Sports

MANCHESTER, England — Manuel Pellegrini has cause to feel resentment at being handed his notice by Manchester City, even though the mild-mannered Chilean isn't showing it.

When he is replaced as coach by Pep Guardiola at the end of the season, Pellegrini might just have become the most successful manager in the club's 136-year history.

City's travelling support showed its love for Pellegrini during the 1-0 win over Sunderland on Tuesday, serenading him with a full repertoire of songs throughout the first half. Sergio Aguero might have scored the only goal of the game during that time, but it was Pellegrini's name being sung loud and proud.

"The fans think the world of him, the players think the world of him," City goalkeeper Joe Hart said.

The game at Stadium of Light was the start of a long farewell for Pellegrini after Monday's announcement that Guardiola will be joining on a three-year deal starting in July.

The 62-year-old Pellegrini knew the end was coming — the club had kept him informed of their behind-the-scenes push for Guardiola's signature — but he has stayed dignified throughout the process, in the face of constant questions about his future at news conferences.

Pellegrini hasn't had the best of luck over the last few years. He was fired by Real Madrid in 2010 despite leading the Spanish club to its largest-ever points tally in the league, and replaced by Jose Mourinho — at the time arguably the biggest draw in world football.

He has been big-footed again at City, midway through his third season in charge as the team chases trophies on four fronts. He won the Premier League-League Cup double in his first season. Again, though, football's current most-coveted coach has taken his job.

"We are all thinking about this season. We will see after that what happens next season for the players and me," Pellegrini said after the Sunderland game. "I always feel the commitment of all the players to our project.

"We are living a very good season. We hope we can finish in the same way."

Pellegrini likely will be best remembered at City for the way he stabilised the club after the turbulent ending to the tenure of his predecessor, Roberto Mancini. With the bickering Mancini and Mario Balotelli no longer around, the negative headlines and off-field drama at City largely disappeared. Pellegrini's news conferences tend to be more tedious and humdrum.

His team hasn't been boring, though. In winning the double in the 2013-14 season, City scored 156 goals in all competitions as Pellegrini preached an attacking, entertaining approach in keeping with the vision of director of football Txiki Begiristain and at odds with Mancini's often unadventurous style. Pellegrini regularly said it was his duty to send out his team to entertain.

His second season was a major disappointment, though, exposing his flaws as a tactician. Pellegrini's preference for a 4-4-2 formation was his undoing in big Champions League games, leaving City outnumbered in midfield and eventually getting outplayed by Bayern Munich and Barcelona. Only this season has Pellegrini started to regularly play one up front.

Not winning a trophy in the 2014-15 season was a failure for a club of City's ambition. And in two seasons, Pellegrini has yet to get City past the last 16 of the Champions League, although this year could be different against Dynamo Kiev.

The positives will likely outweigh the negatives when Pellegrini's reign is analysed. And the players will miss a coach labelled "This Charming Man" by fans.

"We really enjoy playing under Manuel," Hart said. "He has been a top manager for us. His man-management has been something that I personally have really enjoyed.

"So we are going to look to give him the best send-off, what he deserves." 

MIAMI — FIFA presidential candidate HRH Prince Ali has criticised the global body's decision to cut off funding to corruption hit Americas confederations, calling it "collective punishment".

In a statement on Wednesday, Prince Ali questioned Monday's announcement by FIFA that they had put on hold payments to CONCACAF and CONMEBOL, the two confederations that have been most affected by the corruption scandal engulfing football governance.

CONMEBOL is responsible for the sport in South America while CONCACAF covers North and Central America and the Caribbean. Officials from the Americas make up the overwhelming majority of the 41 individuals and entities that have been indicted by the US Department of Justice.

"I have read reports that a FIFA spokesperson has announced that funding to CONCACAF and CONMEBOL has been suspended with immediate effect," wrote Prince Ali in a statement issued to media.

"Who is the spokesman; which FIFA committee does he represent; who decided that 45 Member Associations should suffer collective punishment as a result of individuals' bad actions; who decided to hold these votes to ransom less than three weeks before the election and who exactly will decide when the funding will be reinstated?" concluded the statement.

A spokesman for FIFA's Audit and Compliance Committee told Reuters that they had made the decision to stop the payments to the two confederations but declined to comment on Prince  Ali's statement.

FIFA's media department declined to comment beyond reissuing the statement they had released on Monday.

"We can confirm that in light of current proceedings involving individuals related to CONMEBOL and CONCACAF, FIFA has put contributions towards these two confederations on hold until further notice.

"We are currently assessing further steps to be taken to increase the level of assurance which may again enable FIFA to release such funds in the future."

CONCACAF has seen its last three presidents indicted by the Department of Justice with Trinidad and Tobago's Jack Warner, Cayman Islander Jeffrey Webb and Honduran Alfred Hawit all facing charges.

CONMEBOL has had former president Nicolas Leoz and their most recent leader Jan Angel Napout, both of Paraguay, indicted along with several other leading officials.

The two organisations are due to hold a joint “Copa America” tournament in the United States in June to celebrate CONMEBOL's centenary.

Prince Ali is hoping to be elected FIFA president in the vote on February 26.

Also standing are Asian Football Confederation President Sheikh Salman Bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa, former FIFA deputy general secretary Jerome Champagne of France, South African businessman and politician Tokyo Sexwale and UEFA general secretary Gianni Infantino.

AMMAN — Only one Jordanian team will participate in the Qatar International Rally, first round of the Middle East Rally Championship (MERC) to be held February 4-6 with the participation of 15 teams representing Qatar, Kuwait, Lebanon, Jordan, Turkey, Germany, Sweden and Italy.

Jordan’s Husam Salem and co-driver Nancy Majali will compete against a high level of participation headed by champion Qatari Nasser Al Attiyah in one of the longest rallies in the MERC.

“We could not say no to this rally as it is the start of this season for us and we are planning to compete in the MERC rounds as long as we can,” Salem told The Jordan Times.

“The Qatar Rally is really tough and has one of the longest stages in any rally (25.90km). We need to cover a total distance of 535.25km with 12 special stages, but we are ready for any challenge we may face fore we consider our participation here an extensive training session for the Jordan Rally,” he added.

Majali, a veteran driver and co-driver stated that their participation in the rally is a good sign.

“Jordanian drivers should always be present in all rounds of the MERC as we have the talent and the skill to compete and we might not have the financial abilities or the support needed like others but I am sure we can do something and that is why we are participating to prove that we have it,” she said.

“The entry list has 15 big names from all over the world and we look at it as an additional once-in-a-life-time opportunity to learn more and experience more from the best and at the same show the world that we also can,” she added.

Attiyah, who is aiming for his fourth win in a row in the Qatar Rally, said in a statement that the rally will be a good start for this season.

“Each round has its own geographical conditions in Qatar Rally; they should be handled according to a well-studied plan, which we know very well how to handle, meanwhile the geographical diversity is the most important feature of this championship which attracts a large number of participants from Europe,” Attiyah, who is also seeking his 13th title in his career, said.

In another statement Qatari driver Rashid Naimi, who secured the second place in the MERC 2015 Championship, said: “We have enough confidence to achieve a new victory; Qatar Rally stages need special care as they are desert land, a little mistake would cost much.”

INDIANAPOLIS — Kyrie Irving scored 25 points and LeBron James had 24 points, 12 rebounds and six assists to lead the Cleveland Cavaliers past the Indiana Pacers 111-106 in overtime on Monday night.

James only scored seven points after half-time, but it was enough to give the Cavaliers their fifth straight win under new coach Tyronn Lue — and their first win in Indy in six years.

George Hill matched his season-high with 23 points, while Myles Turner had 14 points and 10 rebounds for Indiana.

The Pacers controlled most of the second half, but James’ lay-up with 1:16 left in regulation gave Cleveland a 94-93 lead.

Irving’s 13-footer with 3:01 left gave the Cavs a 103-100 lead and they never trailed again.

Thunder 114, Wizards 98

Russell Westbrook had his seventh triple-double of the season and Oklahoma City beat Washington.

Westbrook had 17 points, 13 rebounds and 11 assists and got the best of his matchup with Washington point guard John Wall. It was the 26th triple-double of Westbrook’s career, and he has two straight and four in his past 10 games.

Kevin Durant scored 28 points and Serge Ibaka added 19 points and 10 rebounds for the Thunder, who have won 11 of 12.

Bradley Beal came off the bench to score 18 points, Wall had 17 points and eight assists and Marcin Gortat scored 17 points for the Wizards, who have lost four of five.

Grizzlies 110, Pelicans 95

Zach Randolph had 22 points and 12 rebounds and Memphis beat New Orleans for their 10th victory in 12 games.

Anthony Davis had 23 points and nine rebounds for the Pelicans, who lost for just the third time in 10 games, with two of those losses coming against Memphis.

New Orleans led 86-84 after Ryan Anderson’s free throw with 7:02 left, but the Grizzlies responded with a pivotal 10-0 run to take the lead for good, closing the game on a 26-9 run.

Spurs 107, Magic 92

LaMarcus Aldridge scored a season-high 28 points and San Antonio beat Orlando to remain undefeated at home.

Aldridge shot 9 for 13 from the field in leading San Antonio to their 26th straight home victory to open the season. Patty Mills matched a season-high with 22 points, going 3 for 4 on 3 pointers.

San Antonio found its defensive footing late in the third quarter, using a steal by Mills and blocks by Kawhi Leonard to separate from Orlando. The Spurs outscored the Magic 24-8 to overcome a 70-69 deficit with 1 1/2 minutes left in the third quarter.

Nuggets 112, Raptors 93

Nikola Jokic had 27 points and 14 rebounds, and Denver ended Toronto’s 11-game winning streak.

Jokic’s totals were season highs for the rookie. He had 23 points and 12 rebounds against San Antonio on November 28.

Will Barton scored 20 points and Randy Foye had 16 for the Nuggets, who swept the season series. They won in Toronto on December 3 to stop an eight-game losing streak.

The Raptors entered with the NBA’s longest current winning streak but couldn’t duplicate the success they had in January. They led by one midway through the second quarter but trailed by double digits for most of the second half.

DeMar DeRozan led Toronto with 24 points. His All-Star backcourt mate, Kyle Lowry, scored just nine and went 1 for 6 from the foul line.

Jazz 105, Bulls 96, OT

Gordon Hayward had 27 points and 12 rebounds, Rodney Hood added 19 points and Utah beat Chicago.

Rudy Gobert had 16 points and 12 rebounds to help Utah win its third straight.

Jimmy Butler scored 26 points and Pau Gasol added 19 points and eight rebounds to lead Chicago. Derrick Rose chipped in 14 for the Bulls, who lost for the third time in four games.

Chicago and Utah traded baskets throughout the fourth quarter. Rose’s 3-pointer with 18.5 seconds left put Chicago ahead 93-90.

In the extra period, Hayward made back-to-back pull-up jumpers and followed with a dunk to give Utah the lead for good at 102-95 with 59.9 seconds remaining.

Kings 111, Bucks 104

Rudy Gay had 32 points, nine rebounds and six assists and Sacramento snapped a five-game losing streak by beating Milwaukee.

Sacramento won minus All-Star centre DeMarcus Cousins, who sprained his left ankle in Saturday’s loss at Memphis. The Kings are 2-7 this season without Cousins, with both wins coming against the Bucks.

Greg Monroe had 24 points and 12 rebounds for the Bucks, who have dropped three straight and five of six.

Hawks 112, Mavericks 97

Jeff Teague scored a season-high 32 points, Kyle Korver added 16 points and Atlanta beat Dallas to snap a three-game skid.

Teague went 12 for 15 from the field with a career-high five 3 pointers, and reserve guard Dennis Schroder finished with 14 points. Atlanta entered the game having lost five of six to drop to fifth place in the Eastern Conference.

Deron Williams, coming off a 27-point performance in Dallas’ home win Sunday over Phoenix, left the game early in the second quarter with a bruised hip.

Pistons 105, Nets 100

Andre Drummond had 21 points and 18 rebounds, Reggie Jackson scored 19 points and Detroit beat Brooklyn.

Drummond fell just shy of an NBA-high sixth 20-point, 20-rebound game of the season but delivered the tiebreaking basket on a dunk with 1:30 remaining. Jackson added a couple of clutch baskets as the Pistons avoided a third straight loss.

NEW YORK — Klay Thompson woke the Warriors from their slowest start of the season with 17 of his 34 points in the second quarter, Draymond Green tied Tom Gola’s franchise record with his ninth triple-double of the season, and Golden State beat the New York Knicks 116-95 on Sunday night for their seventh straight victory.

Green made all nine shots as the Warriors (44-4) wrapped up January at 40 games over .500 even with a quiet 13 points from Stephen Curry. Green finished with 20 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists for the Warriors, who were held to a season-low 18 points in the first quarter.

They charged back with 64 over the middle two quarters — the Knicks had only 65 total through three — and looked back to normal after a sluggish Saturday in Philadelphia.

Carmelo Anthony had 24 points and 10 rebounds for the Knicks, who lost for the fifth time in six games.

Hornets 101, Lakers 82

Marvin Williams and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist had 19 points and 12 rebounds apiece, and the Charlotte Hornets sent the Los Angeles Lakers to their franchise record-tying 10th consecutive defeat.

Kobe Bryant scored 23 points in 23 minutes, but the Lakers matched the 1994 team for the longest skid in the 16-time NBA champion franchise’s proud history. Los Angeles dropped to 9-41, guaranteeing three straight non-winning seasons for the first time since 1961.

Kemba Walker had 12 points, seven rebounds and six assists for the Hornets, who wrapped up their four-game road trip with a decisive win over the Western Conference’s worst team.

Trail Blazers 96, Timberwolves 93

CJ McCollum and Damian Lillard scored 21 points apiece, and the Portland Trail Blazers handed the Minnesota Timberwolves their 11th straight road loss.

Portland extended their winning streak to four and improved to 3-0 against the Timberwolves this season.

Karl-Anthony Towns, a contender for Rookie of the Year, was the first player on the court in double figures and finished with 21 points and 13 rebounds for the Timberwolves. It was his 25th double-double, the most of any rookie this season.

Clippers 120, Bulls 93

Jamal Crawford scored 12 of his 26 points in the fourth quarter, leading a dominant bench effort for the second straight game, and the Los Angeles Clippers defeated the Chicago Bulls for their fourth consecutive victory.

J.J. Redick added 21 points and DeAndre Jordan had 17 points and 20 rebounds for the Clippers, who improved to 15-3 without Blake Griffin. Their four-game streak has coincided with Griffin being out at least a month after breaking his right hand while punching the team’s assistant equipment manager.

Jimmy Butler scored 23 points for the Bulls, who have lost four of six and dropped to 10-11 on the road.

Heat 105, Hawks 87

Chris Bosh scored 18 points and the Miami Heat extended their winning streak to four games with a victory over the Atlanta Hawks.

Dwyane Wade and Luol Deng each had 17 points and Amar’e Stoudemire finished with 13 points and 12 rebounds for the Heat, who led by as many as 22 and never trailed.

It is Miami’s first four-game winning streak in the regular season since March 28 to April 2, 2014.

Paul Millsap and Al Horford each scored 17 for Atlanta, who have lost three straight.

Magic 119, Celtics 114

Evan Fournier scored 24 points and Aaron Gordon had 19 points and 14 rebounds as the Orlando Magic snapped an eight-game losing streak with a win over the Boston Celtics.

Rookie Mario Hezonja scored 17 points, Tobias Harris had 16 and Nikola Vucevic had 16 points, 13 rebounds and seven assists for the Magic.

Marcus Smart led Boston with 26 points. Isaiah Thomas added 23 points and Avery Bradley scored 22. The loss stopped a five-game win streak for Boston, who had beaten Orlando 113-94 two nights earlier.

Mavericks 91, Suns 78

Deron Williams scored 27 points and the Dallas Mavericks won without Dirk Nowitzki, surging past the lowly Phoenix Suns.

Dwight Powell had six straight points for all his scoring to give the Mavericks the lead for good in the fourth quarter.

Nowitzki sat out the opener of a back-to-back set and the first of Dallas’ five games in seven nights. The Mavericks were hoping they could rest their 37-year old leading scorer and still beat a team with 13 straight road losses. Dallas did that thanks to a 23-5 run over the final 9 minutes and gave up its fewest points in the fourth quarter this season, outscoring Phoenix 23-9.

Rookie guard Devin Booker led the Suns in scoring for the third straight game with 19 points.

AMMAN  — The Jordan Cup semis kick off on Tuesday with teams battling to reach the final round of the second event of the season as titleholders Faisali will play Ahli, while Jazira take on Shabab Urdun in Leg 1 of the semis. 

Faisali have already secured one title beating Jordan Professional League titleholders Wihdat 1-0 to clinch the 33rd Super Cup. Wihdat only have the league title in contention after conceding the Super Cup, and being eliminated from the Jordan Cup. 

After the elimination of leading contenders Wihdat, Ramtha, Baqa’a in the Round of 16, now titleholders Faisali, Ahli, Jazira and Shabab Urdun will vie for the title. In the quarters,  Shabab Urdun beat Hussein 3-1, Faisali beat Kufrsoum 3-0, Ahli ousted Turra 2-0 and Jazira overcame That Ras 3-2. In Leg 1 saw Hussein tie Shabab Urdun 1-1, Jazira beat That Ras 3-0, Faisali beat Kufrsoum 1-0 and Ahli defeat Turra 3-0. 

Four Division 1 teams — Turra, Bala’ama, Arabi and Sheikh Hussein — were eliminated in the preliminary knockout round, where reigning Jordan Cup champs Faisali ousted Sarih, Ahli upstaged Wihdat, Turra upset Ramtha, Jazira beat Asala, Hussein eliminated Baqa’a 3, That Ras ousted Arabi, Kufrsoum beat Sheikh and Shabab Urdun defeated Bala’ama.

After Leg 1 of the Cup semis, teams will resume Leg 2 of the Premier League on February 4 while Wihdat and Faisali have regional Asian Football Confederation competitions coming up, and Wihdat play their February 9 preliminary round match against Saudi Arabia’s Ittihad Jeddah in the 2016 Asian Champions League.

Top Scorers

PHILADELPHIA — Harrison Barnes hit a 3-pointer with 0.2 seconds remaining and the Golden State Warriors escaped with a 108-105 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers on Saturday.

Klay Thompson had 32 points and Stephen Curry scored 23 points for the Warriors, who nearly blew a 24-point second-half lead. Draymond Green added 10 points and 13 rebounds for Golden State, which opened a three-game road trip with their sixth straight victory while matching the NBA’s best start through 47 games.

They tied the 1966-67 76ers, who also won 43 of their first 47.

Isaiah Canaan had 18 points to lead the 76ers, who dropped to 7-41.

Pacers 109, Nuggets 105, OT

Monta Ellis scored a season-high 32 points and grabbed nine rebounds to lead the Indiana Pacers past the Denver Nuggets.

Ellis missed a 3-pointer with the game tied at 99 as regulation ended, but he converted a three-point play with 20.4 seconds left in overtime to seal it and send the Pacers to a second straight victory.

Danilo Gallinari led Denver with 23 points, and Kenneth Faried added 16 points and 12 rebounds.

Pacers starting centre Ian Mahinmi sat out with sore lower back.

Raptors 111, Pistons 107

DeMar DeRozan had 29 points and the Toronto Raptors beat the Detroit Pistons to push the team’s franchise-best win streak to 11 consecutive games.

Kyle Lowry had 18 points and backup centre Bismack Biyombo added 12 points and 13 assists. Cory Joseph also had 16 points off the bench.

Reserve guard Brandon Jennings led the way for Detroit with 22 points, with starter Kentavious Caldwell-Pope contributing 15. Andre Drummond had 11 points and 12 rebounds for his NBA-leading 39th double-double.

Pelicans 105, Nets 103

Jrue Holiday hit a 15-foot shot with 1.3 seconds remaining and the New Orleans Pelicans held off the Brooklyn Nets.

New Orleans’ Anthony Davis scored 20 points and grabbed 16 rebounds in his first game back after sitting out with a concussion. Davis started 0 for 10 from the floor before finding his rhythm.

The Pelicans (18-28) and Davis were helped by Ryan Anderson’s 24 points off the bench. Holiday’s final shot gave him a team-best 26 points.

Brook Lopez scored 33 points and had 10 rebounds to lead the Nets, who lost for the third straight game and allowed an opponent to shoot 44 per cent or better for the 12th consecutive game.

Spurs 117, Cavaliers 103

LeBron James scored 29 points and Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving added 21 apiece as the Cleveland Cavaliers finally took down one of the NBA’s elite teams, beating the San Antonio Spurs.

The Cavs won their fourth straight under coach Tyronn Lue, who was promoted after David Blatt was fired on January 22. Cleveland came in 0-5 against San Antonio, Golden State and Chicago, three top-tier teams who figure to contend with them for a title this season.

Kawhi Leonard scored 24 and LaMarcus Aldridge 15 for the Spurs.

Wizards 123, Rockets 122

John Wall had 19 points, 13 assists and eight rebounds and the Washington Wizards rallied for a win over the Houston Rockets to snap a three-game losing streak.

Ramon Sessions had 17 points off the bench, Jared Dudley had 16 points and Marcin Gortat had 13 points and 11 rebounds. The Wizards shot 52 per cent.

James Harden had 40 points, 11 assists and seven rebounds, but Houston lost their third straight. Dwight Howard had 20 points and seven rebounds for the Rockets but was ejected for the second straight game.

Grizzlies 121, Kings 117

Jeff Green scored 29 points, Marc Gasol had 22 points, six rebounds and five assists, and the Memphis Grizzlies thwarted a fourth-quarter rally to defeat the Sacramento Kings.

The Kings, who lost their fourth straight, pulled within 118-117 on a 3-pointer from Darren Collison with 18.7 seconds left. Courtney Lee converted two free throws for a 120-117 lead. On the next possession, Collison lost the ball, the Kings’ 19th turnover, and Memphis held on for its third straight win and ninth in the last 11.

Rudy Gay led the Kings with 21 points, including 13 in the fourth.

AMMAN — Run Jordan, the sole entity dedicated to bringing together different marathon events and races in Jordan under one umbrella, will have a busy season in its 2016 calendar dedicated to spreading awareness regarding the benefits of running in having a healthy lifestyle.

Lina El-Kurd, general manager of Run Jordan, told The Jordan Times that the year 2015 was a success.

“We are looking forward to repeating the success we had in earlier years and develop this sport to a higher level based on the directions of HH Prince Firas, the chairman of the board of Run Jordan,” she said.

“Our focus will be on giving more time to runners to prepare for this season which will start in April with the annual Dead Sea Ultra Marathon which will celebrate its 23rd season and will have the 50km ultra-marathon, 21km half marathon and 10km fun run, in addition to the Children’s Race that is scheduled on April 1,” she added.

Meanwhile, the popular Samsung Amman Marathon is scheduled to be held on October 28th 2016, and will include a 42km marathon, a 21km half marathon and a 10km fun run, in addition to the Children’s Race that is scheduled on October 21. 

“And the end of the season will be celebrated with the Ayla Red Sea Half Marathon scheduled on December 9 and will consist of three categories: 21km, 10km fun run and 4.2km Children’s Race with all the routes run along the beautiful shore of the Red Sea; this race usually gives participants a chance to visit Aqaba and enjoy its fair weather during December,” she said.

Run Jordan adopted a plan to include governorates in its annual strategy in order to spread the word about healthy living.

 “In addition to our annual races, we are strongly moving ahead to various governorates in the Kingdom to spread the 5km and 10km races, in addition to our other programmes, including the Junior Programme, Jordan Runners Programme and the Elite Runners Programme to spread the culture of sports and running among our society and to educate them of the various benefits sports can provide,” she said. 

“Our Moto “Run for a Cause” continues to be a major motivator to create effective partnerships with NGOs and other organisations as we share the common goal of giving back to our society,” she stated.

Last year, Run Jordan established agreements with two major NGO’s in the city of Aqaba namely: The Friends of Autism Society, which helps to support autistic children and their families in the southern region of the Kingdom; and the Bride of the South Orphan Society, which offers counselling and educational support for orphans.

In April 2015, Run Jordan organised the 1st Irbid Marathon which witnessed the participation of thousands of runners.

Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook combined for 59 points to lead the Oklahoma City Thunder to a 116-108 victory over the Houston Rockets at Chesapeake Energy Arena on Friday.

Durant scored 33 points on 11-of-18 shooting from the field and had 12 rebounds and three assists. Westbrook picked up his sixth triple-double of the season with 26 points, 10 rebounds and 14 assists.

Centre Enes Kanter came off the bench to contribute 22 points and 10 rebounds as Oklahoma City improved to 36-13.

Guard James Harden led the Rockets with 33 points, seven rebounds and seven assists. Forward Corey Brewer added 17 points as Houston dropped to 25-24.

With 6:17 left in the fourth quarter, Thunder forward Kyle Singler completed a three-point play to give Oklahoma City a nine-point advantage. Harden answered with his own three-point play to close gap to 101-95.

Kanter began to take over for the Thunder in the paint. He scored four quick points as Oklahoma City went up by 11. Durant then drained a three-pointer from the top of the key to stretch the lead to 112-98 with 3:25 left.

However, Rockets guard Patrick Beverly knocked down a three-pointer to slash deficit to 11. Centre Clint Capela hit one of two from the line and Brewer came up with a fast-break dunk as Houston closed to eight with 1:36 left.

Westbrook was fouled and missed both free throws. Harden made the Thunder pay by hitting two of his own as the Rockets trailed 112-106 with 1:20 left.

Thunder guard Dion Waiters scored, but Durant fouled Harden on a three-point attempt at the other end. Harden made two of the three foul shots and lead was back to six.

A layup by Kanter pushed the advantage to eight. Harden tried to answer but dribbled away precious seconds before missing a jumper to close out the game.

Surging Celtics

The surging Boston Celtics used balanced scoring to cruise to their fifth straight win with a 113-94 victory over the sagging Orlando Magic on Friday.

The Celtics (27-21) had seven players score in double figures while sending the Magic to their eighth straight loss and 12th in their last 13 games in the opener of a home-and-home series that shifts to Orlando on Sunday.

Boston blew open a fairly close game by going on a 22-4 tear that ended with a 15-0 run in the first five and a half minutes of the fourth quarter.

Guard Marcus Smart and forward Kelly Olynyk, both coming off the bench, led the scoring with 16 points apiece.

Forward Jae Crowder scored 15 points, newly named All-Star guard Isaiah Thomas had 14 points and 11 assists, and guard Evan Turner added 15 points and eight assists.

Reserve forward Jonas Jerebko had a season-high 13 points and 10 rebounds and forward Jared Sullinger contributed 11 points and 11 rebounds, as the Celtics reached the 100-point mark for an 11th straight game.

Big man Nikola Vucevich led six Magic players in double figures with 14 points. He also grabbed eight rebounds as his streak of double-doubles ended at six games.

Forward Aaron Gordon had 12 points and nine rebounds for the Magic (20-25).

The Celtics showed a video tribute during a first-quarter timeout saluting Thomas making the All-Star team.

Thomas, who had just scored his first basket of the game, then had a hand in 10 straight points, scoring four and contributing three assists.

Boston used the Thomas-led 8-0 run to take a five-point lead that grew to eight in the quarter and the advantage reached double figures in the first three minutes of the second.

The Celtics took a 13-point lead with 3:56 left in the half but led by eight at the break. Thomas ended the half with an end-to-end dash and layup with 1.1 seconds left.

Jerebko, averaging 3.6 points per game coming in, scored eight straight Boston points in the second quarter.

Turner ended the third quarter with a buzzer-beating floater that made it 86-77.

Olynyk then scored nine points in the first 3:19 of the fourth quarter and the lead was 16. It quickly grew to 27.