The Nets' six-game winning streak is over after Jaylen Brown and Marcus Smart each scored 21 points to lead the Celtics' 112-104 win against Brooklyn. Aron Baynes had 16 points and Marcus Morris added 15 for Boston, which tied a team record with 16 blocks en route to its sixth win in seven games. The Celtics played without Kyrie Irving because of a hip injury.
Charlotte handed New York its 10th consecutive loss by going on a 17-1 spurt in the fourth quarter of the Hornets' 101-92 victory over the visiting Knicks. Malik Monk hit four 3-pointers while scoring 12 of his 14 points in the final period.
Checking out Monday's other NBA action, the Golden State Warriors have stretched the NBA's longest winning streak of the season while pulling into a virtual tie with Milwaukee for the league's top record. Stephen Curry scored 23 of his 26 points by halftime of the Warriors' 132-100 dismantling of the Pacers at Indiana. DeMarcus Cousins added 22 points as Golden State picked up its 11th straight win overall and 10th in a row on the road. The Warriors closed the first quarter on a 24-6 run to take a 40-22 lead against the league's top scoring defense. Golden State is 36-14 following its first 5-0 road trip since November 2014. Myles Turner scored a team-high 16 points for the Pacers, who have dropped two straight since losing Victor Oladipo to a season-ending knee injury last week.
Nikola Jokic scored 24 points and made a go-ahead basket with 28.9 seconds left to complete the Nuggets' huge comeback in a 95-92 verdict over the Grizzlies. Will Barton finished with 20 points, including a go-ahead 3-pointer with 43 seconds to play. Malik Beasley furnished 13 of his 18 points in the final period to help Denver erase a 25-point, second-half comeback and improve to 34-15.
Atlanta had dropped five straight to the Clippers before Trae Young scored 26 points and John Collins added 22 in the Hawks' 123-118 victory at Los Angeles. Alex Len had 19 points and nine rebounds off the bench for the Hawks, who ended the Clippers' three-game winning streak.
In NBA news, Nets guard Spencer Dinwiddie has undergone surgery to repair torn ligaments in his right thumb. Head coach Kenny Atkinson declined to provide a timeline for Dinwiddie's return. The 6-foot-6 guard is averaging 17.2 points, mostly coming off the bench.
Anthony Davis' agent says the five-time All-Star has told the New Orleans Pelicans that he wants to be traded to a contending team. Agent Rich Paul confirmed the request to The Associated Press early Monday. ESPN first reported that Davis has told the Pelicans he wants to go elsewhere. The Pelicans have issued a statement saying they will make a deal on their terms and their deadline, adding that they will only accept a trade that makes the most sense for the team. Davis is having the best season of his career, averaging 29.3 points and 13.3 rebounds per game. He'll almost certainly become a six-time All-Star later this week when the NBA announces the full rosters for this year's game that will be played Feb. 17 in Charlotte.
Pacers guard Victor Oladipo has undergone surgery for a season-ending ruptured tendon in his right knee. The Pacers' top scorer was injured in last Wednesday's victory against Toronto. He was averaging 19.2 points and was hoping to make the All-Star Game for the second straight season.
Heat forward Derrick Jones Jr. has been diagnosed with a pair of bone bruises in his right knee and will be re-evaluated in about six weeks. Jones took an awkward fall in Miami's win at New York on Sunday, prompting concern that he could have damage the structure of the knee.
COLLEGE BASKETBALL
In top-25 basketball, Duke's heralded freshmen trio of Zion Williamson, RJ Barrett and Cam Reddish lit up Notre Dame for 56 points in leading the Blue Devils to their fourth straight win. Williamson delivered 26 points, nine rebounds and four blocks as second-ranked Duke ripped Notre Dame, 83-61 at South Bend. He scored nine points while the Blue Devils were building a 17-2 lead. Barrett chipped 17 points and nine boards, while Reddish had 13 points to help the Blue Devils improve to 18-2.
The other top-25 team in action was Texas Tech, and the 16th-ranked Red Raiders snapped a three-game Big 12 losing streak by whipping TCU, 84-65. Jarrett Culver scored 12 of his 18 points after halftime, including two punctuating dunks in the closing minutes as Tech moved to 17-4 overall.
Tennessee is spending a second straight week atop the AP Top 25 men's college basketball poll after claiming 48 of 64 first-place votes. The Volunteers own a 14-game winning streak that includes two victories last week, when they moved up to No. 1 for the first time in almost 11 years. The top six remained unchanged, with second-ranked Duke followed by Virginia, Gonzaga, Michigan and Michigan State. The Spartans kept the sixth spot despite Sunday's loss at Purdue. Kentucky, Nevada, North Carolina and Marquette round out the top 10. No. 17 Purdue, No. 24 Wisconsin and No. 25 Florida State are back in the poll, replacing Auburn, Iowa and Mississippi.
NFL
A longshot lawsuit seeking a possible do-over of the NFC championship game has been moved from state court in Louisiana to federal court. At issue is the failure of officials to call interference or roughness penalties when a Rams player leveled a Saints receiver with a helmet-to-helmet hit at a crucial point in the playoff game. The Rams won overtime and are set to play the Patriots in the Super Bowl. The lawsuit by two Saints season ticket holders says NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell should implement a league rule that could mean reversal of a game's result or the rescheduling of a game. The NFL's lawyers say the rule doesn't apply in matters involving referees' decisions.
Meanwhile, Atlanta is bracing for a possible winter storm just as thousands of fans begin pouring into town for Super Bowl 53. A winter storm watch goes into effect at 4 a.m. Tuesday for Atlanta, a city known for grinding to a halt even in relatively light snowfalls. Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp said Monday that state offices in more than 30 counties in the northern part of the state would be closed Tuesday, including those in the Atlanta area. The National Weather Service projects that up to an inch of snow is possible Tuesday in Atlanta, with up to 2 inches in far northern suburbs. Forecasters warn of the possibility of ice-glazed roads and highways. The snow forecast comes five years after cars, trucks and school buses became marooned on Atlanta freeways in what became known as "snow jam."
However, The Weather Channel is predicting a high of 58 degrees Fahrenheit and a low of 50 for Sunday's game between the Rams and Patriots. The two teams went through media day on Monday, a little more than 24 hours after arriving in Atlanta.
In other NFL news, the Bills have re-signed long snapper Reid Ferguson to a three-year contract. Ferguson was an exclusive rights free agent and returns for a fourth season with Buffalo.
Kicker Adam Vinatieri has signed a one-year contract with the Indianapolis Colts. The 46-year-old Vinatieri will again be the league's oldest active player next season if he makes the Colts out of training camp. Should he play beyond his birthday on Dec. 28, he would join fellow kickers George Blanda and Morten Andersen as the only 47-year-olds to appear in an NFL game. He begins next season as the NFL's career scoring leader with 2,600 points and career leader in field goals made with 582.
Lions linebacker Trevor Bates is undergoing a psychological evaluation at a New York City hospital after his weekend arrest, according to his agent. Bates was arrested around 1:30 a.m. Saturday at a hotel near LaGuardia Airport after allegedly refusing to pay a $32 cab fare for a ride from Manhattan. Police say they were ready to let him go with an appearance ticket if he didn't have any outstanding warrants, but Bates refused to be fingerprinted and punched a sergeant in the face.
NHL
The Pittsburgh Penguins and Winnipeg Jets have come out of the NHL All-Star break with losses against the two worst teams in the Metropolitan Division. The Flyers picked up their fourth straight win as Travis Konecny scored the tiebreaking goal and had an assist in a 3-1 victory against the Jets. Konecny snapped a 1-1 tie late in the second period before setting up James van Riemsdyk's insurance goal. Carter Hart stopped 31 shots and improved to 7-5-1 since being recalled last month.
The Devils came into Pittsburgh with the NHL's worst road record before Travis Zajac collected a goal and three assists in New Jersey's 6-3 win over the Penguins. Keith Kincaid turned back 37 shots and Pavel Zacha scored a power-play goal to put the Devils ahead 6-1 with 6:23 remaining. Kyle Palmieri also scored with the man advantage as the Devils improved to 6-17-3 away from Newark. Derick Brassard, Matt Cullen and Bryan Rust did the scoring for the Pens in their fourth loss in five games.
In NHL news, the Toronto Maple Leafs have acquired defenseman Jake Muzzin from Los Angeles. The Kings receive forward Carl Grundstrom and the rights to unsigned defenseman Sean Durzi in the deal along with a 2019 first-rounder. The 29-year-old Muzzin has four goals and 17 assists in 50 games this season.
MLB
Newly-signed New York Mets reliever Justin Wilson says the number of teams not pursuing free agents has damaged the market. Wilson told reporters Monday that "there are only certain teams that are willing to spend money to compete." The left-hander was on a conference call with reporters after finalizing his two-year, $10 million contract with the Mets. Astros ace Justin Verlander was quoted last weekend by the Houston Chronicle expressing similar sentiments.
In other MLB news, the Royals and versatile second baseman Whit Merrifield have agreed to a four-year, $16.25 million contract, pending a physical. Merrifield led the American League with 193 hits and 45 stolen bases last season while batting .304 with 12 home runs and 60 RBIs. He's a lifetime .293 hitter in 384 games since breaking into the majors with the Royals in 2016.
Emilio Bonifacio is one of five players to accept minor league contracts and spring training invitations with the Tampa Bay Rays. Bonifacio has played for eight teams over parts of 11 seasons, batting .256 with 13 home runs, 165 RBIs and 166 stolen bases. The Rays also worked out minor league packages with right-handed pitchers Ricardo Pinto, Casey Sadler, Luis Santos and Cole Sulser.
BASEBALL-CARIBBEAN SERIES
Baseball's Caribbean Series has been moved from Venezuela to Panama for security reasons. The series will begin on Feb. 4 at Rod Carew National Stadium in Panama City. Violent street protests have erupted in Venezuela since opposition lawmaker Juan Guaido declared himself interim president in defiance of President Nicolas Maduro. Major League Baseball had urged players and staff not travel to Venezuela for the series.
NASCAR
NASCAR has banned all drivers and team members from betting on its races as part of new gambling guidelines established in this season's rulebook. NASCAR employees are prohibited from disclosing confidential information and from requesting insider information that could potentially help "their own gain or for the gain of others." They are allowed to participate in fantasy sports relating to the three national touring series, Cup, Xfinity and Truck. But they may not accept prizes with a value of more than $250 in any games. NASCAR partnered with Sportradar Integrity Services to develop a comprehensive gambling policy intended to protect the integrity of the sport. Dover International Speedway opened an on-site betting kiosk last fall, becoming the only track to allow sports gambling on its property.
© The Associated Press 2019. All Rights Reserved.
