Dwight Howard had 24 points and 12 rebounds to help the Los Angeles Lakers to an emotional 113-99 victory over the Boston Celtics on Wednesday in their first game since the death of owner Jerry Buss.

Kobe Bryant added 16 points, Steve Nash and Earl Clark had 14 each, and Metta World Peace 12 in a game that surely would have delighted Buss, who always loved to win but especially liked beating the Celtics.

Schalke remained unbeaten in the Champions League with a 1-1 draw at Galatasaray on Wednesday.

But Schalke scorer, midfielder Jermaine Jones, will miss the second leg of their last-16 tie on March 12 through suspension after picking up his third yellow card of the competition — 10 minutes before scoring.

The prosecution case against Oscar Pistorius began to unravel Wednesday with revelations of a series of police blunders and the lead investigator's admission that authorities have no evidence challenging the double-amputee Olympian's claim he killed his girlfriend accidentally.

Detective Hilton Botha's often confused testimony left prosecutors rubbing their heads in frustration as he misjudged distances and said testosterone — banned for professional athletes in some cases — was found at the scene, only to be later contradicted by the prosecutor's office.

Alessandro Del Piero has committed to play another A-League season with Sydney FC.

The 38-year-old former Juventus and Italy star finalized the contract with the club late Wednesday and announced his decision Thursday.

Manchester United chief executive David Gill said Wednesday he is to step down in June after a decade at the helm of one of the world's most valuable sporting clubs.

His move will deprive long-time manager Alex Ferguson of one of his closest confidants at the football club that was taken over in 2005 by the Glazer family, who also own the NFL's Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

FIFA's head of security has warned that the fight against match-fixing will ultimately flounder without the full support of governments across the world.

Ralf Mutschke said he hopes a Singaporean businessman accused of heading a crime syndicate that made millions by betting on rigged Italian games will be brought to face the courts with the help of Singaporean authorities.

Joe Johnson hit a tying 3-pointer in the closing seconds of the fourth quarter and hit a buzzer-beating jump shot at the end of overtime to lift the Brooklyn Nets to a 113-111 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks on Tuesday.

Johnson finished with 24 points, and Brook Lopez and Deron Williams added 19 each as the Nets ended a 13-game losing streak against the Bucks dating back to March 30, 2009.

Bayern Munich seized on the uncertainty sweeping through Arsenal to claim a 3-1 victory in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 match on Tuesday, enhancing the German side's status as one of the favorites for the title.

Germany internationals Toni Kroos and Thomas Mueller did the early damage with goals in the opening 21 minutes for Bayern — a beaten finalist in two of the last three years — before Mario Mandzukic sealed victory by bundling in a third in the 77th at Emirates Stadium.

Valencia defender Adil Rami looks set to miss the second-leg of his side's Champions League last-16 tie with Paris Saint Germain after a scan revealed a hamstring tear that will rule him out for around three weeks.

"Rami has undergone a scan this morning which showed a four millimeter tear in his left hamstring," a statement said on the club's web site.

Arch foes Iran and the U.S. have found some common ground in the fight to save wrestling as an Olympic sport.

U.S. wrestling coach Zeke Jones on Tuesday called the sport an important "ambassador," suggesting possible cooperation to fight a decision by the International Olympic Committee to drop wrestling from the 2020 Games.