Cold stretch costs Heat
Shaquille O’Neal can tolerate losing to the Dallas Mavericks. Losing to Mavs center Erick Dampier is another story.
After Dampier harassed O’Neal into two late misses in a 109-104 Dallas victory over the Miami Heat on Tuesday night in Dallas, O’Neal turned his postgame interview into a Dampier bashing session.
“Damp is soft. Quote it, write it, tape it and send it to him,” said O’Neal, who until this season played Dampier four times a year but never spoke out against him. “I tell you, there’s nothing there.”
Dampier refused to be drawn into a war of words with someone he described as “outweighing me by 80 pounds.” He repeatedly said the scoreboard is all that matters and the Mavs are 2-0 against the Heat this season.
“If he says I’m soft, I’m soft. It’s no big deal,” said Dampier, who had 15 points and 14 rebounds. “Winning is more important than any remarks he might make.”
O’Neal had 25 points, 13 rebounds, five assists and three blocks, but it wasn’t enough to stretch Miami’s three-game winning streak. The Heat blew a 97-91 lead with 4:34 left by not scoring again until hitting two 3-pointers in the final 11.6 seconds. By then, the Mavericks had taken control, thanks mostly to Jerry Stackhouse.
Stackhouse scored 10 of his team-high 24 points during that closing stretch, including the go-ahead basket.
The Heat missed eight straight shots during their drought. O’Neal contributed a pair, which was surprising because he’d made 11 of his previous 12.
Dirk Nowitzki fought through cold symptoms to score 19 points. He was nowhere near as dominant as the previous meeting, when he scored 41, but he still hit a jumper and two free throws during the winning rally.
Magic 105, Cavaliers 102: At Orlando, Fla., Steve Francis scored 30 points and tied a season high with 13 assists as Orlando beat Cleveland.
LeBron James finished with 28 points, seven assists and five rebounds for Cleveland.
Nets 107, Bulls 97: At East Rutherford, N.J., Jacque Vaughn moved into the starting lineup and tied his career high with 23 points, and Jason Kidd narrowly missed the 62nd triple-double of his career in New Jersey’s victory over Chicago.
Kidd had 26 points, 13 rebounds and nine assists, and Vince Carter had 31 points, six assists and five rebounds for the Nets, who won their season-high fourth in a row.
Pistons 105, Wizards 96: At Washington, Chauncey Billups scored 11 of his 28 points in the fourth quarter and Detroit closed with a 20-11 run to defeat Washington for its fourth straight win.
Tayshaun Prince added 25 points, Richard Hamilton scored 23, and Rasheed Wallace had 18 points and 12 rebounds as the Pistons beat the Wizards for the eighth straight time on the road.
Grizzlies 108, Suns 97: At Memphis, Tenn., Jason Williams scored 19 points and had eight assists to lift short-handed Memphis over Phoenix.
Suns guard Steve Nash was ejected for arguing with 3:05 left and the Grizzlies leading 100-92. Nash screamed at referee Jack Nies after his shot was blocked by Stromile Swift. Nash was given a technical and then ejected after he continued his tirade.
Bucks 91, Timberwolves 86: Michael Redd scored 19 points and Joe Smith added 17 as Milwaukee held off visiting Minnesota.
Toni Kukoc provided a huge lift with nine points, six rebounds, five assists and two steals in his first start in almost three seasons for the Bucks, who had lost 10 straight to the Timberwolves.
Bobcats 109, Jazz 105: At Salt Lake City, Gerald Wallace scored 28 points and helped rally Charlotte from an 11-point deficit to a victory over Utah, just its second road win in team history.
Andrei Kirilenko had a season-high 27 points and 10 assists and Gordan Giricek scored 19 for Utah, but missed a 3-pointer in the final seconds that could have won it.
Nuggets 96, Knicks 76: At Denver, Kenyon Martin scored a season-high 27 points, Carmelo Anthony added 19 and Denver beat free-falling New York for its third consecutive victory under new coach George Karl.
Lakers 92, Trail Blazers 79: At Los Angeles, hours after learning that coach Rudy Tomjanovich was thinking about resigning, Los Angeles beat Portland behind Caron Butler’s 19 points and 10 rebounds.
Chucky Atkins added 19 points and eight assists, and Lamar Odom scored 18 points for the Lakers, who won their second straight after a season-high, three-game losing streak.