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WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 7, 2015 SPORTS

MEMPHIS: Grizzlies guard Mike Conley (11) drives past forward Quincy Acy (4) in the second half of an NBA game. The Grizzlies beat the Knicks 105-83. —AP Mavs beat Nets, Warriors silence Thunder

NEW YORK: Dirk Nowitzki made a clinch- BULLS 114, ROCKETS 105 in the third quarter, and Memphis sent HORNETS 104, CELTICS 95 ing 3-pointer in overtime that moved him Pau Gasol had 27 points and 14 depleted New York to its record-tying 12th Kemba Walker scored 20 of his 33 points NBA results/standings into seventh place on the NBA’s career scor- rebounds, Jimmy Butler scored 22 and straight loss. in the second half and Cody Zeller finished ing list, and the beat the Chicago rallied for its 13th win in 15 games. The Knicks (5-32), who have the NBA’s with a career-high 20 on a perfect shooting Philadelphia 95, Cleveland 92; Charlotte 104, Boston 95; 96-88 on Monday night to Derrick Rose added 19 points, Nikola worst winning percentage, lost for the night, carrying Charlotte over Boston. Dallas 96, Brooklyn 88 (OT); Chicago 114, Houston 105; match their season high with a sixth Mirotic had 17 and the Bulls outscored the 22nd time in 23 games. New York played It was just the second win in seven Memphis 105, NY Knicks 83; Denver 110, Minnesota 101; straight victory. Rockets 19-5 over the final 3:19. Josh Smith without injured starters Carmelo Anthony games for the Hornets, who learned last Washington 92, New Orleans 85; Indiana 105, Utah 101; Monta Ellis scored 19 points and made a led Houston with 21 points. James Harden and Amare Stoudemire. The Knicks were week that leading scorer Al Jefferson will Portland 98, LA Lakers 94; Golden State 117, Oklahoma pair of jumpers early in overtime before scored 20, but the Rockets lost for the also missing J.R. Smith and Iman Shumpert, be sidelined for about three more weeks consecutive 3-pointers by Chandler fourth time in six games. Butler scored five who were traded to Cleveland. with a left groin injury. City 91; Atlanta 107, LA Clippers 98. Parsons and Nowitzki made it 96-88 with points and took a charge against Harden Reserve forward Quincy Acy led the Zeller went 8 for 8 from the floor, hit all Eastern Conference 34 seconds to play. That gave Nowitzki 15 during the game-ending rally to help the Knicks with 19 points, and Jose Calderon four of his free throws and improved to 6-0 Atlantic Division points for the game and 27,412 in his Bulls wipe out a five-point deficit.Mirotic added 13. The Grizzlies led by 11 at the half against his older brother Tyler, who plays W L PCT GB career, moving him past Moses Malone into also hit a 3 and scored five points during and pulled away in the third quarter. for the Celtics. had two points in Toronto 24 10 .706 - the No. 7 spot. that stretch. Courtney Lee scored all 11 of his points in 16 minutes. Walker added five assists and Rajon Rondo shot 1 of 13 for two points the first seven minutes of the period. five rebounds. led Boston Brooklyn 16 18 .471 8 but had 14 assists and 10 rebounds for the 76ERS 95, CAVALIERS 92 with 22 points and eight rebounds. The Boston 11 21 .344 12 Mavericks, who have the longest current scored 20 points and hit TRAIL BLAZERS 98, LAKERS 94 Celtics have dropped three straight and Philadelphia 5 28 .152 18.5 winning streak in the NBA. Tyson Chandler the go-ahead layup with 9.1 seconds left to scored 39 points and seven of eight. NY Knicks 5 32 .135 20.5 finished with 14 points and 13 boards. lift Philadelphia over short-handed made the go-ahead basket with 36 seconds Brook Lopez had 22 points and 13 Cleveland. remaining as Portland rallied from a 10- NUGGETS 110, TIMBERWOLVES 101 Central Division rebounds for the Nets but faded after an Philadelphia had been 0-14 at home this point deficit in the second half to beat Los Arron Afflalo scored 34 points to help Chicago 25 10 .714 - 18-point first quarter. Jarrett Jack had 20 season. Kevin Love had 28 points and 19 Angeles. Denver hand Minnesota its 12th straight Cleveland 19 16 .543 6 points and 10 assists. rebounds for the Cavaliers, who didn’t have Lillard hit four 3-pointers, and scored 16 loss. JJ Hickson had 16 points and 11 Milwaukee 18 17 .514 7 The Nets were without Deron Williams LeBron James and Kyrie Irving because of points during the fourth quarter to lead the rebounds and the Nuggets shot 55 percent Indiana 14 22 .389 11.5 (sore left side) and Kevin Garnett, who rest- injuries. They lost and two Trail Blazers (27-8). He has scored at least 39 to cruise past the Timberwolves (5-28), by Detroit 10 23 .303 14 ed on the second night of back-to-back reserves shortly before tipoff because of a points in three of his past nine games. far the worst team in the Western games, and dropped their second straight three-team trade with New York and LaMarcus Aldridge added 21 points, and Conference. Jusuf Nurkic scored 14 points Southeast Division after winning three in a row. Oklahoma City. After the Cavaliers blew all reserve had 12 and Ty Lawson added 12 assists for the Atlanta 26 8 .765 - of a 17-point lead, Love made it 92-90 with points and 12 rebounds for Portland. Nuggets, whose reserves outscored Washington 23 11 .676 3 WARRIORS 117, THUNDER 91 a pair of free throws with 1:09 left. Jordan Hill led Los Angeles (11-24) with Minnesota’s 47-10. Miami 15 20 .429 11.5 scored a season-high 23 Wroten made one of two free throws, 23 points and 14 rebounds. Five Lakers Gorgui Dieng tied a career high with 22 Orlando 13 24 .351 14.5 points and grabbed seven rebounds, and then scored the go-ahead layup to help the scored in double figures, including Jeremy points and grabbed 12 rebounds and Charlotte 12 24 .333 15 Golden State used a smothering defensive Sixers end their home-losing streak. Lin with 14 points. Kobe Bryant, the Lakers’ Shabazz Muhammad added 19 points and effort to rout Oklahoma City. Michael Carter-Williams had 18 points and leading scorer at 23.6 points per game, six boards for Minnesota. The Western Conference Klay Thompson and Stephen Curry 13 assists for the Sixers. stayed home for a scheduled day of rest. Timberwolves shot just 43 percent and scored 19 points each as the NBA-best have not won since Dec. 10 while playing Northwest Division Warriors (27-5) bottled up Kevin Durant, HAWKS 107, CLIPPERS 98 WIZARDS 92, PELICANS 85 without Ricky Rubio, Nikola Pekovic and Portland 27 8 .771 - Russell Westbrook and the Thunder. Paul Millsap scored 23 points, Jeff John Wall had 15 points and 12 assists, Kevin Martin. Oklahoma City 17 18 .486 10 Golden State held Oklahoma City to 30.6 Teague added 20 and Atlanta pulled away and Washington ended its longest skid of Denver 15 20 .429 12 percent shooting. The Warriors’ whipping from Los Angeles in the fourth quarter to the season at three games with a victory PACERS 105, JAZZ 101 Utah 12 23 .343 15 denied the rejuvenated Thunder (17-18) a earn its seventh straight road victory for over New Orleans. Roy Hibbert scored 22 points to help Minnesota 5 28 .152 21 chance to move above .500 for the first the first time in 21 years. Paul Pierce scored 14 points on 6-of-8 Indiana outlast Utah. Hibbert, who got into time this season. DeMarre Carroll had 17 points and eight shooting for the Wizards, who had five a skirmish with the Lakers’ Carlos Boozer in Pacific Division Westbrook scored 22 points, and Durant rebounds, and Al Horford scored 16 for the players in double figures. Andre Miller a one-point loss at Los Angeles on Sunday, Golden State 27 5 .844 - had 14 points and 10 rebounds on a night East-leading Hawks, who won their fifth in added 12 points, and Marcin Gortat and again played with a fiery edge and repeat- LA Clippers 23 12 .657 5.5 when everything seemed to be a struggle a row and 19th in 21 games. Kris Humphries each had 10. edly went over 7-foot-1 Rudy Gobert for Phoenix 20 16 .556 9 for the Thunder. Durant shot 3 of 16, and Blake Griffin had 26 points and 10 had 21 points and 10 inside baskets before fouling out in the Sacramento 14 20 .412 14 Westbrook finished 5 for 21 from the floor. rebounds to lead the Clippers, whose rebounds for New Orleans, which led only final minute. LA Lakers 11 24 .314 17.5 But help is on the way for Oklahoma City’s biggest lead of nine came at the start of the once - by a single point in the first 4 min- Derrick Favors had 27 points and 11 All-Star tandem. game. DeAndre Jordan added 15 points utes of the game. rebounds and Gordon Hayward scored 24 Southwest Division The Thunder acquired shooting guard and 16 rebounds, and Chris Paul had 10 Tyreke Evans, playing despite an illness for the Jazz, who were missing starting Memphis 25 9 .735 - Dion Waiters from Cleveland in a three- points and 10 assists before fouling out that kept him out of the team’s point guard Trey Burke (strep throat) and Dallas 26 10 .722 - team trade that was announced during the with 1:50 to play as the team’s three-game shootaround earlier in the day, scored 21 center Enes Kanter (sprained ankle). Houston 23 11 .676 2 game. Oklahoma City sent the Cavaliers a winning streak ended. points. Pelicans guard Eric Gordon, return- The Pacers led 98-90 with a minute San Antonio 21 14 .600 4.5 protected 2015 first-round draft pick and ing from a left shoulder injury, played for remaining, but the Jazz nearly completed a New Orleans 17 17 .500 8 moved reserve Lance Thomas to the New GRIZZLIES 105, KNICKS 83 the first time in 21 games, but scored only furious comeback with a 39-point fourth York Knicks. Mike Conley scored 14 of his 22 points six points in 33 minutes. quarter.—AP Scrabble squabble: Ruling body forced to eat its words SYDNEY: A long-running war of words between an But Hegazi failed to persuade the court to suspension from the association after it found him the state court, asking for the body to be ordered to Australian and the official Scrabble body has finally declare he had never cheated while playing the 77- guilty of bullying competitors, cheating and unpro- say he never cheated. been declared a draw by a state court. year-old game that’s played in 121 countries in 29 fessional conduct. Details of the cheating accusation Despite failing to have the cheating clause added The Victoria state magistrates’ court ruled that languages, Hegazi’s lawyer Robert Frajsman said wre not immediately available. to the court order, Hegazi feels “justified that he did- the local chapter of the Australian Scrabble Players’ told Reuters. Hegazi was also ordered to pay costs of But despite returning to competition once the n’t lie down and cop it (and) stood up for what he Association must overturn a years-old ruling that A$3,000 ($2,440). ban was up, Hegazi maintained he never cheated firmly believed in”, Frajsman added. retired teacher Mohammed A Hegazi had behaved “Who would have thought that Scrabble would and asked the association to overturn its finding. The secretary of the association’s Victorian in a manner “unbecoming” to the popular be a bloodsport?” Frajsman told Reuters by tele- In mediation late last year, the association agreed branch at the time when Hegazi was banned, boardgame. phone. Hegazi had agreed in 2008 to a 12-month to revoke its finding, but Hegazi took the matter to Marjorie Miller, declined comment.—Reuters