Associated Press
The NBA roundup …
CHARLOTTE ó Sean May was tired ó again. Only this time, May had finally been effective for the Bobcats after months of slogging up the court in poor shape following knee surgery.
So with May breathing heavy as he was taken out midway through the third quarter of Charlotte’s 103-97 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Wednesday night, part-owner Michael Jordan was quick to strike from his courtside seat next to the bench.
Mike said, ‘Do you need an oxygen mask?”‘ May said. “I said, ‘No, just give me a couple minutes and I’ll be fine.”‘
For the first time this season, May was right. With 10 points and 11 rebounds, May recorded his first double-double in nearly two years. With Emeka Okafor adding 25 points and 13 rebounds, the Bobcats had rare production inside, fueling their fourth win in six games under new coach Larry Brown.
“This was Sean’s best game by far,” said Brown, who had banished the former first-round pick to the inactive list earlier this season. “He needed something like that.”
Gerald Wallace added 21 points and Jason Richardson scored 18 to surpass 10,000 points in his career for the Bobcats, who won consecutive games under Brown for the first time and sent the Thunder back to their losing ways.
Celtics 114, Pacers 96
BOSTON ó Rajon Rondo notched his first career triple-double and Ray Allen scored 31 points, leading the Boston Celtics over the Indiana Pacers, 114-96 on Wednesday night for their 10th straight victory.
Cavaliers 118, Knicks 82
CLEVELAND ó LeBron James scored 21 points and then grabbed an early seat on the bench as Cleveland improved to 10-0 on its own floor for the first time in franchise history with its 14th win in 15 games.
Lakers 114, 76ers 102
PHILADELPHIA ó Kobe Bryant tormented his hometown team again, scoring 32 points to help Los Angeles rebound from a last-second loss with a victory over Philadelphia.
The Lakers never let the middling Sixers get too close in this one and improved to 15-2 one night after they lost in Indiana on a late tip.
Hornets 104, Suns 91
NEW ORLEANS ó Chris Paul had 24 points and 15 assists to lead New Orleans over short-handed Phoenix.
Peja Stojakovic also scored 24 points, highlighted by his five 3-pointerss.
Blazers 98, Wizards 92
WASHINGTON ó Brandon Roy took over down the stretch, scoring 12 of his 22 points in the final 8 minutes to help Portland beat Washington and extend its winning streak to six games.
Rockets 103, Clippers 96
HOUSTON ó Yao Ming had 24 points, Rafer Alston sank five 3-pointers and added 21, and Houston beat Los Angeles for the seventh straight time.
Ron Artest scored 19 points and Yao grabbed 10 rebounds and went 12-for-13 from the free throw line for the Rockets, who played their fourth straight game without Tracy McGrady.
Hawks 105, Grizzlies 95
ATLANTA ó Joe Johnson scored 26 points, and Mike Bibby had 20 points and 10 assists in Atlanta’s victory over Memphis.
The Hawks, who have won three of four and five of seven, welcomed back Josh Smith after their $58 million forward missed the past 12 games with an ankle sprain.
Heat 93, Jazz 89
SALT LAKE CITY ó Dwyane Wade scored 23 points and Miami climbed back above .500 by beating short-handed Utah.
The Heat closed a five-game road trip at 3-2 with their ninth win in the last 10 meetings against Utah, which was missing a large chunk of its regular lineup.
Magic 100, T’wolves 89
ORLANDO, Fla. ó Dwight Howard had 23 points and 14 rebounds, and Rashard Lewis also scored 23 points to lead Orlando over Minnesota.
Hedo Turkoglu added 22.