Wade, Heat spoil James' return to Miami

Los Angeles (dpa) - In a holiday season of giving, LeBron James received the love in his highly anticipated Christmas Day return to Miami but Dwyane Wade spoiled the reunion. 

Wade scored 31 points to 30 for James Thursday and the Heat recovered for a 101-91 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers.

D-I's youngest coach also has inexperienced team

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- Dana Ford and his Tennessee State Tigers are learning on the job together.

Ford is the youngest coach in Division I men's basketball after being hired in April at the age of 29, and he has one of the least experienced teams with only one senior from last season and 12 newcomers.

Cavaliers' Varejao out for season with torn tendon

CLEVELAND (AP) -- Anderson Varejao's season has ended, dealing a major blow to the Cavaliers' NBA title hopes

Cleveland's starting center tore his left Achilles tendon on Tuesday night in a win over Minnesota, an injury that will cost him the rest of this season and will force the Cavs to look for

Defense keys George Washington's 53-50 win over Colorado

HONOLULU (AP) -- It's no secret what Mike Lonergan wants for Christmas: a Diamond Head Classic championship.

The fourth-year George Washington coach will have that chance Thursday after his team fended off a pesky Colorado team 53-50 in Tuesday's semifinals.

LeBron set for Christmas homecoming against Heat

MIAMI (AP) -- LeBron James doesn't have any apprehension for this homecoming.

There's nothing to fear, no real worries about his safety, unlike what awaited him the last time he had one of these return games. Then again, this might not even classify as a homecoming - because, it turns out, Miami was never truly his home, just a

NBA-Highlights of Tuesday's NBA games

Dec 23 (The Sports Xchange) - Highlights of Tuesday's National Basketball Association games:
- - -

Cavaliers 125, Timberwolves 104

In their first meeting since headlining one of the NBA's highest-profile off-season trades, Andrew Wiggins outshone Kevin Love by scoring 27 points but Cleveland took the

Lakers stun Warriors 115-105 without Kobe

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Kobe Bryant wasn't anywhere in sight when the Los Angeles Lakers pulled off one of the most stunning upsets of the NBA season so far.

Southern Utah takes down South Carolina State 66-56

LAS VEGAS (AP) -- A.J. Hess hit three 3-pointers and finished with 21 points to lead Southern Utah past South Carolina State 66-56 on Tuesday in the Las Vegas Classic.

Southern Utah won its third game of the season to best last year's record of 2-27.

Heat lose McRoberts after knee surgery

Miami (AFP) - Miami forward Josh McRoberts has undergone successful surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his right knee but will probably miss the remainder of the NBA season, the Heat said Tuesday.

Wichita St.-Hawaii Preview

While its stars remained relatively quiet, Wichita State's strong defensive effort sparked a previously struggling offense in its tournament opener in Honolulu.

As Darius Carter looks to continue his emergence, the 11h-ranked Shockers hope to build on the performance as they seek their sixth straight victory Tuesday night against host Hawaii in the semifinals of the eight-team Diamond Head Classic.

Warriors-Lakers Preview

Kobe Bryant is 36 years old and playing 35 minutes per game in his 19th NBA season, so it isn't surprising the Los Angeles Lakers star admitted to fatigue recently.

His competitive drive, however, has kept him going, even if coach Byron Scott may have plans to rest Bryant in the near future.

Boise State holds on to beat Houston 75-73 in OT

LAS VEGAS (AP) -- Igor Hadziomerovic stole the ball at midcourt and drove for a layup with 45 seconds left to secure a 75-73 overtime victory over Houston in the Las Vegas Classic on Monday night.

Stanford-Texas Preview

Texas knows it's turning the ball over too much playing without injured point guard Isaiah Taylor
.The No. 9 Longhorns seek a fourth straight victory without Taylor on Tuesday night when they try to drop Stanford to 0-3 on the road.

Penn State beats Dartmouth 69-49 for 10th straight victory

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (AP) -- D.J. Newbill scored 17 points, Geno Thorpe added 12 and Penn State defeated Dartmouth 69-49 Monday for its 10th straight win and a school-record 12th non-conference victory.

John Johnson and Brandon Taylor each added 10 points for Penn State (12-1), which held Dartmouth to 19 of 54 from the field and 2 of 20 from 3-point range.

Agent: Biyombo will play for Bobcats next season

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP)—The agent for Bobcats rookie Bismack Biyombo(notes) insists the seventh pick in the draft will play for Charlotte next season despite a buyout dispute with his Spanish team.

LAPD memo re man who alleged O’Neal behind kidnap

LOS ANGELES (AP)—An internal Los Angeles Police Department memo is critical of a man who claimedShaquille O’Neal orchestrated his kidnapping by a criminal street gang.A Los Angeles Times review of internal police records reveal that Robert Ross was

Rose inspired by Detroit’s plight to open school

ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP)—Jalen Rose could live comfortably off the millions he made in the NBA and the money he makes as an ESPN analyst.

Long legs? It's not basketball, says Sweden coach

FRANKFURT, Germany (AFP) - Sweden coach Thomas Dennerby has played down suggestions the Japanese will be at a height disadvantage for Wednesday's semi-final here at the women's World Cup.

NBA hosts 10th BWB camps, minus active players

NEW YORK (AP)—The NBA is celebrating the 10th anniversary of its Basketball without Borders program, the first that won’t involve active players because of the lockout.

NBA to Lock Out Players Tonight: Union

The National Basketball Association will lock out players when its labor contract expires tonight, union Executive Director Billy Hunter said. The third work stoppage in NBA history will shut down the league after a season of record television ratings and near-capacity attendance.