The Golden State Warriors came from seven points down in the closing minutes to beat the NBA-leading Los Angeles Clippers 106-99 on Sunday, closing the gap between the Pacific Division’s top teams to six games.
In other key games, Indiana stayed clear top of the Central Division by pipping Memphis, Brooklyn beat New York to move within a game of their city rivals in the Atlantic Division and San Antonio were too good for slumping Philadelphia.
Golden State’s Jarrett Jack had 18 points and 10 assists, while Stephen Curry made four 3-pointers in the fourth quarter to finish on 28 as the Warriors beat the Clippers for the third time in four meetings this season, dropping LA out of a share of the NBA lead.
There were five lead changes in the fourth quarter, but Los Angeles managed only two baskets over the final minutes as Golden State closed on a 14-4 run. Blake Griffin had 26 points and 13 rebounds for the Clippers.
The Indiana Pacers stayed a game ahead of Chicago atop the Central by beating the Memphis Grizzlies 82-81. George Hill scored 13 points, including a clinching free throw with 1.4 seconds remaining.
On the ensuing inbounds, Memphis’ Rudy Gay banked in a 24-foot shot, but a review determined the shot came after the buzzer.
David West scored 14 points for the Pacers, while Roy Hibbert scored 10 for Indiana.
The Brooklyn Nets’ win over the New York Knicks was almost as close, with Joe Johnson’s jump shot with 22 seconds remaining putting Brooklyn ahead and the Nets hung on for an 88-85 win.
Johnson scored 10 points in the fourth quarter and finished with 25, and Deron Williams added 14 points and 12 assists for the Nets.
Carmelo Anthony had 29 points and seven assists for the Knicks, but missed all six shots in the fourth quarter and finished 11 of 29 for the game.
The San Antonio Spurs moved five games above Memphis in the Southwest Division — and within four of NBA-leading Oklahoma City — by beating the Philadelphia 76ers 90-85.
Tim Duncan had 24 points and 17 rebounds and Tony Parker scored 20 points to lead San Antonio to its fifth straight win.
The Spurs blew a 17-point lead in the first half before rallying late in the fourth to win again without injured guard Manu Ginobili. San Antonio has won a league-best 15 road games this season.
Evan Turner’s 18 points and 12 rebounds led the Sixers, who have slumped to seven games below .500.
The Chicago Bulls pulled away late to beat the struggling Los Angeles Lakers 95-83, scoring 20 of the last 28 points.
Kirk Hinrich scored 22 points and Marco Belinelli added 15 points. Belinelli was vital in the closing minutes, scoring eight points during the decisive late run.
The Lakers have now dropped six straight on the road and this one came after coach Mike D’Antoni shook up the lineup. He moved forward Pau Gasol to a reserve role and replaced him with Earl Clark.
The Atlanta Hawks came from 18 points down in the second quarter to beat Minnesota 104-96, sending the Timberwolves to a sixth loss in seven games.
Al Horford scored a season-high 28 points and Jannero Pargo had 16 for the Hawks, who moved within four-and-a-half games of NBA Southeast Division leaders Miami.
In other games, the New Orleans Hornets beat the Sacramento Kings 114-105 and the Wizards saw a 98-95 win over the Portland Trail Blazers.
‘SU-PENKO’: Hsieh and Ostapenko face a rematch against their Australian Open final opponents, the same duo Hsieh played in last year’s Wimbledon semi-finals Taiwanese women’s doubles star Hsieh Su-wei and Latvian partner Jelena Ostapenko on Wednesday survived a near upset to the unseeded duo of Sorana Cirstea of Romania and Russia’s Anna Kalinskaya, setting up a semi-final showdown against last year’s winners. Despite losing a hard-fought opening set 7-6 (7/4) on a tiebreak, the fourth seeds turned up the heat, losing just five games in the final two sets to handily put down Cirstea and Kalinskaya 6-3, 6-2. Nicknamed “Su-Penko,” the pair are next to face top seeds Katerina Siniakova of the Czech Republic and Taylor Townsend of the US in a reversal of last
Taiwanese tennis veteran Hsieh Su-wei (謝淑薇) and her Latvian partner Jelena Ostapenko finished runners-up in the Wimbledon women's doubles final yesterday, losing 6-3, 2-6, 4-6. The three-set match against Veronika Kudermetova of Russia and Elise Mertens of Belgium lasted two hours and 23 minutes. The loss denied 39-year-old Hsieh a chance to claim her 10th Grand Slam title. Although the Taiwanese-Latvian duo trailed 1-3 in the opening set, they rallied with two service breaks to take it 6-3. In the second set, Mertens and Kudermetova raced to a 5-1 lead and wrapped it up 6-2 to even the match. In the final set, Hsieh and
Taiwanese tennis veteran Hsieh Su-wei and her Latvian partner, Jelena Ostapenko, advanced to the Wimbledon women’s doubles final on Friday, defeating top seeds Katerina Siniakova of the Czech Republic and Taylor Townsend of the US in straight sets. The fourth-seeded duo bounced back quickly after losing their opening service game, capitalizing on frequent unforced errors by their opponents to take the first set 7-5. Maintaining their momentum in the second set, Hsieh and Ostapenko broke serve early and held their lead to close out the match 6-4. They are set to face the eighth-seeded pair of Veronika Kudermetova of Russia and Elise Mertens
Outside Anfield, the red sea of tributes to Diogo Jota and his brother, Andre Silva, has continued to grow this week, along with questions over whether Liverpool could play at Preston today, their first game since the brothers’ tragic loss. Inside Anfield, and specifically a grieving Liverpool dressing room, there was no major debate over the pre-season friendly. The English Premier League champions intend to honor their teammate in the best way they know how. It would be only 10 days since the deaths of Jota and Silva when Liverpool appear at Deepdale Stadium for what is certain to be a hugely
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