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Miami reaches agreement to sign Luol Deng

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MIAMI (Sporting Alert) — Miami Heat have reached an agreement with forward Luol Deng, Adrian Wojnarowski and Yahoo Sports are reporting on Sunday.

Miami, which loss LeBron James, who returned to the to Cleveland Cavaliers, is busy reshaping the team for the forthcoming season and the report said that Deng has agreed to a “two-year, $20 million deal.”

ESPN is also reporting that Dang’s deal has include a player option after the 2014-15 season.

It is understood that the 29-year-old opted to join Miami after holding talks with Heat president Pat Riley and head coach Erik Spoelstra in “Chicago last week and further discussions between the player’s agent Ron Shade and club on Sunday morning.

With Chris Bosh signing a five-year, $118 million contract on Friday, and Dwyane Wade, reportedly nearing a new deal as well, the Heat convinced Deng that they are still pushing to win championships.

The former Chicago Bulls and Cleveland free-agent forward, who reported rejected offers from Atlanta and Dallas, is also expected to join forces with fellow free agents Danny Granger and Josh McRoberts.

Playing in Chicago and Cleveland, last season, Deng averaged 16 points and 5.7 rebounds per game.

Westbrook returns: Watch Oklahoma City v Chicago Live Streaming: WatchESPN/ESPN

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Chicago, IL (Sporting Alert) — Andre Roberson continues at shooting guard for the Oklahoma City Thunder, while Russell Westbrook comeback as the starting point guard in tonight’s clash with the Chicago Bulls at the United Center.

Following Live GameCast Streaming | Watch Live NBA Streaming on WatchESPN/ESPN

Westbrook (48-18) sat out the Thunder’s 109-86 defeat against the Dallas Mavericks at the Chesapeake Energy Arena in Oklahoma City on Sunday as a precautionary measure and a chance to rest his knee, but has returned to take the place of Reggie Jackson.

He will join star forwards Kevin Durant and Serge Ibaka, Roberson and center Steven Adams in the Thunder lineup.

Westbrook is averaging 21.5 points per game, as well as 7.1 assists and 5.7 rebounds this season.

Chicago (37-29), meanwhile, has won back-to-back games and three of its last four, including a battling 95-88 overtime victory over two-time defending champions Miami Heat earlier this month.

Chicago Bulls:
Kirk Hinrich (PG) Jimmy Butler (SG) Mike Dunleavy (SF) Carlos Boozer (PF) Joakim Noah (C)

Oklahoma City Thunder:
Russell Westbrook (PG) Andre Roberson (SG) Kevin Durant (SF) Serge Ibaka (PF) Steven Adams (C)

Live Stream of Brooklyn at Chicago on TNT Overtime

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Chicago, IL (Sporting Alert) — Kevin Garnett will be in the starting lineup again for the Brooklyn Nets when they take on the Chicago Bulls live on TNT Overtime on Thursday night at United Center.

Watch Live Stream: Brooklyn at Chicago on TNT Overtime

Deron Williams and Shaun Livingston both start again for Brooklyn (24-26), which won four of its last five games.

Meanwhile, Carlos Boozer will start at the power forward for Chicago (26-25), who beat the Atlanta Hawks 100-85 on Tuesday night to go above .500.

It was widely suggested that Taj Gibson, who scored 24 and 12 rebounds in the win over the Atlanta Hawks might have been given the nod to start, but Bulls head coach Tom Thibodeau has decided to keep his word and start with Boozer, which means Gibson will finish.

Chicago Team: Kirk Hinrich (PG) Jimmy Butler (SG) Mike Dunleavy (SF) Carlos Boozer (PF) Joakim Noah (C).

Brooklyn Team: Deron Williams (PG) Shaun Livingston (SG) Joe Johnson (SF) Paul Pierce (PF) Kevin Garnett (C).

NBA Scores and leading scorers – Dec. 28

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Chris Bosh of the Miami Heat

NEW YORK — The following are the NBA scores, results and leading scorers for each teams from the games that took place on Saturday, December 28.

Saturday, December 28 – ESPN Scoreboard Brief
RESULT WINNER HIGH LOSER HIGH ATT.
Boston 103, Cleveland 100 Green 19 Pts
Crawford 19 Pts		 Irving 32 Pts 18,264
Toronto 115, New York 100 Lowry 32 Pts Stoudemire 23 Pts 19,800
Dallas 105, Chicago 83 Ellis 22 Pts Noah 20 Pts 22,099
Miami 108, Portland 107 Bosh 37 Pts Matthews 23 Pts 20,071
LA Clippers 98, Utah 90 Griffin 40 Pts Kanter 17 Pts 19,278
Indiana 105, Brooklyn 91 George 24 Pts Pierce 18 Pts 18,165
Washington 106, Detroit 82 Wall 20 Pts Monroe 14 Pts 19,336
Atlanta 118, Charlotte 116 (OT) Millsap 33 Pts Jefferson 24 Pts 15,180
Houston 107, New Orleans 98 Howard 24 Pts Anderson 22 Pts 18,233
Memphis 120, Denver 99 Randolph 20 Pts Lawson 20 Pts 17,017
Minnesota 117, Milwaukee 95 Love 33 Pts Middleton 23 Pts 14,971
Phoenix 115, Philadelphia 101 Plumlee 22 Pts Young 30 Pts 15,623

Leading the list of winners on the night were the two-time reigning champions, the Miami Heat, who won the battle against another title contenders for this season, the Portland Trail Blazers.

Playing without the injured LeBron James, star center Chris Bosh stepped up big time to score a game-high 37 points, including the go-ahead three pointer and pulled down 10 rebounds to lead the Heat (23-7) to a narrow 108-107 victory over Portland (24-6) .

Wesley Matthews finished with 23 points and LaMarcus Aldridge added 22 points and seven rebounds in the defeat for the Trail Blazers.

Heat coach Erik Spoelstra admits at the end of the game that the plan was to go for a two-pointer and try and send the game into over, but Bosh wanted none of that. He had already played enough and wanted to go for the three-pointer.

“My call at the end of the game was much more conservative,” Spoelstra revealed. “I drew something up to get him on the move and he said, ‘No, I want it for the 3.’ So he overruled it and became a prophet.”

Spoelstra added: “He was terrific tonight, a true two-way player. He took the challenge for the majority of his minutes on one of the premier players in this league (Aldridge) and then had to shoulder a big-time offensive load.

“That takes incredible stamina but also the skill set that he put on display tonight on both ends of the court.”

Meanwhile, in other NBA scores on the night, the LA Clippers, behind Blake Griffin’s season-high 40 points, beat the Utah Jazz 98-90, Paul George scored 24 points and the Indiana Pacers defeated the Brooklyn Nets, 105-91, while Houston beat New Orleans, 107-98.

Chicago Bulls lead Indiana Pacers, 60-35 at half-time

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CHICAGO (Sporting Alert) — The Chicago Bulls are dominating the matchup with the undefeated Indiana Pacers and lead the visitors 60-35 at half-time at United Center.

Luol Deng scored 12 of his first half 14 points in the opening quarter to lead the Bulls scorers, while Derrick Rose has also scored 14 points in the opening half.

Deng has grabbed six rebounds so far, with reserve point guard Kirk Hinrich contributing 11 points and four assists in the first 24 minutes.

The Bulls have shot 85.7-percent on 6 of 7 shooting from three point range and are 54.8-percent from the floor.

Only David West, who has 11 points has scored in double figures for the Pacers, who have won all its nine opening games to start the season.

Leading scorer Paul George, who has scored 20 or more points in the first nine games, only has five points on 2 of 10 shooting from the field, while Pacers are 0 for 4 from three-pointers.

Derrick Rose starts for Chicago v Indiana Live

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CHICAGO (Sporting Alert) — Derrick Rose is in the starting lineup for the Chicago Bulls against the undefeated Indiana Pacers on Saturday night at United Center.

Live Score Box, GameCast and Live Radio Commentary.

The star point guard did not play in Friday night’s contest against the Toronto Raptors because of a right hamstring injury and was seen as a game-time decision for tonight contest.

However, he starts alongside Jimmy Butler, while Luol Deng, Carlos Boozer and Joakim Noah complete the five for Chicago (4-3).

The Pacers (9-0) will go in search of their 10th successive win of the season, while Paul George will be looking to extend his streak of scoring 20 or more points in every game this term.

Chicago: Derrick Rose (PG) Jimmy Butler (SG) Luol Deng (SF) Carlos Boozer (PF) Joakim Noah (C)

Indiana: George Hill (PG) Lance Stephenson (SG) Paul George (SF) David West (PF) Roy Hibbert (C)

Live WatchESPN, ESPN: No. 4 Duke v No. 5 Kansas Tip-Off Marathon

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No. 4 Duke and No. 5 Kansas square off in an early meeting between college basketball powerhouse as part of ESPN and ESPN Networks Tip-Off Marathon Tuesday night.

Duke vs. Kansas
State Farm Champions Classic
Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2013 (10:00 p.m.)
ESPN • Blue Devil IMG Sports Network • ESPN Radio  • WatchESPN
Chicago, Ill. • United Center (20,917)

The Opening Tip
• Duke faces Kansas at the United Center in Chicago in the State Farm Champions Classic. The Blue Devils are 2-0 in the event with wins over Michigan State (2011) and Kentucky (2012).
• Duke is ranked No. 4 in both the AP and USA Today Coaches’ Polls. The Blue Devils are 55-11 all-time when ranked No. 4 in the AP Poll. Kansas enters the game ranked No. 5 in the AP Poll and No. 6 in the Coaches’ Poll.
• The Blue Devils are 23-12 under Coach K in matchups between top five teams in the AP Poll.  Duke has won its last three games against top five teams when it has been ranked in the top five as well.
• Duke has been ranked in the top 25 of the AP Poll an NCAA-best 117 straight weeks. Kansas is second overall with 85 consecutive weeks ranked in the AP Poll.

The Last Time Out
• Duke opened the season with a decisive 111-77 home win over Davidson Nov. 8. The Blue Devils shot 70.4 percent from the field and knocked down 13 three-point field goals in the win.
• Rodney Hood and Jabari Parker paced the Blue Devils with 22 points apiece, while Quinn Cook (21) and Rasheed Sulaimon (20) also topped the 20-point plateau.
• Sophomore Amile Jefferson added 10 points to give Duke five double-figure scorers.
• Cook knocked down three three-point field goals and also had eight assists with no turnovers in the win over the Wildcats.
• Hood went 9-of-10 from the field in his Duke debut and also added a team-high nine rebounds and two blocks.
• Parker made his first five shots of the game and had 16 points in the opening half of play.

Chicago v New York on TNT Overtime; Box Score, Rose Starts

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CHICAGO (Sporting Alert) — Derrick Rose starts for the Chicago Bulls against the New York Knicks in his club’s NBA home opener after being cleared of a sore neck.

Rose missed the Bulls’ shootaround session on Thursday morning with the neck problem and head coach Tom Thibodeau said earlier in the day that the star point would have been a game-time decision.

Broadcasting: Chicago v New York on TNT Overtime | Box Score

He starts alongside Jimmy Butler, Luol Deng, Carlos Boozer and Joakim Noah as Chicago looks to bounce back from the opening night defeat.

Starting for the Knicks are Iman Shumpert and Raymond Felton at guard, while Carmelo Anthony, Andrea Bargnani and Tyson Chandler

The Chicago Bulls were beaten 107-95 by the Miami Heat on opening night on Tuesday, while the New York Knicks picked up a 90-83 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks on Wednesday night.

Chicago Lineup : Derrick Rose (PG) Jimmy Butler (SG) Luol Deng (SF) Carlos Boozer (PF) Joakim Noah (C)

New York Lineup: Raymond Felton (PG) Iman Shumpert (SG) Carmelo Anthony (SF) Andrea Bargnani (PF) Tyson Chandler (C)

PRESEASON: ESPN, WatchESPN: Brooklyn at Boston, Chicago at Oklahoma City Live

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(SPORTING ALERT) — The following is a list of NBA preseason games on the schedule for Wednesday night, Oct. 23.

With the regular season set to tip-off next week, most teams are busy going through their final preparations ahead of he start of those fixtures.

After resting Kevin Durant in the defeat to the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday night, the Oklahoma City Thunder will recall the All-Star and scoring machine forward for tonight’s game with the Chicago Bulls, who continue to look good with star point guard Derrick Rose back to full fitness.

The Boston Celtics (1-6) continue to struggle under new head coach Brad Stevens in preseason, and Wednesday night they face a new-look Brooklyn Nets (4-1) team which will field two former players, Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce.

Another good fixture on the night is expected to come from the New Orleans Arena, where the undefeated Pelicans (6-0) take on the defending NBA champions Miami Heat (4-2).

Elsewhere, the Utah Jazz (1-5) are at STAPLES Center to take on the Los Angeles Clippers (4-2), with the Golden State Warriors (3-2) going to Sleep Train Arena to face the Sacramento Kings (3-2).

Wednesday, October 23 – NBA PRESEASON
MATCHUP TIME (ET) LIVE TV CHANNELS
Brooklyn at Boston 7:00 PM YES, CSNN, WatchESPN, ESPN
New York at Milwaukee 8:00 PM MSG
Miami at New Orleans 8:00 PM SUN
Chicago at Oklahoma City 9:30 PM CSNC, WatchESPN, ESPN
Utah at LA Clippers 10:30 PM FSRM FSW2
Memphis at Toronto 7:00 PM
Minnesota at Philadelphia 7:00 PM CSN
Washington at Cleveland 7:00 PM FSOHHD
Atlanta at Dallas 8:30 PM
Phoenix at Denver 9:00 PM ALT
Golden State at Sacramento 10:00 PM

Rose scores 24pts, leads Chicago Bulls over Milwaukee Bucks in preseason

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CHICAGO (Sporting Alert) — Derrick Rose scored 24 points in helping the Chicago Bulls to a 105-84 preseason victory over the Milwaukee Bucks on Monday night.

Rose back to full fitness after recovering from the injury which saw him miss last season, went 6 for 10 from the field, while dishing out four assists and pulling down three rebounds in 27 minutes for the Bulls (6-0) who remain undefeated in preseason.

Carlos Boozer finished with a double-double of 16 points and 10 rebounds and Luol Deng added 15 and four boards for the Bulls, which improved to 4-0 at home in preseason.

Mike Dunleavy contributed 12 points, seven rebounds and five assists, Marquis Teague scored 12 points and Taj Gibson, 10 in the win.

Gary Neal lead the  Bucks with 14 points and Brandon Kinght added 13 in the defeat as Milwaukee remain winless in preseason.

Larry Sanders ended with 12 points and John Henson, 11 points and eight rebounds off the bench in the defeat.

Top-10 Results: Bank of America Chicago Marathon

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CHICAGO (Sporting Alert) — The top ten results for the men’s and women’s races at the 2013 Bank of America Chicago Marathon on Sunday morning.

Kenya’s Dennis Kimetto broke away from a small group of runners in the closing parts of the race win the title on his way to setting a new course record of 2:03:45, a time which is the fourth-fastest ever on the IAAF list of legal courses.

His time bettered the previous course record of 2:04:38, which was set at last year’s race, while coming within 22-seconds of Wilson Kipsang’s world record of 2:03:23, set in Berlin two weeks ago.

Kimetto came home ahead of fellow countrymen Emanuel Mutai, who clocked 2:03.52 for second place and Sammy Kitwara, in 02:05:16.

On the women’s side Kenyan Rita Jeptoo made up for her defeat last year to win in 2:19:57, a time which is the first sub-2:20 Marathon in the world this year.

Her training partner Jemina Jelagat Sumgong was second in 2:20:48.

Men’s Top Ten Chicago Marathon Results

1 Kimetto, Dennis KEN 2:03:45
2 Mutai, Emmanuel KEN 2:03:52
3 Kitwara, Sammy KEN 2:05:16
4 Kogo, Micah KEN 2:06:56
5 Ritzenhein, Dathan USA 2:09:45
6 Abshero, Ayele ETH 2:10:10
7 Sano, Hiroaki JPN 2:10:29
8 Mosop, Moses KEN 2:11:19
9 Oda, Yoshinori JPN 2:11:29
10 Tegenkamp, Matt USA 2:12:28

Women’s Top Ten Chicago Marathon Results

1 Jeptoo, Rita KEN 2:19:57
2 Jelagat Sumgong, Jemima KEN 2:20:48
3 Konovalova, Maria RUS 2:22:46
4 Duliba, Aliaksandra BLR 2:23:44
5 Baysa, Atsede ETH 2:26:42
6 Kiros Reda, Ehitu ETH 2:27:42
7 Akaba, Yukiko JPN 2:27:49
8 Afework, Abebech ETH 2:28:38
9 Santucci, Clara USA 2:31:41
10 White, Melissa USA 2:32:39

Kenyan Kimetto sets course record to win Chicago Marathon

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CHICAGO (Sporting Alert) — Dennis Kimetto of Kenya won the Bank of America Chicago Marathon title and set a new course record on his way to victory on a cool morning on Sunday.

Kimetto broke away from a small pack with a little over a mile to go on his way to posting two hours, three minutes and 45 seconds for the crown.

He was 22-seconds outside the world record, set two weeks ago in Berlin by Wilson Kipsang of Kenya, at 2:03:23

But Kimetto did improved the old Chicago Marathon course record of 2;04:38, which was set by Tsegaye Kedebe of Ethiopia last year.

“I am happy because I broke the course record,” Kimetto said after his win. “I am just so happy.”

The winning time was the fourth fastest ever.

Emanuel Mutai, also of Kenya, dipped under the previous course record as well, clocking 2:03.52 for second place, with Sammy Kitwara of Kenya taking third in 02:05:16

Dathan Ritzenhein was the first American crossing the finish line, at 2:09.47 for fifth place.

The women’s race was won by Rita Jeptoo of Kenya in a time of 2:19.57.

TOP-TEN Results: Marathon
 Results | Men: Full Results at (results.chicagomarathon.com)
Place Overall Place Gender Place Division Name (CTZ) BIB Division Age HALF Finish
1 1 1 » Kimetto, Dennis (KEN) 3 25-29 29 01:01:52 – 02:03:45
2 2 2 » Mutai, Emannuel (KEN) 5 25-29 28 01:01:53 – 02:03:52
3 3 3 » Kitwara, Sammy (KEN) 6 25-29 26 01:01:53 – 02:05:16
4 4 4 » Kogo, Micah (KEN) 12 25-29 27 01:01:53 – 02:06:56
5 5 1 » Ritzenhein, Dathan (USA) 9 30-34 30 01:03:02 – 02:09:45
6 6 1 » Abshero, Ayele (ETH) 4 20-24 22 01:01:53 – 02:10:10
7 7 5 » Sano, Hiroaki (JPN) 20 25-29 29 01:05:13 – 02:10:29
8 8 6 » Mosop, Moses (KEN) 2 25-29 28 01:01:52 – 02:11:19
9 9 2 » Oda, Yoshinori (JPN) 11 30-34 32 01:05:13 – 02:11:29
10 10 3 » Tegenkamp, Matt (USA) 14 30-34 31 01:05:14 – 02:12:28