The Orlando Magic clinched an NBA playoff spot by beating the Chicago Bulls 107-79 with a big boost from the bench on Wednesday.
Securing a playoff berth has been a formality for more than a month for the Magic. And they’ll almost surely lock up a second consecutive Southeast Division title in the next few weeks, having started the day with a 10{ game lead over Atlanta.
Tony Battie had 18 points and eight rebounds, J.J. Redick had 13 points, and Marcin Gortat added 13 points and 15 rebounds in reserve for the Magic.
John Salmons had 18 points and eight rebounds for Chicago.
HEAT 107, CELTICS 99
At Miami, Dwyane Wade scored 32 points, including the game-sealing 3-pointer with 34 seconds left, as Miami held on to beat Boston.
Jamario Moon scored 13 points and grabbed eight rebounds for Miami, which stayed 1{ games behind Atlanta for fourth place in the Eastern Conference. Jermaine O’Neal scored 12 for the Heat.
Ray Allen hit his first six shots and finished with 27 for Boston, which fell two games behind Cleveland for the East’s best record. Leon Powe had 23 points and 13 rebounds for the Celtics, who have lost two straight.
HAWKS 100, JAZZ 93
At Atlanta, Joe Johnson scored 31 points and Josh Smith had 22 points and 12 rebounds to help Atlanta end Utah’s 12-game winning streak.
Flip Murray scored 11 of his 16 points in the fourth quarter for the Hawks, who have won three straight. Smith ended the scoring with a pair of free throws with 24 seconds remaining.
HORNETS 109, WIZARDS 98
At Washington, Chris Paul compiled his NBA-leading sixth triple-double with 30 points, 13 assists and 10 rebounds, steering New Orleans over Washington.
Eastern Conference-worst Washington began the second half with a one-point lead, before Paul compiled 14 points, six assists and four rebounds in the third quarter alone to help the Hornets outscore the Wizards 40-22 in the period.
Antawn Jamison led Washington with 25 points and 10 rebounds.
In other NBA action it was:
• Knicks 116, Pistons 111, OT
• 76ers 115, Raptors 106
• Timberwolves 104, Grizzlies 79
Eugenie Bouchard already has her own signature pickleball paddle. She is No. 17 in the pickleball rankings and constantly appears on the main court at events because she is always a big draw. However, just to be absolutely clear, she is not retired from tennis. The 2014 Wimbledon finalist still practices on the tennis court, still competes at tennis events and still has a Women’s Tennis Association ranking (No. 1,288). The Canadian standout just has a new sport that has caught her attention. Bouchard is one of several familiar tennis names — like Jack Sock and Donald Young — crossing over to
Starting with three fights in the first nine seconds and ending with a celebration and a spot in the 4 Nations Face-Off final, the US on Saturday delivered exactly what Matthew Tkachuk hoped for by beating Canada. “We needed to send a message,” Tkachuk said. “The message we wanted to send is ‘It’s our time.’” Tkachuk fought Brandon Hagel off the opening faceoff, brother Brady tussled with Sam Bennett the next time the puck dropped, J.T. Miller dropped the gloves with Colton Parayko next and the Americans followed those fisticuffs with a 3-1 victory over their biggest rival. “That was one of the
Shaquille O’Neal is staying with TNT Sports on a new contract worth more than US$15 million per year, Front Office Sports reported on Friday. The news means the cast of Inside the NBA is staying together even as TNT is set to license out the show to ESPN starting next season. TNT was the odd network out in the NBA’s recent TV rights negotiations, as NBC and Amazon joined previous rightsholder ESPN in inking deals for basketball games. That left TNT without a need for pregame and postgame NBA shows. In a trade with ESPN, TNT is licensing Inside the NBA to the
Aaliyah Edwards on Monday pulled off the stunner of the opening round of the Unrivaled one-on-one tournament, beating top-seeded Breanna Stewart 12-0. The tournament to be played over three days featured 23 of the WNBA’s 36 players. A few had other commitments and a couple others were out with injuries. Stewart got the ball first against Edwards and missed a contested layup. Edwards then hit a three-pointer from the corner and a jumper from the elbow to go up 5-0. The player who scores keeps the basketball. Edwards hit two layups and a three-pointer to seal the win. Stewart, a two-time WNBA Most Valuable Player,