ORLANDO, Fla. — Dwight Howard outdid Shaq — and pretty much everyone else who played in the NBA in the past three-plus decades.
He had a career-high 45 points, to go with 19 rebounds and eight blocks, leading the Orlando Magic to a 107-102 overtime victory against the Charlotte Bobcats on Tuesday night.
“Dwight was unbelievable, unbelievable,” Magic coach Stan Van Gundy said. “I mean phenomenal. He just put us on his back. That’s leadership right there, that kind of play on the floor. It kept everyone else motivated.”
Since the NBA started recording blocked shots for the 1973-74 season, no NBA player ever has had this many points, rebounds and blocks in the same game, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.
He also tied Shaquille O’Neal’s franchise record with his 18th straight double-double.
“Today, he had his way,” Charlotte center Emeka Okafor said. “I have to tip my hat to him. He had a great game. He just dominated.”
Suns 140, Clippers 100
PHOENIX — Leandro Barbosa scored 24 points and Amare Stoudemire added 23 in Alvin Gentry’s debut as Phoenix’s interim coach.
Knicks 112, Spurs 107 (OT)
NEW YORK — Nate Robinson followed his slam dunk title by showing off his entire game, scoring 32 points and grabbing 10 rebounds for New York.
Lakers 96, Hawks 83
LOS ANGELES — Pau Gasol had 12 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists for his third career triple-double in Los Angeles’ win.
Hornets 100, Thunder 98
OKLAHOMA CITY — Chris Paul drove the lane for a layup with 2.7 seconds remaining for New Orleans.
Jazz 117, Grizzlies 99
SALT LAKE CITY — Andrei Kirilenko returned from an ankle injury to spark a key fourth-quarter run, C.J. Miles scored 24 points and Deron Williams had 20 points and 15 assists for Utah.
Rockets 114, Nets 88
HOUSTON — Yao Ming had 20 points and 12 rebounds and Shane Battier scored a season-high 19 points for Houston.
Bucks 92, Pistons 86
AUBURN HILLS, Mich. — Richard Jefferson scored 29 points and Ramon Sessions added 17 for Milwaukee.
Pacers 100, 76ers 91
INDIANAPOLIS — Danny Granger had 20 points and 10 rebounds, and Troy Murphy scored 17 for Indiana, which shot 49 percent from the field.
Barkley to return from leave
Charles Barkley will return from his leave of absence and be back on the air Thursday night during TNT’s NBA coverage.
Barkley was arrested Dec. 31 in Scottsdale, Ariz., and his leave began Jan. 9. Police said the 45-year-old NBA Hall of Famer had a blood-alcohol level nearly twice the legal limit in Arizona.
Barkley will be back to offer his opinions of Thursday’s trade deadline, as well as TNT’s doubleheader coverage of San Antonio-Detroit and Boston-Utah.
Cavs’ Wallace cuts arm
CLEVELAND — Cavaliers forward Ben Wallace needed 14 stitches to close a gash in his right forearm after injuring himself over the NBA All-Star break.
The team said Wallace sustained lacerations from glass while playing catch with a football in Richmond, Va. When he got back to Cleveland on Monday, Wallace underwent further evaluation at the Cleveland Clinic and had more pieces of glass removed from his arm on Tuesday, the Cavs said in a statement.
Celtics trade Cassell to Kings
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The Sacramento Kings have acquired veteran guard Sam Cassell from the Boston Celtics for a conditional second-round draft pick in 2015.
The 39-year-old Cassell hasn’t played this season for the Celtics, who acquired him in early March before their run to the NBA title. He essentially served as another assistant coach this season with Boston, which also sent cash considerations to Sacramento in the trade.
Clippers’ Randolph ejected
PHOENIX — Los Angeles Clippers forward Zach Randolph was ejected for throwing a punch at Phoenix’s Louis Amundson in the first quarter on Tuesday night.
Amundson and Randolph became tangled up while going for a rebound late in the first quarter. Randolph knocked Amundson to the floor with his left elbow, then glared down at him. When Amundson stood to face Randolph, the Clippers forward threw a punch with his left hand and connected with a solid blow. He was immediately ejected.
Thunder’s mascot makes debut
OKLAHOMA CITY — Playing a set of drums as he was lowered to the Ford Center floor, a shaggy-haired and bearded bison named Rumble made his debut as the Oklahoma City Thunder’s new mascot Tuesday night in the team’s first game after the All-Star break.
The Thunder concocted a background story for the mascot, saying Rumble helped save the rest of his herd of bison during a ferocious storm before he was stranded alone in the Arbuckle Mountains and was struck by a bolt of lightning that gave him added strength and agility.
Hornets trade Chandler to OKC
OKLAHOMA CITY — Tyson Chandler was dealt to the Oklahoma City Thunder in a trade that brings veterans Joe Smith and Chris Wilcox to the Hornets. The move could give New Orleans some cap room next season heading into the first year of Paul’s new four-year, $68 million contract. Chandler is due to make about $12 million next season. New Orleans also got the rights to DeVon Hardin, a second-round pick out of California in last year’s draft who never signed with Oklahoma City.
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