LeBron James hit two free throws for the winning points after a scary tumble with 4.1 seconds left as the Eastern Conference-leading Cleveland Cavaliers beat the Miami Heat 92-91 on Monday.
Dwyane Wade, who missed a jump shot at the buzzer, finished with 32 points for Miami, all but two of them in what was an epic first half shootout between superstars. But he missed two big free throws with 41.2 seconds left, part of a 1 of 6 showing from the line by the Heat in the fourth quarter — and it cost Miami dearly.
Shaquille O’Neal scored 19, Daniel Gibson had 15 and Brazilian Anderson Varejao finished with 13 points and 10 rebounds for Cleveland.
Wade had 10 rebounds and five assists for Miami. Jermaine O’Neal finished with 18 points, Michael Beasley had 16 and Rafer Alston and Udonis Haslem each scored 10 for the Heat.
CELTICS 95, CLIPPERS 89
At Boston, Paul Pierce scored 22 points and Rajon Rondo had 16 points and 12 assists to lead Boston to a win on a TD Garden floor that had to be continually wiped because of condensation.
Boston forward Kevin Garnett played his second straight after missing 10 consecutive games with a hyperextended right knee. He finished with 17 points in 30 minutes.
Rasual Butler led the Clippers with 17 points.
The slippery floor forced ball boys to mop one end while play was going on at the other for most of the game. Early in the game, it appeared a few players slipped.
PACERS 109, 76ERS 98
At Philadelphia, Danny Granger scored 26 points and Dahntay Jones had 18 points as Indiana earned a split of the home-and-away series with Philadelphia.
Jones scored seven straight points late in the fourth quarter that helped the Pacers put this one away.
Brandon Rush scored 16 points, and Troy Murphy had 11 points and 12 rebounds for the Pacers.
Andre Iguodala scored 22 points and Allen Iverson 20 for the Sixers.
In other NBA games it was:
• Grizzlies 99, Magic 94
• Hawks 102, Rockets 95
• Bulls 98, Spurs 93
• Jazz 124, Suns 115
• Nuggets 104, Bobcats 93
• Hornets 98, Trail Blazers 97
Santiago Castro on Tuesday had an immediate impact off the bench as he scored the goal to send Bologna into the Coppa Italia semi-finals for the first time in 26 years. Bologna won 1-0 against last year’s runners-up, Atalanta BC, and are to play either holders Juventus or Empoli in the final four. Juventus are to host Empoli in their quarter-final on Feb. 26. The last time Bologna reached the semi-finals was in 1999, when they lost 4-2 to ACF Fiorentina. There were chances for both sides in a high-tempo match in Bergamo, but it was Bologna who broke the deadlock 10 minutes from
The former interpreter for baseball star Shohei Ohtani on Thursday was sentenced to nearly five years in prison for bank and tax fraud after he stole nearly US$17 million from the Los Angeles Dodgers player’s bank account. Ippei Mizuhara, who was supposed to bridge the gap between the Japanese athlete and his English-speaking teammates and fans, was sentenced in federal court in Santa Ana to four years and nine months after pleading guilty last year. He was ordered to pay US$18 million in restitution, with nearly US$17 million going to Ohtani and the remainder to the US Internal Revenue Service. He was
The 40-year-old LeBron James on Thursday became the oldest player to score 40 points in an NBA game, putting up a season-high 42 in the Los Angeles Lakers’ 120-112 victory over the Golden State Warriors. James passed the record held by Michael Jordan, his idol and the only other NBA player to score 40 after his 40th birthday. “I’m old, that’s my take,” James said when asked about his latest achievement. “I need a glass of wine and some sleep, that’s what I think.” Jordan did it for the Washington Wizards just three days after turning 40 in February 2003. James is 38
SPEEDSKATER: Her bronze medal ended Taiwan’s run at the Asian Winter Games without a medal since the nation first participated in the second iteration in 1990 Speedskater Chen Ying-chu yesterday made history as the first athlete representing Taiwan to secure a medal at the Asian Winter Games. Competing at the HIC Speedskating Oval in Harbin, China, Chen clocked 10.510 seconds in the women’s 100m event, finishing third behind South Koreans Lee Na-hyum and Kim Min-sun, who posted times of 10.501 and 10.505 seconds respectively. Her bronze medal ended Taiwan’s drought at the Asian Winter Games since the nation first participated in the second iteration in 1990. This year’s Games mark Chen’s debut at the event. Previously excelling in roller speedskating, she won six medals at world championships before transitioning