Paul Millsap scored 20 points and Al Horford added 19 as Eastern Conference-leading Atlanta topped the Minnesota Timberwolves 112-100 on Sunday, extending the Hawks’ club record with their 16th straight win.
Jeff Teague finished with 15 points and seven of Atlanta’s 30 assists as the Hawks won for the 30th time in 32 games.
Thaddeus Young had 26 points and Mo Williams added 20 for Minnesota. The Timberwolves, who are last in the Western Conference, have lost four straight and 20 of 22.
Photo: AFP
In Cleveland, LeBron James scored 34 points, including the first eight in the fourth quarter, as the Cavaliers beat the Oklahoma City Thunder 108-98 for their sixth straight win.
James made a pair of three-pointers and a nasty fade-away jumper to give the Cavs a 91-80 lead. Later, the four-time MVP fed Kevin Love for a three-pointer with 3:38 left that put the Thunder away. The Cavs are 6-1 since James returned after missing eight games with a strained back and knee.
Kevin Durant scored 32 and Russell Westbrook had 22 for the Thunder, who went 3-2 on their longest road trip this season.
Photo: AFP
Miami’s Hassan Whiteside had an unconventional triple-double with a team record and career high 12 blocks to go with 14 points and 13 rebounds to help the Heat beat the Chicago Bulls 96-84.
Dwyane Wade scored 26 points, Chris Bosh finished with 20 and Luol Deng scored 15 in his return to Chicago.
Pau Gasol had 13 points and 17 rebounds for Chicago, giving him 50 over the past three games. Derrick Rose scored 19 for Chicago, but missed all six three-pointers.
Photo: David Richard, USA TODAY Sports
The Indiana Pacers defeated the Orlando Magic 106-99 to end a seven-game losing streak after David West scored 20 points and reserve Damjan Rudez added a career-high 18, while Blake Griffin and Chris Paul scored 23 points each to lead the Los Angeles Clippers past the Phoenix Suns 120-100.
In other games, the New Orleans Pelicans beat the Dallas Mavericks 109-106, the Golden State Warriors downed the Boston Celtics 114-111, the Washington Wizards edged the Denver Nuggets 117-115 in overtime, the Houston Rockets were 99-87 winners over the Los Angeles Lakers, the San Antonio Spurs defeated the Milwaukee Bucks 101-95 and the Toronto Raptors edged the Detroit Pistons 114-110.
The pressure was already on Real Madrid coach Xabi Alonso before their 2-1 defeat to Manchester City on Wednesday in the UEFA Champions League raised further questions about his future. Arsenal remain perfect in this season’s competition and three points clear at the top of the standings after a 3-0 win against Club Brugge, while defending champions Paris Saint-Germain were held 0-0 at Athletic Bilbao. The clash between Madrid and City was the standout game of the round amid reports this week that Alonso had lost control of the locker room. Speculation over his position is likely to intensify after the latest
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The Kashima Antlers won a record-extending ninth Japanese title on the final day of the J. League season yesterday, holding their nerve to beat the Yokohama F. Marinos 2-1. Watched by Brazilian legend and former player Zico, the Antlers went into the game at their packed home stadium with a one-point lead over Kashiwa Reysol in the table. A goal in either half from Brazilian striker Leo Ceara put the Antlers in control, but Yokohama struck in the first of five minutes of second-half injury time to set up a nail-biting finale, with Reysol winning their game 1-0. The Antlers saw out the
Tony Jefferson intercepted a Jalen Hurts pass in overtime to give the Los Angeles Chargers a 22-19 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles on Monday in an NFL thriller between playoff contenders. Justin Herbert, playing a week after surgery on his broken left (non-throwing) hand, withstood a career-high seven sacks to throw for 139 yards and a touchdown for the Chargers. Cameron Dicker kicked five field goals, including the 54-yard game winner in overtime. The Chargers defenders forced Hurts to throw four interceptions and surrender a fumble for a career-worst five turnovers as the Eagles fell to 8-5 with a third
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