Westbrook’s 36 lift Thunder past Lakers
NBA: Russell Westbrook scored 36 points, Kevin Durant added 21, and the West-leading Oklahoma City Thunder defeated the Los Angeles Lakers 102-93 Thursday night for their fifth consecutive victory in the matchup of division leaders.
Andrew Bynum had 25 points and 13 rebounds and Kobe Bryant added 23 points for the Lakers, who have lost their last two at home and are 0-2 against the Thunder this season.
Oklahoma City pulled away to open the fourth quarter with a 10-0 run that stretched its lead to 88-70 while Westbrook’s defense kept Bryant tied up. Westbrook and Durant scored four points each in the spurt that had Laker fans booing.
• Heat home win streak reaches 15: LeBron James and Chris Bosh each finished with 19 points and nine rebounds, Dwyane Wade and Udonis Haslem scored 16 apiece and the Miami Heat extended their home winning streak to 15 with a 106-85 win over the Dallas Mavericks in an NBA finals rematch.
Mario Chalmers scored 12 points and Norris Cole added 10 for Miami, which swept its two games with Dallas this season and snapped a two-game losing streak.
• Aldridge powers Blazers: LaMarcus Aldridge had 25 points and 12 rebounds, and the host Portland Trail Blazers pulled away from short-handed New Orleans and beat the Hornets 99-93.
Wesley Matthews added 18 points and Luke Babbitt had a career-high 16 points, including four 3-pointers, for the Blazers, who are 4-4 since the dismissal of head coach Nate McMillan.
Islanders complete sweep of Penguins
NHL: Sidney Crosby left briefly in the second period after being bloodied when he was struck in the face with the puck, but his return wasn’t enough for the suddenly slumping Pittsburgh Penguins, who were beaten again by the host New York Islanders, 5-3.
The Islanders, who began the night in 13th place in the 15-team Eastern Conference, dealt Pittsburgh another big blow as the Penguins try to catch the New York Rangers atop the East. The Islanders knocked off the Penguins in Pittsburgh 5-3 on Tuesday night and completed the home-and-home sweep.
• Devils near playoffs: Ilya Kovalchuk and Marek Zidlicky scored in a 1:11 span to cap a four-goal second period and the New Jersey Devils put themselves on the doorstep of a playoff berth with a 6-4 victory over Tampa Bay Lightning at Newark, N.J.
The Devils can return to the playoffs for the 14th time in 15 seasons by earning one more point in their final four games or having the Washington Capitals fail to earn a point.
• Maple Leafs’ fans talkin’ baseball: Brayden Schenn and Wayne Simmonds each scored twice, and the Philadelphia Flyers beat Toronto 7-1, handing the Maple Leafs their 11th straight home loss.
The disgruntled Toronto fans chanted “Let’s Go, Blue Jays!” on a couple of occasions, a clear sign most have already turned their attention to baseball season.
Former Seahawk signs with Packers
NFL: Free-agent defensive lineman Anthony Hargrove agreed to a deal with the Green Bay Packers, a move that could provide a much-needed boost to the team’s pass rush.
Hargrove’s agent, Phil Williams, confirmed the deal. He did not disclose terms of the contract. Hargrove has 19 1/2 sacks in 102 career regular- season games. He played for Seattle last season and had three sacks in 15 games.
Sharapova advances to tennis semifinals
TENNIS: Maria Sharapova was confused and Caroline Wozniacki was mad. The linesman was wrong and the chair umpire was right.
Sharapova won the disputed final point after an overrule by the umpire, edging Wozniacki 4-6, 6-2, 6-4 in the semifinals at the Sony Ericsson Open in Key Biscayne, Fla.
Top-ranked Novak Djokovic advanced to the semifinals without argument, beating No. 5 David Ferrer 6-2, 7-6 (1). Djokovic lost a remarkable 40-shot rally that had spectators gasping as it progressed, but he played a nearly flawless tiebreaker to seal the victory.
Canadians claim title in World Ice Dancing
Miscellany: Olympic ice dance champions Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir of Canada won the world figure skating title at Nice, France, reversing last year’s result by beating defending champions Meryl Davis and Charlie White of the U.S.
Virtue and Moir, who captured the worlds and Olympic crown two years ago, took the free dance after finishing first in Wednesday’s short dance.
The Canadians defeated the Americans for the second straight event, this time by a score of 182.65 points to 178.62. Virtue and Moir also won at last month’s Four Continents against their rivals and close friends.
• Yang leads women’s golf: Amy Yang shot a 6-under 66 to take a one-stroke lead over Lindsey Wright in the opening round of the Kraft Nabisco Championship at Rancho Mirage, Calif.
Yani Tseng was third at 68, ending the world’s top-ranked player’s streak of eight consecutive rounds with the lead. The five-time major champion has won two straight tournaments and three of five this season, while Yang and Wright have never won on the LPGA Tour.
Wendy Ward of Edwall, Wash., shot a 71.
• Phelps swims to win in 100 butterfly: Michael Phelps won the 100 butterfly at the Indianapolis Grand Prix after finishing second in the 100 freestyle.
Dana Vollmer won both the women’s 100 free and 100 fly.
• Ford takes U.S. ski title: Tommy Ford used a strong second run on sun-baked snow to capture the slalom title in a tight race at the U.S. championships in Winter Park, Colo.
Ford, who was third after the opening pass, finished in a combined time of 1 minute, 32.20 seconds on Thursday, holding off Leif Kristian Haugen of Norway by 0.01 seconds. Michael Ankeny was third.
This was the last competition for Jimmy Cochran, who plans to retire after nine seasons with the U.S. ski team.
Leading after the first run, Cochran hooked a tip on a gate and didn’t finish.