The Detroit Pistons ended the Orlando Magic's seven-game winning run and won their fourth successive game with an 88-82 victory on Monday.
Rodney Stuckey led the Pistons with 19 points as Detroit used their smothering defence and balanced scoring to cool off the Magic (24-7), who have the third-best record in the Eastern Conference.
Rasheed Wallace and Tayshaun Prince added 16 points each for the Pistons while Allen Iverson chipped in with 15.
Iverson, who joined the Pistons earlier in the season after a trade from the Denver Nuggets, said he thought he was finally adapting to the way Detroit (18-11) win games, which is by playing tight defence and sharing the ball.
"This is a different feeling, but I like it a lot," Iverson said. "I've won four scoring titles and I've scored 23,000 points, so I've done a lot of big things when it comes to scoring the basketball, but now I've got different goals.
"I have a different job here, not just scoring points.
"This team are all about winning and doing what it takes and that's what I want to do now."
The Pistons held Orlando to just 16 points in the final quarter, snuffing out any thoughts of a Magic fight back.
"We didn't compete on the defensive end in the first half, and we didn't finish the game," the Orlando coach Stan van Gundy said. "That's not the kind of effort you need to beat a quality team like that."
Rashard Lewis led the Magic with 23 points while Dwight Howard had 18 points and 18 rebounds.
"We were able to fight back into the game, but we then turned the ball over and made a lot of mistakes," Lewis said. "We were still fighting, but we couldn't make that one play."
Joe Johnson poured in 25 points and Mike Bibby added 20 and nine assists to lead the Atlanta Hawks to a 109-91 victory over the Denver Nuggets.
Al Horford recorded a double-double with 16 points and 10 rebounds and the reserve Ronald Murray added 13 points for Atlanta.
Kenyon Martin added 19 points and Chauncey Billups and JR Smith recorded 11 each for Denver.
The Washington Wizards staged a 9-0 run late in the fourth quarter then overcame a near-disastrous turnover on their final possession to win 89-87 at the Houston Rockets. Yao Ming misfired from nine feet out as the Wizards won two-in-a-row for the first time this season.
The All-Star forward Antawn Jamison carried the load, collecting 30 points and 12 boards for his 17th double-double of the season.
Ron Artest led the Rockets with 20 points, while Tracy McGrady netted 15 on just 6-of-17 shooting.
The Utah Jazz welcomed back Mehmet Okur but it was the return of the vintage Deron Williams that carried the team to an easy victory.
The star point guard - struggling for the whole season with a sprained left ankle - posted 27 points and six assists, carrying an explosive Jazz attack as they routed the Philadelphia 76ers, 112-95.
Okur - who had missed the last three games due to recurring back spasms - recorded 19 points and 10 boards.
The two-time league MVP Steve Nash left late in the first quarter with back spasms but the Phoenix Suns got enough from the rest of their line-up to outlast the Oklahoma City Thunder 110-102.
Shaquille O'Neal stepped up with 28 points and 12 boards to lead six players in double figures for Phoenix.
The Chicago Bulls - one of the worst road teams in the NBA - marched into the IZOD Center and added to the New York Nets' misery on their home court with a late fourth-quarter rally in a 100-87 victory.
Derrick Rose and Ben Gordon combined for 45 points and 15 assists on 17-of-29 shooting, while the Nets guards Devin Harris and Vince Carter teamed up to score 56.
Stephen Jackson scored 30 points and Marco Belinelli added 23 and six assists as the Golden State Warriors held on for a 117-111 victory over the Toronto Raptors.
Kelenna Azubuike scored 18 points off the bench for Golden State, who shot 50 per cent (38-of-76) from the floor.
Al Jefferson scored a season-best 38 points, including nine in overtime, as the Minnesota Timberwolves ended their nine-game home losing run with a 108-98 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies.
* Reuters
Results
1. New Zealand Daniel Meech – Fine (name of horse), Richard Gardner – Calisto, Bruce Goodin - Backatorps Danny V, Samantha McIntosh – Check In. Team total First round: 200.22; Second round: 201.75 – Penalties 12 (jump-off 40.16 seconds) Prize €64,000
2. Ireland Cameron Hanley – Aiyetoro, David Simpson – Keoki, Paul Kennedy – Cartown Danger Mouse, Shane Breen – Laith. Team total 200.25/202.84 – P 12 (jump-off 51.79 – P17) Prize €40,000
3. Italy Luca Maria Moneta – Connery, Luca Coata – Crandessa, Simone Coata – Dardonge, Natale Chiaudani – Almero. Team total 130.82/198.-4 – P20. Prize €32,000
Directed: Smeep Kang
Produced: Soham Rockstar Entertainment; SKE Production
Cast: Rishi Kapoor, Jimmy Sheirgill, Sunny Singh, Omkar Kapoor, Rajesh Sharma
Rating: Two out of five stars
What is a robo-adviser?
Robo-advisers use an online sign-up process to gauge an investor’s risk tolerance by feeding information such as their age, income, saving goals and investment history into an algorithm, which then assigns them an investment portfolio, ranging from more conservative to higher risk ones.
These portfolios are made up of exchange traded funds (ETFs) with exposure to indices such as US and global equities, fixed-income products like bonds, though exposure to real estate, commodity ETFs or gold is also possible.
Investing in ETFs allows robo-advisers to offer fees far lower than traditional investments, such as actively managed mutual funds bought through a bank or broker. Investors can buy ETFs directly via a brokerage, but with robo-advisers they benefit from investment portfolios matched to their risk tolerance as well as being user friendly.
Many robo-advisers charge what are called wrap fees, meaning there are no additional fees such as subscription or withdrawal fees, success fees or fees for rebalancing.
Who was Alfred Nobel?
The Nobel Prize was created by wealthy Swedish chemist and entrepreneur Alfred Nobel.
- In his will he dictated that the bulk of his estate should be used to fund "prizes to those who, during the preceding year, have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind".
- Nobel is best known as the inventor of dynamite, but also wrote poetry and drama and could speak Russian, French, English and German by the age of 17. The five original prize categories reflect the interests closest to his heart.
- Nobel died in 1896 but it took until 1901, following a legal battle over his will, before the first prizes were awarded.
Brief scores:
Southampton 2
Armstrong 13', Soares 20'
Manchester United 2
Lukaku 33', Herrera 39'
10 tips for entry-level job seekers
- Have an up-to-date, professional LinkedIn profile. If you don’t have a LinkedIn account, set one up today. Avoid poor-quality profile pictures with distracting backgrounds. Include a professional summary and begin to grow your network.
- Keep track of the job trends in your sector through the news. Apply for job alerts at your dream organisations and the types of jobs you want – LinkedIn uses AI to share similar relevant jobs based on your selections.
- Double check that you’ve highlighted relevant skills on your resume and LinkedIn profile.
- For most entry-level jobs, your resume will first be filtered by an applicant tracking system for keywords. Look closely at the description of the job you are applying for and mirror the language as much as possible (while being honest and accurate about your skills and experience).
- Keep your CV professional and in a simple format – make sure you tailor your cover letter and application to the company and role.
- Go online and look for details on job specifications for your target position. Make a list of skills required and set yourself some learning goals to tick off all the necessary skills one by one.
- Don’t be afraid to reach outside your immediate friends and family to other acquaintances and let them know you are looking for new opportunities.
- Make sure you’ve set your LinkedIn profile to signal that you are “open to opportunities”. Also be sure to use LinkedIn to search for people who are still actively hiring by searching for those that have the headline “I’m hiring” or “We’re hiring” in their profile.
- Prepare for online interviews using mock interview tools. Even before landing interviews, it can be useful to start practising.
- Be professional and patient. Always be professional with whoever you are interacting with throughout your search process, this will be remembered. You need to be patient, dedicated and not give up on your search. Candidates need to make sure they are following up appropriately for roles they have applied.
Arda Atalay, head of Mena private sector at LinkedIn Talent Solutions, Rudy Bier, managing partner of Kinetic Business Solutions and Ben Kinerman Daltrey, co-founder of KinFitz
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Lamsa
Founder: Badr Ward
Launched: 2014
Employees: 60
Based: Abu Dhabi
Sector: EdTech
Funding to date: $15 million
Citadel: Honey Bunny first episode
Directors: Raj & DK
Stars: Varun Dhawan, Samantha Ruth Prabhu, Kashvi Majmundar, Kay Kay Menon
Rating: 4/5
