Kevin Durant scored a career-high 54 points to help the Oklahoma City Thunder beat the Golden State Warriors 127-121 on Friday night in Oklahoma City.
Durant made 19 of 28 field goals and 11 of 13 free throws in his third straight game with at least 36 points.
Serge Ibaka had 21 points and eight rebounds, Reggie Jackson scored 14 points and Kendrick Perkins added 12 rebounds for the Thunder (30-10), who won for the third time in four games. Oklahoma City shot 58 percent from the field and scored a season-high point total.
Stephen Curry had 37 points and 11 assists and Klay Thompson added 26 points for the Warriors (25-16), who shot 52 percent but simply couldn’t match up with Durant.
HEAT 101, 76ERS 86
In Philadelphia, LeBron James had 21 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds, and the Heat snapped a three-game losing streak.
Chris Bosh scored 25 points, Norris Cole and Shane Battier had 13 points each, and the Heat avoided their first four-game losing streak since March 2011. The Heat dropped games at New York, Brooklyn and Washington, but had no trouble against the Sixers in this one.
The two-time defending NBA champion Heat led by 25 and atoned for a 114-110 loss to Philadelphia in October.
Tony Wroten led the Sixers with 13 points. Spencer Hawes had 10 points and 10 rebounds.
Miami star Dwyane Wade, who missed the first game against the Sixers, scored eight points on his 32nd birthday.
TRAIL BLAZERS 109, SPURS 100
In San Antonio, LaMarcus Aldridge had 26 points and 13 rebounds for the Trail Blazers, and Wesley Matthews scored 24 points.
Damian Lillard had 21 points and eight assists and Mo Williams added 13 points as Portland snapped San Antonio’s six-game winning streak. Matthews shot 6 for 7 on 3-pointers.
Manu Ginobili had a season-high 29 points, and Boris Diaw and Marco Belinelli added 14 points each for the Spurs. Tim Duncan had 13 points and Tony Parker added 12, but the two combined for just eight points in the second half of a physical and testy matchup between teams vying for the best record in the Western Conference.
LAKERS 107, CELTICS 104
In Boston, Celtics point guard Rajon Rondo returned from a knee injury and missed a three-pointer that could have sent the game into overtime, sending the Lakers to the win.
Pau Gasol had 24 points and 13 rebounds for Los Angeles, and Kendall Marshall finished with 19 points and 14 assists. Ryan Kelly scored 20 points and Wesley Johnson added 11 points and 11 rebounds.
Kelly added a pair of clinching free throws with 9.4 seconds remaining as the Lakers snapped a six-game losing streak.
Kelly Olynyk scored a career-high 25 points for Boston. Rondo, who was limited to 20 minutes in his first game since tearing his right anterior cruciate ligament on Jan. 25, 2013, had eight points, four assists and two rebounds.
CLIPPERS 109, KNICKS 95
In New York, Blake Griffin scored 32 points, Jamal Crawford added 29 and the Clippers opened a seven-game road trip with their fifth straight victory.
In other NBA action, it was:
‧ Jazz 110, Pistons 89
‧ Grizzlies 91, Kings 90
‧ Mavericks 110, Suns 107
‧ Raptors 94, Timberwolves89
‧ Cavaliers 117, Nuggets 109
‧ Wizards 96, Bulls 93
‧ Bobcats 111, Magic 101
Bayer 04 Leverkusen go into today’s match at TSG 1899 Hoffenheim stung from their first league defeat in 16 months. Leverkusen were beaten 3-2 at home by RB Leipzig before the international break, the first loss since May last year for the reigning league and cup champions. While any defeat, particularly against a likely title rival, would have disappointed coach Xabi Alonso, the way in which it happened would be most concerning. Just as they did in the Supercup against VfB Stuttgart and in the league opener to Borussia Moenchengladbach, Leverkusen scored first, but were pegged back. However, while Leverkusen rallied late to
The lights dimmed and the crowd hushed as Karoline Kristensen entered for her performance. However, this was no ordinary Dutch theater: The temperature was 80°C and the audience naked apart from a towel. Dressed in a swimsuit and to the tune of emotional music, the 21-year-old Kristensen started her routine, performed inside a large sauna, with a bed of hot rocks in the middle. For a week this month, a group of wellness practitioners, called “sauna masters,” are gathering at a picturesque health resort in the Netherlands to compete in this year’s Aufguss world sauna championships. The practice takes its name from a
Japanese players are moving to English soccer in record numbers and more look set to follow with clubs attracted by their quality, strong work ethic and value for money. Kaoru Mitoma is the standout talent of five Japanese players in the English Premier League, with eight more in the Championship and two in League One. Liverpool midfielder Wataru Endo, the captain of Japan, believes his compatriots are “being held in higher esteem” by English clubs compared with the past. “The staff at Liverpool ask me about lots of Japanese players, not necessarily with a view to a transfer, but just saying this or
Roger Federer on Wednesday said that staying involved with tennis in retirement helped him avoid feeling “like an alien” ahead of this week’s Laver Cup in Berlin. Federer, who helped create the tournament, retired at the Laver Cup in London two years ago and has since stayed involved with the competition as an ambassador. “I’m happy I went back right away to some tournaments,” the 43-year-old told reporters. “I feel I ripped the Band-Aid off quite quickly and when I walk around the tennis sites I still feel I belong there,” he said. “I don’t feel like an alien, which is a