Russell Westbrook capped a 38-point, 15-rebound performance by scoring all of Oklahoma City’s 13 points in the third overtime as the Thunder overcame the absence of an injured Kevin Durant with a 123-120 win against the New Jersey Nets on Wednesday night.
Jeff Green added a career-high 37 points as the Thunder outlasted New Jersey in a game in which the Nets equalized at the end of regulation on a running 26-foot three-pointer by Anthony Morrow, then blew leads of six points in the first overtime and three points with 4.6 seconds to go in the second.
Brook Lopez led New Jersey with 28 points and 11 rebounds. Jordan Farmar added a career-high 28 points and nine assists while starting for injured point guard Devin Harris.
Photo: EPA
Rockets 109, Lakers 99
In Houston, Kevin Martin scored 22 points and Shane Battier added 11 of his 17 in the final three minutes to lift the Rockets over Los Angeles.
The loss is the fourth in a row for the Lakers, who were led by Kobe Bryant’s 27 points.
Lamar Odom had a season-high 25 points with 11 rebounds and two blocks, but did not score in the fourth quarter. Matt Barnes added 14 points and eight rebounds.
Clippers 90, Spurs 85
In Los Angeles, Blake Griffin had 31 points and 13 rebounds, while Eric Gordon added 21 points as Los Angeles ended an 18-game skid against San Antonio.
Baron Davis had seven points and 10 assists in his return from a 10-game injury absence for the Clippers, who have the league’s worst record with four wins and 15 losses. They still beat the club with the NBA’s best record for the second time in 10 days, following a similarly stunning win over New Orleans late last month.
George Hill scored 17 points and Manu Ginobili added 15 for the Spurs, who dropped to 15-3 with their first road loss of the season after an 8-0 start away from San Antonio.
Magic 107, Bulls 78
In Chicago, Jameer Nelson scored 24 points as Orlando spoiled the Bulls debut of forward Carlos Boozer.
Boozer played his first game of the season after missing all of Chicago’s preseason games plus the first 15 of the regular season after breaking the fifth metatarsal in his right hand in an accident at his home on Oct. 2. Tentative most of the game, he finished with five points and two rebounds in 22 minutes, shooting 2-for-5 from the floor.
Vince Carter scored 22 points for Orlando, Brandon Bass had 17 off the bench and Nelson added nine assists.
Raptors 127, Wizards 108
In Toronto, DeMar DeRozan scored 20 points, while Andrea Bargnani and Sonny Weems each had 18 as Toronto set a season high in points.
Toronto led by as many as 27 and avenged a 109-94 loss in Washington on Nov. 16. The Raptors shot 51-for-88 (58 percent), their highest percentage of the season.
JaVale McGee scored 21 points for the Wizards, who have lost four straight and fell to 0-9 on the road.
Hawks 112, Grizzlies 109
In Atlanta, the Hawks had six players score in double figures, including a season-high 16 points off the bench by Josh Powell, to overcome the loss of Johnson, the team’s four-time All-Star and top scorer.
The Hawks have won four straight. Mike Bibby, who had 15 points, hitting three 3-pointers in the last 5 minutes after Memphis trailed just 95-94.
In other NBA action, it was:
‧ Celtics 99, Trail Blazers 95
‧ Heat 97, Pistons 72
‧ Mavericks 100, T-wolves 86
‧ Hornets 89, Bobcats 73
MARRED FINAL: As most of Senegalese players walked off the pitch after a controversial decision, some supporters threw objects and attempted to get onto the pitch Senegal on Sunday won the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) as Pape Gueye’s extra-time winner sunk hosts Morocco 1-0 after a chaotic final that saw the eventual champions storm off the pitch late in the game. Brahim Diaz could have won the trophy for Morocco with a controversial spot-kick in the 24th minute of added time at the end of normal time as ugly scenes broke out in the stands. However, Senegal goalkeeper Edouard Mendy easily saved the weak attempted “Panenka” chip by the Real Madrid winger, who was clearly distracted by the long delay that followed the penalty award.
James Harden on Friday scored 31 points and came up big in overtime to help the Los Angeles Clippers erase a double-digit deficit on the way to a 121-117 NBA victory over the Toronto Raptors. Harden scored 16 points in the fourth quarter and overtime as the Clippers pushed their wining steak to five games despite the absence of star Kawhi Leonard with a sprained right ankle. The Clippers trailed by 11 entering the fourth quarter, but Harden drilled a pair of free-throws with 1:24 left in regulation to tie it and after misses from both teams, they went to
Tobias Harris on Monday scored 25 points as the Detroit Pistons held off the Boston Celtics to score a 104-103 victory in their top-of-the-table Eastern Conference showdown. Harris was one of four Detroit players to finish in double figures, with Jalen Duren adding 18 points and point guard Cade Cunningham scoring 16 points with 14 assists. The win sees Detroit extend their lead at the top of the Eastern Conference to 31-10, 5.5 games ahead of second-placed Boston, who fell to 26-16 with the defeat. Jaylen Brown led the Celtics scoring with 32 points and almost snatched victory in the
Qatar’s Nasser al-Attiyah on Saturday secured his sixth Dakar Rally car title in Saudi Arabia with Luciano Benavides scraping home by two seconds to claim the motorbike title. “We’ve worked very hard since last year. I might not be showing much emotion yet, but it’s there, deep down. We are so happy to win,” al-Attiyah said at the finish. Al-Attiyah, at the wheel of a Dacia, only had to avoid a final day slip-up to top the podium after bringing his career tally of stage wins to 50 on Friday. The 55-year-old, who took clay pigeon shooting bronze at the
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