Rondo leads Celtics to Game 7 win

NBA: Rajon Rondo had 18 points, 10 assists and 10 rebounds and the Boston Celtics beat the Philadelphia 76ers 85-75 in Game 7 on Saturday night in Boston to advance to the Eastern Conference finals.

The Celtics will open the third round of the NBA playoffs in Miami against the Heat on Monday night.

Rondo scored nine straight Boston points after Paul Pierce fouled out with 4:16 left in the game, helping the Celtics turn a three-point edge into a double-digit lead. Kevin Garnett added 18 points and 13 rebounds for the Celtics, who improved to 21-7 all time in Game 7s.

Andre Iguodala scored 18 points, and Elton Brand and Jrue Holiday had 15 apiece for the 76ers.

Dufner leads by one after third round

Golf: Jason Dufner matched playing partner Zach Johnson’s birdie putt on the 17th hole, then overcame a wayward final tee shot to save par and keep the lead at the Colonial.

Slowed by two late bogeys, Dufner shot a 4-under-par 66 in the third round for a 15-under 195.

That put him a stroke ahead of Johnson, who shot 65. Tom Gillis was a distant third at 7 under after a 69.

• Chapman in command: Roger Chapman shot a 7-under 64 to take a five-stroke lead into the final round of the Senior PGA Championship in Benton Harbor, Mich.

Chapman finished the day at 14 under. John Cook began the round tied with Chapman for the lead, but couldn’t keep pace with the Englishman and settled for a 69 to drop into second place at Harbor Shores.

Chapman’s 54-hole score of 199 tied the tournament record set by Sam Snead in 1973, although Snead was 17 under when he set the mark.

• Donald in front, eyes No. 1: Defending champion Luke Donald remained in position to regain the top spot in the world ranking, shooting a 3-under 69 to take a two-stroke lead in the BMW PGA Championship in Virginia Water, England.

Donald had an 11-under 205 total. He needs to finish solo eighth or better to reclaim the No. 1 position from Rory McIlroy, who missed the cut.

England’s Justin Rose was second after a 69.

Parker carries Sparks past host Phoenix

WNBA: Candace Parker had 27 points, 11 rebounds and four blocked shots to lead the Los Angeles Sparks to a 99-88 win over the Phoenix Mercury in Phoenix.

Sparks rookie Nneka Ogwumike added 22 points.

Candice Dupree had 24 points to lead the Mercury (1-2).

• Mystics edge Shock: Matee Ajavon scored 19 points and Crystal Langhorne added 15 points and 10 rebounds to help the Washington Mystics fend off the Tulsa Shock 64-61 in Washington.

Donovan’s hat trick propels U.S. men

Soccer: Landon Donovan returned to the U.S. national team following an eight-month absence and scored his first international hat trick in five years, leading the Americans over Scotland 5-1 in an exhibition match in Jacksonville, Fla.

Donovan scored in the third minute, then added a pair of second-half goals for his third international hat trick, raising his career total to 49 goals. It was a record 125th start for Donovan, one more than the previous American mark set by defender Jeff Agoos.

Donovan had skipped eight matches because of injuries and commitments to the Los Angeles Galaxy.

Froch stops Bute to win IBF title

Miscellany: Carl Froch stopped Lucian Bute in the fifth round in his hometown of Nottingham, England, to claim the IBF super-middleweight title.

Froch (29-2), a two-time former WBC champion, was regarded as the underdog heading into the contest against the unbeaten Bute (30-1), the Romanian-born Canadian who was making his 10th title defense.

• Bruins acquire Bourque’s son: The Boston Bruins have another Bourque on their team, acquiring forward Chris Bourque from the Washington Capitals for center Zach Hamill.

Bourque, 26 is the son of Ray Bourque, the Hall of Fame defenseman who spent 21 seasons with the Bruins.

• Rodriguez retains lead: Thomas De Gendt won the 20th stage of the Giro d’Italia in Passo dello Stelvio, Italy, reigniting his chances for a podium finish. Joaquin Rodriguez retained the overall lead.

De Gendt finished in 6 hours, 54 minutes and 41 seconds.

The race ends today in Milan after an individual time trial.

• Aruna victorious: Aruna beat Hit It Rich by 1 1/4 lengths in the $200,000 Sheepshead Bay Stakes at Belmont Park in New York.

Principal Role was third.

• Former Indiana coach dies: Former Indiana coach and player Lou Watson died at the age of 88 in Fairfax, Va.

Watson played for the Hoosiers from 1947-50, becoming their leading scorer at the time, and was the head coach from 1967-71, guiding them to a 62-60 record.

• Harvard tops Yale: Harvard won the 147th Harvard-Yale Regatta, completing the 4-mile downstream race on the Thames River in New London, Conn., in 19 minutes, 41.3 seconds. Yale finished in 19:51.2.

Harvard is 93-54 in the nation’s oldest intercollegiate sporting event, winning 12 of the last 13 matchups.