The Denver Nuggets charged back from a 13-point deficit to beat the Oklahoma City Thunder 98-94 on Wednesday, picking up a crucial road win in their NBA playoff chase.
Chauncey Billups scored 31 points and Carmelo Anthony added 24 as Denver held Oklahoma City without a basket for the final 9 minutes while finishing the game on a 22-5 run.
Thunder’s Kevin Durant scored 33 points, but missed a shot that would’ve tied the score in the final 10 seconds. Anthony followed that with two free throws to clinch it with 6.8 seconds left.
PHOTO: REUTERS
SUNS 112, SPURS 101
In Phoenix, the hosts stayed tied for second in the Western Conference by dominating San Antonio.
Amare Stoudemire scored 29 points and Jason Richardson added 20 in Phoenix’s 11th victory in 12 games.
Roger Mason led six Spurs in double figures with 18 points. San Antonio lost its first game in five to fall into a three-way tie for the West’s final three playoff spots.
ROCKETS 113, JAZZ 96
In Houston, Aaron Brooks and Kevin Martin scored 28 points apiece as Houston defeated Utah.
Brooks hit five 3-pointers and has 197 this season.
CELTICS 115, RAPTORS 104
In Toronto, Boston capitalized on another injury to a Toronto player.
Following Chris Bosh’s facial fracture the previous day, the Raptors lost Hedo Turkoglu in the first quarter on Wednesday in a clash of heads that left the Turk with a cut nose.
Rajon Rondo scored 21 points and Paul Pierce had 20 for the Celtics.
In other games it was:
• Warriors 116, Timberwolves 107
• Mavericks 110, Grizzlies 84
• Magic 121, Wizards 94
• Bobcats 104, Hornets 103
• Trail Blazers 93, Clippers 85
• Pistons 90, Hawks 88
• Heat 99, 76ers 95
• Pacers 113, Knicks 105
• Bucks 108, Nets 89
Bologna on Thursday advanced past Empoli to reach their first Coppa Italia final in more than half a century. Thijs Dallinga’s 87th-minute header earned Bologna a 2-1 win and his side advanced 5-1 on aggregate. Giovanni Fabbian opened the scoring for Bologna with a header seven minutes in. Then Viktor Kovalenko equalized for Empoli in the 30th minute by turning in a rebound to finish off a counterattack. Bologna won the first leg 3-0. In the May 14 final in Rome, Bologna are to face AC Milan, who eliminated city rivals Inter 4-1 on aggregate following a 3-0 win on Wednesday. Bologna last reached the
If the Wild finally break through and win their first playoff series in a decade, Minnesota’s top line likely will be the reason. They were all over the Golden Knights through the first two games of their NHL Western Conference quarter-finals series, which was 1-1 going back to Minnesota for Game 3 today. The Wild tied the series with a 5-2 win on Tuesday. Matt Boldy had three goals and an assist in the first two games, while Kirill Kaprizov produced two goals and three assists. Joel Eriksson Ek, who centers the line, has yet to get on the scoresheet. “I think the biggest
The Minnesota Timberwolves, with so many promising performances spoiled by late mistakes fresh in their memory bank, sure timed this strong finish well. Jaden McDaniels scored a career playoff-high 30 points and spearheaded Minnesota’s stifling defense on an ailing Luka Doncic, and the Timberwolves beat the Los Angeles Lakers 116-104 to take a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven Western Conference first-round series in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on Friday night. “Jaden never looks tired. He looks like he could play 48 minutes,” said teammate Anthony Edwards, who had 29 points, eight rebounds and eight assists. Julius Randle added 22 points for the Wolves, who outscored
From a commemorative jersey to a stadium in his name, Argentine soccer organizers are planning a slew of tributes to their late “Captain” Pope Francis, eulogized as the ultimate team player. Tributes to the Argentine pontiff, a lifelong lover of the game, who died on Monday at the age of 88, have been peppered with soccer metaphors in his homeland. “Francisco. What a player,” the Argentine Football Federation (AFA) said, describing the first pope from Latin America and the southern hemisphere as a generational talent who “never hogged the ball” and who showed the world “the importance of having an Argentine captain,
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