Danny Green had 24 points as the injury-depleted San Antonio Spurs beat the Houston Rockets 110-106 on Sunday night, snapping a six-game skid against their intrastate rivals.
Tim Duncan scored 16 points and Manu Ginobili had 15 for San Antonio (19-13), who won for the first time in three games.
James Harden had 28 points for Houston (21-8), and Dwight Howard added 24 points and 17 rebounds.
The Rockets’ newest additions had differing levels of success: Corey Brewer scored 25 points, but Josh Smith finished with five points on two-of-seven shooting.
Green made four straight free throws in the final minute, helping San Antonio avoid going into overtime for the fourth time in their past six home games.
The Spurs played without Kawhi Leonard (bruised right hand) and Tony Parker (mild strain left hamstring).
MAVERICKS 112, THUNDER 107
In Dallas, Dirk Nowitzki matched his season high with 30 points for the Mavericks, and Chandler Parsons added 26.
The Mavericks rallied from seven points down to start the fourth quarter.
They were without center Tyson Chandler, a late scratch with back spasms.
The Thunder played their sixth straight game without Kevin Durant because of a sprained right ankle. They fell short in their third chance to reach .500 for the first time after Durant and Russell Westbrook were sidelined by injuries for 14 of the first 16 games.
Serge Ibaka led Oklahoma City with a season-high 26 points.
TRAIL BLAZERS 101, KNICKS 79
In Portland, Oregon, Wesley Matthews had 28 points, including six three-pointers, as the Trail Blazers beat the short-handed Knicks.
Portland were 16 for 36 from three-point range. Nicolas Batum had five three-pointers and 17 points.
It was the eighth straight loss for the Knicks, who had just nine available players to start the game, and then lost Carmelo Anthony for the second half because of a sore left knee.
Portland, who led by as many as 27 points, have won eight of their past nine games.
Cole Aldrich had 12 points and a career-high 19 rebounds for New York, while Tim Hardaway Jr scored 17 points.
PISTONS 103, CAVALIERS 80
In Cleveland, Ohio, Brandon Jennings scored 25 points as the Pistons used an 18-0 run in the second quarter to roll past the Cavaliers.
It was Cleveland’s second blowout loss at home in less than two weeks. The Cavaliers lost 127-98 to Atlanta on Dec. 17, and the convincing victory for Detroit drew boos from the home crowd.
Andre Drummond had 16 points and 17 rebounds for the Pistons (7-23), who were coming off a 119-109 victory over Indiana on Friday.
Detroit set a season high for made three-pointers by going 17 for 31 from long range.
Kevin Love had 20 points and 10 rebounds for Cleveland, and LeBron James finished with 17 points, 10 boards and seven assists.
Cavaliers point guard Kyrie Irving missed his second straight game because of a bruised left knee.
RAPTORS 116, NUGGETS 102
In Denver, Colorado, Kyle Lowry had 30 points and 11 assists, leading Toronto to the win.
Lou Williams scored 31 points as the Eastern Conference-leading Raptors completed a sweep of the season series against Denver. They also beat the Nuggets 112-107 in overtime on Dec. 8. The Raptors have won seven of eight.
Ty Lawson led Denver with 28 points, and Wilson Chandler had 20 points and 10 rebounds.
Kenneth Faried, who had 26 points and a career-best 25 rebounds in Friday’s win over Minnesota, had 17 points and 19 boards for the Nuggets, who have lost three of four.
SUNS 116, LAKERS 107
In Los Angeles, Goran Dragic scored 24 points, Eric Bledsoe had 20 of his 22 after halftime, and the Phoenix Suns beat the Los Angeles Lakers for their sixth consecutive victory.
Isaiah Thomas added 15 points for the balanced Suns, who have not lost with their new starting lineup. Phoenix weathered an impressive Los Angeles surge in the final minutes for their seventh win in eight meetings with the Lakers, who lost their third straight, despite Kobe Bryant’s return.
Bryant had 10 points, eight rebounds and seven assists in 32 minutes during his first game back from a three-game absence to rest his aching 36-year-old body.
Nick Young hit four three-pointers and scored 21 points while taking up Kobe’s scoring slack again for the Lakers, who got within one point late.
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
Taiwan yesterday survived Bosnia and Herzegovina to win their Davis Cup World Group I tie at the Taipei Tennis Center. The tight series started on Saturday with world No. 123 Jason Tseng losing 3-6, 7-5, 6-4 to Mirza Basic in the opening singles matchup. However, teammate Tony Wu kept the tie even, dominating world No. 86 Damir Dzumhur 6-2, 6-1. Yesterday, 24-year-old Ray Ho and partner 25-year-old Hsu Yu-hsiou kept up the momentum, making short work of Basic and Nerman Fatic, winning 6-3, 6-4. Tseng then suffered another defeat, losing 6-4, 2-6, 6-2 to Dzumhur in a brutal match that lasted more than two