Udonis Haslem

Rockets center Yao Ming will be limited to playing no more than 24 minutes in each game next season as he returns from a foot injury, the team's athletic trainer said Thursday. Keith Jones told the Houston Chronicle the time limit would be applied strictly and the 7-foot-6 Yao would skip a lot of practice sessions to limit the impact on his left foot. "Twenty-four is his number all year," Jones said. "Playoffs come, things could change. We're trying to get him through April.

Grant Hill had 22 points and the Phoenix Suns handed the San Antonio Spurs their first home loss of the season, 100-95, last night. Leandro Barbosa added 18 points for the Suns, who got a revenge win after losing a controversial and testy Western Conference semifinal series last season. Tim Duncan led the Spurs with a season-high 36 points and 17 rebounds. Hawks 116, Jazz 111 -- Host Atlanta overcame foul trouble, Carlos Boozer and five years of losing to Utah. Boozer scored a season-high 39 points and had 12 rebounds for Utah, but Joe Johnson scored 26 points to help Atlanta end a nine-game losing streak against the Jazz.

Point guard In a game in which controlling the pace is imperative, this matchup is crucial. In his third Final Four, Ed Cota is one of the nation's most experienced players. He must defend both starter Teddy Dupay and reserve Brett Nelson, a freshman from West Virginia, who have combined for 106 three-pointers. Edge: Even. Shooting guard The voters who kept Joe Forte off of their national all-freshman ballots are looking foolish, and the Tar Heels' top scorer will be closely marked by an assortment of Gators.

MIAMI -- The hope, Gary Payton said, is not created by Tuesday's 98-96 victory. Instead, the veteran point guard said, it comes from the fact that the best of the Miami Heat has yet to be put on display in these NBA Finals. "We haven't played a good game for these three games," Payton said, as the Heat looks to even the best-of-seven series in tonight's Game 4 against the Dallas Mavericks at AmericanAirlines Arena. "We haven't played a Miami game yet." For as scintillating as Tuesday's Game 3 comeback was, with guard Dwyane Wade scoring 15 of his 42 points in the fourth quarter, the Heat essentially fumbled its way to victory.

Ron Artest is difficult to please. After seeing Yao Ming shake off waves of defenders in a 28-point, 12-rebound effort that helped the Houston Rockets beat the host Miami Heat, 107-98, last night, someone asked Artest to assess his center's performance. "I thought he could have played better," Artest said. Yao shot 9-for-15 from the field and scored 19 points in 19 second-half minutes, more than doing his part in keeping the undersized Heat at bay. Miami primarily used Udonis Haslem, 6 feet 8 - by far the smallest starting center in the NBA - against Yao, 7 feet 6. "We did all right, but Yao's Yao," Heat forward Michael Beasley said.

LeBron James had 30 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists, and the Cleveland Cavaliers won their ninth straight game, beating the host New Jersey Nets, 96-88, last night to tie a franchise record with their 57th victory. Zydrunas Ilgauskas added 18 points and became the career leader in blocked shots for the Cavaliers, who improved the NBA's best record to 57-13. Vince Carter had 25 points and nine rebounds, but without injured point guard Devin Harris the Nets (30-40) simply lacked the firepower to hang with the NBA's toughest defensive team.

Moves Baseball DEVIL RAYS: Agreed with former Orioles C Brook Fordyce on one-year contract. RANGERS: Signed Former Orioles OF David Dellucci to one-year, $750,000 contract. REDS: Agreed with P Cory Lidle on one-year, $2.75 million contract. Basketball HAWKS: Requested waivers on F Lee Nailon. Activated F Alen Henderson from injured list. HEAT: Activated C Wang Zhi-Zhi from injured list. Placed F Udonis Haslem on injured list. HORNETS: Waived C James Lang. NETS: Agreed to terms with F Eddie Griffin.

MIAMI -- The Miami Heat departed Dallas confused, with its franchise big man muttering. "I got five shots the whole night," Shaquille O'Neal said as he headed to the team bus late Sunday, after bypassing the mandatory media session, "five shots." The question now, as the NBA Finals arrive for the first time in South Florida, is whether the Heat has a shot against the Mavericks after falling behind 0-2 in the best-of-seven series. As has been the case since O'Neal's arrival in the 2004 offseason, the Heat's hopes will only be as large as O'Neal's performance.

Washington's Caron Butler had 31 points, 10 rebounds and five assists, but Washington couldn't overcome a balanced Portland attack as the host Trail Blazers beat the Wizards, 100-87, last night. Brandon Roy led Portland (26-17) with 22 points, Greg Oden and LaMarcus Aldridge each scored 18, Sergio Rodriguez had 12, and Travis Outlaw added 11 off the bench. Roy made 10 steals, and Oden grabbed 14 rebounds, including nine on the offensive end. Antawn Jamison scored 19 points, and Juan Dixon (Maryland, Calvert Hall)