Kobe Bryant scored 28 points as the Los Angeles Lakers won for only the second time this season, beating the Atlanta Hawks 114-109 on Tuesday.
Bryant’s biggest shot came with 1 minute, 11 seconds remaining, when he backed in against Thabo Sefolosha and made a fadeaway jumper, despite being fouled. Bryant completed the three-point play, giving the Lakers a 108-102 lead.
The Hawks had a chance to force overtime after the Lakers (2-9) failed to put it away at the line.
Photo: AFP
However, Los Angeles smothered long-range threat Kyle Korver, leaving Pero Antic to take an open three-pointer. It clanked off the rim and the Lakers grabbed the loose ball to seal the victory.
“Man, oh man, that’s a lot better,’’ Lakers point guard Jeremy Lin said. “It’s been a rough start to the season.’’
Paul Millsap led Atlanta with 29 points.
Photo: EPA
Carlos Boozer added 20 points for the Lakers, while Nick Young, coming back from a thumb injury, had 17 in his first game of the season.
BUCKS 117, KNICKS 113
In Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Ersan Ilyasova had 20 points as the rebuilding Bucks beat the Knicks to lift their record above .500 for the first time in more than a year.
Photo: EPA
Zaza Pachulia added season highs of 14 points and 13 rebounds for Milwaukee, who improved to 6-5 for the year. It was the first time the team has had a winning record since March 20 last year, when they were 34-33.
New York cut a 26-point deficit to 115-113 with 7.9 seconds left, but Milwaukee managed to hold on.
Carmelo Anthony had 26 points for the Knicks and Tim Hardaway Jr scored 24.
The balanced Bucks had seven players score in double figures.
JAZZ 98, THUNDER 81
In Salt Lake City, Utah, Alec Burks had 20 points and a career-high 14 rebounds as the Jazz beat the reeling Thunder.
Enes Kanter added 16 points and a season-high 15 boards for Utah, who enjoyed a 55-44 edge on the glass. Trey Burke scored 11 of his 17 points in the second half and finished with nine assists.
Oklahoma City have lost three straight and seven of nine.
Jeremy Lamb led the Thunder with 19 points, while Steven Adams had 11 points and eight rebounds.
Playing without the injured Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook, Oklahoma City shot 35.7 percent (30 for 84) from the field.
PELICANS 106, KINGS 100
In Sacramento, California, Anthony Davis had 28 points and nine rebounds to lead the Pelicans past the Kings in a matchup between two of the Western Conference’s most surprising teams this season.
Ryan Anderson hit four three-pointers and scored 22 points for the Pelicans, who outscored the Kings 31-15 in the third and improved to 6-4 for the year.
Tyreke Evans had 18 points and Eric Gordon scored 17.
DeMarcus Cousins had 24 points and 17 rebounds for Sacramento, who dropped to 3-2 at home. Darren Collison added 13 points and 11 assists.
American rugby sevens star Ilona Maher is to join 15-a-side club Bristol next month in a bid to play in next year’s Women’s Rugby World Cup, the English club announced on Monday. Maher, 28, helped the US to a bronze medal at this summer’s Olympic Games in Paris and is the seven-a-side sport’s most popular player on social media. “This is a huge coup to be able to bring Ilona Maher to Bristol Bears on a short-term deal,” Bristol head coach Dave Ward said. “She is one of the biggest names in women’s sport, let alone rugby, and we believe she will
Major League Baseball (MLB) star Shohei Ohtani wants his former interpreter to hand over hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of baseball cards he says were fraudulently bought using his money. The Los Angeles Dodgers star is also requesting Ippei Mizuhara, who previously pleaded guilty to bank and tax fraud for stealing nearly US$17 million from the unsuspecting athlete, return signed collectible baseball cards depicting Ohtani that were in Mizuhara’s “unauthorized and wrongful possession,” court documents filed on Tuesday said. The legal filing alleges Mizuhara accessed Ohtani’s bank account beginning in about November 2021, changing his security protocols so that he
US skier Mikaela Shiffrin said she sustained an abrasion on her left hip and that something “stabbed” her when she crashed during her second run of an Audi FIS Ski World Cup giant slalom race on Saturday, doing a flip and sliding into the protective fencing. Shiffrin stayed down on the edge of the course for quite some time as the ski patrol attended to her. She was taken off the hill on a sled and waved to the cheering crowd before going to a clinic for evaluation. “Not really too much cause for concern at this point, I just
CLASH OF MANAGERS: Brighton’s Fabian Hurzeler and Russell Martin of Southampton accused each other of disrespect, while both were booked Southampton on Friday were denied a priceless victory by a controversial decision as they drew with hosts Brighton & Hove Albion 1-1 in the Premier League. Kaoru Mitoma spectacularly headed Brighton into a first-half lead and Flynn Downes hammered home an equalizer an hour in. Minutes later teammate Cameron Archer converted a cross from Saints substitute Ryan Fraser. A video assistant referee check of more than four minutes eventually decided that Archer was onside, but then penalized Adam Armstrong, who was offside, but did not touch the ball, for interfering with goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen. “I find it hard to accept,” Southampton manager Russell Martin
RSS