Chicago Bulls Beat Milwaukee Bucks 113-106, Bulls Lead Series 3-0
In NBA playoff action,
The Chicago Bulls beat the Milwaukee Bucks 113-106 in double overtime on Thursday to take a 3-0 lead in their Eastern Conference playoff series.
Derrick Rose scored 34 points for the Bulls.
The Bulls guard says it took a lot to win the game.
"We're playing against a hungry team, a hungry young team. They're pushing us - an example was it was a great example tonight the way, how hard they played, defensively they're great and they're forcing us to play and which we need that. We're finding ways to win the games and that's why you've got to love the playoffs because every game is going to be different."
This is his highest-scoring total in three years and his highest playoff scoring total in four years.
The Bulls can complete the sweep on Saturday in Game 4 in Milwaukee.
In other action,
Cleveland beat Boston 103-95.
Golden State beat New Orleans 123-119.
Spurs Kawhi Leonard Wins Defensive Player of the Year
In NBA off-court news,
San Antonio Spurs small forward Kawhi Leonard was selected the NBA's Defensive Player of the Year on Thursday.
Leonard was very thankful.
"It just feels amazing to win this award. I'd just like to thank my family and my friends for their support, and most importantly my teammates and the coaching staff. I couldn't do this without them.
Leonard won the award in a tight race that saw the Spurs player up against Golden State forward Draymond Green and LA Clippers center DeAndre Jordan.
The 23-year-old joined Micheal Jordan and Hakeem Olajuwon as the only players to win the award and the NBA Finals MVP.
Arsenal Confident Ahead of Match Against Chelsea
In football,
First, from the Chinese Super League,
Only one game is scheduled tonight,
Shijiazhuang is playing Tianjin Teda.
This weekend,
New leaders Shanghai SIPG take on Henan Jianye;
3rd place Beijing Guo'an will face Shandong Luneng;
And no. 2 Guangzhou Evergrande take on Jiangsu Sainty.
Over in La Liga action this weekend:
Barcelona will face off against Espanyol;
Atletico Madrid will hit the pitch against Elche;
And Real Madrid will meet Celta Vigo.
Over in the Premiere League:
Leaders Chelsea battle second-place Arsenal.
The gunners haven't beaten Chelsea in their last 12 meetings, but Arsenal coach Arsene Wenger says his team's hungry for the win:
"The result on Sunday will be just down to the performance on the day. We're on a good run, we have an opportunity at home to beat them and we want to take it."
And third-place Manchester United is looking to move up in a meeting with Everton.
Sharapova Crashes out of Porxche Grand Prix
In tennis,
Maria Sharapova crashed out of the Porsche Grand Prix in Stuttgart on Thursday.
The top-seeded Russian lost to German left-hander Angelique Kerber 2-6, 7-5, 6-1 in the second round match.
The three-time defending champion was rather disappointed.
"My opponent played really well. When I had my opportunities, I thought I played a bit of a sloppy game at 4-5 on her serve. (I) made a few return errors, probably due to lack of playing in a while. I'm a little rusty on those moments."
Sharapova held a 13-0 record in Stuttgart before the match.
The loss will make the 28-year-old lose the number two world ranking to Simona Halep of Romania.
In other action,
Madison Brengle upset Petra Kvitova 6-3, 7-6.
Caroline Wozniacki eliminated Lucie Safarova 7-6, 6-1.
And it's Sara Errani over Kazakhstan's Zarina Diyas 6-4, 6-1.
Nashville Beat Chicago Blackhawks 5-2
In NHL action,
The Nashville Predators kept their playoff series against the Chicago Blackhawks alive with a 5-2 home win in Game 5 on Thursday.
Rookie Filip Forsberg scored his first career hat trick and the first in the Predators postseason history.
With this victory, Chicago has a 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven Stanley Cup Playoff series.
Game 6 will be in Chicago on Saturday.
In other action,
The Vancouver Canucks staved off elimination, beating the Calgary Flames 2-1.
Tampa Bay beat Detroit 3-2.
And it's the Washington Capitals over the NY Islanders 5-1.
Higgins Takes A 5-3 Lead at Snooker Worlds Second Round
In snooker,
Four-time winner John Higgins has taken a 5-3 lead over China's Ding Junhui after the first session of their snooker World Championship second-round match.
Higgins took command after six frames by leading the former Chinese World No.1 5-1.
But the 28-year-old Ding fought back with breaks of 67 and 94 to keep in contention at 5-3.
The two will resume competition later on today.
Chinese Wingsuiter to Challenge 8100m Record without Oxygen
Chinese wingsuiter Zhang Shupeng is to challenge the record in that extreme sport for flying without the aid of an oxygen mask.
He is to make an attempt at 81-hundred-meters, in Inner Mongolia on Saturday.
The 29-year-old's previous best is 68-hundred meters, made in Arizona last year.
The current record height for a wingsuit flight without an oxygen tank is 8-thousand meters, set by Remo Lang of Switzerland last year.
Zhang is considered the 'number 1 wingsuiter in Aisa'.
He has won the national parachute gliding championships ten times and won the paragliding world championship points title in 2009.
Boo Weekley and Brendon de Jonge Share the Lead
In golf,
Boo Weekley and Brendon de Jonge each fired an eight-under-par 64 to share the lead after the first round of the Zurich Classic of New Orleans on Thursday.
Their eight-under-par is one stroke clear of Canada's David Hearn and American Sean O'Hair.
Defending champion Seung-Yul Noh of South Korea had one-over-par 73, leaving him nine shots adrift of the leaders.
Heavy rain halted play for an hour.
The opening round was suspended due to darkness and some players will complete their 18 holes on Friday morning.