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Wilkins backs Gus Poyet for Chelsea job

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Ray Wilkins has backed Guy Poyet to become the next manager of Chelsea, with the post set to be vacant in the summer.

Gus Poyet

GettyImagesGus Poyet: Has made an impression at Brighton

• Blog: Chelsea invoke old values

Stamford Bridge legend Wilkins, who had successful spells as a player and coach with the west London club, believes the Uruguayan currently in charge of Championship side Brighton has what it takes to succeed in one of football’s toughest jobs.

Wilkins is convinced Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich will not bring bookmakers’ favourite Jose Mourinho back to Stamford Bridge this summer, as he suspects the Real Madrid boss already has his eyes on another prestigious Premier League posting.

“I think Jose will be the next manager of Manchester United, so I would give the Chelsea job to someone like Gus Poyet,” Wilkins told talkSPORT. “He has served his apprenticeship at Swindon and Leeds and has Brighton playing some wonderful football.

“Knowing the way they employ managers at Chelsea, I would expect them to go for a foreign manager. Manuel Pellegrini at Malaga, Diego Simeone at Atletico Madrid? Both could be interesting.

“Gianfranco Zola has been mentioned, but I’m not sure whether it would be a little soon for Franco, so I would look at Poyet. He loves the club to pieces, plays in the right manner and would be a good choice.”

Wilkins went on to suggest the ongoing woes of £50 million striker Fernando Torres are unlikely to be resolved at Chelsea, as the style of play employed by the reigning European champions does not suit the misfiring Spanish striker.

“When he played at Liverpool, they played the ball beyond defenders for Fernando and he used his pace to get himself clear and gets shots on goal, but Chelsea’s build-up play is so much more deliberate,” he said.

“Often when he receives the ball at Chelsea, he is surrounded by plenty of players. Maybe his feet are not good enough, maybe he is not good enough to play with his back to goal compared to the likes of a (Didier) Drogba or someone like that. It’s a shame to see the way it has gone for him at Chelsea.”

Meanwhile, Wilkins has questioned the decision of interim Chelsea boss Rafael Benitez to continually omit club captain John Terry from his starting line-up, and he is urging the Spanish tactician to re-install the Stamford Bridge legend in place of Brazilian David Luiz.

“I am a big John Terry fan and having seen David Luiz playing in midfield, I am even more convinced he is better suited to that position,” he added.

“When I saw the second Manchester United goal going in on Sunday, I thought there is only one person who could have headed that away and that was John Terry. I don’t see how you can leave him out of the big games. If he is on the bench, he must be fit to play.”

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Cain Franson has four points to lead Giants over Cougars 5-3

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VANCOUVER – Cain Franson scored one goal and had three assists to lead the Vancouver Giants to a 5-3 win over Prince George Cougars at Pacific Coliseum on Sunday.

The loss snapped Prince George’s three-game winning streak and left its faint playoff hopes alive with just four games remaining in the regular season.

Aside from Franson’s heroics, the Giants — who extended their home winning streak to five games — also got goals from Thomas Foster, Jackson Houck, Dalton Sward and Jason Trott. Goaltender Payton Lee stopped 26 shots for his 14th win of the season.

Colin Jacobs led the way for the Cougars (21-39-8) with one goal and two assists and rookie Zach Pochiro chipped in with a goal and a helper.

Jordan Tkatch scored the other marker while goalie Mac Engel finished 26-31.

Vancouver (21-47-2) scored on its only power-play chance of the game as Prince George went 2-for-5 with the man advantage.

Foster opened the scoring for the Giants when he poked home the rebound off a Brett Kulak point shot at 6:33.

Vancouver had the momentum and it doubled its lead almost four minutes later when Houck netted his 23rd tally of the season after taking a neat assist from Taylor Vickerman.

The Cougars weren’t playing like the kind of team that is still on the prowl for a playoff spot and aside from the score, they were also outshot 13-6 in the first period.

But the visitors clawed their way back into the encounter when they capitalized on their fourth power-play opportunity of the day.

Vancouver 15-year-old Alec Baer took a penalty for high-sticking at 10:56 and Prince George reduced the deficit shortly after when a long-range shot from Pochiro was bundled into the net by Giants captain Wes Vannieuwenhuizen while he fell over in the crease.

Then just 1:33 later, Tkatch latched on to a Jacobs pass in the slot and went top-shelf over Lee to knot the game at 2-2.

Jacobs’ second assist of the night gave him 50 points on the season.

Vancouver duly regained the lead on Franson’s power-play marker from in close at 14:41, capping the scoring in a feisty second period.

Prince George entered the third period with the extra man thanks to a boarding major assessed to Giants hard man Scott Cooke and the Cougars once again took advantage.

Pochiro unleashed from the top of the slot and it was tipped in by leading goalscorer Jacobs after just 34 seconds.

Prince George appeared to take control of the game but the Giants didn’t roll over.

Sward restored his team’s lead at 3:08 with a shot from the right face-off circle that somehow eluded Engel and went in at the far post before Trott secured the victory at 8:10.

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Jones, Hosmer lead US past Canada, move up in WBC (Yahoo! Sports)

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PHOENIX (AP) — Adam Jones doubled in the tying and go-ahead runs in the eighth inning, Eric Hosmer hit a three-run double in the ninth and the United States beat Canada 9-4 on Sunday to advance to the second round of the World Baseball Classic.

Down to their last several outs, the U.S. trailed 3-2 after seven innings before breaking loose. Team USA and Italy advanced in Group D while Canada and Mexico were eliminated.

Jones and Hosmer both had a rough week at the plate but came through with the United States on the brink of what would have been a humbling loss. Jones’ hit was his second in nine at-bats. Hosmer was 3 for 13.

Gold Glove second baseman Brandon Phillips contributed, too, making a diving stop to prevent Canada from tying it in the eighth.

Heath Bell pitched a scoreless seventh to get the victory for manager Joe Torre’s team. Jimmy Henderson took the loss.

Canada’s Michael Saunders, of the Seattle Mariners, hit a two-run homer off starter Derek Holland and was chosen the Group D MVP, going 8 for 11 in the tournament.

The United States finished group play tied with Italy at 2-1 but gets the No. 1 seed because of its 6-2 win over Italy. The U.S. meets the loser of Sunday’s Dominican Republic-Puerto Rico game Tuesday in Miami.

David Wright, whose grand slam lifted the U.S. past Italy Saturday night, doubled and walked three times. Ben Zobrist had three hits, none of which left the infield.

Canada, coming off a 10-3 win over Mexico that featured a bruising ninth-inning brawl, finished 1-2. The Canadians have not made it out of the first round for any of the three WBCs.

But they looked in great shape much of the afternoon against the United States, which was looking to avoid its worst showing ever in the tournament. The Americans made it to the second round in 2006 and the semifinals in 2009.

For the third straight game, the U.S. fell behind early.

Justin Morneau, who was 8 for 12 in the tournament for Canada, doubled to start the second, then Saunders hit Holland’s 1-0 pitch into the bullpen down the right field line to make it 2-0.

The U.S. tied it with two runs in the fourth, one unearned.

Joe Mauer led off with a single and Wright walked. Zobrist put down a near-perfect bunt for a base hit, with third baseman Taylor Green throwing wildly to first and allowing a run to score. Jones’ sacrifice fly to center brought in the tying run.

Green, playing third for Canada because Brett Lawrie was hurt just before the WBC began, also had an error in the second when he dropped Zobrist’s high pop fly ball in the bright sunlight.

Canada regained the lead at 3-2 in the sixth. Joey Votto drew a leadoff walk from reliever Glen Perkins, took second on Morneau’s single. Saunders struck out looking and Chris Robinson flied out, advancing the runner to third. Adam Loewen’s first-pitch single brought Votto home.

Mauer opened the eighth with a single, then Wright walked. Torre made an aggressive move when, with Willie Bloomquist pinch running for Mauer, he sent both runners moving on Henderson’s 1-2 pitch to Jones. Jones connected, bringing both runners home. Shane Victorino singled Jones home to make it 5-3.

Canada made it a one-run game in its half of the eighth but would have tied it had it not been for a spectacular defensive play by Phillips. His diving stop of Loewen’s bases-loaded grounder allowed one run to score, but kept the U.S. in the lead.

The U.S. broke it open off Scott Matheson and closer John Axford in the ninth.

Phillips started it with a double. Jonathan Lucroy had an RBI single, then Wright walked once again. Axford came on and allowed the infield single to Zobrist. Jones struck out but Hosmer, a late addition to the team when Matt Teixeira was injured, cleared the bases with a shot to deep center.

Torre benched Miami’s dynamic young slugger Giancarlo Stanton in favor of Victorino in left field. He also moved Ryan Braun to designated hitter and put Zobrist in right. Mauer, the DH in the first two games, was the catcher. Stanton was hitless in the first two games, although he did have a pair of deep fly balls in the opening loss to Mexico.

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Benitez and Ferguson clash once more

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Interim Chelsea manager Rafa Benitez poured scorn on Sir Alex Ferguson’s suggestion that Manchester United’s tiredness accounted for Chelsea’s comeback in their 2-2 FA Cup quarter-final draw at Old Trafford.

Rafa Benitez, John Obi Mikel and Eden hazard

APRafa Benitez’s introduction of John Obi Mikel and Eden Hazard turned the game in Chelsea’s favour

• Jolly: Rafa response earns replay
• Blog: honours even for United
• FA Cup semi-final draw
• Tyler: Cup draw raises questions • FA Cup and Prem Gallery Photo Gallery
• Blog: Chelsea invoke old values

The Premier League leaders were 2-0 up at half-time thanks to goals from Javier Hernandez and Wayne Rooney, but Benitez’s side came back to earn a replay as substitute Eden Hazard and Ramires scored.

Ferguson, who downplayed the impact of Benitez’s substitutions, felt his side were exhausted after their 2-1 Champions League defeat to Real Madrid on Tuesday.

But his Stamford Bridge counterpart pointed out that his side had played in Romania in the Europa League two days after that – and they had finished the stronger at Old Trafford.

“I thought you were joking,” the Spaniard said when asked about Ferguson’s comments. “They played on Tuesday, we played in Romania on Thursday. They were playing at home. They had everything in their favour.”

Ferguson and Benitez have had a fractious relationship since the latter’s time at Liverpool, and did not shake hands before the game. The Spaniard said he had waited in the tunnel for Ferguson, but that then United boss had walked straight past him.

“I was waiting,” he explained. “I have some education. I know a lot of people are watching, so I know what you have to do.”

The pair did not shake hands after the final whistle either, with Benitez saying: “I was celebrating with my players at the end.”

He said he felt the double change that saw him bring on Hazard and John Obi Mikel for Frank Lampard and Victor Moses had changed the game.

Chelsea supporters had chanted: “You don’t know what you’re doing” when the substitutions were made, but Benitez argued that the club’s busy fixture list made squad rotation necessary.

He said: “I’m a professional and we were going to Romania and I knew we had players who were a little bit tired and we had to manage them. We knew we had to make some substitutions and we did it. I cannot explain every single decision [to the fans].”

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Nowadays, Sunday Is “Wives” Night On TV [PHOTOS]

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Mob Wives

Mob Wives

You could argue that there are too many “Real Housewives” shows on tv, and you would be right.

As a consolation, at least a lot of the cast members are pretty hot. Not even Milf hot. Some of them are legit hot. Sunday night has four different “Wife” shows: “Real Housewives Of Atlanta,” “Mob Wives,” “Army Wives,” and “The Good Wife.” That’s enough to make you say, “hey, if the internet went down but my tv still worked, I’d be ok.”

Here’s why.

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Tavares scores 2 power-play goals to lead Islanders past Capitals 5-2

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UNIONDALE, N.Y. – John Tavares scored two power-play goals in the third period to lift the New York Islanders to a 5-2 win over Washington, ending the Capitals’ three-game winning streak.

Tavares scored his 15th goal at 12:13 and his team-leading 16th — the 100th of his career — three minutes later, and Evgeni Nabokov made 22 saves for the Islanders. Josh Bailey, Casey Cizikas and Frans Nielsen also scored for the Islanders, who won for the third time in four games and improved to 11-11-3.

Tavares’ first goal came as Washington’s Mike Ribeiro was serving a four-minute penalty for high sticking and unsportsmanlike conduct. His second came with Jeff Schultz in the box — also for a double-minor — as Tavares beat Washington’s Philipp Grubauer, who faced 45 shots in his first NHL start.

Joel Ward and Nicklas Backstrom scored for the Capitals.

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Jeter could return to Yankees’ lineup Saturday (Yahoo! Sports)

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JUPITER, Fla. (AP) — Derek Jeter could be making his first game appearance Saturday since breaking an ankle last October in the AL championship series.

Yankees manager Joe Girardi made the announcement Friday, when the New York lost to the Miami Marlins 6-1. He said he planned to talk with Jeter on Saturday morning.

”I won’t be giving him any must gos and those of those type of things,” Girardi said. ”We’ll see how he feels.”

Girardi said Jeter will be the designated hitter until he’s ready to return to shortstop. The Yankees play Atlanta in Tampa on Saturday, which also could be the first game appearance of Mariano Rivera since injuring a knee last May.

”Obviously, you watch Derek very closely when he’s out there,” Girardi said.

On Friday, Nathan Eovaldi allowed one run in four innings and John Maine followed with two scoreless innings for Miami.

Maine, who hasn’t pitched in the major leagues since 2010, is competing for the fifth spot in the Marlins’ rotation.

”He came in, ate up a couple of innings and got some outs. That’s exactly what we’ve been talking about all spring,” Marlins manager Mike Redmond said.

New York starter Adam Warren allowed four runs and six hits in four innings. In his previous two spring training starts, Warren gave up one run and one hit in five innings.

Miami’s Adeiny Hechavarria had two hits and two RBIs. Donovan Solano and Rob Brantly each had two hits and scored twice. Matt Downs had an RBI double and a sacrifice fly.

Melky Mesa had two hits and scored a run, and Thomas Neal had an RBI double for the Yankees, who had five hits overall.

Eovaldi was part of Miami’s rotation last season after being acquired from the Dodgers in the trade that sent Hanley Ramirez to Los Angeles.

”I was breaking all the rules,” said Eovaldi, who allowed four hits and three walks. ”I was walking the leadoff guy, giving up two-out hits or walks.”

New York left the bases loaded in the second, when third baseman Downs made a diving, backhanded grab of Brett Gardner’s grounder and stepped on third for the final out.

NOTES: Gardner led off the game with a walk and has reached base safely in all nine games. … Girardi said RHP David Roberston was ”feeling fine” and cleared to resume throwing. Robertson had shoulder stiffness after sleeping on his arm Monday night. … The Marlins optioned LHP Scott Maine to Triple-A New Orleans of the Pacific Coast League, and RHP Arquimedes Caminero and INF Zach Cox to Double-A Jacksonville of the Southern League. RHP Michael Brady, LHP Adam Conley, LHP Brian Flynn, LHP Raudel Lazo, INF Danny Black, INF Derek Dietrich and OF Kevin Mattison were reassigned the to minor league camp, and RHP Michael Wuertz was released.

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Clarkson, Elias score in shootout as Devils down Sabres

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NEWARK, N.J. — Facing the prospect of their first seven-game slide since 1986, Devils coach Peter DeBoer talked about character and perseverance following the team’s morning skate for their game with the Buffalo Sabres.

New Jersey showed it had both qualities Thursday night, rallying from a late two-goal deficit and getting shootout goals from David Clarkson and Patrik Elias in posting a 3-2 over the Sabres and snapping an 0-5-1 slide.

“I’m glad we stuck with it and got the goals,” said Elias, whose first word to the media was ‘finally.’

“We just had to keep working through this. It was a huge win, obviously. After losing six games in a row, we didn’t know. We had three or four of those games we could have won and didn’t find a way. Hopefully, this will turn us around and jump-start us a little.”

For 53 minutes, the Devils seemed well on the road to a seventh straight loss. They fell behind 2-0 midway through the third period, and the way Sabres starting goaltender Jhonas Enroth was playing, things didn’t look promising.

“I think we were due for a bounce,” said DeBoer, who felt his team never deviated from the game plan even after falling behind by two goals. “That’s the bottom line. We’ve been working here for a week or two and played some pretty good hockey and haven’t got it (a bounce), and we got it tonight.”

Adam Henrique started the comeback with a goal a little less than a minute after Buffalo defenceman Christian Erhoff was called for holding . Henrique’s initial shot was blocked by defenceman Mike Weber. The shot stunned Weber and Henrique was able to get the loose puck and fire it past Enroth from the left circle.

Elias’ tying goal seemed a little soft. Clarkson took a long shot from the left point seconds after embattled Devils goaltender Johan Hedberg left for a sixth skater. Enroth kicked out a long rebound and Elias had a wide-open net with 66 seconds to play in regulation.

Enroth lay prone on the ice after the play and had to be helped to the bench, dragging his right leg. Ryan Miller, who was getting his first night off after 14 straight starts, replaced him.

Sabres coach Ron Rolston disclosed after the game that Enroth was cramping the entire third period.

“I like what he did,” Rolston said. “He made some huge saves for us. I know he’s disappointed he couldn’t finish. He’ll be back.

” We’re disappointed we couldn’t get the win for him. The guys were working. There was a lot of sacrifice out there. I like the way our team is competing right now.”

The overtime was exciting, with Miller stopping Devils defenceman Andy Greene in close with about a minute to go in the five-minute session and Pominville blasting a shot off the right post seconds later.

After Ilya Kovalchuk and Thomas Vanek missed on the first two shootout attempts, Clarkson made a nifty move to beat Miller with a backhander.

Pominville seemed to miss the net on the Sabres’ second try and Elias deked Miller out of position for a tap-in game winner.

“Tonight I got some breaks,” said Hedberg, who lost a shootout to the Sabres less than a week ago. “They hit some posts and sometimes that’s the difference. We deserved to win. We played as hard as we can the last couple of games. We just didn’t get the goal we needed. Tonight we did.”

The Devils’ winless streak has coincided with Martin Brodeur being sidelined with a sore back. Hedberg had 23 saves in ending the slide.

“I think it was a perfect storm,’ DeBoer said. “We went through a week or 10 days where we didn’t get rewarded for some of our work. We didn’t get some bounces or help ourselves and it snowballed on us. Hopefully, that’s the end of it and we can move this in a positive direction.”

Vanek and rookie Brian Flynn staked Buffalo to a 2-0 lead, with Vanek tallying his team-high 13th goal of the season on a second-period power play, and Flynn getting the first of his career midway through the third period.

Vanek staked the Sabres to a 1-0 lead in the second period, converting a nice pass from Tyler Ennis on a power play.

Flynn got his first midway through the third period when defenceman Andrej Sekera‘s shot was blocked and went directly to the rookie playing in only his fourth game.

Enroth was outstanding in making his first start since Feb. 5. The 24-year-old who was only appearing in his fourth game this season was spectacular for the opening 40 minutes, stopping all 19 shots.

His best saves in the opening period were back-to-back stops on Henrique from low in the left circle and then a quick pad stop on Elias’ uncontested rebound from point-blank range.

While Hedberg faced just 14 shots in the first two periods, he was back in form after a bad outing in a 5-2 loss to Tampa Bay on Tuesday — a game in which he was taken out after giving up three goals on 11 shots in 33 minutes.

The 39-year-old goaltender, who has started the last seven games with Martin Brodeur sidelined with a sore back, got a little lucky early when Cody Hodgson clanged one off the crossbar.

Hedberg, however, made a nice pad save on John Scott on a first-period counterattack, and a good skate save on Hodgson.

Enroth came up with his second great stop on a rebound attempt when he slid across the crease to stop Clarkson after making the initial save on Elias.

NOTES: The Devils made a number of lineup changes. Defencemen Henrik Tallinder (lower body) and Adam Larsson were scratched and Peter Harrold and Anton Volchenkov replaced them. It was Harrold’s second game this season, while Volchenkov had been a healthy scratch for four straight. … RW Tom Kostopoulos made his Devils debut after being claimed on waived from Pittsburgh. Sabres RW Patrick Kaleta served the second game in his 5-game suspension for boarding Rangers C Brad Richards. … Buffalo C Jochen Hecht was scratched for the first time this season. … Enroth was looking for his first win since November 2011 (0-10-3).

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Furcal to have Tommy John surgery, likely out for year

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By Jenifer Langosch / MLB.com | 3/7/2013 9:31 A.M. ET

JUPITER, Fla. — A day after Rafael Furcal had Dr. James Andrews examine his right elbow, the Cardinals announced that the shortstop will undergo right elbow surgery next week. That is expected to cost him the entire 2013 season, as the recovery time will likely be six to eight months.

Furcal had to stop baseball activities a week ago due to renewed discomfort in his right elbow. He first injured it last August and underwent a rest-and-rehab regimen over the offseason, hopeful that would allow time for the ulnar collateral ligament to heal. Furcal reported to Spring Training optimistic about his chances for a full, healthy season, but there were quickly signs that his elbow hadn’t properly healed.

A bone spur began to cause discomfort. Then, after taking at-bats in a “B” game last Thursday, Furcal was shut down due to increased pain. An MRI revealed inflammation around the ligament. Furcal visited with Cardinals team physician Dr. George Paletta on Monday before seeing Andrews for a second opinion.

Barring a trade, Pete Kozma and Ronny Cedeno are the likely candidates to play shortstop in Furcal’s place.

Furcal was a National League All-Star last season, batting .264 and stealing 12 bases in 121 games for the Cardinals before his injury.

Jenifer Langosch is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

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LeBron, Heat scramble to extend streak to 16

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MIAMI — LeBron James scored 26 points, including a go-ahead layup with 3.2 seconds left, and the Miami Heat scrambled late to beat the Orlando Magic 97-96 on Wednesday night and extend their franchise-record winning streak to 16 games.

Superstars and Win Streaks

LeBron James has led the Heat to a franchise-record winning streak, but he still has a long way to go to match the best run among these legends:

  Streak Season
Wilt Chamberlain 33 1971-72
Michael Jordan 18 1995-96
Magic Johnson 16 1990-91
LeBron James 16 2012-13
Larry Bird 14 1985-86

Dwyane Wade scored 24 points and Chris Bosh added 17 points and 10 rebounds for the Heat, who blew a 20-point, second-half lead and then rallied from a five-point deficit in the final minutes.

Nic Vucevic had 25 points and 21 rebounds for the Magic, who got 16 points apiece from Jameer Nelson and Tobias Harris, 13 from Arron Afflalo and 12 from Maurice Harkless.

James drove diagonally through the lane for the go-ahead shot, getting to the left side of the glass for the layup that saved Miami — and its streak.

Vucevic now has two games of 20 rebounds or more in his career — both this season, and both against Miami. He had a 20-point, 29-rebound effort in a loss to the Heat on Dec. 31.

But he was one of three Magic players to foul out in the final minutes, as Orlando let a golden chance go awry.

Nelson hit a jumper with 1:36 left, giving the Magic a 96-93 lead. James missed two 3-pointers on the next Miami possession, and on the ensuing Miami trip, Harris drove from the left baseline but his basket was waved off, with Shane Battier beating him to the spot and drawing an offensive foul, Harris’ sixth of the night.

Miami tried for the tie twice on the next trip, but Wade and Allen missed 3-pointers. Bosh was fouled on a rebound — the sixth on Vucevic, making him the third Orlando player to reach the limit in the final minutes. Bosh made both free throws to get the Heat within one with 38 seconds remaining.

Al Harrington missed a wild 3-pointer, and James got the rebound to seal the stop Miami desperately needed. So with 12.6 seconds left, the Heat got the ball and a chance to win.

MIAMI HEAT

Even more coverage of the Big Three and their adventures in Miami. Heat Index »

James delivered. Orlando had no timeouts, and only managed a 3-point try by Afflalo from near midcourt as time expired.

The Heat came in with 44 wins, the Magic with 44 losses, and after two possessions of the second half, the reigning NBA champions had a 20-point lead.

And then about one quarter later, they were losing.

Vucevic had 10 points and nine rebounds in the third quarter alone — the Heat, as a team, had four rebounds in the period — and the tide of the game totally turned in a matter of minutes. What was a 60-40 Miami lead got whittled down steadily, with the Magic getting within 15 after a jumper by Afflalo, then 10 on a hook shot by Vucevic, five on a 3-pointer by Harris and finally within 77-74 when Vucevic closed the quarter with two free throws.

Orlando didn’t stop there, either. Nelson made a contested 3-pointer to tie the game at 79-all with 10:29 left, and his three-point play about a minute later gave the Magic their first lead of the night.

Vucevic added back-to-back baskets, and suddenly, Orlando was up 86-81 with 8:29 left — meaning the Magic run, in about 14 minutes of actual playing time, was a 46-21 burst. Miami answered with the next six points to briefly re-take the lead, but Vucevic struck again with 5:03 remaining, getting a short shot off the glass to drop and stake the Magic to a 91-87 edge.

It was nearly enough.

Game notes



James was in double figures for his 200th straight regular-season game with the Heat, extending his franchise record. … Magic coach Jacque Vaughn played against Miami 30 times in his career, his teams going 15-15. … Battier extended his streak of games with a made 3-pointer to 17, tying the third-best stretch of his career. … The Heat have honored a military member who has returned home from a tour of duty in Iraq or Afghanistan before games in Miami for the past several seasons. Their honoree on Wednesday: Army 1st Sgt. Darrell Williams, who returned just two weeks ago from serving a tour in Afghanistan — and is the first cousin of Bosh’s wife, Adrienne Bosh.

Copyright by STATS LLC and The Associated Press

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