Ray Allen scored 28 points on Wednesday as the Boston Celtics took advantage of an injury to Carmelo Anthony and won their eighth straight game, beating the Denver Nuggets 105-89.
The loss left Nuggets coach George Karl stuck on 999 wins. His next chance to reach 1,000 comes today at Toronto.
Kevin Garnett had 17 points and nine rebounds, and Rajon Rondo added 13 assists for Boston. Paul Pierce scored 17 and Glen “Big Baby” Davis, who had been ill during the week, had 16 points.
Reserve guard Ty Lawson scored 24 for Denver, and Arron Afflalo added 16 points.
HEAT 111, JAZZ 98
At Salt Lake City, LeBron James scored 33 points and Dwyane Wade added 28 as the surging Miami outscored Utah by 14 in the fourth quarter.
The victory extended Miami’s winning streak to six, and avenged a 116-114 overtime loss to Utah at home on Nov. 9. The Heat improved to 15-8, while Utah fell to 16-7.
Al Jefferson scored 25 points for Utah, while Paul Millsap had 18 and Deron Williams had 21.
LAKERS 87, CLIPPERS 86
At Los Angeles, Derek Fisher hit a layup at the buzzer to give the Los Angeles Lakers a victory over the Clippers after the two-time defending NBA champions trailed for most of the second half.
Kobe Bryant scored 24 points, Shannon Brown added 16 and Pau Gasol had 10 points and 10 rebounds for the Lakers, who ended a three-game road losing streak as the visiting team in their own building.
Eric Gordon scored 24 points and Blake Griffin had 16 points and 11 rebounds for the Clippers, who blew a 12-point lead in the third quarter.
KNICKS 113, RAPTORS 110
At New York, Raymond Felton’s tiebreaking 3-pointer bounced on the rim five times and finally went in with 2.7 seconds left, giving New York a victory over Toronto that extended its winning streak to six.
Amare Stoudemire pushed his 30-point streak to six games in sensational fashion, scoring 18 of his 34 points in the fourth quarter and grabbing 14 rebounds.
In other games it was:
‧ Bulls 88, Cavaliers 83
‧ Bucks 97, Pacers 95
‧ Thunder 111, Timberwolves 103
‧ Hornets 93, Pistons 74
‧ Spurs 111, Warriors 94
‧ Grizzlies 104, Suns 98, OT
‧ Kings 116, Wizards 91
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