THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 2015 SPORTS Rockets pound Suns PHOENIX: James Harden scored 20 of his 40 points in the fourth quarter and the Houston Rockets pulled away to beat the Phoenix Suns 127-118 on Tuesday night. Josh Smith added 20 for the Rockets, who trailed 89-88 at the end of the third quarter after Phoenix rallied from an early 18-point deficit. Eric Bledsoe scored 32, one shy of his career high, for the Suns, who enter the All- Star break losers of five of their last six. Harden ended the first and second quarters with a 3-pointer, then opened the fourth with a four-point play that put the Rockets ahead for good. He scored eight in a row during a 2 1/2 minute stretch late in the fourth. He scored 45 in a loss to Portland on Sunday and has six games of 40-plus points. Houston, winner of seven of nine, has one game before the break, Wednesday night QATAR: Riders are seen after a fall during the fourth stage of the 2015 Tour of Qatar, against the Clippers in Los Angeles. between al-Thakhira and Mesaieed (165,5 kms) yesterday. — AFP GRIZZLIES 95, NETS 86 Zach Randolph had 19 points and Marc Kristoff wins stage, Gasol added 14 and 11 rebounds for the Grizzlies. Six Grizzlies finished in double fig- ures as Memphis won its 14th of the last 16. Terpstra leads Courtney Lee had 15 points, Beno Udrih scored 13 and Tony Allen finished with 12. MESAIEED: Dutch rider Niki Terpstra of the for years he was a cheat. The cancer-sur- The Nets lost for the seventh time in their Etixx team retained the leader’s gold jersey vivor eventually made a public confession of the Tour of Qatar after yesterday’s fourth in a TV interview with US chat show host last 10. Mason Plumlee and Alan Anderson stage was won by Norwegian Alexander Oprah Winfrey in 2013. But last month, he each had 15 points for the Nets and Plumlee Kristoff, the Katusha cyclist’s second suc- also told the BBC he would cheat again if also grabbed 14 rebounds. Memphis held a cess. faced with the same circumstances. double-digit lead through most of the game Kristoff triumphed after a bunched until the Nets tightened it up in the fourth sprint finish at the end of the 165km stage ‘THRILLED’ WITH REFORM quarter. between Al Thakira and Mesaieed, finishing Tygart questioned why Armstrong and ahead of Slovak Peter Sagan and German McQuaid chose not to appeal to the Court BULLS 104, KINGS 86 Nikias Arndt. of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), the main Pau Gasol continued his strong play with In the overall standings, Terpstra now international sport appeal court, when the 26 points and 16 rebounds, Tony Snell had a enjoys a six-second advance on Poland’s lifetime ban was imposed in 2012. career-high 24 and Derrick Rose added 23 Maciej Bodnar, with Briton Ian Stannard “Lance certainly had every opportunity for the Chicago Bulls. 12sec adrift. Thursday’s fifth stage sees the to challenge that sanction,” Tygart said. It was Gasol’s NBA-best 34th double-dou- riders tackle 153km from Al Zubarah Fort to “And certainly Pat McQuaid could have ble of the season. He now has 13 straight. Madinat Al Shamal. appealed our decision to impose the life- Snell was 9 for 11 from the field, including 4 Meanwhile, the US anti-doping chief time ban. If he in any way felt that was for 6 on 3-pointers. His previous high was 20 Wednesday dismissed accusations of a unfair or was singling out Lance Armstrong, points. “witch hunt” against Lance Armstrong and he certainly as the president of UCI had the The trio combined to go 30 for 43 (69.8 said he was delighted with reforms aimed appeal rights to go to CAS.” percent) from the field as Chicago (33-20) at cleaning up cycling. Tygart said he was “thrilled” with won its third straight. The Kings (18-33) have Travis Tygart, chief executive of the US reforms within the UCI, international Anti-Doping Agency (USADA), hit back at cycling’s governing body, after the scandal dropped 12 of 14. Rudy Gay led Sacramento comments from former International lifted the lid on widespread cheating in the with 24 points, while DeMarcus Cousins Cycling Union (UCI) president Pat McQuaid. sport. added 15 points and eight rebounds. LOS ANGELES: Lakers’ Wayne Ellington (right) gets his shot blocked by Denver Nuggets’ “It is easy for Pat McQuaid or others to Current UCI president Brian Cookson Kenneth Faried during the second half of an NBA basketball game. — AP say soundbites like he said,” Tygart told won an ugly leadership contest against PISTONS 106, HORNETS 78 reporters at the sidelines of an anti-doping McQuaid in September 2013, vowing to Greg Monroe had 23 points and 12 intelligence seminar in Singapore. correct past wrongs. rebounds, D.J. Augustin added 18 points NBA results/standings But “the evidence is telling. There have “We had recent meetings with them... and the Detroit Pistons handed the Charlotte Hornets their third straight loss. been roughly 26 athletes, coaches, team and we were thrilled and walked out of Detroit 106, Charlotte 78; Houston 127, Phoenix 118; Chicago 104, Sacramento 86; Memphis 95, doctors who have been held accountable. there understanding the governance Monroe, who had 14 double-doubles in Brooklyn 86; Denver 106, LA Lakers 96. Several of them have gotten lifetime bans changes, the rule changes that they have January to tie a franchise record, was domi- as well,” Tygart said. implemented,” he said. nant inside and on the drive when the Eastern Conference Western Conference Irishman McQuaid, UCI’s president from “And I think they appreciate that they Pistons build a 23-point lead at the end of Atlantic Division Northwest Division 2006 to 2013, said in a British radio inter- had a bad culture where athletes had no the third quarter. They coasted to an easy W L PCT GB Portland 35 17 .673 - view last month that he had a “certain sym- choice other than the use of drugs if they win. Jodie Meeks and Anthony Tolliver each Toronto 35 17 .673 - Oklahoma City 27 25 .519 8 pathy” with the seven-time Tour de France wanted to compete and win.” had 16 points for the Pacers, who are 16-9 Brooklyn 21 31 .404 14 Denver 20 33 .377 15.5 winner. While the changes “doesn’t mean ath- over their last 25 games. Boston 19 31 .380 15 Utah 19 33 .365 16 “He was very much made a scapegoat, letes aren’t going to cheat”, it ensures the Philadelphia 12 41 .226 23.5 Minnesota 11 41 .212 24 there was a witch-hunt after Armstrong,” sport’s leadership “continues to do the best NUGGETS 106, LAKERS 96 NY Knicks 10 42 .192 25 Pacific Division McQuaid told BBC Radio 5 Live, in com- that it can to ensure a clean and healthy Ty Lawson had season-highs of 32 points Central Division Golden State 41 9 .820 - ments which aired on January 27. culture for individual athletes,” Tygart said. Chicago 33 20 .623 - and 16 assists and Denver snapped a six- LA Clippers 34 19 .642 8.5 “USADA wanted a big name,” McQuaid Cookson has said an inquiry commission Cleveland 32 21 .604 1 game losing skid. Darrell Arthur added 15 Phoenix 29 25 .537 14 said, adding that the Colorado-based probing the role of cycling’s leaders in the Milwaukee 29 23 .558 3.5 agency was not “really interested in the Armstrong scandal will deliver its report points, and Wilson Chandler and J.J. Hickson Detroit 21 32 .396 12 Sacramento 18 33 .353 23.5 smaller riders and also they made deals this year. The commission’s main goal is to had 13 points each for the Nuggets, whose Indiana 20 33 .377 13 LA Lakers 13 39 .250 29 with the smaller riders in order to get the determine how a culture of doping was four-game road losing streak ended. Southeast Division Southwest Division information they needed on the big guys”. perpetuated between 1998 and 2013, and Carlos Boozer scored 15 of his 21 points Atlanta 43 10 .811 - Memphis 39 13 .750 - Armstrong, 43, was stripped of his Tour to establish who was to blame. It has in the second half and grabbed 10 Washington 33 20 .623 10 Houston 36 16 .692 3 titles and given a life ban from cycling by appealed to riders who doped in the past rebounds, and Wayne Ellington added 18 Miami 22 29 .431 20 Dallas 35 19 .648 5 USADA in 2012 for using a cocktail of per- to come forward in exchange for reduced points for the Lakers, who fell to 0-5 this Charlotte 22 30 .423 20.5 San Antonio 33 19 .635 6 formance-enhancing drugs, having denied punishment. —AFP month. Jeremy Lin and Wesley Johnson Orlando 16 39 .291 28 New Orleans 27 25 .519 12 added 12 points each for the Lakers. — AP Preview Wildcats hope Kim-less Koreans to strike again look for worlds boost LEEDS: They have already visited one Anything we do this year is a bonus. of last year’s Super League surprise “If you go on the rankings, we fin- SEOUL: South Korea will hope to unearth a packages and left with the spoils but ished 12th last year, we’ve got the new star to emulate the great Kim Yu-Na Wakefield coach James Webster has most improvement to make, so if we when they hold the Four Continents this vowed not to get carried away this improve four spots and finish eighth week, ahead of next month’s world champi- season.