Celtics guard Rondo suspended game for bumping referee

(Reuters) - Boston Celtics point guard Rajon Rondo has been suspended one game without pay for making contact with a referee and failing to cooperate with a league investigation, the National Basketball Association (NBA) said on Monday.The incident occurred with 3:19 left in the third quarter of Boston's 89-81 win against the Atlanta Hawks on Sunday after Rondo was called for an offensive foul on...

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UPDATE 4-NBA results

Jan 8 (Infostrada Sports) - Results from the NBA games on Monday (home team in CAPS)WASHINGTON 101 Oklahoma City 99Boston 102 NY KNICKS 96CHICAGO 118 Cleveland 92NEW ORLEANS 95 San Antonio 88UTAH 100 Dallas 94Memphis 113 SACRAMENTO 81PORTLAND 125 Orlando 119 (O...

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UPDATE 1-NBA-Rampant Bulls run struggling Cavaliers ragged* Bulls beat Cavaliers for 11th straight time * Dislodge Pacers from top spot in Central division (Adds further detail, quotes) Jan 7 (Reuters) - Carlos Boozer and the Chicago Bulls recovered from a slow start to pummel the struggling Cleveland Cavaliers 118-92 on Monday and take over top spot in the Eastern Conference's Central division. In-form forward Boozer scored a game-high 24 points along with 11 rebounds, while Luol Deng added 19 points as the Bulls recorded their third straight win, and their 11th in a row over the Cavaliers. Chicago, who upset NBA champions Miami 96-89 on Friday, shrugged off a disappointing first quarter to improve their overall record to 19-13 and dislodge the Indiana Pacers (20-14) from top spot in the Central standings. "I'm just playing off my team mates," Boozer told reporters after recording his fifth consecutive double-double. "Games like this are fun because everybody played so great. We like moments like this. "We wish all the games could be like this. We're trying to step it up a little bit and get some more wins. We had a tough last couple of weeks of 2012." Guard Dion Waiters, off the bench, led the way with 18 points for the Cavaliers, who slipped to 8-28 following their eighth defeat in their last 11 games. "That's a good team," Cavaliers coach Byron Scott said. "They've just got our number. In the second half, they just turned it up. Their intensity level went way up, and we just couldn't match it." EARLY LEAD Cleveland, without center Anderson Varejao for the 10th straight game due to a bruised right knee, raced into an early 7-0 lead as their opponents surprisingly struggled to find the hoop and, with forward C.J. Miles pouring in two three-pointers, they ended the first quarter 30-22 up. But the Bulls gradually clawed their way back, taking the lead for the first time at 33-32 on a Marco Belinelli three-pointer before going into halftime 53-50 ahead. With Boozer, Deng and center Joakim Noah all sizzling on offense in the third quarter, Chicago stretched their lead to 88-72 and stayed in control throughout the final period. Noah finished with 11 points and 11 rebounds, one of six Bulls players to reach double figures on the night, while Taj Gibson chipped in with 18 and seven boards off the bench. "They're in rhythm now," Chicago coach Tom Thibodeau said of his team's 10-of-14 display in three-point shooting. "That's the biggest thing. "It's off ball movement, hitting the paint, coming out, (making) the extra pass. They're rhythm threes. Our percentage has slowly been creeping up." The Bulls outshot the Cavaliers by 54 percent to 42 from the field and out-rebounded them 47-31.

* Bulls beat Cavaliers for 11th straight time* Dislodge Pacers from top spot in Central division (Adds further detail, quotes)Jan 7 (Reuters) - Carlos Boozer and the Chicago Bulls recovered from a slow start to pummel the struggling Cleveland Cavaliers 118-92 on Monday and take over top spot in the Eastern Conference's Central division.In-form forward Boozer scored a game-high 24 points along with...

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Consistency key as Zambia name squad for Cup defence

JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - Veteran defender Chintu Kampamba was left out of Zambia's 23-man squad on Wednesday for their African Nations Cup defence.The decision not to include Kampamba, who has been without a club since June, means Zambia have retained 19 of the 23 players who helped them win the continental championship in Equatorial Guinea and Gabon last January.The holders continued their preparations...

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Soccer-Quaresma agrees deal to join Dubai's Al Ahli

Jan 9 (Reuters) - Portuguese winger Ricardo Quaresma has ended his turbulent spell at Turkish side Besiktas after agreeing to join Dubai's Al Ahli on an 18-month contract, local media reported on Wednesday.The 29-year-old former Barcelona, Inter Milan and Chelsea forward replaced Cameroon midfielder Achille Emana as one of the four foreign players at the club, the National newspaper said."It is a...

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Soccer-Dortmund defender Subotic out for six weeks- club

BERLIN, Jan 9 (Reuters) - Borussia Dortmund defender Neven Subotic will be out of action for an estimated six weeks after tearing a calf muscle in training, the club said on Wednesday.Subotic, who helped his team to consecutive German league titles in 2011 and 2012, underwent further tests that revealed the full extent of the injury, which he picked up in their training camp in Spain on Saturday,...

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ADVISORY-Reuters yearenders to move from 0200 GMT

Dec 27 (Reuters) - Reuters will repeat a series of sports yearenders from earlier this month at 0200 GMT on Friday.Overall yearenderAmerican professional sportAsian reviewBest quotes of the yearTimelineLondon OlympicsSoccerTennisGolfCricketRugbyCyclingMotor racingMajor league baseballBasketballNFLIce Hoc...

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YEARENDER-Olympics sparkle at height of magical British summer

LONDON, Dec 28 (Reuters) - London defied Britain's wettest summer for 100 years, potential transport and security chaos and a depressed economy to stage a marvellous 2012 Olympics during a magical year for British sport.Over the past century Britons have become resigned to watching the rest of the world beat them at games they had either invented or codified at the height of the island nation's imperial...

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YEARENDER-The 2012 sporting year in quotes

Dec 28 (Reuters) - Sporting quotes from 2012:OLYMPICS"These were happy and glorious Games," - IOC president Jacques Rogge at the closing ceremony."I did everything I wanted to. I finished my career the way I wanted to," - American swimmer Michael Phelps after retiring with 18 gold medals."I hope that this medal inspires the kids at home to put down guns and knives and pick up a pair of trainers instead,"...

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