Stuckey’s 30 trumps 39 by Thompson
NBA: Rodney Stuckey brushed off a sprained left ankle in another big game for the Indiana Pacers.
Stuckey scored 30 points and the Pacers overcame an early 12-point deficit to beat the NBA-leading Golden State Warriors 104-98 on Sunday night in Indianpolis.
“We’ve been playing great basketball and it’s another great win against a great team,” Stuckey said. “We’ve just got to keep it up.”
Stuckey played after spraining his ankle in Philadelphia on Friday night in another 30-point effort.
“He’s as tough as they come,” Pacers coach Frank Vogel said. “I was reading his body language to see if he felt like he should come, but he was looking away from us as to say, ‘Don’t you dare take me out.’ So, I didn’t dare take him out.”
“Just putting in extra work, putting up extra shots after practice,” Stuckey said. “Just doing my routine. I’m feeling more confident and just being more aggressive and that’s my game. When I’m aggressive out there on the court, that’s when I’m at my best.”
The Warriors played without star guard Stephen Curry for the first time this season. He sat out because of soreness in his right ankle.
“It is not easy without your best player,” Klay Thompson said about Curry. “It doesn’t matter who is in the game for us, we’ve got plenty of guys who can execute.”
Thompson scored 15 of his 39 points in the first quarter.
• 25 for No. 25: In Portland, the Trail Blazers honored beloved former player Jerome Kersey with 25 seconds of silence before their game against Memphis.
Kersey, who wore No. 25 during his 11-year tenure in Portland during the 1980s and ’90s, died Wednesday night at age 52. The state medical examiner said a blood clot had traveled from his left calf to his left lung, causing a pulmonary thromboembolism.
Youngster’s hat trick sinks Lightning 5-4
NHL: Teenage center Nathan MacKinnon had the first hat trick of his young career, Matt Duchene also scored and Colorado beat Tampa Bay 5-4 in Denver. Tyler Johnson (Central Valley) had a goal and two assists for Tampa Bay.
MacKinnon, at 19 years and 5 months, became the youngest player in franchise history to score three goals in a game. It was Colorado’s first hat trick since Duchene did it Nov. 4, 2011, at Dallas, a span of 258 games.
• Wild set scoring record: Zach Parise scored twice and Minnesota set a team record with six goals in the third period of a 6-2 victory over visiting Dallas and is now an NHL-best 11-1-1 since the All-Star break.
Virginia survives scary moment
COLLEGE MEN: Anthony Gill scored 13 points, Darion Atkins had 11 and No. 2 Virginia overcame a frightening collision of two of its players and beat Florida State (15-13, 7-8 ACC) 51-41 in Charlottesville, Virginia.
The game took a frightening turn for Virginia (25-1, 13-1) with just under 15 minutes to play when Malcolm Brogdon and London Perrantes, the starting backcourt, collided on defense. Both went to the lockerroom. Brogdon returned to action but Perrantes stayed on the bench.
• Michigan upsets No. 24 Ohio State: Spike Albrecht scored 16 points to help Michigan (14-13, 7-8 Big Ten) upset No. 24th-ranked Ohio State 64-57 in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
The Buckeyes (19-8, 8-6) trailed by as many as 17 points in the second half.
Stanford’s Pac-12 title run ends at 14
COLLEGE WOMEN: Mercedes Jefflo scored a key basket with 1:59 to play, and visiting California beat No. 18 Stanford 63-53 to deny the Cardinal a chance at winning their 15th straight Pac 12 regular-season title.
Jefflo finished with 15 points for Cal (20-7, 12-4 Pac-12). Freshman Brittany McPhee scored a season-best 24 points and played her most minutes yet for the Cardinal (20-8, 12-4).
• No. 12 Arizona State survives in 2OT: In Los Angeles, Promise Amukamara scored 20 points and Sophie Brunner added 14 as No.12 Arizona State (24-4, 13-3 Pac-12) beat USC (15-12, 7-9), 76-73, in double overtime.
Kelsey Moos (Reardan) missed her fourth straight game for ASU with an injured elbow.
Hagan wins second straight Funny Car
MISCELLANY: Matt Hagan raced to his second consecutive Funny Car victory of the season in the CARQUEST Auto Parts NHRA Nationals at Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park in Chandler, Arizona.
The top qualifier was consistently fast in his Dodge Charger R/T and posted the quickest run of the weekend in his final-round win over Del Worsham, finishing with a track-record run of 3.975 seconds at 324.83 mph.
Tony Schumacher won in Top Fuel, and Rodger Brogdon in Pro Stock.
• Local wins Bassmaster: In Greenville, South Carolina, local favorite Casey Ashley won the Bassmaster Classic in rainy, overcast conditions at Lake Hartwell with three-day total of 50 pounds, 1 ounce.
The 31-year-old Ashley has lived a few miles from Lake Hartwell all his life.
Bobby Lane of Lakeland, Florida, was second at 46-15. Japan’s Takahiro Omori, the second-round leader, was third at 44-3.
• Reed wins Supercross: Chad Reed raced to his first AMA Supercross victory of the season, beating Ryan Dungey in the first of two straight events at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta.
Reed, the Kawasaki rider from Dade City, Florida, led all 20 laps en route to his 44th career 450SX victory and first in Atlanta in 11 years. He has won at least one race in a record 11 straight seasons.
• Far Right wins Southwest Stakes: In Fayetteville, Arkansas, Far Right once again closed with a flurry to win the $300,000 Southwest Stakes at Oaklawn Park.
D. Wayne Lukas’ Mr. Z led for much of the race before faltering to third, with The Truth or Else finishing second.
• Karlovic wins Delray Beach Open: Ivo Karlovic, six days shy of his 36th birthday, won the Delray Beach (Florida) Open to become the oldest champion in the 23-year history of the tournament, beating Donald Young 6-3, 6-3.
• Ferrer takes Rio: David Ferrer won his second tournament of the season and the 23rd ATP singles title of his career, beating Fabio Fognini 6-2, 6-3 in the final of the Rio Open in Rio De Janeiro.
• Simon wins 12th title: Fifth-seeded Gilles Simon claimed his 12th career title after coming out on top of a tense three-set battle with fellow Frenchman Gael Monfils in the Open 13 in Marseille, France.