anthony had 19 points and seven rebounds, while Voshon Lenard added 17 points for the Nuggets, who lost for only the fourth time at home.
Rose hit a 3-pointer to put Toronto ahead 76-69 with 2:21 left and two free throws by Williams pushed the lead to 78-69 with 1:44 remaining. The Nuggets were within 78-74 with 51 seconds left after Lenard and Andre Miller hit each a 3-pointer, but Williams sealed the win with two free throws with 15 seconds left.
‘SU-PENKO’: Hsieh and Ostapenko face a rematch against their Australian Open final opponents, the same duo Hsieh played in last year’s Wimbledon semi-finals Taiwanese women’s doubles star Hsieh Su-wei and Latvian partner Jelena Ostapenko on Wednesday survived a near upset to the unseeded duo of Sorana Cirstea of Romania and Russia’s Anna Kalinskaya, setting up a semi-final showdown against last year’s winners. Despite losing a hard-fought opening set 7-6 (7/4) on a tiebreak, the fourth seeds turned up the heat, losing just five games in the final two sets to handily put down Cirstea and Kalinskaya 6-3, 6-2. Nicknamed “Su-Penko,” the pair are next to face top seeds Katerina Siniakova of the Czech Republic and Taylor Townsend of the US in a reversal of last
Taiwanese tennis veteran Hsieh Su-wei (謝淑薇) and her Latvian partner Jelena Ostapenko finished runners-up in the Wimbledon women's doubles final yesterday, losing 6-3, 2-6, 4-6. The three-set match against Veronika Kudermetova of Russia and Elise Mertens of Belgium lasted two hours and 23 minutes. The loss denied 39-year-old Hsieh a chance to claim her 10th Grand Slam title. Although the Taiwanese-Latvian duo trailed 1-3 in the opening set, they rallied with two service breaks to take it 6-3. In the second set, Mertens and Kudermetova raced to a 5-1 lead and wrapped it up 6-2 to even the match. In the final set, Hsieh and
Taiwanese tennis veteran Hsieh Su-wei and her Latvian partner, Jelena Ostapenko, advanced to the Wimbledon women’s doubles final on Friday, defeating top seeds Katerina Siniakova of the Czech Republic and Taylor Townsend of the US in straight sets. The fourth-seeded duo bounced back quickly after losing their opening service game, capitalizing on frequent unforced errors by their opponents to take the first set 7-5. Maintaining their momentum in the second set, Hsieh and Ostapenko broke serve early and held their lead to close out the match 6-4. They are set to face the eighth-seeded pair of Veronika Kudermetova of Russia and Elise Mertens
Outside Anfield, the red sea of tributes to Diogo Jota and his brother, Andre Silva, has continued to grow this week, along with questions over whether Liverpool could play at Preston today, their first game since the brothers’ tragic loss. Inside Anfield, and specifically a grieving Liverpool dressing room, there was no major debate over the pre-season friendly. The English Premier League champions intend to honor their teammate in the best way they know how. It would be only 10 days since the deaths of Jota and Silva when Liverpool appear at Deepdale Stadium for what is certain to be a hugely
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