NBA-SCHEDULE
Hawks make it 18 straight…Jazz top Warriors
UNDATED (AP) β The Atlanta Hawks barely made the NBA playoffs last season, capturing the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference with a 38-44 record. The Hawks already have passed last year’s win total, thanks to an 18-game winning streak that puts them atop the entire league at 39-8, 1 Β½ games ahead of Golden State.
Paul Millsap scored 21 points and Al Horford had 17 as the Hawks downed the Trail Blazers 105-99 to extend their franchise-record winning streak. Millsap and Mike Scott hit 3-pointers to give Atlanta a 97-91 lead. The Hawks trailed after each of the first three quarters before outscoring the Blazers 36-25 in the final period.
The Hawks’ winning streak began after a loss to Milwaukee on Dec. 26.
The Warriors entered the week as the NBA’s top team before dropping back-to-back games, including Friday’s 110-100 setback at Utah. Gordon Hayward scored 26 points and grabbed 15 rebounds while the Jazz held Klay Thompson to 12 points. The Jazz also got a huge lift from the bench with 17 points from Trevor Booker and 15 from Trey Burke.
In other NBA action:
β Toronto blew a 17-point lead in the second half before Amir Johnson made the tiebreaking basket with 41 seconds left to help the Raptors complete a 127-122 win at Brooklyn. DeMar DeRozan scored 26 points, Lou Williams chipped in 25 and Johnson had 24 in the Raptors’ fifth straight win.
β Eric Gordon scored 28 points and New Orleans halted the Clippers’ six-game winning streak by downing Los Angeles 108-103. The Pelicans shot 13-for-25 from 3-point range to pull out a victory while Anthony Davis sat out with a sore left groin.
β Rick Carlisle has his 600th career coaching victory after the Dallas Mavericks put together a ridiculous 37-2 run in the second half of a 93-72 rout of Miami. Charlie Villanueva scored 20 points for the Mavericks, who trailed by 16 in the third quarter before snapping a four-game skid.
β Cleveland has a nine-game winning streak after Kevin Love, Kyrie Irving and LeBron James combined for 63 points in a 101-90 verdict over Sacramento. Love scored 16 of his team-high 23 points in the first quarter, Irving finished with 21 and James added 19 in his return from a sprained wrist.
β Eric Bledsoe provided 23 points and Goran Dragic (DRAH’-gihch) had 21 as Phoenix held off Chicago 99-93. Bulls guard Derrick Rose also has 23 points but missed 15 of his 23 shots.
β Donatas Motiejunas (doh-NAH’-tahs moh-tee-YOO’-nuhs) scored 10 of his 26 points in the fourth quarter of Houston’s fourth straight win, 93-87 at Boston. Motiejunas also had 12 rebounds as the Rockets improved to 17-7 on the road, best in the Western Conference.
β Michael Carter-Williams had a triple-double with 17 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists to lead Philadelphia’s 103-94 win over Minnesota.
NBA-ALL-STARS-COUSINS
Cousins replaces Kobe
UNDATED (AP) β NBA commissioner Adam Silver has chosen Sacramento Kings center DeMarcus Cousins to replace injured Lakers guard Kobe Bryant on the Western Conference All-Star team. Cousins will play in the showcase for the first time and become the first King to appear in an All-Star game since Brad Miller and Peja Stojakovic (PAY’-zhah stoy-AH’-koh-vihch) in 2004. Western Conference coach and Golden State bench boss Steve Kerr will decide who replaces Bryant in the starting lineup.
NFL-STATE OF LEAGUE
Goodell warns penalties could be coming from Deflate-gate
PHOENIX (AP) β NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell (guh-DEHL’) held his Super Bowl news conference today and touched on a number of topics as the league wraps up a very tumultuous season.
He says that even if no competitive advantage was gained, the New England Patriots could be hit with increased penalties if the league investigation finds they violated rules by deflating footballs in the AFC championship game.
Goodell says at his annual pre-Super Bowl news conference Friday: “We have rules. We’re a league of rules.”
The league appointed lawyer Ted Wells to look into what happened to the Patriots’ footballs during the 45-7 victory over the Colts that sent New England to the Super Bowl.
Goodell described his league and himself as having addressed missteps on difficult matters such as domestic violence and being ready to move on. He brushed aside a question about whether there are conflict-of-interest problems with paying those who head up “independent” investigations like the one involving Ray Rice.
The commissioner adds that the league has not looked at any specific team that might want to move to Los Angeles.
NFL-COACHES
Super Bowl coaches have high praise for each other
PHOENIX (AP) β Seattle Seahawks coach Pete Carroll says it will be star cornerback Richard Sherman’s decision whether to play in Sunday’s Super Bowl if his pregnant girlfriend goes into labor with the couple’s first child sooner than expected.
Carroll said during a joint news conference with New England coach Bill Belichick that family comes first and “if (Sherman) is faced with that decision, we’ll support him.”
Carroll’s comment regarding Sherman was the biggest news to come out of the final media availability with the coaches as both were extremely complementary of the other. Patriots coach Bill Belichick says preparing his team to face the defending Super Bowl champions has been a huge challenge, adding that the Seahawks do so many things well on so many levels.
NFL-MANNING
Manning assessing his future
PHOENIX (AP) β Denver quarterback Peyton Manning says he hasn’t decided if he will return next season, saying he’s taking some time to assess some things about his future. Manning said before the playoffs that he would play another season, but he admitted to his uncertainty after the Broncos were beaten by Indianapolis.
New Denver head coach Gary Kubiak (KOO’-bee-ak) and Denver vice president John Elway have urged Manning to take his time before making a decision.
NFL-PACKERS
Green Bay sacks special teams coach after gaffes
GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) β The Green Bay Packers have released special teams coordinator Shawn Slocum, less than two weeks after special teams mistakes marred their loss in the NFC title game in Seattle.
The Seahawks benefited from a pair of special teams mistakes: Seahawks holder Jon Ryan threw a 19-yard touchdown pass to tackle Garry Gilliam on a fake field goal and then tight end Brandon Bostick didn’t block on an onside kick late in the game, mishandling the ball that Seattle recovered.
Slocum was with Green Bay for nine years and helped the team win the Super Bowl following the 2010 season.
PGA-PHOENIX OPEN
A bewildered Tiger Woods misses the cut
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. (AP) β Tiger Woods has missed the cut at the PGA’s Phoenix Open by carding an 11-over 82 in the second round, the worst score in his 1,267 official rounds as a pro. It was the first time in his career that he missed the cut in consecutive PGA Tour events, the most recent one in August at the PGA Championship. He managed to show good humor after his round, taking a cue from Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch’s handling of the Super Bowl media by saying, “I’m just doing this so I don’t get fined.”
Woods was last at 13-over once he bogeyed his final hole.
Also missing the cut was Phil Mickelson, whose 5-over 76 left him 3-over.
Play was suspended by darkness with 18 players still on the course. Martin Laird had another 5-under 66 to take the clubhouse lead at the midway point. Laird reeled off three birdies on the back nine to move ahead.
Daniel Berger is second, two shots back and one ahead of Justin Thomas.
TOP-25 MEN’S BASKETBALL-SCHEDULE
Wildcats stifle Beavers
TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) β Arizona was the lone top-25 men’s basketball team in action on Friday, and the sixth-ranked Wildcats picked up their 34th consecutive home win by holding Oregon State to 28 percent shooting in a 57-34 silencing of the Beavers.
T.J. McConnell had a career-high eight steals, seven points and six assists, while Brandon Ashley delivered a team-best 12 points for Arizona. The Wildcats also held Beavers leading scorer Gary Payton II to six points on 3-of-13 shooting
NHL-SCHEDULE
Pens rally…Blues recover
UNDATED (AP) β The Pittsburgh Penguins were just minutes away from a shutout loss in New Jersey. Instead, they climbed within one point of the Metropolitan Division-leading New York Islanders.
Simon Despres (see-MOHN’ deh-PRAY’) scored at 2:21 of overtime to complete the Penguins’ comeback in a 2-1 triumph over the Devils. The Pens trailed 1-0 until Chris Kunitz (KOO’-nits) knotted the score with 3:11 left in regulation.
Pittsburgh outshot the Devils 43-14 in winning for only the second time in its last seven games.
Also on ice:
β Colorado knocked off Nashville 3-0 as Semyon Varlamov (SEHM’-yahn vahr-LAH’-mahv) made 23 saves for his fourth shutout of the season. The Avalanche improved to 8-3-3 in their last 14 games and prevented the Predators from pulling into a first-place tie with Anaheim in the Western Conference.
β St. Louis coughed up a 2-0 lead before Kevin Shattenkirk scored the only shootout goal in the Blues’ 3-2 victory at Carolina. St. Louis appeared poised to blow out the Hurricanes when Ryan Reaves and David Backes (BAK’-ehs) scored in the first 3:25, but the Hurricanes made the Blues work for their fourth consecutive victory and ninth in 10 games.
β The Blues and Chicago are two points behind the first-place Predators in the Central Division after Patrick Kane furnished two goals and an assist in the Blackhawks’ 4-1 win over the Ducks. Patrick Sharp had four assists to help the Hawks improve to 2-1 on their seven-game road trip.
β Chris Higgins had a goal and an assist as Vancouver topped Buffalo 5-3 to move into sole possession of third place in the Pacific Division, one point behind San Jose. The Sabres extended their franchise-worst losing streak to 14 games.
NHL-BETTMAN-UNIFORM ADS
Bettman says World Cup jerseys could have ads
VANCOUVER (AP) β NHL commissioner Gary Bettman says advertisements could be included on jerseys at the 2016 World Cup of Hockey, calling it a valuable opportunity. None of North America’s four major professional sports leagues currently place ads on their jerseys, but the practice is widespread elsewhere in the world. Bettman said it won’t be happening any time soon in the NHL.
TENNIS-AUSTRALIAN OPEN
Serena vs. Maria
MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) β The Australian Open will have a new women’s champion within a couple of hours. Five-time champion and top seed Serena Williams is taking on second seed and 2008 champ Maria Sharapova.
Williams has won her last 15 matches against Sharapova, and has lost just one set in their last 11 meetings. She is 18-4 lifetime in Grand Slam finals, with one of those losses coming against Sharapova at Wimbledon in 2004.
MLB-NEWS
Pearce settles with O’s for $3.7 million
UNDATED (AP) β Orioles first baseman Steve Pearce has avoided salary arbitration and agreed to a one-year, $3.7 million package. Pearce hit .293 for Baltimore last year and set career bests with 21 homers and 49 RBIs.
Also in the majors:
β Free agent pitcher Alexi Ogando (oh-GAHN’-doh) and the Boston Red Sox have reached agreement on a one-year deal, pending a physical. The 31-year-old Ogando went 2-3 with a 6.84 ERA in 27 relief appearances for Texas last season, missing much of the year because of an injured right elbow. Ogando made his major league debut in 2010 with Texas and was an AL All-Star the next season.
β The Atlanta Braves have dealt right-handed pitchers David Hale and Gus Schlosser to Colorado for minor league catchers Jose Briceno and Chris O’Dowd. Hale pitched 45 games for the Braves last season, going 4-5 with a 3.30 ERA.
β The New York Yankees and right-hander Scott Baker have agreed to a one-year minor league contract. Baker had Tommy John surgery in 2012 and mostly pitched out of the bullpen last year for the Rangers.
GOLF-LPGA-KO
OCALA, Fla. (AP) β Lydia Ko is on the verge of becoming the youngest golfer to be ranked No. 1 in the World Golf Rankings.
The 17-year-old New Zealander birdied five consecutive holes and shot a 7-under 65 in the third round of the Coates Golf Championship. She has already won five events in her career.
Second-round leader Ha Na Jang is a stroke back at 13-under 203 after a 1-under 71.
MARATHON
Three time Boston Marathon champ banned
NAIROBI, Kenya (AP)_Rita Jeptoo (JEP’-too), a three-time winner of the Boston Marathon and two-time Chicago Marathon champion, has been handed a two-year doping ban Friday in a case that has cast a shadow over Kenya’s famed distance runners.
Jeptoo tested positive for the blood-booster EPO in an out-of-competition test last September, a few weeks before winning her second straight Chicago Marathon title. Both the “A” and “B” samples were positive.
