the 18-time NBA All-Star soon had the crowd on their feet,

CHICAGO -- When Anthony Rizzo found out the eight-year anniversary of him being declared cancer-free fell on the same day fellow cancer survivor Jon Lester was pitching, he told Lester he was going to throw a no-hitter.He came close.Lester pitched 6 2/3 innings of no-hit ball and settled for his second complete game of the season, helping the Chicago Cubs beat the San Francisco Giants 2-1 on Friday to move a season-high 40 games over .500.It coincided with a Major League Baseball initiative that had players and umpires wearing gold sweatbands to raise awareness for childhood cancer.Its a little more special for me and Rizz, just with our foundations and what weve been through, said Lester, who overcame lymphoma a decade ago. He did say the other day I was going to throw a no-hitter on the kids strike out cancer day. It would have been pretty cool, but glad we got the win instead.Hunter Pence ended Lesters bid for a second no-hitter with a homer to left on a 1-2 changeup that cut over the plate. Brandon Crawford followed with a double, and Lester (15-4) got Eduardo Nunez to line to third. He then worked around Trevor Browns one-out double in the eighth.We ran into a very hot pitcher whos throwing the ball very well and he was on top of his game, manager Bruce Bochy said. Still, youve got to generate some offense.I will say we hit some balls had right at them, too. We couldve used a break on Nunezs ball. He just hit it right at him or right there the game is tied.Lester allowed three hits and walked two. The Cubs have won five straight to improve to 87-47. The last time they were 40 games over .500 was the end of the 1945 season.Its pretty incredible, manager Joe Maddon.David Ross and Dexter Fowler had RBI hits in the second off Albert Suarez (3-3).Pences second homer in two days ended a 12 2/3-innings hitless streak (0 for 40) for San Francisco. The Giants are a major league-worst 15-29 since the All-Star break.Lester walked Buster Posey with two outs in the first inning and followed by setting down 18 straight while getting some help.Third baseman Kris Bryant made a diving, backhand grab of Crawfords liner to lead off the fifth and Dexter Fowler made a sliding catch of Kelby Tomlinsons liner to center an inning later.Our defense has been fun to watch all year, and it makes our jobs a lot easier, Lester said.The 32-year-old Lester threw a no-hitter on May 19, 2008, for Boston against Kansas City. That came less than two years after he was diagnosed with cancer.He acknowledged he started thinking about a second one after the first inning and added, Anybody that tells you different is lying.The rookie Suarez, in his ninth start, allowed three hits with two walks and three strikeouts in five innings.Lester struck out Crawford looking with a runner on first for his fourth strikeout to end it on his 102nd pitch.I think the big thing was they were aggressive, Lester said. I was able to keep the ball down and keep the defense active today.TRAINERS ROOMGiants: C Trevor Brown (illness) started after being unavailable Thursday, allowing Posey to play 1B. Brown tested negative for strep throat ... RHP Matt Cain (back) was activated off the disabled list and became the 12th reliever thanks to expanded rosters.Cubs: RHP John Lackey (shoulder) came out fine after a bullpen session and will start Sunday. ... Reliever Pedro Strop (knee) vowed to be back in mid-September after a setback with a strained groin during his rehab. ... RHP Hector Rondon (triceps) is set to pitch Saturday and Monday for Triple-A Iowa.RIZZOS MILESTONERizzo reflected on beating Hodgkins lymphoma.Obviously come a long way, he said. Done a lot of good things on the baseball field, but way more better things off the field. Rizzos foundation has raised about $2 million to support families of children with cancer and cancer research.UP NEXTA showdown of stars Saturday as Cubs RHP Jake Arrieta (16-5, 2.84 ERA) faces LHP Madison Bumgarner (13-8, 2.49). Itll be an interesting day, no question, Maddon said. Carmelo Anthony Jersey . -- Cam Newton pranced into the end zone, placed his hands over his chest and did his familiar Superman pose. Jamal Murray Nuggets Jersey .ca NBA Power Rankings, ahead of the Miami Heat and San Antonio Spurs. http://www.nuggetsprostore.com/kids-alex-english-nuggets-jersey/ . This should be celebrated because it will not always be this way. With the amount of money given to players by their clubs these days, it is a wonder that so many of those teams allow the sport to continue to take away many of their assets so they can play for a different team in the middle of their season. Alex English Jersey . As he recorded his 23rd and 24th points of the evening, a segment of the sellout Air Canada Centre crowd expressed their appreciation for the Raptors point guard with a smattering of MVP chants. Nikola Jokic Nuggets Jersey . The 31-year-old Spain midfielder hasnt played since Madrid lost in the Copa del Rey final to Atletico Madrid in May due to back and foot injuries.Kobe Bryant delivered a fairytale ending to his glittering 20-year career by scoring a mammoth 60 points in his final NBA game to inspire the LA Lakers to a 101-96 victory over the Utah Jazz at the Staples Center. Playing front of a galaxy of stars, including Jack Nicholson and David Beckham, Bryant saved some of his best for his 1,566th and last game.Man, I cant believe how fast 20 years went by, this is crazy, Bryant said after the victory in an address to the crowd. Bryant addresses the crowd after the game To be standing on centre court with you guys, my team-mates behind me, appreciating all this, the journey weve been on.I grew up a die-hard Laker fan - I mean a die-hard Laker fan - so to be drafted and traded here and spend 20 years here, you cant write something better than this.No words can describe how I feel about you guys, thank you, thank you from the bottom of my heart. What can I say? Mamba out. David Beckham was courtside at Kobe Bryants last game A sell-out crowd of 19,060 fans were packed in to see Bryants finale and the 18-time NBA All-Star soon had the crowd on their feet, hitting a couple of early three-pointers as he posted 22 of the Lakers 42 first-half points.But more was to come in the second-half as the 38-year-old hauled his team from behind to win the game. Kobe Bryant says goodbye to professional basketball with the LA Lakers A video tribute to Bryant before the game featured many of basketballs legends featuring Shaquille ONeal, Lamar Odom, Stephen Curry, LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony and several other coaches.ddddddddddddIt was fun playing with you, it was fun playing against you, ONeal said. Best Laker ever. Bryant meets with ex-team-mate Shaquille ONeal following Bryants final game Lakers legend Magic Johnson acted as master of ceremonies and told the crowd: We are here to celebrate greatness for 20 years. Hes not only a great and unbelievable sports icon but hes already the greatest to wear the purple and gold. Kobe Bryant had plenty of messages on social media, including one from Barack Obama Iconic film star Nicholson also appeared and later described Bryants retirement as a melancholy moment.Its like anything - you dont know what you had until you dont have it, he told NBA TV. Fortunately we do know what we had and he has been great all the way. ' ' '