Rivers returns as Clippers down Celtics
NBA: Jamal Crawford hit a pair of 3-pointers 23 seconds apart to help the Clippers pull away in the last 3 minutes and former Celtics coach Doc Rivers won his first game back in Boston when Los Angeles beat the Celtics 96-88 Wednesday night.
Crawford came off the bench to score 21 points and Chris Paul had 22 points, nine assists and seven rebounds. Blake Griffin scored 18 points for the Clippers, who won for the seventh time in 10 games.
Jeff Green scored 29 points against his former coach, who was traded to Los Angeles last summer for a first-round draft pick.
• Thunder roll past Grizzlies: Russell Westbrook scored 27 points and Kevin Durant added 18 to lead Oklahoma City over host Memphis 116-100.
• Pelicans sneak past Pistons: Ryan Anderson hit two clutch 3-pointers in overtime that carried New Orleans past Detroit 111-106 in New Orleans.
• Bobcats make moves: The Bobcats signed Chris Douglas-Roberts from the D-League’s Texas Legends and waived forward James Southerland. The Bobcats are dealing with injuries to small forwards Michael Kidd-Gilchrist and Jeffery Taylor.
SEC honors Auburn’s Malzahn, Mason
College Football: Southeastern Conference coaches have voted Auburn’s Gus Malzahn coach of the year, and picked his star tailback Tre Mason as the top offensive player. Alabama linebacker C.J. Mosley and Missouri defensive end Michael Sam are co-defensive players of the year.
• Winston, Cutcliffe feted by ACC: The Atlantic Coast Conference’s coaches have selected Florida State quarterback Jameis Winston as the league’s player of the year and Duke’s David Cutcliffe as the coach of the year. They picked Pittsburgh defensive tackle Aaron Donald as the defensive player of the year.
• Bortles, Smith grab honors: UCF quarterback Blake Bortles and Louisville defensive end Marcus Smith have been selected American Athletic Conference Offensive and Defensive players of the year. In addition, UCF coach George O’Leary was chosen as Coach of the Year.
• UConn tabs Diaco: Connecticut has hired Notre Dame defensive coordinator Bob Diaco as its football coach, a person with knowledge of the decision told the Associated Press. Diaco won the 2012 Broyles Award as the nation’s top assistant coach, the first Irish assistant to ever capture the award.
• Pitt’s Donald top lineman: Pittsburgh’s Aaron Donald picked up another award, winning the Rotary Lombardi Award for the nation’s top lineman. The 6-foot, 285-pound Donald leads the nation with 261/2 tackles and also has 10 sacks, 54 tackles and forced four fumbles this season.
Davis, Tigers agree to two-year deal
MLB: Outfielder Rajai Davis and the Detroit Tigers agreed to terms on a two-year contract worth $10 million.
The 33-year-old Davis spent the last three seasons with Toronto and hit .260 this year with six homers, 24 RBIs and 45 steals in 331 at-bats.
• Pirates re-sign Morton: The Pittsburgh Pirates and right-handed pitcher Charlie Morton have agreed to a three-year, $21 million contract. The 30-year-old Morton went 7-4 with a 3.26 ERA in 20 starts for the Pirates in 2013. The deal includes a 2017 club option for $9.5 million.
• Plate collisions targeted: Major League Baseball plans to eliminate home plate collisions. Approval by the players’ union is needed for the rules change to be effective for 2014. If not, MLB could unilaterally implement the rule in 2015.
Dortmund and Arsenal advance
Soccer: Borussia Dortmund beat Marseille 2-1 to reach the Champions League last 16.
Dortmund won Group F ahead of Arsenal, who lost at Napoli 2-0, as all three teams finished at 12 points and head-to-head tiebreakers sent Napoli out.
Juventus exited in the afternoon after Galatasaray scored late to win 1-0 in bad weather and pitch conditions in Istanbul. The match resumed after being abandoned in snow and hail on Tuesday night.
Neymar scored three goals as Barcelona beat Celtic 6-1 to win Group H ahead of AC Milan, who also advanced with a 0-0 draw at home to Ajax. Schalke beat Basel 2-0 to finish runner-up behind Group E winner Chelsea, which beat last-placed Steaua Bucharest 1-0. Zenit St. Petersburg advanced despite losing 4-1 at Austria Vienna, as third-place Porto failed to take advantage, losing 2-0 at Group G winner Atletico Madrid.