Kobe Bryant rediscovered his scoring touch to tally 37 points and lead the Los Angeles Lakers to top spot in the Pacific division with a 108-99 win over the visiting Houston Rockets on Tuesday.
Bryant, who had connected on just 26 percent of his shots over his previous two games, finally caught fire against the Rockets, while teammate Andrew Bynum had 21 points and 22 rebounds as the Lakers got their fourth win in five games.
“I just had to make some adjustments,” Bryant said as he continues to play with an injured right wrist. “Some shots [it] hurts, some it doesn’t, so it’s inconsistent. But you have to find a rhythm.”
Los Angeles held an 82-81 lead with about 10 minutes remaining of a previously tight contest, but outscored the Rockets 18-8 over the next eight minutes, led by nine points from Bryant during the stretch.
Bryant made 14-of-29 shots and also had eight rebounds and six assists.
The win moved the Lakers (4-3) a half-game in front of the cross-town Clippers in the division. The Rockets (2-3), meanwhile, have lost all three of their road games this season.
Los Angeles grabbed a 53-38 advantage in rebounds led by 7-footer Bynum. After being suspended the first four games of the season because of a flagrant foul during the last post-season contest, Bynum has exploded back onto the scene with three straight double-figure games in points and rebounds.
BULLS 76, HAWKS 74
Luol Deng’s layup with 3.7 seconds to play lifted the Chicago Bulls to a nail-biting 76-74 comeback victory over the Atlanta Hawks in Chicago on Tuesday.
Derrick Rose scored 17 of his 30 points in the fourth quarter to rally the Bulls from a 19-point deficit. Coming out of a timeout with the score tied in the final seconds, Deng cut along the baseline and took a feed from Joakim Noah to put Chicago ahead.
Atlanta’s Joe Johnson shot an airball at the buzzer, giving the Bulls the win.
Rose had missed a runner with 21 seconds left, but Atlanta’s Jeff Teague then missed two free throws. Rose scored with 9.9 seconds left to put the Bulls up 74-73.
Al Horford, who led the Hawks with 16 points, was fouled and split two free throws with 7.7 seconds remaining.
JAZZ 85, BUCKS 73
In Salt Lake City, Al Jefferson scored a season-high 26 points to lead Utah past undermanned Milwaukee.
Paul Millsap had 13 points and 12 rebounds, hitting a jump shot to clinch the game with 1:07 to play.
Drew Gooden had 24 points and 12 rebounds for the Bucks, who missed the inside presence of center Andrew Bogut, who was absent for personal reasons, while Mike Dunleavy was out with groin pain.
Led by Brandon Jennings’ 4-for-19 performance, the Bucks shot just 31 percent and had 10 shots blocked by the Jazz, including a career-best five by Derrick Favors.
TRAIL BLAZERS 103, THUNDER 93
In Oklahoma City, LaMarcus Aldridge had 30 points and eight rebounds to help Portland beat Oklahoma City.
Wesley Matthews added 16 points for the Blazers, who held the Thunder to 34 percent shooting in the second half on an off night for All-Stars Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook.
Westbrook scored 22 points on 8-for-18 shooting and Durant finished with 19 points, while hitting eight of 26 shots. James Harden made his sixth career start and led the way for the Thunder with 23 points.
GRIZZLIES 113, KINGS 96
In Memphis, Rudy Gay scored 23 points in Memphis’ win over Sacramento.
Sam Young added 20 points for the Grizzlies, who outrebounded Sacramento 49-41.
With Memphis holding a double-digit lead for most of the second half, the Kings’ reserves got extended minutes. Rookie Jimmer Fredette scored 17 points to lead Sacramento.
CAVALIERS 115, BOBCATS 101
In Cleveland, Kyrie Irving scored 20 points and fellow rookie Tristan Thompson added 16, leading Cleveland past Charlotte.
Cleveland continued its strong three-point shooting, making 10 of 21 from behind the arc, having shot 16 and come within one longshot of equaling the franchise record on Sunday.
Charlotte has lost four straight since opening the season with a win. D.J. Augustin scored a season-high 26 points for the Bobcats.
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.
The Philadelphia 76ers, fueled by 36 points from Tyrese Maxey and a triple-double from Joel Embiid, on Thursday beat the Houston Rockets 128-122 in an NBA overtime thriller. Cameroonian big man Embiid scored 32 points, grabbed 15 rebounds and handed out 10 assists, posting the ninth triple-double of his career to help the Sixers end the Rockets’ three-game winning streak. Rockets star Kevin Durant scored 36 points and Amen Thompson added 17, but Thompson was scoreless in the fourth quarter. Even so, the Rockets led by nine midway through the final frame, Maxey tying it at 115-115 with 40.1 seconds left. Durant missed a
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
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
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