ARAB TIMES, TUESDAY, JANUARY 5, 2021 SPORTS 15 Milan maintain ‘unbeaten’ run Curry scores career-high 62 pts MILAN, Jan 4, (AP): AC Milan warmed up for a midweek show- down with Juventus by beating Benevento 2-0 despite playing most of the match with 10 men, to remain unbeaten atop Serie A. Rafael Leão all but secured the as Warriors ‘down’ Trail Blazers victory for Milan with a stunning strike shortly after halftime. A Franck Kessié penalty had given Milan an early lead before Ros- soneri midfi elder Sandro Tonali was sent off in the 34th minute for a dangerous tackle. Benevento, which are led by former Milan star player and coach Filippo Inzaghi, missed a penalty. Milan remained the only un- beaten team across Europe’s top fi ve leagues. Stefano Pioli’s side is one point above Inter Mi- lan, which won 6-2 at Crotone thanks to a Lautaro Martínez hat trick. The Rossoneri face argu- ably their biggest test so far of the sea- son when Leao they host nine-time defending champions Juventus on Wednesday. They were gifted the opener in the 15th after Benevento de- fender Alessandro Tuia fouled Ante Rebić and Kessié convert- ed the resulting penalty. SOCCER Roberto Insigne hit the post for Benevento and Milan’s chances of moving back top ap- peared to diminish when Tonali was shown a red card for a chal- lenge on Artur Ioni. Benevento poured forward with wave after wave of at- tack, keeping Milan goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma busy. But it was 10-man Milan which Chicago Bulls’ Daniel Gafford (12) dunks against Dallas Mavericks’ Tim Hardaway Jr (11) during the second half of an NBA basketball game, on Jan 3, in Chicago. (AP) scored next, four minutes after the break, when Leão curled into the far side of the net from outside the Clippers hold off Suns Michigan beats Northwestern to remain unbeaten area on the left fl ank. Benevento had a chance to get back into the match on the SAN FRANCISCO, Jan hour but Gianluca Caprari fi red 4, (AP): Stephen Curry let Houston rebounds from first loss wide after a Rade Krunić lunge it fly from way out under on Pasquale Schiattarella. But pressure with a minute- DALLAS, Jan 4, (AP): Quentin the AAC only to Davis’ 19.2 com- Milan could also have extended Irving had 30 points and 10 as- plus left for another per- Grimes hit a go-ahead 3-pointer to ig- ing in, fi nished with 11 points. He their lead as Hakan Çalhanoğlu sists, and Durant had 28 points, 11 nite a 10-0 run to start the second half was scoreless with only one shot and Kessié hit the woodwork. fect swish on the way to a rebounds and seven assists. for No. 5 Houston and the Cougars before halftime, when he played Inter had ended last year on a career-high 62 points, and streak of seven successive league Nuggets 124, Timberwolves 109 rebounded from their fi rst loss with a only eight minutes after two early victories but were surprised when the Golden State Warriors In Minneapolis, Jamal Murray 74-60 victory over previously unde- fouls. Niccolò Zanellato headed Crotone beat Portland 137-122 on scored a season-high 36 points, feated SMU on Sunday night. Michigan 85, Northwestern 66 into the lead in the 12th minute. Sunday night to split the Nikola Jokic had 19 points, 12 re- That 3-pointer by Grimes from In Ann Arbor, Mich., Hunter Martínez equalized in the bounds and 12 assists for his fourth the top of the key to put Houston Dickinson scored 15 of his 19 20th and thought he had another two-game set with the Trail triple-double of the season and (8-1, 3-1 American) ahead to stay points in the second half and Mich- 11 minutes later but Luca Mar- Blazers. Denver beat Minnesota. on the fi rst shot after halftime and igan beat Northwestern to remain rone got the last touch on Nicolò Curry had the highest-scoring Murray scored 26 points in the Justin Gorham then made a 3. unbeaten. Barella’s ball across the box. first half, including 16 in the sec- Vladimir Golemić leveled game in the NBA this season, Grimes also had a layup and two Chaundee Brown, Franz Wagner shortly after from the spot follow- finishing 18 for 31 and 8 of 16 ond quarter. free throws in that game-turning and Eli Brooks scored 14 points ing Arturo Vidal’s foul on Arkadi- on 3-pointers after beginning Malik Beasley, the former run in just over 2 1/2 minutes. apiece for the Wolverines (9-0, 4-0 Denver draft pick traded to usz Reca. Vidal had also been at with a 21-point first quarter. Marcus Sasser led Houston with Big Ten). The Big Ten’s last re- fault for Crotone’s opener and he the Timberwolves last season, 17 points, and Gorham had 11 maining team without a loss, Mich- He had his 10th career 30-point Golden State Warriors guard Ste- was taken off at halftime. phen Curry (30) drives to the bas- scored a season-high 25 for Min- points and 19 rebounds. DeJon Jar- igan took control by scoring the last Inter often performs better in half to help the Warriors take a ket past Portland Trail Blazers cen- nesota. reau scored 15 points. nine points of the fi rst half and then the second half and so they proved 66-54 at the break. ter Enes Kanter (11) during the first The teams will complete home- Kendric Davis led SMU (6-1, quickly extended its lead early in again as Martínez restored his One small blemish in his bril- half of an NBA basketball game in and home set Tuesday night in 2-1) with 23 points. Feron Hunt had the second. team’s lead in the 57th with a pow- liant night: Curry had his streak San Francisco, Jan 3. (AP) Denver. Robbie Beran scored 14 points erful shot into the top left corner. a double-double with 12 points and of free throws snapped at a fran- Jazz 130, Spurs 109 12 rebounds, and Ethan Chargois for Northwestern (6-3, 3-2). They Romelu Lukaku had played a chise-record 80 in the first. The to beat Phoenix after nearly blow- have dropped two in a row. part in the buildup and the for- ing a 31-point lead in a matchup of In San Antonio, Bojan Bogda- scored 10 points. mer Manchester United forward run dated to March 29, 2019, vs. novic scored 28 points and Utah Grimes, Houston’s leading scorer Minnesota 77, Ohio State 60 Memphis. Against Portland, he two of the Western Conference’s marked his 50th Serie A ap- top early season teams. made a season-high 21 3-pointers at 18.5 points a game and second in In Minneapolis, Liam Robbins pearance with a goal of his own made a career-high 18 on 19 at- to beat San Antonio. had 27 points, 14 rebounds and fi ve seven minutes later, turning and tempts. At 5-2, the Clippers are tied with the Suns and Los Angeles Lakers Donovan Mitchell added 22 blocks, keeping up his impactful in- holding off Sebastiano Luperto Damian Lillard scored 32 points troduction to the Big Ten for Min- to fi re in Alessandro Bastoni’s for the West lead. points and nine assists in 29 for Portland, and CJ McCollum minutes. Utah was 21 for 41 on nesota in a victory over Ohio State. long ball over the top. added 28. McCollum shot 2 for 8 George was 7 of 10 from Martínez completed his hat 3-point range and Los Ange- 3-pointers compared to 6 for 19 by from deep after his 25 3-pointers San Antonio. trick in the 78th, heading in the re- over the initial five games left him les was 17 of 29 overall. Kawhi BASKETBALL bound from close range after Cro- Leonard added 15 points, but Keldon Johnson had 22 points tone goalkeeper Alex Cordaz had and Curry as the only players to for the Spurs. San Antonio suf- ever do so. shot 4 of 21 from the field, and Robbins, the 7-footer who trans- saved Ivan Perišić’s strike. Achraf Luke Kennard came off the fered its fourth straight loss as well Hakimi capped a fi ne day for Inter as its largest margin of defeat. ferred from Drake and had his eli- three minutes from time. BASKETBALL bench to add 14 points. gibility immediate granted by the Devin Booker led Phoenix with Bulls 118, Mavericks 108 NCAA, pitched in four assists and 25 points, and Deandre Ayton In Chicago, Zach LaVine had 39 two steals in another display of all- After Portland’s 25-point win added 24. Chris Paul, who played points and Coby White scored 21 around excellence., NBA Results/Standings Friday night, the Warriors were six seasons for the Clippers, had 15 of his 23 points in the second half Marcus Carr added 15 points, embarrassed and determined to be points, nine rebounds and six as- to lead Chicago past Dallas. and Gabe Kalscheur had 13 for the more aggressive and defend better sists. They had won four in a row Jalen Brunson, starting in place Gophers (10-2, 2-2). They emerged after the Blazers came out firing and 13 of 14 dating to their perfect of the injured Luka Doncic, had 31 with three wins from a 10-day, WASHINGTON, Jan 4, (AP): NBA results and points for the Mavericks.