Kevin Durant had career highs of 47 points and 18 rebounds as the Oklahoma City Thunder held off the Minnesota Timberwolves 118-117 in overtime in the NBA on Wednesday.
Kevin Love had 31 points and 21 rebounds for the Timberwolves, who had a chance to win the game in the final 7 seconds. Luke Ridnour rushed a 3-pointer and the Thunder tracked down the loose ball to seal it.
Jeff Green had 19 points and eight rebounds for the Thunder, who beat Minnesota for the eighth straight time. However, it was Durant who carried the load, scoring 16 straight points in the fourth quarter of a thrilling back-and-forth game.
Durant’s 47 points tied Clippers star Blake Griffin for the highest total in the NBA this season.
Michael Beasley had 30 points, nine rebounds and seven assists for Minnesota.
BOBCATS 114, SUNS 107
In Phoenix, Arizona, Stephen Jackson scored 16 of his 23 points in the second half and the Charlotte Bobcats won for the fourth time in five games.
Gerald Wallace had 16 of his 22 points in the second half for Charlotte, much improved since Paul Silas replaced Larry Brown as coach. After a 94-89 win at Sacramento on Tuesday, the Bobcats are off to a 2-0 start on a six-game road trip.
Steve Nash had 27 points and 15 assists and Vince Carter scored 22 for Phoenix on his 34th birthday, but the Bobcats shot 51 percent to beat the Suns for the fourth time in a row.
The Suns lost their third straight despite making 16 of 32 3-pointers.
SPURS 112, JAZZ 105
In Salt Lake City, Utah, Manu Ginobili scored 26 points, Tony Parker had 23 and the San Antonio Spurs earned its 10th win of the last 11 games.
Richard Jefferson scored 14 points as the Spurs improved to a franchise-best 39-7 record after 46 games. Only five teams in NBA history have had better records than the Spurs at this point in the season.
Deron Williams scored 17 of his 39 points in the fourth quarter, but Utah lost its sixth straight.
Al Jefferson had 22 points and CJ Miles added 13 for the Jazz.
ROCKETS 96, CLIPPERS 83
In Houston, Texas, Kyle Lowry scored 20 points, leading the Houston Rockets to victory over Los Angeles.
Aaron Brooks and Luis Scola added 16 points apiece for the Rockets, while Chuck Hayes grabbed 11 rebounds and led Houston’s stingy defense on rookie star Blake Griffin.
Randy Foye scored a season-high 20 points and DeAndre Jordan grabbed 12 rebounds for the Clippers, who mustered only 10 points in the final quarter to drop their fourth straight road game.
Griffin had 14 points and 11 rebounds, shooting only 5 for 16 from the field.
MAGIC 111, PACERS 96
In Indianapolis, Indiana, Dwight Howard had 19 points and 16 -rebounds to help the Orlando Magic beat the Indiana Pacers 111-96 in the NBA on Wednesday.
Jason Richardson added 19 points and nine rebounds, Hedo Turkoglu scored 18 points and Ryan Anderson had 14 for Orlando, which has won four of its past five games.
NETS 93, GRIZZLIES 88
In Newark, New Jersey, Devin Harris scored nine of his 13 points in the fourth quarter as the hosts beat the Memphis Grizzlies.
O.J. Mayo missed a tying 3-point attempt with about 3 seconds left and New Jersey’s Brook Lopez sealed the victory with two free throws, capping a 17-point performance.
In other NBA action, it was:
‧ 76ers 107, Raptors 94
‧ Nuggets 109, Pistons 100
‧ Bucks 98, Hawks 90
‧ Hornets 112, Warriors 103
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
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,
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
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