Paul Pierce scored 12 of his 28 points in overtime to reach 20,000 points in his career and added a key steal with 27 seconds left to help the Boston Celtics beat the Milwaukee Bucks 105-102 on Wednesday night.
Ray Allen had 23 points for the Celtics, Rajon Rondo had 17 points and 15 assists, and Kevin Garnett scored 13 and grabbed eight rebounds.
Andrew Bogut led the Bucks with 21 points and 13 rebounds. Ersan Ilyasova and Carlos Delfino each scored 15 points. Brandon Jennings had 13.
LAKERS 112, KINGS 100
In Sacramento, California, Kobe Bryant had 30 points, 12 assists and 10 rebounds to help the Los Angeles Lakers win its fifth straight game to open the season.
Pau Gasol added 22 points and 11 rebounds, and Lamar Odom scored 18 for the Lakers, who have won seven straight against the Sacramento Kings, their Northern California rivals.
Bryant had his 17th career triple-double and first since Jan. 21 last year.
Tyreke Evans scored 21 to lead the Kings. Francisco Garcia, Carl Landry and Beno Udrih each added 17.
HAWKS 94, PISTONS 85
In Atlanta, Georgia, Al Horford had six straight points in an 18-4 run to finish the game and the undefeated Atlanta Hawks beat winless Detroit.
Josh Smith had 22 points and 11 rebounds as the Hawks improved to five wins, remaining the only unbeaten team in the Eastern Conference.
Ben Gordon had 22 points, but it wasn’t enough for Detroit.
The Pistons are 0-5 for the first time since the 1980-81 season, when they started 0-7.
MAGIC 128, TIMBERWOLVES 86
In Orlando, Florida, Dwight Howard had 18 points, 16 rebounds and eight blocked shots to help the Orlando Magic set a club record for most points in the first half in a victory over Minnesota.
In other NBA action, it was:
‧ Mavericks 102, Nuggets 101
‧ Bobcats 85, Nets 83
‧ 76ers 101, Pacers 75
‧ Hornets 107, Rockets 99
‧ Jazz 125, Raptors 108
‧ Spurs 112, Suns 110
‧ Clippers 107, Thunder 92
‧ Warriors 115, Grizzlies 109
Manchester United on Tuesday confirmed Michael Carrick as interim manager until the end of the season, tasking him with leading the Red Devils back into the UEFA Champions League. “Having the responsibility to lead Manchester United is an honor,” said Carrick, 44, who won 12 major trophies in his 12-year playing career at United. The former midfielder previously had an unbeaten three-game stint as caretaker boss at Old Trafford in 2021. Carrick then took on his first permanent managerial role at second-tier Middlesbrough in October 2022 and was sacked in June last year after the club finished 10th in the
Dallas Mavericks rookie Cooper Flagg on Wednesday was ruled out for the second half of their 118-109 loss to the Denver Nuggets after the No. 1 pick sprained his left ankle in the first half. Flagg was called for a foul while defending against Peyton Watson and turned the ankle as he fell to the floor with 6 minutes, 1 second left in the second quarter. Flagg limped to the bench and continued to the locker room, but returned for the final 2 minutes, 35 seconds before the break. The 19-year-old did not come out for the second half before the announcement that
Yassine Bounou on Wednesday saved two penalties, while Youssef en-Nesyri netted the decisive spot-kick as hosts Morocco secured a 4-2 shoot-out victory over Nigeria following a 0-0 draw in a tense Africa Cup of Nations semi-final in Rabat. Morocco, seeking their first continental title in 50 years, are to face 2021 winners Senegal in Sunday’s decider in Rabat, while Nigeria take on Egypt in the third-place playoff tomorrow. The 120 minutes before the shoot-out had few clear-cut chances for either side, but it was Morocco who created more opportunities, although they were denied by some fine saves from Nigeria goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali. Nigeria
Reigning NBA Most Valuable Player Shai Gilgeous-Alexander on Sunday sparked defending champions Oklahoma City to victory, while Anthony Edwards led Minnesota’s last-minute fightback to beat San Antonio. Gilgeous-Alexander scored 29 points while adding eight assists and five rebounds in the Thunder’s 124-112 home victory over Miami, improving the NBA’s best record to 33-7 after outscoring the Heat 70-53 in the second half. “We locked in defensively. We were finally able to get some stops,” Thunder guard Aaron Wiggins said. “We were able to get out in transition a little bit, get going offensively and find the flow.” Jalen Williams scored 18 points, while
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