Clippers beat the Lakers 107-102; Kobe Dunks On Chris Paul

LOS ANGELES - Chris Paul scored 30 points and had 13 assists, Blake Griffin added 24 points, and the Los Angeles Clippers led all the way in beating the Lakers 107-102 on Friday night.

Kobe Bryant 38 points and Dwight Howard had 21 points and 15 rebounds for the Lakers, but still fell short and lost for the second time this season to the Clippers.

Bryant carried the Lakers in the fourth quarter when they closed to 99-97 on his 23-foot jumper with 1:29 left. But Paul scored the Clippers' final eight points to seal the victory and drop the Lakers two games below .500. The Clippers lead the Lakers by 10 games in the standings.

The Lakers continue to struggle under new coach Mike D'Antoni. They've lost three of their last four games.

Happy New Year

May each day of the coming year be vibrant and new bringing along many reasons for celebrations. Wishing you and your loved ones a very happy new year.

Wade suspended for kicking Sessions in the Groin

NEW YORK (AP) -- Miami Heat guard Dwyane Wade was suspended one game without pay by the NBA on Thursday for flailing his leg and making contact with the groin of Charlotte Bobcats' Ramon Sessions.

The incident happened with 8:12 left in the fourth quarter of the Heat's 105-92 victory over the Bobcats on Wednesday night. Sessions was called for a foul on the play. Wade will serve the suspension Friday night when the Heat visit the Detroit Pistons, and return Saturday night in Milwaukee.

''I'm far from being a dirty player, (plus) my intent was never 2 kick Ramon Sessions. I just reacted to the contact that I got from him,'' Wade tweeted Thursday night. ''More than anything, I think of my boys watchin me be4 retaliating 2ward any player.''

Nets coach Avery Johnson Fired

Avery Johnson was fired by the Brooklyn Nets and assistant coach P.J. Carlesimo was promoted to interim head coach. The Nets will let Carlesimo coach in the short-term, but GM Billy King is expected to talk with several candidates about taking over the job on a full-time basis, sources told Yahoo! Sports. If the players respond to Carlesimo and the team gathers momentum, there's a chance Carlesimo could finish the season.

The Nets (14-14) squandered an 11-4 start, have lost 10 of 13 games in December and are currently 6½ games behind the New York Knicks in the Atlantic Division. One of those losses was an embarrassing outing against the Boston Celtics on Christmas, a 93-76 loss.

Johnson was 60-116 since becoming the Nets' head coach in 2010.

Carlesimo has been a head coach in Portland, Golden State and Oklahoma City.

The Nets made a big push in the offseason to become contenders in the East, re-signing Deron Williams to a five-year, $98.8 million deal and trading for Joe Johnson, who had four years and nearly $90 million left on his contract.

Williams sat out of Wednesday's loss to the Milwaukee Bucks with a sore wrist, an injury he aggravated Tuesday against the Celtics.

Merry Christmas

I hope that your Christmas would be
fun and may the essence of
Christmas remains always with you.

Merry Christmas!!

‘Sports Friends Classics’ - LeBron James and Dwyane Wade

A really funny clip from Sports Friends Classics – LeBron James and Dwyane Wade Before they won a championship together, they would sit for minutes at a time, talking about teammates, dreams, and cravings.

Former Reds Ryan Freel found dead at his home

Freel was found dead at his home in Jacksonville, Fla. on Saturday afternoon, victim of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, police confirmed via the Florida Times-Union. Freel was 36 years old, leaving a wife, Christie, along with at least two daughters, notes C. Trent Rosecrans of CBS Eye on Baseball.

Freel played in parts of eight major league seasons, seeing action in 594 games — 544 with the Cincinnati Reds — and four other teams, from 2001-2009. He batted .268/.354/.369 with 143 stolen bases and 22 home runs. He logged most of his innings in the outfield, particularly center, but was known for having enough versatility to play third base and second.

Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and loved ones.