76ers edge Bobcats on layup

The Associated Press

PHILADELPHIA -- Lou Williams' layup with 3.1 seconds remaining lifted the Philadelphia 76ers to a come-from-behind 86-84 victory over the Charlotte Bobcats on Wednesday night.

Andre Iguodala scored 25 points, Williams had 19 and Elton Brand contributed season highs of 19 points, 11 rebounds and six blocked shots for the Sixers, who snapped a two-game losing streak. Rodney Carney had 10 points for Philadelphia.

With the score tied at 84, Boris Diaw missed a baseline jumper and Iguodala gathered the rebound. He dribbled to midcourt and passed to Williams for the layup on the fast break.

The Bobcats never got off a shot on their final possession.

WIZARDS 108, CAVALIERS 91 — In Washington, LeBron James was stymied down the stretch by DeShawn Stevenson's tough defense, Antawn Jamison delivered a double-double in his season debut, and Washington beat Cleveland to end a six-game losing streak.

Wearing a white protective sleeve over the right shoulder that sidelined him since October, Jamison looked in midseason form from the start. He scored 13 points in the first quarter and finished with 31, along with 10 rebounds.

James had 34 points and nine assists, but he scored only six points in the fourth quarter while shooting 3 for 7. No one else scored more than 10 points for Cleveland, which was without the injured Shaquille O'Neal and Anderson Varejao.

HAWKS 105, HEAT 90 — In Atlanta, Joe Johnson made it two straight 30-point games, Josh Smith dominated during a decisive first-half run and Atlanta won their sixth in the row, beating Miami to reclaim a share of the NBA's best record.

Johnson scored 30 points on the heels of a 35-point effort against Portland on Monday. Smith was all over the stat sheet: 16 points, 14 rebounds, seven assists, two blocks and two steals.

The Hawks (10-2) remained perfect at home and finally seemed to awaken the city of Atlanta to just how good this team might be. The first sellout of the season, 18,729, turned out at Philips Arena.

Michael Beasley led the Heat with 21 points.

MAGIC 108, THUNDER 94 — In Orlando, Rashard Lewis fell one assist shy of his first triple-double, finishing with 17 points and 10 rebounds in Orlando's victory over Oklahoma City.

Lewis, who was suspended for the first 10 games of the season for violating the league's substance abuse policy, didn't play in the fourth quarter, which the Magic started with an 88-58 lead

His performance helped Orlando overcome the loss of starting point guard Jameer Nelson, who underwent arthroscopic surgery Wednesday to repair a torn meniscus in his left knee. Nelson is expected to miss four to six weeks.

KNICKS 110, PACERS 103 — In Indianapolis, Al Harrington scored 13 of his 26 points in the fourth quarter against his former team, and New York beat Indiana to snap a six-game losing streak.

Larry Hughes had 22 points and 10 rebounds, Wilson Chandler scored 18 points and David Lee added 17 for the Knicks (2-9), who overcame a double-digit deficit in the final period. Eddy Curry scored 10 points in 12 minutes in his first game since he tore his right calf muscle on the opening day of training camp.

CELTICS 109, WARRIORS 95 — In Boston, Rajon Rondo scored 12 of his season high-matching 18 points in the third quarter and Boston rebounded from a two-game skid with a win over the short-handed Golden State.

Paul Pierce, who missed a day of practice with a sore left knee, scored 19 on 7-of-12 shooting. Playing without a wrap on the knee, Pierce made a key 3-pointer after the Celtics went on a 12-0 third-quarter run to take control.

The Warriors had just nine players in uniform and eight played. Corey Maggette led Golden State with 23 points, and Monta Ellis had 18.

ROCKETS 97, TIMBERWOLVES 84 — In Minneapolis, the NBA season is not yet a month old and it has already been a long one for Minnesota.

Luis Scola had 20 points and a season-high 16 rebounds in Houston's victory over the Timberwolves, Minnesota's 11th loss in a row.

Trevor Ariza scored 18 points, Chuck Hayes had 11 points and 10 rebounds and the Rockets hit 12 3-pointers for the win.

Al Jefferson returned to the lineup for Minnesota after missing the past two games to be with his grandmother, who died last week. Playing with a heavy heart, Jefferson made his first eight shots and finished with 20 points and 10 rebounds.

BUCKS 99, NETS 85 — In Milwaukee, Andrew Bogut and Carlos Delfino each scored 21 points, Bogut also grabbed 11 rebounds, and Milwaukee beat winless New Jersey.

The short-handed Nets have lost 12 straight for their longest single-season losing streak in more than 19 years. This one was painful because Chris Douglas-Roberts scored a career-high 31 points and had 10 rebounds, but the Nets blew a 48-41 halftime lead by shooting 9 of 38 in the second half.

GRIZZLIES 106, CLIPPERS 91 — In Memphis, Tenn., Rudy Gay and Zach Randolph scored 21 points apiece and Memphis won their second straight, over the Los Angeles Clippers.

Marc Gasol and O.J. Mayo finished with 16 points each as Memphis shot 54 percent from the field. Gasol also had eight rebounds and six assists and set a record for consecutive field goals made, making 15 straight over a two-game span before a miss in the third period.

Baron Davis led the Clippers with 23 points, and Chris Kaman finished with 17.