Thunder survive late rally to score win over stuttering Lakers

OKLAHOMA CITY — In a reversal of roles, Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers know they're the predators trying to track down Kevin Durant's Oklahoma City Thunder.

They have some work to do.

Durant had 36 points, Russell Westbrook scored 27 of his 33 in the first half to stake Oklahoma City to a commanding lead and the Thunder beat the short-handed Lakers 114-108 Friday night.

"They're a team that everybody likes. As a young team coming up, you always want to beat the best," Westbrook said. "I think that's one of the things that motivates us."

Bryant had 35 points for Los Angeles, which trailed by as many as 19 before rallying to get within four in the final minute.

Dwight Howard added 23 points and 18 rebounds for the Lakers, who were eliminated by the Thunder in five games in last season's Western Conference semifinals. Howard and Steve Nash were part of an offseason overhaul to try and catch up to the Thunder.

Instead, the Lakers are 9-11 and focusing on small gains that give them the belief they'll eventually turn it around.

"It's 82 games. This team has just gotten together," Howard said. "It's not like we're going to get together and start winning right away. . . . We're learning how to play together. We're getting better. This is not on anybody's timetable but ours."

Grizzlies 96, Hornets 89

In New Orleans, Rudy Gay tied a season high with 28 points and the Grizzlies maintained their NBA-best winning percentage with their second-straight victory.

76ers 95, Celtics 94 (OT)

In Philadelphia, Evan Turner had 26 points and 10 rebounds and Thaddeus Young added 17 points and 12 rebounds to lead the Sixers past Boston in overtime.

Nuggets 92, Pacers 89

In Indianapolis, Andre Miller scored eight of his 15 points during a late 10-0 spurt.

Bulls 108, Pistons 104

In Auburn Hills, Michigan, Joakim Noah had career highs of 30 points and 23 rebounds, to help Chicago beat Detroit for the 16th straight time.

Spurs 114, Rockets 92

In San Antonio, Tony Parker had 17 points and seven assists, and the Spurs never trailed in a win over Houston.

Warriors 109, Nets 102

In New York, David Lee had 30 points and 15 rebounds, Stephen Curry scored 28 points, and Golden State gave coach Mark Jackson a winning return to Brooklyn.

Timberwolves 91, Cavaliers 73

In Minneapolis, Kevin Love had 36 points and 13 rebounds to lead Minnesota past Cleveland.

Luke Ridnour had 12 points, seven assists and five rebounds for the Timberwolves, and Andrei Kirilenko had eight points, seven rebounds and six assists after missing the previous four games with back spasms.

Hawks 104, Wizards 95

In Atlanta, Josh Smith had 23 points and 15 rebounds, Al Horford also posted a double-double and the Hawks beat Washington to keep the Wizards winless on the road.

Bucks 108, Bobcats 93

In Milwaukee, Ersan Ilyasova scored a season-high 21 points and Marquis Daniels had season highs with 18 points and six rebounds.

Jazz 131, Raptors 99

In Salt Lake City, Paul Millsap scored 20 points, Enes Kanter had 18 in his first career start and Utah hit 13 3-pointers.

Kings 91, Magic 82

In Sacramento, DeMarcus Cousins had 17 points and 14 rebounds and reserve guard Isaiah Thomas also scored 17.

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Lions rally in ninth, earn tie against Eagles

SENDAI — The Seibu Lions put themselves back in a game that appeared to be a lost cause.

The Lions did not get the desired win, but at least avoided a loss after scoring three runs in the top of the ninth inning Thursday night en route to tying the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles 5-5.

Down 5-2, pinch hitter Chris Carter hit a one-out double off Rakuten closer Koji Aoyama, and Esteban German, Takeya Nakamura and Jose Ortiz each singled to drive in three runs to tie it at Kleenex Stadium.

The fourth-place Eagles' tie assured the idle Fukuoka Softbank Hawks of at least a third-place finish this season to lock up a spot in the upcoming Climax Series first stage against the Lions. It also meant that Rakuten will finish in fourth or worse.

Now the only thing to be determined is who will have home-field advantage as the second-place team in the Climax Series, with Seibu leading Softbank by three games with two games remaining.

The third-place Hawks, who will make their fourth consecutive appearance in the Climax Series and eighth overall, including the playoffs in 2004-06, have three games left.

Rakuten jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the first inning, featuring a two-run single by Hiroaki Shimauchi, and Ryo Hijirisawa hit a solo homer in the fourth for a 5-1 lead. The Lions pulled one back in the fifth on Eagles starter Brandon Duckworth's balk.

Lions catcher Ginjiro Sumitani had to be carried out on a stretcher and taken to a hospital by ambulance after he was sent flying by Jose Fernandez, who took off for home from second on Shimauchi's single down the left-field line.

CENTRAL LEAGUE

Swallows 4, Carp 0

At Hiroshima's Mazda Stadium, Kyohei Muranaka (10-7) pitched seven shutout innings to notch double-digit wins for the first time in two seasons, and Shingo Kawabata had a two-run double in Tokyo Yakult's win over Hiroshima.

Yuhei Nakamura drove in the opening run on an infield single off Kan Otake (11-5) in the second and Hiroyasu Tanaka added an RBI single followed by Kawabata's double in the three-run sixth. Tony Barnette got his 32nd save.

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Cubs rally late, beat Cardinals

CHICAGO — It was all going so well for St. Louis. Chris Carpenter had a solid 2012 debut and Pete Kozma swiped home for the go-ahead run, putting the Cardinals in position to extend their timely winning streak.

Then it all fell apart in a hurry.

Darwin Barney connected for a tying two-run homer off Fernando Salas with two outs in the ninth inning and David DeJesus hit a game-ending single in the 11th to lift the Chicago Cubs to a 5-4 victory on Friday.

DeJesus came to the plate with two out and lined an 0-2 pitch from Joe Kelly (5-6) into right field to score pinch runner Brett Jackson.

Alberto Cabrera (1-1) struck out two in a perfect 11th to earn his first career victory.

St. Louis had won four in a row and entered Friday with a 2?-game lead over the Milwaukee Brewers for the second NL wild card.

"We got to a two-run lead with two strikes in the ninth, but wouldn't finish it off," Cardinals manager Mike Matheny said.

Carpenter threw five effective innings and was in line for the win until Barney drove a 1-2 pitch from Salas into the left-field bleachers. Salas allowed a single to DeJesus with two outs and nobody on after getting two strikes on him, too.

"I made the pitches I wanted to make," Salas said. "It was a fastball in to DeJesus and a soft hit and then Barney was bad luck. He made good contact."

The Cardinals' regular closer, Jason Motte, was unavailable after pitching three days in a row and four out of the last five.

"He's been very, very good for us lately and he's been in that situation before so it's a good fit," Matheny said of Salas. "You can look at a pitch now and say it should have been somewhere else, but it's easy to do now."

Carpenter threw 77 pitches, with a light rain falling throughout the game. The 37-year-old allowed two runs and five hits, struck out two and walked one.

"My stuff wasn't as sharp as I'd like and it wasn't as sharp as it's been in the simulated games," Carpenter said. "But I tried to get as many outs as I could and give us a chance. . . . Hopefully my stuff will get better and sharper as I get out there more often."

Carpenter went 4-0 in the 2011 postseason, but hadn't pitched since winning Game 7 of the World Series against the Texas Rangers. He had surgery July 19 to relieve a nerve ailment that caused numbness up and down the right side of his body.

Phillies 6, Braves 2

In Philadelphia, Kevin Frandsen hit one of the Phillies' four solo homers to back Kyle Kendrick, and the hosts inched closer in the NL playoff race with a victory over Atlanta.

Ryan Howard, Carlos Ruiz and Chase Utley also went deep for the resurgent Phillies.

Brewers 4, Nationals 2

In Washington, Ryan Braun and Aramis Ramirez had consecutive RBI hits in the ninth off Nationals closer Tyler Clippard and Milwaukee extended its season-high winning streak to six games with a win over the hosts.

Held to one run over eight innings against Washington starter Edwin Jackson, the Brewers scored three against Clippard (2-6).

In the ninth, Norichika Aoki's bunt single initiated the Brewers' rally and later scored. He finished 1-for-4.

Dodgers 3, Reds 1 (10)

In Cincinnati, Matt Kemp's two-out single with the bases loaded in the 10th sent Los Angeles to a victory that denied the Reds' first chance to clinch the NL Central.

Mets 7, Marlins 3

In New York, the Mets managed to avoid falling into last place in the NL East, beating cellar-dwelling Miami behind Scott Hairston' two-hit, three-RBI performance.

New York had lost nine straight at home since beating Houston on Aug. 26.

Astros 7, Pirates 1

In Houston, Jed Lowrie hit a three-run homer and Justin Maxwell and Brett Wallace added solo shots to help the Astros coast to a win over Pittsburgh, further dampening the Pirates already dim postseason hopes.

Diamondbacks 15, Rockies 5

In Denver, rookie Wade Miley pitched six innings for his 16th win, Chris Johnson homered among his three hits and drove in three runs, and Arizona beat slumping Colorado.

Miguel Montero had three hits and three RBIs, and Adam Eaton added a home run for the Diamondbacks, who set season-highs with 15 runs and 19 hits.

Miley (16-10) is the second rookie NL pitcher since 1986 to win 16 games. Jason Jennings also won 16 for Colorado in 2002 when he was named the NL Rookie of the Year.

Giants 5, Padres 1

In San Francisco, Buster Posey hit a tiebreaking RBI single on the night he received a prestigious award and the Giants reduced their magic number for clinching the NL West to two with a victory over the Padres.

Posey was honored in a pregame ceremony with the "Willie Mac" award as the most inspirational player on the team. He then delivered another big hit when he drove in Marco Scutaro with a single off Casey Kelly (2-2) that gave San Francisco a 2-1 lead in the fifth inning.

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Reds rally for victory against Marinos

YOKOHAMA — Urawa Reds came from behind to ramp up the pressure in the J.League title race with a 2-1 win over Yokohama F. Marinos on Saturday.

Third-place Reds went into the match at Nissan Stadium knowing that a top-of-the-table showdown between Vegalta Sendai and Sanfrecce Hiroshima elsewhere the same evening gave them the perfect chance to steal a march in the championship race, but a fifth-minute opener from Yokohama's Marquinhos was not part of that script.

Yosuke Kashiwagi soon set Urawa back on track with an equalizer in the 23rd minute, however, and Tomoaki Makino completed the turnaround with the winner midway through the second half to give Reds 45 points with nine games left to play.

Sanfrecce beat Vegalta 2-1 to reclaim top spot on 47 points, leaving Vegalta in second ahead of Urawa on goal difference.

"We started the game terribly," said Reds manager Mihailo Petrovic. "We managed to pick it up and recover, but we started very badly. We started the game with fear.

"Marinos were playing with almost six at the back, so when we conceded a goal it made it very hard for us and played right into their hands. We had to take the game to them and we did that, so I have nothing but praise for my players for the way they came back to get the win."

Urawa has not won a single trophy since claiming the Asian Champions League title in 2007, but Makino is refusing to get carried away just yet.

"Everyone keeps talking about us winning the title, but if your head is too far in the clouds then you slip up," said the national team defender. "The players are just taking each game as it comes and dealing with what is directly in front of us."

Yuji Ono had a big hand in giving Marinos an early lead, shrugging off Tsukasa Umesaki down the right flank before whipping in a cross that gave Marquinhos time to pick his spot and arrow a header into the net.

Manabu Saito almost made it two within the space of a minute, but Urawa managed to ride the storm and went on to notch an unlikely equalizer midway through the first half. Makino charged at the heart of the Marinos defense before prodding the ball through to Kashiwagi, and the 24-year-old kept his composure to lift it over the onrushing Hiroki Iikura.

The goal gave Reds renewed belief, but Shunsuke Nakamura almost burst that bubble when he launched himself at a diving header that flew just wide of the target in the 38th minute.

Nakamura continued to pull the strings for Marinos as the second half got under way, but it was the visitors who took the lead when Makino hit the target in the 64th minute. Genki Haraguchi failed to beat Iikura one-on-one after Marcio Richardes had sliced open the Yokohama defense, but Makino made no mistake as he followed up to stuff home the rebound.

Nakamura hit the crossbar with a free kick from the edge of the area as Marinos went in search of a reply, but it would be the last clear-cut chance the home side would see as Reds closed ranks to see out the win.

The defeat was Marinos' third in a row after tying a club record of 15 games undefeated, and manager Yasuhiro Higuchi was not impressed.

"To lose three in a row is very disappointing," he said. "I'm very sorry that this has happened."

Elsewhere in the J.League, Jubilo Iwata stayed in the title hunt with a 2-1 win over Vissel Kobe, while Nagoya Grampus beat Cerezo Osaka 2-0 and Kashiwa Reysol dismissed Consadole Sapporo 3-1.

Kawasaki Frontale came from down goals down to draw 2-2 with Kashima Antlers, while Omiya Ardija gained three valuable points in their fight against relegation with a 1-0 win over Sagan Tosu.

Fellow strugglers Gamba Osaka and Albirex Niigata drew 1-1, while in the day's other game, Shimizu S-Pulse and FC Tokyo drew 1-1.

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Deflections help Devils rally to even series with Rangers

Gatekeeper: New Jersey goalie Martin Brodeur defends against New York's Brandon Prust in the third period of Game 2 on Wednesday night. The Devils edged the Rangers 3-2 to even the series 1-1. AP

NEW YORK — The New Jersey Devils quickly changed the game plan: instead of letting the New York Rangers block their shots, they decided to deflect some themselves.

It worked twice, and the Eastern Conference finals are all even, as a result.

David Clarkson scored a tip-in goal off Adam Henrique's shot 2:31 into the third period to break a tie and lift the Devils to a 3-2 victory over the Rangers that squared the series at one game apiece on Wednesday night.

"It's a very hard building to play in, and 1-1 sounds much better than down 2-0," Devils captain Zach Parise said. "We're happy. We would have liked to have snuck out of here with two wins, but it didn't happen.

"We'll take 1-1."

For the third straight series, the Rangers are wondering what went wrong in Game 2 after they took the opener. They stressed how important it would be to grab a 2-0 lead, which would have been their first two-game edge in this postseason, but didn't provide the necessary effort to get it done.

New York was riding high after its 3-0 series-opening win on Monday night, but now has relinquished home-ice advantage again.

"You need to improve as a hockey team every game," said succinct and disappointed coach John Tortorella, who declined to say what areas were deficient.

Game 3 will be Saturday in New Jersey.

Clarkson built off the momentum created by Ryan Carter's deflected goal late in the second that tied the game, 2-2.

Ilya Kovalchuk had given the Devils a 1-0 lead with a power-play goal in the first. Defenseman Bryce Salvador added two assists, and Martin Brodeur stopped 23 saves for his 108th playoff win.

Clarkson has three goals in this postseason, and every one has been a winner, including the clincher against Philadelphia in Game 5 of the second round.

"Mr. Clutch? I don't know about that," Clarkson said. "I'm going to skate up and down and finish the checks and just bounce off people. It's just a great feeling to be able to contribute. To get a tip on that felt pretty good."

New Jersey had 26 attempted shots blocked in Game 1, five more than they got through to goalie Henrik Lundqvist. The Devils cut the blocks to 16 on Wednesday and managed to get 27 on goal — two more than New York.

"That team blocks so many shots," Clarkson said. "It's unbelievable how many. I think we found a way to shoot it and get sticks on it, and definitely that was big for us."

Marc Staal and Chris Kreider scored power-play goals in the second for the top-seeded Rangers, who received 24 saves by Lundqvist.

New Jersey got even at 2-2 when Salvador wound up for a shot at the blue line and fired a drive that Carter — with his back to the net — brilliantly deflected past Lundqvist with 1:51 left in the second. Marian Gaborik stood up straight in front of Salvador, but didn't drop down as many of his teammates have to try to block the shot. For that, he was pinned to the bench by Tortorella, even through New York's power play in the third.

Gaborik returned to the ice with 8:40 remaining as the Rangers pressed to tie.

The Devils kept the pressure on New York at the start of the third and wiped out the good work the Rangers displayed in the second.

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Late rally carries Grizzlies past Clippers, forces Game 7

LOS ANGELES — This time, the fourth quarter belonged to the Memphis Grizzlies.

Wrapped up: Los Angeles' Blake Griffin is enveloped by Memphis' Marreese Speights during Game 6 on Friday night. The Grizzlies beat the Clippers 90-88 to even the series 3-3. AP

Long the domain of the Clippers' Chris Paul, it was the Grizzlies who rallied in the closing minutes to beat Los Angeles 90-88 and force a decisive seventh game in their playoff series.

Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph worked their inside-out game to perfection on a night when Paul and Blake Griffin were limited by injuries and the Clippers' bench couldn't quite put them over the top.

"This one has to hurt," Paul said. "If it doesn't hurt, it means you don't care."

Gasol scored 23 points, Randolph had 18 points and 16 rebounds, and Rudy Gay and Mike Conley added 13 points each to help the Grizzlies win for the first time in the Western Conference series at Staples Center and stave off elimination.

"We were very focused on our task defensively and that's a big reason we won," said Gasol, whose brother Pau will play a Game 7 with the Los Angeles Lakers against Denver at Staples on Saturday night. "We were way more disciplined. The whole team is doing a better job of finding me in the post."

Griffin scored 17 points despite a sprained left knee that limited his jumping ability, and Eric Bledoe added 14 off the bench to lead the Clippers, who blew an eight-point lead in the fourth along with a second consecutive chance to close out what would have been a landmark playoff victory for the beleaguered franchise.

"Right now is not the time to start pointing the finger," Griffin said.

Paul scored 11 points playing with a strained right hip flexor and a jammed right middle finger.

"I didn't know he was hurt," Randolph said. "Everybody's hurting. My knee is hurting. I ain't looking for no excuse. You got to put that in the back and keep playing."

The Clippers are seeking just the third playoff series win in franchise history. Game 7 will be Sunday in Memphis.

"It's uncharted territory for us as a team," Clippers second-year coach Vinny Del Negro said. "We got to stay together, battle through it and give our best effort of the season."

Only eight teams in NBA history have come back from a 3-1 deficit to win a seven-game series. Top-seeded San Antonio awaits the winner in the conference semifinals.

"All of this means nothing because it's a one-game series," Memphis coach Lionel Hollins said. "Everyone has a chance to win."

Tied 66-66 starting the fourth, Los Angeles scored 10 straight to take its first lead since the game's opening minutes, led by Bledsoe's six points.

"It was looking bleak at that time," Hollins said.

But the Grizzlies weren't done.

They went on a 17-4 run, including 10 straight points, to take an 85-80 lead. Gay scored five in a row as the Clippers missed and Randolph came up with a big block. Conley hit a 3-pointer and Randolph tipped in the ball to close out the spurt.

"We stuck together and finished the game," Randolph said. "That's what coach has been preaching."

Griffin made two free throws before Randolph scored for an 87-82 lead. Conley fouled Paul, and he missed the first and made the second to leave Los Angeles trailing 87-83 with 56 seconds left.

The Clippers were forced to keep fouling, and the Grizzlies made 3 of 8 to stay alive. Los Angeles' Caron Butler missed a 3-pointer with 14 seconds to go as red-clad fans headed for the exits before Randy Foye hit a 3 with 3 seconds left.

Paul blamed himself for two fourth-quarter turnovers that led to Grizzlies baskets.

"I got to do better," he said. "We didn't want to go back to Memphis, not 'til sometime next season."

The Grizzlies opened the second half on a 12-8 run to extend its lead to 54-46, with Randolph having six points and Gasol four. Los Angeles answered with Paul bookending a 14-6 spurt that tied the game 60-60.

Griffin and DeAndre Jordan got in two huge dunks before Paul's jumper from the right corner brought the Clippers all the way back from an eight-point deficit earlier in the quarter.

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Loeb triumphs in Rally of Argentina

BUENOS AIRES — World rally champion Sebastian Loeb won the Rally of Argentina for the seventh time in a row Sunday to increase his lead in the season standings.

The Frenchman finished 15.2 seconds ahead of teammate Mikko Hirvonen to give Citroen a 1-2 finish. Mads Ostberg was third.

Loeb has won three of the season's first five rallies — Monte Carlo, Mexico and Argentina — and has 91 points. Petter Solberg is second with 73 points, and Hirvonen has 70.

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BYU completes largest rally in tourney history

DAYTON, Ohio — With his team in the midst of the biggest comeback in NCAA tournament history, BYU coach Dave Rose caught the look in his players' eyes and was reassured.

A rally for the ages was in the making.

Noah Hartsock scored 16 of his 23 points in the second half and the Cougars came back from 25 points down to beat Iona 78-72 in the first round Tuesday night.

During a timeout after the Cougars had pared the lead to single digits midway through the second half, Rose saw something he'll never forget.

"The look in our players' eyes at that time was, 'Game on. We've got a chance here,' " Rose said. "And we were able to finish it off."

Brandon Davies added 18 points and Damarcus Harrison 12 for the 14th-seeded Cougars (26-8), who advanced to play third-seeded Marquette on Thursday.

It marked the biggest comeback in an NCAA tournament game, the organization said. Previously, the largest deficit overcome was 22 points in 2001 when Duke fought back to beat Maryland 95-84 in the national semifinals.

Hartsock was a little hurt that President Barack Obama, who watched the early game in Dayton, wasn't around to see the fireworks.

"I started looking around and didn't see him," Hartsock said with a grin. "But I'm sure he had some important things to take care of."

DAYTON, Ohio — So many things happened in those five final, furious minutes that Western Kentucky coach Ray Harper had trouble taking it all in.

"Wow," he said, his face still flush with March emotion. "I don't know where to begin."

The only team with a losing record in the NCAA tournament got it started with a classic March comeback — in front of a presidential audience, no less. T.J. Price's three-point play with 33 seconds to go completed the Hilltoppers' rally from a 16-point deficit over the last 5 minutes for a 59-58 victory over Mississippi Valley State on Tuesday night.

President Barack Obama and British Prime Minister David Cameron had front-row seats to see the tournament open with a ragged game that had a record ending. It was the biggest margin overcome by a team in the final 5 minutes to win an NCAA tournament game, the organization said.

"It's a crazy feeling," said Derrick Gordon, who had 11 points. "That's the president of the United States coming to watch our game. We wanted to put on a show. Things didn't work our way for the first 35 minutes, but we came away with the W."

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James ignites Miami rally

MIAMI — First half, all San Antonio.

Second half, all Miami — and then some.

LeBron James had 33 points and 10 assists, Chris Bosh scored 30 points — the 211-cm forward going coast-to-coast for a dunk to punctuate his effort — and the Heat used a historic third-quarter turnaround to erase what was a 17-point deficit and beat the Spurs 120-98 on Tuesday night, snapping a three-game slide in a most unpredictable manner.

"We have a great luxury with three players who can do special things when you need it," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said.

And one of them was in street clothes. Dwyane Wade sat out his fourth game of the season, this time because of a sprained right ankle. No matter: Miami shot 68 percent in the second half, outscoring the Spurs 71-35 after halftime.

"We should be embarrassed," San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich said.

For the first 24 minutes, it was the Spurs doing all the embarrassing. San Antonio connected on 12 of its first 15 shots, led 52-35 with 3 minutes to go in the first half, and had Danny Green hit a pair of buzzer-beaters — the first from the top of the key to end the first quarter, the second from near midcourt to beat the halftime horn — to take a 63-49 lead into intermission.

What happened next left both sides befuddled.

"Can't explain it," Bosh said.

Offered Spurs guard Tony Parker: "That's basketball."

Miami outscored San Antonio 39-12 in the third quarter — matching the second-largest differential for any quarter in Heat history, and matching the second-worst differential for a period in Spurs history, according to STATS LLC. James was 7-for-9 in the third quarter. The Spurs — combined — were 4-for-19. James hit 3-pointers on consecutive possessions to put the Heat up 72-68, and Miami simply never stopped rolling from there.

James finished 12-for-21 from the floor, almost erasing any memory of him missing his first four shots. He was battling a cold, but offered no excuse afterward.

"Hopefully I can get over this in the next couple days where I can get back to myself," James said. "I just tried to push through it in the third quarter. My teammates did a great job of finding me and stepping up defensively. We all did that."

Magic 96, Bobcats 89

In Orlando, Dwight Howard had 25 points and 17 rebounds to lead the Magic to their fifth straight win.

Warriors 105, Cavaliers 95

In Cleveland, David Lee scored a season-high 29 points and Nate Robinson added 17 to carry Golden State.

Bulls 118, Suns 97

In Chicago, Carlos Boozer scored 26 of his season-high 31 points in the first half, leading the short-handed Bulls past Phoenix.

Rockets 97, Pistons 80

In Houston, Samuel Dalembert had 14 points and 12 rebounds, Luis Scola also scored 14 and the Rockets won their fourth straight.

Kyle Lowry had 13 points, five rebounds and five assists for Houston, which outrebounded the Pistons 42-35 to offset 21 turnovers. The Rockets shot 49 percent (40 of 81) from the field and scored 21 points off 17 offensive rebounds.

Nuggets 105, Bucks 95

In Milwaukee, Corey Brewer scored a season-high 22 points as Denver started its five-game road trip with a win.

Jazz 108, Clippers 79

In Salt Lake City, Paul Millsap scored 20 points and reserve C.J. Miles added a season-high 19 as Utah got its 16th straight home win.

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Al-Attiyah wins Dakar Rally stage

Copiapo, Chile — Defending champion Nasser Al-Attiyah of Qatar won Saturday's seventh stage of the Dakar Rally with Stephane Peterhansel of France finishing third and keeping the overall lead.

A day after a Dakar stage was cancelled because of a snowed-in Andes pass for the first time, competitors took to soft sand and dunes in a 419-km loop course around the northern Chilean city of Copiapo in the Atacama region, one of the driest places on Earth.

Al-Attiyah, whose Hummer has been fast but plagued by bad luck, finally dominated to the end of a stage.

He beat second-placed American teammate Robby Gordon by 7 minutes, 30 seconds. Peterhansel was 7:53 behind in his Mini and happy to concede a 1-2 finish to the Hummers.

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Death mars first stage of Dakar Rally

SANTA, Rosa Argentina — The death of Argentine bike rider Jorge Martinez Boero on Sunday on the first day of the Dakar Rally focused attention on the hazards of one of motor sports' most dangerous events.

Organizers said the 38-year-old died from head and chest injuries during a crash on the first stage.

The stage from the Atlantic coastal city of Mar del Plata was won by Leonid Novitskiy of Russia in the cars category, and Francisco Lopez of Chile in bikes.

Novitskiy finished the special stage in 32 minutes, 12 seconds — five seconds ahead of Polish driver Krzysztof Holowczyc. Both are driving Minis. Stephane Peterhansel of France was third, nine seconds behind the leader.

Lopez, on an Aprilla, crossed the line in 32:37, 14 seconds in front of defending champion Marc Coma of Spain on a KTM. Javier Pizzolito of Argentina was in third place on a Honda, 27 seconds behind Lopez.

Fatalities occur often in the Dakar Rally.

Last year a man died when his small truck collided with a car participating in the rally. In 2010, a woman watching the race was struck and killed by a vehicle taking part in the race.

In 2009, the body of French motorcyclist Pascal Terry was found after he had been missing for three days following the second stage of the race.

Details surrounding Martinez Boero's death were not clear, but reports said he may have fallen after running off the course and striking an open sewer line.

"The organizers of the rally offer their heartfelt condolences to his family and loved ones," race officials said in a statement.

Police said Martinez Boero died as he was transported by helicopter to a hospital in Mar del Plata. This was his second Dakar. Officials said he withdrew during the sixth stage of last year's rally.

This is the fourth consecutive year the event is being held in South America. The rally was held in Europe and Africa until the 2008 race was canceled because of fears of terrorism. It was moved to South America the next year.

The route this year is different to the first three, which were loop courses from the Argentine capital Buenos Aires to Chile, and then back to Buenos Aires.

This year the race begins in Argentina, passes through Chile, and finishes in Lima, Peru, on Jan. 15.

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Hannaryz rally late, stretch winning streak to 11 games

The Kyoto Hannaryz gave their fans the perfect Christmas Eve git: a thrilling comeback win over the visiting Akita Northern Happinets.

Kyosuke Setoyama and Jermaine Boyette buried 3-point shots in the final minute and the Hannaryz rallied for a 79-78 triumph, extending their winning streak to 11 games.

Boyette, who had an 18-point performance, scored the game-winning basket with 2 seconds remaining. He was 4-for-6 from beyond the 3-point arc.

The Hannaryz (14-5 overall, 8-3 at home) trailed 77-71 with 33 seconds left before Setoyama, who dished out 11 assists, and Boyette made clutch 3s, the latter of which pulled Kyoto to within 78-77.

Former NBA center Lance Allred paced the Hannaryz with 21 points on 10-for-13 shooting and grabbed 12 rebounds. Teammate Rick Rickert added 13 points and eight boards for coach Honoo Hamaguchi's club. Naoto Nakamura added nine points and Taizo Kawabe had four assists.

For Akita (13-8), Stanley Ocitti was the top scorer with 21 points. Ricky Woods finished with 16 points and Curtis Terry and E.J. Drayton scored 14 points apiece.

Five Arrows 80, Shining Suns 75

In Miyakonojo, Miyazaki Prefecture, Takamatsu ended its season-long losing streak by edging the hosts.

Paul Butorac scored a team-high 18 points for the Five Arrows (1-20) and Masaaki Suzuki had 15. Nyika Williams scored 11 points and Hiroyuki Kikuchi had 10, while Michael Nunnally and Kevin Smith, who made his season debut after a long injury layoff, both had eight.

The Five Arrows controlled the game in the third quarter, outscoring the hosts 19-6.

Tsubasa Yonezawa led the Shining Suns (9-12) with 16 points. Miyazaki's Dexter Lyons and Lewis Witcher scored 14 and 13 points, respectively. Darryl Dora grabbed 14 rebounds for the hosts.

Albirex BB 89, Jets 79

In Funabashi, Chiba Prefecture, Erron Maxey had 21 points and 13 rebounds and Nile Murry scored 19 as Niigata swept the struggling hosts.

Dwight Gordon added 15 points, Shuhei Komatsu scored 13 and Chris Holm pulled down 18 rebounds for the Albirex (12-8).

Chiba coach Eric Gardow said it was "a tough weekend for the Jets. We got out-rebounded both days and our defense was very poor. ... Niigata outplayed us in both games. Congratulations to them."

For Chiba (10-12), Maurice Hargrow led the way with 29 points, 10 rebounds and six assists. Jamel Staten added 23 points and nine boards for the Jets. Jamal Holden and Kosuke Yahata each scored eight points.

The Jets were 12-for-23 at the charity stripe.

Evessa 60, 89ers 59

In Osaka, center Wayne Marshall scored 15 points and pulled down eight rebounds and Lavell Payne and Cohey Aoki chipped in with 11 points apiece as the Evessa won the series opener.

Satoshi Takeda added 10 points and Kevin Tyner scored eight as Osaka improved to 14-5.

The Evessa raced out to a 12-1 lead to start the game.

"It wasn't pretty but we pulled out a win," Evessa coach Ryan Blackwell said. "Lawrence (Blackledge) made a great block at the end of the game that saved us."

He added: "We gave up 25 offensive rebounds, many when we were in 2-3 zone but still too much. Lavell Payne came off the bench and sparked us offensively when we struggled to make shots and Wayne made some nice plays offensively down the stretch."

Evessa star Lynn Washington served a one-game ban for a flagrant foul last weekend against Akita.

There were several interesting subplots to the game, including:

*Sendai's Dan Fitzgerald and Osaka's Lawrence Blackledge were Marquette University teammates.

*Blackwell played for the 89ers from 2006-08

*Sendai's Takuya Komoda suited up for Osaka after the March 11 earthquake ended the 89ers' 2010-11 campaign.

For Sendai (11-10), Johnny Dukes had 18 points, 15 boards and six assists and Rashaad Singleton finished with 13 points and 11 rebounds. Fitzgerald had 12 points and 10 boards.

"We battled back from a slow start, and had the ball and a shot at the end to win it," 89ers coach Bob Pierce said. "I think it might have been Santa who blocked it at the end."

Golden Kings 83, HeaDevils 80

In Kitsuki, Oita Prefecture, David Palmer scored a season-high 32 points, including 9-for-9 from the free-throw line, and Ryukyu improved to 11-2 on the road.

Naoto Kosuge had 14 points and Anthony McHenry and Morihisa Yamauchi each had 12 points for the Western Conference-leading Golden Kings (16-5). Center Jeff Newton, who was 0-for-5 from the field and scored zero points, grabbed 12 rebounds in the win, the only statistic he has stated repeatedly that he cares about.

T.J. Cummings paced the HeatDevils (4-17) with 25 points and 19 rebounds. Naoto Takushi, a former Ryukyu player, had 20 points and 12 assists, while Matt Lottich scored 12 points. Wendell White returned to the lineup after a three-game absence due to an ankle injury, and the one-time bj-league MVP had nine points, seven rebounds and two assists in 21 minutes.

Phoenix 71, Broncos 67

In Tokorozawa, Saitama Prefecture, Wayne Arnold led two-time defending champion Hamamatsu Higashimikawa with 19 points and big man Herve Lamizana blocked six shots in a win over the Broncos.

Atsuya Ota had 12 points, Jeffrey Parmer added 11, Lamizana had 10 points and nine boards and Jermaine Dixon provided nine points and six assists from the point. Crafty veteran Masahiro Oguchi made five steals for the victors.

Hamamatsu (13-8) outscored the hosts 43-27 in the second half.

John "Helicopter" Humphrey led Saitama with 20 points. Kenny Satterfield had 13 points and seven assists and Jayme Miller contributed 10 points and 10 boards. Newcomer Nashid Beard had nine points and eight rebounds in his Saitama debut and Daiki Terashita also scored nine points.

The Broncos fell to 6-13 and lost their fourth straight game. They had 22 turnovers and shot 22-for-63 from the field.

B-Corsairs 73, Brave Warriors 63

In Okaya, Nagano Prefecture, Justin Burrell posted a double-double with 24 points and 10 boards and Marcus Simmons scored 13 points as Yokohama defeated Shinshu in the expansion teams' series opener.

Kenji Yamada had an 11-point outing and Senegalese forward Pape Mour Faye hauled in 16 rebounds and scored 10 points for good measure for the B-Corsairs (8-11).

Lee Roberts paced the Brave Warriors (9-12) with 19 points, while Edward Morris, Tyler Hughes and Derek Raivio scored 12 points apiece.

Big Bulls 89, Lakestars 69

In Otsu, Shiga Prefecture, Iwate's offense kicked into high gear in the fourth quarter, with 28 points to the hosts' 13 en route to a one-sided win.

Thomas Kennedy scored a team-high 22 points, Makoto Sawaguchi had 17, while Shawn Malloy (15 points, 14 boards) and Gordon Klaiber (15 points, nine boards and four steals in his Big Bulls debut) also had key performances for the Big Bulls (6-15). Tasuku Namizato had eight assists in the win.

Iwate made 10 of 19 3-point shots.

Ray Nixon led Shiga (14-7) with 18 points and Julius Ashby scored 12. Josh Peppers scored nine for the Lakestars.

Rizing 83, Susanoo Magic 76

In Fukuoka, Kevin Palmer scored 23 points and Jun Nakanishi poured in 20 as the hosts topped Shimane.

Carlos Dixon added 17 points, Gary Hamilton had a 13-point, 12-rebound, seven-assist, four-steal performance and Akitomo Takeno dished out five assists and collected three steals for Fukuoka (14-7).

Reggie Golson was the Magic's top scorer (21 points) and Michael Parker scored 20. Jeral Davis had 12 points and 12 rebounds for Shimane (12-9).

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Flyers rally, edge Sabres in overtime

BUFFALO, New York — Claude Giroux scored 2:27 into overtime for the Philadelphia Flyers, who overcame a three-goal, first-period deficit and beat the Buffalo Sabres 5-4 on Wednesday night.

Options: Flyers right wing Jaromir Jagr moves the puck as he is chased by Sabres defenseman Brayden McNabb in the first period in Buffalo, New York, on Wednesday. Philadelphia won 5-4. AP PHOTO

Rookie Matt Read, Scott Hartnell, and Jaromir Jagr scored in the second period, and Maxime Talbot added goals for Philadelphia, which led 4-3 in the third.

The Flyers (16-7-3) scored four times on 10 shots bridging the first and second periods after falling behind 3-0 to win their third straight.

Philadelphia also climbed out of a three-goal hole on Friday at Anaheim and won on another overtime goal by Giroux, who added three assists against the Sabres. Ilya Bryzgalov made 20 saves.

"That's the type of team we are, we don't quit," said Giroux, who surged to the top of the NHL scoring race with a four-point night. "We have a lot of character, and we're having a lot of fun here. The second period we played our game, and the third period, too."

Zack Kassian had a goal and an assist, and Ville Leino, Thomas Vanek and Drew Stafford also scored for the Sabres (14-11-2), who have lost three of four.

Buffalo's Ryan Miller, playing in his second game after returning from a concussion/neck injury, stopped 29 shots.

After a Sabres turnover in the Philadelphia end, Giroux skated in on Miller on a breakaway and slipped the puck in on a deke for the winner.

After Buffalo blew its three-goal lead and fell behind, Stafford tied it at 4 with 1:35 left in regulation — scoring his fifth goal of the season after the Sabres pulled Miller for an extra attacker.

The Flyers got within 3-2 at 5:17 of the second period when Read deflected defenseman Kimmo Timonen's slap shot from the left point and sent the puck squirting past Miller.

Hartnell tied it at 3 with 5:05 to go in the second when his wrist shot from the right faceoff dot deflected in off the skate of Buffalo defenseman Christian Ehrhoff.

"It's something you don't want to do, get behind three goals, because sooner or later it's going to come back and become a bad loss," Hartnell said. "But there was lots of hockey left, and we kept going. As the game went on, we got stronger and stronger."

Jagr gave the Flyers their first lead with his ninth goal with 2:12 left in the second, wristing in a shot from the top of the left circle to make it 4-3.

Capitals 5, Senators 3

In Ottawa, Washington's Alex Ovechkin scored one of three straight goals by the Capitals in the third period.

Nicklas Backstrom tied it at 2 with his 10th goal on a power play 9:45 into the third. He earned his 19th assist on Ovechkin's go-ahead goal at 13:50.

Troy Brouwer scored 15 seconds later to make it a 4-2. John Carlson, who had two assists, scored into an empty net at 19:14 for his third point.

Hurricanes 5, Oilers 3

In Edmonton, Carolina coach Kirk Muller earned his first win behind the Hurricanes bench, and his club snapped a seven-game losing streak with a victory over the Oilers.

Jeff Skinner, Jamie McBain, Patrick Dwyer, Chad LaRose and Tuomo Ruutu scored for the Hurricanes (9-17-4), who won their first game in five tries under Muller, a first-time NHL coach. Tomas Kaberle added two assists.

Carolina was 0-6-1 in its previous seven games and 0-5 since Muller took over for the fired Paul Maurice on Nov. 28.

COLUMBUS OHIO — The struggling Blue Jackets have named Craig Patrick, a member of the Hockey Hall of Fame and a two-time Stanley Cup champion, their new senior advisor of hockey operations.

Patrick, 65, will be responsible for advising general manager Scott Howson on trades and free-agent signings. He will also evaluate Blue Jackets' prospects playing in the AHL and ECHL.

"He possesses a wealth of experience," Howson said. "His insight and knowledge will be invaluable to the Blue Jackets."

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Marines rally but fall short

CHIBA — In a scene straight out of last year's Japan Series, the Chiba Lotte Marines were mounting a late-inning rally against the Chunichi Dragons.

Fall classic revisited: Dragons southpaw Yudai Kawai competes against the Marines, Chunichi's 2010 Japan Series foe, on Tuesday in the series opener at QVC Marine Stadium. KYODO

Chunichi has put that heartbreak behind them. This time, they made sure the Marines came up short.

Kei Nomoto hit a tie-breaking two-run single in a four-run eighth inning and closer Hitoki Iwase avoided a meltdown in the ninth as the Dragons opened the interleague schedule with a 6-5 win over the Marines on Tuesday night at QVC Marine Field.

Facing reliever Carlos Rosa with the bases loaded in the eighth, Nomoto hit a single down the first-base line that drove in two runs and gave the Dragons a 5-3 lead.

Pinch hitter Takehiro Donoue followed with a run-scoring single to extend the lead later in the inning.

Unlike in the final game of last season's Japan Series, there was no late-game magic for the Marines this time.

But that wasn't for lack of trying.

Chunichi reliever Takuya Asao shut Lotte down in the eighth, but Iwase began the ninth by giving up a double to Kazuya Fukuura.

The next batter, Kei Hosoya, was retired, but Yoshifumi Okada was hit with a pitch putting runners on first and second. Shota Ishimine hit a long fly ball for out two, but Tadahito Iguchi followed him with an RBI single.

Marines cleanup hitter Kim Tae Kyun then hit a run-scoring single to make the score 6-4 as Iguchi advanced all the way to third.

Iwase composed himself with the tying run at third and retired Toshiaki Imae to end the game.

Despite allowing two runs, Iwase earned the save, his seventh of the season. Iwase now has 283 career saves, trailing all-time leader Shingo Takatsu by three.

Masafumi Hirai earned the win in relief. Tatsuya Uchi, who allowed all four runs in the eighth, took the loss.

Hirokazu Ibata drove in a pair of runs for Chunichi, finishing 2-for-4. Masahiko Morino, who started the eighth-inning rally with a game-tying sacrifice fly, was 1-for-3 while Masahiro Araki led all batters with three hits.

Hosoya had a big day for the Marines in his season debut, hitting a single in his first at-bat and his first career home run the next time up.

"I'm glad I could hit my first homer," said Hosoya, who finished 2-for-3. "I had a good image from my previous at-bat."

SENDAI — Kenji Yano and Hidetoshi Tsuburaya delivered two-out RBI singles in the top of the ninth inning as the Yomiuri Giants beat the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles 4-3 on Tuesday.

Lions 4, BayStars 1

At Omiya Stadium, Hideaki Wakui pitched a complete game to earn his first win since the season opener on April 12.

Swallows 2, Fighters 0

At Sapporo Dome, Shohei Tateyama (3-1) threw eight shutout innings for Tokyo Yakult in a win over Hokkaido Nippon Ham.

Hawks 4, Carp 4 (11)

At Fukuoka's Yahoo Dome, Seiichi Uchikawa singled in the tying run in the eighth inning as Softbank came back to play out an 11-inning tie with Hiroshima.

Tigers 5, Buffaloes 4

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Antlers rally past Sydney FC

Kashima Antlers kept alive their hopes of finishing top of Group H and securing a home tie in the second round of the Asian Champions League on Tuesday after coming from behind to beat already eliminated Sydney FC 2-1 at National Stadium.

The seven-time J. League champion, fielding a weakened starting lineup, fell behind on Matt Jurman's 26th-minute header but improved with the introduction of Fellype Gabriel, who set up Yuya Osako to strike a superb equalizer before Takuya Nozawa sealed victory with a free kick at Antlers' temporary home four minutes from time.

At Nagai Stadium, tournament debutants Cerezo Osaka hammered Shandong Luneng 4-0 to join Antlers and Grampus in the last 16.

On Wednesday, former Asian champions Gamba Osaka take on Group E leaders Tianjin Teda at Expo Stadium where Akira Nishino's side will look to secure a top-two finish, while Grampus will play UAE side Al Ain away for first place in their group.

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