Ewing Joins Elite With 20,000 Points

Patrick Ewing became the 23rd player in NBA history to score 20,000 career points when he made a layup during the second quarter of Tuesday night’s game between the New York Knicks and Orlando Magic.

The 12th-year pro began the night six points shy of the plateau. Officials stopped the game and presented the ball to the Knicks center.

Ewing scored 24 points, grabbed 16 rebounds and blocked seven shots as the Knicks opened a 25-point lead before defeating the injury-riddled Orlando Magic 92-88 at Orlando, Fla.

Clyde Drexler of the Houston Rockets should reach 20,000 soon, too. Drexler started the night 74 points shy of 20,000.

Olajuwon has heart scare

Houston Rockets center Hakeem Olajuwon experienced an irregular heartbeat during halftime of Tuesday night’s game against Minnesota and was hospitalized for precautionary tests.

Olajuwon walked out of The Summit under his own power. The Rockets issued a statement saying Olajuwon’s condition was not believed serious. Rockets spokesman Tim Frank said Olajuwon’s condition was called atrial fibrillation. Olajuwon underwent an electrocardiogram (EKG) at Methodist Hospital and will undergo more tests.

Olajuwon experienced an irregular heartbeat during the 1991-92 season, but his heartbeat returned to normal after medication.

Former Bull sues league

Activism on the part of African Americans - and not diminishing talents - ended former Chicago Bulls player Craig Hodges’ career in the NBA, he contends in a federal lawsuit.

Hodges, 36, played 3-1/2 seasons for the Bulls, including their first two championship seasons of 1990-91 and 1991-92. Hampered by ankle and knee injuries, he missed 26 games in his final season and averaged a career-low 4.3 points.

In a lawsuit filed Monday in U.S. District Court in Chicago, Hodges claims no other team would give him a tryout after his contract with the Bulls expired because the league blacklisted him.

Hardaway on injured list

The Orlando Magic placed Penny Hardaway on the injured list and activated rookie Amal McCaskill, who has not played this season because of tendinitis in his right knee.

Hardaway, who leads the Magic with a 21-point average, had arthroscopic surgery on his left knee Sunday and will be sidelined 2-4 weeks.

Scoreboard conks out

A computer problem caused a 17-minute interruption in the first quarter of the Golden State Warriors’ game against the Los Angeles Lakers at San Jose, Calif., and forced officials into some old-fashioned methods of timekeeping.

With the game clocks and 24-second clocks turned off, officials kept time at courtside with stopwatches and public address announcer Dick Callahan called out whenever a team had 10 seconds left to shoot.

Brandon scores after others fail

Terrell Brandon scored 18 points and ended an offensive drought for both teams with a 3-pointer and two jumpers late in the fourth quarter as the Cleveland Cavaliers gained a 73-63 victory over the visiting Atlanta Hawks.

Atlanta shot 32.4 percent (23 for 71), hitting less than 40 percent for the fourth time in 11 games this season.