Sports News

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) It was Stephen Jackson's home debut with the Charlotte Bobcats and it marked Tyler Hansbrough's first professional game back in North Carolina.

Then the star turned out to be somebody the fans, including Tar Heels coach Roy Williams, couldn't have expected: the old center who barely played last season. Read More...

PHOENIX (AP) The Phoenix Suns just had too much energy for the worn out Detroit Pistons.

Amare Stoudemire scored 21 points and Steve Nash added 20 for Phoenix, then sat out the fourth quarter to watch the Suns rout road-weary Detroit 117-91 on Sunday night for the Pistons' fifth straight loss. Read More...

TORONTO (AP) A halftime change of footwear helped Vince Carter find his shooting stroke.

Carter scored 24 points, Dwight Howard had 17 points and 12 rebounds and the Orlando Magic won their fifth straight game, 104-96 over the Toronto Raptors on Sunday. Read More...

LOS ANGELES (AP) Kobe Bryant scored 26 points, including an astonishing basket from behind the backboard, and the Los Angeles Lakers cruised to a 101-85 rout of the Oklahoma City Thunder on Sunday night.

The defending NBA champions, who squeaked out a 101-98 overtime win at Oklahoma City on Nov. 3, had this one in control throughout with help from Andrew Bynum's 25 points and nine rebounds. Bryant also had seven assists and six rebounds. Read More...

MIAMI (AP) Dwyane Wade was trapped, so Udonis Haslem took over.

Wade had 31 points, and Haslem banked in a jumper with 15.4 seconds left to lift the Miami Heat past the New Orleans Hornets 102-101 on Sunday night. Read More...

CLEVELAND (AP) Becoming one of Ohio's uniformed officers won't be a cakewalk for Shaquille O'Neal.

Hoping to further his off-the-court career in law enforcement, the Cleveland Cavaliers star has applied to become a special deputy in the Buckeye state. But the (Cleveland) Plain Dealer reported Sunday that O'Neal must pass an examination and undergo training first. Read More...

CLEVELAND (AP) There's one thing - other than LeBron James, of course - that the Cleveland Cavaliers can always count on when things get tough.

In a pinch, they turn to their defense. Read More...

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) Martell Webster took full advantage of his return to the Portland Trail Blazers' starting lineup.

Webster had a season-high 21 points and 13 rebounds and keyed a third quarter rally with three consecutive 3-pointers in the Trail Blazers' 106-78 victory over the free-falling Minnesota Timberwolves on Saturday night. Read More...

DENVER (AP) J.R. Smith finished off the Chicago Bulls.

Smith, Denver's streak-shooting sixth man, scored 12 of his 19 points in the final period and the Nuggets pulled away for a 112-93 victory Saturday night. Read More...