The Chicago Bulls, led by 28 points from DeMar DeRozan, on Monday ended the Boston Celtics’ nine-game NBA winning streak with a 121-107 victory.
Zach LaVine, who was frustrated to be pulled from the waning minutes of the Bulls’ loss to Orlando on Friday, scored 22 points.
Nikola Vucevic added 12 points and 13 rebounds for Chicago — who had also beaten the Celtics at home last month, but fell to them in Boston on Nov. 4 in the game that launched the Celtics’ streak.
Photo: AP
At 13-4, the Celtics still have the best record in the NBA. Down by as many as 21 in the third quarter, Boston twice pulled within eight in the fourth quarter.
They were down by 10 with 4 minutes, 49 seconds to play, but LaVine drained a three-pointer and DeRozan passed to Alex Caruso for a reverse layup that pushed the Bulls’ lead to 116-101 with less than 3 minutes to go, and Chicago ended a four-game skid.
“There’s a sense of urgency when you lose a game,” LaVine said. “We all have that sense of urgency, individually and collectively as a team. You need to have that. You need to be a desperate team when you go out and play and get those wins.”
Jayson Tatum, scored 28 points, pulled down 11 rebounds and handed out seven assists in the defeat. Jaylen Brown added 25 points and seven rebounds for Boston.
While the Celtics found numerous ways to win during their streak, even when short-handed due to injuries, they could not overcome a poor night from three-point range — or Al Horford’s dismal 0-for-9 shooting night.
“It’s tough to beat a team on their home court when they’re hitting shots and you’re missing shots that you normally make,” said Marcus Smart, who was back in Boston’s lineup after missing two games with a bone bruise.
It was a humbling night in New Orleans for reigning NBA champions the Golden State Warriors. A day after grabbing their first road win of the season, the Warriors — with their top stars sitting out — crashed to a 128-83 defeat to the New Orleans Pelicans.
The Los Angeles Clippers, fueled by 30 points from reserve forward Norman Powell, held off the Western Conference-leading Utah Jazz down the stretch for a 121-114 victory.
Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 37 points to lead the Milwaukee Bucks to a 119-111 home victory over the Portland Trail Blazers, while Donovan Mitchell scored 29 points and Darius Garland added 26 as the Cleveland Cavaliers beat the Atlanta Hawks 114-102.
Taiwan’s participation in the Olympic Games has been a story of politics as much as sports, with the name it has competed under since 1984 — Chinese Taipei — drawing as much attention as its athletes. However, with the Games of the XXXIII Olympiad set to begin in Paris on Friday, the exploits of Taiwan’s athletes past and present who have won 36 medals since the country’s debut in Melbourne in 1956 deserve a nod. Many of Taiwan’s medal winners have gained considerable name recognition, but only two have achieved legendary status — Maysang Kalimud and Chi Cheng, the only medal winners
Shohei Ohtani on Sunday hit a 473-foot (144m) home run as the Los Angeles Dodgers went deep six times in a 9-6 victory over the Boston Red Sox. Freddie Freeman, Teoscar Hernandez, Gavin Lux, Austin Barnes and Jason Heyward also connected as Los Angeles swept the three-game series. “Going into the break, we weren’t playing good baseball, and then to come out fresh against a really good ball club and to play the way we did — the offense came to life,” Los Angeles manager Dave Roberts said. It was the 25th time the Dodgers launched at least six homers in a game
Canada women’s soccer coach Bev Priestman on Wednesday said she would step away from the team’s opening game against New Zealand at the Paris Olympics in the wake of a drone scandal. New Zealand complained to the International Olympic Committee’s integrity unit after it said drones were flown over closed practice sessions earlier in the week. As of press time last night, Canada, the defending Olympic champions, were set to open the Paris Games against New Zealand in Saint-Etienne. In the fallout of the complaint, two staff members — assistant coach Jasmine Mander and analyst Joseph Lombardi — were sent home, the
Conventional wisdom dictates that the average retirement age for elite female players in the intense and physically demanding sport of badminton is well under 30 years old. Five female shuttlers are set to turn that on its head when they make their fourth Olympic appearances at the Paris Games, a feat never accomplished before. Taiwan’s Tai Tzu-ying, 30, Thailand’s Ratchanok Intanon, 29, Belgium’s Lianne Tan, 33, and Hong Kong’s Tse Ying Suet and Canada’s Michelle Li, both 32, are to compete for Olympic glory at Porte de La Chapelle Arena from Saturday to Aug. 5. “These achievements get missed because they’re women,” said