The Chicago Bulls put together a 19-0 points run spanning the second and third quarters to overturn a deficit and beat the Brooklyn Nets 96-85 on Saturday, closing within three games of the NBA Central Division lead.
Joakim Noah had 21 points and 10 rebounds while Carlos Boozer scored 20 points for the Bulls, who began the month on a winning note after going 5-8 last month, just their second losing month in 2.5 seasons under coach Tom Thibodeau.
Also on Saturday, Philadelphia ended a seven-game skid by beating Golden State, Milwaukee downed Toronto in overtime and Portland earned only their second win in almost a month by defeating Minnesota.
Photo: Reuters
Chicago’s Noah followed up the third triple-double of his career with another terrific performance that also included four blocks. He committed five turnovers, but it was an impressive follow-up to Thursday’s gem, when he had 23 points, 21 rebounds and a career-high 11 blocks in a win over Philadelphia.
Brook Lopez led Brooklyn with 22 points — 14 in the first quarter.
Philadelphia’s Evan Turner had 22 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists, while Jrue Holiday scored 27 as the 76ers won 104-97 against the Golden State Warriors.
The Sixers are 5.5 games behind Milwaukee for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference with 25 games left.
Stephen Curry scored 30 for the Warriors, who have lost four in a row.
Milwaukee’s Monta Ellis scored six of his 23 points in overtime and Ersan Ilyasova and Brandon Jennings added five apiece in the extra period to spark the Bucks to a 122-114 win over the Toronto Raptors.
Portland’s Damian Lillard scored 24 points and J.J. Hickson added 18 points and 16 rebounds as the Portland Trail Blazers beat the Minnesota Timberwolves 109-96.
MARRED FINAL: As most of Senegalese players walked off the pitch after a controversial decision, some supporters threw objects and attempted to get onto the pitch Senegal on Sunday won the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) as Pape Gueye’s extra-time winner sunk hosts Morocco 1-0 after a chaotic final that saw the eventual champions storm off the pitch late in the game. Brahim Diaz could have won the trophy for Morocco with a controversial spot-kick in the 24th minute of added time at the end of normal time as ugly scenes broke out in the stands. However, Senegal goalkeeper Edouard Mendy easily saved the weak attempted “Panenka” chip by the Real Madrid winger, who was clearly distracted by the long delay that followed the penalty award.
James Harden on Friday scored 31 points and came up big in overtime to help the Los Angeles Clippers erase a double-digit deficit on the way to a 121-117 NBA victory over the Toronto Raptors. Harden scored 16 points in the fourth quarter and overtime as the Clippers pushed their wining steak to five games despite the absence of star Kawhi Leonard with a sprained right ankle. The Clippers trailed by 11 entering the fourth quarter, but Harden drilled a pair of free-throws with 1:24 left in regulation to tie it and after misses from both teams, they went to
Qatar’s Nasser al-Attiyah on Saturday secured his sixth Dakar Rally car title in Saudi Arabia with Luciano Benavides scraping home by two seconds to claim the motorbike title. “We’ve worked very hard since last year. I might not be showing much emotion yet, but it’s there, deep down. We are so happy to win,” al-Attiyah said at the finish. Al-Attiyah, at the wheel of a Dacia, only had to avoid a final day slip-up to top the podium after bringing his career tally of stage wins to 50 on Friday. The 55-year-old, who took clay pigeon shooting bronze at the
Tobias Harris on Monday scored 25 points as the Detroit Pistons held off the Boston Celtics to score a 104-103 victory in their top-of-the-table Eastern Conference showdown. Harris was one of four Detroit players to finish in double figures, with Jalen Duren adding 18 points and point guard Cade Cunningham scoring 16 points with 14 assists. The win sees Detroit extend their lead at the top of the Eastern Conference to 31-10, 5.5 games ahead of second-placed Boston, who fell to 26-16 with the defeat. Jaylen Brown led the Celtics scoring with 32 points and almost snatched victory in the
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