Michael Finley scored 23 points, including the go-ahead 18-footer with 1:58 left, as the Dallas Mavericks beat the Sacramento Kings 108-99 Sunday.
After Sacramento -- which entered with the Western Conference's best record at 30-12 -- fought back from a 10-point deficit to tie the game at 97 on Mike Bibby's 3-pointer with 2:14 left, the Mavericks scored nine straight points to clinch the victory.
"We were strong," Mavericks coach Don Nelson said. "Everybody didn't play great all the time, but they certainly played hard all the time. We needed to take care of the ball, and we did that."
Steve Nash had 21 points and a season-high 13 assists, with just one turnover. Dirk Nowitzki had 20 points and 12 rebounds.
"We've had a good streak and that feels good," Nash said. "It always feels better to justify it against a good team. It's very vindicating and rewarding to beat a team with the best record."
Peja Stojakovic led Sacramento with 24 points and 10 rebounds. Doug Christie had 23 points, while Bobby Jackson had 18. Brad Miller had 11 points and 17 rebounds.
Nets 110, Celtics 91
In East Rutherford, New Jersey, Richard Jefferson scored 25 points and the New Jersey Nets ended their longest losing streak since Jason Kidd joined the team more than two years ago with a win over the Boston Celtics.
Kenyon Martin added 20 points and 15 rebounds and Kidd had 10 points, 11 assists and nine rebounds to help the two-time defending Eastern Conference champions snap a five-game slide.
Ricky Davis had 26 points to lead the Celtics, who had a two-game winning streak snapped. Paul Pierce, who picked up three fouls in the first half, added 13 for Boston.
Bulls 96, Raptors 89
In Chicago, Jamal Crawford scored 27 points and the Chicago Bulls broke a six-game losing streak by beating the Toronto Raptors in the teams' first meeting since a major Dec. 1 trade.
Crawford also hounded former teammate Jalen Rose, who finished with 22 points for the Raptors but shot just 5-for-12 from the field in his return to Chicago. Toronto has lost five straight.
Timberwolves 99, Suns 95
In Minneapolis, Sam Cassell scored 14 of his 32 points in the fourth quarter to lead the Minnesota Timberwolves to their fourth straight win, beating the Phoenix Suns.
The former interpreter for baseball star Shohei Ohtani on Thursday was sentenced to nearly five years in prison for bank and tax fraud after he stole nearly US$17 million from the Los Angeles Dodgers player’s bank account. Ippei Mizuhara, who was supposed to bridge the gap between the Japanese athlete and his English-speaking teammates and fans, was sentenced in federal court in Santa Ana to four years and nine months after pleading guilty last year. He was ordered to pay US$18 million in restitution, with nearly US$17 million going to Ohtani and the remainder to the US Internal Revenue Service. He was
Aaliyah Edwards on Monday pulled off the stunner of the opening round of the Unrivaled one-on-one tournament, beating top-seeded Breanna Stewart 12-0. The tournament to be played over three days featured 23 of the WNBA’s 36 players. A few had other commitments and a couple others were out with injuries. Stewart got the ball first against Edwards and missed a contested layup. Edwards then hit a three-pointer from the corner and a jumper from the elbow to go up 5-0. The player who scores keeps the basketball. Edwards hit two layups and a three-pointer to seal the win. Stewart, a two-time WNBA Most Valuable Player,
SPEEDSKATER: Her bronze medal ended Taiwan’s run at the Asian Winter Games without a medal since the nation first participated in the second iteration in 1990 Speedskater Chen Ying-chu yesterday made history as the first athlete representing Taiwan to secure a medal at the Asian Winter Games. Competing at the HIC Speedskating Oval in Harbin, China, Chen clocked 10.510 seconds in the women’s 100m event, finishing third behind South Koreans Lee Na-hyum and Kim Min-sun, who posted times of 10.501 and 10.505 seconds respectively. Her bronze medal ended Taiwan’s drought at the Asian Winter Games since the nation first participated in the second iteration in 1990. This year’s Games mark Chen’s debut at the event. Previously excelling in roller speedskating, she won six medals at world championships before transitioning
The 40-year-old LeBron James on Thursday became the oldest player to score 40 points in an NBA game, putting up a season-high 42 in the Los Angeles Lakers’ 120-112 victory over the Golden State Warriors. James passed the record held by Michael Jordan, his idol and the only other NBA player to score 40 after his 40th birthday. “I’m old, that’s my take,” James said when asked about his latest achievement. “I need a glass of wine and some sleep, that’s what I think.” Jordan did it for the Washington Wizards just three days after turning 40 in February 2003. James is 38