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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Nuggets end three-game losing skid

Former Eastern Washington standout Rodney Stuckey (3) of Detroit scored 17 points in loss at Denver. (Associated Press)
From Staff And Wire Reports

NBA: Andre Iguodala scored six of his 17 points over the final 3 minutes to help the Denver Nuggets hold off the Detroit Pistons 109-97 and snap a three-game skid on Tuesday night.

The Nuggets broke out their new canary yellow uniforms for their home opener and played pretty snazzy, especially late in the third quarter when they began opening up a 17-point lead.

The Pistons rallied late, before Iguodala closed the door with two baskets and a pair of free throws. Iguodala also finished with 10 rebounds.

Greg Monroe scored 27 points for the Pistons, who dropped their fourth straight. Detroit and Washington (0-2) are the only winless teams left in the NBA this season.

Deng leads Bulls: Luol Deng scored 15 of his 23 points in the second half to lead the Chicago Bulls to a 99-93 win over visiting Orlando, the Magic’s first loss of the season.

Deng and Nate Robinson keyed a 15-2 second-half burst when Chicago turned a five-point deficit into an eight-point lead. Robinson hit two straight jumpers to put Chicago ahead 74-70 early in the fourth, the Bulls’ first lead since midway through the third period.

Thunder rout Raptors: Russell Westbrook shrugged off a sore shoulder to score 19 points and the Oklahoma City Thunder cruised past the visiting Toronto Raptors 108-88.

Wearing a black padded sleeve to protect his bruised left shoulder, Westbrook held Toronto’s leading scorer, Kyle Lowry, to two points on 1-of-4 shooting.

Hornets coach fined: New Orleans Hornets coach Monty Williams was fined $25,000 by the NBA for public comments criticizing the league’s concussion policy.

Williams made the comments Saturday night in Chicago before the Hornets faced the Bulls with first overall draft pick Anthony Davis sidelined by a mild concussion.

Williams blasted the NBA’s protocols for determining when a player can return from a concussion, saying, “Now, they treat everybody like they have white gloves and pink drawers and it’s getting old. It’s just the way the league is now.”

Marion sidelined: Dallas Mavericks forward Shawn Marion will miss at least three games with a sprained left knee ligament.

Bobcats’ Henderson injured: The Charlotte Bobcats announced starting guard Gerald Henderson could miss approximately 2-4 weeks with a sprained left foot he suffered Saturday against Dallas.

NHL negotiations go late, resume today

NHL: Negotiations between the NHL and the locked-out players’ association lasted deep into Tuesday night, and went well enough that the sides agreed to return to the bargaining table for more talks today. Both sides kept details close to the vest after the meeting that lasted more than seven hours. That also could be taken as an optimistic sign that the second round of talks in four days went well.

The marathon session – on Day 52 of the lockout – was held at an undisclosed location in New York, at request of the NHL, in order for the sides to be able to talk without any potential distractions.

“Collective bargaining negotiations between the National Hockey League and representatives of the National Hockey League’s Players’ Association recessed tonight at 10:15 p.m.,” NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly said in a statement. “With meetings scheduled to resume Wednesday, the league will not characterize the substance or detail of the discussions until their conclusion.”

Not only were Daly and union special counsel Steve Fehr there, as they were for a long session by themselves Saturday. They were joined by Commissioner Gary Bettman, NHLPA executive director Donald Fehr, a handful of team owners, and 13 players, including Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby.

Ball State upsets No. 23 Toledo

College football: Jahwan Edwards scored untouched on a 15-yard run around left end with 1:43 left to propel visiting Ball State (7-3, 4-2 Mid-American Conference) to a 34-27 victory over No. 23 Toledo, ending the Rockets’ eight-game winning streak.

Edwards’ run capped an 86-yard drive after Ball State’s beleaguered defense had stopped the Rockets (8-2, 5-1) a yard short on David Fluellen’s run on fourth-and-2 at the Cardinals 15.

Injury sidelines Huskies’ Kemp Jr.

College basketball: Washington forward Shawn Kemp Jr. is expected to be sidelined six to eight weeks after tearing the patella tendon in his right knee.

Huskies coach Lorenzo Romar said that Kemp, the son of the former NBA player, doesn’t need surgery and should be back in time for the Pacific-12 opener Jan. 5 against Washington State.