McKie Is the Key in 76ers’ Victory

Aaron McKie made the right choice.

McKie made an eight-foot jump shot at the overtime buzzer and finished with 25 points, leading the Philadelphia 76ers to a 102-100 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers Friday night at Cleveland.

“We had two or three options on it,” McKie said of the final play. “Billy [Owens] got me the ball and my whole thinking was to get a shot up and try to get a foul.”

McKie got the ball at midcourt with 5.6 seconds remaining and drove to the right of the lane. He stopped and appeared to lose the ball as he went up for the shot, but got off a jumper that swished through the net.

Cleveland’s Brevin Knight tied the score on a layup with 5.6 seconds to play.

Charlotte 113, Vancouver 94--David Wesley scored a season-high 28 points at Vancouver as the Hornets handed the Grizzlies their 10th consecutive loss. Derrick Coleman added 22 points and Eddie Jones had a career-high 12 assists as the Hornets ended a two-game losing streak and won for only the second time in eight road games.

Orlando 112, Denver 100--Darrell Armstrong rebounded from his worst game of the season with 20 points at Denver as the Magic defeated the Nuggets for the fifth consecutive time. Armstrong, who was 0 for 11 from the field with only two points the previous game at Minnesota, went seven for 11 against the Nuggets.

Detroit 102, San Antonio 80--Grant Hill scored 28 points at Auburn Hills, Mich., as the Pistons ended the Spurs’ seven-game winning streak. David Robinson had 15 points, Tim Duncan 14 and Chucky Brown 13 for the Spurs, who made only three baskets in the fourth quarter and shot only 36% from the field.

Indiana 100, Utah 75--Reggie Miller scored 31 points and Jalen Rose had 17 as the Pacers defeated the uninspired Jazz, giving Indiana a sweep of its four-game trip. It was Utah’s worst defeat since a 105-78 loss to Houston on Feb. 23, 1993.

Toronto 95, Washington--Dee Brown’s three-point basket with one second left gave the Raptors a victory over the Wizards at Toronto. Tracy McGrady inbounded the ball with 3.2 seconds left to Brown, who turned and made the open shot.

Boston 96, Miami 84--Paul Pierce scored 26 points and tied a team record with nine steals in a 12-point victory at Boston. Pierce had six steals in the first 8:04 and seven by halftime. Larry Bird set the club record at in 1985.

Around the League

Troubled Dallas forward Leon Smith was released on bond Friday after being charged with aggravated assault after he allegedly pulled a gun on a former girlfriend at a Chicago high school early Wednesday morning.

According to police reports, Smith confronted the girl, threatened her and flashed what was described as a blue steel revolver after telling her he would shoot her brother if she told him about the incident.

As the 29th pick in the draft, Smith is in the first year of a three-year, $1.7 million contract. He entered the NBA draft out of King High in Chicago, where he spent many of his formative years as a ward of the state of Illinois.

Early in the season, after he was told by Maverick assistant Donn Nelson to run sprints, he told the coach to run them himself and stormed out of practice.

Last month, police found him unconscious on his bathroom floor after he overdosed on 250 aspirin.

The New Jersey Nets placed forward Michael Cage on the injured list because of a lower back strain and activated guard Kendall Gill.