George Hill scored 29 points as the NBA-leading San Antonio Spurs beat the Phoenix Suns 114-97 on Sunday to stop a six-game losing streak — the longest of Tim Duncan’s 14-year career with the team.
San Antonio went winless for two weeks and squandered a once-comfortable lead for the top seed in the Western Conference. The win moves the Spurs two-and-a-half games ahead of the Los Angeles Lakers.
Aaron Brooks and Channing Frye had 14 points apiece for the Suns. The loss guaranteed that Phoenix would miss the playoffs for the second time in three seasons.
Matt Bonner added 16 points and 11 rebounds for San Antonio.
NUGGETS 95, LAKERS 90
In Los Angeles, Danilo Gallinari scored 22 points and Kenyon Martin added 18 as Denver hung on to defeat the Lakers.
Kobe Bryant scored 28 points for the Lakers, whose nine-game winning streak ended.
The Lakers have six games left to try and overtake the Spurs and earn home-court advantage throughout the playoffs.
The Nuggets are 15-4 since sending Carmelo Anthony and Chauncey Billups to the Knicks in a trade on Feb. 21.
KNICKS 123, CAVALIERS 107
In New York, Amar’e Stoudemire scored 28 points to lead New York to their first postseason berth since 2004.
Shortly after Charlotte’s home loss to Washington, the Knicks beat the Cavaliers to secure their spot.
They are seventh in the Eastern Conference, but closed to within one-and-a-half games of the 76ers.
Carmelo Anthony scored 25 points and Chauncey Billups added 23 for the Knicks, who had lost 11 straight to the Cavaliers dating back to December 2007.
J.J. Hickson had 23 points and Baron Davis added 22 for Cleveland.
CELTICS 101, PISTONS 90
In Boston, Kevin Garnett scored 23 points and Paul Pierce added 22 as Boston topped Detroit in Shaquille O’Neal’s brief return to the Celtics lineup.
O’Neal played only five-and-a-half minutes in his first game back after missing 27 with a sore right leg. He left the game at the beginning of the second quarter with a fresh injury — a strained right calf muscle.
Will Bynum scored 20 points, Tayshaun Prince had 16 and Charlie Villanueva 15 for Detroit.
HEAT 108, NETS 94
In Newark, New Jersey, LeBron James had 31 points and 11 rebounds as Miami earned their third straight victory and eighth in nine games.
Dwyane Wade added 18 points despite a first-quarter thigh injury and Chris Bosh had 16 for the Heat.
The win pulled Miami (54-23) within two-and-a-half games of idle Chicago (56-20) in the race for the top spot in the Eastern Conference.
The Heat have five games left, one fewer than the Bulls.
Deron Williams had 18 points and 12 assists to lead the Nets, who have lost six straight and 10 of 11.
In other NBA action, it was:
‧ Raptors 102, Magic 98
‧ Wizards 97, Bobcats 91
‧ Kings 106, Jazz 97
‧ Rockets 114, Hawks 109
‧ Hornets 108, Pacers 96
‧ Trail Blazers 104, Mavericks 96
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
Revelations of positive doping tests for nearly two dozen Chinese swimmers that went unpunished sparked an intense flurry of accusations and legal threats between the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and the head of the US drug-fighting organization, who has long been one of WADA’s fiercest critics. WADA on Saturday said it was turning to legal counsel to address a statement released by US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) CEO Travis Tygart, who said WADA and anti-doping authorities in China swept positive tests “under the carpet by failing to fairly and evenly follow the global rules that apply to everyone else in the world.” The
Taiwanese judoka Yang Yung-wei on Saturday won silver in the men’s under-60kg category at the Asian Judo Championships in Hong Kong. Nicknamed the “judo heartthrob” in Taiwan, the Olympic silver-medalist missed out on his first Asian Championships gold when he lost to Japanese judoka Taiki Nakamura in the finals. Yang defeated three opponents on Saturday to reach the final after receiving a bye through the round of 32. He first topped Laotian Soukphaxay Sithisane in the round of 16 with two seoi nage (over-the-shoulder throws), then ousted Indian Vijay Kumar Yadav in the quarter-finals with his signature ude hishigi sankaku gatame (triangular armlock). He
Rafael Nadal on Wednesday said the upcoming French Open would be the moment to “give everything and die” on the court after his comeback from injury in Barcelona was curtailed by Alex de Minaur. The 22-time Grand Slam title winner, back playing this week after three months on the sidelines, battled well, but eventually crumbled 7-5, 6-1 against the world No. 11 from Australia in the second round. Nadal, 37, who missed virtually all of last season, is hoping to compete at the French Open next month where he is the record 14-time champion. The Spaniard said the clash with De Minaur was