NBA roundup
Wizards end 3 years of frustration, finally beat heat WASHINGTON (AP) – The Washington Wizards took advantage of a depleted lineup to blow the game open in the first quarter and beat the Miami Heat 106-95 Friday night, ending 31/2 years of frustration.
Never mind that the Heat didn’t have Dwyane Wade and Shaquille O’Neal. The Wizards were more than relieved under any circumstance to end a 16-game losing streak to their Southeast Division rivals and get their first win in the series since Michael Jordan led a 91-87 victory in Miami on April 11, 2003.
Caron Butler scored a season-high 30 points and had nine rebounds, Gilbert Arenas had 27 points, and Antawn Jamison added 22 points and a career-high five blocked shots for the Wizards. Washington led 40-17 after a first quarter in which it shot 76 percent and held a 26-0 advantage in fast-break points.
James Posey was 7-of-11 on 3-pointers and scored a season-high 26 points for Miami.
Pacers 112, Knicks 96
INDIANAPOLIS – Danny Granger scored a career-high 25 points and Indiana hit a season-high 12 3-pointers.
The Pacers were 12-of-23 from long range, including three each for Granger, Stephen Jackson and Al Harrington. The second of two 3-pointers by Darrell Armstrong, the final basket of the third quarter, was the Pacers’ 12th of the game from behind the arc, topping the previous season high of 11 at Milwaukee last month.
Jackson added 19 points, Harrington finished with 17 and Jermaine O’Neal and Jamaal Tinsley had 11 apiece for the Pacers.
Jamal Crawford led New York with 29 points.
Cavaliers 106, Sonics 84
CLEVELAND – Larry Hughes scored 25 points and LeBron James flirted with his first triple-double this season for Cleveland.
Hughes, making his second straight start after missing 10 games with a sprained ankle, went 11-of-16 from the floor. The Cavaliers shot a blistering 65 percent in the first half.
Zydrunas Ilgauskas added 17 points and Anderson Varejao 13 rebounds as the Cavaliers improved to 11-2 at home and 22-2 in Quicken Loans Arena since March 5. James finished with 22 points, nine rebounds and seven assists.
Chris Wilcox scored 20 points to lead Seattle, which dropped its third straight on a five-game trip. Rookie Mickael Gelabale added a season-high 16 and Rashard Lewis had 10 – 12 below his average.
Raptors 90, Nets 78
TORONTO – T.J. Ford had 17 points, nine rebounds and eight assists to lead Toronto to its second straight victory without Chris Bosh.
Ford had 10 points in the fourth quarter for the Raptors, who put six players in double figures while improving to 2-2 without their leading scorer, who has an injured left knee.
Former Raptor Vince Carter was booed every time he touched the ball. Carter went 4-for-17 from the field and 4-for-8 from the line for just 12 points.
Mavericks 93, 76ers 79
DALLAS – Jason Terry scored 18 points and the Mavericks built a big early lead against Philadelphia, which was without Allen Iverson and Chris Webber and lost its 10th straight.
Philadelphia has lost the last five games since Iverson, the 2001 NBA MVP and the face of the franchise for 11 seasons, demanded a trade and was sent home by the 76ers while they try to fulfill his request.
It is the longest losing streak for the 76ers since they dropped 13 games in a row from Dec. 28, 1996, through Jan. 20, 1997, during Iverson’s rookie year.
Andre Iguodala led Philadelphia with 17 points, and Willie Green and Samuel Dalembert each had 16.
Hawks 97, Grizzlies 88
MEMPHIS, Tenn. – Zaza Pachulia scored 22 points, Speedy Claxton added 19 points and 11 assists, and Atlanta ruined Pau Gasol’s season debut by beating Memphis.
Josh Smith finished with 16 points, hitting 7-of-9 from the field, and grabbed 10 rebounds for Atlanta.
The Hawks snapped a four-game losing streak and won for the first time without leading scorer Joe Johnson, who is out with a right calf strain. Memphis lost its fifth straight.
Gasol missed the season’s first 22 games with a broken left foot. He started and played 17 minutes, scoring four points and grabbing three rebounds.
Celtics 119, Nuggets 114
BOSTON – Paul Pierce scored 38 points and Tony Allen added a career-high 30 to help Boston extend its winning streak to four.
Al Jefferson had 28 points and 10 rebounds, while Wally Szczerbiak scored 16 points off the bench for the Celtics (9-13), who moved into a first-place tie with the New Jersey Nets in the lowly Atlantic Division. New Jersey lost to Toronto 90-78 earlier Friday.
The Celtics led by as many as 19 and never trailed, although Denver turned it into a close game thanks to Carmelo Anthony and Andre Miller.
Anthony scored a season-high 42 and Miller added 18 for the Nuggets (12-9), who lost their second straight and fell to 1-3 on their five-game trip.
Bulls 117, Bucks 111
CHICAGO – Ben Wallace grabbed a season-high 27 rebounds and added 10 points to lead the Chicago Bulls to a 117-111 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks on Friday night.
Kirk Hinrich scored 21 points and Chris Duhon had 19 for Chicago, who has won 10 of its last 11 games.
Ruben Patterson had 21 points and 13 rebounds for the Bucks, finishing three assists shy of his first career triple-double. Michael Redd led the Bucks with 32 points, after only scoring a season-low nine in a loss to New Jersey on Wednesday.
Chicago finished its longest homestand in team history with a 7-1 record and improved to 9-0 against Eastern Conference teams at the United Center.
Milwaukee closed within three with a 16-6 run, capped by Patterson’s follow with 3:44 left, but Chicago answered with Wallace’s dunk and two free throws by Ben Gordon.
Thomas then blocked Brian Skinner’s shot attempt. Thomas finished with 14 points and 10 rebounds. Wallace also had six assists for Chicago.