National Basketball Association defending champions Miami Heat won their first game since the loss of leading scorer Dwayne Wade last week, going 86-81 over the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Shaquille O'Neal scored 19 points and made 11 rebounds, and Miami's defense shut down the Cavaliers to help the Heat win at home Sunday. Wade - the reigning NBA Most Valuable Player - will miss the next several weeks with a dislocated shoulder he suffered last Wednesday.
Phoenix center Amare Stoudemire had a strong performance to lead his Suns in a 115-106 defeat of the Atlanta Hawks. Stoudemire netted a season-high 43 points and added 16 rebounds on the road in Atlanta.
Detroit erased a 16-point deficit and Chris Webber scored with two seconds left in regulation time as the Pistons edged the rival Chicago Bulls 95-93. The victory is Detroit's fourth in a row.
The Rockets, Timberwolves, Nets, Lakers and Kings also won Sunday.
The Houston Rockets held off Orlando down the stretch to beat the Magic 97-93, the Minnesota Timberwolves slipped past the Washington Wizards 98-94, and the New Jersey Nets won a divisional contest against the New York Knicks, 101-92.
The Los Angeles Lakers continued their domination of Golden State, beating the Warriors 102-85 for their seventh straight victory over the cross-state rival. Also, the Sacramento Kings capitalized on the absence of Indiana star Ron Artest to rough up the Pacers 110-93.
Some information for this report was provided by AFP, AP and Reuters.
