Russell Westbrook had 36 points, 11 rebounds and six assists as the Oklahoma City Thunder held off the Chicago Bulls 109-100 on Sunday.
Enes Kanter added 18 points and 18 rebounds, and fellow center Steven Adams had 14 points and 11 rebounds for the Thunder.
Westbrook’s final assist came on the game-turning play. With the Thunder up 99-95 in the final minute, he held the ball until near the end of the shot clock, then passed to Anthony Morrow, who hit a three-pointer. Nikola Mirotic scored 27 points and Pau Gasol added 20 for Chicago.
Oklahoma City won for the 16th time in their last 18 home games.
HAWKS 91, LAKERS 86
Dennis Schroder had 24 points and 10 assists, and Al Horford scored 21 points as Atlanta beat Los Angeles.
Atlanta’s Kyle Korver left with a broken nose after taking an offensive foul from Ed Davis with 8 minutes, 59 seconds left in the first half. The injury ended a streak of 51 consecutive games with a three-pointer by Korver, who missed both of his shots from behind the arc.
Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer rested starters Jeff Teague, DeMarre Carroll and Paul Millsap, inserting Schroder at the point, Pero Antic at small forward and former Laker Kent Bazemore at power forward. Schroder, the 17th overall pick in the 2013 draft, made his seventh start in 113 NBA games and was seven for 16 from the field in his best game as a pro.
Atlanta (52-14) moved within a half-game of idle Golden State for the NBA’s best record with 16 games left — including a showdown with the Warriors tomorrow at Oakland.
Reserves Carlos Boozer and Ryan Kelly each scored 13 points for the Lakers.
CAVALIERS 123, MAGIC 108
Kyrie Irving scored 33 points and J.R. Smith had 25 as Cleveland cruised past Orlando.
LeBron James finished with 21 points, 13 assists and eight rebounds to help the Cavaliers win their fourth straight and sixth in seven games.
Cleveland went 18 for 35 from three-point range. Irving was five for six from beyond the arc.
Victor Oladipo led the Magic with 25 points. Orlando have lost four straight.
ROCKETS 100, CLIPPERS 98
James Harden scored 34 points, and Terrence Jones added 16 points and 12 rebounds in Houston’s victory over Los Angeles.
Trevor Ariza had 19 points and nine rebounds, helping Houston move within two games of idle Memphis for the Southwest Division lead.
Chris Paul scored 23 points for the Clippers, while Blake Griffin had 11 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists in 40 minutes on his return to the lineup after surgery to remove a staph infection in his right elbow.
NUGGETS 118, PELICANS 111
Will Barton scored 25 points, including the game-leveling three-pointer late in the first overtime, as undermanned Denver beat New Orleans for their fourth straight victory.
Kenneth Faried had 20 points and 10 rebounds for Denver. Danilo Gallinari added 17 points, including a three-pointer that gave the Nuggets a 114-109 lead with 1 minute, 30 seconds left in the second overtime.
Ty Lawson added 19 points and Jameer Nelson had 18 for Denver, who won even though coach Melvin Hunt chose to rest regulars Wilson Chandler, Randy Foye and Darrell Arthur so the team could get a better look at some younger players.
Anthony Davis had 36 points, 14 rebounds, nine blocks and a career-high seven assists for New Orleans.
In other games, it was:
‧ Trail Blazers 113, Raptors 97
‧ Suns 102, Knicks 89
‧ Spurs 123, Timberwolves 97
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