NBA-SCHEDULE
Warriors handle Spurs
UNDATED (AP) β The NBA-leading Golden State Warriors won a Friday matchup against the defending champs.
Stephen Curry (STEH’-fehn) Curry scored 25 points and had 11 assists as the Warriors downed San Antonio 110-99. Klay Thompson delivered 20 points for the Warriors, who led throughout most of the game and handed the Spurs their second straight loss since the All-Star break.
The Warriors went ahead by 21 points entering the fourth, and Spurs coach Gregg Popovich rested his regulars the final 12 minutes.
Elsewhere in the NBA:
β Lou Williams had 26 points and the Toronto Raptors won a battle of division leaders by clobbering the Atlanta Hawks 105-80. DeMar DeRozan had 21 points for the Raptors, who outscored the Hawks 28-13 in the third quarter to turn a close game into a 23-point lead.
β LeBron James scored 28 points in just 25 minutes as the Cleveland Cavaliers rolled to their 15th victory in 17 games, clobbering the Wizards 127-89 in Washington. Kyrie Irving scored 25 to help the Cavaliers hand the Wizards their most lopsided loss of the season.
β Trey Burke scored 19 points off the bench and Utah put together a 39-10 run in the second half to take an 80-59 lead in a 92-76 triumph over Portland. Gordon Hayward finished with 20 and Derrick Favors chipped in 16 and nine rebounds for the Jazz.
β Devin Harris scored 17 points and Al-Farouq Aminu (al fah-ROOK’ ah-MEE’-noo) set season highs with 17 points and 12 rebounds in the Mavericks’ 111-100 triumph over Houston at Dallas. Rajon Rondo scored 13 points in his second game back from a broken bone near his left eye.
β Detroit’s Andre Drummond had 18 points and 20 rebounds in a 101-91 triumph over Chicago. Greg Monroe and Caron Butler each scored 20 points, and rookie point guard Spencer Dinwiddie set career highs with 12 points and nine assists in his first NBA start.
β Khris Middleton scored 15 points, John Henson added 14 in Milwaukee’s 89-81 win against Denver. Henson had four buckets during a 20-7 run over the last 7 minutes of the third quarter, putting the Bucks ahead to stay.
β George Karl was a winner in his Sacramento Kings coaching debut as DeMarcus Cousins contributed 31 points and 15 rebounds in a 109-101 triumph over Boston. Rudy Gay added 28 points and helped the Kings overcome an early 16-point deficit.
β Eight of nine Miami Heat players scored at least 10 points in a 111-87 laugher over the New York Knicks. Rookie Shabazz Napier finished with a season-high 18 points, seven rebounds and six assists, while Dwyane (dwayn) Wade scored 12 after a seven-game absence due to a hamstring injury.
β Kevin Martin scored 28 points and Andrew Wiggins added 20 as Minnesota Timberwolves sent Phoenix to its sixth loss in seven games, 111-109. Ricky Rubio had 10 points, 14 assists and eight rebounds for the Wolves.
β Joe Johnson shot 5-for-7 from beyond the arc while scoring a game-high 23 points in Brooklyn’s 114-105 triumph at the Los Angeles Lakers. Brook Lopez added 22 points and 14 rebounds just a day after the Nets were unable to deal him at the trade deadline.
β Indiana beat Philadelphia 106-95 as Rodney Stuckey poured in a season-high 30 points off the bench and C.J. Miles added 17. Luis Scola added 16 points in the Pacers’ fifth victory in six games.
β Victor Oladipo (oh-lah-DEE’-poh) scored 22 points and Nik Vucevic (VOOCH-eh-vihch) had 18 and 13 rebounds in Orlando’s 95-84 victory against New Orleans. The Magic have their first winning streak since mid-January.
NBA-HEAT
More tests for Bosh
NEW YORK (AP) β Miami Heat All-Star forward Chris Bosh has undergone more tests in a South Florida hospital.
There is concern that blood clots have worked their way from his legs to his lungs to create a condition that could be season-ending or worse. Heat coach Erik Spoelstra (SPOHL’-strah) said the team is still waiting for a full diagnosis and expected prognosis, insisting that it is too soon to draw any conclusions.
BOXING
Finally! Mayweather-Pacquiao set for May 2
LAS VEGAS (AP) β It took five years of negotiations, but a Floyd Mayweather-Manny Pacquiao bout is finally on.
The May 2 welterweight showdown at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas will be boxing’s richest fight ever. Mayweather announced the bout Friday after months of negotiations, posting a picture of the signed contract online.
The long anticipated bout will almost surely break every financial record ever. Mayweather could earn $120 million or more. Pacquiao’s split of the purse will likely be around $80 million.
NASCAR
Kurt Busch suspended for domestic violence
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) β NASCAR has suspended star driver Kurt Busch just two days before the Daytona 500. The suspension came hours after a Delaware judge said the former champion committed an act of domestic violence against an ex-girlfriend and there was a “substantial likelihood” of him doing it again.
In a 25-page opinion explaining why he issued a no-contact order, the judge said it was more likely than not that Busch “strangled” Patricia Driscoll in his motorhome at Dover International Speedway in September and smashed her head into a wall.
Busch has denied the alleged assault. He becomes the first driver suspended by NASCAR for domestic violence.
MLB-GIANTS
Update on skipper Bochy
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. (AP) β San Francisco Giants manager Bruce Bochy (BOH’-chee) is “doing great” and is expected to be released from the hospital after having a heart procedure to insert two stents. Bochy’s son Brett, a pitcher with the team at spring training, said he has visited his 59-year-old father twice and that “he’s doing great.”
The Giants said Thursday the team’s medical staff had been monitoring the manager’s heart after he experienced discomfort following a physical exam Wednesday, when the World Series champions reported to spring training.
MLB-BRAVES
Minor wins arbitration case
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) β Atlanta Braves pitcher Mike Minor has won his salary arbitration case and will make $5.6 million this season, $500,000 more than the team’s offer. The 27-year-old left-hander was 6-12 with a 4.77 ERA in 25 starts last year, missing the first month of the season because of shoulder soreness. He went 13-9 with a 3.21 ERA in 2013.
MLB-PACE OF GAME
Let’s speed things up
NEW YORK (AP) β Major League Baseball is making some changes to speed up the length of games but it won’t implement some of the more radical proposals to make games shorter. The league and the players’ union have announced an agreement to enforce the rule requiring a hitter to keep at least one foot in the batter’s box in most cases. MLB also will post stadium clocks timing pitching changes and between-inning breaks.
MLB did not institute many of the ideas experimented with during the Arizona Fall League, such as a 20-second clock between pitches, a limitation of pitcher’s mound conferences involving catchers and managers, and no-pitch intentional walks.
Penalties for violating the new rules start May 1 and will involve only fines.
NHL-SCHEDULE
Blues throttle Bruins…Ducks double up Flames
UNDATED (AP) β The St. Louis Blues and Anaheim Ducks are both two points closer to the NHL’s Western Conference lead after winning on Friday.
Vladimir Tarasenko reached the 30-goal mark by scoring twice in the Blues’ 5-1 win over Boston. Tarasenko’s 30th of the season capped a four-goal second that allowed St. Louis to pull within four points of the West-leading Nashville Predators.
Petteri Lindbohm, Alex Pietrangelo (peh-TRAN’-jeh-loh) and T.J. Oshie (OH’-shee) scored on the Blues’ first three shots of the second to chase rookie goalie Malcolm Subban (SOO’-ban).
The Bruins dropped to 0-4-2 in their last six games, keeping them one point ahead of Florida for the final Eastern Conference playoff berth.
The Ducks are five points behind Nashville and 10 points ahead of the rest of the Pacific Division after scoring five times in the third period to beat Calgary 6-3. Anaheim trailed 3-1 entering the third period before keeping the Flames in a virtual tie with San Jose for the final West playoff berth.
Andrew Cogliano, Ryan Getzlaf (GETS’-laf) and Hampus Lindholm each had a goal and an assist for the Ducks.
In other NHL action:
β Colorado whipped Chicago 4-1 as Tyson Barrie had two goals and an assist. Gabriel Landeskog scored for the fifth straight game to help the Avalanche drop the Blackhawks to 2-1-3 on their eight-game homestand.
β Mackenzie Skapski stopped 24 shots in his NHL debut and the New York Rangers improved to 8-1-2 in their last 11 games by downing the Sabers 3-1 in Buffalo. Rick Nash had a goal and an assist to help the Rangers climb within three points of the Metropolitan Division-leading Islanders.
β Red-hot Devan Dubnyk (DOOB’-nihk) picked up his fifth shutout in 16 games since joining the Minnesota Wild, stopping 15 shots in a 5-0 rout of Edmonton. Justin Fontaine scored twice for Wild, who are 10-1-1 in their last 12 games to pull within one point of San Jose for the last Western Conference playoff berth.
β Mike Cammalleri’s two goals were the difference in New Jersey’s 4-2 triumph against Vancouver. Jordin Tootoo and Patrik Elias also scored, and defenseman Adam Larsson had three assists as the Devils ended the Canucks’ three-game winning streak.
β Eric Staal had a goal and an assist to help Carolina beat Toronto 2-1 and complete a sweep of the three-game season series.
NFL COMBINE
Winston defends his character
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) β Jameis (JAYM’-ihs) Winston responded to all the lingering questions with some bold answers.
Winston says the character concerns that dogged him at Florida State are history, and any comparisons to Johnny Manziel (man-ZEHL’) are irrelevant. He also says the supposed throwing shoulder injury is a non-issue, and he believes it’s a mistake for anyone to think the 2013 Heisman Trophy winner can’t be successful in the NFL.
Winston showed up a day late to his interview session with the media at the NFL Combine because of a longer-than-expected medical check.
BIG TEN ATHLETICS-FRESHMAN ELIGIBILITY
ROSEMONT, Ill. (AP) β The Big Ten is studying whether freshmen athletes should be ineligible to compete while they adjust to college life.
The Big Ten says it has provided background information to its schools, but no proposals have been made. The University of Maryland’s student newspaper, The Diamondback, reported Thursday that the Big Ten has distributed a document titled “A Year of Readiness” that explores the idea of making freshmen ineligible in football and men’s basketball.
For decades, the NCAA barred freshmen from competing in all sports. That changed for football and basketball in 1972.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL
New deal for Wolfpack coach
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) β North Carolina State says football coach Dave Doeren has signed a two-year contract extension through the 2019 season. The extension raises Doeren’s yearly guaranteed pay by $400,000 to $2.2 million plus incentives.
A bowl victory allowed the Wolfpack to finish 8-5 last season, a three-win improvement over 2013.
PGA-NORTHERN TRUST
Goosen leads at midway point
LOS ANGELES (AP) β Retief Goosen (reh-TEEF’ GOO’-sehn) rolled in a 30-foot birdie putt on his final hole to take the lead through two rounds of the Northern Trust Open at Riviera.
The late birdie completed a 1-under 70 and gave Goosen a 6-under total, one-shot ahead of Ryan Moore, Graham DeLaet and 21-year-old rookie Justin Thomas. Goosen hasn’t won since 2009.
PGA-WOODS
Nicklaus says Woods can turn things around
LOS ANGELES (AP) β Jack Nicklaus said on the Golf Channel that he thinks Tiger Woods can still break his record of 18 major championships. Nicklaus said that Woods needs to rediscover his game and that only he, not a coach, can do it. Nicklaus went on to say Woods needs to have a positive thing happen before he can turn things around.
Woods began his 2015 campaign with a career-worst 82 to miss the cut in the Phoenix Open and withdrawing after 11 holes at Torrey Pines with tightness in his lower back.
LPGA-AUSTRALIAN OPEN
Ko shares the lead
MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) β World No. 1 and 17-year-old Lydia Ko of New Zealand is tied for the lead in the Women’s Australian Open after two rounds. She and South Korea’s Jang Ha-na and Ariya Jutanugarn of Thailand are at 6-under through 36 holes.
The South Korean-born Ko is playing her second tournament since becoming the youngest golfer, male or female, to earn the top ranking.
