Washington Wizards

WASHINGTON -- Lonny Baxter had planned to be in Italy right now, working out with his new pro basketball team in preparation for the European season. Instead, the former University of Maryland center will be spending two months in a District of Columbia jail. In a plea agreement yesterday in D.C. Superior Court, Baxter was sentenced to 60 days on gun-related charges. Baxter pleaded guilty to a felony charge of carrying a weapon without a license and misdemeanor charges of possession of an unregistered firearm and ammunition.

WASHINGTON -- Maurice Williams capped his career scoring performance with a game-winner at the buzzer. Williams scored 14 of his career-best 35 points in the fourth period, including a three-pointer as time expired, to lead the Milwaukee Bucks to a 105-102 victory over the Washington Wizards last night. "I thought they were going to foul, so that's why I attacked," Williams said of his initial move to the basket after the Bucks inbounded with 13 seconds remaining. "When I kind of backed it out, I saw they weren't going to foul me, so I thought, `When I shoot this, I am going to shoot a three.

WASHINGTON -- In Houston, where Sam Cassell started his NBA career in 1993 by helping the Rockets win championships his first two seasons, it was Hakeem Olajuwon's team. In Minnesota, where Cassell spent the previous two seasons and helped the Timberwolves reach the Western Conference finals for the first time in 2003-04, it was Kevin Garnett's team. Now in Los Angeles, with the Clippers, it is finally Cassell's team. "I was brought here for direction, for leadership, to help us win some games," Cassell said after the Clippers finished a rigorous practice yesterday at MCI Center, where they will play the unbeaten Washington Wizards (3-0)

They were introduced as the Michael Jordan of Senegalese basketball, the top female basketball player in Africa, and head of the Senegalese version of the National Collegiate Athletic Association. And on Monday, the coaches were in the media center at Centennial High School, talking to Howard County students about how to better combine sports and education in their country. "The best players in Senegal," said an enthused Luke Beckmann, a Centennial senior who plays soccer, basketball and lacrosse.

MIAMI - The Miami Heat had its fun early and took care of its business late. It added up to a 108-102 victory last night over the Washington Wizards and a 2-0 lead in this best-of-seven NBA Eastern Conference semifinal playoff series. "There were a lot of things we didn't do well," Heat coach Stan Van Gundy said, "but we kept fighting." After building a 12-point first-quarter lead with a series of spectacular alley-oop dunks and a nasty reverse by forward Eddie Jones, the Heat, as it did in Game 1 of the series, gave the lead back.

WASHINGTON - It began when Washington Wizards fans wrote to an Internet fan forum questioning Juan Dixon's defense, calling him a "chucker," and suggesting the club keeps him around mostly because he's a local hero. The fan who started this now-noteworthy rant called it: "The Amazingly [starts with "S" and rhymes with plucky] Juan Dixon Thread." But it's one thing to criticize from the relative anonymity of Net postings and quite another to find out that the object of your ribbing is actually listening.

NBA playoff matchups Eastern Conference No. 1 Miami Heat (59-23) vs. No. 8 New Jersey Nets (42-40) Series: Heat, 3-0 Outlook: It's the Nets streaking in with Vince Carter and Jason Kidd leading the way. The Heat struggled with a 7-7 finish and Shaquille O'Neal down with a stomach virus and deep right thigh bruise. He says he'll play tomorrow, but should be slower than usual. But the Nets might have spent themselves just getting there. Pick: Heat in six. No. 2 Detroit Pistons (54-28)

OPINION: I know Peter Angelos doesn't defer to anyone on legal matters, but if I'm the Orioles, I lateral this Comcast lawsuit right to the boys and girls in the legal department at Major League Baseball and tell them. "You wanted your team in Washington, you got it. Figure this out." Fact: The Orioles are averaging 34,283 fans per game through 10 dates in 2005. (Up almost 4,000 per game over last season's first 10 dates, by the way.) The Nationals, meanwhile, are averaging 32,014 through seven dates.

SEATTLE - Washington Wizards guard Gilbert Arenas will admit that one play didn't determine the outcome in the team's 95-94 victory over the Seattle SuperSonics on Sunday night at KeyArena, but it sure seemed that way. Seattle trailed by a point with 16.5 seconds remaining. The Wizards' only concern was keeping Ray Allen from scoring another point in the final seconds. And, fittingly, they gave the responsibility of stopping Allen to Larry Hughes, who had tormented the Sonics all night.

The Detroit Pistons and Indiana Pacers were supposed to be the class of an otherwise suspect Eastern Conference this season, the Pistons given a reasonable chance to repeat as NBA champions and the Pacers considered a legitimate contender for the title. A little more than midway through the season, both teams are filled with questions, and doubts about how things will turn out. Their seasons have been intertwined by more than an early-season brawl considered by many to be the worst in U.S. sports history.