NBA-SCHEDULE
Warriors rip Nuggets…13 straight for Hawks
UNDATED (AP) β It was another successful day for the NBA’s two conference leaders.
The Golden State Warriors are a league-best 33-6 after matching a team record with their 16th straight home win, a 122-79 rout of Denver. Klay Thompson finished with 22 points and Stephen Curry (STEF’-ehn) added 20 and eight assists to help the Warriors enjoy a laugher in their fifth game in seven days.
Golden State already was leading 25-15 before starting the second quarter on a 22-5 run.
The Atlanta Hawks earned their 13th straight victory, one shy of the team record. Mike Scott and Paul Millsap each scored 20 points in a 93-82 victory over the Detroit Pistons. Al Horford added 14 points, seven assists and six rebounds, for the Hawks, who’ve won 27 of 29 and haven’t lost since Dec. 26 against Milwaukee.
In other NBA action:
β New York’s 16-game losing streak is over after Carmelo Anthony delivered 24 points and nine rebounds in a 99-92 triumph over New Orleans. Langston Galloway added 21 points to help the Knicks halt the longest single-season skid in team history.
β NBA scoring leader James Harden scored 18 of his 45 points in the third quarter of Houston’s 110-98 win over Indiana. The Rockets saw a 20-point, fourth-quarter lead trimmed to eight before Harden contributed seven points in the final 2 1/2 minutes.
β Damian Lillard’s 22-point performance included the go-ahead basket with 1:20 remaining in Portland’s 98-94 triumph against Sacramento. Lillard had six points during the final 80 seconds and Wesley Matthews scored 17 as The trail Blazers snapped a three-game skid.
β Blake Griffin scored 22 points and the Los Angeles Clippers led by as many as 23 before holding off Boston 102-93. DeAndre Jordan added 19 points and 12 rebounds, while J.J. Redick and Jamal Crawford each had 16 points in the Clippers’ eighth victory in 11 games.
β Monta (MAHN’-tay) Ellis dropped in 25 points and Dallas closed on a 14-4 run to pull out a 103-95 triumph at Memphis. Dirk Nowitzki scored the Mavericks’ last eight points in the final two minutes to finish with 21.
β Kyle Lowry scored 18 points and Toronto won for only the third time in 10 games by downing Milwaukee 92-89. Terrence Ross added 16 points, including a baseline jumper that put the Raptors ahead 90-87 with 26.4 seconds left.
β Washington clobbered Philadelphia 111-76 as Marcin Gortat (MAHR’-shin GOHR’-tot) scored 20 points for the Wizards. John Wall had 11 points and 10 assists before he and the Wizards’ other starters were removed after three quarters.
β Cleveland handled Chicago 108-94 as LeBron James scored 26 points and J.R. Smith added 20. Kyrie Irving finished with 18 points and 12 assists, while Kevin Love added 16 points and 12 rebounds in the Cavaliers’ third straight win.
β Isaiah Thomas hit four 3-pointers and finished with 24 points, four assists and five steals as Phoenix dumped the Los Angeles Lakers 115-100. Goran Dragic (DRAH’-gihch) contributed 24 points and nine rebounds to the win.
β Charlotte made it seven wins in eight games as Gerald Henderson scored 17 points and Brian Roberts added 16 in a 105-80 romp over Minnesota. Charlotte’s Al Jefferson returned after a nine-game absence due to a groin injury and contributed eight points and five rebounds in his 25 minutes off the bench.
NFL-DEFLATED BALLS
NFL looking into report
NEW YORK (AP) β NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy says the league is investigating whether the Patriots deflated footballs used in their AFC championship game victory over the Colts. The inquiry was first reported by the website for WTHR-TV in Indiana, citing an unnamed source.
The game operations manual of the NFL notes that people who alter footballs or allow an unapproved football to be used in a game can be disciplined with fines or other punishments.
NFL-COACHES
Denver has its man and Chicago’s new man talks
UNDATED (AP) β On the day that former Broncos coach John Fox was introduced as the new coach of the Bears, Denver announced the signing of Gary Kubiak (KOO’-bee-ak) to be their new coach. The former Texans coach signed a four-year contract to lead the team.
Kubiak is reunited with former Broncos’ teammate John Elway, who now serves as team president. Their relationship goes back 32 years, when they entered the NFL together in 1983. Kubiak spent nine seasons as Elway’s backup quarterback and 11 more as Denver’s offensive coordinator, including the final four years of Elway’s Hall of Fame career.
Meanwhile, Fox was vague with reporters when asked about Jay Cutler’s future with the Bears. In his first face to face with Chicago media members since being named the head coach, Fox said he had received a congratulatory email from Cutler but said he could not commit to anybody until he has time to access the roster.
Fox departed from the Broncos a week ago after a successful four-year run in Denver.
NFL-PATRIOTS-WILFORK
Pats defensive lineman plays Good Samaritan
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) β Patriots defensive lineman Vince Wilfork helped Massachusetts State Police tackle a problem nearly three hours after New England won the AFC championship.
State troopers say they responded to an SUV rollover in Foxborough not far from Gillette Stadium shortly before 1 a.m. Monday and were surprised to see Wilfork checking on the driver. Hours earlier, the Patriots beat the Indianapolis Colts 45-7 to advance to the Super Bowl.
Wilfork reached into the vehicle and helped troopers remove 38-year-old Mary Ellen Brooks of Hanson, authorities said. He then made sure police didn’t need any more help before heading home.
NFL-PRO BOWL
Bears’ Bennett and Browns’ Whitner are in
LAKE FOREST, Ill. (AP) β Chicago Bears tight end Martellus Bennett and Cleveland Browns safety Donte Whitner have been selected for the Pro Bowl.
They replace New England’s Rob Gronkowski and Seattle’s Earl Thomas, with the Patriots and Seahawks headed to the Super Bowl.
MLB-TRADES
Report: Scherzer heading to Washington
WASHINGTON (AP) β The Washington Nationals hope they’ve taken a major step toward finally winning a playoff round.
A person familiar with the negotiations says the Nationals have worked out a seven-year, $210 million contract with 2013 AL Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer.
The 30-year-old right-hander became a free agent after spending the past five seasons with the Detroit Tigers. He was 18-5 with a 3.15 ERA in 2014, a year after going 21-3 with a 2.90 ERA and being voted the AL’s best pitcher.
In other trades:
β The Texas Rangers have added Yovani Gallardo (yoh-VAH’-nee gy-AHR’-doh) to their starting rotation, acquiring him from Milwaukee for three players and cash. Gallardo is 89-64 with a 3.69 ERA in eight major league seasons, including an 8-11 mark with a 3.51 earned run average in 2014. Infielder Luis Sardinas, and right-handers Corey Knebel and Marcos Diplan were dealt to Milwaukee.
β The Chicago Cubs have acquired outfielder Dexter Fowler from the Houston Astros for infielder Luis Valbuena and right-hander Dan Straily. The 28-year-old Fowler hit .276 with a .375 on-base percentage, eight homers and 35 RBIs in 116 games for the Astros last season.
T25 MEN’S BASKETBALL-SCHEDULE
Hoyas hammer ‘Nova…Coach K gets 999th
UNDATED (AP) β Unranked Georgetown leads the Big East following a convincing win over No. 4 Villanova.
Freshman Isaac Copeland scored a career-high 17 points and the Hoyas improved to 5-2 in the conference by drubbing the Wildcats 78-58. D’Vauntes Smith-Rivera also had 17 for the Hoyas, who pulled away early with a 17-0 run on the way to a 42-20 halftime lead.
Villanova committed 17 turnovers and never got closer than 12 points in the second half.
Elsewhere in top-25 hoops:
β Freshman Tyus Jones matched a season high with 22 points and Mike Krzyzewski (shuh-SHEHF’-skee) picked up his 999th career coaching victory as fifth-ranked Duke knocked off Pittsburgh 79-65. Quinn Cook had 11 points and 10 rebounds for the Blue Devils, who shot 46 percent and hit 11 3-pointers while improving to 16-2.
β Eleventh-ranked Kansas blew a 20-point, first-half lead before avoiding a second straight loss, defeating No. 19 Oklahoma 85-78. Kelly Oubre Jr. scored 19 points, including a pair of driving layups in the closing minutes.
β Javan Felix scored 15 points and Isaiah Taylor added 13 to lead 17th-ranked Texas past TCU 66-48. The 13-4 Longhorns never trailed in their second straight win since a two-game skid that included a blowout loss at home to Oklahoma.
TOP-25 BASKETBALL POLLS
No change at the top of either poll
UNDATED (AP) β Kentucky and Virginia are still 1-2 in the men’s Associated Press Top-25 basketball poll after both improved to 17-0. The top-ranked Wildcats got 63 of the first place votes, with No. 2 Virginia getting the remaining two. Rounding out the top-five this week are Gonzaga (gahn-ZAG’-uh), Villanova and Duke.
Your second five consists of Wisconsin, Arizona, Notre Dame, Iowa State and Louisville.
South Carolina remains No. 1 in the AP women’s poll, followed by Connecticut, Baylor, Louisville and Tennessee. South Carolina received 27 first place votes, with UConn getting the remaining eight.
NHL-SCHEDULE
Isles continue Metropolitan dominance
UNDATED (AP) β The New York Islanders are back atop the NHL’s Eastern Conference after improving to 15-2 against division rivals.
Nikolay Kulemin (NIH’-koh-ly KOO’-leh-mihn) had two goals and an assist as the Islanders whipped Philadelphia 7-4. Michael Grabner, John Tavares and Nick Leddy each had a goal and an assist in the Islanders’ fifth victory in six games.
New York heads the East by one point over Tampa Bay. The Isles also top the Metropolitan Division with 63 points, five more than Pittsburgh.
Also in the NHL:
β St. Louis won for the seventh time in eight games as Jaden Schwartz provided a power-play goal and an assist in a 3-1 verdict over Colorado. Brian Elliott stopped 17 shots to help the Blues pull within two points of the Southwest Division-leading Nashville Predators.
β First-period goals by Radim Vrbata (vur-BAH’-tah) and Bo Horvat were enough offense for Vancouver in a 2-1 win at Florida. Ryan Miller stopped 23 shots in the Canucks’ third straight win.
β Calgary beat Los Angeles 2-1 on Dennis Wideman’s goal at 4:08 of overtime. Sean Monahan tied it with 6:05 left in regulation before Wideman sent the Flames to their fourth straight win, putting them one point ahead of the Kings for the final Western Conference playoff berth.
β Eric Staal scored twice and Carolina improved to 6-2-1 in its last nine games by downing the Maple Leafs 4-1 in Toronto. The Leafs are 1-6 under interim coach Peter Horachek (HOHR’-ah-chehk) and have scored just twice during their five-game losing streak.
β James Wisniewski (wihs-NOO’-skee) had a goal and an assist as Columbus topped Minnesota 3-1. Scott Hartnell chipped in a goal and an assist, but Blue Jackets center Ryan Johansen saw his 13-game point streak come to an end.
β Jacob Josefson netted a short-handed goal and had an assist as New Jersey downed San Jose 5-2. Cory Schneider stopped 34 shots to help the Devils finish 2-1 on their three-game road trip.
AUSTRALIAN OPEN
Day 2 in Melbourne
MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) β Serena Williams made a good start toward capturing a 19th career Grand Slam with a 6-0, 6-4 win over Alison Van Uytvanck of Belgium at the Australian Open. Williams has already won five Australian Open titles. Her sister and No. 18 seed Venus Williams beat Maria Teresa Torro 6-2, 6-2.
Men’s top seed Novak Djokovic (JOH’-koh-vihch) opened his Australian Open schedule with a straight-sets win. And fourth seed Stan Wawrinka (vah-VRIN’-kuh) began his title defense with a straight-sets victory.
Fifth seed Kei Nishikori (kay nee-shee-KOHR’-ee) and No. 8 Milos Raonic (ROW’-nihch) were straight-sets winners in their opening-round matches. No. 12 Feliciano Lopez needed five sets to reach the second round.
Other winners on the women’s side include 11th seed Dominika Cibulkova (see-bul-KOH’-vah), 19th seed Alize Cornet (ah-LEEZ’ korh-NAY’), 20th seed Sam Stosur (STOH’-sur) and unseeded Victoria Azarenka (ah-zah-REHN’-kah).
ALPINE SKIING
Vonn sets new record
CORTINA D’AMPEZZO, Italy (AP) β Lindsey Vonn won a race and Tiger Woods lost a tooth in Italy.
Vonn is now the winningest skier in women’s Alpine history. She won a super-G in Italy for her record 63rd World Cup, a day after she tied the record held by Annemarie Moser-Proell (MOH’-zhur prehl) for 35 years.
Vonn was welcomed by her boyfriend, Woods, after her final run. Vonn says she had no idea the former world No. 1 in golf would be on hand for the race. But the athlete who got more attention was Woods after a photo from the event revealed that he had lost a front tooth.
Woods’ agent said the golfer lost the tooth when he was accidentally hit in the mouth by a video camera as media swarmed the awards podium. However, race organizers said the incident was not reported to them, adding that Woods did request extra security and a snowmobile to exit the finish area.
Woods had been wearing a scarf with a skeleton pattern over the lower part of his face, sunglasses and a stocking cap. The photo was taken when the scarf was lowered.
