Howard’s two free throws with 21 seconds remaining capped a 10-point effort in the extra session as the center, who is nicknamed “Superman”, finished with 27 points and 14 rebounds to help the Magic leave LeBron James’s Cavs facing a stunning series defeat.

“Now it’s time to close it out,” Howard told reporters after guiding his team to a 3–1 lead in the best-of-seven series.

“We have to have the killer instinct. If we want to win a championship this is what it takes.”

James, the League MVP, recorded 44 points to reach the 40-point barrier for the third time in the series, but all those games have ended in losses for the top-seeded Cavs.

James made two free throws with less than a second remaining in regulation time to send the game into the extra session but his three-point attempt to win the contest at the overtime buzzer hit the rim of the basket before bouncing away.

MINNEAPOLIS—Justin Morneau’s three-run homer capped a five-run fifth inning for Minnesota against Boston starter Jon Lester, and the Twins beat the Red Sox 5-2 on Tuesday night.

Notes:@ Crede had X-rays on his right hand, where he was hit by a pitch Sunday. He came out of that game and hasn’t played since, unable to squeeze a bat with much strength. … Clay Buchholz took a perfect game into the ninth inning for Boston’s Triple-A affiliate Pawtucket Monday. Francona acknowledged the concern of prospects like Buchholz growing frustrated by spending too much time in the minors, but said: “If the call-ups were on their schedule, we’d have a 55-man roster.” … Mauer failed to get a hit for just the fourth time in 24 games. He took a foul ball by Kevin Youkilis off the right shoulder in the eighth, but remained in the game. … Ellsbury extended his hitting streak to 21 games, the longest run by a Red Sox player since Kevin Youkilis had a hit in 23 consecutive games two years ago.

Grieving families were joined by tens of thousands of sympathisers at Liverpool Football Club’s Anfield ground in north-west England to remember the victims of Britain’s worst sporting disaster.

But a Government minister’s speech was interrupted by chants from people angry that no-one has been brought to account for the disaster.

The tragedy was caused by massive overcrowding in the Leppings Lane end of Sheffield’s Hillsborough stadium at the 1989 FA Cup semi-final between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest.

To ease overcrowding outside the Leppings Lane end, police opened an exit gate, allowing supporters to flood into the central pens.

For relatives, survivors and those present on the day, the anniversary has revived the heartache of the tragedy, in which helpless fans, fenced in on the terraces, were crushed to death.

The Anfield service mixed sadness and remembrance with calls for justice and anger that nobody has been convicted over the disaster.

People fell silent for two minutes across Liverpool, outside Hillsborough and in Nottingham’s main square at 3:06pm (local time), exactly 20 years on from the moment the match was abandoned as the scale of the horror began to unfold.

At Anfield, the names of the dead were read out, with a sombre bell tolling and a candle lit for each one.

Liverpool players past and present were among the congregation and messages of sympathy from Queen Elizabeth II and Prime Minister Gordon Brown were conveyed.

“We will never forget what happened at Hillsborough 20 years ago,” said the city’s Lord Mayor Steve Rotheram, who in 1989 was a bricklayer attending the game.

“We salute the bravery of those Liverpool fans whose heroics helped save countless lives while those charged with ensuring our safety stood idly by and watched.”

One song sung included the refrain: “For those who are to blame, hang your heads in shame. Only then will their spirits be free”.

Culture Secretary Andy Burnham’s speech was interrupted by the crowd, who chanted “Justice for the 96″.

The disaster “finally ushered in the end of an era when the treatment of supporters was poor and their safety an afterthought,” he said.

“Hillsborough’s permanent legacy is that young and old will forever be safer at matches but we grieve that it took a tragedy on this scale to bring that about.”

At Anfield, there was still anger two decades on, over an article by The Sun newspaper from the time that accused Liverpool fans of stealing from the victims and urinating on the police. The tabloid is still widely boycotted in Liverpool.

Besides the dead, more than 700 people were injured in the crush.
Former players, witnesses and relatives of the dead relived their painful experiences in the build-up to Wednesday’s memorial.

Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard’s 10-year-old cousin Jon-Paul Gilhooley was the youngest victim of the tragedy.

“Seeing his mum and his dad and his close family, the reaction on their faces, helped drive me on to become the player I am today,” the England midfielder said.

“Time has gone by, but the scars will never, ever be healed and the fans will never, ever forget.”