LeBron James scored 34 points and Kyrie Irving scored 21 of his 32 points in the fourth quarter as the Cleveland Cavaliers beat the injury-ravaged Washington Wizards 121-115 on Wednesday for their fifth straight victory.
Irving scored 10 points in a row in the fourth quarter and showed no ill effects from the injury that ended his playoffs last year and postponed his season debut until mid-December. James had 10 rebounds, and J.R. Smith added 25 points for Cleveland.
Garrett Temple scored 21 points and John Wall had 20 for the Wizards, who were playing without Kris Humphries, DeJuan Blair and Drew Gooden.
Photo: Geoff Burke - USA TODAY
KNICKS 98, HEAT 90
In Miami, Florida, Carmelo Anthony scored 25 points as New York shot 56 percent to end a streak of eight consecutive losses to the Heat.
Anthony made nine for 12. In his first two games against the Heat, Anthony shot 10 for 29 for a total of 32 points.
Robin Lopez added a season high 19 points for the Knicks, who won their third game in a row.
Chris Bosh scored 28 points for the Heat.
THUNDER 112, GRIZZLIES 94
In Oklahoma City, Kevin Durant had 26 points and a season-high 17 rebounds after missing the previous game with a sprained right big toe, as the Thunder beat the Memphis Grizzlies.
Durant, who began the day as the NBA’s No. 3 scorer, broke loose for 17 points in the second half on seven-for-eight shooting. He played 33 minutes and appeared to have no problems with mobility.
Russell Westbrook added 20 points, seven rebounds and seven assists for the Thunder.
Mario Chalmers led the Grizzlies with 23 points.
MAVERICKS 100, PELICANS 91
In New Orleans, Raymond Felton scored 22 points — in a game that Dallas chose to rest four starters — as the Mavericks defeated the Pelicans.
Dallas coach Rick Carlisle sat out Dirk Nowitzki, Deron Williams, Zaza Pachulia and Wesley Matthews after they each played more than 40 minutes in a double-overtime victory over Sacramento on Tuesday night.
Chandler Parsons, the only usual starter in uniform, scored 19 of his 21 in the first half.
Anthony Davis had 26 points and 12 rebounds for the Pelicans.
SPURS 123, JAZZ 98
In San Antonio, Texas, Tim Duncan scored a season-high 18 points, while the Spurs had eight other players in double figures as they beat Utah to remain unbeaten at home.
The Spurs matched the best start in franchise history by winning their 21st straight home game to open the season.
Trey Burke had 21 points for the Jazz and Gordon Hayward had 18.
In other NBA action, it was:
‧ Clippers 109, Trail Blazers 98
‧ Pacers 95, Magic 86
‧ Raptors 91, Nets 74
‧ Pistons 99, Celtics 94
‧ Suns 111, Hornets 102
‧ Nuggets 78, Timberwolves 74
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More than 180 years of horse racing came to an end in Singapore on Saturday, as the Singapore Turf Club hosted its final race day before its track is handed back to the Singaporean government to provide land for new homes. Under an overcast sky, the air-conditioned VIP boxes were full of enthusiasts, socialites and expats, while the grounds and betting halls below hosted mostly older-generation punters. The sun broke through for the last race, the last-ever Grand Singapore Gold Cup. The winner, South African jockey Muzi Yeni, echoed a feeling of loss shared by many on the day. “I’d
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