In brief: Blazers rout short-handed Bulls
NBA: Damian Lillard had 21 points and nine assists before sitting out the fourth quarter as the Portland Trail Blazers built a big lead and beat the visiting Chicago Bulls 105-87 on Friday night.
LaMarcus Aldridge had 16 points and nine rebounds for the Blazers, who led by as many as 28 points for their sixth straight victory.
Rookie Nikola Mirotic had season highs with 24 points and 11 rebounds for the Bulls.
Chicago lost forward Taj Gibson in the third quarter when he sprained his left ankle. The Bulls were already limited without Derrick Rose, who missed his fourth straight game with a sore left hamstring. Pau Gasol missed his third game with a left calf strain.
Portland jumped out to an early 25-9 lead after an Aldridge 3-pointer.
Lillard had seven assists in the first quarter alone and finished three short of matching his career high. This was the seventh straight game Lillard has had at least seven assists.
• Wizards hand Cavs 3rd straight loss: John Wall finished with 28 points, seven assists and six rebounds, and the Washington Wizards clamped down for a 91-78 win over LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers, who lost their third straight to fall back below .500.
James scored 22 points on 8-for-21 shooting, but Cleveland committed 19 turnovers, shot 36 percent and scored a season-low in points. James was never below .500 more than 10 games into a season during his four seasons with the Miami Heat, but he and the Cavaliers are now 5-6.
• George making progress: Pacers forward Paul George could take the next step in his recovery from a broken right leg as early as next week.
The two-time All-Star said he has been working on a treadmill in a pool and expects to start limited work on the court soon. He has been walking on the leg, which snapped in two places Aug. 1, and working on his shot since late September.
Ciganda, Granada tied at LPGA finale
Golf: Carlota Ciganda of Spain shot a 5-under 67 to share the lead with Julieta Granada of Paraguay, who carded a 70, at the CME Globe Tour Championship in Naples, Florida.
Michelle Wie is two shots off the lead and in prime position to capture the $1 million bonus for winning the tournament and the CME Globe, the trophy awarded to the LPGA Tour champion.
Morgan Pressel, who birdied all the par 5s in her round of 66, sits a shot behind the leaders.
• Janzen leads Pebble Beach Invitational: Lee Janzen shot a 4-under 68 at Pebble Beach for a two-stroke lead over Andrew Putnam after two rounds of the Callaway Pebble Beach Invitational in Pebble Beach, California.
Hall of Famer Annika Sorenstam carded a 79 at Spyglass. She is at 152.
The 43rd tournament features 82 players from the four major tours as well as mini-tour and club pros.
• Stenson leads McIlroy by 2 at Euro finale: Henrik Stenson birdied two of his closing three holes to seize a two-shot lead over Rory McIlroy and two others in the second round of the World Tour Championship at Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
Stenson’s 6-under-par 66 put him at 10 under overall in his bid to defend the title.
No. 10 Texas beats Cal, wins 2K Classic
College basketball: Jonathan Holmes had 21 points and 13 rebounds, and No. 10 Texas shook off the absence of leading scorer Isaiah Taylor to beat California 71-55 in the championship game of the 2K Classic in New York.
A night after their starting point guard was lost to a left wrist injury, the Longhorns jumped out to an early lead and relied on their smothering defense to keep the Golden Bears from getting close.
David Kravish scored 19 points for California.
• No. 17 UConn holds off Dayton: Ryan Boatright had 20 points, Rodney Purvis added 19 and No. 17 Connecticut rallied from five points down in the second half to defeat Dayton 75-64 in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
The Huskies led by as many as 10 in the first half, but had to fight off runs by the Flyers throughout the second half.
Chiefs sign WR Avant, put Jenkins on IR
NFL: The Chiefs signed veteran Jason Avant to help a beleaguered and injury-prone group of wide receivers, reuniting him with Andy Reid, his longtime coach in Philadelphia.
Kansas City cleared roster space by placing receiver A.J. Jenkins on injured reserve.
Avant was drafted by the Eagles and spent his first eight seasons there – seven of them with Reid.
• Date set for Peterson appeal: Adrian Peterson’s hearing for the appeal of his suspension will be held on Dec. 2. And it will not be in front of NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell.
The NFL announced that longtime hearing officer Harold Henderson will preside over the proceedings.
France, Switzerland level after first day
Miscellany: Gael Monfils pulled off a straight-sets victory over Roger Federer as France leveled the Davis Cup tennis final at 1-1 in Lille, France.
Monfils triumphed 6-1, 6-4, 6-3 and posted his first win on clay over the 17-time Grand Slam champion, who decided to play despite a back injury that forced him to pull out of the title match at the ATP Finals last Sunday.
Earlier, Switzerland’s Stan Wawrinka beat Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 6-1, 3-6, 6-3, 6-2.
• Mission Brief dominates in Breeders Crown: Mission Brief shattered the stakes record with a dominant victory in the $500,000 Breeders Crown 2-Year-Old Filly Trot at the Meadowlands Racetrack.
The $5.8 million Breeders Crown is harness racing’s equivalent of the Breeders’ Cup.
Mission Brief beat Danielle Hall by 4 3/4 lengths in 1:51.80 for the mile, slicing a full 2 seconds off the mark set by Shake It Cerry last year.
• New Jersey fights judge’s ruling on sports betting: A spokesman for New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie says the state has filed a notice of appeal against a judge’s decision blocking sports betting.
A federal judge said New Jersey cannot partially lift a prohibition on sports betting in an effort to boost its struggling horse racing and casino industries. The ruling from Judge Michael Shipp was the expected outcome since he had ruled similarly in the past.
• LaRoche agrees with White Sox: A person familiar with the situation says free agent first baseman Adam LaRoche has agreed to a contract with the Chicago White Sox.
The White Sox have A.L. Rookie of the Year Jose Abreu entrenched at first base, so LaRoche, who hit .259 with 26 homers last year for Washington, is likely to see most of his time at designated hitter.