LeBron James scored 30 points, including 24 in the second half, as Cleveland wore down the aging Boston Celtics for a 104-93 victory on Sunday, the Cavaliers’ second decisive win over one of the East’s premier teams in less than a month.
The Cavaliers were closer to full strength with the return of forward Antawn Jamison, who had 15 points and 12 rebounds after missing one game with a sore knee.
Ray Allen scored 20, while Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett had 18 apiece for the Celtics.
BOBCATS 96, MAGIC 89
At Orlando, Stephen Jackson scored 28 points and Raymond Felton had 16 as Charlotte held on for its sixth-straight victory.
Stephen Graham added 12 points to help the Bobcats pull away with a late 12-3 run for their first win in four chances this season against the Southeast Division leader. And they did it without All-Star Gerald Wallace, out with an injured left ankle.
Dwight Howard had 27 points and 16 rebounds, and Vince Carter finished with 23 points for the Magic, who had their eight-game winning streak stopped.
THUNDER 119, JAZZ 111
At Oklahoma City, Kevin Durant scored 35 points, while Russell Westbrook added 30 points and 11 assists as Oklahoma City made up ground in the race for home-court advantage in the playoffs with a victory over short-handed Utah.
The Thunder shot a season-best 60 percent and never trailed while moving within a half-game of fourth-place Utah in the Western Conference. Oklahoma City has won 17 of its last 20 games and will finish no worse than .500 after going 23-59 last season.
Wesley Matthews hit six 3-pointers and scored a career-high 29 points for the Jazz, who played without injured starters Mehmet Okur (back) and Andrei Kirilenko (calf).
BUCKS 98, PACERS 94
At Milwaukee, Jerry Stackhouse equaled his season high with 20 points as Milwaukee survived a late rally from short-handed Indiana to win its sixth straight.
Andrew Bogut added 17 points and 12 rebounds, and John Salmons had 12 points for the Bucks, who have won 12 of their last 13.
Danny Granger scored 14 of his 29 points in the third quarter but missed a potential game-tying basket with just seconds remaining as the Pacers were swept in the season series.
HEAT 104, 76ERS 91
At Miami, Dwyane Wade scored 38 points to help Miami beat Philadelphia.
With Wade resting on the bench and center Jermaine O’Neal out after being ejected, the Heat went on a 14-3 run to start the final period. James Jones sank a pair of three-pointers during the spurt, and Jamaal Magloire’s running dunk punctuated it to give Miami a 16-point lea
In other games it was:
• Suns 120, Hornets 106
• Trail Blazers 109, Raptors 98
• Kings 114, Timberwolves 100
Bayer 04 Leverkusen go into today’s match at TSG 1899 Hoffenheim stung from their first league defeat in 16 months. Leverkusen were beaten 3-2 at home by RB Leipzig before the international break, the first loss since May last year for the reigning league and cup champions. While any defeat, particularly against a likely title rival, would have disappointed coach Xabi Alonso, the way in which it happened would be most concerning. Just as they did in the Supercup against VfB Stuttgart and in the league opener to Borussia Moenchengladbach, Leverkusen scored first, but were pegged back. However, while Leverkusen rallied late to
The lights dimmed and the crowd hushed as Karoline Kristensen entered for her performance. However, this was no ordinary Dutch theater: The temperature was 80°C and the audience naked apart from a towel. Dressed in a swimsuit and to the tune of emotional music, the 21-year-old Kristensen started her routine, performed inside a large sauna, with a bed of hot rocks in the middle. For a week this month, a group of wellness practitioners, called “sauna masters,” are gathering at a picturesque health resort in the Netherlands to compete in this year’s Aufguss world sauna championships. The practice takes its name from a
Japanese players are moving to English soccer in record numbers and more look set to follow with clubs attracted by their quality, strong work ethic and value for money. Kaoru Mitoma is the standout talent of five Japanese players in the English Premier League, with eight more in the Championship and two in League One. Liverpool midfielder Wataru Endo, the captain of Japan, believes his compatriots are “being held in higher esteem” by English clubs compared with the past. “The staff at Liverpool ask me about lots of Japanese players, not necessarily with a view to a transfer, but just saying this or
Taiwan yesterday survived Bosnia and Herzegovina to win their Davis Cup World Group I tie at the Taipei Tennis Center. The tight series started on Saturday with world No. 123 Jason Tseng losing 3-6, 7-5, 6-4 to Mirza Basic in the opening singles matchup. However, teammate Tony Wu kept the tie even, dominating world No. 86 Damir Dzumhur 6-2, 6-1. Yesterday, 24-year-old Ray Ho and partner 25-year-old Hsu Yu-hsiou kept up the momentum, making short work of Basic and Nerman Fatic, winning 6-3, 6-4. Tseng then suffered another defeat, losing 6-4, 2-6, 6-2 to Dzumhur in a brutal match that lasted more than two