Knicks trample Shaq-less Heat
Starting with Shaquille O'Neal's left knee, the Miami Heat are hurting.
The defending NBA champions lost at home for the third game in a row last night when the New York Knicks took advantage of O'Neal's absence to win, 100-76.
The Heat announced shortly before tipoff that O'Neal, sidelined since Sunday, will undergo surgery for torn knee cartilage and be out four to six weeks. It's a familiar pattern for the Heat: Last season, O'Neal sprained his ankle in the home opener and missed the next 18 games.
"Obviously we're going to have to gather the troops and do something different," coach Pat Riley said. "I think the guys have sort of been waiting for him to come back. Now we have to look in another direction."
O'Neal watched from the bench as Knicks center Eddy Curry made all five of his shots in the third quarter, when New York shot 78 percent and outscored Miami, 34-14.
"I wish Shaq well," Curry said. "But I didn't miss him tonight. I know I dodged a bullet."
Reserve Jamal Crawford scored 19 points and Steve Francis added 14 for the Knicks, who have won their past two games by a total of 44 points. New York got 46 points from its bench and outshot the Heat, 52 percent to 36.
The Heat went 10-13 when O'Neal sat out last season before their postseason run.
Cavaliers 92, Timberwolves 76 -- LeBron James scored 37 points and Zydrunas Ilgauskas matched a season high with 14, leading host Cleveland to its fifth straight win. James added nine rebounds and six assists for the Cavs, playing their first game without guard Larry Hughes. He sprained his right ankle Wednesday against Portland and could miss several games.
Kevin Garnett scored a season-low 14 on 5-of-17 shooting for Minnesota, and rookie Craig Smith of Boston College added 12.
Lakers 107, Raptors 100 -- Kobe Bryant had 31 points and 11 rebounds, and host Los Angeles held on to beat last-place Toronto when Bryant went over the 17,000-point mark. Bryant torched the Raptors for 81 points -- second-most in NBA history -- last January. Bryant, 28 years and 86 days, became the youngest player in NBA history to reach the plateau.
Jazz 118, SuperSonics 109 -- Deron Williams continued his streak of outstanding all-around play with 27 points as visiting Utah improved to 8-1, the second-best start in franchise history.
Suns 106, 76ers 94 -- Leandro Barbosa, playing in place of ailing Steve Nash, had 26 points and a career-high 10 rebounds as Phoenix beat Philadelphia for the 18th time in 20 meetings at home. Nash, winner of the NBA's past two MVP awards, missed the game because of lower back spasms.
Mavericks 115, Grizzlies 103 -- Dirk Nowitzki scored 26 points, Erick Dampier added 22 points and 15 rebounds, and visiting Dallas won its fourth straight game.
Pistons 100, Wizards 91 -- Richard Hamilton scored 27 points and Rasheed Wallace added 20 points as host Detroit ended a two-game losing streak.
Spurs 100, Bulls 83 -- Tim Duncan had 21 points and 11 rebounds to lead host San Antonio to its sixth win in seven games.
Nets 100, Pacers 91 -- Vince Carter scored 28 points and Clifford Robinson, at 39 the oldest player in the NBA, added a season-high 14 to spark visiting New Jersey.
