Hickson powers Cavs

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Sixers lose 11th straight

Rodney Stuckey scored 27 points and hit the winner with 8.7 seconds left to lead the Detroit Pistons to a 90-86 win over Philadelphia on Wednesday night, the 76ers' 11th straight loss.

Allen Iverson scored 11 points in his second game with the Sixers. He hit the tying jumper with 1:06 left that made it 86-all.

Also Wednesday

Mavericks dominate Spurs

Erick Dampier never messed with Tony Parker. He didn't have to.

Instead of delivering his guaranteed hard foul, Dampier and the Dallas Mavericks slapped around the San Antonio Spurs with tight defense, the return of Dirk Nowitzki's shooting touch and the energy of their home crowd, turning it into an 88-67 victory Thursday night and a 2-1 lead in their first-round series.

Dampier drew the scrutiny of the league office for saying he would pop Parker on his first drive of this game. Dampier ended up going the whole game without colliding with Parker -- although he did swat away a shot during a frenzied first-half defensive performance by the Mavericks.

Paul set for knee surgery

New Orleans point guard Chris Paul will have knee surgery and miss the All-Star Game.

Hornets coach Jeff Bower said Paul, a former Wake Forest star, will have surgery today to repair a torn meniscus in his left knee. Although Paul is likely to be sidelined for up to a month, Bower wouldn't give a timetable for his return.

"The time frame will be determined after the surgery," Bowers said.

LeBron thinks he could've helped struggling Browns

LeBron James watched the Cleveland Browns get shut out by Baltimore on Monday night and came to one simple conclusion: He could help.

"If I put all my time and commitment into it, if I dedicated myself to the game of football, I could be really good," the Cavaliers superstar said before facing the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday night. "No matter what team I was on."

The Browns have one of the NFL's most anemic offenses, a key problem during their 1-8 start. The NBA's reigning MVP certainly couldn't make things any worse.

Oklahoma City Thunder (27-21) at New Orleans Hornets (26-22), 8 p.m.

The Oklahoma City Thunder are currently eighth in the Western standings, but the New Orleans Hornets are right on their tail for the final postseason spot in the conference. The two playoff-hopeful teams will get together tonight in the Big Easy.

The Thunder have a one-game edge over New Orleans and are riding a three-game winning streak thanks to the superb play of young All-Star Kevin Durant. In Tuesday's 106-99 victory versus the Atlanta Hawks in the finale of a four-game homestand, Durant netted 33 points and grabbed 11 rebounds, and has scored at least 25 points in 22 straight games.

Durant, the second leading scorer in the NBA with 29.6 points per game, is averaging 36.0 ppg in his last three contests. Jeff Green posted 19 points and six rebounds, while Russell Westbrook chipped in 12 points, nine rebounds and nine assists for Oklahoma City, which went 3-1 on the homestand and will open a three-game road trip Wednesday against the Hornets, Warriors and Blazers.