Heat rally falls short as Jazz hold on late
NBA: Al Jefferson scored 23 points, Gordon Hayward added 22 – including a jumper with 40 seconds remaining – and the Utah Jazz held on to beat the Miami Heat 104-97 on Monday night in Salt Lake City.
The Heat were down 21 points in the third quarter but fought back to pull within two behind a 32-point effort by LeBron James. However, James was called for goaltending and an offensive foul on back-to-back possessions late, then missed a 3-pointer with Miami down six with 2:19 left.
Hayward’s fadeaway 14-footer gave Utah the cushion it needed.
The Jazz were shooting 67.6 percent at halftime but made only 4 of 19 in the fourth to let the Heat back into the game.
• Clippers win without Paul, topple Grizzlies: Reserves Jamal Crawford and Matt Barnes each scored 16 points, and the visiting Los Angeles Clippers easily routed the Memphis Grizzlies 99-73 with Chris Paul missing his first game this season because of a bruised right kneecap.
While Paul watched from the bench, the Grizzlies were without their leading scorer as Rudy Gay was excused for his grandmother’s funeral in Baltimore.
Eric Bledsoe, starting for Paul, had 14 points, and Blake Griffin scored 10.
• Durant carries Thunder past Suns: Kevin Durant scored 27 of his 41 points in the second half and the visiting Oklahoma City Thunder became the NBA’s first 30-game winner of the season with a 102-90 victory over the Phoenix Suns.
Russell Westbrook added 36 for the Thunder, but it was Durant who took over in his fourth 40-point game of the season.
Oklahoma City won its fourth straight to improve its NBA-best record to 30-8.
• Bulls shut down Hawks: Carlos Boozer scored 20 points, Luol Deng added 18 and the Chicago Bulls held Atlanta to a franchise-low 20 points in the first half of a 97-58 victory over the visiting Hawks.
The Bulls held the Hawks to just five points in the second quarter and led 48-20 at the break. Ivan Johnson had a basket for the Hawks with 2:54 left in the first quarter, and Atlanta did not score again until Al Horford’s tip with 5:15 left in the second. The Hawks missed 17 consecutive shots during the drought while getting outscored 14-0.
• Gasol still out: Pau Gasol is expected to miss his fifth straight game for the Los Angeles Lakers tonight while he recovers from a concussion.
No. 12 Purdue women outlast Ohio in 3 OT
College Basketball: Sam Ostarello had 22 points and 19 rebounds and No. 12 Purdue defeated Ohio State 82-75 in triple overtime women’s basketball in West Lafayette, Ind.
Courtney Moses led the Boilermakers (14-2, 3-0) with 24 points. Ameryst Alston, who played all 55 minutes, had 24 points for Ohio State (10-7, 0-4), off to its worst Big Ten start.
Drey Mingo’s basket gave Purdue the lead for good at 72-70 and Dee Dee Williams later made a 3-pointer to put Purdue up by five.
• McLemore leads No. 4 Kansas past Baylor: Ben McLemore scored 17 points before leaving in the final minutes with a right ankle injury, and fourth-ranked Kansas rolled to a 61-44 victory over Baylor in Lawrence, Kan.
McLemore hit a 3-pointer and then scored an alley-oop dunk off a feed from Elijah Johnson to make it 61-42 with 2:44 remaining. The Jayhawks were back on offense when the freshman appeared to turn his ankle, lying on the court for several minutes while a trainer examined it.
McLemore eventually stood up and was helped to the Kansas locker room.
• No. 1 Louisville beats UConn: Russ Smith scored 23 points and Gorgui Dieng had six points and 16 rebounds and Louisville, playing just hours after it moved to No. 1, used a strong second half to beat Connecticut 73-58 in Hartford, Conn.
The Cardinals (16-1, 4-0 Big East) won their 11th straight game.
Omar Calhoun led the Huskies (12-4, 2-2) with 20 points.
Doubts raised about 2022 World Cup
Miscellany: FIFA president Sepp Blatter has raised fresh doubts about the safety of playing the 2022 World Cup in Qatar during the summer.
There have been growing calls to move the tournament to the winter to avoid the sweltering desert heat that is expected to exceed 104 degrees in June and July. UEFA president Michel Platini is one of those requesting the switch.
• Interpreters could make mound trips: Interpreters may be able to make mound trips with managers and pitching coaches this year.
Baseball owners approved the rules change when they met last week in Paradise Valley, Ariz. The change, which would be used to assist pitchers not fluent in English, now goes to the players’ association, which also must approve it for the change to start this year.