Sports

AMMAN — Jordan went up three spots to 109th when the latest FIFA Rankings were issued on Thursday as the team starts the countdown to the 2019 Asian Cup.

The rankings come after the national team hosted India beating them 2-1 before holding Saudi Arabia 1-1 in the final home camp ahead of the 2019 Asian Cup in the UAE. They will leave to Doha to hold a training camp in which they will play Kyrgyzstan on December 20, Qatar on December 24 and China on December 28 in the final phase of preparations.

Last month, Jordan held Albania 0-0 and lost 2-1 to World Cup runner-up Croatia. Earlier they tied Oman 0-0 and defeated Lebanon 1-0.

The Kingdom’s competitive edge is lacking and judging by the FIFA Rankings it seems there will be a tough task ahead. Jordan is now 19th in the Asian continent trailing Iran (29), Australia (41), Japan (50), South Korea (53), Saudi Arabia (69), Syria (74), China (76), the UAE (79), Lebanon (81), Oman (83), Iraq (88), Kyrgyzstan (91), Qatar (93), Uzbekistan (95), India (97), Palestine (99) Vietnam (100) and North Korea (109).

Tunisia is the top-ranked Arab team at 26th, followed by Morocco (40), Egypt (56), Algeria (67), Saudi Arabia (69). Once among the Asia top 10, Jordan is now 19th in the continent lagging behind relatively uncompetitive Asian teams.

In the world’s top 10 Belgium is now in the top spot, with World Cup champ France second, followed by Brazil, Croatia, England, Portugal, Uruguay, Switzerland, Spain and Denmark.

While the national team’s path to the Asian Championship was not difficult against relatively unknown teams in the continent, the Asian Cup is a different story. Jordan will play in Group B alongside Australia on January 6, Syria on January 10 and Palestine on January 15 as 24 teams will play in six groups with the top two from each group and four third placed teams advance to the Round of 16. 

Since first taking part in Asian Cup qualifiers in 1972, Jordan reached the Asian Championship three times. The peak was at the 13th Asian Cup when its lost to Japan in the quarter-finals and jumped to the best ever FIFA Ranking of 37th in August 2004. They also reached the Asian Cup in 2011 and 2015.

After elimination from the 2018 World Cup qualifiers, playing in the Asian finals became Jordan’s focus. The team has had inconsistent results compared to 2013 when Jordan was on the verge of qualifying to the 2014 World Cup for the first time and advanced to play then World’s 6th ranked Uruguay in an intercontinental qualifying tie. Jordan had never reached that far in World Cup qualifying since taking part in qualifiers. Round 3 had been the furthest Jordan reached in the past seven times in the qualifiers since 1986. 

TURIN/MADRID — Juventus coach Massimiliano Allegri hailed the impact Cristiano Ronaldo was having on the Italian champions as the Portuguese star became the first player to achieve 100 Champions League wins in Tuesday’s 1-0 success over Valencia that clinched their passage to the knockout rounds.

“Ronaldo gives us a sense of security and confidence,” said Allegri of the beaten finalists in two of the last four editions of the elite European competition.

“The team is essentially the same as last season. We’ve grown, become faster in playing the ball, but then of course, there is Cristiano Ronaldo.

“This team is constantly improving — they’re passing and putting play together more quickly.”

Ronaldo — who joined Juventus last summer from Real Madrid — is targeting a sixth Champions League title to add to his four with the Spanish team and one with Manchester United.

The Italian team are looking for their third European title and first since 1995. 

Last season they exited in the quarter-finals to Ronaldo’s Real Madrid.

The 33-year-old played a key role against Valencia providing the assist on 59 minutes which Croatian Mario Mandzukic tapped in for his third goal in as many matches.

Juventus had needed just a point to ensure qualification.

Their win combined with Manchester United’s late 1-0 win over Young Boys at Old Trafford means Valencia crash out of the competition. 

Allegri’s side will now have to wait to see whether they top Group H when they play their final group game mid-December in Bern against Young Boys.

Ronaldo came out firing on all cylinders after his controversial red card during his first Champions League game for Juventus in Valencia back in September, which Allegri’s side still won 2-0.

The five-time Ballon d’Or winner had two chances within the first three minutes to add to his record tally of 121 Champions League goals.

Valencia had their best chance before the break when Mouctar Diakhaby’s header off a corner was punched out with one hand by Juventus goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny.

Just before the hour mark, Ronaldo broke free of Valencia defender Gabriel, and with some fancy footwork fired low across the face of the goal leaving Mandzukic to finish off.

Valencia thought they had scored the equaliser two minutes later but Diakhaby’s header was ruled to have come off his hand.

Valencia goalkeeper Neto kept out a late goal-bound header from Ronaldo, who rose to meet Paulo Dybala’s out-swinging corner.

“You can see how united we are including the forwards,” said Juventus captain Giorgio Chiellini.

“All three of them — Ronaldo, Mandzukic and Dybala, really put themselves about today. If we scrap like that, with the skill we have in the side, it makes everything much easier.

“We have to turn the page now — we’ll start thinking about the Champions League again in February. We must focus on Serie A because we have a tough month ahead,” added the defender as the league leaders target an eighth consecutive domestic title.

“The match was decided by great play by Cristiano,” said Valencia coach Marcelino Garcia, “but our team gave everything, showing great spirit against one of the best teams in Europe”.

Real Madrid secured first place in Champions League Group G with a 2-0 win at AS Roma, but the Italians will join the European champions in the knockout stage.

Viktoria Plzen’s 2-1 victory at CSKA Moscow in the early kick-off meant Real and Roma were assured of qualifying for the last 16 before a ball had been kicked at the Stadio Olimpico.

The result leaves Madrid on 12 points with Roma on nine. Real cannot be caught because of their better head-to-head record.

AMMAN — Jazira’s upcoming match with Faisali on Friday will be decisive for the current as well as final standings as teams edge closer to the end of Leg 1 of the Jordan Professional  Football League.

Jazira are still in the lead but their 1-1 draw with Shabab Urdun reduced the gap and now their closest rivals have a better chance at taking the lead away.

Faisali beat Baqa’a 3-1 to stay 4th, but now have 19 points, one behind Salt who beat Ramtha 4-1 to remained third.

Wihdat beat That Ras 4-0 to remain fifth before their match with Ramtha, while Hussein, who beat Ahli 1-0, are 6th before they face Salt. Aqaba, who beat Sarih 2-0, next pay Shabab Urdun while Baqa’a play Ahli who are down at 11th.

Jazira who have maintained their lead and like the past two seasons, have been at the forefront ahead of usual champs Wihdat and Faisali.

The 2018/19 football season kicked off with league champs Wihdat beating Jordan Cup champs Jazira in the 36th Jordan Super Cup — the first major competition on the annual football calendar.

Last season, Wihdat won the league for a record 16th time. Jazira lost two competition finals conceding the 35th Jordan Super Cup to Faisali, and the Jordan Football Association Shield final to Wihdat. Jazira also finished runner-up in the league but made club history by winning the 38th Jordan Cup final after they last won the Jordan Cup in 1984.

Faisali are 33-time league winners since 1944 while Wihdat are 16-time leagues champs since 1980.

On the regional scene, this season, Jazira were eliminated from Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Cup West Asia zone final by losing to the Iraqi Air Force team and failing to reach the continent’s final. Faisali had bowed out in the event’s semifinals. Likewise, Ramtha bowed out to Tunisia’s Etoile Sportive Du Sahel in the preliminary round of the Arab Club Champions Cup. League titleholders Wihdat will represent Jordan in the 2018/19 AFC Champions League. Jordanian teams have never made it past the ACL preliminary round. In the 2017/18 edition, Faisali were eliminated, while Wihdat were knocked out in 2017, 2016 and 2015, and Shabab Urdun were eliminated in 2014.

John Wall had 36 points and 11 assists, Bradley Beal added 32 points, and the Washington Wizards rallied from an early 17-point deficit to defeat the visiting Houston Rockets 135-131 in overtime Monday.

The Wizards overcame a season-high 54 points from Rockets guard James Harden.

Washington started the overtime with an 8-1 run capped when Otto Porter Jr. picked up a steal and fed Beal for a dunk with 1:50 left, and the Rockets got no closer than within three points the rest of the way.

Houston shot 2 of 7 in overtime with four turnovers.

Harden missed three consecutive shots and turned the ball over twice in the final minutes of regulation, but fed Clint Capela for an alley-oop that tied it, 125-125, with 9.8 seconds left. Wall had the ball knocked away on a jumper attempt with 1.2 seconds left, and he then blocked Eric Gordon’s jumper at the buzzer.

Markief Morris had 22 points and 10 rebounds as the Wizards’ bench outscored the Rockets’ reserves 45-9.

Gordon scored 36 points, and Capela had 17 points, 14 rebounds and four blocks for Houston, which has lost three games in a row.

Harden had 11 assists, eight rebounds and 13 turnovers in 47 minutes.

The Rockets were without guard Chris Paul (strained hamstring) for a second consecutive game. Backup guard Gerald Green (sore right ankle) was also out.

Washington centre Dwight Howard (gluteal soreness) remains out.

Harden scored 21 points in the third quarter as the Rockets went on an 18-4 run late in the period to take an eight-point lead that was trimmed to four by the end of the frame.

The Rockets jumped out to a 17-point, first-quarter lead behind Gordon and Harden, who combined for 25 points in the period. A 15-4 run pulled Washington within 34-28, but the Rockets pushed their lead to 42-30 by the end of the quarter as they hit seven 3-pointers.

It was the third time this season that the Wizards gave up 40 or more points in a quarter.

The Wizards rallied again in the second quarter, and they led 67-65 at intermission.

Warriors 116, Magic 110

Kevin Durant scored eight of his 49 points in the final 1:19, rallying Golden State to a victory over Orlando in Oakland, California.

Durant connected on 16 of his 33 shots, four of his 10 3-point attempts and all 13 of his free throws en route to the fifth-highest scoring game of his career. The total of 49 points was his high since he poured in 51 for Oklahoma City at Toronto in March 2014.

The Warriors trailed by as many as 18 points before chipping away in the third and fourth quarters, finally taking a 102-100 lead on a 3-pointer by Klay Thompson with 5:26 to go. After Orlando gathered themselves to go back up by three, another 3-pointer by Thompson drew the Warriors even at 107-all with 1:45 left before Durant took over.

Hornets 110, Bucks 107

Kemba Walker and Jeremy Lamb scored 21 points each, and host Charlotte held on for perhaps their most impressive win of the season by defeating Milwaukee.

The Hornets trailed by 14 midway through the first quarter, but they dominated the second quarter, led by 13 at halftime, and then pushed the margin to as many as 25 points in the second half.

 The Bucks got within a point in the final minute and trailed by three with the ball with 7.1 seconds remaining, but Eric Bledsoe missed the potential tying 3-pointer at the buzzer.

The Hornets snapped a two-game losing streak and got some revenge after losing 113-112 to the Bucks on opening night, October 17, in Charlotte. The Hornets have not lost more than two straight this season. The Bucks have lost two of their past three.

Spurs 108, Bulls 107

DeMar DeRozan scored 21 points and LaMarcus Aldridge added 20 — including five in a key late-game stretch — as visiting San Antonio came back to beat short-handed Chicago.

The Bulls led 101-98 with 5:58 to play before the Spurs leapfrogged to the front via a 10-0 run, with Aldridge accounting for half the points. Chicago pulled within 108-107 on back-to-back 3-pointers by Ryan Arcidiacono, but Zach LaVine (28 points) missed a 3-pointer with four seconds to play.

After a foul and a steal in a last-gasp scramble, Arcidiacono (22 points) had a chance to win the game with a shot at the buzzer, but it was off the rim short.

Pacers 121, Jazz 88

Doug McDermott scored a season-high 21 points off the bench while Myles Turner added 16 points in his first game back from an ankle injury to lift Indiana to a victory over Utah in Salt Lake City.

Bojan Bogdanovic chipped in 15 points and Tyreke Evans added 14 for Indiana, who had seven players score in double figures. 

Derrick Favours scored 13 points and Rudy Gobert added 12 to lead Utah. 

The Jazz, who allowed Indiana to shoot 58.3 per cent from the field, lost for the sixth time in eight games.

Both teams played without their leading scorers. Utah’s Donovan Mitchell sat out a second straight game due to a rib contusion. Indiana’s Victor Oladipo was sidelined with a right sore knee for a fourth consecutive game.

Celtics 124, Pelicans 107

Kyrie Irving had 26 points and 10 assists as Boston won at New Orleans in a matchup of struggling teams.

Al Horford and Jayson Tatum added 20 points each, Marcus Morris had 19 points and 11 rebounds and Terry Rozier came off the bench to score 14 for the Celtics, who won for the second time in three games, but that followed a three-game losing streak.

Anthony Davis, returning from a one-game absence caused by a hip injury, had 27 points and 16 rebounds to lead New Orleans. The Pelicans lost their fourth straight, but it was just their second loss in 10 home games. Nikola Mirotic added 25 points.

Timberwolves 102, Cavaliers 95

Karl-Anthony Towns scored 21 points and grabbed 10 rebounds to lead Minnesota to a win at Cleveland.

Robert Covington scored 24 points on 8-of-12 shooting from the field, including 4-of-7 accuracy from 3-point range. Derrick Rose came off the bench and continued to shoot well, hitting 6 of 13 and finishing with 12 points and four assists for Minnesota, which is 6-2 since trading away All-Star guard Jimmy Butler.

Kyle Korver led the Cavaliers with 22 points off the bench. Rodney Hood added 20 points for Cleveland, and Tristan Thompson recorded his fourth straight double-double with 16 points and 11 rebounds.

AMMAN — The Qusai Initiative, which was created to improve the well-being and safety of Jordan’s sports community, has completed a First Aid course for staff working at the sports cities in Irbid and Karak, according to the Jordan Olympic Committee News Service.

The initiative, launched by the Crown Prince Foundation and run under the umbrella of the Jordan Olympic Committee, held the course on the fifth anniversary of the tragic death of young football player, Qusai Al Khawaldeh, during a match which sparked the initiative.

The course provided essential information and training for the staff on how to deal with injuries and continues the efforts to qualify as many people in the sports industry as possible to deal with medical emergencies.

Jimmy Butler hit the game-winning 3-pointer with 0.4 seconds remaining as the Philadelphia 76ers rallied for a wild 127-125 victory over the Brooklyn Nets on Sunday night in New York.

Butler, who was questionable to play due to a sprained left ankle, scored 18 of his 34 points in the fourth quarter and hit his second game-winner since joining Philadelphia in a trade from Minnesota on November 12.

He gave Philadelphia the dramatic win when he took the inbounds pass from Ben Simmons, began to move slightly inside the 3-point arc, stepped back and released a 3-pointer in front of Brooklyn’s bench with Rondae Hollis-Jefferson’s hand in his face.

The Nets committed a turnover on the ensuing inbounds pass, and the Sixers celebrated their eighth win in 11 games.

Butler’s shot capped a terrific finish for the Sixers, who led briefly in the opening minute and did not regain the lead until JJ Redick’s 3-pointer with 1:03 remaining.

The lead changed hands five times in the final 63 seconds, and the Nets held a 125-124 edge on Spencer Dinwiddie’s pullup jumper over Redick with 26 seconds left. After the Nets took their final lead, Redick’s jumper went in and out of the hoop, but Butler won a jump ball from Hollis-Jefferson.

Philadelphia’s Joel Embiid posted his league-leading 20th double-double with 32 points and 12 rebounds after attending the Jets-Patriots game in East Rutherford, N.J., earlier in the day. Rookie Landry Shamet added 16, Redick contributed 15 and Simmons had 13 as the Sixers pulled off their biggest comeback of the season by overcoming a 20-point deficit.

Brooklyn’s D’Angelo Russell led all scorers with a season-high 38 points but did not score in the final 7:26. The Nets were outscored 24-12 the rest of the game and gave up an 11-0 run to allow Philadelphia to start its comeback.

Dinwiddie added a season-high 31, but the Nets lost their fourth straight home game. They had defeated the Sixers on November 4.

Russell had 11 after the first quarter and 16 by halftime as the Nets took a 68-54 lead. He added 13 more by the end of the third quarter, when the Nets held a 102-89 lead, and surpassed 30 points with a floater early in the fourth to put Brooklyn in front 106-93.

Russell surpassed his previous season high by hitting a step back jumper for a 108-96 lead with 9:50 left. Then he reached 35 by hitting a 13-footer with 8:01 left to make it 110-100.

After a 3-pointer by Butler made it 110-103, Russell hit a 3-pointer with 7:26 remaining, and Brooklyn’s collapse began a few minutes later.

Raptors 125, Heat 115

Kawhi Leonard scored 29 points and grabbed 10 rebounds as host Toronto defeated Miami for their fifth win in a row.

Toronto also received double-doubles from Jonas Valanciunas, who had 17 points and 10 rebounds, and Kyle Lowry, who had 12 points and 10 assists. Pascal Siakam added 21 points while Fred VanVleet, CJ Miles and Delon Wright each scored 10.

Dwyane Wade scored a season-best 35 points off the bench for the Heat, losers of seven of the past nine games. Bam Adebayo added a double-double with 16 points and 21 rebounds and Josh Richardson scored 19.

Clippers 104, 

Blazers 100

Tobias Harris scored a season-high 34 points and matched his season high with 11 rebounds as Los Angeles rallied for a victory at Portland.

Danilo Gallinari contributed 17 points, eight rebounds and five assists for the Clippers, who have won seven of their past eight.

Damian Lillard scored 30 points and CJ McCollum had 18 points and a season-high nine rebounds for the Trail Blazers, who have lost three in a row.

Magic 108, Lakers 104

Nikola Vucevic scored 31 points and grabbed 15 rebounds as visiting Orlando upended Los Angeles Lakers for the second time in eight days.

The Lakers tied the game at 104 with 2:24 remaining on a pair of free throws by LeBron James, but Los Angeles missed four 3-point attempts down the stretch.

Terrence Ross made a cutting layup with 34 seconds remaining to give the Magic a 106-104 lead, and Aaron Gordon sealed the victory on a dunk with 10 seconds remaining. Gordon finished with 17 points. James scored 24 points for the Lakers, who have seven victories in their last nine games, but both of the defeats in that span came to the Magic.

Pistons 118, Suns 107

Andre Drummond led a balanced attack with 19 points, 16 rebounds and five steals and host Detroit downed Phoenix.

Reggie Jackson had 19 points and eight assists for the Pistons, and Blake Griffin contributed 16 points and 11 assists. Langston Galloway added 15 points, Stanley Johnson had 14 and Reggie Bullock chipped in 13 for Detroit, who have won four of the past five.

Devin Booker’s 37 points led Phoenix, which wrapped up a four-game road trip, losing three of the four. Suns guard Jamal Crawford reached the 19,000-point mark for his career with a first-half 3-pointer. He finished with 12 points and five assists.

Knicks 103, Grizzlies 98

Trey Burke hit the tying and go-ahead free throws with 1:49 left, then came up with the steal on the next possession that led to a three-point play by Emmanuel Mudiay as visiting New York edged Memphis.

The win was the third in a row for the Knicks, who trailed by as many as 13 points in the third quarter and squandered a nine-point lead in the fourth before ending the game on an 11-5 run. The Grizzlies have lost two straight following a five-game winning streak.

Enes Kanter scored 21 points and pulled down 26 rebounds — the most in a single game by an NBA player this season — for the Knicks. Mike Conley had a double-double with 23 points and 11 assists for the Grizzlies while Marc Gasol finished with 27 points and eight rebounds.

Jazz 133, Kings 112

Ricky Rubio amassed 27 points, seven rebounds and five assists while Rudy Gobert added 18 points, 15 rebounds and five assists to lead Utah past host Sacramento. Joe Ingles added 18 points and six assists for the Jazz, and Jae Crowder and Alec Burks chipped in 14 points apiece.

Utah snapped a three-game losing streak and won for just the second time in seven games. The Jazz played without leading scorer Donovan Mitchell, who was sidelined due to a rib contusion. Mitchell’s status for Utah’s Monday home game against the Indiana Pacers was uncertain.

Bogdan Bogdanovic scored 20 points and Marvin Bagley III added 18 off the bench to lead Sacramento. The Kings lost to the Jazz at home for the second time this season after allowing Utah to shoot 53.3 per cent from the field. However, Sacramento did win 119-110 at Utah on Wednesday.

Hawks 124, Hornets 123

Kent Bazemore scored 20 points, including the go-ahead basket with 4.6 seconds remaining, to give Atlanta the win over visiting Charlotte, ending the Hawks’ 10-game losing streak.

Charlotte had one final chance to win, but Kemba Walker’s jumper was swatted away by John Collins with 1.1 seconds remaining.

Atlanta also got 23 points and 11 rebounds from Collins, 18 points and five assists from Trae Young and 16 points, six rebounds and six assists from DeAndre’ Bembry. Malik Monk led the Hornets with 26 points, and Walker scored 22. Marvin Williams contributed 20 points and 13 boards for Charlotte.

ABU DHABI — Five times world champion Lewis Hamilton signed off on the Formula One season in style and a cloud of tyre smoke on Sunday after a pole-to-flag victory in Abu Dhabi, his 11th win of the campaign.

Ferrari’s overall runner-up Sebastian Vettel finished second, and also set the fastest lap, with Red Bull’s Max Verstappen third in a race that also saw a rare sprinkling of desert rain.

“I am so happy right now,” said Hamilton after Hollywood actor Will Smith brought down the chequered flag at the floodlit Yas Marina circuit on the Mercedes driver’s 73rd career win.

The 33-year-old Briton, who has won 51 of the 100 races in the V6 turbo hybrid era, became the first driver to score more than 400 points in a single season with a final tally of 408.

Hamilton’s victory also left him 18 wins away from Michael Schumacher’s all-time record of 91 and he celebrated on the podium by stripping down to his waist and showing off his tattooed torso as the fizz was sprayed.

Two times world champion Fernando Alonso, in his farewell race with McLaren, had hoped to sign off in the points but finished 11th and with his final tally at 1,899.

With both championships already won, Hamilton taking his in Mexico with two races to spare and Mercedes sealing their fifth successive constructors’ and drivers’ double in Brazil, Sunday’s focus was on the race and those moving on — particularly Alonso.

Hamilton, Vettel and the Spaniard — three great champions — spun their cars in a cloud of smoke at the end of their slowing down lap, before stepping out for hugs and words of mutual respect.

“Fernando is a true legend. It’s been a privilege to race when he is racing,” Hamilton said. “The sport will miss him and I will miss him from the sport”.

Australian Daniel Ricciardo was another saying goodbye, to his Red Bull team before moving to Renault, and he finished fourth after leading for a long stint when Hamilton pitted early.

Tough year

Hamilton’s teammate and 2017 race winner Valtteri Bottas was fifth, after starting on the front row, and ended the season winless and fifth overall.

He and Verstappen banged wheels as they fought for position, forcing Bottas to make another pitstop for a suspected slow puncture.

“It’s been a mentally pretty tough year so I need a break,” said the Finn.

Compatriot Kimi Raikkonen, the 2007 world champion, retired seven laps into his final race with Ferrari as his car cruised to a halt on the pit straight, triggering a virtual safety car and Hamilton’s early stop.

The 39-year-old, joining Sauber next season, still ended third overall in the championship, two points ahead of Verstappen.

McLaren-bound Carlos Sainz finished sixth in his last race for Renault ahead of Sauber’s Charles Leclerc, who now heads to Ferrari, and Force India’s Sergio Perez.

The Haas pairing of Romain Grosjean and Kevin Magnussen took ninth and 10th.

The safety car was deployed at the end of the opening lap when Nico Hulkenberg’s Renault was sent barrel-rolling several times before coming to rest upside down on the tyre wall after a collision with Romain Grosjean’s Haas.

“Get me out of this car. There’s fire,” the shaken German shouted over the radio.

Hulkenberg remained inside as marshals doused flames at the rear, finally clambering out through the halo head protection device after the Renault was turned over.

Kevin Durant scored 14 of his game-high 32 points in a second-quarter run-away Friday night, as the Golden State Warriors snapped a four-game losing streak with a 125-97 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers in Oakland, California.

Klay Thompson was right behind with 31 points as the Warriors, who shot 56.5 per cent overall and 53.1 per cent on 3-pointers, beat the Trail Blazers for the eighth consecutive time at home.

Suns 116, Bucks 114

Jamal Crawford connected on a free-throw line jumper with 0.8 seconds left to give Phoenix a victory over Milwaukee for their first road win of the season in nine attempts.

Crawford’s clutch basket capped a game-ending 8-0 run for the Suns, who snapped a three-game overall losing streak. Devin Booker registered 29 points and seven assists as one of seven Phoenix players in double digits.

Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 35 points for the Bucks, who had a three-game winning streak halted.

Lakers 90, Jazz 83

Brandon Ingram scored 24 points, and LeBron James added 22 points and 10 rebounds as Los Angeles defeated visiting Utah to win its third straight game.

Ingram canned a pair of free throws with 19.7 seconds to play to cement the win. The Lakers (11-7) have won seven of their past eight outings.

Pistons 116, 

Rockets 111 (OT)

Reggie Jackson scored 10 points in overtime, Blake Griffin supplied 28 points for the game and host Detroit topped Houston.

Jackson finished with 22 points and six assists. Griffin added nine rebounds and four assists and Andre Drummond powered for 23 points, 20 rebounds and five blocks.

James Harden led the Rockets, who had a five-game winning streak snapped, with 33 points and eight assists. Clint Capela had a career-high 29 points and 21 rebounds and Chris Paul supplied 20 points and nine assists for Houston.

Cavaliers 121, 76ers 112

Rodney Hood scored 25 points, and Tristan Thompson scored 18 points and grabbed 13 rebounds as Cleveland defeated Philadelphia.

Philadelphia went nearly five minutes midway through the fourth period without a field goal, and the Cavs took advantage. A Jordan Clarkson 27-foot jumper gave the Cavs a double-digit lead at 109-97, and Cleveland cruised to their first road win of the season.

Philadelphia had their four-game winning streak snapped and lost for the first time at home this season. The Sixers had won 20 straight at Wells Fargo Centre dating to last season.

Thunder 109, 

Hornets 104

Russell Westbrook narrowly missed a triple-double with 30 points, 12 rebounds and eight assists, and Oklahoma City held on down the stretch for a victory over visiting Charlotte.

Westbrook hit four free throws in the final 11.2 seconds, after the Hornets got within one point on two different occasions.

The win was the Thunder’s 12th in the last 14 games and came after a 28-point win at Golden State on Wednesday night. It also gave the Thunder (12-6) a season’s sweep over the Hornets after they rallied from a 19-point deficit to win in Charlotte three weeks ago.

Raptors 125, 

Wizards 107

Kawhi Leonard had 27 points and 10 rebounds, and Toronto pulled away for a victory against visiting Washington for their fourth straight win.

Bradley Beal led the Wizards with 20 points. John Wall had 11 points and 11 assists but turned the ball over seven times, as Washington was unable to build on their stirring come-from-behind win over the Clippers on Tuesday.

Clippers 112, 

Grizzlies 107 (OT)

Montrezl Harrell recorded 22 points and 11 rebounds off the bench, and Danilo Gallinari added 20 as Los Angeles rallied to earn a victory and end visiting Memphis’ five-game winning streak.

The Clippers trailed by eight points with two minutes remaining in regulation, capping their game-tying comeback when Gallinari made three free throws with 0.8 seconds remaining after he was fouled by Marc Gasol on a 3-point attempt.

Gasol had 27 points and 13 rebounds while Mike Conley scored 19 points with 11 assists for the Grizzlies, who had just moved atop the Western Conference after a victory at San Antonio on Tuesday.

Celtics 114, Hawks 96

Aron Baynes led six double-figure scorers with 16 points, and visiting Boston broke a three-game losing streak with a win over Atlanta.

The loss was the 10th straight for the Hawks (3-16), who have the NBA’s worst record and have not won since November 3. The Celtics (10-9) won in Atlanta for the third straight time.

Baynes was 5 for 7 from the field and added nine rebounds and four assists. 

Marcus Smart had a team-high seven assists and three steals.

Spurs 111, Pacers 100

LaMarcus Aldridge scored a game-high 33 points and added 14 rebounds for San Antonio, which never trailed in beating host Indiana.

The Spurs snapped a two-game losing streak with just their third win in the last 10 games. The Pacers have lost two straight.

The double-double was the 11th of the season for Aldridge. Rudy Gay also had a double-double for the Spurs with 11 points and 12 rebounds. DeMar DeRozan (16 points), Patty Mills (15 points) and Bryn Forbes (13 points) also scored at least 10 points apiece for San Antonio.

Nuggets 112, Magic 87

Trey Lyles scored a season-high 22 points off the bench, Nikola Jokic finished four points shy of a triple-double, and host Denver beat Orlando.

Terrence Ross led the Magic with 18 points and made his first seven shots — four from 3-point range — before missing. Nikola Vucevic had 16 points for Orlando (9-10).

Timberwolves 112, 

Nets 102

Derrick Rose scored 11 of his 25 points in the fourth quarter, while Karl Anthony-Towns shook off early foul trouble and scored 17 of his 21 points in the third as Minnesota picked up their first road win with a victory over Brooklyn.

Rose led the Wolves in scoring for the fifth time and produced his eighth 20-point game by hitting 11 of 17 shots, including 5 of 7 in the fourth.

Towns made 9 of 18 shots, while Taj Gibson added 16 and 11 rebounds. Jeff Teague contributed 15 points as the Wolves ended their season-opening eight-game road losing streak by shooting 47.8 per cent.

Knicks 114, Pelicans 109

New York rallied from a late seven-point deficit by scoring 12 consecutive points, overtaking visiting New Orleans for the win.

Emmanuel Mudiay got the New York flurry rolling with a 3-pointer, and capped it with a hoop with 34.1 seconds left that put the Knicks up five, 108-103. The Pelicans got within two on two subsequent occasions. But Mudiay made one free throw, and Tim Hardaway Jr. hit a pair to close out New York’s second straight win after six consecutive losses.

Heat 103, Bulls 96

Josh Richardson scored 12 of his 27 points in the fourth quarter to lead Miami to a win over host Chicago.

Justin Holiday led the Bulls with 27 points and 13 rebounds, both season highs. Zach LaVine added 24 points and a game-high nine assists for Chicago, which was trying to win two straight games for the first time this season.

The Heat had their advantage cut to just four in the fourth but snapped a three-game losing streak.

AMMAN — Yara Kakish has won a brilliant bronze medal at the World Ju-Jitsu Championships being held in Malmo, Sweden, on Friday, according to the Jordan Olympic Committee News Service.

The 27-year-old began her -70kg competition losing to Poland’s Magdalena Loska, 6-5, resulting in her dropping into the Repechage where she beat Mongolia’s Khulan Batbaatar, 10-5, and Sweden’s Martina Grame, 14-5.

She then beat Germany’s Verena Rücker, 15-5, in the bronze medal match to spark the celebrations for Jordan.

Enas Sami lost her -62kg opening bout to Poland’s Sandra Pniak. The men’s -62kg weight saw a mixed bag of results, with Freeh Al Harahsheh reaching the quarter-final where he lost to South Korea’ Ki Yam. Teammate, Anas Shamout, lost his second round match to The Philippines’ Gian Dee, 8-4. Hamzeh Al Rasheed lost his -77kg quarter-final to Canada’s Shakeel Samma.

While his cousin, Abdulkareem Al Rasheed, also lost in the same weight’s quarter-final to another Canadian, Michael Sheehan.

Basel Fanous lost his second fight in the -94kg class to Myeng Se Hwang from South Korea, before missing out in the final of the Repechage for bronze to Joseph Estefan, from Canada. Zaid Sami also lost in the +94kg quarter-final to Polish fighter, Bartosz Zawadz.