BARCELONA, Spain -- Barcelona and Atletico Madrid both stumbled to draws on Sunday, tightening the Spanish league title race with Real Madrid now only one point behind the co-leaders. Barcelonas potent attack led by Lionel Messi was held 1-1 at Levante, leaving the door open for Atletico to later claim sole possession of the league lead. But Atletico conceded a second-half penalty at home against Sevilla to also finish 1-1 and squander its chance to rise to the sole lead in the standings for the first time since September 2010. "We had a good opportunity, but this is a long race," said Atletico defender Filipe Luis. "Its very difficult to compete with Real Madrid and Barcelona." Madrid trailed the co-leaders by five points two rounds ago, but while it has kept on winning-- most recently with a 5-0 rout of bottom-side Real Betis on Saturday-- Barcelona and Atletico drew with one another last round and have slipped again just past the seasons midway mark. Levante went ahead through Loukas Vyntras 10th-minute header, and its staunch defence did enough to take a measure of vengeance for the 7-0 thrashing Barcelona dealt the team in the season opener. Gerard Pique levelled for Barcelona in the 19th, but Levante defender Juanfran Garcia saved the visitors two best chances in the second half. "We were unlucky because we created scoring chances," Messi said. "We did everything possible to win." Elsewhere, striker Ikechukwu Uche scored his sixth goal in his last three league games to help Villarreal beat Almeria 2-0, while Getafe erased a two-goal deficit to earn a 2-2 draw at home with Real Sociedad. Far from the side that Barcelona humiliated in August, Levante lived up to its reputation as one of the leagues best defences by packing its area and largely limiting the visitors to long strikes that either crashed into bodies or sailed harmlessly wide. Joaquin Caparros side claimed the early lead when Vyntra rose up over Pique to head Andreas Ivanschitzs corner kick down and beyond the diving goalkeeper Victor Valdes. Pique made up for his slack marking by scoring an almost exact replica of the opener, jumping higher than a pair of defenders to redirect Xavi Hernandezs corner inside the far post. Messi, in his fourth game back after a long injury layoff, worked a one-two passing combination in close quarters with Cesc Fabregas to manufacture Barcelonas best chance in the 59th, but goalkeeper Keylor Navas saved Messis shot. Garcia was well positioned to block Xavis follow-up attempt, and three minutes later the centre back used his foot to turn away Messis goal-bound strike. Barcelonas frustrating night was summed up when Fabregas violently struck the dugout cover after coach Gerardo Martino replaced him with Sergio Roberto in the 73rd. With Neymar and Andres Iniesta both unavailable due to injury, Martino turned to Cristian Tello and B-team forward Jean Dongou as late substitutes. But Navas palmed Tellos late attempt wide to protect the point. "In our first meeting (with Barcelona) it felt like a tribute game to Neymar in his debut," Caparros said. "My team has changed a lot because you cant make a team in a day, not even in two or four months." Atletico started brightly when David Villa rifled in a clearance by Sevilla goalkeeper Antonio "Beto" Bastos in the 18th at Vicente Calderon Stadium. But Atletico didnt seriously threaten to extend its advantage and it was undone when defender Juanfran Torres pulled Sevilla striker Carlos Bacca down by his shirt in the area. Ivan Rakitic fired the spot kick into the corner of the net, just out of the reach of goalie Thibaut Courtois for the 73rd-minute equalizer. Sevilla finished with 10 men when Alberto Moreno was sent off with a straight red card for a low tackle in the 89th. "The draw is a pity," Courtois said. "We knew Barcelonas result before the game. Its too bad. When you go up 1-0 you hope to keep a clean sheet and win the match. Its tough, but thats the way it is." Uches strike against lowly Almeria was his 12th league goal this season, tying him with Sociedads Antoine Griezmann as the competitions third-leading scorers. Villarreal provisionally moved into fourth place with its third straight victory. Athletic Bilbao can reclaim Spains last Champions League spot when it plays Valladolid on Monday. Henry Ellenson Jersey . -- Max Domi scored twice and set up two more as the London Knights toppled the visiting Kingston Frontenacs 6-4 on Sunday in Ontario Hockey League action. Thon Maker Pistons Jersey . Leverkusen said on Friday it signed Schmidt on a two-year contract. He guided Red Bull Salzburg to the Austrian championship this season. https://www.pistonsrookiesshop.com/Reggie-Jackson-City-Edition-Jersey/ .com) - Real Madrid claimed its 16th consecutive victory across all competitions on Saturday after earning a 2-1 win over Malaga at the Estadio La Rosaleda. Stanley Johnson Pistons Jersey . Ortiz hit a pair of two-run homers, including his 400th shot in a Red Sox uniform, and drove in a career high-tying six runs to power Boston past the Houston Astros 10-7 on Saturday night. Zaza Pachulia Pistons Jersey . -- Augusta James of Bath, Ont. LOS ANGELES -- The Clippers expected theyd be better once Chris Paul returned to the lineup. They just probably couldnt have imagined how much. Blake Griffin had 26 points, 11 rebounds and six assists Sunday night as Los Angeles stormed out to a 31-point lead in the first quarter with its All-Star point guard back on the court and pummeled the Philadelphia 76ers 123-78. "It felt great just to play. You never know what its going to be like until you actually get out there and compete," Paul said. "A lot of things go through your mind out there, especially when you come back because you want to make sure youre not too tired and not trying too hard. But at the same time, weve been playing extremely well and I didnt want to break up our rhythm." Jamal Crawford scored 21 for the defending Pacific Division champions, who were 12-6 while Paul was sidelined with a right shoulder he separated Jan. 3 at Dallas. The seven-time All-Star point guard showed no signs of rust, getting seven points and eight assists in 23 minutes. "He set the tone," Crawford said. "The energy from when he was introduced, to the level of play that he brings, it makes everybody better." DeAndre Jordan had 20 rebounds and 10 points, helping Los Angeles increase its division lead over idle Phoenix to four games. The 45-point margin of victory was the largest for the Clippers franchise. The previous record was 39, set in a 121-82 win over Chicago on Nov. 24 at Staples Center. "Thats an intense, defensive-oriented athletic type of team. We ran into a buzz saw and we got jumped early," Sixers coach Brett Brown said. "What an incredible opportunity for a young point guard like Michael Carter-Williams to see Chris Paul play and to play against him." Carter-Williams, who leads all rookies in scoring, rebounding and assists per game, finished with 14 points, five assists and seven boards in 34 1/2 minutes. Tony Wroten scored 21 points off the bench for the 76ers, losers of six straight and 13 of 16. Center Spencer Hawes missed all eight shots in 23 scoreless minutes and had just two rebounds. Pauls return provided an instant spark, as the Clippers opened the game with a 13-0 run that included a pair of 3-pointers by Craawford off Philadelphia turnovers.dddddddddddd They widened the gap to 30-5 while the 76ers missed 17 of their first 19 shots. Griffin limped to the dressing room with a bruised left shin after Wroten fell into him on a foul by Jordan with less 3 minutes left in the opening period. But the four-time All-Star returned to the bench before the teams highest-scoring quarter of the season ended, and Willie Green put an exclamation point on it with a 3 from the left corner to give Los Angeles a 46-15 cushion. Griffin and teammate Antawn Jamison shared a laugh on the bench as Wroten went to the foul line, trying to cut into a 54-17 deficit about 3 minutes into the second quarter. By then, it hardly seemed to matter to the sellout crowd that Clippers starting forward J.J. Redick missed his third straight game with a sore right hip. It was a laugher the whole way. "Our defence really set the tone," Crawford said. "When were covering for each other like that and playing together, it makes it tough on other teams and kind of breaks their rhythm." Griffin showed no hint of any ankle issues after his mishap -- particularly during a Showtime-like sequence in the second quarter. Paul went in alone on a fast break with Griffin trailing the play, then bounced the ball off the glass and Griffin sent the crowd into a frenzy with the first of back-to-back windmill dunks 27 seconds apart. That made it 60-21 with 4:46 left in the first half. "I think our guys have tried that in a one-point game. Thats the problem," coach Doc Rivers said. "But thats who they are, and I dont want to take the joy away -- as long as theres no turnovers with it." Philadelphia never challenged after the Clippers built a 69-30 halftime lead. Crawfords 15-footer gave them their biggest margin, 89-33, with 6:01 left in the third quarter. It was 100-51 going into the fourth. Before Sunday, the Clippers had never beaten Philadelphia by more than 29 points since the franchises first played in 1970-71. NOTES: The Clippers shot 56.2 per cent and the Sixers 27.0 -- going 3 for 28 from 3-point range. ... The Clippers are 10-1 against teams that are currently in last place in their respective divisions. The only blemish was a 98-80 loss at Orlando on Nov. 6. ' ' 'arshall was 11-of-16 passing for 97 yards but also rushed 17 times for 99 yards. ' ' '