NBA Central

Defending champion Miami's epic win streak, the second-longest in league history, rose to 24 games but survived a scare from NBA weakling Cleveland in a homecoming for LeBron James.

Defending champion Miami's epic win streak, the second-longest in league history, rose to 24 games but survived a scare from NBA weakling Cleveland in a homecoming for LeBron James.

LeBron James is coming back to his home region to play against the Cleveland Cavaliers, the NBA team he spurned to join the Miami Heat, with his new teammates on a historic win streak.

Reigning NBA champion Miami pushed the second-longest win streak in NBA history to 23 games with a 105-103 victory at Boston that gave the historic run its toughest test.

Jrue Holiday scored 27 points and added 12 assists while center Spencer Hawes had a rare starring role as the Philadelphia 76ers beat Indiana 98-91 in an NBA game.

LeBron James and Chris Bosh each scored 28 points and Dwyane Wade added 20 to spark defending NBA champion Miami to a 21st consecutive victory in a 107-94 rout of Milwaukee.

Dwight Howard scored 20 points and grabbed 12 rebounds while Kobe Bryant went scoreless in limited minutes due to an ankle injury as the Los Angeles Lakers beat Indiana 99-93.

Dwyane Wade scored 23 points while LeBron James added 15 to spark the defending NBA champion Miami Heat to their 19th consecutive victory in a 99-81 rout of the Atlanta Hawks.

The mother of a 16-year-old boy who says Michael Jordan is the child's father wants the retired NBA legend to take a paternity test, Atlanta television and radio stations reported on Tuesday.

The odd couple is getting odder: first, Dennis Rodman and North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un took in a hoops game side-by-side. Now they're planning a holiday together.

Cleveland Cavaliers guard Kyrie Irving will miss three to four weeks of the NBA season because of a sprained left shoulder, the team announced on Monday.

The Miami Heat extended their franchise-best winning streak to 18 games by beating mistake-prone Indiana 105-91, avenging two one-sided losses to the Pacers earlier this season.

Kevin Durant hit the go-ahead free throws with 1:38 remaining to lift Oklahoma City to a 95-94 win over the New York Knicks, giving the Thunder their sixth win in their last seven games.

Indiana Pacers forward Danny Granger will miss the next week of the NBA season even though an MRI exam showed no new damage to his left knee, the team announced on Wednesday.

Russell Westbrook scored 37 points, leading six Oklahoma City players in double figures in a 122-105 NBA victory over the Los Angeles Lakers.

Kobe Bryant's Los Angeles Lakers and Jeremy Lin's Houston Rockets will travel to Asia for a series of exhibition games in October, the National Basketball Association announced on Tuesday.

The New York Knicks said they would re-evaluate Carmelo Anthony's right knee before deciding whether he will play Wednesday against the Detroit Pistons.

Amare Stoudemire scored 22 points as the New York Knicks overcame the loss of top-scorer Carmelo Anthony and a double-digit deficit to beat Cleveland 102-97.

Asian-American NBA star Jeremy Lin and the Houston Rockets will face the Indiana Pacers in a pre-season game next October in the Philippines, according to a report there on Monday.

A US official rejected Monday the joking suggestion that flamboyant basketball star Dennis Rodman be made ambassador to North Korea, after his highly-watched trip to the isolated state.