Joe Johnson scored 28 points, Al Harrington had 20 and the Atlanta Hawks rallied in the second half to upset the Indiana Pacers 104-94 in the NBA on Monday.
The Hawks trailed 56-48 at halftime, and the Pacers twice stretched the lead to 11 in the opening minutes of the third quarter.
But Atlanta, with the league's worst record and coming off two straight blowout losses at home, surged in front before the period was over. Tyronn Lue provided the unlikely spark, coming back after missing four games with a sore back. He had 15 points and seven assists.
PHOTO: AP
"We made shots, we milked plays and we just didn't crack," Atlanta coach Mike Woodson said, "which was really nice to see.
"When we were struggling, [Lue] really held us together with his leadership and running our offense for us. I didn't really come in the game thinking I was going to play him 30 minutes, but he had it going. He was orchestrating and creating an offense, so I was content to leave him in there," Woodson said.
Jermaine O'Neal led the Pacers with 24 points, and Stephen Jackson added 21.
Celtics 91, Hornets 78
At Boston, Ricky Davis scored 17 of his 32 points in the third quarter to help Boston past New Orleans.
Raef LaFrentz added 18 points and Paul Pierce had 16 and nine rebounds for the Celtics, who have won six of their last eight home games.
David West led the Hornets with 21 points, 19 coming in the first half. J.R. Smith added 16 points and was the only other New Orleans player in double figures.
Rockets 97, Bucks 80
At Milwaukee, Tracy McGrady scored 41 points, including 14 straight in the fourth quarter, to lead Houston.
Andrew Bogut, who finished with 10 points for the Bucks, hit a short basket to make it 76-75 just over a minute into the fourth before McGrady took over with his personal 14-0 run.
McGrady hit a pair of 3-pointers, a driving 10-footer, a turnaround fadeaway and two jump shots to give the Rockets a 90-75 lead with 5:21 left.
Nuggets 107, Raptors 101
At Denver, 81 points it was not. Carmelo Anthony's 37 were enough to lead Denver to its sixth consecutive win.
Toronto was still smarting a day after surrendering Kobe Bryant's 81 points in a loss to the Los Angeles Lakers. But after watching the film in the morning, Toronto put its embarrassment behind and gave the Nuggets a good game.
Kenyon Martin added 25 points and 12 rebounds as the Nuggets improved to 10-2 this month. Their winning streak is their longest since winning 10 straight in March and April of last season.
Mike James led Toronto with 22 points, Jalen Rose had 21 and Chris Bosh scored 18.
Jazz 89, Nets 78
At Salt Lake City, Andrei Kirilenko had 21 points and 13 rebounds to help Utah overcome Jason Kidd's triple-double.
Kidd posted his league-leading third triple-double with 17 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists. It was the 70th of his career. However, Kidd missed 12 of his 15 field goal attempts. Mehmet Okur scored 11 of his 18 points in the fourth quarter and grabbed 13 rebounds for the Jazz.
Richard Jefferson had 32 points, but New Jersey shot a season-low 33 percent, including 2-for-21 from 3-point range.
Clippers 96, Warriors 93
At Oakland, California, Elton Brand had 28 points and nine rebounds, Sam Cassell scored the final four points on free throws and the Los Angeles Clippers rallied from a 19-point deficit in the second half.
Cassell scored 13 of his 24 points in the fourth quarter, hitting the go-ahead free throws with 1:10 to play. He added two more with 0.9 seconds left after Baron Davis botched Golden State's last chance to avoid an embarrassing collapse.
US track and field athletes have about four dozen pieces to choose from when assembling their uniforms at the Olympics. The one grabbing the most attention is a high-cut leotard that barely covers the bikini line and has triggered debate between those who think it is sexist and others who say they do not need the Internet to make sure they have good uniforms. Among those critical or laughing at the uniforms included Paralympian Femita Ayanbeku, sprinter Britton Wilson and even athletes from other countries such as Britain’s Abigail Irozuru, who wrote on social media: “Was ANY female athlete consulted in
Four-time NBA all-star DeMarcus Cousins arrived in Taiwan with his family early yesterday to finish his renewed contract with the Taiwan Beer Leopards in the T1 League. Cousins initially played a four-game contract with the Leopards in January. On March 18, the Taoyuan-based team announced that Cousins had renewed his contract. “Hi what’s up Leopard fans, I’m back. I’m excited to be back and can’t wait to join the team,” Cousins said in a video posted on the Leopard’s Facebook page. “Most of all, can’t wait to see you guys, the fans, next weekend. So make sure you come out and support the Beer
Former US Masters champion Zach Johnson was left embarrassed after a foul-mouthed response to ironic cheers from spectators after a triple bogey at Augusta National on Friday. Johnson, the 2007 Masters winner, missed the cut after his three-over-par round of 75 left him on seven-over 151 for 36 holes, his six on the par-three 12th playing a big role in his downfall. Television footage showed Johnson reacting to sarcastic cheers and applause when he tapped in for the triple bogey by yelling: “Oh fuck off.” Such a response would be considered bad form in any golf tournament, but is particularly out of keeping
The sacred flame for the Paris Olympics was lit yesterday in Olympia, Greece, the birthplace of the ancient Games, in a ceremony inspired by antiquity and marked by messages of hope amid multiple global crises. “In ancient times, the Olympic Games brought together the Greek city states, even — and in particular — during times of war and conflict,” International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach said. “Today, the Olympic Games are the only event that brings the entire world together in peaceful competition. Then as now, the Olympic athletes are sending this powerful message — yes, it is possible to compete fiercely