14 Established 1961 Sports Tuesday, December 19, 2017 James sparks Cleveland Cavaliers to win over Washington Wizards

Pistons forward Bullock saves his best for Orlando

LOS ANGELES: LeBron James registered his fourth NBA result/standings triple-double in five games with 20 points, 12 rebounds and 15 assists as the streaking Cleveland Cavaliers beat Indiana 109, Brooklyn 97; Cleveland 106, Washington 99; Detroit the Washington Wizards 106-99 on Sunday night. 114, Orlando 110; Toronto 108, Sacramento 93. Kevin Love led the Cavaliers with 25 points, while Jeff Eastern Conference Green had 15 points. Cleveland has won 18 of 19 games, Atlantic Division including the past five. Little separated the Eastern W L PCT GB Conference contenders for much of the game as the Boston 25 7 .781 - teams were tied at the end of the second and third Toronto 20 8 .714 3 quarters. James’s 3-pointer early in the fourth quarter NY Knicks 16 13 .552 7.5 put the Cavaliers in front for good and sparked an 8-0 Philadelphia 14 14 .500 9 run. Green’s three-point play capped the surge as Brooklyn 11 18 .379 12.5 Cleveland led 95-89 with 6:55 remaining. Bradley Beal Central Division Cleveland 23 8 .742 - Detroit 17 13 .567 5.5 Indiana 17 13 .567 5.5 Milwaukee 15 13 .536 6.5 DeRozan led a Chicago 8 20 .286 13.5 Southeast Division Washington 16 14 .533 - balanced offense Miami 15 14 .517 0.5 Orlando 11 20 .355 5.5 with 21 points Charlotte 10 19 .345 5.5 Atlanta 6 23 .207 9.5 Western Conference Northwest Division Minnesota 17 13 .567 - scored 27 points for the Wizards, who had won two in a Portland 16 13 .552 0.5 row. John Wall had 15 points and 10 rebounds. Denver 16 13 .552 0.5 Washington made 12 3-pointers but finished 9 of 16 on Oklahoma City 14 15 .483 2.5 WASHINGTON: Markieff Morris #5 of the Washington Wizards shoots the ball against the Cleveland Cavaliers free throws. Utah 14 16 .467 3 on Sunday at Capital One Arena in Washington. —AFP Pacific Division Golden State 23 6 .793 - PISTONS 114, MAGIC 110 LA Clippers 11 17 .393 11.5 Reggie Bullock scored a career-high 20 points, and RAPTORS 108, KINGS 93 PACERS 109, NETS 97 LA Lakers 10 17 .370 12 Detroit held off a late surge by undermanned Orlando. DeMar DeRozan led a balanced offense with 21 Victor Oladipo scored 26 points as Indiana beat Phoenix 10 21 .323 14 Bullock, who was inserted into the starting lineup four points as Toronto defeated Sacramento. The Brooklyn. Oladipo led the Pacers in scoring for the 21st Sacramento 9 20 .310 14 games ago, made 8 of 10 field-goal attempts. His previous Raptors also defeated the Kings last Sunday in time this season and produced his 26th game with at Southwest Division scoring high was 17 points last season, also against the Sacramento. Kyle Lowry scored 16 points and least 20 points. After shooting a combined 35.4 percent Houston 24 4 .857 - Magic. Tobias Harris, Reggie Jackson and Anthony added seven assists and five rebounds for the (17 of 48) in Indiana’s losses to Oklahoma City and San Antonio 20 10 .667 5 Tolliver scored 17 points apiece for the Pistons, who have Raptors, who have won nine of their past 10 games. Detroit, Oladipo went 9 of 14 on Sunday. Five Indiana New Orleans 15 15 .500 10 won three straight following a seven-game losing streak. Garrett Temple and Bogdan Bodganovic each players reached double figures as the Pacers shot 56.6 Memphis 9 21 .300 16 Mario Hezonja scored 28 points to led Orlando, which got scored 18 points for the Kings. percent and won for the fifth time in seven games. Allen Dallas 8 22 .267 17 24 points and 14 rebounds from Nikola Vucevic. Crabbe scored 17 points for the Nets. —Reuters

Suarez, Paulinho Mandanda blunder move Barca 11 helps Lyon beat clear of Real

Marseille 2-0 MADRID: Barcelona opened up an 11-point lead over Real Madrid ahead of next weekend’s Clasico PARIS: A howler from goalkeeper between the Spanish giants as Luis Suarez and Paulinho helped Lyon beat fellow European rivals Marseille 2-0 each scored twice in a 4-0 thrashing of Deportivo la on Sunday and move clear of their opponents in third Coruna on Sunday. place in . Visiting keeper Mandanda gifted Lionel Messi also saw a penalty saved and hit the Nabil Fekir an early opener, before Mariano Diaz woodwork three times as Barca regained their six-point headed in the second shortly after half-time. lead over Atletico Madrid in second place. Real remain The victory gave Lyon a three-point lead over down in fourth, but do have a game in hand on their fourth-placed Marseille and drew them level on points rivals as they missed out on domestic action this week- with second-placed Monaco, nine points adrift of run- end to win the Club World Cup in Abu Dhabi on away leaders Paris Saint-Germain. Marseille showed Saturday. plenty of fight but were made to pay for missed “I know people fixate on the difference between us chances as a 12-match unbeaten run in the league was and Real Madrid, but Atletico are just six points brought to an end. “I take full responsibility for this behind,” said Barca boss Ernesto Valverde. “No matter defeat. I should not be conceding that type of goal,” what happens on Saturday, there is still a world of a Mandanda said. “The difference was the two goal- way to go in La Liga.” keepers. Today we saw (Lyon keeper) Anthony Lopes The only drawback for Barca as they extended their be decisive and Steve Mandanda who was not good, unbeaten run in all competitions to 24 games since they which meant that Marseille lost this game.” were beaten by Real on their last visit to the Santiago BARCELONA: Barcelona’s Uruguayan forward Luis Suarez (L) vies with Deportivo La Coruna’s Brazilian Lyon made a dream start as Fekir put them ahead Bernabeu in the Spanish Super Cup back in August, defender Sidnei (R) during the Spanish league football match FC Barcelona against RC Deportivo de la in only the sixth minute with his 12th league goal of the Coruna at the Camp Nou stadium in Barcelona.— AFP season. But the forward was indebted to France inter- was a muscle injury to Paco Alcacer that will keep the national Mandanda, who somehow contrived to drop a forward out for three weeks. tame free-kick into the corner of his net. Messi paraded his fourth golden boot award-after Marseille almost levelled soon afterwards though, being the leading scorer in Europe last season-before next attempt came off the post and into Paulinho’s path Suarez was upended inside the area. but Lopes pulled off a wonderful reflex save to keep kick-off and could barely believe his luck as he failed to to make it 2-0 before half-time. Suarez thought he had But Martinez was helpless as Paulinho profited from out ’s header after the centre-back was left add to his 18 goals already this term. his second of the night moments later when the ball a repeat of his first goal when he rolled into an empty unmarked at a corner. Lyon were shaky The Argentine has now hit the woodwork 14 times looked to have crossed the line. net on the rebound after Jordi Alba also hit the frame of at defending set-pieces and were given another let-off this season, but still had a huge role to play in three of However, for the second time in less than a month the goal. as Portuguese defender headed over when he Barca’s four goals. Only a series of saves from Ruben Barca were foiled by La Liga’s lack of goal-line tech- Earlier, Villarreal bounced back from three straight should have scored. Martinez to deny Messi and Aleix Vidal delayed Barca nology as the goal wasn’t awarded. “I could see clearly defeats as Pablo Fornals grabbed the only goal in a 1-0 Bruno Genesio’s men were living dangerously and until the 29th minute from going in front when Messi from my position after shooting because I was right by win at Celta Vigo. Victory allowed Villarreal to leapfrog needed the best of Lopes again when he got down presented Suarez with an early Christmas present to the goal line,” Suarez told BeIN Sports Spain. back above Girona into sixth after the Catalans had quickly to thwart Lucas Ocampos. tap in from close range. The Uruguayan, though, had to wait just two minutes edged the battle of the high-flying newly-promoted into the second half to net his fourth goal in three sides over Getafe 1-0 thanks to Cristhian Stuani’s early DIAZ STRIKES AGAIN MORE GOAL-LINE CONTROVERSY games by sweeping home Sergi Roberto’s cross. Messi goal. Managerless Las Palmas struck twice in the last But they came out after the break with renewed Messi then smashed against the bar, but the wood- hit the woodwork for a third time and then saw 10 minutes to snatch a 2-2 draw with Espanyol, but vigour and doubled their advantage in the 51st minute. work wasn’t so forgiving for Deportivo when Messi’s Martinez brilliantly save his effort from the spot after remain rooted to the foot of the table. — AFP Fekir’s corner found its way through a crowd of defenders to Diaz, and although the Spaniard’s first attempt was well saved by Mandanda, he met Maxwel Cornet’s cross from the loose ball to head in from people ask that question to us and then you do it to small, medium? I don’t know. “He is an experienced close range. Visiting coach Rudi Garcia threw on the third team and the fourth and to the fifth and to guy who will know not to let it go to difficult limits. Kostas Mitroglou, and Morgan Sanson Mourinho won’t the sixth, probably they will disappear. “Probably “But it is an injury of fatigue - everyone in the as Marseille looked for a way back into the game. they want to go on holidays. We don’t want to go on , especially the ones with more accu- Sanson came close to pulling one back only two min- give up on utes after coming off the bench, but the midfielder’s holidays. We want to play until the last match.” mulation of cups and European cups, are at risk.” fierce drive from the edge of the area crashed into the Mourinho refused to be drawn on the leaked video Meanwhile, West Brom are still without a win in four base of the post. catching City which emerged on social media before United’s victo- games under new boss Alan Pardew despite an Greece striker Mitroglou headed over late on and ry at the Hawthorns, showing City players celebrating improved second-half display against United. And Lopes flew to his left to deny , but Lyon Saturday’s win against Tottenham by taunting United Pardew admitted his own errors after the game. “We closed out their third win in four games. Earlier on WEST BROMWICH: Jose Mourinho insisted over their cautious style of play with the words “park were disappointed in the first half and I think I picked Sunday, Nantes coach Claudio Ranieri was sent to the Manchester United will not give up on the Premier the bus”. “I didn’t see, I didn’t watch,” Mourinho said. the wrong team,” he said. stands for manhandling the fourth official, but an League title race after his side cut Manchester City’s “I am not interested in doing that. “The boys gave me so much at Liverpool, obviously Emiliano Sala penalty still saw the Canaries strengthen lead back to 11 points. Mourinho’s side won 2-1 at “You are the ones to make your evaluations, your I’m getting to know them, but I didn’t think we had their grip on fifth spot with a 1-0 win over Angers. West Bromwich Albion on Sunday with goals from comments. For me, nothing.” United are set to check that energy in the first half that we need against Man Nice are four points behind in sixth after Mario Romelu Lukaku and Jesse Lingard before Gareth on the fitness of captain Antonio Valencia after he United. It was too comfortable for them. “Second half, Balotelli’s eighth goal in as many games saw Lucien Barry replied for the hosts. And Mourinho is limped off with a sore hamstring after 66 minutes at we had some experience in Gareth Barry, I thought he Favre’s men beat Bordeaux 1-0 to make it four wins on adamant United will keep going until the end of the West Brom. The full-back will be assessed ahead of made a big difference when he came on. the spin. PSG maintained their nine-point lead at the season despite their Manchester rivals’ huge lead at the League Cup trip to Bristol City on Wednesday and “And then Chris Brunt came on and suddenly we top of the table with Saturday’s straightforward 4-1 win the top. “I know that the questions are always com- next Saturday’s Premier League game at Leicester. looked threatening from the moment he entered the at Rennes, as scored two goals and created ing in the same direction and I keep saying the same,” pitch. “It was a lesson for the other players in having another two for Kylian Mbappe and . Mourinho said. PARDEW ERRORS confidence in what you’re doing. “There are some Monaco made it three straight wins with a 4-0 thrash- “Our last match in the Premier League is Watford “The Valencia injury is what I call a December good managers at the bottom of the league and some ing of struggling Saint-Etienne on Friday. — AFP at Old Trafford, in mid-May, and until then in every injury,” said Mourinho. “It is an injury of the accumu- good squads and we’re not going to make it up play- match we go - every match we will try to win. “If lation of fatigue. It is a muscular one - hamstring. Big, ing like we did in the first half.” —AFP