AP Sports

Update on the latest sports

NBA-SCHEDULE
Nuggets extend Nets’ skid
UNDATED (AP) – The Brooklyn Nets were considered among the favorites to win the NBA championship this year, but they are the owners of the league’s longest current losing streak.
The skid is now eight games after Nikola Jokic (nih-KOH’-lah YOH’-kihch) torched the Nets for a triple-double to lead the Nuggets to a 124-104 victory. Jokic had 27 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists, giving him a league-leading 14 triple-double. He scored 23 points in the second and third quarters when Denver went from trailing by seven to leading by 21.
Will Barton had 21 points and Aaron Gordon had 17 points and nine rebounds in his return from a two-game absence.
Kyrie Irving finished with 27 points and 11 assists, and Cam Thomas had 20 for Brooklyn.
The Nets continue to play without Kevin Durant and James Harden.
Brooklyn coach Steve Nash said before the game that Harden is not on the trading block.

Checking out Sunday’s other NBA action:
– Joel Embiid (joh-EHL’ ehm-BEED’) poured in 40 points and grabbed 10 rebounds for the 76ers in a 119-108 win over the Bulls. Tobias Harris added 23 points, and Tyrese Maxey had 16, helping the Sixers get within 1 1/2 games of the Eastern Conference-leading Heat. Chicago lost to Philadelphia for the 10th straight time despite DeMar DeRozan’s 45 points.

– Giannis Antetokounmpo (YAH’-nihs an-teh-toh-KOON’-poh) had 28 points, Jrue (jroo) Holiday added 27 and the Bucks pulled away in the second half to defeat the Clippers, 137-113. The Bucks had three players with double-doubles. Antetokounmpo pulled down 10 rebounds, Holiday had 13 assists and Bobby Portis 24 points and 11 rebounds. Milwaukee led 60-53 early in the third quarter before it went on a 19-3 run over a 2 1/2 minute span.

– Luka Doncic (DAHN’-chihch) recorded a triple-double and Jalen Brunson had 22 points in the Mavericks’ 103-94 win over the Hawks. Doncic finished with 18 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists after sitting almost the entire third quarter following his fifth foul less than a minute into the second half. The Mavericks never lost the lead with a patchwork lineup that looked similar to when the team was battling COVID-19 issues earlier in the season.

– Boston picked up its season-high fifth straight win as Jaylen Brown dropped in 26 points to send the Celtics past the Magic, 116-83. Dennis Schroder scored 23 points and hit four 3-pointers off the Celtics’ bench. Boston limited Orlando to 36% shooting from the floor and 5 of 25 from 3-point range.

– Brandon Ingram furnished 33 points and tied a career high with 12 assists in the Pelicans’ 120-107 verdict over the Rockets. Houston led by 5 at halftime but Ingram scored 17 points to power a 38-point third quarter by the Pelicans that gave them a 10-point lead. Jaxson Hayes added 21 points for the Pelicans.

– The Timberwolves earned a 118-105 win over the Pistons as Karl-Anthony Towns delivered 24 points and 12 rebounds. Michael Beasley had 20 points off the bench, and D’Angelo Russell returned with 22 points and eight assists after missing four games because of a left shin contusion. Beasley hit a pair of 3-pointers while Minnesota went on a 19-8 run to take the lead.

NBA-CAVALIERS/PACERS TRADE
Cavs get LeVert from Pacers
UNDATED (AP) – The Cleveland Cavaliers are about to pick up a veteran shooter as they try to chase down first place in the Eastern Conference.
The Cavaliers have a deal in place to acquire Caris LeVert from the Pacers. ESPN reported the Cavs are sending Ricky Rubio and his expiring $17 million contract, a lottery protected first-round pick in this year’s draft and two second-round picks for LeVert.
The Cavs are in need of backcourt help following season-ending injuries to Rubio and Collin Sexton. LeVert is averaging 18.7 points and 4.4 assists for the disappointing Pacers.

NFL-DOLPHINS-COACH
McDaniel first minority to be hired as head coach this winter
MIAMI (AP) – The Miami Dolphins hired San Francisco 49ers offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel as their head coach, making him the first minority candidate to get hired so far this offseason.
The biracial McDaniel replaces Brian Flores, who was fired despite posting winning records in the final two of his three seasons in Miami.
McDaniel had worked under 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan for the past 11 seasons and gets his first shot as a head coach after only one year as offensive coordinator.
Flores sued the NFL, the Dolphins and two other teams last week over alleged racist hiring practices for coaches and general managers, saying the league remains “rife with racism” even as it publicly condemns it.

NFL-PRO BOWL
AFC beats NFC
UNDATED (AP) – Justin Herbert hit Mark Andrews with two touchdown passes, leading the AFC to a 41-35 victory over the NFC in the return of the Pro Bowl.
Herbert won the offensive MVP award after passing for 98 yards and finding the Baltimore tight end for two TDs in the first half of the Los Angeles Chargers star’s first Pro Bowl appearance.
New England rookie Mac Jones passed for 112 yards and a touchdown pass in the game, which came back from a one-year hiatus caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
Maxx Crosby of the hometown Raiders won the defensive MVP award with two sacks and three tackles for loss.
Kyler Murray passed for 160 yards and three touchdowns for the NFC.
After playing in the Pro Bowl, Saints running back Alvin Kamara was arrested and accused of beating someone the night before in a Las Vegas nightclub.
Kamara had four catches for 23 yards for the NFC in the game. He was taken into custody and booked at the Clark County Detention Center on charges of battery resulting in substantial bodily harm.

T25 MEN’S BASKETBALL-SCHEDULE
Bynum, Providence win; Hoyas drop school-worst 11th straight
UNDATED (AP) – Sixth-ranked Houston extended its winning streak while staying unbeaten in the American Athletic Conference.
Fabian White Jr. scored 22 points and Jamal Shead had 17 points as the Cougars coasted past Cincinnati, 80-58.
Taze Moore scored 13 points and Reggie Chaney added 10 for Houston, which is 9-0 in the conference and hasn’t lost since Dec. 2.
Houston was dominant from the opening tip, which Moore converted into a two-handed dunk. The Cougars went 10 of 15 from the floor and 4 of 5 from 3-point range to start.
The other top-25 winners were No. 15 Providence and No. 16 Ohio State.
Jared Bynum scored a career-high 32 points and Providence won its seventh in a row by beating Georgetown, 71-52. The Friars improved to 20-2 overall and dealt the Hoyas their school-record 11th consecutive loss.
Ohio State cruised to an 82-67 win over Maryland behind E.J. Liddell’s 24 points and 11 boards. Justin Ahrens and Zed Key scored 14 points apiece for the Buckeyes, who shot 51% from the field and were 11 of 26 from 3-point range.

OLYMPICS
Shiffrin DQ’d in giant slalom
BEIJING (AP) – Mikaela Shiffrin’s Olympic schedule is off to a disappointing start.
The defending Olympic champion missed a gate early in the first run of the giant slalom at the Beijing Games and was disqualified from the event. Coming around a left-turn gate, she lost control, slid and fell on her side.
The 26-year-old Shiffrin was trying to become the first Alpine ski racer from the United States to win three Olympic golds across a career.
Her next race is the slalom on Wednesday.
Swedish skier Sara Hector capped a recent career resurgence in the best way possible, winning the gold medal in the event. It was her first individual victory at a major championship.

Also in Beijing:
– Arianna Fontana has burnished her legacy as short track’s most decorated skater with her second Olympic medal in Beijing. The 31-year-old Italian took the lead from Dutch world champion Suzanne Schulting late in the race and let out a yell as she crossed the line to earn her 10th career medal. Americans Kristen Santos and Maame Biney were eliminated earlier. Santos was penalized in her quarterfinal for a lane change that caused contact. Biney didn’t finish high enough in her race to move on to the semifinals.

– Ireen Wust has added to her haul as the most decorated speedskater in Olympic history with another gold. The 35-year-old Dutch skater won her second straight gold in the 1,500 meters, setting an Olympic record with a time of 1 minute, 53.28 seconds at the Ice Ribbon oval in Beijing.

– Beat Feuz finally has the one major victory that had been missing from his overflowing collection of downhill achievements: Olympic gold. The diminutive Swiss skier mastered a tricky course that had never been raced before by the world’s best and finished a slim 0.10 seconds ahead of 41-year-old Johan Clarey of France.

– Canadian snowboarder Max Parrot took home the Olympic gold medal in men’s slopestyle just over three years removed from being diagnosed with cancer. Parrot scored a 90.96 to hold off Su Yiming of China and Mark McMorris of Canada. American Red Gerard was fourth.

– Kamila Valieva became the first woman to land a quad in the Olympics – two of them, in fact – and her historic free skate put a stamp on Russia’s dominant run to the gold medal in the team figure skating event. The U.S. took the silver medal after back-to-back bronze, while Japan won its first team medal with bronze. The American ice dance team of Madison Chock and Evan Bates delivered the best free skate of their career.

– Ren Ziwei of China survived a controversial finish to win the men’s 1,000 meters in short track speedskating. Liu Shaolin Sandor of Hungary crossed the line first Monday, but was penalized twice and earned a yellow card. That elevated Ren, who crossed second, to the gold medal. Li Wenlong of China earned silver. Liu Shaoang of Hungary took bronze.

– Denise Herrmann missed only one of 20 shots and skied fast to win Olympic gold in the women’s 15-kilometer individual biathlon.

– Casey Dawson is finally on his way to the Olympics. The U.S. speedskater tested positive for COVID-19 three weeks ago and had struggled to get the necessary clearance to travel to Beijing. He had to produce four consecutive negative tests, and also dealt with issues over testing centers in Utah that had to be approved by the Chinese consulate. But Dawson finally resolved those matters and was on a flight to Beijing, according to a tweet from U.S. Speedskating. Dawson missed the 5,000 meters, and his late arrival will likely keep him out of Tuesday’s 1,500 meters.

– American figure skater Vincent Zhou has tested positive as part of regular COVID-19 screening at the Beijing Olympics, one day after struggling through a poor free skate for the eventual team silver medalists. Zhou is undergoing additional testing Monday to confirm his status. If the results are negative, he will be allowed to compete in the individual competition, which begins with the men’s short program on Tuesday.

– More details have emerged about a delay to an Olympic women’s hockey game between Russia and Canada. Canada initially declined to leave the locker room because COVID-19 tests taken earlier in the day by the Russian athletes had not yet been processed. The International Ice Hockey Federation eventually reached a compromise to have players from both teams wear masks, a first at the Beijing Olympics. The Russian players eventually were allowed to remove their masks at the start of the third period after the test results showed no one was positive. The Canadians kept their masks on and won 6-1 to improve to 3-0 for the tournament.

– Chinese tennis player Peng Shuai has told a French newspaper in an interview published Monday that international concern over her well-being is based on “an enormous misunderstanding.” She denied having accused the Chinese official of sexual assault. The newspaper said it had to submit questions in advance and that a Chinese Olympic committee official sat in on the discussion and translated her comments from Chinese. Peng briefly disappeared from public view in November after she accused a Chinese official of sexual assault on her verified Weibo social media.

PGA-PEBBLE BEACH
Hoge gets first PGA win
PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. (AP) – Tom Hoge has captured the Pebble Beach Pro-Am, his first victory in 203 career PGA starts.
Hoge took the lead with a birdie on 17 and closed with a 4-under 68 for a 19 under total, two strokes ahead of Jordan Spieth (speeth). Beau Hossler was three off the lead.
Spieth was among seven players who owned at least a share of the lead on Sunday. looked like a winner when he birdied the 12th and 13th holes, and he reached the 15th tee with a two-shot lead. Hoge surged ahead when Spieth bogeyed 17.

NHL-DEVILS-HUGHES
Hughes on COVID-19 protocol list
UNDATED (AP) – New Jersey Devils center Jack Hughes has been placed on the NHL’s COVID-19 protocol list after participating in the league’s All-Star festivities in Las Vegas.
Hughes was the youngest player in Saturday’s midwinter showcase, scoring three times in helping the Metropolitan Division win the tournament. The 20-year-old Hughes has 12 goals and 15 assists in 28 games this season.

NASCAR-CLASH
Logano wins at LA Coliseum
LOS ANGELES (AP) – Joey Logano won the exhibition Busch Light Clash on a temporary quarter-mile track built inside Memorial Coliseum.
NASCAR moved the Clash to Los Angeles from Daytona International Speedway, its only home since its 1979 inception. The relocation was part of a focused effort to break from its dated traditions via innovative big ideas.