NBA-SCHEDULE
Durant visits home town
UNDATED (AP) β Washington Wizards fans in attendance at tonight’s game with Oklahoma City can only hope to see native-son Kevin Durant in a Wizards uniform next season. The 27-year old can become a free agent at the end of the season and DC fans would love to see him come home. That said, tonight he comes to town riding a 30.5 scoring average in games against Washington.
Cleveland has won its last six games after a season-opening loss in Chicago. The Cavaliers are playing host tonight to the Utah Jazz, a club that has won its last two games but lost nine of its last 11 in Cleveland.
The Raptors are home after a four-game road trip which saw them lose the last two games after winning their first five. The opposition comes from the Knicks who snapped a three-game skid with a win over the Lakers in New York on Sunday.
The Lakers remain on the road with a game in Miami. The Heat are in the midst of a seven game home stand and have beaten the Lakers six straight.
Second-year man Andrew Wiggins of the Timberwolves is off to a good start. In his last two games he has scored 31 and 33 points and tonight he and his teammates are home to Charlotte. The Hornets have won the last three games in the series.
The Pelicans are off to their worst start in 11 seasons with no wins in six games. They’ll try to end that with a victory at home tonight over Dallas.
And in Milwaukee this evening the Bucks, who have won four straight, are entertaining the Celtics.
NHL-SCHEDULE
Busy night on ice
UNDATED (AP) β Alex Ovechkin (oh-VECH’-kin) of the Capitals can become the highest scoring Russian to have ever played in the NHL tonight. He enters this evening’s game with the Red Wings one goal shy of the record. He has lit the light 483 times in his career.
In a quirk in the schedule, the Sabres and Lightning have already met three times this season and in each case Tampa Bay skated off the ice with a win. They meet tonight on the Lightning’s ice.
The Blue Jackets are winless at home this season. Tonight Columbus plays host to Vancouver.
This evening’s Islanders at San Jose is the first of three games in four nights in California for the New Yorkers, while the city’s other team, the Rangers, is home to the Hurricanes. New York has beaten Carolina six straight games.
The Avalanche start a two-week, seven-game road trip tonight with a game in Philadelphia. A year ago the teams split their two games.
Left wing Martin Havlat makes his debut with the Blues tonight. He signed a one-year contract last Friday. This evening’s opposition comes from New Jersey which has won eight of 10 games after an 0-3-1 start.
The rest of the card has Calgary skating at Florida, Nashville home to Ottawa, the Jets at Winnipeg, Dallas entertaining Toronto and Arizona in L.A. against the Kings.
T25-FOOTBALL
OSU QB pleads guilty
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) β Ohio State quarterback J.T. Barrett has pleaded guilty to a count of driving while impaired. He was sentenced to a three-day alcohol education program and fined $400 in a Columbus, Ohio, court.
The 20-year-old was cited for the misdemeanor at a Columbus police checkpoint Oct. 31. Coach Urban Meyer suspended Barrett for last Saturday’s game against Minnesota. On Monday Meyer said that Barrett is again considered the starter heading into this Saturday’s game at Illinois.
RUSSIA-DOPING
Russian government fights back
MOSCOW (AP) β A spokesman for Russian President Vladimir Putin (POO’-tihn) says allegations that the country operated a vast state-sponsored doping program are not supported by evidence. The allegations were detailed in a World Anti-Doping Agency commission report.
WADA (WAH’-duh) has revoked the accreditation of the country’s anti-doping test laboratory in Moscow, a recommendation made in Monday’s report.
