The Utah Jazz notched another stunning comeback victory to defeat the Orlando Magic 104-94 on Wednesday.
A night after coming from 22 points down to beat the star-studded Miami Heat, Utah this time were 18 points behind in the third quarter before an impressive rally.
Deron Williams scored 30 points and Paul Millsap added 23 for the Jazz.
Vince Carter had 20 points for the Magic, who had their four-game winning streak snapped and lost for the first time in the new Amway Center.
Wizards 98, Rockets 91
In Washington, rookie John Wall got his first career triple-double with 19 points, 13 assists and 10 rebounds to lead Washington over Houston.
Rockets’ giant Yao Ming missed most of the game after he strained a tendon in his leg in the first quarter.
Washington used a 10-0 run late in the fourth quarter to pull away after blowing an 11-point lead.
Andray Blatche finished with 20 points and 11 rebounds for the Wizards.
Kevin Martin scored 31 points for the Rockets, who have lost six of seven.
Bobcats 101, Raptors 96
In Toronto, Stephen Jackson scored 20 points to help Charlotte beat Toronto.
Gerald Wallace had 19 points and 14 rebounds for the Bobcats, who ended a three-game losing streak.
Jackson stripped Toronto center Andrea Bargnani with five seconds left and the Bobcats clinging to a three-point edge, then sealed it with a pair of free throws.
Bargnani scored 23 points for the Raptors, who have lost six straight for the first time since a seven-game slide in the 2008-2009 season.
Bucks 108, Hawks 91
In Atlanta, Milwaukee extended its offensive awakening with a victory over Atlanta.
The Bucks struggled with their offense early in the season and were last in the league in scoring with only 89.6 points per game before taking a 107-80 win over New York on Tuesday. They were as impressive against the Hawks in taking back-to-back wins for the first time this season.
Corey Maggette scored 20 points and Brandon Jennings added 19 for Milwaukee.
In other NBA action, it was:
‧ Nets 95, Cavaliers 87
‧ Mavericks 106, Grizzlies 91
‧ Thunder 109, 76ers 103
‧ Timberwolves 98, Kings 89
‧ Spurs 107, Clippers 95
‧ Warriors 122, Knicks 117
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
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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,