Larry Sanders scored 13 of his career-high 21 points in the third quarter as the Milwaukee Bucks rallied to beat the Los Angeles Lakers 113-103 on Thursday night.
Sanders was eight of 11 from the floor and had 13 rebounds. Ersan Ilyasova and Brandon Jennings each had 20 points, Monta Ellis added 18 and Marquis Daniels had 16 to help the Bucks end a four-game losing streak.
Kobe Bryant led the Lakers with 30 points, leaving him four points behind Wilt Chamberlain (31,419) for fourth place on the NBA’s career list.
Dwight Howard had 15 points and 15 rebounds, and Steve Nash scored 16 points.
The Lakers are eighth in the Western Conference, a half-game ahead of Utah for the final playoff spot. Milwaukee are eighth in the Eastern Conference, seven games ahead of Philadelphia for the final spot.
PACERS 103, MAVERICKS 78
In Dallas, Texas, Paul George had 24 points and eight rebounds as Indiana broke open a close game in the third quarter to beat Dallas.
George scored 13 points in the third, including eight in a 20-5 run that broke a tie game at halftime.
The Central Division-leading Pacers won their fourth straight and have a half-game lead for the second-best record in the Eastern Conference.
Dirk Nowitzki scored 21 points for Dallas, who remained 1.5 games behind the Los Angeles Lakers in the race for the final playoff spot in the Western Conference.
KINGS 117, SUNS 103
In Phoenix, Arizona, DeMarcus Cousins scored 17 consecutive points in the first half and finished with 34 in Sacramento’s victory over Phoenix.
Cousins also had 14 rebounds, while playing only the first three quarters. Isaiah Thomas added 23 points and eight assists to help the Kings win for only the second time in their past 14 games in Phoenix.
Luis Scola led the Suns with 25 points, P.J. Tucker had a career-high 18 and Michael Beasley added 14 points and eight rebounds. Phoenix, resting point guard Goran Dragic for the second straight game, have lost five straight, nine of 10 and 11 of their past 13.
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
Forget Real Madrid, Manchester City or Paris Saint-Germain, the world’s best soccer team — statistically speaking — might be a little-known outfit from the closed central Asian nation of Turkmenistan. Founded last year, Arkadag, named in honor of former Turkmen president Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow, have been unstoppable, notching up 36 consecutive domestic victories in a run still ongoing. The side have not lost a single competitive match and swept to a league and cup double in their inaugural season — success unthinkable almost anywhere else. However, in Turkmenistan, it could hardly have gone any other way. The energy-rich country is one of the most closed
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