NBA

Heat has no answer for Spurs around rim

SAN ANTONIO - Tim Duncan scored 28 and Manu Ginobili added 27, and the Spurs dominated in the paint to beat the Miami Heat 98-84 Wednesday night.

Dwyane Wade scored 31 but got little help from the rest of the Heat, who shot 36 percent from the field and had no answer for Duncan. Shaquille O'Neal, who sprained his ankle Nov. 3 in the Heat's home opener against Indiana, remained on the team's inactive list.

The Spurs scored 54 points in the paint compared to 22 for the Heat, and shot 47 percent.

San Antonio led by three points after the first quarter, but Gary Payton hit two quick jumpers to begin the second and Antoine Walker's layup gave the Heat their first lead of game with 9:19 to go. The Heat tied the score twice before the Spurs went on a 20-5 run, including nine points by Ginobili in the final 2:11 of the half.

LAKERS 102, RAPTORS 91: Visiting Los Angeles didn't even need Kobe Bryant or Lamar Odom to play in the fourth quarter to beat woeful Toronto. Odom scored 19 and finished with 11, his lowest output of the season. The Lakers put the game out of reach by outscoring Toronto 31-18 in the third quarter. Luke Walton added a season-high 13 points and six rebounds for the Lakers, who have won a season-high three straight. Chris Bosh had 22 points and 10 rebounds for the Raptors, who fell to 3-17.

NETS 97, BOBCATS 84: Vince Carter overcame a sore ankle and knee to score 23 and lead New Jersey to its 1,000th victory. It also improved to 5-0 against the host Bobcats, who have dropped five straight. Carter shot 10-for-21 and had seven rebounds in 38 minutes. Brevin Knight led Charlotte with 23 points.

BUCKS 88, SIXERS 85: Andrew Bogut's go-ahead putback with 10.7 seconds left capped a frantic fourth-quarter rally for visiting Milwaukee. Michael Redd scored 24 and Maurice Williams sank two clutch free throws in the final minute and scored 16 for the Bucks, who blew an 18-point first-half lead before completing an impressive comeback. It was the 76ers' fourth straight loss.

CELTICS 101, HORNETS 87: Paul Pierce scored 28 and grabbed 12 rebounds, Ricky Davis added 26 points, and Boston never trailed in the game at Oklahoma City. Mark Blount tied a season high with 19 points off the bench and fellow reserve Al Jefferson had a season-high 16. David West led New Orleans with 29.

JAZZ 95, HAWKS 83: Andrei Kirilenko scored 14 and matched his career high with 10 assists, and Utah ended a four-game home losing streak. Matt Harpring added a season-high 30 points for the Jazz, which hasn't lost five straight at home since 1982. Atlanta fell to 2-16, the worst record in the league.

WOLVES 84, BLAZERS 74: Kevin Garnett had 16 points and 14 rebounds, and visiting Minnesota erased a 14-point second-half deficit to sweep a four-game road trip. Wally Szczerbiak scored 19 and made a key 3-pointer late in the game for the Timberwolves. Zach Randolph had 15 points and 10 rebounds for the Trail Blazers, who have lost six straight.

DRUG TESTS: Players will not be allowed to take their tests during games, the league said, after Seattle's Reggie Evans missed the first few minutes of the third quarter Tuesday night while taking his. Evans said he got caught up in his pregame routine and did not take the test before the game because he forgot. He said the halftime test was his decision.

SLAYING ARRESTS: Three Chicago men were charged in the shooting death of the brother of New York Knicks guard Quentin Richardson. Lee Richardson Jr., 31, a Chicago music producer, was shot four times outside the family's Chicago home Monday during a robbery, police said.

Elbert Dunnigan, 24, and Ishmael Clark, 29, were charged with one count each of first-degree murder and armed robbery, and Clark also was charged with three counts of attempted murder of a police officer.

Gino Wilson, 18, was charged with one count of first-degree murder and two counts of armed robbery.

[Last modified December 8, 2005, 01:10:04]