Kobe Bryant’s final game in Cleveland was reduced to a sideshow when Cavaliers forward Kevin Love reinjured his surgically repaired left shoulder in the first half of a 120-111 win over the Los Angeles Lakers on Wednesday night.
Kyrie Irving scored a season-high 35 points and LeBron James 29 for the Cavs, who head into the All-Star break with one of their “Big 3” injured.
Love quickly left the floor late in the second quarter after he got hurt while working in the post against Bryant. He did not return in the second half, and the Cavs did not provide any specifics about his injury.
Photo: AFP
Bryant finished with 17 points in his last performance in Cleveland. Lou Williams scored 28 to lead the Lakers, who have dropped 13 of 15.
WARRIORS 112, SUNS 104
In Phoenix, Arizona, Stephen Curry nearly had a triple-double before sitting out the fourth quarter, as Golden State stormed into the All-Star break on an 11-game winning streak with a victory over free-falling Phoenix.
Curry had 26 points, nine rebounds and nine assists for the defending NBA champions. At 48-4, the Warriors have the best record through 52 games in NBA history, one win better than the 1995-1996 Chicago Bulls and the 1966-1967 Philadelphia 76ers. Those Bulls finished the season with a league-record 72 wins.
Klay Thompson added 24 points for Golden State.
Archie Goodwin scored 20 and Markieff Morris 19 for the Suns, who have lost nine straight and 24 of 26.
Rookie guard Devin Booker added 15 points and a career-best 10 assists.
TRAIL BLAZERS 116, ROCKETS 103
In Portland, Oregon, Damian Lillard sparked a second-quarter outburst for Portland and finished with 31 points and nine assists in a win over Houston.
In other NBA action, it was:
‧ Spurs 98, Magic 96
‧ Kings 114, 76ers 110
‧ Celtics 139, Clippers 134, OT
‧ Hawks 113, Bulls 90
‧ Timberwolves 117, Raptors 112
‧ Pelicans 100, Jazz 96
‧ Grizzlies 109, Nets 90
‧ Nuggets 103, Pistons 92
‧ Hornets 117, Pacers 95
A sumo star was born in Japan on Sunday when 24-year-old Takerufuji became the first wrestler in 110 years to win a top-division tournament on his debut, triumphing at the 15-day Spring Grand Sumo Tournament in Osaka despite injuring his ankle on the penultimate day. Takerufuji, whose injury had left him in a wheelchair outside the ring, shoved out the higher-ranked Gonoyama at the Edion Arena Osaka to the delight of the crowd, giving him an unassailable record of 13 wins and two losses to claim the Emperor’s Cup. “I did it just through willpower. I didn’t really know what was going
The US’ Ilia Malinin on Saturday produced six scintillating quadruple jumps, including a quadruple Axel, in the men’s free skate to capture his first figure skating world title. The 19-year-old nicknamed the “Quad god,” who is the only skater to land a quadruple Axel in competition, dazzled with an array of breathtakingly executed jumps starting with his quad Axel and including a quadruple Lutz in combination with a triple flip and a quadruple toe loop in combination with a triple toe. He added an unexpected triple-triple combination at the end to earn a world-record 227.79 in the free program for a championship
Shohei Ohtani’s interpreter is being criminally investigated by the IRS, and the attorney for his alleged bookmaker said Thursday that the ex-Los Angeles Dodgers employee placed bets on international soccer — but not baseball. The IRS confirmed Thursday that interpreter Ippei Mizuhara and Mathew Bowyer, the alleged illegal bookmaker, are under criminal investigation through the agency’s Los Angeles Field Office. IRS Criminal Investigation spokesperson Scott Villiard said he could not provide additional details. Mizuhara, 39, was fired by the Dodgers on Wednesday following reports from the Los Angeles Times and ESPN about his alleged ties to an illegal bookmaker and debts well
MLB on Friday announced a formal investigation into the scandal swirling around Shohei Ohtani and his former interpreter amid charges that the Los Angeles Dodgers superstar was the victim of “massive theft.” The Dodgers on Wednesday fired Ippei Mizuhara, Ohtani’s long-time interpreter and close friend, after Ohtani’s representatives alleged that the Japanese two-way star had been the victim of theft, which was reported to involve millions of dollars and link Mizuhara to a suspected illegal bookmaker in California. “Major League Baseball has been gathering information since we learned about the allegations involving Shohei Ohtani and Ippei Mizuhara from the news media,” MLB