|
Thursday's Results
------------------
Top-25 College Basketball
-------------------------
Shabazz Muhammad netted 23 points and the UCLA Bruins handed No. 6 Arizona its first home loss in an 84-73 decision at McKale Center. David Wear and Jordan Adams, who went without a field goal in a loss to Oregon last Saturday, each chipped in 15 points for the Bruins (16-4, 6-1 Pac-12) in their first road win against their Pac-12 rival since March 2, 2008. Arizona (16-2, 4-2) got 23 points from Nick Johnson and 16 from Mark Lyons, but never fully recovered from a slow start.
Elsewhere in the Top-25:
------------------------
(2) Michigan 68, Purdue 53
(10) Gonzaga 83, BYU 63
Richmond 86, (19) VCU 74 (OT)
(23) Ole Miss 62, Tennessee 56
National Hockey League
----------------------
Jakub Voracek netted the deciding goal in the second period and Ilya Bryzgalov stopped 18-of-19 shots, as the Philadelphia Flyers avoided a franchise-worst start with a gritty 2-1 victory over the New York Rangers. Wayne Simmonds provided the other score for the Flyers, who had dropped the first three games of their truncated schedule and had never before lost four games in regulation to begin any season.
Elsewhere in the NHL:
---------------------
New York Islanders 7, Toronto Maple Leafs 4
Montreal Canadiens 4, Washington Capitals 1
Carolina Hurricanes 6, Buffalo Sabres 3
Ottawa Senators 3, Florida Panthers 1
St. Louis Blues 3, Nashville Predators 0
Chicago Blackhawks 3, Dallas Stars 2 (OT)
Colorado Avalanche 4, Columbus Blue Jackets 0
Edmonton Oilers 2, Los Angeles Kings 1 (OT)
San Jose Sharks 5, Phoenix Coyotes 3
National Basketball Association
-------------------------------
The contest was marked as the second showdown of the season between Carmelo Anthony and Kevin Garnett, but it was J.R. Smith who stole the show late. While he only made 3-of-16 from the field on the night, Smith buried a clutch 3-pointer and forced a key turnover down the stretch to help the Knicks come away with an 89-86 victory over the Boston Celtics at TD Garden on Thursday. Albeit another rough shooting performance, Anthony scored a team-best 28 points on 11-of-28 from the field to help the Knicks avenge their loss to the Celtics on Jan. 7 at Madison Square Garden, where things got a bit chippy between Anthony and Garnett. The two got in a heated exchange during that contest, and Anthony confronted Garnett after the game, which resulted in a one-game suspension for the Knicks' superstar.
Elsewhere in the NBA:
---------------------
Toronto Raptors 97, Orlando Magic 95
Phoenix Suns 93, Los Angeles Clippers 88
=== As of 2:05 a.m. (et) ===
=== BASEBALL ===
The Arizona Diamondbacks have finally unloaded Justin Upton, dealing the outfielder to the Atlanta Braves in a seven-player package. Upton and third baseman Chris Johnson are heading to Atlanta in exchange for utilityman Martin Prado, pitcher Randall Delgado and minor leaguers Nick Ahmed, Brandon Drury and Zeke Spruill. The deal unites the Upton brothers, as B.J. signed with the Braves as a free agent earlier this offseason. Arizona had been trying to deal Justin Upton all winter and earlier this month reportedly had a trade in place with the Mariners, but Upton apparently invoked his limited no-trade clause. The two-time All-Star is a career .278 hitter with 108 homers and 363 RBI in his six big league seasons -- all spent with Arizona.
===
The New York Mets have reportedly agreed to a one-year contract with free-agent pitcher Shaun Marcum. The deal is still pending a physical. Marcum spent the past two seasons with Milwaukee and was 7-4 with a 3.70 ERA in 21 starts last year. He battled elbow issues last year after going 13-7 with a 3.54 ERA in 2011. The 31-year-old right-hander joined the Brewers after five seasons in Toronto and owns a career mark of 57-36 with a 3.76 ERA in 174 games, including 149 starts. He missed the entire 2009 campaign recovering from Tommy John surgery.
=== TENNIS ===
The other semifinal match on the men's side will take place Friday as second- seeded Roger Federer will take on third-seeded Andy Murray in a blockbuster match. The winner of that match will take on Novak Djokovic in the final on Sunday. The Serbian won the last two Aussie Open crowns and will be gunning for his fourth overall title in Melbourne, having first won it in 2008.
===
The women's final is set as China's sixth seed Li Na and world No. 1 and defending champion Victoria Azarenka will meet on Saturday. Both were winners on Thursday as Li advanced with a dominant 6-2, 6-2 victory over second-seeded Russian Maria Sharapova, who had dropped only nine games in her first five matches entering the semis, while Azarenka gutted out a 6-1, 6-4 decision over American Sloane Stephens, who had taken out Serena Williams in the quarters.
=== NBA ===
New Orleans Hornets owner Tom Benson announced Thursday that the name of the team will change to the New Orleans Pelicans, beginning in the 2013-14 season. The name was changed to the Pelicans largely due to its connection with the state of Louisiana. It has been the state bird for over a century and can be found on both the state's flag and seal. The team's colors will be blue, red, and gold. The team kept the Hornets nickname when it relocated from Charlotte for the start of the 2002-03 season. New Orleans previously hosted the Jazz from 1974-79 until the franchise left for Salt Lake City and kept the moniker.
===
The San Antonio Spurs' Tim Duncan and the Miami Heat's Chris Bosh headline the 14 reserves announced Thursday for the 2013 NBA All-Star Game in Houston. Center Tyson Chandler of the New York Knicks, forward Paul George of the Indiana Pacers, guard Jrue Holiday of the Philadelphia 76ers, guard Kyrie Irving of the Cleveland Cavaliers and center Joakim Noah of the Chicago Bulls will all be making their first appearances in the game. Joining Duncan as reserves in the West are his teammate and guard Tony Parker, forward LaMarcus Aldridge of the Portland Trail Blazers, guard James Harden of the Houston Rockets, center David Lee of the Golden State Warriors, forward Zach Randolph of the Memphis Grizzlies and guard Russell Westbrook of the Oklahoma City Thunder. The 62nd NBA All-Star Game will be played at the Toyota Center in Houston on Sunday, Feb. 17.
=== GOLF ===
Defending champion Brandt Snedeker and K.J. Choi carded matching rounds of 7- under 65 on Thursday and they share the first-round lead at the Farmers Insurance Open. Snedeker's 65 came on the easier North Course, while Choi played the longer, more difficult South Course. Players will rotate courses in round two, before the South Course hosts the final two rounds. Former Masters champion Mike Weir headlines a group of eight players tied for third at minus-6. Of the top 10 on the leaderboard, only Choi and Josh Teater (66) played the South Course. Tiger Woods, who has won this title six times, bogeyed two of his last four holes as he carded a 4-under 68 on the South
Course. He is tied for 20th.
=== COLLEGE FOOTBALL ===
LSU head football coach Les Miles is getting a contract extension and raise. Miles will receive annual compensation of $4.3 million per year for seven years under the terms of the new contract amendment. His previous contract paid about $3.75 million annually through 2017. The new deal will be presented to the LSU Board of Supervisors on Feb. 1. The Tigers went 10-3 this season and lost to Clemson in the Chick-fil-A Bowl. The 59-year-old Miles has an eight-year record of 85-21 at LSU. He led the Tigers to a national title in the 2007 season.
=== NFL ===
The New Orleans Saints announced Thursday that they have parted ways with both defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo and secondary coach Ken Flajole. Both coaches were released as New Orleans head coach Sean Payton confirmed he plans on switching to a 3-4 defense for next season. The Saints were ranked the worst team in opposing rushing yards per game (292.6) and second-worst in passing yards per game (147.6) last season.
|
Sports
