Gary Neal hit go-ahead three-pointers in regulation and overtime, while Tony Parker scored 30 points as the San Antonio Spurs held off the Los Angeles Clippers 103-100 on Saturday for their NBA-leading 10th consecutive victory.
Neal stole the ball and hit a three-pointer to even the score with 5.7 seconds left in regulation and his three with 25 seconds to go in overtime put the Spurs up 100-98.
Neal finished with 17 points. Matt Bonner added 13 points, while Tim Duncan had 11 points and 17 rebounds for the Spurs, who are 6-0 on their current nine-game road trip.
Photo: EPA
Blake Griffin had 22 points and 20 rebounds, while Chris Paul and Randy Foye each scored 21 points for the Clippers.
NETS 97, BULLS 85
In Chicago, Deron Williams scored 29 points, while Kris Humphries had 24 points and 18 rebounds as struggling New Jersey beat Chicago to end an eight-game losing streak.
Chicago’s Derrick Rose missed his fifth straight game because of back pain and the Nets took advantage, jumping out to a 22-3 lead while rolling to their first victory since Feb. 1.
Williams scored 21 points in the first half and hit five three-pointers in the game. He also had eight assists. Humphries narrowly missed season-highs for points (25) and rebounds (19).
Carlos Boozer and Mike James each scored 16 points for Chicago.
GRIZZLIES 104, WARRIORS 103
In Memphis, Tennessee, Tony Allen scored on a tip-in with 5.6 seconds left to lift the Grizzlies past Golden State for their fourth straight victory.
Allen scored after Rudy Gay missed a shot to the right of the lane. Memphis also won off a miss from Gay on Friday night, beating Denver 103-102 on Dante Cunningham’s tip.
The Warriors had one last shot after Allen’s tip-in, but David Lee was called for an offensive foul with less than a second left, sending the Warriors their third straight loss.
Gay scored 19 points, O.J. Mayo had 18, while Marc Gasol added 17 points and 13 rebounds.
Stephen Curry led the Warriors with 36 points, matching his season high.
In other action, it was:
‧ Trail Blazers 97, Hawks 77
Defending champions Jannik Sinner and Aryna Sabalenka on Wednesday led the way into the Cincinnati Open quarter-finals, with Carlos Alcaraz hot on their heels after a straight-sets victory of his own. Sinner shrugged off a mid-match weather delay lasting nearly three hours as he advanced 6-4, 7-6 (7/4) over Adrian Mannarino. Alcaraz, the second seed who has reached the final in his past six tournaments, hammered Italian lucky loser Luca Nardi 6-1, 6-4. After sweeping the opening set in 28 minutes, Alcaraz hit a speed bump, dropping his serve to trail 2-4. He promptly regained the break, then fought through a marathon ninth game
Taiwan’s men’s basketball team on Monday clinched a spot in the FIBA Asia Cup quarter-finals with a 78-64 win over Jordan in Saudi Arabia, securing their best finish in the tournament since placing fourth in 2013. The win was sweet revenge for Taiwan, who were denied a quarter-final spot by Jordan at the same stage of the previous Asia Cup in 2022 after blowing a nine-point lead in the final minute and losing 97-96 on a half-court buzzer-beater. “History is part of the journey,” Taiwan head coach Gianluca Tucci said when asked about the 2022 collapse of the team, who he did
STUMBLE: World No. 2 Coco Gauff confidently won her first set against seventh-seed Italian Jasmine Paolini before being overcome in the second and third sets World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka and second-ranked Coco Gauff were sent crashing out of the ATP-WTA Cincinnati Open on Friday, while Carlos Alcaraz fought off a fierce challenge from Andrey Rublev to reach the semi-finals. Top seed and defending champion Sabalenka had no answer for Elena Rybakina, falling to the 2022 Wimbledon champion 6-1, 6-4. Reigning French Open champion Gauff had 16 double faults in a 2-6, 6-4, 6-3 exit at the hands of seventh-seeded Italian Jasmine Paolini. Spain’s second-ranked Alcaraz had his difficulties, but he broke Rublev in the final game of a tense duel to emerge a 6-3, 4-6, 7-5 winner
Taiwan’s national basketball team on Wednesday suffered a heartbreaking loss, ending their FIBA Asia Cup run after Iran staged a dramatic comeback to secure a 78-75 victory in the quarter-finals at King Abdullah Sports City in Saudi Arabia. Taiwan were in front for 38 minutes, 30 seconds of the 40-minute game. Iran only took the lead in the final minute, but it was enough to knock Taiwan out of the tournament. With the win, Iran advanced to tomorrow’s semi-finals, when they face Australia. The loss ended a promising campaign for Taiwan, who had been aiming for their first semi-final appearance since the 2013 FIBA
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