Oklahoma City’s Kevin Durant scored 33 points to lead the Thunder to a 100-85 win over the Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday and a share of the NBA lead heading into the All-Star break.
Russell Westbrook added 19 for the Thunder, who won their 12th straight home game and denied Los Angeles the chance to head into the midseason break with back-to-back statement wins on the road. The Lakers had won at defending NBA champions Dallas a night earlier and were trying to follow it by knocking off the other half of last year’s West finals.
Kobe Bryant scored 24 points, but went seven-for-24 from the field for Los Angeles.
Photo: Reuters
Oklahoma City and Miami both have NBA-leading 27-7 records at the break.
HAWKS 83, MAGIC 78
In Atlanta, Josh Smith scored 22 points and pulled down 12 rebounds to help Atlanta snap a three-game skid with a win over Orlando.
Jannero Pargo added 15 points for the Hawks, who led by only a point with 4:42 left, but finished the stronger.
J.J. Redick finished with 13 points for the Magic, who had won six of seven going in.
SPURS 114, NUGGETS 99
In Denver, DeJuan Blair tied a career high with 28 points and grabbed 12 rebounds, helping San Antonio beat Denver to wrap up a nine-game road swing.
Buoyed by a 19-1 run midway through the first quarter, the Spurs jumped out to a big lead and then held on at the end. They’ve won 12 of their past 13 heading into the All-Star break and lead the Southwest Division by three games over defending champions Dallas.
All five starters for the Spurs scored in double figures. Tony Parker had 16 points and 12 assists.
Brazil has four teams, more than any other country, in the expanded Club World Cup that kicked off yesterday in the US, but for SE Palmeiras, the competition holds a special meaning: winning it would provide some redemption. Under coach Abel Ferreira since 2020, Palmeiras lifted two Copa Libertadores titles, plus Brazilian league, cup and state championships. Even before Ferreira, it boasted another South American crown and 11 league titles. The only major trophy missing is a world champions’ title. Other Brazilian clubs like Fluminense FC and Botafogo FR, also in the tournament, have never won it either, but the problem for Palmeiras
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Los Angeles Dodgers two-way star Shohei Ohtani on Monday wobbled through a 28-pitch first inning at home against the San Diego Padres in his first appearance on the mound since August 2023. Scheduled to throw as many as two innings, Ohtani went a single frame while allowing one run on two hits. He did not issue a walk nor strike out a batter. “Not quite happy with the results overall, but the takeaway for me is that I feel good enough to be able to make the next outing,” Ohtani said of his pitching performance. Ohtani still wound up with a positive impact
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