Kobe Bryant sank the go-ahead three-pointer with 27 seconds left as the Los Angeles Lakers held off the shorthanded Houston Rockets 105-100 on Tuesday.
Bryant scored 33 points for the Lakers, who outscored the Rockets 27-18 in the final period to secure the win.
China’s giant center Yao Ming (姚明) scored 19 points and added 17 rebounds for the Rockets who played without National Basketball Association stars Ron Artest (right ankle) and Tracy McGrady (left knee).
Shane Battier gave Houston a brief lead 100-99 with 47 ticks remaining, when he buried a three-pointer from the left corner. Bryant then answered on the ensuing possession.
With nine seconds left, Rockets point guard Rafer Alston corralled the offensive rebound on his own missed shot and was fouled by Derek Fisher.
But the slick floor general missed two free throws and Carl Landry had the offensive board slip out of his grasp with eight ticks left.
On the other end of the floor, Lakers center Pau Gasol had his own problems at the free-throw line, making just one-of-two and giving the Rockets one last chance to tie.
Trevor Ariza scored 14 points off the bench for the Lakers, who have won four straight.
The Rockets, who had a three-game winning streak snapped, also received a big contribution from Carl Landry, who scored 21 points.
The Lakers rarely led in the opening half — their biggest advantage was two points on three occasions — but stayed close on the strength of 17 points from Bryant. Los Angeles shot a respectable 52 percent (24-of-46) from the field, but Houston made 25-of-40 attempts for 63 percent efficiency.
NUGGETS 99, MAVERICKS 97
In Denver, Chauncey Billups made two free throws with 2.2 seconds left to give Denver a narrow win over Dallas. Billups scored 23 points to lead Denver in recovering after blowing a 17-point lead.
The loss tarnished a 44-point effort by Dirk Nowitzki — including the tying basket with 19 seconds left — as the Mavericks slipped to a third successive loss.
SUNS 107, HAWKS 102
In Phoenix, the home side notched a third straight win by downing Atlanta.
Shaquille O’Neal had 26 points and 10 rebounds for the Suns, who have won six of seven and improved to nine games over .500 for the first time this season. The Hawks have lost four in a row.
After a tight fourth quarter, O’Neal put the Suns ahead for good, 99-98, with a foul shot with 1:49 remaining.
BOBCATS 80, PISTONS 78
In Auburn Hills, Michigan, Raymond Felton’s jump shot with 0.7 seconds left saw Charlotte edge Detroit.
The Bobcats scored the game’s final nine points, including seven from Felton who finished with 23.
CAVALIERS 102, GRIZZLIES 87
In Memphis, Tennessee, LeBron James had 30 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists for his second triple-double of the season, leading Cleveland over Memphis.
James scored only nine points in the opening half, then had 17 in the third quarter and completed his triple-double with a behind-the-back pass for a layup in the fourth.
MAGIC 139, KINGS 107
In Sacramento, California, Orlando made an NBA record 23 3-pointers to cruise past Sacramento.
The Magic made 23 of 37 attempts from beyond the line to break the old mark of 21, set by Toronto in 2005 against Philadelphia. The record provided the only interest to a one-sided encounter.
Dwight Howard had 25 points and 15 rebounds. With the Magic leading comfortably, Howard sat on the bench throughout the fourth quarter as the Magic won their fifth straight game.
HEAT 99, TIMBERWOLVES 96
In Minneapolis, Shawn Marion hit the go-ahead free throws with 22 seconds left to give Miami a close win over Minnesota.
Dwyane Wade had 31 points and eight assists for Miami, who inflicted the Timberwolves’ first loss this year after five straight wins.
Taiwan kept their hopes of advancing to next year’s World Baseball Classic (WBC) alive with a 9-1 victory over South Africa in a qualifier at the Taipei Dome on Saturday, backed by solid pitching. Taiwan last night played against Nicaragua. As of press time, Nicaragua was leading 6-0. Bouncing back from Friday’s struggles on the mound, when Taiwanese pitchers surrendered 15 runs to Spain, Team Taiwan on Saturday kept the visiting team in check, allowing just one run in the bottom of the fourth inning. Starting pitcher Sha Tzu-chen struck out one and allowed no hits, except for a hit-by-pitch over
Taiwan kept its hopes of advancing to the 2026 World Baseball Classic (WBC) alive with a 9-1 victory over South Africa in a qualifier at the Taipei Dome last night, backed by solid pitching. Bouncing back from Friday’s struggles on the mound, when Taiwanese pitchers surrendered 15 runs to Spain, Team Taiwan kept the visiting team in check, allowing just one run in the bottom of the fourth inning. The win was crucial for Taiwan, as a loss would have eliminated the team from contention for the next WBC. Starting pitcher Sha Tzu-chen (沙子宸) struck out one and allowed no hits, except for
Team Taiwan are set to face Spain in a win-or-go-home match tonight for the final berth at the 2026 World Baseball Classic (WBC), despite losing to Nicaragua 6-0 in the WBC qualifier at the Taipei Dome on Sunday. The home team’s loss on Sunday means Nicaragua finish first in the qualifier round in Taipei with a perfect 3-0 record and advances to next year’s finals. After crushing South Africa 9-1 earlier on Sunday, Spain took second place in the four-team qualifier with a 2-1 record. With a 1-2 record, Taiwan finished third while South Africa placed at the bottom with
Team Taiwan avoided missing the World Baseball Classic (WBC) for the first time by defeating Spain 6-3 in a do-or-die game in Taipei last night. After narrowly escaping a mercy-rule loss to Spain in the WBC Qualifiers opener on Friday last week, the home team — winner of last year's WBSC Premier12 title three months ago — got their revenge against the 2023 European champions at Taipei Dome. "It felt quite different from when we won the Premier12," Taiwan captain Chen Chieh-hsien (陳傑憲) said after the game, recalling the ups and downs the team has experienced over the past few days. Unlike in
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