Wade-less Heat fall
Dirk Nowitzki had 31 points and 11 rebounds and the Dallas Mavericks took advantage of Dwyane Wade’s absence to beat the Miami Heat 112-100 on Thursday night at Dallas for their 10th straight victory.
Miami was playing in Dallas for the first time since winning the NBA title in Game 6 of the championship series last June. Wade, who averaged nearly 35 points in that series and was the finals MVP, is considering season-ending surgery after dislocating his left shoulder Wednesday night in a loss in Houston.
Shaquille O’Neal, playing his 10th game since returning from a knee injury, had 17 points and eight rebounds for the Heat. James Posey also had 17 points, and Jason Williams added 13.
Wizards 109, Kings 106: At Washington, Gilbert Arenas scored 30 of his 43 points in the first half, and the Wizards blew a 17-point fourth-quarter lead and survived a video review at the buzzer to beat Sacramento.
With 0.7 seconds remaining, John Salmons took a long inbounds pass and made a turnaround jump shot at the 3-point arc. Officials initially ruled it a good 2-point basket, but replay showed it to be a 3 that was released just after the clock hit 0.0.
Bulls 84, Cavaliers 78: At Cleveland, Luol Deng scored 18 points and Ben Wallace had 19 rebounds, a season-high seven blocks and two huge free throws in the final minutes to lead Chicago to a win over the Cavaliers.
Pacers released after booking
Indiana Pacers players Jamaal Tinsley and Marquis Daniels were free after being booked on charges in a Feb. 6 bar fight, with their attorneys insisting their clients did nothing wrong that night.
Both men surrendered to police shortly after they played in the Pacers’ 136-129 double-overtime victory against Milwaukee on Wednesday night. A judge scheduled a pretrial hearing for March 13, then released both men on their own recognizance.
Trade roundup
The Dallas Mavericks traded journeyman guard Anthony Johnson to Atlanta for the Hawks’ second-round pick in the draft. … The Portland Trail Blazers traded guard Juan Dixon to the Toronto Raptors for guard Fred Jones. … The Utah Jazz acquired veteran forward Alan Henderson from Philadelphia just before the trade deadline. The Jazz and 76ers exchanged the right to trade second-round picks in the 2007 draft.