Miami’s LeBron James scored 30 points to help the Heat grind past Toronto 102-97 in Sunday’s clash of NBA divisional leaders and move eight games clear atop the Southeast Division.
Michael Beasley came off the bench to add 17 in a key contribution, as the Heat rallied from five points down after three quarters. They went on a 7-0 run to open the fourth and never trailed from then.
DeMar DeRozan scored 26 points on 11-for-19 shooting for Toronto, who won their previous five games to open a four-game lead atop the Atlantic Division.
Elsewhere, Oklahoma City rediscovered their home-court form and moved a game clear in the Northwest by beating Boston 119-96.
Reggie Jackson scored a career-high 27 points to help secure victory for the Thunder, who started the season 13-0 at home, but had lost three of four since then.
They were guided back to home advantage by Kevin Durant, who added 21 points, seven rebounds and eight assists.
Jeff Green and Avery Bradley scored 19 points apiece for the Celtics, who have lost seven of eight.
Also on Sunday, Indiana’s Roy Hibbert made a putback and two free-throws in the final 1 minute, 9 seconds to help the Pacers hold on for an 82-78 win over Cleveland after seeing most of their seemingly comfortable lead evaporate.
Paul George scored 16 points for Indiana, who led an undermanned Cavaliers team by 16 in the fourth, before Dion Waiters brought Cleveland back by scoring 12 points in a 16-1 run that got the Cavs within a point with 3:35 left.
Hibbert’s free-throw with 7.9 seconds left put the Pacers up 81-78 and Indiana got the ball back when Cleveland’s Earl Clark stepped out on an inbounds pass 1 second later.
Waiters scored 21 for the Cavaliers, who played without All-Star point guard Kyrie Irving.
In Washington, Golden State’s Klay Thompson scored 26 points to lead the Warriors to a 112-96 win over the Wizards and extend their winning streak to nine.The tally is the Warriors’ longest run of consecutive victories within a single season since 1975.
In the league’s other games, Carmelo Anthony scored 15 of his 19 points in the first quarter to jumpstart the Knicks’ 92-80 victory over Dallas, Denver’s Ty Lawson and Timofey Mozgov had 20 points each as the Nuggets beat the slumping Los Angeles Lakers 137-115 and Memphis’ Jon Leuer matched a career-high with 23 points as the Grizzlies dominated the second half to win 112-84 at Detroit.
Manchester United on Tuesday confirmed Michael Carrick as interim manager until the end of the season, tasking him with leading the Red Devils back into the UEFA Champions League. “Having the responsibility to lead Manchester United is an honor,” said Carrick, 44, who won 12 major trophies in his 12-year playing career at United. The former midfielder previously had an unbeaten three-game stint as caretaker boss at Old Trafford in 2021. Carrick then took on his first permanent managerial role at second-tier Middlesbrough in October 2022 and was sacked in June last year after the club finished 10th in the
Reigning NBA Most Valuable Player Shai Gilgeous-Alexander on Sunday sparked defending champions Oklahoma City to victory, while Anthony Edwards led Minnesota’s last-minute fightback to beat San Antonio. Gilgeous-Alexander scored 29 points while adding eight assists and five rebounds in the Thunder’s 124-112 home victory over Miami, improving the NBA’s best record to 33-7 after outscoring the Heat 70-53 in the second half. “We locked in defensively. We were finally able to get some stops,” Thunder guard Aaron Wiggins said. “We were able to get out in transition a little bit, get going offensively and find the flow.” Jalen Williams scored 18 points, while
Mohamed Salah’s Egypt knocked reigning champions Ivory Coast out of the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) with a 3-2 win in the quarter-finals on Saturday, while Victor Osimhen starred as Nigeria beat Algeria 2-0 to set up a clash with hosts Morocco. In Agadir, Morocco, a thrilling last-eight tie saw Omar Marmoush and Ramy Rabia net in the first half for the Pharaohs before an own goal by Ahmed Aboul-Fetouh brought the Ivorians back into it. Salah then got Egypt’s third early in the second half and they held on after Guela Doue again reduced the deficit. Egypt is to face Senegal
Brandon Miller scored 18 points, LaMelo Ball had 17 and the Charlotte Hornets built a 47-point lead in the first half of a 150-95 rout against the Utah Jazz on Saturday night. It was the second-biggest win in franchise history for the Hornets and their largest on the road. The Hornets bounced back from a pair of frustrating losses in a big way, having fallen to Toronto by one point and Indiana by two in their last two games. Charlotte pounded the NBA champion Thunder by 27 in Oklahoma City before those defeats, previously the Hornets’ most lopsided victory of the season. Tre
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