NBA-SCHEDULE
Thunder welcome back Durant but lose to Pelicans
UNDATED (AP) β Even the return of Kevin Durant couldn’t shake the Oklahoma City Thunder from their doldrums.
Durant scored 27 points in his season debut, and Russell Westbrook added 21 in his second game back from a wrist injury, but the Thunder fell 112-104 at New Orleans. Durant hit three 3-pointers and played over 29 Β½ minutes in his first game since fracturing his right foot before the season. Westbrook finished with seven assists and six rebounds but shot just 6-for-20.
Tyreke (TY’-reek) Evans poured in a game-high 30 points and Anthony Davis added 25 as the Pelicans evened their record at 8-8.
In other NBA action:
β Stephen (STEH’-fehn) Curry nailed a go-ahead 3-pointer with 4.2 seconds left to send Golden State to its 10th straight win, 98-97 against Orlando. Curry finished with 22 points, and Klay Thompson added 20 as the Warriors improved to 15-2, tying Memphis for the league’s best record.
β Monta (MAHN’-tay) Ellis scored 38 points and Dirk Nowitzki added 22 in the Dallas Mavericks’ fourth straight win, 132-129 in double-overtime at Chicago. Ellis hit three foul shots with 1 second left in the fourth quarter to tie it, then made a go-ahead 3-pointer late in the second overtime.
β Kyle Lowry had game highs of 27 points and 13 rebounds as Toronto downed Sacramento 117-109. The Raptors ended a two-game skid and improved to an Eastern Conference-leading 14-4.
β Robin Lopez hit the tiebreaking basket with 1.3 seconds left in Portland’s 105-103 win at Denver. LaMarcus Aldridge scored a season-high 39 points and set up the winning bucket on a pass inside to Lopez.
β Kyrie Irving, LeBron James and Kevin Love combined for 81 points to lead Cleveland to its fourth straight win, 111-108 over Milwaukee. Irving finished with 28 points, Love had 27 and James capped his 26-point night by hitting eight free throws in the final 33 seconds.
β Kobe Bryant was looking for his first points of the night before scoring 12 straight for the Los Angeles Lakers in the third quarter of a 106-96 win at Detroit. Jordan Hill scored 22 points and Ronnie Price came off the bench to add 19 as the Lakers dealt the Pistons their ninth straight loss.
β Goran Dragic (DRAH’-gihch) scored 34 points and Eric Bledsoe delivered 27 to carry Phoenix past Indiana 116-99. Dragic matched his season high for a game with 22 first-half points, and Bledsoe scored 21 in the second half.
β Atlanta was a 109-105 winner against Boston as Kyle Korver hit six of his seven 3-point tries to finish with 24 points. Paul Millsap added 19 to help the Hawks pick up their third straight win and fifth in six games.
β Brook Lopez scored 23 points and Joe Johnson chipped in 22 to carry Brooklyn past New York 98-93. Deron Williams finished with 19 points for the Nets, who blew most of a 16-point lead before winning for the third time in 10 games.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL-CFP RANKINGS
TCU moves to third, OSU stays fifth
UNDATED (AP) β The College Football Playoff committee has rewarded TCU while keeping Ohio State on the outside looking in.
Alabama is No. 1 and Oregon is second for the third straight week. The Horned Frogs have leaped to No. 3 in the rankings, one spot ahead of unbeaten Florida State. TCU finishes its regular season at home Saturday against Iowa State, which is winless in the Big 12. The Seminoles are still in position to reach the national semifinals if they can win Saturday’s ACC championship game against No. 11 Georgia Tech.
Ohio State is fifth after losing Heisman Trophy-contending quarterback J.T. Barrett to a broken ankle last week. Committee chairman Jeff Long insisted the committee did not factor in Barrett’s injury this week but will when the final rankings come out Sunday.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL/MICHIGAN
Hoke sacked
UNDATED (AP) β One of the most coveted positions in all of college football is now available.
Michigan has fired head coach Brady Hoke after the Wolverines stumbled to a 5-7 record and missed the postseason in his fourth year at the helm. He went 31-20 with the Wolverines, and the team declined steadily after an 11-2 mark in his first season.
Athletic director Jim Hackett called the dismissal a tough decision, saying Hoke earned respect as a values-centered coach.
Michigan has not won the Big Ten since 2004 and is 1-10 against Ohio State during that span.
In other college football news:
β Alabama-Birmingham is shutting down its program after one of the Blazers’ stronger seasons because it was losing too much money off football. UAB said it subsidizes $20 million of the athletic department’s operating budget of some $30 million annually, and said both those numbers rank fifth in Conference USA. The university said the difference over the next five years would be an extra $49 million with football, including a projected $22 million needed for football facilities and upgrades. UAB is the first major college program since Pacific in 1995 to shut down.
β Mississippi football coach Hugh Freeze has reached an agreement with the school on a new contract. The 45-year-old Freeze has led Ole Miss to a 24-14 record over there seasons, including an 11-13 mark in the SEC. The 13th-ranked Rebels have a 9-3 record this season and beat No. 4 Mississippi State 31-17 on Saturday in the Egg Bowl. Freeze took over a program that had gone 2-10 in 2011 with Houston Nutt on the sidelines.
β Florida State quarterback Jameis (JAY’-mihs) Winston and the woman who has accused him of sexual assault spent nearly five hours in separate rooms at a closed-door hearing recounting what happened nearly two years ago. The university hearing adjourned apparently with no resolution and is scheduled to resume Wednesday. Florida State held the hearing in a campus building to determine whether Winston violated the school’s student code of conduct.
COLLEGE BASKETBALL-T25 SCHEDULE
Cardinals top Buckeyes
UNDATED (AP) β The fifth-ranked Louisville Cardinals were among Tuesday’s winners in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge.
Terry Rozier made three straight baskets down the stretch, including a big 3-pointer with 46 seconds remaining in the Cardinals’ 64-55 win over No. 14 Ohio State. Rozier’s 3-pointer put Louisville ahead 59-53.
Wayne Blackshear finished with 22 points for the Cardinals, including four 3-pointers.
Also in the ACC/Big Ten clashes, Freshman Deandre Burnett scored a season-high 19 points and grabbed eight rebounds in 24 minutes to help No. 15 Miami knock off 24th-rated Illinois 70-61. The Hurricanes allowed just 33 percent shooting after the Illini entered the game averaging 90 points.
Spike Albrecht drained a go-ahead three-pointer with 31 seconds left to push 17th-ranked Michigan past Syracuse 68-65. Zak Irvin scored 18 points for the Wolverines, who wasted a 10-point lead before Albrecht bailed them out.
In other top-25 games:
β Third-ranked Arizona is 7-0 after goint 10-for-17 from 3-point range in a 91-65 pounding of Gardner-Webb. Stanley Johnson and Gabe York each scored 18 points for the Wildcats, who went on a 16-0 run in the second half and stretched their home winning streak to 25 games.
β Freshman Myles Turner scored 18 points and sixth-ranked Texas overcame a lethargic performance to beat Texas-Arlington, 63-53. Jonathan Holmes added nine points and 16 rebounds for Texas, which improved to 7-0 for the first time since the 2009-2010 team won its first 17 and rose to No. 1 in the country.
β Ninth-ranked Gonzaga was a 76-57 winner against Southeastern Louisiana behind Kyle Wiltjer’s 20 points. Domantas Sabonis (sah-BOH’-nihs) finished with 14 points and Kevin Pangos chipped in 12 for the unbeaten Bulldogs.
β Matt Thomas scored 14 points, Georges Niang (johrj NEE’-ang) added 13 and 20th-ranked Iowa State pounded Lamar 96-59. Bryce Dejean Jones had 12 points, 10 rebounds, eight assists and four steals for the Cyclones.
NHL-CANADIENS/BELIVEAU OBIT
Habs great Beliveau dies
MONTREAL (AP) β Former Montreal Canadiens captain and Hall of Fame center Jean Beliveau (BEH’-lih-voh) has died at 83.
The team confirmed the death of one of the most beloved players in Canadiens history.
Beliveau spent 18 full seasons and parts of two others with Montreal, scoring 507 goals and 1,219 points in 1,125 games. The 13-time All-Star won 10 Stanley Cups, two Hart trophies and a scoring title before retiring in 1971.
Beliveau was also a popular ambassador for the sport.
NHL-HOWE
Family member says Howe didn’t suffer large stroke this week
LUBBOCK, Texas (AP) β An MRI taken last night shows hockey Hall of Famer Gordie Howe didn’t have a large stroke this week, as the family had feared.
Mark Howe sent a text message to The Associated Press saying it wasn’t a “big stroke,” but he couldn’t immediately provide other details of the MRI, including whether his father had sustained a minor stroke.
Gordie Howe suffered what his children called a serious stroke in late October and another in early November.
NHL-SCHEDULE
Sabres top Lightning
UNDATED (AP) β The Buffalo Sabres continue to show a little moxie after their wretched 3-13-2 start.
Cody Hodgson and Tyler Ennis scored shootout goals to cap the Sabres’ comeback in a 2-1 triumph over Tampa Bay. The Lightning led 1-0 until Zemgus Girgensons (ZEHM’-guhz GEER’-gehn-suhn) scored with 3:54 left in regulation, giving Buffalo a chance to win for the sixth time in their last seven games.
Ondrej Palat (AHN’-dray pah-LAHT’) had the lone goal for the Lightning, who now lead the NHL’s Eastern Conference by one point over Pittsburgh, Montreal and the New York Islanders.
Also in the NHL:
β Nashville’s four-game winning streak is over after Jeff Skinner provided a goal and an assist in Carolina’s 2-1 triumph over the Predators. Cam Ward stopped 32 shots and blanked the Predators until Mike Ribeiro (rih-BEHR’-oh) beat him with 4:46 left.
β Evgeni Malkin scored early in the third period and Marc-Andre Fleury picked up his league-high fifth shutout of the season by turning back 29 shots in Pittsburgh’s 1-0 win over New Jersey. The Penguins won for the 14th time in their last 18 games to stay in a first-place tie with the Islanders in the Metropolitan Division.
β The Isles won for the 12th time in 14 games as Thomas Hickey scored on a wrap-around at 3:06 of overtime to complete their 3-2 win against Ottawa. Jaroslav Halak (hah-LAHK’) won his 10th consecutive start to tie Billy Smith’s team record.
β Vincent Trocheck provided a goal and two assists while Florida was building a 4-1 lead in a 4-3 win at Detroit. The Red Wings scored twice in the final 10 Β½ minutes before ending a four-game winning streak.
β Daniel Sedin (seh-DEEN) scored two power-play goals, including the tiebreaking tally midway through the third period of Vancouver’s 4-3 win at Washington. Sedin also set up Radim Vrbata’s (vur-BAH’-tahz) power-play tally.
β Jonathan Quick picked up his 34th career shutout with a 32-save effort in the Kings’ 2-0 win against Boston in Los Angeles. Tanner Pearson scored the game-winner and Anze Kopitar (AHN’-zhay KOH’-pih-tahr) had two assists as the Kings handed the Bruins their fourth loss in five games.
β San Jose pulled out a 2-1 win over Philadelphia on Matt Nieto’s goal with 12 seconds remaining. Antii Niemi (AN’-tee nee-EH’-mee) stopped 28 shots as the Sharks won their second straight and dealt the Flyers their fifth consecutive loss.
β Joffrey Lupul (JAHF’-ree LOO’-pul) scored twice and Nazem Kadri (NAH’-zehm KAH’-dree) added a goal and two assists as Toronto downed Dallas 5-3. Mike Santorelli had three assists in the Maple Leafs’ fourth victory in five games.
β Rookie Josh Jooris (JOOR’-ihs) registered his first career hat trick in Calgary’s 5-2 verdict over Arizona. The Flames picked up their third straight win and completed a home-and-home sweep of the Coyotes while improving to 16-8-2.
NHL-BLUES
St. Louis lands Brodeur
ST. LOUIS (AP) β The St. Louis Blues have signed 42-year-old goalie Martin Brodeur (MAHR’-tan broh-DYOOR’) to a one-year contract. Brodeur won three Stanley Cups in a 21-year career with New Jersey before becoming a free agent after last season. He joined St. Louis on a tryout basis late last week and participated in his first full practice on Monday.
He will help fill the void while No. 1 netminder Brian Elliott recovers from a knee injury.
NHL-KINGS
Team fined $100,000 after Voynov practices
The Los Angeles Kings have been fined $100,000 by the NHL after suspended defenseman Slava Voynov participated in a team workout Tuesday. Voynov was charged with felony domestic violence two weeks ago. The Russian Olympian is barred from all team activities under the terms of his suspension.
NFL-CARDINALS
Surgery for Mathieu
TEMPE, Ariz. (AP) β Arizona Cardinals safety Tyrann Mathieu (TY’-ran MATH’-yoo) will undergo surgery on his fractured left thumb and could be sidelined until the team’s regular-season finale. Mathieu will have a pin inserted in the thumb and the club says the thumb will need a couple of weeks to heal before Mathieu would be able to play with it in a cast.
NFL-PETERSON
Day 1 for Peterson ends
NEW YORK (AP) β Adrian Peterson did not testify at his appeal hearing Tuesday. Instead, a person familiar with the proceeding said Peterson gave a statement.
Peterson is seeking reinstatement after NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell (guh-DEHL’) suspended him for the rest of the season for violating the league’s personal conduct policy. Peterson will not be considered for reinstatement before April 15.
The former NFL MVP hasn’t played for the Vikings since Week 1 after he was charged with child abuse in Texas. He was placed on paid leave while the legal process played out, and he pleaded no contest Nov. 4 to misdemeanor reckless assault for injuring his 4-year-old son with a wooden switch.
MLB-HOT STOVE
Torii back with Twins
UNDATED (AP) β Torii Hunter is coming back to the Minnesota Twins, seven years after leaving via free agency.
A person with knowledge of the agreement told The Associated Press that the 40-year-old Hunter has accepted a one-year, $10.5 million contract. The five-time All-Star outfielder hit .286 with 17 homers and 83 RBIs for the Tigers last season.
MLB-UMPIRE
Umpire calls himself out
NEW YORK (AP) β Major league umpire Dale Scott has added his name to a growing list of gay and lesbian sports figures to publicly announce their sexual orientation.
Scott never kept it a secret to his employers, saying Major League Baseball and his fellow umpires knew his situation and that it had absolutely no bearing on his career. Commissioner Bud Selig (SEE’-lihg) said, “All of us at Major League Baseball are very proud of him, just as we have always been.”
