Howard's big night lifts Magic past Heat
nba
Dwight Howard scored 22 points and grabbed 18 rebounds, passing Wilt Chamberlain as the youngest player to reach 5,000 rebounds, and the Magic kept its grip on the No. 2 spot in the Eastern Conference by beating the host Heat, 101-95, on Monday night. Rashard Lewis scored 21 points, including the go-ahead three-pointer with 1:32 remaining for Orlando (55-18), which stayed percentage points ahead of the Boston Celtics in the East. Dwyane Wade scored 42 points for the Heat (39-35), who lost backup point guard Luther Head to a broken left hand. Head will miss four to six weeks. Howard reached the 5,000-rebound mark at the age of 23 years, 112 days. Chamberlain was 25 years, 128 days old.
Et cetera:: Deron Williams had 24 points and 13 assists, and the Jazz (46-27) rallied for a 112-104 win over the Knicks (29-45) after blowing a huge lead at home for the second straight game. ... Richard Jefferson had 29 points and 10 rebounds against his former teammates, and the visiting Bucks (32-43) ended a season-high five-game skid with a 107-78 victory over the Nets (30-44). ... Hornets forward James Posey (sprained left elbow) will miss at least the next three games.
Hamels won't pitch in Phillies' opener
baseball
Philadelphia Phillies pitching coach Rich Dubee said ace Cole Hamels is out of the running for an Opening Night start Sunday against the Atlanta Braves. Hamels - who got an anti-inflammatory shot in the elbow two weeks ago - is expected to get his pitch count up to about 85 in an exhibition game Saturday. If all goes well, he could make his first start of the season in Colorado on April 10.
Brewers: : Closer Trevor Hoffman (strained oblique) was put on the 15-day disabled list, ruling the all-time saves leader out for the start of the season. The move is retroactive to March 27.
Angels: : The team is "encouraged" by the latest magnetic resonance imaging on John Lackey's strained right elbow and expects its ace to be on the mound by the end of April or early May, general manager Tony Reagins told ESPN The Magazine.
Athletics: : Frustrated at the team's inability to get a new ballpark, baseball commissioner Bud Selig appointed a committee to analyze the team's hopes of obtaining a stadium in its current territory.
