The Orlando Magic squandered a big lead against Charlotte on Saturday, but scored the first 11 points of overtime to beat the scrappy Bobcats 106-95.
Jameer Nelson collected six of his 21 points in overtime and Rashard Lewis had five to end Charlotte’s franchise-record home win streak at nine games.
“In overtime, that was the best defense we’ve played all year,” Magic coach Stan Van Gundy told reporters. “It was our defense that helped us win.”
Vince Carter also had 21 points for Orlando and Dwight Howard pulled in 20 rebounds as the Magic narrowed Atlanta’s Southeast division lead to percentage points.
D.J. Augustin scored 22 points, including five three-pointers, to help spark a furious Charlotte rally that forced overtime.
Behind by 12 points with 11 minutes to play, the Bobcats turned to a volley of three-pointers and double-figure scorer Gerald Wallace’s first points to level the score twice.
Stephen Jackson’s layup with a second to go finally forced extra play.
Nelson then took over, scoring the first four points of overtime to secure Orlando their third consecutive win.
“We executed great until overtime, then we had some bad match-ups,” Bobcats coach Larry Brown said. “We could not get stops. We just could not get it done.”
All five Magic starters finished in double figures, including Lewis’ 18 and 10 by Howard.
■CAVALIERS VS THUNDER
AFP, CLEVELAND, Ohio
Daniel Gibson was an unlikely hero for Cleveland on Saturday, draining a three-pointer with 8.7 seconds left to help the Cavaliers to a 100-99 NBA victory over Oklahoma City.
Cavaliers star LeBron James scored 37 points with 12 assists and nine rebounds.
Shaquille O’Neal added a season-high 22 points as the Cavaliers won their fourth straight game.
Gibson’s three-pointer put Cleveland up 98-96. The Thunder’s Kevin Durant had a chance to tie, but his shot with nine-tenths of a second remaining was blocked by James, who then made two free throws.
Durant then hit a shot at the buzzer, but it was too late for Oklahoma City, who lost in the waning seconds for the second straight night.
In other NBA play, it was:
• Heat 115, Kings 84
• 76ers 107, Pacers 97
• Trail Blazers 97, Pistons 93
• Bulls 104, Rockets 97
• Bucks 127, Timberwolves 94
• Jazz 116, Nets 83
• Nuggets 116, Hornets 110, OT
• Suns 112, Warriors 103
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