James keeps Heat streaking with late score
NBA: LeBron James made the go-ahead jumper with 10.5 seconds left to lead Miami to its 23rd consecutive victory, 105-103 over the Boston Celtics on Monday night in Boston.
It’s the second-longest winning streak in NBA history, surpassing the 22 straight that Houston won in 2007-08 and trailing only the 33 in a row won by the 1971-72 Los Angeles Lakers.
James scored 37 with 12 assists as the Heat won in Boston in the regular season for the first time in 11 tries despite a career-high 43 points from Jeff Green. The Celtics were without Kevin Garnett, who has the flu and a left thigh strain.
Paul Pierce had 17 points, eight rebounds and eight assists for the Celtics. But he missed a 3-pointer with 3 seconds left that could have given Boston the win.
• Sixers edge Blazers: Spencer Hawes had 18 points and 13 rebounds, and Jrue Holiday scored 27 points to lead the Philadelphia 76ers to a 101-100 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers in Philadelphia.
LaMarcus Aldridge had 32 points and 14 rebounds for Portland.
Off the court, 76ers center Andrew Bynum will have season-ending arthroscopic surgery on both knees today.
• Suns bury Lakers: Luis Scola scored all 14 of his points, including his second 3-pointer of the season, in the fourth quarter and the Phoenix Suns pulled away for a 99-76 rout of the visiting Los Angeles Lakers, who were without Kobe Bryant for the second straight night.
• Nuggets nip Bulls in OT: Andre Iguodala’s 3-pointer with 7.1 seconds left in overtime sent the Denver Nuggets to their 12th consecutive win, a 119-118 victory over the Chicago Bulls in Chicago.
Reserve Wilson Chandler led the Nuggets with 35 points.
Iguodala finished with 12 points and 10 rebounds.
Nate Robinson scored 34 points for Chicago, which lost for the seventh time in 11 games.
• Mavericks whip Hawks: Darren Collison scored 24 points and the hot-shooting Dallas Mavericks set season highs for points in a half and a game while beating the Atlanta Hawks 127-113 in Atlanta.
Dallas led 68-55 at halftime and kept adding to the lead in the second half. Dirk Nowitzki, who had 22 points, hit two free throws as the Mavericks reached 100 with their first points of the final period.
• Curry sparks Warriors: Stephen Curry scored 30 points and the Golden State Warriors won easily for the second straight night, 93-72 over the struggling New Orleans Hornets in New Orleans.
David Lee added 20 points and 11 rebounds, and Klay Thompson scored 13 points for the Warriors.
Rangers end skid with shootout win
NHL: Rangers rookie J.T. Miller fumbled his way to a goal in the third round of a shootout and New York snapped a three-game losing streak with a 2-1 victory over the Carolina Hurricanes in New York.
• Emery sparks Blackhawks: Ray Emery stopped 17 shots to remain unbeaten this season, Patrick Kane had a goal and two assists, and Chicago held off Colorado 5-2 in Denver in the first meeting since the Avalanche halted the Blackhawks’ record points streak on March 8 after a 21-0-3 start.
• Eriksson’s pair propels Stars: Loui Eriksson scored twice and the Dallas Stars held on for a 4-3 victory over the Calgary Flames in Dallas.
Eric Nystrom and Erik Cole also scored and former Spokane Chief Ray Whitney added two assists for Dallas, which snapped a four-game losing streak.
Broncos’ Carter denies charge
NFL: Denver Broncos safety Quinton Carter was confused by the rules of a craps game, and wasn’t trying to cheat before he was arrested at a Las Vegas-area casino, his attorney Andrew Leavitt said.
Carter faces three felony charges of fraudulent act in a gaming establishment. Security officials reported he was videotaped adding a $5 chip to three bets after the dice had already rolled. Carter denied wrongdoing when police arrived. Each charge carries a possible sentence of one to six years in prison and a $10,000 fine.
• Retired players win: The NFL has agreed to pay $42 million as part of a settlement with a group of retired players who challenged the league over using their names and images without their consent.
The league will use the money to fund a “common good” trust over the next eight years that will help retired players with an array of issues.
• Atlanta approves stadium plan: The Atlanta City Council has voted to approve a financing plan to build a new pro football stadium in downtown Atlanta.
The council voted 11-4 to approve using city hotel-motel tax revenue to cover the $200 million public contribution for the proposed $1 billion, retractable roof stadium for the Atlanta Falcons. The team would provide $800 million.
Padres’ Headley will miss start of season
Miscellany: San Diego Padres third baseman Chase Headley will miss at least the first two weeks of the MLB season after breaking the tip of his left thumb.
Headley was injured Sunday while sliding into second base trying to break up a double play. He went to San Diego, and an exam Monday revealed the fracture.
The injury is not likely to require surgery and will need about a month to heal.
• Majerle named coach: Former Phoenix Suns star Dan Majerle has been named head coach at Grand Canyon University as the Phoenix school begins a four-year transition to NCAA Division I.
Majerle was introduced as coach at a news conference on Monday, saying he is thrilled with the opportunity to coach his hometown university.