Nick Young scored 31 points, while John Wall had 19 points and 14 assists as the Washington Wizards snapped their 25-game road winless streak with a 115-100 win on Sunday over the Cleveland Cavaliers.
The Wizards opened a 25-point lead in the third quarter, survived a Cleveland comeback and got their first road win since April 9 last year in Boston.
Antawn Jamison scored 21 and J.J. Hickson added 16 and 13 rebounds for the Cavs, who stopped their losing streak at 26 on Friday night against the Los Angeles Clippers, but failed to post back-to-back wins for the second time this season.
Photo: REUTERS
Celtics 85, Heat 82
In Boston, Rajon Rondo had a triple-double with 11 points, 10 assists and 10 rebounds as Boston beat Miami, with the defending Eastern Conference champions clinching the season series against their top pursuer.
LeBron James scored 22 points for Miami, who had won eight in a row, but he missed the first of two free throws with 13 seconds left and the Heat trailing by two points. He dived into the stands to knock away the inbound pass, but threw it right to Ray Allen.
Glen Davis made both of his free throws with 6.3 seconds to go and Mike Miller missed a three-point attempt in the final seconds that would have sent the game to overtime.
With the win, the Celtics (39-14) took back the top spot in the conference from Miami (39-15) and earned the tiebreaker for home-court advantage in the playoffs.
Magic 89, Lakers 75
In Orlando, Florida, Dwight Howard had 31 points and 13 rebounds as Orlando earned their first victory over a winning team in more than a month.
Kobe Bryant and Andrew Bynum each had 17 points to lead the Lakers. Lamar Odom added 13 and Pau Gasol 11.
Jason Richardson chipped in 12 points for the Magic.
Orlando rebounded from a six-point home loss to New Orleans on Friday and a snapped a string of eight straight losses to teams with winning records. Orlando’s previous win against a team above .500 was on Jan. 8 in Dallas.
Grizzlies 116, Nuggets 108
In Memphis, Tennessee, Darrell Arthur scored a career-high 24 points and Zach Randolph led a late rally that helped Memphis erase a 17-point third-quarter deficit against Denver.
Rudy Gay had 23 points for Memphis, who used defensive pressure in the final period to outscore Denver 34-18. Tony Allen, who added 17 points, energized the defense, while Randolph scored 12 of his 14 points in the fourth.
Mike Conley also had 17 points for Memphis and Marc Gasol added 15 — all in the first half.
Carmelo Anthony, who entered averaging 32.8 points per game this month, finished with 28 — his sixth game in the last seven with at least 25 points.
Raptors 98, Clippers 93
In Toronto, Andrea Bargnani scored 27 points, while Ed Davis had 13 points and a career-high 14 rebounds as Toronto beat the Los Angeles Clippers.
DeMar DeRozan scored 17 points, Leandro Barbosa had 11 and Sonny Weems 10 for the Raptors.
Jose Calderon had 10 points and 11 assists as Toronto won its fifth straight over the Clippers.
Blake Griffin had 21 points and 15 rebounds and Baron Davis scored 20 points as Los Angeles lost for the sixth time in seven games. Brian Cook scored 17 points and Ryan Gomes had 14 for the Clippers, who lost their second straight to a slumping Eastern Conference opponent.
In other games it was:
‧ Trail Blazers 105, Pistons 100
‧ Kings 113, Suns 108
‧ Warriors 100, Thunder 94
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