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The Detroit Red Wings equaled an NHL record with their 20th straight win at home, beating the Philadelphia Flyers 4-3 Sunday night on the strength of Johan Franzen's tiebreaking goal early in the third period.
PBT: Boston's Rajon Rondo continues to be named in trade talks, which is madness. The Celtics guard creates offense and makes everyone around him better, which was evident in Sunday's win over the Bulls.
Arc: Syracuse is among a solid group of No. 1 seeds in our latest tournament projections, but the middle of the pack is much more murky.
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Zambia has won the African Cup of Nations, beating pre-tournament favorite Ivory Coast 8-7 on penalties in a dramatic final at Stade de l'Amitie.
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AUBURN HILLS, Mich. - LeBron James was unstoppable.
Then, he said the Cleveland Cavaliers can be, too.
James scored a season-high 41 points, leading the Cavaliers to a 101-97 overtime victory over the Detroit Pistons on Wednesday night.
“If we play well, nobody can beat us,” James said. “We believe that.”
James almost won the game in regulation with a 27-footer, but a video review negated the dramatic shot.
He set the tone early in the overtime, making free throws and blocking Richard Hamilton’s shot with a fantastic block in front of the rim.
James had a chance to make it a two-possession game with 17 seconds left, but missed the first of two free throws.
Rasheed Wallace — after missing three games with a sprained left foot — missed a 3-pointer on the ensuing possession. Cleveland’s Anderson Varejao grabbed the rebound, was fouled and made one of two free throws to seal the win.
“If you are a fan and you didn’t enjoy that, I don’t know,” Cavs coach Mike Brown said. “It was a great game. Bottom line, we found a way to win.”
Cleveland pulled within two games of the Pistons for the top spot in the Central Division and Eastern Conference with its fourth win in five games.
“Big win,” James said.
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“It does helps sometimes in the regular season to get wins against teams that you might see in the playoffs,” James said. “For some guys’ psyche, it really helps to know we can compete against some of these teams.”
Detroit won the previous two meetings at Cleveland by an average of 14 points.
“The way they handled us so far this year, it was very big to come on their court and get a win,” James said.
Hamilton scored 29 points, Chris Webber had 20 points and 11 rebounds, Chauncey Billups had 16 points and 14 assists, and Tayshaun Prince added 12 points.
The Pistons have lost three of four after winning 11 of 12 games.
PBT: Boston's Rajon Rondo continues to be named in trade talks, which is madness. The Celtics guard creates offense and makes everyone around him better, which was evident in Sunday's win over the Bulls.
Paul Pierce has been around long enough to know what Rajon Rondo's performance can mean for the aging Boston Celtics.
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Zambia has won the African Cup of Nations, beating pre-tournament favorite Ivory Coast 8-7 on penalties in a dramatic final at Stade de l'Amitie.
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