NBA-SCHEDULE
Pelicans end Hawks’ win streak
UNDATED (AP) β The NBA’s longest winning streak of the season is over, but another lengthy unbeaten stretch continues.
The Hawks had won a franchise-record 19 in a row until Anthony Davis had 29 points and 13 rebounds to lead the Pelicans past Atlanta 115-100 at New Orleans. Eric Gordon scored 20 points for the Pelicans, while Tyreke (TY’-reek) Evans scored 15 points and had 12 assists to help New Orleans win for the sixth time in seven games.
Jeff Teague (teeg) had a team-high 21 points for the Hawks, who fell behind by double digits in the first quarter and failed to tie it.
Atlanta’s previous loss was Dec. 26 against Milwaukee.
Meanwhile, Kyrie Irving scored 24 points and the Cleveland Cavaliers earned their 11th consecutive victory by slogging their way through a 97-84 decision over Philadelphia. LeBron James finished with 18 points and 11 assists for the Cavaliers, who led by just four entering the final period.
In other NBA action:
β Milwaukee was an 82-75 winner at Toronto as Khris Middleton scored 25 points to help the Bucks beat the Raptors for the first time in seven tries. Jared Dudley scored 14 points for the Bucks, who never trailed against the Atlantic Division leaders despite playing the final 28 minutes with only eight players.
β Charlotte won for the sixth time in eight games as Al Jefferson’s 18 points and 12 boards carried the Hornets past the Wizards 92-88 in Washington. Michael Kidd-Gilchrist added 13 points and 13 rebounds, while Brian Roberts delivered 18 points in the victory.
β Jeff Green converted a three-point play with 4.5 seconds to play before Marc Gasol (gah-SAHL’) blocked a potential game-winning shot to preserve the Memphis Grizzlies’ 102-101 comeback win at Phoenix. Mike Conley had a team-high 23 points for the Grizzlies, who trailed by seven with 1:35 remaining before snaring their seventh consecutive win.
β Brooklyn also pulled off a late rally as the Nets erased a nine-point deficit in the final 95 seconds and beat the Los Angeles Clippers 102-100 on Jarret Jack’s jumper with 1.3 seconds left. Brook Lopez scored 24 points and Joe Johnson had 22 as the Nets ended a four-game skid.
β Monta (MAHN’-tay) Ellis scored 23 points and Chandler Parsons added 18 as Dallas knocked off Minnesota 100-94. Ricky Rubio had 10 points and four assists in his first game since suffering a severely sprained left ankle Nov. 7.
β Russell Westbrook posted his second triple-double of the season and 10th of his career to help Oklahoma City dump Orlando 104-97. Westbrook had 25 points, 14 assists and 11 rebounds, while teammate Kevin Durant sat out with a sprained left big toe.
NBA-MAVERICKS
Rondo out for three
DALLAS (AP) β Dallas Mavericks point guard Rajon Rondo (RAH’-zhahn RAHN’-doh) will miss at least three games after suffering an orbital fracture to his left eye. Rondo was inadvertently kneed in the face by teammate Richard Jefferson during Saturday’s game against Orlando.
SUPER BOWL
Pats parade postponed a day…Record ratings…Pats deflate bookie earnings
UNDATED (AP) β Boston Mayor Marty Walsh says the city will postpone a planned victory parade for the Patriots through downtown until Wednesday morning while local residents dig out from the latest snowstorm to hit the area. The parade had been scheduled for tomorrow before more than a foot of fresh snow fell on the Boston area, making commutes treacherous. The National Weather Service says Boston has seen a record 34.2 inches of snow over seven days.
In other Super Bowl-related news:
β The Nielsen company says an estimated 114.4 million people watched the Patriots’ 28-24 win over the Seahawks, topping the record of 112.2 million set when Seattle beat Denver last year. It’s the fifth time in six years that a Super Bowl game has set a record as the most-watched event in U.S. television history. The Nielsen company said the game had a 49.7 rating in the nation’s largest media markets, up 4 percent over last year’s game.
β Las Vegas sports book directors say the Patriots’ win over the Seahawks represented the worst-case scenario for their betting business. Nevada officials report the state’s 191 sports books kept $3.3 million out of the total $116 million wagered on the Super Bowl after keeping $19.7 million last year. Directors of sports books at the Wynn and Westgate Las Vegas say their losses might have been greater if not for side bets.
β Seattle Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman played the Super Bowl with torn ligaments in his left elbow and will likely need Tommy John surgery in the offseason. Seattle coach Pete Carroll said before the team left Arizona on Monday that it was his understanding that Sherman would need the surgery after the All-Pro cornerback was injured in the NFC championship game against Green Bay. Sherman played in the Super Bowl without a brace on the elbow and did not appear to be impeded by the injury.
NFL-BROWNS
You can now call him Johnny Rehab
CLEVELAND (AP) β Browns quarterback Johnny Manziel (man-ZEHL’) has entered treatment for an unspecified condition. An adviser for Manziel said in a statement released by the team that the former first-round pick decided to enter treatment during the offseason. Manziel spokesman Brad Beckworth says the quarterback knows there are areas he needs to improve on to be a better family member, friend and teammate.
Browns general manager Ray Farmer says the team fully supports Manziel and respects his initiative in entering treatment.
NFL-FALCONS
Bogus crowds
ATLANTA (AP) β A spokesman for the Falcons has confirmed the NFL is trying to determine if the team pumped fake crowd noise into the Georgia Dome for home games the last two years. Team spokesman Reggie Roberts says the team has “cooperated fully” after being informed during the season of the league’s investigation.
The Falcons could be fined or penalized with the loss of a draft pick if found to have added fake crowd noise during the opposing team’s huddles or when trying to call a play.
NFL-FALCONS-COACH
Seattle assistant Quinn “right fit” for Falcons
ATLANTA (AP) β The Atlanta Falcons’ search for a new head coach is over following the hiring of Seattle defensive coordinator Dan Quinn. He replaces Mike Smith, who was fired last month following a 6-10 season.
The Falcons were not permitted to negotiate with Quinn until after the Super Bowl.
A person familiar with the negotiations told The Associated Press earlier Monday that Quinn agreed to a five-year contract.
NFL-SAPP ARRESTED
NFL Network suspends former Bucs star
PHOENIX (AP) β Phoenix police say Hall of Fame defensive lineman Warren Sapp has been arrested on suspicion of soliciting a prostitute and allegedly assaulting two women. The NFL Network has since terminated its contract with Sapp, who had worked as an analyst for the network since 2008 and was in Arizona for the Super Bowl.
Police said the 42-year-old Sapp was taken into custody at a downtown Phoenix hotel. Authorities said Sapp faces a maximum penalty of $2,500 in fines, six months in jail, three years’ probation and a mandatory 15 days in jail if convicted on the prostitution charge.
T25 MEN’S BASKETBALL-SCHEDULE
Cavs top Tar Heels…Jayhawks pad conference lead
UNDATED (AP) β It was quality rather that quantity in Monday’s top-25 men’s basketball, with both games pitting a pair of ranked teams.
Malcom Brogdon scored 17 points and Justin Anderson added 16 to push third-ranked Virginia past No. 12 North Carolina 75-64. Virginia trailed by one before holding the Tar Heels to 38 percent shooting in the second half. The Cavaliers shot 50 percent over the final 20 minutes to get back in the victory column after their season-opening 19-game winning streak was stopped by Duke over the weekend.
Ninth-ranked Kansas also won a top-25 matchup as Wayne Selden Jr. scored 19 points of his 20 points in the second half to spark an 89-76 triumph over No. 15 Iowa State. Selden drilled four of his first five 3-pointers after intermission as the Jayhawks improved to 8-1 in the Big 12, giving them a 1 1/2-game lead in the conference. He hit two uncontested 3-pointers while scoring eight points in a 14-6 run that opened the second half.
T25-POLLS
The No. 1’s remain there
UNDATED (AP) β Kentucky is the unanimous choice as No. 1 in The Associated Press men’s Top-25 poll. The Wildcats improved to 21-0 on the season last week and were given all 65 first place votes.
Gonzaga is second after previous No. 2 Virginia suffered its first loss of the season at the hands of Duke. The Bulldogs are undefeated in West Coast Conference play.
The Cavaliers are third, followed by the Blue Devils and Wisconsin. Arizona, Villanova, Kansas, Louisville and Notre Dame round out the top 10.
There is no change among the top nine schools in the women’s poll. South Carolina continues to lead the way with 26 first place votes, while second-ranked Connecticut was given the remaining eight votes. Rounding out the top 10 are Baylor, Notre Dame, Maryland, Tennessee, Oregon State, Louisville, Florida and Arizona State.
MLB-TRANSACTIONS
Duda, Belt avoid arbitration…Janssen deal finalized…Maholm, Laird to get look-sees
NEW YORK (AP) β First baseman Lucas Duda (DOO’-duh) and the New York Mets have avoided salary arbitration by agreeing to a $4.2 million, one-year contract. He hit .253 with 30 homers and 92 RBIs last season.
Also in the majors:
β Giants first baseman Brandon Belt has agreed to a $3.6 million, one-year contract to avoid salary arbitration. Belt hit .308 with two RBIs in the World Series after missing time over the final 2 1/2 months with a concussion.
β Casey Janssen and the Washington Nationals have finalized a one-year, $5 million contract after he passed a physical. The deal includes a mutual option for 2016.
β Left-hander Paul Maholm (muh-HAHL’-uhm) has agreed to a minor league contract with the Cincinnati Reds with an invitation to spring training. The 32-year-old pitched for the Dodgers last season before tearing an ACL.
β Catcher Gerald Laird has agreed to a minor league contract with the Arizona Diamondbacks. Laird will compete for playing time with a team that traded starting backstop Miguel Montero to the Chicago White Sox.
β Hall of Famer Frank Robinson is leaving his job as executive vice president for baseball development in the commissioner’s office to become a senior adviser to Commissioner Rob Manfred.
β Former major league first baseman/outfielder Dave Bergman has died at 61. Bergman had a career-high 44 RBIs in helping the Detroit Tigers win the 1984 World Series. He was a lifetime .258 hitter in 17 big league seasons.
NHL-SCHEDULE
Blueshirts double up Panthers
UNDATED (AP) β The New York Rangers were sitting in eighth place in the NHL’s tight Eastern Conference race following a loss last Thursday. They are now within three points of the Metropolitan Division-leading Islanders after a 6-3 triumph against Florida.
Rick Nash scored his 30th and 31st goals to move back into a tie with Washington’s Alex Ovechkin (oh-VEHCH’-kihn) for the league lead. Dan Boyle supplied the tiebreaking goal 8:10 into the third period, and Henrik Lundqvist stopped 33 shots in the Rangers’ second straight win.
The Panthers remain eight points behind Washington in the battle for the final East playoff berth.
Elsewhere on ice:
β Edmonton blew a 3-1 lead in the third period before Rob Klinkhammer scored in the 13th shootout round to complete the Oilers’ 5-4 triumph over San Jose. Jordan Eberle scored twice and Justin Schultz provided the equalizer with 2:37 remaining.
β Raphael Diaz and Brandon Bollig each scored their first goal as Calgary Flames to help them earn a 5-2 victory over Winnipeg. The Jets have dropped four in a row.
