NBA
The Boston Celtics have a three-game winning streak and a 5-2 record after beating the Detroit Pistons for the second time in four days.
Kyrie Irving poured in a season-high 31 points and Jayson Tatum added 16 as the Celtics escaped with a 108-105 victory over the visiting Pistons.
Marcus Morris added 15 points and nine rebounds for the Celts, who trailed 58-56 before outscoring Detroit 25-13 in the third quarter.
Blake Griffin had 24 points and 15 rebounds for Detroit, which couldn't recover after scoring just 13 points on 4 of 17 shooting in the third quarter.
The Pistons have dropped two straight since a 4-0 start.
Checking out the rest of Tuesday's NBA action:
Kawhi Leonard dropped in 31 points and the Raptors bounced back from their only loss of the season to hammer the 76ers, 129-112. Pascal Siakam had 15 points and a career-high 15 rebounds in the Raptors' 12th straight win over Philadelphia in Toronto.
Damian Lillard and Jusuf Nurkic scored 22 points each while the Trail Blazers rolled to a 104-85 trouncing of the struggling Rockets. The Rockets are 1-5 after dropping their fourth in a row, the last two without injured All-Star and reigning MVP James Harden.
The Cavaliers won their first game under interim coach Larry Drew as Rodney Hood poured in a season-high 26 points and Cedi Osman added 20 in a 136-144 rout of the Hawks. George Hill and rookie Collin Sexton scored 17 apiece for Cleveland, which began the season 0-6 before firing coach Tyronn Lue on Sunday.
Russell Westbrook contributed 32 points and had another run-in with Patrick Beverley in the Thunder's 128-110 victory over the Clippers. Paul George also had 32 points, Steven Adams had 18 and Dennis Schroder added 15 in Oklahoma City's second straight win since an 0-4 start.
Charlotte earned a 125-113 win over the Heat behind Tony Parker's 24 points and 11 assists. Malik Monk had 20 points on 7-of-10 shooting for the Hornets, whose reserves outscored Miami's, 66-46.
The Grizzlies are 3-0 at home after a balanced attack led a 107-95 win against the Wizards. Garrett Temple finished with 20 points, while Marc Gasol and Mike Conley each had 19 as Memphis dealt Washington its fourth straight loss.
Buddy Hield delivered 25 points and 11 rebounds in the Kings' fourth straight win, 107-99 against the Magic. Nemanja Bjelica finished with 21 points for Sacramento, while Willie Cauley-Stein added 14 with 11 rebounds.
Wednesday on the court:
Detroit goes against the Brooklyn Nets at 7:30 p.m.
The New York Knicks host Indiana at 8 p.m.
Cleveland to get 2022 ASG as coaching, injury issues swirl:
A person familiar with the decision says the Cleveland Cavaliers have been selected by the NBA to host the 2022 All-Star Game at Quicken Loans Arena, which is receiving a massive renovation. Cleveland last hosted the event in 1997, when the league honored its Top 50 players.
The official announcement is expected later this week.
Crain's Cleveland Business first reported the Cavs' selection.
That's the good basketball news in Cleveland, but there are a couple of downers.
Interim coach Larry Drew says he's "very disappointed" the Cavs have not yet restructured his contract. Drew has been asked to fill in as head coach on an interim basis since Tyronn Lue was fired on Sunday.
Meanwhile, the Cavaliers will be without All-Star forward Kevin Love for a significant amount of time with a toe injury that has bothered him since preseason. He's making only 32 percent of his shots while averaging 19.0 points and 13.5 rebounds.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL
Alabama, Clemson, LSU and Notre Dame are the top four teams in the first College Football Playoff rankings of the season, matching the order in the current Associated Press football poll.
That's a good sign for those programs, since the top four selections in the last four initial rankings made it to the playoff. Georgia, Alabama and Clemson started in the top four and finished there last year
Michigan is fifth, followed by Georgia and Oklahoma.
School inquiry sides with Durkin:
Maryland football coach DJ Durkin is being allowed to go back to the sideline.
The University System of Maryland board of regents has recommended that Durkin retain his job. That opens the door for him to return to the team as soon as this Saturday against Michigan State.
Board chairman Jim Brady said the consensus was that Durkin was unfairly blamed for the dysfunction in the athletic department.
Durkin has been on paid administrative leave since Aug. 11, following the death of a player who collapsed during practice and an investigation of bullying by the Maryland coaching staff.
The Terrapins are 5-3 under offensive coordinator and interim coach Matt Canada, tying their best eight-game start since 2014.
MLB
Seven-time All-Star Chris Sale will be back to help the Boston Red Sox try to defend their World Series championship.
The Red Sox have exercised their 2019 option on the left-hander, who will earn $15 in the final season of the five-year contract he signed with the White Sox. He can become an unrestricted free agent in 2020.
The 29-year-old started Game 1 of the World Series and closed out the Fall Classic with three strikeouts in the ninth inning of Boston's 5-1 win over the Dodgers in Los Angeles. Sale was 12-4 with a 2.11 ERA and 237 strikeouts in 27 regular-season starts, missing time with shoulder issues following the All-Star break.
Meanwhile Boston as the city hosts a parade to honor the Red Sox on their World Series championship. The parade Wednesday is scheduled to begin outside Fenway Park at 11 a.m. when players, coaches and team officials climb aboard amphibious duck boats. It will wind through several major downtown streets with hundreds of thousands of fans expected on hand.
In other MLB news:
Brewers’ third baseman Mike Moustakas and reliever Joakim Soria have elected to become free agents after joining the NL Central champions before the August trade deadline. The left-handed hitting Moustakas had a .251 average with 28 homers and 95 RBIs time split with the Royals and Brewers. Soria was 3-1 with a 4.09 ERA in 26 games with the Brewers after being acquired from the White Sox.
The Mariners have declined outfielder Denard Span's $12 million contract option for next year in favor of a $4 million buyout. Span hit .272 with 15 doubles, seven home runs and 30 RBIs in 94 games with the Mariners this year. Seattle also announced that Edgar Martinez is stepping down as the team's hitting coach to take on a new role as a hitting adviser for the entire organization.
J.T. Realmuto could be the next Marlins veteran to leave the organization. His agent says the catcher has informed the team he won't sign a long-term contract, increasing the likelihood the team will trade yet another All-Star.
Jason Hammel's $12 million mutual option has been declined by the Royals, who will pay the 36-year-old right-hander a $2 million buyout. Hammel set a career-high for losses, going 4-14 with a 6.02 ERA in 18 starts and 21 relief appearances.
The Rockies have declined their $12.5 million option on outfielder Gerardo Parra, who batted .284 with six home runs and 53 RBIs this season. He will receive a $1.5 million buyout.
The Indians have picked up their $9.75 million contract option on starter Carlos Carrasco for next season. Carrasco has won 35 games over the past two years.
The Twins have declined 2019 options on contracts with starting pitcher Ervin Santana and designated hitter/first baseman Logan Morrison. Santana's contract is for $14 million and Morrison's for $8 million.
Boston's five-game World Series victory over the Dodgers averaged 14,125,000 viewers on Fox. That's down 25 percent from last year and the fourth-lowest ever.
NFL
Demariyus Thomas will be playing in Sunday's Broncos-Texans game at Denver, but he'll be on the visiting sideline.
Houston has acquired the five-time Pro Bowl selection from the Broncos for a fourth-round pick in the 2019 draft and a swap of seventh-round selections. Broncos’ general manager John Elway says the rise of Courtland Sutton, DaeSean Hamilton and Tim Patrick made it easier to make the deal.
Thomas has 36 receptions for 402 yards and three touchdowns this season, giving him 665 catches for 9,055 yards and 60 TDs in 125 regular-season games since breaking into the NFL in 2010. He's averaging a career-low 11.2 yards per catch this year but is tied for the team lead in scoring receptions.
Also in the NFL:
The Eagles have acquired wide receiver Golden Tate from the Lions for a 2019 third-round draft pick. Tate joins Alshon Jeffery, Nelson Agholor and Jordan Matthews on Philadelphia's depth chart after grabbing 44 passes for 517 yards and three touchdowns this season.
The Packers have traded running back and kick returner Ty Montgomery to the Ravens for a seventh-round selection in next year's draft. Green Bay also traded starting safety Ha Ha Clinton-Dix to the Redskins for a 2019 fourth-round draft pick.
Dante Fowler has been traded by the Jaguars to the Rams, giving the NFL's only unbeaten team another pass-rusher to go with Aaron Donald, Ndamukong Suh and Michael Brockers. The Jaguars received a third-round draft pick in 2019 and a fifth-rounder in 2020.
The NFL has given Seahawks linebacker Mychal Kendricks an eight-game suspension for his role in an insider trading scheme. Kendricks faces 25 years in prison following his guilty plea in September to securities fraud and conspiracy to commit securities fraud.
Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger is dealing with a broken index finger on his left hand. It's not expected to be an issue for Roethlisberger when the AFC North-leading Steelers travel to Baltimore.
San Francisco quarterback C.J. Beathard has an injured right wrist that could keep him out of this week's game against the Oakland Raiders. Beathard got hurt in the second quarter of a loss at Arizona when he hit his hand on a helmet.
Raiders’ cornerback Dominque Rodgers-Cromartie has abruptly retired, two days after not playing a single snap on defense for the second time this season. The two-time Pro Bowl selection was the 16th player taken in the 2008 draft and played for five NFL teams.
The NFL says it will play four regular-season games in London next year, two at Wembley Stadium and two at the new stadium being built for Premier League team Tottenham. The NFL did not say which teams would be making the trip, or when the games will be played.
NHL
The New York Islanders are a surprising two games over .500 at 6-4-1 after completing a perfect three-game road trip.
Jordan Eberle scored twice while the Isles were netting three goals in the second period of a 6-3 win at Pittsburgh. Brock Nelson notched his team-high sixth goal and Matt Martin added a goal and an assist for the Isles, who outscored their opponents 14-5 on the road trip.
Sidney Crosby had a goal and an assist in the Penguins' first game since sweeping a four-game Canadian road trip by a combined 23-6 margin.
The Pens held a ceremony to honor the victims of Saturday's synagogue shooting in the Pittsburgh neighborhood of Squirrel Hill. Penguins’ players wore a special "Stronger than hate" patch, which incorporated the team logo and Star of David, and the Islanders wore a similar decal on their helmets.
Elsewhere on NHL ice:
Brayden Point had a career-high five points with a goal and four assists in the Lightning's 8-3 thrashing of the Devils. Nikita Kucherov and defenseman Braydon Coburn each scored twice for the 9-3 the Lightning, while Steven Stamkos got his 350th career goal and added two assists.
Brad Marchand provided the tying and winning goals for the Bruins in a 3-2 victory at Carolina. David Pastrnak also scored and Patrice Bergeron had three assists for Boston, which is 11-0-5 in its last 16 meetings with the Hurricanes.
Ryan Hartman scored twice in a 57-second span of the second period to push the Predators past the Golden Knights, 4-1. Calle Jarnkrok and Viktor Arvidsson also scored and Juuse Saros turned back 23 shots as Nashville improved to 9-3-0.
Tyler Bertuzzi scored the go-ahead goal late in the third period of the Red Wings' 5-3 verdict over the Blue Jackets. Dylan Larkin tallied twice to help Detroit win its second straight after dropping nine of its first 11.
The Flames came away with a 2-1 win over the Sabres on Johnny Gaudreau's goal 2:40 into overtime. Jack Eichel scored late in the first period, and Buffalo maintained the lead until Matthew Tkachuk beat Carter Hutton with 56 seconds left in regulation.
The Wild erased a trio of one-goal deficits before Mikael Granlund scored a power-play goal with 5:48 remaining in Minnesota's 4-3 triumph over the Oilers. Zach Parise and Eric Staal also had goals with the man advantage as the Wild stayed two points behind the Western Conference-leading Predators.
Devin Shore had a short-handed goal and two assists to support Ben Bishop's 34-save performance in the Stars' 4-1 victory at Montreal. Esa Lindell and Miro Heiskanen also scored, and Alexander Radulov added an empty-netter to help Dallas get its first road win.
Kevin Shattenkirk netted the lone shootout goal and Henrik Lundqvist made 31 saves to help the Rangers complete a season sweep of San Jose, 4-3. Chris Kreider scored twice in the third period against the Sharks, who tied it on Tomas Hertl's goal with 1.3 seconds left in regulation.
The Flyers stopped a three-game skid by getting a goal from Nolan Patrick with 1:51 left in a 3-2 decision over the Ducks. Patrick allowed Philadelphia to get its first regulation win over Anaheim since 2008, 21 seconds after Pontus Aberg tied it for the Ducks.
Derek Stepan notched a short-handed goal from his own blue line while the Coyotes scored three times in the first period of a 5-1 rout of the Senators. Alex Galchenyuk notched his first goal with Arizona and had an assist on Oliver Ekman Larsson's power-play goal in the third period.
On the ice Wednesday:
The Chicago Blackhawks take on Vancouver at 10 p.m.
© 2018 Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.
