Stuckey scores 38 to lead Pistons to victory
Rodney Stuckey knew he wasn’t going to get much help.
He didn’t need it.
Stuckey, a former star at Eastern Washington University, scored 13 of his 38 points in the fourth quarter, and the undermanned Detroit Pistons won their sixth straight game with a 98-92 victory over the Sacramento Kings on Friday night at Auburn Hills, Mich.
“I knew going in that I was going to have to play a lot of minutes and score a lot of points,” Stuckey said. “We had an advantage at the point guard spot tonight, and I was going to try to take advantage of it.”
The Pistons were missing Richard Hamilton (groin), Rasheed Wallace (foot) and Antonio McDyess (ribs).
•Carter drains buzzer-beater: Vince Carter hit a long 3-pointer at the buzzer in overtime and the New Jersey Nets rallied from a 20-point halftime deficit to beat Atlanta 93-91 at East Rutherford, N.J.
•Anthony hits clutch shot for win: Carmelo Anthony’s 3-pointer from the corner with 0.1 seconds left capped a 31-point outing and lifted the Denver Nuggets past the Thunder, 122-120 in Oklahoma City.
•Jack hits winner: Jarrett Jack made a jumper with 0.9 seconds left and scored a season-high 29 points as the Indiana Pacers posted a 105-103 victory over the Knicks in New York.
NFL
Broncos search for coach
Pat Bowlen’s search for Mike Shanahan’s successor begins today with a trip to the East Coast.
Bowlen and chief operating officer Joe Ellis will meet in New York with Steve Spagnuolo, who has been the Giants’ defensive coordinator the past two seasons.
Then it’s on to Boston, where the Broncos’ brass will interview Patriots assistant Josh McDaniels.
Tampa Bay assistant coach Raheem Morris is the first candidate who will travel to Denver for his shot at the job. He’ll interview on Wednesday.
High atop the wish list is believed to be Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops, who is preparing his second-ranked Sooners to face No. 1 Florida in the BCS championship game in Miami on Thursday.
Another intriguing possibility is Dallas offensive coordinator Jason Garrett. Denver plans to interview Garrett at some point next week.
•Jets interview for coaching vacancy: The New York Jets met with assistants Bill Callahan and Brian Schottenheimer for the team’s coaching vacancy, kicking off the first round of interviews as they seek to find a replacement for the fired Eric Mangini.
Giants defensive coordinator Spagnuolo will interview with the Jets today.
•Browns interview two for coaching vacancy: New England offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels and Browns defensive coordinator Mel Tucker interviewed with owner Randy Lerner about Cleveland’s coaching vacancy.
•Vikings get extension to fill seats: The NFL has given the Minnesota Vikings one last chance to sell out the Metrodome for Sunday’s playoff game against Philadelphia. The Vikings have until 1:30 p.m. PST today to sell the remaining 3,100 tickets to avoid a television blackout in local markets.
•Eagles’ Samuel questionable: Eagles Pro Bowl cornerback Asante Samuel was held out of practice with a hip injury and is listed as questionable for the divisional playoff game against Minnesota.
Minnesota defensive end Ray Edwards will miss the game with a knee injury, but the Vikings hope defensive tackle Pat Williams will return after missing two games with a fractured shoulder.
MLB
Jones will leave Dodgers
The Los Angeles Dodgers have agreed to trade or release center fielder Andruw Jones in exchange for his deferring much of the $22 million remaining on his contract.
The deal is expected to shave $12 million from the Dodgers’ 2009 payroll and cut Jones’ salary next season to about $5 million. If the Dodgers cannot trade him, even at that discounted salary, Jones can ask for his release before spring training.
•Diamondbacks sign Clark: First baseman Tony Clark agreed to an $800,000, one-year contract with the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Miscellany
Wild’s Gaborik out
Minnesota Wild star Marian Gaborik will have surgery on his injured left hip Monday and is expected to be out for about 10 weeks.
The last original member of the Wild has missed 30 of 36 games this season.
•Kiffin adds to Tennessee staff: New Orleans Saints assistant and former Mississippi coach Ed Orgeron is returning to the Southeastern Conference as part of Tennessee coach Lane Kiffin’s staff.
•Two college players arrested for rape: Two Santa Ana College football players and a friend have been charged with raping and assaulting an 18-year-old woman while she lay unconscious in an Orange County hotel room.
Freshman running back Michael Clemmons, 19, and sophomore wide receiver Luster Lewis, 20, were arrested after a video the players made of the assault was found.