Manu Ginobili had 28 points as the San Antonio Spurs won without coach Gregg Popovich, rallying for a 106-100 victory over the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday night.
Popovich missed the game after undergoing what the team is calling a minor medical procedure. Assistant Ettore Messina took over, becoming the first European-born coach to run an NBA team in the regular season.
Ginobili resembled the high-flying, energetic star that played for Bologna in 2001 under Messina before joining the Spurs, helping San Antonio’s Big Three direct the team to victory without their fiery coach.
Photo: USA TODAY
Tony Parker scored 21 points for San Antonio (10-4), and Kawhi Leonard had 21 points and 13 rebounds.
CAVALIERS 113, WIZARDS 87
In Cleveland, Ohio, LeBron James scored 29 points and Kevin Love added 21 and Cleveland exacted a little revenge on Washington.
Five days after they were embarrassed in a 91-78 loss to Washington, the Cavs controlled this one from the start and got back to .500.
James led the way, also collecting 10 rebounds and eight assists in 36 minutes. The four-time MVP, who called his team “fragile” during a recent four-game losing streak, was energized from the start as he powered to the basket and imposed his will on the Wizards.
With Cleveland up by 19, James took a seat with 7:52 left, getting an early start on the Thanksgiving holiday. Kyrie Irving added 18 points for the Cavs.
Rasual Butler scored 23 and Paul Pierce had 15 for the Wizards, who only got six points from leading scorer John Wall.
NETS 99, 76ERS 91
In Philadelphia, Alan Anderson scored 10 of his 12 points in the fourth quarter as Brooklyn extended Philadelpia’s season-opening skid to 15 games — matching a franchise record.
Philadelphia rallied from a 20-point deficit in the first half to the lead early in the fourth quarter, but Anderson and Mirza Teletovic led the way for Brooklyn in the final period. Teletovic had six of his nine points in the fourth.
Joe Johnson had 21 points and Brook Lopez scored 19 for Brooklyn (6-8), who won for just the second time in eight games.
K.J. McDaniels and Tony Wroten scored 18 apiece for Philadelphia, which matched the 1972-1973 team that started with 15 losses on their way to setting an NBA record for fewest wins in an 82-game schedule at 9-73.
WARRIORS 111, MAGIC 96
In Orlando, Florida, Stephen Curry had 28 points, including six 3-pointers as Golden State rolled to their seventh consecutive win.
Curry rested in the fourth quarter of Golden State’s third consecutive win over the Magic. The Warriors led by as many as 27 in the second half.
Seven Warriors scored in double figures. Harrison Barnes had 16 points.
In other NBA action, it was:
‧ Mavericks 109, Knicks 102, OT
‧ Trail Blazers 105, Hornets 97
‧ Raptors 126, Hawks 115
‧ Grizzlies 99, Lakers 93
‧ Rockets 102, Kings 89
‧ Thunder 97, Jazz 82
‧ Suns 120, Nuggets 112
‧ Bucks 103, Timberwolves 86
‧ Clippers 104, Pistons 98
The Philadelphia 76ers, fueled by 36 points from Tyrese Maxey and a triple-double from Joel Embiid, on Thursday beat the Houston Rockets 128-122 in an NBA overtime thriller. Cameroonian big man Embiid scored 32 points, grabbed 15 rebounds and handed out 10 assists, posting the ninth triple-double of his career to help the Sixers end the Rockets’ three-game winning streak. Rockets star Kevin Durant scored 36 points and Amen Thompson added 17, but Thompson was scoreless in the fourth quarter. Even so, the Rockets led by nine midway through the final frame, Maxey tying it at 115-115 with 40.1 seconds left. Durant missed a
The Milwaukee Bucks’ Giannis Antetokounmpo on Friday said that he will probably be out for an extended period after hurting his right calf again after a similar injury caused him to miss eight games earlier this season. Antetokounmpo had his right calf wrapped in the first half of their 102-100 loss to the Denver Nuggets. He did not appear comfortable the rest of the night and left for good with 34 seconds remaining. “At the end, I could not move no more, so I had to stop playing,” Antetokounmpo said. The two-time NBA Most Valuable Player said he expected to undergo an MRI
Taiwanese FORTUNES: Wu Fang-hsien and Hsieh Su-wei both advanced to the last 16 of the women’s doubles, but Ray Ho was ousted in the men’s doubles Carlos Alcaraz yesterday stepped up his quest to win a maiden Australian Open as he overwhelmed showman Corentin Moutet to reach the last 16, while Taiwan’s Wu Fang-hsien and Hsieh Su-wei both advanced to the last 16 of the women’s doubles. Three-time finalist Daniil Medvedev battled through on day six at a warm and sunny Melbourne Park, as did Coco Gauff. Top seed Alcaraz was never in danger against French 32nd seed Moutet, easing through 6-2, 6-4, 6-1 at Rod Laver Arena in 2 hours, 5 minutes. It was the Spaniard’s 100th Grand Slam match and he boasts a remarkable 87-13 win-loss record,
LICENSE TO THRILL: Fans of Learner Tien, the youngest man to reach the quarter-finals in 11 years, wore ‘L Plates,’ signs for learning drivers, in support of the 20-year-old Taiwan’s Wu Fang-hsien and Japanese partner Eri Hozumi yesterday dominated eighth seeds Ellen Perez of Australia and the Netherlands’ Demi Schuurs to advance to the Australian Open quarter-finals, the furthest the Taiwanese has made it since her first appearance in Melbourne in 2020. Wu and Hozumi overpowered world No. 21 Perez and world No. 20 Schuurs 6-2, 6-2 in 1 hour, 11 minutes at 1573 Arena in much cooled temperatures since Saturday’s blazing 40°C disrupted play. World No. 34 Wu has now made it further in the Australian Open since she was knocked out in the third round in 2024. The Taiwanese-Japanese duo
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