NBA

Wizards, cold shooting plague winless Magic

WASHINGTON - Three numbers, written in black marker on the white board in the locker room, revealed the key to the Wizards' 3-0 start.

Thirty-six percent. Thirty-eight percent. Thirty-one percent.

Those are the opponents' shooting percentages in the first three games. Saturday night's 87-79 victory over the Magic was exhibit No. 3 that Washington is taking defense seriously.

Gilbert Arenas scored 30, and Antawn Jamison added 17 of his 23 in the second half. The Magic, yet to find its shooting touch, is 0-3 for the first time since starting 0-6 in 1990-91.

Jamison also grabbed 13 rebounds, including two big ones in the final minute. The Wizards would have won with some ease if they hadn't missed 13 of 37 free throws. Dwight Howard had 17 points and 11 rebounds for the Magic. Orlando shot 10-for-41 from the field in the second half, including 4-for-20 in the fourth quarter.

BUCKS 105, HEAT 100: Coach Terry Stotts' home debut trumped Dwyane Wade's homecoming. Bobby Simmons and Michael Redd each scored 23 for Milwaukee. Wade's 21 points led the Heat, who blew a nine-point lead in the fourth quarter to the delight of the friendly crowd at the Bradley Center, where Wade led Marquette to the Final Four in 2003.

Wade misfired on three critical free throws in the final 34 seconds, helping the Bucks ice it. Jason Williams added 18 points for Miami, including a 3-pointer that made it 103-100 with three seconds left, but Redd was fouled with 2.9 seconds to go and sank both free throws.

HORNETS 91, ROCKETS 84: Houston will have to learn how to win without Tracy McGrady. With their star sidelined three weeks with back spasms, the Rockets struggled down the stretch, missing eight of their last nine shots. P.J. Brown had 18 points and 13 rebounds, and Chris Paul sank two runners in the final minute to carry the Hornets to their first road win of the season.

PISTONS 117, RAPTORS 84: Tayshaun Prince scored 27 and Ben Wallace added 15 points and 13 rebounds for host Detroit. The Pistons (3-0) outrebounded the winless Raptors 57-35, including a 16-3 edge on the offensive glass. Prince was 10-for-17 from the floor and made three 3-pointers in 34 minutes. Michigan natives Jalen Rose (25 points) and Morris Peterson (17) led the Raptors (0-3) in scoring. The Pistons put the game away with a 14-2 run early in the third, taking a 72-45 lead. Prince had nine points in the surge.

NETS 100, BULLS 99: Richard Jefferson converted a three-point play with 1.5 seconds remaining to lift host New Jersey. Jefferson's basket came after Chicago's Ben Gordon missed the second of two free throws with seven seconds left. Jefferson drove the lane at the other end and scored while being knocked down by Tyson Chandler, then sank the free throw.

MAVERICKS 103, SPURS 84: Dirk Nowitzki scored 34 and combined with Devin Harris to spark a 16-2 run that opened a tie game, leading host Dallas past former teammate Michael Finley and San Antonio. In their first home game since Finley's departure, the Mavericks held their former leader to two points. Tony Parker led the Spurs with 24 points and Tim Duncan scored 18, but only three in the second half.

BOBCATS 107, CELTICS 105 (OT): Gerald Wallace scored 25, including a layup with 2:24 left in overtime, and Charlotte celebrated the opening of its new arena with a win. The Bobcats trailed most of the game, but used an 11-0 run late in the fourth to get back into it. The game went into overtime tied at 103. The Celtics had several miscues on offense, including consecutive fouls, before Delonte West tied it at 105 on a running jumper with 3:28 to go. Then Wallace made a jumper to put Charlotte on top for good. The Celtics had several chances to tie, but shot 1-for-12 in overtime.

76ERS 111, PACERS 109: Allen Iverson had 29 points and 12 assists to give Maurice Cheeks his first win as Philadelphia's coach. Chris Webber added 25 points and nine rebounds for the host 76ers, who almost blew a 20-point lead. Indiana had a chance to tie in the closing seconds, but Stephen Jackson and Jamaal Tinsley missed 3-pointers, and Webber made two free throws on the other end with 1.8 seconds left.

SUNS 97, JAZZ 88: Shawn Marion had 20 points and 14 rebounds as Phoenix handed host Utah its first loss of the season. Steve Nash had 14 points and 11 assists and Boris Diaw added 14 points, including two driving baskets after the Jazz closed within three late in the game.

GRIZZLIES 113, CAVALIERS 106: Pau Gasol scored 29 and had seven rebounds to lead host Memphis. The Grizzlies led 82-81 entering the fourth, but 3s by Mike Miller and Bobby Jackson were part of a 13-2 run to open the quarter.

[Last modified November 6, 2005, 02:02:18]