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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

In Brief: Suns hand Pacers rare home loss

Suns guard Goran Dragic, right, makes a move to the basket against Pacers center Roy Hibbert. (Associated Press)
From Staff And Wire Reports

NBA: Goran Dragic had 28 points and seven assists and the Phoenix Suns handed the Indiana Pacers their second home loss of the season with a 102-94 victory Thursday night in Indianapolis.

Gerald Green and Marcus Morris had 16 points apiece as the Suns won their fourth straight.

Roy Hibbert had 26 points and David West added 18 for the Pacers.

The Suns scored 66 points in the first half – the most given up by the Pacers in a half this season. Also, Phoenix scored 62 in a 124-100 win over Indiana last week.

• Warriors rout Clippers: David Lee had 22 points and 11 rebounds, Andrew Bogut grabbed 17 boards and the Golden State Warriors whipped the Los Angeles Clippers 111-92 in Oakland, Calif.

The Warriors outrebounded the Clippers 53-34 and outscored them 66-22 in the paint.

• Knicks win fourth straight: Carmelo Anthony and rookie Tim Hardaway Jr. each scored 29 points and the New York Knicks beat the visiting Cleveland Cavaliers 117-86 for their fourth straight victory.

Elias pushes Devils past Stars

NHL: Patrik Elias scored a power-play goal 40 seconds into overtime to give the New Jersey Devils a 3-2 road victory over the Dallas Stars.

The Stars had tied the score on Tyler Seguin’s goal with 52 seconds left in regulation play.

Flames stretch steak to four: Mark Giordano scored the game-winning goal and Karri Ramo made 27 saves as the Calgary Flames extended their winning streak to four with a 4-1 win over the San Jose Sharks in Calgary, Alberta.

• Ducks down Flyers: Ryan Getzlaf scored the go-ahead goal in the final minute of the first period and the Ducks also got goals from Corey Perry, Patrick Maroon and Daniel Winnik in a 5-3 win over Philadelphia in Anaheim, Calif.

Orange rally past No. 6 Tar Heels

Women’s basketball: Brianna Butler scored 22 points to help Syracuse (16-5, 5-3 ACC) erase an 18-point deficit in a 78-73 win over the No. 6 North Carolina Tar Heels (17-4, 5-2).

Brittney Sykes had 17 points for the Orange, who trailed 50-32 with 18 minutes remaining.

• Lions avenge loss to Purdue: Maggie Lucas had 23 points as the No. 12 Penn State Lions (16-4, 7-1) avenged their lone Big Ten loss with a 75-72 win over the No. 19 Purdue Boilermakers (15-6, 5-4) in West Lafayette, Ind.

• Georgia surprises No. 13 Kentucky: Merritt Hempe had 15 points and 11 rebounds, Khaalidah Miller added 11 points and Georgia (15-6, 3-5 SEC) held on to a 58-56 victory over No. 13 Kentucky (16-5, 4-4 SEC) in Athens, Ga.

• Missouri upsets No. 16 Vanderbilt: Bri Kulas scored 15 points and Missouri (14-7, 3-5 SEC) held off a rally from No. 16 Vanderbilt (16-5, 5-3) for a 59-54 victory in Columbia, Mo.

McIlroy shoots 63 for Dubai lead

Golf: Rory McIlroy took another step toward regaining his form with his lowest score in more than three years, a 9-under 63 while playing with Tiger Woods to take a two-shot lead in the Dubai Desert Classic in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

McIlroy played bogey-free in ideal scoring conditions on the Maglis course at Emirates Golf Club, adding six birdies and an eagle during a 10-hole stretch in the middle of his round. He easily upstaged Woods, who was five shots behind after a 68.

Edoardo Molinari made an eagle on the par-4 second hole on his way to a 65.

• Mickelson back, still rusty: Returning to play after withdrawing from Torrey Pines last Friday because of back pain, Phil Mickelson opened his title defense at the Phoenix Open with an even-par 71. That left him seven strokes behind leaders Bubba Watson and Y.E. Yang (64).

“My back is fine. My game was a little rusty,” Mickelson said following five birdies, three bogeys and a double bogey at TPC Scottsdale in Scottsdale, Ariz.

Mickelson first felt soreness in his back two weeks ago in Abu Dhabi, and pulled out the event in San Diego after making the 36-hole cut. He flew to Georgia to see back specialist Tom Boers and was told his facet joints locked up.

Thorpe checks in, out of rehab

Swimming: Australian media reports say five-time Olympic champion swimmer Ian Thorpe has checked out of a rehabilitation facility in Sydney a day after seeking treatment for depression and alcohol abuse.

News Corporation said the 31-year-old Thorpe was admitted to hospital Wednesday. It quoted a friend of Thorpe’s as saying “he had an accident at home, slipped and hurt himself.”

The reports said the Australian swimmer had returned to his family home in Sydney.