Thunder rally to victory over Mavericks
NBA: Russell Westbrook scored 24 points, Kevin Durant added 22 and the Oklahoma City Thunder scored the final eight points to escape with a 95-91 victory over the Dallas Mavericks at Oklahoma City, and run their home winning streak to 13 games.
Westbrook answered Dirk Nowitzki’s fourth 3-pointer of the final period by hitting one of his own from the right wing to get Oklahoma City within 91-90 with 2:25 remaining, and Dallas didn’t score again.
• Thompson big in Golden State victory: Monta Ellis scored 25 points and Klay Thompson (Washington State) added 18 to lead the Golden State Warriors in a 120-100 rout of the Wizards at Washington.
Notre Dame, UConn advance to final
Women’s Basketball: Natalie Novosel scored 18 points and Kayla McBride added 15 to help third-ranked Notre Dame beat No. 25 West Virginia 73-45 in the semifinals of the Big East tournament at Hartford, Conn. Notre Dame will play No. 4 Connecticut in today’s championship game after the Huskies routed No. 13 St. John’s 74-43.
Penguins stay hot, win sixth straight
NHL: Zybnek Michalek and Chris Kunitz scored 3 minutes apart in the first period, and Marc-Andre Fleury made 36 saves as the Penguins beat the Phoenix Coyotes 2-1 in Pittsburgh, for their sixth straight victory.
Saints owner backing GM, head coach
NFL: New Orleans Saints owner Tom Benson isn’t backing off his support of his general manager, Mickey Loomis, and coach, Sean Payton, even as his team is accused by the NFL of maintaining a bounty program to injure opponents.
“The bond between Sean and Mickey and Mr. Benson could not be stronger,” a team official told The Associated Press.
• Johnson signs extension with Bills: Buffalo Bills wide receiver Stevie Johnson has signed a contract extension. Terms were not disclosed.
Johnson 25, led the team with 76 receptions last season.
• Colts, Mathis come to terms: The Indianapolis Colts have agreed to terms on a new contract with Pro Bowl defensive end Robert Mathis. Details of the deal were not immediately available.
Dykstra sentenced to three years in prison
Baseball: Disgraced ex-New York Mets outfielder Lenny Dykstra was sentenced to three years in a California state prison after pleading no contest to grand theft auto and providing a false financial statement.
A Los Angeles County superior court judge Cynthia Ulfig sentenced Dykstra after refusing to allow him to withdraw his plea and said the scam to lease high-end automobiles from dealerships by providing fraudulent information and claiming credit through a phony business showed sophistication and extensive planning.
Dykstra, 49, has had a series of recent legal troubles and the prison sentence is part of a post-career downward spiral for the stocky slugger.
Japan upends U.S. women in rematch
Miscellany: Megumi Takase scored on a 6-yard header off Aya Miyama’s corner kick in the 84th minute to give the world champions a 1-0 soccer victory over the United States at Faro, Portugal, in a rematch of last year’s World Cup title game.
The Japanese advanced to a matchup against Germany in the Algarve Cup final.
• Petit leads Iditarod: Nicolas Petit from Girdwood, Alaska, is the early leader in the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race.
The 32-year-old Petit was the first musher to reach the Finger Lake checkpoint, pulling in just before 5 a.m. Monday. The checkpoint is about 100 miles into the race.
The nearly thousand-mile sled dog race began Sunday for 66 mushers and their dog teams.