The Knicks picked up a 113-108 victory in Atlanta as Julius Randle scored 28 points and grabbed 17 rebounds. RJ Barrett had 26 points and 11 rebounds while helping New York come back from a 13-point, second-half deficit.
In other NBA action:
Jayson Tatum scored 40 points and the Celtics led by 26 in the second half before settling for a 126-114 win over the Raptors. Rookie guard Payton Pritchard had 23 points and eight assists for Boston, while Jaylen Brown provided 19 points.
The Philadelphia 76ers have continued their impressive start under first-year head coach Doc Rivers. Tobias Harris scored 22 points and the Sixers moved to 6-1 with their fourth straight win, 118-101 over the Hornets. Joel Embiid had 14 points and 11 rebounds to help the 76ers win the two-game set in Philadelphia. Embiid is averaging a team-high 33.4 minutes per game under Rivers after having his playing time closely monitored by former coach Brett Brown. Embiid also paces the team in scoring at 25 points a game. Gordon Hayward had 18 points and struggling Devonte' Graham added 15 for the Hornets.
Stephen Curry followed up his career-high, 62-point performance in Sunday's win over Portland by delivering 30 points, nine rebounds and eight assists to lead the Warriors' 137-106 rout of the Kings. Curry's 92 points over a two-game stretch are the third-most in league history.
Giannis Antetokounmpo delivered 43 points and the Bucks moved over the .500 mark for the first time this season by topping the Pistons, 125-115. The reigning two-time MVP scored 30 points by halftime, shot 17 of 24 from the floor overall and finished with nine rebounds in Milwaukee's eighth straight win over Detroit.
Kelly Olynyk drained five 3-pointers on his way to 19 points, and Bam Adebayo (ad-ah-BY'-oh) had a game-high 20 on 9-for-10 shooting in the Heat's 118-90 rout of the Thunder. Jimmy Butler scored 18 points for Miami, which used a 20-0 third quarter run to turn what was a four-point game into a runaway.
Luka Doncic had a triple-double and Tim Hardaway Jr. added 30 points off the bench in the Mavericks' 113-100 win over the Rockets. Doncic contributed 33 points, 16 rebounds and 11 assists, one night after missing a game because of a bruised quad.
Aaron Gordon broke out of a shooting slump by hitting six of his nine 3-point attempts and scoring a season-high 24 points in leading the Magic to a 103-83 trouncing of the Cavaliers. Nikola Vucevic scored 23 points and grabbed eight rebounds for Orlando, which snapped a two-game losing streak that had followed four straight victories to open the season.
Malcolm Brogdon capped a 21-point, 11-assist performance by nailing a driving, one-handed floater with 1.7 seconds left to give the Pacers a 118-116 overtime win at New Orleans. Victor Oladipo scored 25 points for Indiana, including a 29-foot 3-pointer to spark a six-point comeback in the final 20 seconds of regulation.
In NBA news:
The NBA is adopting a tougher policy regarding masks. The league has told teams Monday players on the active roster will have to wear the face coverings in the bench area until they enter games. That memo was obtained by The Associated Press and was released on the same day the Brooklyn Nets ruled All-Star forward Kevin Durant out for Tuesday's game against Utah in accordance with the league's health and safety protocols for dealing with coronavirus. Beginning Tuesday, players who are dressed for games and eligible to participate must wear a face mask until they enter the game. All players and coaches must wear face masks when outside the team environment if they are around other players and coaches. Players must report the names of any private trainer, therapist, chiropractor or other specialist who they work with outside of the team facility.
Spurs point guard Derrick White is out indefinitely after breaking his left second toe. White had offseason surgery on the same toe, but the Spurs said the fracture is a new injury. White missed training camp, the preseason and the first four games of the regular season after undergoing surgery on the toe last August.
COLLEGE BASKETBALL
In women’s college basketball, Quinnipiac skirted Marist in overtime 59-55, and Vermont topped UMBC 65-54.
In men’s college basketball:
Reigning Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference champion Siena is finally back on the court. The Saints played their first games of the season on Sunday and Monday after a 298-day hiatus and beat Monmouth twice (76-62 on Monday). The Saints were the last MAAC team to play a game after enduring three separate pauses due to positive COVID-19 test results from Tier 1 personnel.
The Boston University men's and women's basketball teams opened their seasons wearing masks — not just on the sidelines, but during their games. Daman Tate had 28 points for the BU men in their 83-76 victory over Holy Cross on Monday. The women also downed Holy Cross, 76-54.
West Virginia got off to a slow start in Oklahoma for the second straight game. This time, the 14th-ranked Mountaineers managed to rally. West Virginia trailed by 19 midway through the second half before pulling out an 87-84 win against Oklahoma State. Derek Culver had 22 points and 19 rebounds for the Mountaineers, who were coming off Saturday's 75-71 loss at Oklahoma. Miles McBride finished with 21 points, while Taz Sherman added 20 off the bench as WVU moved to 9-3. Cade Cunningham had a game-high 25 points and grabbed nine boards for the Cowboys.
In college basketball news:
Indiana will host all 67 games of the upcoming NCAA men's basketball tournament. Games will be played on two courts inside Lucas Oil Stadium with only game at a time being played. Iconic Hinkle Fieldhouse will be among the venues, along with Bankers Life Fieldhouse, Indiana Farmers Coliseum, Mackey Arena at Purdue and Assembly Hall in Bloomington. Championship weekend is still scheduled for April 3 and April 5. Preliminary round dates have not yet been determined.
No. 3 Villanova's next three games have been postponed because of COVID-19 issues within the program. The 8-1 Wildcats were scheduled to play Tuesday at DePaul, Friday vs. Marquette, and Jan. 13 at Xavier. No makeup dates have been announced. Coach Jay Wright announced last week he had tested positive for COVID-19 and the program paused all activities. Wright was scheduled to return to practice on Tuesday.
Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski says he won't be able to coach the No. 21 Blue Devils when they face Boston College on Wednesday night. However, he hopes to be out of quarantine in time to return for their game against Wake Forest on Saturday. Krzyzewski said he and his wife were placed into quarantine last Friday after a member of his family tested positive for COVID-19. He said he and his wife were both tested Monday, and both were negative.
Gonzaga and Baylor remain atop The Associated Press men's college basketball poll, while fourth-ranked Texas has climbed to its highest perch in nearly a decade. The Bulldogs earned 63 of 64 first-place votes in the latest AP Top 25 to remain at No. 1. Gonzaga and Baylor have been 1-2 in all seven polls this season. Villanova moved up a spot to No. 3. Creighton climbed five spots to fifth and is followed by Kansas, Iowa, Tennessee, Michigan and Iowa.
NFL
'Tis the season to be firing NFL head coaches. Two more were shown the door on Monday after the New York Jets said goodbye to Adam Gase. The Chargers have fired head coach Anthony Lynn after four years and a 33-31 record in regular-season games. The Chargers went 21-11 with one playoff appearance in their first two seasons under Lynn, but that was followed by consecutive losing campaigns. Los Angeles won its last four games this season to end up 7-9. Jaguars head coach Doug Marrone has been dismissed, a little more than 12 hours after ending the season with a 15th consecutive loss. Marrone went 24-43 in four seasons with the Jaguars, falling a few plays shy of the team's first Super Bowl in 2017. Jacksonville has dropped 21 of Marrone's final 24 games, including 15 by double digits.
In other NFL news:
The Bills signed receiver Kenny Stills to their practice squad in preparation for Saturday's AFC wild-card game against Indianapolis. Stills is an eighth-year player who was cut by the Texans in late November after having difficulty establishing a role in Houston's Deshaun Watson-led offense. He had just 11 catches for 144 yards and a touchdown this season.
The league has officially announced the selection order for next April's draft, which will be led off by the Jaguars. The Jets currently have the No. 2 pick, followed by the Dolphins, Falcons and Bengals. Miami gained the draft choice following a 2019 trade that sent tackle Laremy Tunsil and receiver Kenny Stills to the Texans.
Buccaneers coach Bruce Arians says an MRI performed on Mike Evans' injured left knee showed no structural damage and the receiver's status for Tampa Bay's first playoff game in 13 years is day to day. Evans was hurt during the first quarter of Sunday's regular-season finale against Atlanta. He went down one play after a 20-yard reception made him the first player in NFL history to begin a career with seven consecutive 1,000-yard seasons. Arians described the injury as a hyperextension. He's hopeful Evans will be able to practice by Thursday in preparation for Saturday night's NFC wild- card game at Washington.
Olivier Vernon's season is over after the Browns defensive end ruptured his Achilles tendon during Sunday's playoff-clinching win over Pittsburgh. Coach Kevin Stefanski said Vernon will have surgery this week. Stefanski declined a chance to update the status on top cornerback Denzel Ward, who missed Sunday's game after testing positive for COVID-19. The Browns play the Steelers again in the playoffs on Sunday night.
John Elway says he'll hire a general manager for the Broncos but will remain president of football operations in 2021, the final year of his contract. Elway has been Broncos GM since 2011, leading Denver to a 96-74 record, five AFC West titles, two AFC championships and the franchise's third Super Bowl title.
MLB
Phil Hughes has retired from baseball, more than two years after throwing his last pitch. The 34-year-old right-hander said on Twitter he was announcing what's been "fairly apparent" these last few years. A World Series champion with the Yankees in 2009, Hughes was 88-79 with a 4.52 ERA over 12 major league seasons with New York, Minnesota and San Diego. He was an All-Star in 2010, when he went a career-best 18-8, and won 16 games in 2012 and 2014.
Also around the majors:
Curt Casali agreed to a one-year, $1.5 million contract with the Giants, a month after the catcher was cut by the Reds. The 32-year-old Casali hit .224 with six homers and eight RBIs in 31 games and 93 plate appearances last year.
The wife of Los Angeles Dodgers' Hall of Fame announcer Vin Scully has died from complications of ALS at 76. The team said Sandra Scully died Sunday night at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles. She married Vin Scully in 1973, and the couple had one daughter together.
NHL
Every NHL team has opened training camp with the season set to begin next week. Twenty-four playoff teams joined the seven that missed out last season with their first on-ice workouts. Camp will last only 10 days. There will be no exhibition games before the season begins Jan. 13. Each team will play 56 regular-season games against only their division foes. The hope is to limit travel and reduce the risk of coronavirus disruptions.
In other hockey news:
Stars goaltender Anton Khudobin is missing the start of training camp while going through NHL-mandated quarantine after some immigration issues. General manager Jim Nill says Khudobin is back in Texas. The Russian goalie was delayed because of a backlog for people trying to get U.S. visas.
The American Hockey League says three teams have opted out of playing this season, while four others have been given permission to temporarily relocate. The Charlotte Checkers, Milwaukee Admirals and Springfield Thunderbirds opted out and will return in 2021-22. Those teams are affiliates of the Florida Panthers, Nashville Predators and St. Louis Blues, respectively.
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