Kobe's 3 on buzzer sends Lakers past Heat

The nightmare is finally over for the New Jersey Nets. They ended the NBA's longest season-opening losing streak on Friday with their first victory after 18 defeats by beating the Charlotte Bobcats.

It was also the debut for Kiki Vandeweghe as the Nets' coach. He arranged for Brook Lopez to be the core of the attack. And Lopez didn't disappoint the fans, leading the Nets with 31 points and 14 rebounds. Guard Courtney Lee contributed 27 points on 11-of-16 shooting.

The two teams were neck and neck until the fourth quarter, when the Nets had a 8-2 run. They would hold on to beat the Bobcats by 6 points, ending their record 0-18 skid.

The LA Lakers took on the Miami Heat, and everything went wrong on the Lakers' final possession, but Kobe somehow made it all right. With the Lakers trailing by two and with 3.2 seconds left on the clock,

Bryant put in a final shot over Dwyane Wade's outstretched arm at the buzzer. That ended the superstars' sensational duel and sent the Lakers to their eighth straight victory, 108-107 over the Heat on Friday night.

In other action, the Cleveland Cavaliers faced the Chicago Bulls. Another tight one, with the two sides neck and neck to the third quarter. Then the Cavaliers dominated the match with a 12-2 run. The Bulls shooting percentage took a drop, and Cleveland expanded their advantage to 19 points. LeBron James contributed 23 points and 11 assists for the Cavs third consecutive win. Final score 101-87.

The Dallas Mavericks may start getting a complex about visiting Memphis. Grizzlies' O.J. Mayo added 25 points to help Memphis beat Dallas 98-82. Dallas shot a season-low 35.2 shooting percent against the Grizzlies. A real surprise this result, considering Memphis are only placed in the last three of the Western Conference.

The Atlanta Hawks must have had the same feeling after being defeated by the New York Knicks, who are sitting at the wrong end of the Eastern Conference. The Knicks used an effective combination of 3-pointers and drives to the basket to beat the Hawks 114-107.