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Phoenix goalie Mike Smith's unwitting mistake gave the short-handed Buffalo Sabres a 2-1 overtime win over the visiting Coyotes on Monday night.
At 3 minutes 47 seconds of overtime, the Sabres' Mark Pysyk took a shot that hit the Coyotes' Martin Hanzal and became lodged in the back of Smith's jersey. Smith retreated into his crease, unknowingly carrying the puck over the line and ending the game.
"I didn't feel it at all," Smith said of the bizarre goal. "I didn't know what happened. I knew that puck went up in the air, but had no idea where it went after that."
ISLANDERS 3, RED WINGS 0 Evgeni Nabokov made 23 saves for his 56th career shutout in the Islanders' 3-0 win over host Detroit.
Kyle Okposo, Michael Grabner, Casey Cizikas scored for the Islanders, who have won only three of their past 17 (3-10-4).
BLACKHAWKS 5, DEVILS 2 Patrick Sharp scored twice, and Patrick Kane, Bryan Bickell and Nick Leddy also connected to lead Chicago over the visiting Devils.
DUCKS 3, CAPITALS 2 Hampus Lindholm scored the winner at 14:24 of the third, and Anaheim rallied past Washington in Coach Bruce Boudreau's return to Verizon Center. The Ducks (27-7-5) extended their franchise-best winning streak to nine games .
LIGHTNING 6, PANTHERS 1 Martin St. Louis had a goal and two assists, and Tampa Bay extended its winning streak to five games by beating host Florida.
Valtteri Filppula had a goal and an assist and Victor Hedman had three assists. J. T. Brown added two third-period goals for Tampa Bay.
SENATORS 5, PENGUINS 0 Craig Anderson made 27 saves for his second shutout of the season and host Ottawa beat Pittsburgh.
BRUINS 6, PREDATORS 2 Carl Soderberg scored a power-play goal and had two assists, Jarome Iginla added two goals and visiting Boston beat Nashville handily.
Boston gave Coach Claude Julien his 400th career win.
FLYERS 4, WILD 1 Wayne Simmonds had two goals and an assist, leading host Philadelphia over Minnesota.
BLUE JACKETS 4, HURRICANES 3 Ryan Johansen and Jack Skille scored 1:28 apart late in the third period to rally Columbus over host Carolina.
SURGERY FOR SHARKS ROOKIE The San Jose Sharks rookie star Tomas Hertl will have right knee surgery next week, sidelining him for more than a month.
ORLANDO — The Knicks were not, by all appearances, in a good place when they arrived here to play the Magic on Monday. Before the team's morning shootaround at Amway Center, Carmelo Anthony talked about quiet conversations with teammates, about players who seemed distracted, about the endless search for solutions.
He even used the phrase "mental status" — a new one amid a season that has featured staples like "trying to figure it out" and "I don't know."
Their season has been a disaster of such cinematic proportions that even their victories are laden with bad breaks. So perhaps it was entirely appropriate that the Knicks would escape with a 103-98 win as two of their starters limped off the court with injuries.
Anthony sprained his left ankle early in the third quarter when he landed on Tobias Harris's foot. Anthony removed himself from the game and briefly sat on the bench before hobbling to the locker room. He sounded optimistic that he would be able to play Wednesday against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
"I don't want to miss that game," said Anthony, who led the Knicks with 19 points in just 24 minutes. "The good thing is I'm able to walk with a little bit of pain."
Anthony, who missed two games after spraining his left ankle last season, watched the fourth quarter on a television in the locker room. He soon had company. Raymond Felton strained his groin after sitting out six games with an injured hamstring. He said he felt a pop.
"Pray for us," Felton said. "I'm serious."
Anthony and Felton both said they would be re-evaluated Tuesday morning, further congesting the trainer's room. Pablo Prigioni (toe), Kenyon Martin (strained abdominal) and Metta World Peace, who announced he would be undergoing platelet-rich plasma therapy on his left knee early next month, did not play against the Magic. Mike Woodson looked as if he needed a spa retreat.
"We fought today," he said. "I applaud our guys."
If there was one thing the Knicks (9-18) had going for them before the game, it was their opponent. The Magic (8-20) are young and vulnerable, a soft mattress upon which countless other teams have thrown themselves when they need a break from the rigors of the N.B.A. schedule.
Though the Knicks did not win so much as survive — the Magic took a pair of garden shears to the Knicks' 25-point lead, cutting it to 1 early in the fourth quarter — they did reveal glimpses of atypical play: good passing, decent defense and solid chemistry, at least for a while, at least until Anthony went out.
The Knicks have grown increasingly reliant on Anthony, who has led the team in scoring every game this season. He entered Monday averaging a league-high 41.3 minutes per game, and he has consistently produced for a team in dire need of points, rebounds, group therapy — anything and everything.
Monday's game was another indication of his importance. The Knicks were leading, 72-52, when he left the game, and they looked lost without him. The Magic pounded the ball inside and hacked away at the lead with frightening efficiency, trimming it from 20 to 15, from 10 to 5.
"All teams make runs," Woodson said, "and they made a hell of a run."
After a quiet first half, Andrea Bargnani unearthed his shooting stroke at an opportune time, canning consecutive jumpers. Iman Shumpert followed with a steal and a layup for a 97-91 lead, and later made a terrific defensive play on Glen Davis to prevent an open-court layup. "Huge plays," Bargnani said.
The last time the Knicks faced the Magic, on Dec. 6, they ran away with a 121-83 victory — one night after obliterating the Nets. At the time, it looked as if the Knicks were emerging from the jumbled mess that was their season. It turned out to be a premature assessment.
Over the subsequent eight games, the Knicks went 3-5, their flirtation with mediocrity quickly tumbling into a familiar gulf of incompetence. There was a 41-point loss to the Boston Celtics. There was a double-overtime victory over the Milwaukee Bucks, arguably the worst team in the league. And, finally, there was Saturday's dispiriting loss to the Memphis Grizzlies, a contest waged before boo birds at Madison Square Garden.
Over those eight games, the Knicks got scant production from J. R. Smith, who shot 32 percent. He showed signs of emerging from his funk against the Magic, finishing with 18 points and sparking the Knicks in the first half.
The Knicks built a huge lead in the second quarter, outscoring the Magic by 36-14. Coincidence or not, the Knicks did their damage with Bargnani on the bench and with Anthony operating at power forward. Late in the quarter, Smith pulled up in transition for a 3-pointer that gave the Knicks a 62-39 lead.
"When we get stops and run like that, we're a tough team to beat," Smith said. "We had guys feeling good about their offensive game."
Nothing has come easily for the Knicks, though, and they cannot escape injury. Felton was considered a game-time decision, and he collected 13 points and 4 assists before he took a hard fall in the fourth quarter, ending his night. He said his new injury was unrelated to his old ones.
"Very disappointed," he said. "Can't catch a break."
Anthony said he was optimistic because the ankle injury he had sustained last season was more severe. "No comparison," he said.
As Anthony departed the locker room, a group of fans chanted "Melo! Melo!" He waved, then limped to the bus.
If the gulf in quality in the Eastern Conference has not been made clear enough each day in the standings, it was cruelly personified and reiterated Monday night at Barclays Center.
The Indiana Pacers, the top team in the conference standings, embarrassed the Nets, outdoing them in all facets on their way to an easy 103-86 victory. The Nets spiraled to a 9-18 record, and Coach Jason Kidd afterward suggested his players might be worryingly comfortable with the pitiable state of affairs.
"I think it's getting very close to just accepting losing," Kidd said, the knot in his tie halfway down his chest. "We're kind of getting comfortable with losing, and we've got to make a stand with that," he went on, "because when things get tough, do we just give in? Most of the time, right now, we do."
In this unpleasant way, the Pacers provided a blunt measuring stick for the Nets. The Nets, after all, have been talking about a championship since the roster was retooled this summer. Indiana was precisely the sort of team they were constructed to compete against. But that was simply not the case Monday.
The Pacers (23-5) are just one of three teams over .500 in the sorry Eastern Conference. They came to Barclays Center having dispatched their previous two opponents by a combined score of 220-160, and they extended their run of dominance Monday. After wearing the Nets down over the first two, scrappy quarters, they hit the open floor in more stylish fashion to run away with the game.
"We're a confident team that believes in ourselves and is never going to shy away from our goals and wanting to win a championship," Pacers Coach Frank Vogel said.
Lance Stephenson, 23, a Brooklyn native, produced a swaggering, all-around performance to lead the Pacers, finishing with 26 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists and 2 steals.
When the game was over, Stephenson walked off the floor with his hands raised over his head, and he received a cheer from some fans assembled near the tunnel. No player on the Nets had matched his athleticism, his effort or his charisma.
"I was just very motivated and very hyped for this game," said Stephenson, who had several family members watching him from the stands.
The Nets as a group are on the opposite end of the spectrum. They shot 38.2 percent, going just 6 for 26 from 3-point range. Joe Johnson had a quiet 17 points to lead them.
The Nets trailed by 6 points at halftime, but they were outscored 30-19 in the third quarter. And as their effort was disintegrating, the game took another unseemly turn.
The Pacers' George Hill was racing down the court on a fast break when Paul Pierce ran alongside him at high speed and dragged him to the floor, clobbering him in the head. Upon reviewing the play, the referees determined the foul was a flagrant foul-2, and Pierce was ejected from the game with 4 minutes 22 seconds left in the third quarter.
George, who was slow to get up but was not hurt, did not seem to have an issue with the play. "Hard fouls are part of the game," he said.
Pierce did not speak to reporters after the game. He missed all seven of his shots and finished a game without a point for the first time since March 1999, his rookie season. His performance encapsulated the Nets' night.
Deron Williams (9 points, 8 assists) said the Nets were not confident, but he disputed his coach's theory that they were growing comfortable. "I'm not comfortable with losing," he said. "It's not fun."
The Nets were beginning life without center Brook Lopez, who will miss the rest of the season after fracturing the fifth metatarsal in his right foot in Friday's loss to Philadelphia. Mirza Teletovic played power forward — starting for the third time in his career — while Kevin Garnett shifted to center. They combined to go 6 for 20 from the field and had nine rebounds.
The Nets received a small lift in the return of guard Jason Terry, who had not played since Nov. 20 while battling left knee soreness. He played more than 15 minutes and scored 11 points. He said the Pacers were simply firmer in their group identity.
"For us, it's a process, and it's going to take us a while to get there," Terry said. "But they've set the bar very high."
On Monday, the bar seemed far out of the Nets' reach.
Evan Vucci/Associated Press
Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo being sacked by Redskins linebacker Ryan Kerrigan on Sunday. Dallas will play the Philadelphia Eagles for the N.F.C. East title.
Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo limped so badly on one play against Washington, he barely made it to the spot where he had to hand off.
The limp was gone by the time Romo moved forward in the pocket and threw a fourth-down touchdown pass to DeMarco Murray that gave Dallas a 24-23 win over the Redskins.
The severity of Romo's back injury is likely to remain a question all week as the Cowboys prepare for their third straight season finale for the N.F.C. East title and a playoff berth, this time against Philadelphia on Sunday night. ESPN reported Monday that Romo was done for the year.
Responding to reports that Romo would not play against the Eagles, Cowboys Coach Jason Garrett said Monday that the team had "not made that determination at all at this point."
Garrett would not reveal the results of a magnetic resonance imaging test on the 33-year-old Romo, who had back surgery to remove a cyst in April and missed off-season workouts.
"Obviously, he was able to play through it and played very well at the end of that ballgame," Garrett said. "He's getting treatment. The M.R.I. was part of the evaluation, and there's going to be a series of different things that we do for his treatment over the next few days and see how he responds to it."
Romo came up limping after tripping over his foot while escaping pressure during the possession before the winning drive. He doubled over in apparent pain but did not leave the game.
BRONCOS LOSE MILLER AGAIN The Denver Broncos began the season without strongside linebacker Von Miller, and they will end it without him, too.
Miller is done for the year after tests revealed a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee, which he injured in the first quarter of Denver's 37-13 win at Houston on Sunday.
"It's definitely going to be a blow," the Broncos' executive vice president, John Elway, said on his weekly podcast on the team's website.
RODGERS'S STATUS UNCLEAR Green Bay Packers Coach Mike McCarthy said he was not sure if quarterback Aaron Rodgers would start the team's winner-take-all N.F.C. North matchup with the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field.
McCarthy said that the team wanted to make a decision on Rodgers' availability "sooner than later."
Rodgers has not played since fracturing his left collarbone against the Bears on Nov. 4 at Lambeau Field.
SCHWARTZ SORRY Jim Schwartz's emotions have gotten the best of him at least a few times publicly as the coach of the Detroit Lions.
The latest example happened in what might be the final time he leads the Lions at home.
When Detroit ran the ball instead of having turnover-prone Matthew Stafford throw late in regulation of a 23-20 overtime loss to the Giants, the crowd reacted with a loud chorus of boos.
Schwartz responded by looking toward the stands and shouting something.
"I probably should have done just what I did at the end of the second quarter and just kept it in my mind," Schwartz said.
MANUEL'S STATUS MURKY Buffalo Bills coach Doug Marrone is sounding a little less confident about the rookie quarterback E J Manuel's chances of starting the season finale at New England.
Marrone dodged questions about Manuel's status after he missed Buffalo's 19-0 win over Miami because of a swollen knee.
"We'll get him out there tomorrow and take a peek at him," Marrone said.
PRYOR GETS NOD Terrelle Pryor will start at quarterback for the Raiders on Sunday, replacing Matt McGloin for the final regular-season game against the Broncos.
Coach Dennis Allen said it was "part of the plan" that apparently took shape when Pryor recovered from an injury to his right knee in late November.
MATHEWS LIKELY TO PLAY The rookie coach Mike McCoy of the San Diego Chargers refused to divulge any information about Ryan Mathews's injured left ankle but said he expected the running back to play in Sunday's regular-season finale against Kansas City.
LeBron James scored 38 points, Michael Beasley made two free throws with 9.2 seconds left to put host Miami up for good, and the Heat beat the Atlanta Hawks, 121-119, in overtime on Monday night.
The Heat wasted an early 13-0 lead, then rallied from 7 points behind in the final 90 seconds of the fourth quarter. Ray Allen made three free throws with 8 seconds left in regulation to send it to overtime, after being fouled by Atlanta's DeMarre Carroll.
Allen finished with 19 points, Mario Chalmers and Chris Andersen each scored 12 and Chris Bosh finished with 11 for the Heat, who played without Dwyane Wade and still beat the Hawks for the ninth straight time.
Jeff Teague scored 26 points and Paul Millsap added 25 points for the Hawks.
The Hawks had a chance to win it at the end of overtime, but never got a good look. Chalmers used Miami's foul-to-give with 2.3 seconds left, sending Atlanta back to the huddle and using its last timeout to draw a play.
Bosh, who was in the locker room getting stitches in his upper lip at the start of overtime, guarded the ball. The Hawks' Pero Antic tried getting a lob to Korver, but Andersen snuffed out the play at the rim, got fouled and added a free throw with 0.3 of a second left. Andersen then knocked away Atlanta's last-ditch pass as time expired, and the Heat finished off a perfect homestand.
Kyle Korver had 15 points for the Hawks, and his record streak of consecutive games with a 3-pointer is now at 97.
MAVERICKS 111, ROCKETS 104 Dirk Nowitzki scored 31 points, including 10 in the fourth quarter, to lead visiting Dallas to a win over Houston.
Jeremy Lin, who had been out since Dec. 13 because of back spasms, scored 20 and Chandler Parsons had 21 for Houston.
SUNS 117, LAKERS 90 Gerald Green hit six 3-pointers and scored 22 points, Miles Plumlee grabbed a career-high 20 rebounds, and host Phoenix dominated the paint in a victory over Los Angeles.
Nick Young scored 19 points for the Lakers.
WARRIORS 89, NUGGETS 81 David Lee had 28 points and 10 rebounds for his ninth straight double-double, leading visiting Golden State past Denver.
Ty Lawson had 16 points to lead the Nuggets.
PISTONS 115, CAVALIERS 92 Josh Smith scored 25 points, Brandon Jennings added 21 and Detroit continued its dominant play on the road with a win over Cleveland.
The Pistons have won seven of their last eight away from home, including victories against the defending champion Miami and Indiana, which has the best record in the Eastern Conference.
Tristan Thompson scored 17 points for the Cavaliers, who played without guard Dion Waiters.
BOBCATS 111, BUCKS 110 Al Jefferson scored a season-high 26 points, Kemba Walker nearly had a triple-double and host Charlotte beat Milwaukee in overtime for its fourth victory in five games.
Jefferson was 12 of 23 from the field as the Bobcats overcame an 18-point first half deficit.
It is the third time in the last four games the Bobcats have come back from at least 16 points behind to win.
GRIZZLIES 104, JAZZ 94 Zach Randolph scored 22 points and grabbed 10 rebounds, Jerryd Bayless added all of his 17 points in the second half and host Memphis beat Utah.
Utah was led by Trey Burke and Richard Jefferson, who each scored 18. SPURS 112, RAPTORS 99 Tony Parker had 26 points and 8 assists and host San Antonio beat Toronto.
Kyle Lowry and Terrence Ross had 23 points each for the Raptors.
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OKLAHOMA CITY — If the Toronto Raptors can play at home the way they've been playing on the road, they might just remain atop the Atlantic Division for a while.
Kyle Lowry scored 22 points, making a pair of clinching free throws with 9.8 seconds left, and the Raptors handed the Oklahoma City Thunder their first home loss with a 104-98 victory on Sunday night.
The Raptors outscored Oklahoma City 6-0 in the final 1:25, all on free throws, and ended the Thunder's nine-game winning streak. Oklahoma City had been 13-0 at home, the NBA's longest unbeaten stretch to open a season since the Cleveland Cavaliers won their first 23 home games during the 2007-08 season.
Amir Johnson had 17 points and 13 assists for Toronto, which won its fourth straight road game, its longest such streak since March-April 2002. Oklahoma City lost for the first time since Dec. 4 at Portland.
Toronto coach Dwane Casey called the win, which moved the Raptors past Boston into first place in the Atlantic, his team's biggest of the season. Toronto's road streak began with a victory over the Los Angeles Lakers on Dec. 8 and the Raptors added wins at Chicago and Dallas before beating the Thunder.
"It's one of those mysteries we have, of our focus on the road," Casey said. "We're a different team. I see it in our eyes before the game."
Russell Westbrook scored 27 points and Kevin Durant added 24 for Oklahoma City, which missed its final four shots.
Veteran forward John Salmons, who scored 14 points and hit the go-ahead free throws for Toronto, said winning on the road "just shows our mental toughness as a unit. . Sometimes it's fun to play on the road, because it's just us against everybody else."
Toronto will play at San Antonio on Monday.
Oklahoma City surged ahead with a 24-4 run during the third quarter that gave the Thunder an 82-71 lead. Toronto regained the lead in the fourth before a 3-pointer by Durant tied the game, but Salmons hit two free throws with 1:25 left to put Toronto up 100-98.
The Thunder's next two possessions ended in a missed 3-point attempt by Reggie Jackson and a block by Valanciunas on a layup attempt by Westbrook, with Toronto winning the scramble for the loose ball.
Johnson hit two free throws with 14.5 seconds left to extend Toronto's lead to 102-98. Durant missed a 3-point attempt and Lowry rebounded before hitting the Raptors' final two free throws.
"It's the NBA," Casey said. "It happens. They're one of the best defensive teams in the league. We knew they were going to come out in the third quarter with their best effort, which they did. We sustained it and took the punch."
Oklahoma City, which entered the game second in the NBA in free throw shooting at 81.8 percent, went 35 of 36 (97.2 percent). But the Thunder shot 37 percent from the field and scored a season-low 14 points in the fourth quarter.
Durant finished 5 of 16 from the field and committed six of the Thunder's 19 turnovers.
"Losses happen in this league," Durant said. "They beat us fair and square, you know? We missed some shots, too. I think our defense was good. They got some shots late in the fourth quarter that helped them a little bit but I think our defense was good. We were swarming them and they hit some tough ones, too, but we missed some good looks."
The Thunder, who have won 17 of their last 19 games, were coming off a win at San Antonio on Saturday night. Asked if the Thunder lacked energy down the stretch, Durant answered, "Nah."
Toronto went 7 of 14 from 3-point range and scored on its final nine possessions of the first half, turning a five-point deficit into a 62-56 halftime lead. The 62 points were the second-most surrendered in the first half this season by Oklahoma City.
Oklahoma City clamped down on defense in the third quarter, allowing the Raptors only 13 points, matching their season low for a quarter.
DeMar DeRozan added 17 points for Toronto and Valanciunas had 13.
Notes: Durant was called for a technical foul, his third of the season, while on the bench in the second quarter. Durant protested after a scramble for a loose ball between Oklahoma City's Nick Collison and Toronto's Valanciunas. Ironically, Valanciunas was called for a personal foul on the play that Durant protested . Toronto is 7-6 on the road. It's been since Feb. 25, 2008, that the Raptors have been above .500 on the road this late in the season . Thunder C Steven Adams picked up three fouls during a two-minute stint in the first quarter.
