Heat defeat Spurs minus James, Wade
NBA: Often the forgotten member of Miami’s “Big Three,” Chris Bosh stepped up with LeBron James and Dwyane Wade sitting out to get the Heat a big win and move closer to securing home-court advantage throughout the NBA playoffs.
Bosh scored 23 points, including the winning 3-pointer with 1.9 seconds remaining, and the Heat beat host San Antonio 88-86 on Sunday night with James, Wade and Mario Chalmers watching from the locker room as they sat out with injuries.
Miami beat San Antonio 105-100 on Nov. 29 when the Spurs opted to rest Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili and Danny Green.
All but Ginobili (strained right hamstring) played Sunday.
The game was similar to their first meeting this season, when the Spurs’ reserves nearly toppled the Heat. This time the reserves prevailed, however.
James strained his right hamstring in the first half of the 108-89 victory against the Hornets, according to the Heat. He continued to play despite the injury, however, scoring 36 points in 32 minutes prior to sitting out late in the blowout victory.
Wade injured his right ankle in Miami’s 101-97 loss to the Chicago Bulls on Wednesday night, which snapped the Heat’s 27-game winning streak. Wade had 17 points and nine assists in 33 minutes Friday against New Orleans.
The three did not join their teammates on the bench, choosing to stay in the locker room to watch the game.
• In other games: Carmelo Anthony had 24 points and 10 rebounds, and the Knicks extended their winning streak to eight games and moved closer to ending Boston’s hold on the Atlantic Division title with a 108-89 victory over the Celtics in New York. … Luol Deng scored 28 points, Jimmy Butler and Nate Robinson each added 16, and the host Chicago Bulls beat the Detroit Pistons for the 18th straight time. … Greivis Vasquez scored 25 points and Ryan Anderson added 23 to lead the host New Orleans Hornets to a 112-92 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers. … Bradley Beal scored 24 points in leading the host Washington Wizards past the Toronto Raptors 109-92.
Flyers snatch victory from Caps in OT
NHL: Ruslan Fedotenko scored 1:34 into overtime after Kimmo Timonen got the tying goal with 9.5 seconds left in regulation and the host Philadelphia Flyers beat the Washington Capitals 5-4.
• In other games: Brandon Saad had two goals and an assist and Dave Bolland scored twice in the Chicago Blackhawks’ 7-1 win over the host Detroit Red Wings. … Mark Letestu set up the only goal in regulation and scored the game-winner in overtime to lead the host Columbus Blue Jackets over the Anaheim Ducks 2-1. … Brad Richardson and Justin Williams scored third-period goals just over a minute apart to help lift the visiting Los Angeles Kings past the Dallas Stars. … David Krejci and Nathan Horton scored goals less than 3 minutes apart in the third period, and Anton Khudobin stopped 26 shots in leading the Boston Bruins over the host Buffalo Sabres.
On brink of defeat, Murray rallies to win
Tennis: Andy Murray erased a championship point and rallied past David Ferrer 2-6, 6-4, 7-6 (1) in a grueling final at the Sony Open at Key Biscayne, Fla. One point from defeat in the last set, Murray skipped a forehand off the baseline to stay in the match. He then dominated the tiebreaker, while Ferrer appeared to cramp and collapsed to the court after one long point.
Quinnipiac, St. Cloud reach Frozen Four
College hockey: Pittsburgh will host the Frozen Four for the first time next month. And in a season of firsts, three of four teams will be headed to the national hockey showcase for the first time.
UMass Lowell (28-10-2), Saint Cloud State (25-15-1) and Quinnipiac (29-7-5) all clinched berths in the national semifinals for the first time this weekend. And the fourth member, Yale (20-12-3), hasn’t been this far since 1952.
Matthew Peca recorded the fastest hat trick in NCAA tournament history, scoring three goals in a 3:12 span of the first period, leading top-seeded Quinnipiac (27-7-5) to a 5-1 victory over Union (22-13-5) on Sunday in the East Regional final in Providence, R.I. The Bobcats will face Saint Cloud State on April 11 in one of the two national semifinals.
In Toledo, Ohio, Saint Cloud State (25-15-1) earned its first Frozen Four berth with a 4-1 win over Miami of Ohio (25-12-5) in the Midwest Regional title game.
Massachusetts-Lowell and Yale won on Saturday to qualify for the Frozen Four and will meet in the other semifinal.
Weber captures TOC for 10th PBA major
Bowling: Pete Weber tied Earl Anthony by winning his 10th major Professional Bowlers Association title with a 224-179 win over Australian Jason Belmonte in the Tournament of Champions at Indianapolis.
Weber also became the first bowler to finish the PBA triple crown a second time by adding his second Tournament of Champions to his two World Championships titles and five U.S. Opens.
His win Sunday was his 37th, tying him for third place on the PBA list with Norm Duke, behind Walter Ray Williams Jr., who has 47, and Anthony with 43.
Kentucky basketball player transferring
Miscellany: Kentucky coach John Calipari says sophomore point guard Ryan Harrow is transferring to Georgia State. Calipari says he supports Harrow’s decision to be closer to his family in Atlanta. Calipari says the health of Harrow’s father played a role in the decision. Harrow averaged 9.9 points in 29 games, including 24 starts, for Kentucky last season.
• Bolt sprints to win: Usain Bolt opened his season with a 150-meter win on a track set up at Copacabana beach in Rio de Janeiro. He won in 14.42 seconds.
• Oxford rows to victory: Oxford won the annual university Boat Race, beating defending champion Cambridge by 11/2 lengths to reverse last year’s results. With an estimated 250,000 people lining the banks of the River Thames in freezing conditions, the heavier Oxford crew featuring two Olympians from the 2012 London Games never trailed on the 4 1/4-mile course. It cut Cambridge’s overall lead to 81-77 in one of England’s oldest and most prestigious sporting events.