Los Angeles  - Sharpshooting Ray Allen was on fire and the Boston Celtics remained red hot.

Allen scored seven of his season-high 35 points in overtime, and the surging Celtics extended their winning streak to 12 games, with a 122-117 come-from-behind road victory over the Indiana Pacers on Sunday night.

"Ray's just on fire," Celtics coach Doc Rivers said. "He had a great game and a great overtime. He hit all the shots when we needed him to."

Los Angeles  - J. J. Barea's big second half gave the Dallas Mavericks a victory. His teammates almost gave it back.

Barea scored 20 of his 22 points after halftime Saturday night and the host Mavericks survived a furious late surge by the Atlanta Hawks for a 100-98 victory, their ninth win in
10 games.

German juggernaut Dirk Nowitzki scored 24 points and Jason Terry added 19 for Dallas, which nearly blew a 17-point lead in the last

five minutes. Nevertheless, the Mavs have won four in a row overall and five straight at home.

"We got another win," Terry said. "We're disappointed with the way we finished. But we're excited about the way we played for 45 minutes."

Los Angeles  - The surging Boston Celtics extended one streak by putting an end to another.

Ray Allen scored 19 points, and Rajon Rondo had 16, along with eight rebounds and seven assists as the Celtics rolled to their 11th straight victory by snapping the Portland Trail Blazers' six-game winning streak 93-78 on Friday night.

The Celtics run is their longest since winning 14 in a row during the 1985-86 championship season.

"We're just building to get better," said Celtics captain Paul Pierce, who finished with 12 points. "The earlier we get these wins against quality opponents it's preparing us for the long run."

LOS ANGELES, Dec. 5 -- Right-hander Greg Maddux will end his 23-year major league baseball career, the Los Angeles Times reported Friday.

The newspaper said the 42-year-old Maddux will announce his retirement Monday in Las Vegas, his hometown, on the first day of baseball's winter meetings.

The likely first-ballot hall of fame selection accumulated 355 victories -- eighth-most in major league history. He is a four-time Cy Young Award winner and an eight-time all-star selection.

LOS ANGELES, Dec. 5  -- Kandice Hutchinson, a contestant on the upcoming U. S. dating show "A Double Shot at Love," has been killed in a car crash, TMZ reported Friday.

Hutchinson's car was rear-ended Oct. 21 in Euless, Texas, shortly after she taped her last appearance for the MTV show. She was ejected from the vehicle and died at the scene, the entertainment news Web site said.

Sources close to the series told TMZ that producers have been in touch with Hutchinson's family and they agreed footage of her should remain in the show.

Usmagazine. com said Hutchinson, 22, was among the 24 contestants competing for the love of the show's bisexual twin sisters, Rikki and Vikki.

Los Angeles  - Crime finally caught up with OJ Simpson Friday as the former American football star, controversially acquitted of the 1994 murder of his wife and her friend, was sentenced to between nine and 33 years in jail for his part in an armed robbery and kidnapping case in Las Vegas last year.

An ashen-faced Simpson, his hands in chains, looked stunned as Judge Jackie Glass of the Clark County District Court in Nevada read out the complicated sentence. Lawyers for the 61-year-old one-time American football star and actor, said in the live broadcast from the courtroom that they would appeal.