NBA: Magic cheerleader on the mend
Jamie Woode, a cheerleader and stunt team member, is in stable condition after falling on her head during a performance at Tuesday’s Knicks-Magic game in Orlando. Woode, 31, suffered three vertebrae fractures and a broken rib and is expected to make a full recovery.
Blake Griffin had 20 points and 14 rebounds to lead the Clippers to a 107-100 win over the Heat. LeBron James scored 30 points for Miami, which lost their fifth in a row against the Clippers in Los Angeles.
Kemba Walker hit a jumper with 0.7 seconds left to lift the Bobcats to an 89-87 win over the Timberwolves.
The players’ association is continuing its appeal on behalf of Kings center DeMarcus Cousins, who served a two-game suspension for confronting San Antonio announcer Sean Elliott last week in a “hostile manner.”
Soccer: U.S. gains tie at Russia
Mix Diskerud scored his first international goal on a 20-yard shot 2:50 into four minutes of injury time, giving the U.S. a 2-2 tie against Russia in a friendly in Krasnodar, Russia. … Neymar scored a goal but missed a late penalty kick as Brazil settled for a 1-1 draw against Colombia at MetLife Stadium.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic scored four goals as Sweden beat visiting England 4-2 in a friendly. … France came back from a goal down to beat Italy 2-1 in Parma, Italy, sending the Azzurri to their sixth consecutive friendly defeat.
ETC.: Joe Gilliam Sr. dead at 89
Joe Gilliam Sr., the former Tennessee State football coach, died yesterday in Nashville. He was 89. His son Joe Jr. was a quarterback for the Steelers in the ’70s. He died in 2000.
Northern Illinois (10-1, 7-0) defeated Toledo (8-3, 5-2) 31-24 to claim a spot in the MAC championship game. Elsewhere, Ball State (8-3, 5-2) was a 52-27 winner over visiting Ohio (8-3, 4-3)
Skier Lindsey Vonn was released from a hospital in Vail, Colo., after being admitted Monday for intestinal pain.
The Dr. Theodore Atlas Foundation Dinner takes place tonight at the Hilton Garden Inn in Staten Island with proceeds targeted toward victims of Hurricane Sandy. For tickets, call 718-980-7037 or visit http://www.dratlasfoundation.com. — George Willis