In brief: Magic keep star-studded Heat reeling

Basketball: The Miami Heat’s miserable start has hit another low.

Dwight Howard had 24 points and 18 rebounds, J.J. Redick scored 20 points and the Orlando Magic beat Miami 104-95 on Wednesday night in Orlando, Fla., to hand the Heat’s All-Star trio its first three-game losing streak.

LeBron James had 25 points, Chris Bosh finished with 21 and Dwyane Wade scored 18 for Miami.

• Mavericks top Thunder: Dirk Nowitzki scored 34 points, Tyson Chandler had season highs with 17 points and 18 rebounds and the visiting Dallas Mavericks beat the Oklahoma City Thunder, 111-103.

• UConn wins tourney: Kemba Walker scored 29 points and Connecticut (5-0) beat a Top 10 team for the second straight day, knocking off No. 8 Kentucky (4-1) with an 84-67 rout to win the Maui Tournament in Lahaina, Hawaii.

UConn, the 2005 Maui champion, beat No. 2 Michigan State on Tuesday.

• Chaminade upsets Oklahoma: Steven Bennett scored on a contested drive with 16 seconds left and Division II Chaminade (4-2) upset Oklahoma (3-3) 68-64 in the seventh-place game of the Maui Invitational in Lahaina, Hawaii.

Chaminade is 6-73 all-time in the Maui Tournament. But they upset top-ranked Virginia in 1982 and also beat Villanova in 2003 and Princeton in 2007.

• Purdue women’s player in critical condition: Hours after the Purdue women’s basketball team canceled a trip to Mexico because of a sick teammate, a team doctor said junior forward Drey Mingo is progressing in her recovery.

Mingo was hospitalized Tuesday night with bacterial meningitis and is listed in stable, but critical condition.

Giants demote RB Bradshaw

Football: Brandon Jacobs is once again the New York Giants’ No. 1 running back.

Frustrated with Ahmad Bradshaw’s inability to hold the ball, coach Tom Coughlin demoted Bradshaw and gave Jacobs the starting job for Sunday’s game against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

• Portis’ season over: Coach Mike Shanahan said that Washington Redskins running back Clinton Portis will be placed on injured reserve with a torn muscle in his abdomen.

• Bills’ Johnson fined: Buffalo Bills receiver Stevie Johnson said the NFL fined him $5,000 for showing off the message – “Why So Serious?” – Johnson had written in black marker on his T-shirt after scoring the first of his three TDs in a 49-31 win at Cincinnati on Sunday.

• Hit costly for Samuel: Asante Samuel, the Philadelphia Eagles’ three-time Pro Bowl cornerback, was fined $40,000 for a helmet-to-helmet hit on Giants wide receiver Derek Hagan that drew an unnecessary roughness penalty.

• Titans offensive coordinator has cancer: Tennessee offensive coordinator Mike Heimerdinger has been diagnosed with cancer and is expected to start chemotherapy treatment almost immediately.

• Raiders lose Scott: Oakland Raiders defensive end Trevor Scott was placed on injured reserve with a knee injury, leaving the Raiders minus one of their most productive and versatile players.

• Leach sues ESPN, PR firm: Former coach Mike Leach sued ESPN Inc. and a public relations firm, accusing them of libel and slander after he was fired by Texas Tech amid accusations that he mistreated a player suffering from a concussion.

• Ducks’ James cleared: The University of Oregon says allegations of impropriety surrounding LaMichael James and a vehicle he had been driving are unfounded.

The university issued a statement saying that James’ use of the vehicle “did not constitute a violation of NCAA legislation.”

Pirates send Duke to Diamondbacks

Baseball: The Pittsburgh Pirates traded left-hander Zach Duke to the Arizona Diamond- backs for a player to be named.

After designating Duke for assignment on Friday, the Pirates had 10 days to trade or release him. Duke was 8-15 with a 5.72 ERA in 29 starts last season.

• McDevitt dies: Danny McDevitt, the former Brooklyn Dodgers pitcher who won the team’s final game at Ebbets Field in 1957, has died of unknown causes in Covington, Ga. He was 78.

Nadal, Berdych win at ATP Finals

Miscellany: Rafael Nadal defeated Novak Djokovic 7-5, 6-2 at the ATP World Tour Finals in London, his Serbian opponent bothered by a problem with his contact lenses that forced him to leave the court.

There were visual issues as well in the earlier Group A match. Andy Roddick was angered by flashing lights behind the baseline during his racket-busting 7-5, 6-3 loss to Tomas Berdych that left him with an 0-2 record at this season-ending tournament.

• Walker will miss fight: Herschel Walker has a deep cut under his left eye that will prevent him from fighting his second professional mixed martial arts bout next week in St. Louis.

• Boxer attacked: Deputies in Apopka, Fla., say boxer Christy Martin, 42, was shot and stabbed by her husband while the two were fighting at their home. She is expected to survive her injuries.

Her husband, James Martin, 66, is still at large.