Washington Wizards hand New York Knicks franchise-record 13th straight defeat
NBA: The New York Knicks’ deconstruction project hit a new low Wednesday night with a 101-91 loss to the host Washington Wizards, setting a record for longest in-season losing streak in the proud franchise’s 69-year history.
The defeat was the Knicks’ 13th in a row, surpassing the mark set at the end of the 1984-85 season, and their 23rd loss in 24 games.
• Red-hot Hawks win sixth straight: Jeff Teague scored 25 points and the Atlanta Hawks beat the Memphis Grizzlies 96-86 in Atlanta to continue their strong play against Western Conference teams.
The Hawks have a nine-game winning streak against teams from the West. Atlanta has won 20 of 22 and has the best record in the Eastern Conference.
• Surprising Pistons win seventh straight: D.J. Augustin scored 17 of his season-high 26 points in the fourth quarter and the Detroit Pistons won their seventh straight game, 108-95 over the host Dallas Mavericks.
The Pistons have the NBA’s longest current winning streak. They were 5-23 before starting the streak Dec. 26. Dallas also had entered the game with a six-game winning streak.
Greg Monroe led the Pistons with 27 points and he added 18 rebounds.
• Defense leads Jazz to blowout win: Derrick Favors had 20 points and 11 rebounds, and the Utah Jazz used a strong defensive effort to beat the Chicago Bulls 97-77 in Chicago.
The Jazz held the Bulls to a season-low point total on just 28-of-84 (33.3 percent) shooting. The Bulls were averaging 103.1 points per game.
• Cavs land much-needed center via trade: The Cavaliers have filled their biggest need, acquiring center Timofey Mozgov from the Denver Nuggets for two future first-round draft picks.
Cleveland sent two protected 2015 first-round picks – one acquired in 2013 from Memphis, the other from Oklahoma City this week – to Denver for the 7-foot-1 Mozgov and a 2015 second-round pick.
• Clippers send Cunningham to 76ers: The Clippers traded guard Jared Cunningham along with the draft rights to Cenk Akyol and cash to the Philadelphia 76ers in exchange for the draft rights to forward Serhiy Lishchuk.
No. 12 Kansas holds off No. 21 Baylor
COLLEGE MEN: Wayne Selden made three consecutive baskets when No. 12 Kansas needed them most, and the Jayhawks held on for a 56-55 victory over No. 21 Baylor, in Waco, Texas, winning their 24th consecutive conference opener.
Kansas hasn’t lost a conference opener since January 1991, when the Jayhawks were still in the Big Eight.
• Duke remains unbeaten: Freshman forward Justise Winslow scored a season-high 20 points and No. 2 Duke held on to beat Wake Forest 73-65 in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
Jahlil Okafor added 12 points and 11 rebounds in his first Atlantic Coast Conference road game, and Quinn Cook had nine of his 12 points in the final 5 minutes for the Blue Devils, who kept pace with No. 1 Kentucky and No. 3 Virginia as the last unbeaten teams in Division I.
• Defense leads Virginia to win: Justin Anderson scored 16 points and Malcolm Brogdon 14, as No. 3 Virginia weathered a sloppy effort and beat North Carolina State 61-51 in Charlottesville, Virginia. Mike Tobey added 11 points for Virginia (14-0, 2-0 Atlantic Coast Conference), which used a 10-0 run late in the second half to finally gain some separation against the dangerous Wolfpack.
Jefferson, Tuck lead UConn to 12th straight
• COLLEGE WOMEN: Moriah Jefferson scored 22 points and Morgan Tuck added 21 points as No. 2 UConn routed Tulsa 98-60 in Hartford, Connecticut, in the first meeting between the programs.
Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis made three 3-point shots to tie Diana Taurasi for the most in UConn history with 318.
• Texas defeats West Virginia, remains unscathed: Nneka Enemkpali had 11 points and 12 rebounds, and No. 3 Texas stayed unbeaten with a tough 61-55 win over West Virginia in Austin, Texas. The Longhorns (13-0, 2-0 Big 12) are off to their best start since the 1985-86 team went undefeated and won the school’s lone national championship.
Enemkpali had her seventh consecutive double-double, breaking her school record of six.
Bruins outlast Penguins in OT
NHL: Patrice Bergeron scored twice, including a deflection past Pittsburgh’s Marc-Andre Fleury 2:43 into overtime, to lift the Boston Bruins to a 3-2 victory over the Penguins in Pittsburgh.
Zdeno Chara scored his third goal of the season for Boston. Tuukka Rask stopped 37 shots.
• Capitals spoil Horachek’s debut: Marcus Johansson and Eric Fehr scored two goals apiece, and Washington spoiled the debut of Maple Leafs interim coach Peter Horachek with a 6-2 win in Toronto.
Alex Ovechkin also scored for Washington, his 20th goal of the season.