p16_Layout 1 1/14/15 10:18 PM Page 1

THURSDAY, JANUARY 15, 2015 SPORTS

NBA results/standings

Minnesota 110, Indiana 101; Atlanta 105, Philadelphia 87; Washington 101, San Antonio 93; Phoenix 107, 100; Golden State 116, Utah 105; Dallas 108, Sacramento 104 (OT); Miami 78, LA Lakers 75. Eastern Conference Atlantic Division W L PCT GB Toronto 25 12 .676 - Brooklyn 16 22 .421 9.5 Boston 13 23 .361 11.5 Philadelphia 7 30 .189 18 NY Knicks 5 35 .125 21.5

Central Division Chicago 26 13 .667 - Milwaukee 20 19 .513 6 Cleveland 19 20 .487 7 Indiana 15 25 .375 11.5 Detroit 14 24 .368 11.5

Southeast Division Atlanta 30 8 .789 - Washington 26 12 .684 4 Miami 17 21 .447 13 Charlotte 15 24 .385 15.5 Orlando 14 27 .341 17.5

Western Conference Northwest Division Portland 30 8 .789 - Oklahoma City 18 19 .486 11.5 Denver 17 20 .459 12.5 Utah 13 26 .333 17.5 Minnesota 6 31 .162 23.5

Pacific Division Golden State 30 5 .857 - LA Clippers 25 13 .658 6.5 Phoenix 23 18 .561 10 Sacramento 16 22 .421 15.5 LA Lakers 12 27 .308 20

Southwest Division Houston 27 11 .711 - Memphis 26 11 .703 0.5 Dallas 27 12 .692 0.5 San Antonio 23 16 .590 4.5 PHOENIX: ’ James Jones (1) and Tristan Thompson (13) battle Phoenix Suns’ for a during the second half of an NBA New Orleans 18 19 .486 8.5 game. —AP Suns shine over Cavaliers

PHOENIX: LeBron James scored 33 points in had 10 for the Timberwolves (6-31), who won ble, scoring 21 points with 10 rebounds and rebounds and nine assists for the Kings. and Rudy Gobert each added a his return from a two-week layoff but it wasn’t for the first time since beating Portland 90-82 10 assists to lead Atlanta to its ninth straight Darren Collison had 18 points and seven double-double for Utah. Kanter finished with enough to prevent the Cleveland Cavaliers on Dec. 10. CJ Miles had 22 points and CJ win. rebounds, 13 points and 10 rebounds, while Gobert had from going down to their sixth straight loss, Watson added 17 for the Pacers (15-25), who The Hawks easily thumped the Sixers even Rajon Rondo broke out of a scoring slump 16 points, 11 rebounds and three blocked 107-100 to the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday have lost three of four. Williams surpassed the while resting 60 percent of their starting line- with 21 points and seven assists for Dallas, shots off the bench. night. 46 points scored this season by both Carmelo up. Leading scorer Jeff Teague, Paul Millsap which rallied from a 24-point deficit to beat Markieff Morris scored a career-high 35 Anthony and Pau Gasol, which had been tops and DeMarre Carroll all sat out with the team the Kings on Nov. 11. Tyson Chandler had 16 HEAT 78, LAKERS 75 points on 15-of-21 shooting for the Suns, who in the NBA. in a stretch of four games in five nights. points and 17 rebounds, Dirk Nowitzki scored Mario Chalmers scored nine of his 19 outscored the Cavs 11-3 over the last 3:31. The Hawks have won 23 of 25 and also 15 points and finished with points in the fourth quarter, Hassan Whiteside The Cavaliers rallied from a 19-point, third- WIZARDS 101, SPURS 93 won their ninth straight road game. They are 13. added 15 and Miami completed a Staples quarter deficit to go ahead in the fourth, the John Wall broke yet another personal 0-for- in first place this late in the season for the first sweep. first of eight lead changes down the stretch. forever streak, this one against an entire team, time since they won the East in 1993-94. WARRIORS 116, JAZZ 105 Chris Bosh scored eight points on 4-of-17 JR Smith, who joined the Cavaliers during scoring 25 points with eight assists in Michael Carter-Williams scored 20 points for Stephen Curry scored 27 points and ignit- shooting for the Heat, who followed up their James’ absence, scored 29, going 8 of 14 on 3- Washington’s win that gave him his first taste the Sixers. ed a decisive third-quarter run to lead Golden surprise victory over the Clippers two days pointers. James, who took time off to rest his of success against the reigning NBA champs. State over Utah. Draymond Green scored 15 ago by winning an ugly game against the sore left foot and lower back, made 11 of 18 Wall had been 0-7 against the Spurs since he MAVERICKS 108, KINGS 104 points while Harrison Barnes and Klay Lakers despite losing Dwyane Wade to a shots, 6 of 8 in the second half. was drafted No. 1 overall in 2010, and the Monta Ellis scored six of his 28 points in Thompson added 12 apiece to lift the strained left hamstring late in the first half. Wizards as a whole had not beaten San overtime and added 10 assists, and Dallas Warriors (30-5) to their franchise-best seventh Kobe Bryant scored 12 points on 3-of-19 TIMBERWOLVES 110, PACERS 101 Antonio since Nov. 12, 2005 - a streak of 17 beat Sacramento. The Mavericks rallied from a consecutive victory by double figures. shooting in his return to the Lakers’ lineup scored a career-high 52 games. Tim Duncan had 11 points and 12 10-point deficit in the fourth quarter to avoid Derrick Favors had 22 points and 11 after missing three of the last four games to points, most in the NBA this season, and rebounds, and Tony Parker scored 14 points their first four-game losing streak of the sea- rebounds for the Jazz, who could not over- rest. Minnesota snapped a 15-game losing streak. for the Spurs. son. Dallas was coming off two humbling come blistering third-quarter shooting by Bryant’s 3-pointer with 31 seconds to play Williams made six 3-pointers, including one losses to Detroit (118-105) and the Clippers Golden State. Utah allowed 44 points on 16- trimmed Miami’s lead to three points, but he that gave Minnesota a 102-96 lead. Andrew HAWKS 105, 76ERS 87 (120-100). DeMarcus Cousins, who fouled out of-26 shooting in that period. missed a potential tying 3-pointer with 2 sec- Wiggins added 20 points and Gorgui Dieng had his first career triple-dou- late in the fourth quarter, had 32 points, 16 Gordon Hayward scored 17 points while onds left. —AP McIlroy opens Fowler eyes Abu defining year seeking Dhabi tourney first win in Abu Dhabi

DUBAI: Rickie Fowler was golf’s nearly man in 2014 as ABU DHABI: Rory McIlroy isn’t divulging what is on his list of seven Rory McIlroy re-established himself as the sport’s top goals for 2015 that he jotted down on the back of his boarding pass player, but the American is confident last year’s consis- on a flight to Dubai last week. tency can help him challenge his friend and rival this Completing a career Grand Slam at the Masters in April? Surely that season. was No. 1. A court case against his former management company, Fowler finished two shots adrift of McIlroy at the scheduled for February, is also a defining early year date for the British Open and US PGA Championship, the Northern world’s top-ranked player. Irishman winning both to take his career majors tally to Winning this week’s Abu Dhabi Championship may not have been four, while the Californian was also joint-fifth at the US on the list, but it would end years of frustration for McIlroy at what has Masters and joint-second at the US Open. become his traditional year-opening tournament. Fowler had a combined score of 32 below par for McIlroy has finished second at Abu Dhabi Golf Club in three of the 2014’s four majors - five shots better than McIlroy - yet last four years. On two of those occasions, he was hit with rule penal- he is still searching for a first tournament win since ties that ultimately cost him victory. 2012’s Wells Fargo Championship, his solitary US tour “One of the goals this week is just to have no penalty shots when I don’t need them,” he said. “And see where I end up at the end of the victory. week.” That record compares unfavorably with world num- Losing out to Spain’s Pablo Larrazabal in a thrilling end to last year’s ber one McIlroy, who is five months his junior. “I don’t tournament was one of the few regrets for McIlroy in a stunning 2014. feel like my game is any weaker than his,” Fowler, 26, He won the British Open and the US PGA Championship to double told a news conference ahead of the Abu Dhabi HSBC his tally of major titles, returned to the top of the rankings, and was Golf Championship, which begins today. one of the stars of the European team that retained the Ryder Cup at “I feel I’ve putted better than he did through the Gleneagles. McIlroy wants more. summer last year. He has strengths that maybe out- “I didn’t achieve everything that I wanted to last year,” he said. It has weigh mine: when he is on top of his driving game he is become something of a ritual for him to write down his objectives for very tough to beat and he drove it well through the the season on his boarding pass on his flight out for his first tourna- summer. I think it frees up the rest of his game to play ment of the year. He puts the list in his wallet and memorizes it. some fairly effortless golf. “I’ll take that boarding pass out at the end of the year and see how “I’m looking forward to 2015, having some great well I’ve done,” McIlroy said. match-ups with him.” Fowler’s consistency led him to “I feel 2014 has really set me up for another great year. I’m coming break into the world top 10 for the first time in in with a nice little bit of momentum, and (my) game is feeling good.” September and he hopes to become a household name With McIlroy having had a month off, his rivals in Abu Dhabi will hope outside the United States. Boy Wonder is rusty. “I want to play different parts of the world and It is another strong field, with No. 2 Henrik Stenson, US Open cham- become more of a global player,” said Fowler ahead of pion Martin Kaymer, No. 6 Justin Rose and American star Rickie Fowler his Abu Dhabi debut. - making his debut in the desert - among the other entries. Fowler was part of the US team humbled at last McIlroy and Fowler are in the same group for the first two days, year’s Ryder Cup, with Europe’s five-point victory - the marking the first time they have played together since the singles at continent’s eighth victory in 10 competitions - prompt- the Ryder Cup. McIlroy put on an awesome performance that Sunday, ing the PGA to form a task force to see how the US can winning 5 and 4. improve. Kaymer is a three-time winner (2008, ‘10 and ‘11) in Abu Dhabi, and “Their main goal is to have more players involved in was one stroke off first place in 2009. The German is one of the few players to have a better record on the course than McIlroy, who was the process and feeling like we field the team together third in 2010 and tied for fifth in 2009 before his run of runner-up fin- as one,” added Fowler. ishes. “In the final year leading up, I don’t think you can “It’s a golf course I’ve always felt comfortable on, one that has really over-prepare as far as spending time as a suited me, and I have played well here,” McIlroy said. “This is my team...because if you go into that week without any eighth year in a row starting the season off here, so I’m pretty famil- kind of preparation and just go ‘you’re going to play iar with the place, and looking forward to another strong start to with this guy’, it’s hit-or-miss.—Reuters Rory McIlroy the season.”—AP