Washington Wizards

WASHINGTON - Abe Pollin, the Washington Wizards owner who brought an NBA championship to the nation’s capital and later had the mettle to stand up to Michael Jordan, died yesterday. He was 85. His death was announced by his company, Washington Sports & Entertainment. No details were disclosed but Mr. Pollin suffered from progressive supranuclear palsy, a rare brain disorder that impairs movement and balance. He had heart bypass surgery in 2005 and broke his pelvis two years later.

John Wall had 21 points and 13 assists as the Washington Wizards won their fifth straight to extend their longest winning streak since 2007, beating the Cleveland Cavaliers 96-85 on Wednesday night. Wall had 12 points, six assists and four steals in the third quarter, when he accounted for 24 of Washington's 28 points and helped the Wizards open a 14-point lead. Wall added seven rebounds and seven steals. While Washington's star guard put on a show, Cleveland's watched. Kyrie Irving, expected to be named the NBA's rookie of the year next month, played only 10 minutes — all in the...

The Celtics are trying to change the trend of playing badly on the road against lesser teams and they need a victory tonight in the first game of a back-to-back against the Washington Wizards. *Chris Wilcox is out with a strained left shoulder but Doc Rivers said he could return tomorrow night in the rematch. *Paul Pierce came off his season debut Friday with his body sore but his bruised right heel fine. He will start. *Washington's Jan Vesely is out with a sore right hip. He was the sixth overall pick in the draft.

John Wall had 16 points and 14 assists, Nene scored 18 points and Jan Vesely had 16 points on 8-for-8 shooting and the Washington Wizards handed the Charlotte Bobcats their 21st straight loss, 101-73 on Monday night. It gave the Wizards their first four-game winning streak since Dec. 9-13, 2007. The 28-point margin of victory equaled their largest in the season. The Bobcats were competitive for most of the first quarter until Charlotte's Tyrus Thomas was ejected with 3.6 seconds left for throwing an elbow at Washington's James Singleton.

Washington Wizards coach Flip Saunders was ejected 1:46 into Monday night's game against the Boston Celtics. Saunders, upset that a foul was not called when Boston rookie Greg Stiemsma blocked Rashard Lewis' shot and knocked him to the floor as the play continued, got up off the bench and screamed at the officials. After a technical was called, Saunders walked onto the court and continued screaming at the referees, earning a second technical and automatic ejection.

Boston Celtics coach Doc Rivers says point guard Rajon Rondo will miss Sunday's game against the Washington Wizards with a sprained right wrist. It is the second straight game Rondo has missed with the injury, which happened when he fell hard while being fouled in the third quarter of Wednesday night's 96-73 win over Toronto that snapped a five-game losing streak. Rivers said Rondo is close to returning. Rondo is averaging 15 points, 9.4 assists and 5.1 rebounds this season.

By Gary Washburn, Globe Staff The Celtics will be without Rajon Rondo for a second consecutive game today against the Washington Wizards with a sprained right wrist. Celtics coach Doc Rivers said Avery Bradley will start at point guard. Rondo has not played since landing awkwardly on the wrist during a third-quarter drive to the basket Wednesday against the Toronto Raptors. An MRI was negative and he has been listed as day-to-day. It is unknown whether Rondo will be available for Monday's home game against the Orlando Magic.

Boston Celtics guard Ray Allen left Sunday's game against the Washington Wizards because of a jammed left ankle and will not return. Allen was fouled by Jan Vesely with about 6 ½ minutes left in the second quarter. Allen was slow to get up off the floor after the foul and limped to the bench. Allen had seven points on 3-for-5 shooting against the Wizards. He is averaging 15.5 points this season. The Celtics were already without starting point guard Rajon Rondo, who missed his second game with a sprained right wrist.

WALTHAM -- Jermaine O'Neal, who missed Monday's win over the Washington Wizards with a tight left hamstring, participated in the Celtics' morning shootaround and is expected to play tonight against the New Jersey Nets. That means rookie wonder Greg Stiemsma, who contributed 13 points and seven rebounds in O'Neal's absence is likely headed back to the bench. O'Neal told reporters he wanted to play but was overruled by head trainer Ed Lacerte. The Celtics and Nets are scheduled to tip off at 7:30 p.m.

The Celtics return home after a solid 94-86 win last night over the Washington Wizards to face the Wizards again but this time they will be shorthanded. *Jermaine O'Neal will not play with a sore left hamstring. Celtics coach Doc Rivers said that trainer Ed Lacerte suggested O'Neal take a night off after tweaking the hamstring last night and Rivers obliged. Rookie Greg Stiemsma will make his first NBA start. *Chris Wilcox (sore left shoulder) will return after missing the past three games.

Jordan Crawford equaled a season-high with 32 points, and John Wall had 14 points and 10 assists Wednesday night as the Washington Wizards dealt the Milwaukee Bucks a crucial 121-112 defeat in their attempt for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. Milwaukee began the day 1 ½ games behind Philadelphia for eighth place in the East, but lost a game as the Sixers won in Cleveland. The Bucks had the previous three days off while the Sixers were completing their third game in three nights.

Kevin Seraphin took advantage of Dwight Howard's absence from Orlando's lineup, getting career highs of 24 points and 13 rebounds to lead the Washington Wizards to a 93-85 victory over the Magic on Tuesday night. Jordan Crawford scored 21 points, John Wall had 15 and Cartier Martin and James Singleton — both on 10-day contracts with the Wizards — added 12 points apiece. Seraphin also matched a career high with four blocks. Jameer Nelson scored 19 points and J.J. Redick added 15 for the Magic, who shot 36.6 percent from the field.

Danny Granger scored 20 points, and the Indiana Pacers won their third straight Wednesday night by shooting a season-high 58 percent in a 109-96 victory over the Washington Wizards. Darren Collison added 17 points and 11 assists, Tyler Hansbrough and Leandro Barbosa scored 14 points apiece, and Roy Hibbert had 13 points for the Pacers, who have won eight of 11 to move into third place in the Eastern Conference. The Pacers were hot in the first quarter (87 percent from the field)

Brandon Jennings scored 17 of his 19 points in the third quarter and the Milwaukee Bucks pulled within two games of the Eastern Conference's final playoff spot Monday night with an unsightly 112-98 win over the Washington Wizards. Monta Ellis and Mike Dunleavy scored 17 points apiece, Ersan Ilyasova had 16 points and 11 rebounds, and Jennings added seven assists and six rebounds as Milwaukee tries to take advantage of a soft spot in the schedule in its pursuit of the eighth-place New York Knicks.

Cartier Martin tied a career high with 20 points in his second game under a 10-day contract, and the Washington Wizards built a big lead and held on to it for a change, breaking a five-game losing streak Friday night with a 97-76 win over the Philadelphia 76ers. The loss, combined with Boston's win over Minnesota, knocked Philadelphia out of first place in the Atlantic Division. It's the first time the 76ers are out of first place since Dec. 28. The Wizards had blown double-digit leads in their last three home games, but this time they didn't let...

Rodney Stuckey scored half of his 24 points in the fourth quarter, including the winning 20-foot jumper with 0.2 seconds left, and the offensively-challenged Detroit Pistons ended a five-game losing streak by erasing a 13-point deficit to beat the Washington Wizards 79-77 Monday night. Detroit managed to win despite being held below 80 points for the third game in a row; that last happened to the Pistons in December 2003. Greg Monroe, who played home games on the Wizards' court while at Georgetown, had 10 points and 10 rebounds, including a...

TD Garden, Boston / January 2 "The thing about Pierce is that he's such a warrior," says the Globe's Stan Grossfeld, who shot this photo of Celtics captain Paul Pierce when the team played the Washington Wizards earlier this month. "On this specific play, he was fouled, and on his way down, he was still trying to throw the ball, to make it a shooting foul, which he did. " Grossfeld uses a telephoto lens from his spot on the Garden floor. "You don't need to see all of a 7-foot-tall basketball player," he says.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Rajon Rondo had 18 points, 14 assists and 11 rebounds while Kevin Garnett had 24 points and nine rebounds to lead the Boston Celtics over the winless Washington Wizards, 94-86. The victory was the Celtics' second straight after losing their first three. Washington is 0-4. After losing their opener by six to New Jersey, the Wizards have lost the last three by 47 points. The Celtics took the lead in the first three minutes and increased the margin to 19 points.

Joe Johnson scored nine of his 16 points in the fourth quarter, including a go-ahead 3-pointer in the final minute, and the Atlanta Hawks erased a 16-point deficit to beat the Washington Wizards 95-92 on Saturday night. Josh Smith added 20 points and nine rebounds to help the Hawks win their third consecutive game. Nene led the Wizards with 21 points and 11 rebounds for his 80th career double-double, and Jordan Crawford scored 20 points. Washington's John Wall missed a potential tying 3-pointer right before the buzzer, part of a rough night for the No. 1 overall pick in the...

John Wall had 26 points and 12 assists, and the Washington Wizards won hours after making a multiplayer deal at the NBA trade deadline, 99-89 over the New Orleans Hornets on Thursday night. Roger Mason scored 17 of his season-high 19 points in the second half to help the Wizards snap a three-game skid and win for only the 10th time this season. Chris Kaman scored 20 points for the Hornets, who erased a 16-point deficit and took a brief lead in the fourth quarter, only to watch Mason hit three 3-pointers during Washington's 13-0 run that put the game away.