Joakim Noah had 23 points, 21 rebounds and a career-high 11 blocks for his third career triple-double as the Chicago Bulls ended a two-game losing streak with a 93-82 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers on Thursday.
Carlos Boozer added 21 points and 12 rebounds, while Kirk Hinrich and Luol Deng had 15 and 12 points respectively, as the Bulls completed a three-game regular-season series sweep.
Noah tied the Bulls record for blocks in a regulation game, previously set by Artis Gilmore in 1977.
Photo: AFP
Jrue Holiday paced the Sixers with 22 points, while Spencer Hawes added 20 points and 15 rebounds.
The loss was Philadelphia’s season-high seventh in a row.
CLIPPERS 99, PACERS 91
In Indianapolis, Indiana, Chris Paul scored 29 points, while Blake Griffin finished with 18 points and 14 rebounds to help Los Angeles hold off Indiana’s late charge.
The Clippers have won three straight and seven of their past eight.
David West led the Pacers with 22 points, while All-Star Paul George had 20 points and five assists. Danny Granger finished with a season-high 12 points.
However, without the suspended Roy Hibbert, the Pacers barely resembled the team that had won five straight by an average margin of 23.8 points.
LAKERS 116, TIMBERWOLVES 94
In Los Angeles, Kobe Bryant scored 33 points and Antawn Jamison added 17 in Los Angeles’ 21st consecutive victory over Minnesota.
Bryant and Jodie Meeks each hit four of Los Angeles’ 16 three-pointers, while Meeks finished with 16 points. The Lakers (29-30) have won 12 of 17 and five of seven while moving within two games of Houston for the final playoff spot in the Western Conference with their longest stretch of solid play in this tumultuous season.
J.J. Barea scored 20 points and Luke Ridnour added 19 for the short-handed Timberwolves, who have lost four straight and 20 of 24.
Los Angeles’ mastery of Minnesota is the NBA’s longest active winning streak in any matchup.
Ricky Rubio had 13 points, 13 assists and eight rebounds, but Minnesota never threatened to get their first win over the Lakers since March 6, 2007.
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