NBA-SCHEDULE
Fournier’s 41, late trey carry Knicks
UNDATED (AP) — The New York Knicks earned a wild win against the Boston Celtics on Thursday.
Evan Fournier poured in 41 points against his former team, and RJ Barrett nailed a 3-pointer at the buzzer as the Knicks rallied to beat the Celtics, 108-105. Fournier was 15 of 25 from the field and hit 10 of his 14 3-point attempts. Julius Randle finished with 22 points and eight rebounds for the Knicks, who trailed by 16 at halftime before outscoring Boston, 61-42 the rest of the way. Fournier delivered 22 points in the second half.
Jayson Tatum scored 36 points for the Celtics, who wasted a 24-point lead. Tatum tied it on a long step-back jumper with just over a second to play.
Checking out Thursday’s other NBA action:
— The Grizzlies notched their seventh straight win as Ja Morant gave them 22 points, nine rebounds and six assists in a 118-88 thrashing of the Pistons. Dillon Brooks finished with 18 points, while Tyus Jones and rookie Ziaire Williams added 14 points apiece for Memphis.
NBA-NEWS
Warriors minus Curry, Green…Gobert tests positive for virus again
UNDATED (AP) — Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry and team rebounding leader Draymond Green sat out thursday’s game at New Orleans.
Curry injured his left quad muscle when he banged legs with Dallas forward Dorian Finney-Smith during a loss at Dallas on Wednesday night. Green is nursing a left hip injury.
In other NBA news:
— Jazz center Rudy Gobert has tested positive for COVID-19 again. The NBA shut down for months after he tested positive in March 2020.
— The Bucks have waived DeMarcus Cousin, a little over a month after signing the veteran center. The 31-year-old Cousins averaged 9.1 points, 5.8 rebounds and 16.9 minutes in 17 games after signing with the Bucks on Nov. 30. He had 15 points and 10 rebounds in 20 minutes during Wednesday’s loss to Toronto.
T25 MEN’S BASKETBALL-SCHEDULE
Bruins shake off rust, whip LBS
UNDATED (AP) — Fifth-ranked UCLA was able to ease back onto the basketball court after a 25-day absence caused by COVID-19.
Jules Bernard scored 22 points and Johnny Juzang (JOO’-zang) added 18 as the Bruins ripped Long Beach State, 96-78. Bernard’s points were one off his career high and his four 3-pointers tied his career best.
The general public was barred from the hastily arranged game between two teams that already met this season. The Beach were beaten 100-79 at Pauley Pavilion on Nov. 15.
Also on Thursday’s top-25 schedule:
— Trayce Jackson-Davis provided 27 points on 11 of 17 shooting to carry Indiana’s 67-51 win over 13th-ranked Ohio State. The Hoosiers pulled away down the stretch with a 13-0 run while holding the Buckeyes without a field goal for more than five minutes.
NFL-NEWS
Bucs officially sever ties with Antonio Brown
UNDATED (AP) — The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have officially severed ties with Antonio Brown.
The Bucs have terminated the contract of the mercurial receiver who claimed on Wednesday that he was fired in the middle of last Sunday’s game against the Jets for not playing through an ankle injury.
Brown removed his jersey, shoulder pads, undershirt and gloves, then left the field after a sideline exchange with coach Bruce Arians, who said afterward that the player was no longer part of the team.
Brown has a long history of troubled behavior on and off the field.
In other NFL news:
— Broncos quarterback Teddy Bridgewater says he still wants to play football beyond this season despite suffering two concussions. His contract with Denver ends this winter but he wants to play a ninth NFL season, even if that’s for a fifth team.
— The Bears have placed quarterback Justin Fields on the reserve/COVID-19 list, likely sidelining him for the finale and ending his rookie season. The Bears expected Fields to start at Minnesota on Sunday after missing the previous two games because of an ankle injury.
— The Chiefs will likely be without running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire for the second straight week. Edwards-Helaire hurt his shoulder early in the second half of a romp over the Steelers on Dec. 26. Kansas City hopes to have him back for the playoffs.
— Former college and NFL coach Greg Robinson has died at 70 from a form of Alzheimer’s Disease. Robinson won two Super Bowl rings as defensive coordinator for the Denver Broncos in the late 1990s and also served in the same role for the New York Jets and Kansas City Chiefs.
NHL-SCHEDULE
Pens’ streak reaches 10 games
UNDATED (AP) — The Pittsburgh Penguins are owners of a 10-game winning streak for the sixth time in franchise history.
Jake Guentzel and Bryan Rust each scored twice for the Penguins in a 6-2 thumping of the Flyers. Rust has keyed the recent surge with seven goals in the last three games since he returned from an 11-game absence with an undisclosed injury. Evan Rodrigues scored his 15th goal in the third and Brian Boyle also scored a short-handed goal in the period to turn this one into a rout.
The Penguins won the second game of a back-to-back and haven’t lost since Dec. 1 against Edmonton.
Elsewhere on NHL ice:
— Nikita Kucherov (KOO’-cheh-rahv) had a pair of nifty assists in his return from a lengthy injury, sparking the Lightning’s three-goal third period in a 4-1 verdict over the Flames. Corey Perry, Brayden Point, Ondrej Palat (AHN’-dray pah-LAHT’) and Alex Killorn scored to help Tampa Bay become the first NHL team to reach 50 points for the fourth time in the last five seasons.
— Kirill Kaprizov (kih-REEL’ kah-PREE’-zahf) scored for the fourth straight game and the Wild halted a five-game skid by defeating the Bruins, 3-2. Matt Boldy got a goal in his NHL debut as the Boston College alum made it 3-1 midway through the second period.
— The Sharks ended a two-game skid as Adin Hill made 37 saves in a 3-2 decision over the Sabres. Tomas Hertl had a goal and an assist for San Jose, which also received tallies by Matt Neito and Timo Meier.
— The Devils won for the fourth time in five games as Jesper Bratt furnished the go-ahead goal in the third period of their 3-1 win against the Blue Jackets. Jack Hughes had a goal and two assists to back MacKenzie Blackwood’s 31-save effort.
— Anaheim’s game against visiting Detroit was postponed to Sunday because of COVID-19-related issues affecting the Ducks. Anaheim placed center Sam Carrick, goaltender John Gibson, defenseman Hampus Lindholm and right wing Vinni Lettieri into the NHL’s COVID-19 protocols.
NHL-BRUINS-RASK
Rask close to return with Bruins, signs with Providence
BOSTON (AP) — Goalkeeper Tuukka Rask (TOO’-kah rask) is getting closer to returning to the Boston Bruins after signing a professional tryout agreement with Providence of the American Hockey League.
Rask is currently a free agent, but he has spent 14 seasons with the Bruins and is the franchise’s leader in wins. He is coming back from offseason labrum surgery on his hip.
He says he expects to play two games in Providence before working out a deal to join the Bruins.
Elsewhere around the NHL:
— The Kraken will be without forward Jaden Schwartz for at least a month due to a hand injury that will require surgery. Schwartz has not played since being injured on Dec. 29 against Philadelphia. He has six goals and 14 assists in 29 games for Seattle.
MLB-METS-SCOTT
Former Mets acting GM Zack Scott acquitted of DUI charges
NEW YORK (AP) — Former New York Mets acting general manager Zack Scott has been cleared of drunken driving charges stemming from his arrest last August after he attended a fundraiser at team owner Steve Cohen’s house.
Scott was arrested Aug. 31 after police found him asleep at the wheel of his sport-utility vehicle at a traffic light. Scott was placed on leave by the Mets and later fired. Scott said he was thankful for the verdict.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-COLLEGE SPORTS
NCAA updates guidelines to follow CDC recommendations
UNDATED (AP) — The NCAA has updated its pandemic-related protocols for winter sports athletes and teams to reflect the latest CDC guidelines.
The biggest recommendation is a booster for those who are beyond two months of receiving the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, five months of receiving the Pfizer or six months of receiving the Moderna vaccine. For those athletes and staff, a booster shot is required to be considered fully vaccinated.
The NCAA also says five days of quarantine are suggested after a positive test instead of 10 days. That matches recent federal guidance from the CDC.
TENNIS-NEWS
Djokovic in limbo as he fights deportation from Australia
BRISBANE, Australia (AP) — Locked in a dispute over his COVID-19 vaccination status, Novak Djokovic (NOH’-vak JOH’-kuh-vich) is confined to an immigration detention hotel in Australia as he awaits a ruling on whether can compete in the Australian Open later this month.
The No. 1 men’s tennis player in the world is a vocal skeptic of vaccines. He obtained a medical exemption to Australia’s strict vaccination rules before setting out for Australia. But when he arrived, border authorities rejected it. Djokovic is now awaiting a court hearing on Monday in his bid to stave off deportation.
PGA-SENTRY TOURNAMENT OF CHAMPIONS
Smith leads as Cantlay, Rahm shake off rust
KAPALUA, Hawaii (AP) — Cameron Smith is the first-round leader in the PGA’s first event of the year, the Sentry Tournament of Champions.
Smith had a pair of long eagle putts to lead at 8-under 65 on a gentle, gorgeous day in Hawaii.
Patrick Cantlay and Jon Rahm didn’t need much time to get back into the swing of competition Thursday in the Sentry Tournament of Champions.
Coming off the longest voluntary breaks of their careers, Cantlay overcame a bogey start with flawless play at Kapalua for a 7-under 66. Rahm had a 67 despite failing to capitalize on two of the par 5s.
GOLF-STRICKER
Stricker recovering from health scare
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Ryder Cup captain Steve Stricker is recovering from a health scare that featured a soaring white blood cell count and inflammation around his heart. The situation hospitalized him for two weeks and caused him to lose 25 pounds.
Stricker said his heart was jumping in and out of rhythm from Thanksgiving to Christmas Eve. He said the inflammation is starting to abate and he’s able to start moving around.
OLYMPICS-NEWS
Snowboarder White cleared to compete after COVID
UNDATED (AP) — Snowboarding star Shaun White told Olympics.com that he tested positive last month after competing in an event in Colorado. The 35-year-old was symptomatic but has been cleared to compete in a qualifying event this weekend at Mammoth Mountain, the last qualifying event for the U.S. Olympic Team.
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