NBA-ALL-STAR GAME
LeBron James got the better of Stephen Curry in the NBA All-Star game at Los Angeles.
James scored 10 of his game-high 29 points in the fourth quarter, including a go-ahead, finger-roll layup with 34.5 seconds left to lead Team LeBron to a 148-145 win over Team Stephen. James was named the game MVP for the third time, and the first since the league broke with tradition by having the team captains select their rosters.
Russell Westbrook hit a layup to put Team LeBron ahead by three in the closing seconds. Team Stephen couldn't get a good look for a tying three at the buzzer.
Damian Lillard and DeMar DeRozan each had 21 points to lead Team Stephen.
TOP 25 MEN'S BASKETBALL
Wichita State, Michigan and Duke won top-25 basketball matchups on Sunday.
Landry Shamet scored 19 points and No. 19 Wichita State ended the nation's longest home-court winning streak at 39 games by beating fifth-ranked Cincinnati, 76-72. The 21-5 Shockers led most of the way and beat a top-5 team on the road for the first time since 1964.
The Shockers hit seven of eight shots during a 17-3 run that gave them a 34-23 lead.
Jordan Poole scored 12 of his 15 points in the first half as the 22nd-rated Wolverines earned a 74-62 home win against No. 8 Ohio State. Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rahkman chipped in 17 points, Zavier Simpson had 13 and Moe Wagner added 12 in a game that altered the top of the Big Ten standings.
The Buckeyes' second straight loss gives Michigan State a one-game lead in the conference with two games remaining.
No. 12 Duke won without Marvin Bagley III as Gary Trent Jr. hit three foul shots with 1:31 left to put the Blue Devils ahead for good in a 66-57 win at No. 11 Clemson. Grayson Allen delivered 17 of his 19 points by halftime, while Wendell Carter Jr. added 15 points and 10 boards.
The Blue Devils moved to 22-5 overall despite the absence of Bagley, who sat out a third straight game because of a strained right knee.
The other top-25 game of the day had Carsen Edwards pouring in 27 points to lead sixth-ranked Purdue past Penn State, 76-73. Dakota Mathias added 18 points and Isaac Haas had 12 points and six rebounds as the Boilermakers ended a three-game losing streak.
Elsewhere in NCAA
In men’s college basketball UMBC topped UAlbany 68-60, UMass Lowell defeated Binghamton 74-69 Hartford got past Vermont 69-68, Stonybrook beat New Hampshire 72-63 and Monmouth edged Siena 93-89.
In women’s college basketball Quinnipiac defeated Marist 80-74.
OLYMPICS-HOCKEY PLAYOFFS
Olympic figure skating has resumed with the ice dancing short program.
A strong performance from Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir helped Canada win gold in the team competition. However, Gabriella Papadakis and Guillaume Cizeron of France and American siblings Maia and Alex Shibutani could provide serious competition.
The short dance is taking place right now and will be followed by the free dance tomorrow.
Medals are up for grabs in just three events Monday, the men's 500-meter speedskating, men's large hill team ski jumping, and men's two-man bobsled.
The U.S. women's ice hockey team dismantled Finland in their semifinals matchup at the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics on Monday. With a 5-0 victory, they have claimed a spot in the gold medal game.
Also at the Olympics:
U.S. men's hockey player James Wisniewski says his father has contracted norovirus while attending the Winter Games. The former NHL defenseman says Jim Wisniewski is now in quarantine after beginning to show symptoms on Saturday and needing to be taken by ambulance to the hospital.
The Russian delegation at the Pyeongchang Olympics has announced that one of its athletes has failed a drug test. A spokesman for the "Olympic Athletes from Russia says a "B'' sample taken from the athlete will be analyzed in 24 hours. The spokesman did not name the athlete of the sports involved.
NASCAR-DAYTONA 500
The No. 3 car found its way to victory lane at the Daytona 500, 20 years after Dale Earnhardt's only victory in "The Great American Race."
Austin Dillon grabbed the lead on the final lap in overtime and took the checkered flag, 17 years to the day Earnhardt was killed in an accident on the final lap at Daytona. Dillon got a push from teammate Darrell "Bubba" Wallace Jr. that helped him get to leader Aric Almirola. Dillon spun Almirola then whizzed on by to give his grandfather, owner Richard Childress, an iconic victory in that beloved No. 3.
Wallace finished second after becoming the first black driver in the Daytona field since 1969. Denny Hamlin was third, followed by Joey Logano and Chris Buscher.
Ryan Blaney led a race-high 118 laps but faded to seventh after giving the win away in regulation. He wrecked defending race champion Kurt Busch, who was trying to reclaim his lead.
The crash set off a 12-car melee involving numerous top contenders, including Logano, pole-sitter Alex Bowman, defending points champion Martin Truex Jr. and Ryan Newman.
NHL-SCHEDULE
There's a new leader in the NHL's Metropolitan Division following the Pittsburgh Penguins' 14th victory in their last 18 games.
The Pens moved one point ahead of Washington with a 5-2 win at Columbus. Riley Sheahan furnished the first and last goals while Pittsburgh was scoring three times in the first 11 ½ minutes.
Zach Aston-Reese made it 4-1 midway through the second period with his fourth goal in three games.
Jake Guentzel also scored and Tristan Jarry stopped 35 shots as the Penguins kept the Blue Jackets one point out of an Eastern Conference playoff berth.
Elsewhere on NHL ice:
Kyle Connor scored twice and Blake Wheeler set up three goals as the Jets clobbered the Panthers, 7-2 to move two points ahead of Nashville for the Central Division lead. Mark Scheifele broke a 2-2 deadlock late in the second period before Winnipeg tacked on four goals in the third. The Jets are 6-2-1 with one game remaining in their 10-game homestand.
Toronto's 3-2 win over Detroit leaves the Maple Leafs within four points of the Atlantic Division-leading Lightning. Auston Matthews' goal with 31 seconds left sent the Leafs to their sixth consecutive victory and 10th in their last 11 games. James van Riemsdyk and Mitch Marner scored 18 seconds apart in the first period for Toronto.
Travis Konecny snapped a 4-4 tie in the second period and also had two assists as the Flyers rolled to their fifth consecutive road win, 7-4 against the Rangers. Alex Lyon picked up his first NHL victory by stopping 25 of 26 shots in relief of Michal Neuvirth, who left the game after the first period with a lower-body injury. The matchup marked the 50th anniversary of the first game the Rangers played at the current Madison Square Garden, a 3-1 win over the Flyers.
Taylor Hall ran his point streak to 11 games by scoring at 4:38 of overtime to send the Devils to a 3-2 win at Carolina. Nico Hischier and Pavel Zacha also scored and Keith Kincaid stopped 40 shots as New Jersey stayed in a third-place tie with Philadelphia in the Metropolitan Division, four points behind Pittsburgh. Jeff Skinner tied the game with 1:18 left in regulation, allowing the Hurricanes to move into a tie with the Islanders for the final Eastern Conference playoff berth.
San Jose cruised to a 5-2 win over Dallas as Mikkel Boedker scored twice in the Sharks' four-goal first period. Joe Pavelski, Melker Karlsson and Justin Braun also scored and Martin Jones made 26 saves as the Sharks won for the fourth time in five games. The outcome leaves San Jose three points ahead of Anaheim for second in the Pacific Division and puts the Stars seven points off the Central Division lead.
The Oilers ended a six-game losing streak by riding Connor McDavid's third hat trick of the season to a 4-2 verdict over the Avalanche. McDavid has provided two hat tricks and 11 goals in his last nine games. Colorado ended a 10-game home winning streak despite the return of Nathan McKinnon from a left shoulder injury that cost him eight games.
NHL-NEWS
Devante Smith-Pelly says it wasn't anything he hadn't heard before, but the Capitals forward called it "disgusting."
Smith-Pelly was referring to racial taunts directed toward him while in the penalty box during Saturday's loss to the Blackhawks in Chicago. Four fans were quickly ejected by United Center security after they taunted Smith-Pelly with chants of "basketball, basketball, basketball"
One of the few blacks in the NHL, Smith-Pelly said, "You'd think there would be some sort of change or progression, but we're still working toward it, I guess, and we're going to keep working toward it."
In other NHL news:
Devils forward Miles Wood has received a two-game suspension from the NHL for a blindside hit on Tampa Bay forward Vladislav Namestnikov in Saturday's game. Wood was near the middle of the ice in the Tampa Bay zone and hardly broke stride in ramming Namestnikov face-first into the boards an instant after the Lighting player chipped the puck out of the zone.
MLB-NEWS
A person with direct knowledge of the deal says the San Diego Padres and free agent first baseman Eric Hosmer have reached preliminary agreement on an eight-year contract reportedly worth $144 million, pending a physical.
The 28-year-old, two-time Gold Glove winner spent his first seven major league seasons with Kansas City, hitting .284 with 127 home runs and 566 RBIs. Hosmer batted a career-high .318 last year, tied his career best with 25 home runs and drove in 94 runs.
In other baseball news:
The Boston Red Sox have re-signed infielder Eduardo Nunez to a one-year contract with a player option for 2019, giving them another proven second baseman to fill in while Dustin Pedroia (peh-DROY'-uh) recovers from knee surgery.
Indians manager Terry Francona has rejoined the team at spring training after the death of his father, former Cleveland player Tito Francona.
The Angels have signed veteran slugger Chris Carter to a minor league contract and gave longtime outfielder Chris Young a one-year package.
PGA-GENESIS OPEN
Bubba Watson has ended a two-year victory drought by earning his third triumph at Riviera.
He closed with a 2-under 69 for a two-stroke win against Kevin Na and Tony Finau. Watson seized control with two par putts and a bunker shot he holed for birdie on the par-3 14th hole.
It was Watson's first victory since Riviera in 2016 and puts him into the top 50, making him eligible for the World Golf Championship next weekend in Mexico. He also reached double digits in PGA titles.
PGA TOUR CHAMPIONS
Joe Durant closed with a 5-under 67 to take the PGA Tour Champions' Chubb Classic at Naples, Fla.
Durant's 19-under total was good for a four-stroke victory over Lee Janzen, Billy Mayfair, Steve Stricker, David Toms and Tim Petrovic.
The 53-year-old Durant closed with a 15-foot birdie on TwinEagles' Talon course. He earned $240,000 for his third victory on the 50-and-over tour after winning four PGA Tour titles.
John Daly was six strokes back.
