NBA-SCHEDULE
Cavs streak reaches a dozen…Wizards fall to Hornets again
UNDATED (AP) — The Cleveland Cavaliers still own the NBA’s longest current winning streak following a surprisingly easy victory over the Los Angeles Clippers.
Kevin Love scored 24 points and the Cavs picked up their 12th straight victory by thumping the Clippers 105-94. LeBron James added 23 points for the Cavaliers, who led by as many as 32 in the second half before Love and James watched the final period from the bench.
The Cavaliers moved into first place in the Central Division and pulled within one victory of tying a team record for consecutive wins. Cleveland was seven games behind Chicago when the streak began with a victory over the Lakers on Jan. 15.
Also in the NBA:
— LaMarcus Aldridge contributed 19 points and 13 rebounds to Portland’s 108-87 win over Phoenix. Nicolas Batum (bah-TOOM’) had team highs of 20 points and seven assists for the Northwest Division leaders, who led by just one before outscoring the Suns 42-22 in the fourth quarter.
— Dallas cruised to a 101-78 rout of Sacramento as Monta (MAHN’-tay) Ellis scored a team-high 21 points. Tyson Chandler delivered 15 points and 16 rebounds to help the Mavericks pick up their fourth victory in five games since a four-game slide.
— Gerald Henderson scored 27 points on 10 of 15 shooting as the Hornets beat Washington 94-87 in Charlotte. Brian Roberts had 12 points and provided a huge spark late in the third quarter after Charlotte fell behind by 11.
NBA-3-POINT CONTEST
All-Star Three-Point participants named
NEW YORK (AP) — The NBA has announced the participants for the Three-Point Contest before the NBA All-Star game, and they include three players from the league’s conference leaders.
Golden State guards Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson will join Atlanta’s Kyle Korver in the Feb. 14 event at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn. Houston’s James Harden and Cleveland’s Kyrie Irving also will compete along with defending champion Marco Belinelli of San Antonio, Portland’s Wesley Matthews and the Los Angeles Clippers’ J.J. Redick.
NBA-PACERS-GEORGE
George hoping to play this season
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Two-time All-Star Paul George says he’s hopeful of returning to play for the Indiana Pacers this season after suffering a gruesome leg injury, though he remains uncertain it will actually happen.
George said he was pleasantly surprised when Pacers president of basketball operations Larry Bird suggested George should play this season if he could.
Team doctors told the Pacers it would take seven months for George’s injured leg to heal completely, making a possible return in March plausible.
NBA-MAGIC
Jacque Vaughn fired
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — James Borrego has been promoted from assistant to interim head coach of the Orlando Magic following Jacque Vaughn’s dismissal today. Borrego takes over a team that is 15-37 this season and riding a 10-game losing streak. Vaughn was 58-158 in 2 1/2 seasons at the helm.
PGA-FARMERS INSURANCE OPEN
Woods withdraws in San Diego
SAN DIEGO (AP) — Not only is Tiger Woods failing to win golf tournaments, he’s failing to complete them.
Woods withdrew from the Farmers Insurance Open after 11 holes because of tightness in his lower back that he attributed to a fog delay. It’s the latest setback for Woods, who has missed the cut three times, withdrawn twice and finished 69th in his last six tournaments. He hasn’t played four rounds in a tournament since last year’s British Open, where he was never in serious contention. Woods hasn’t earned a PGA victory since the 2013 Bridgestone Invitational, a drought that’s dropped him to 56th in the world rankings.
Woods was playing for the first time since firing a career-high 82 at the Phoenix Open.
Nicholas Thompson had an 8-under 64 on the North Course and had a one-shot lead over Michael Thompson when play was suspended by darkness. Brooks Koepka (KEHP’-kah) had a 66 on the North, four days after winning the Phoenix Open. Cameron Tringale also carded a 66 on the North.
The best score on the tougher South Course belonged to Jhonnatan Vegas, who shot 67.
LPGA-BAHAMAS
Pancake cooking in the Bahamas
PARADISE ISLAND, Bahamas (AP) — Brooke Pancake was the leader when the first round of the Bahamas LPGA Classic was suspended by rain. Pancake fired a 6-under-par 67 for a one-shot edge over Inbee Park, Natalie Gulbis and Brittany Lincicome (LIHN’-sih-kuhm).
Lydia Ko was 1-under through eight holes in the 17-year-old’s first event since taking the No. 1 spot in the world ranking.
TOP 25 MEN’S BASKETBALL-SCHEDULE
Zags still perfect in WCC…Mustangs fall to Bearcats
UNDATED (AP) — Second-ranked Gonzaga remains unbeaten in the West Coast Conference.
Kyle Wiltjer scored 22 points and had six rebounds in the Bulldogs’ 77-63 win over Santa Clara. Byron Wesley had 17 points and seven boards for the Zags, who shot 69 percent while improving to 23-1 overall, and 11-0 in the conference.
In the other top-25 game, Jermaine Sanders scored 15 points, including one of two huge 3-pointers for Cincinnati in a 62-54 win over No. 23 SMU. Farad Cobb and Troy Caupain each added 14 points to help the Bearcats improve to 16-6 overall, 7-3 in the American Athletic Conference.
NHL-SCHEDULE
Ducks hammer Predators…Blues stay hot…Isles end skid…Lightning pad lead
UNDATED (AP) — The NHL’s Western Conference lead was on the line when the Anaheim Ducks visited the Nashville Predators on Thursday.
Pekka Rinne (PEK’-ah REE’-nay) returned to the Predators’ nets following a three-week absence caused by a knee injury, but he stopped just 21 shots as the Ducks earned a 5-2 win at Nashville. Jakob Silfverberg scored twice and Frederik Andersen made 44 saves to help the Ducks begin a five-game road trip on a winning note in Music City. Frederik Andersen made half of his 44 saves in the third period as the Ducks took over the conference lead, two points ahead of the Predators and St. Louis.
The Blues are 12-0-1 in their last 13 games after Jake Allen turned back 23 shots in a 3-0 shutout of Buffalo. Vladimir Tarasenko notched his 27th goal in the Blues’ seventh straight win.
The New York Islanders are back atop the NHL’s Metropolitan Division after getting a little help from their fourth-line right winger.
Cal Clutterback scored once in regulation and added the deciding goal in the seventh shootout round to lift the Islanders past the Flyers 3-2 in Philadelphia. The Islanders trailed 2-0 until Mikhail Grabovski and Clutterbuck scored 1:59 apart late in the second period. Clutterbuck had gone 19 games without a goal before ending the Islanders’ three-game losing streak.
The outcome puts the Isles one point ahead of Pittsburgh and three in front of the Rangers and Capitals in the tight division race.
In other NHL action:
— Tampa Bay tops the Northeast Division by two points over Detroit after Tyler Johnson scored twice in the third period of the Lightning’s 5-3 victory over Dallas. Steven Stamkos and Nikita Kucherov (koo-CHEHR’-ahv) each added a goal and an assist in the Lightning’s sixth victory in eight games.
— Petr Mrazek (muh-RAH’-zehk) recorded his first shutout of the season by stopping 28 shots in the Red Wings’ eighth victory in nine games, 3-0 at Colorado. The game was scoreless until Justin Abdelkader (AB’-dul-kay-dur) scored late in the second period.
— Alex Ovechkin’s (oh-VEHCH’-kihnz) 32nd goal of the season was the game-winner in Washington’s 2-1 triumph over Ottawa. Braden Holtby stopped 25 shots as the Capitals won their second straight since a 1-4-2 skid.
— Joe Pavelski scored his team-high 28th goal and Antti Niemi (AN’-tee nee-EH’-mee) turned back 33 shots in San Jose’s 5-1 triumph over Vancouver. Brett Burns and Logan Couture (koo-CHOOR’) each had two assists as the Sharks stopped a two-game skid.
— Third-period goals by Nick Bjugstad (BYOOG’-stad) and Brandon Pirri (PEER’-ee) pushed Florida past Los Angeles 3-2, leaving the Panthers five points behind Boston for the final Eastern Conference playoff berth. Roberto Luongo (loo-AHN’-goh) stopped 29 shots against the Kings, who lost for the seventh time in eight games.
— Elias Lindholm scored the lone shootout goal and Cam Ward made 28 saves in Carolina’s 2-1 win at Arizona. The Coyotes lost despite Mike Smith’s 40 saves.
MLB-TIGERS-MARTINEZ
Martinez has torn meniscus
DETROIT (AP) — Detroit Tigers slugger Victor Martinez is slated for surgery next Tuesday after tearing the medial meniscus in his left knee during offseason workouts last week. The Tigers have not announced a timetable for the return of Martinez, who missed the 2012 season after injuring the same knee. Martinez hit .335 with 32 home runs and 103 RBIs last year.
NFL-TITANS
Titans hire Dick LeBeau as assistant head coach for defense
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — The Tennessee Titans have hired Dick LeBeau (leh-BOH’) as their assistant head coach in charge of defense, pairing the Hall of Fame player and veteran coach with defensive coordinator Ray Horton.
Both Titans head coach Ken Whisenhunt and Horton worked with LeBeau in Pittsburgh with four other Titans assistants either having coached with or played for him.
NFL-SEAHAWKS
All-Pro safety needs surgery
SEATTLE (AP) — Seattle Seahawks All-Pro free safety Earl Thomas played the Super Bowl with a torn labrum in his left shoulder and will need offseason surgery. Thomas’ agent has confirmed the injury and need for surgery in an email to The Associated Press. ESPN first reported Thomas needing surgery.
Speaking of Seahawks defensive backs, Richard Sherman is a proud papa. He tweets that his girlfriend gave birth to their baby boy, Rayden, on Thursday morning.
NFL-PETERSON-SUIT
Peterson fight for reinstatement continues
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Attorneys for the NFL Players Association are scheduled to argue Friday for running back Adrian Peterson’s reinstatement from a suspension levied by the league under its controversial personal conduct policy. The union sued after Peterson’s appeal was denied Dec. 12 by an arbitrator appointed by the league, keeping him suspended through April 15. He was suspended by Commissioner Roger Goodell (guh-DEHL’) last fall following a child abuse case involving Peterson and one of his young sons.
