In brief: John Wall leads Wizards over Bulls
NBA: John Wall finally beat Derrick Rose head-to-head, as the Washington Wizards took a 20-point first-quarter lead and held on for a 102-86 win over the visiting Chicago Bulls on Friday.
Wall, the leader in All-Star votes among Eastern Conference guards, finished with 16 points and 12 assists and snapped his 0-5 all-time record when both he and Rose are on the court. Marcin Gortat added 21 points and 13 rebounds for the Wizards.
• Warriors beat James-less Cavs: Klay Thompson scored 24 points, Stephen Curry had 23 and 10 assists and the Golden State Warriors completed a perfect six-game homestand with a 112-94 win over the short-handed Cleveland Cavaliers in Oakland, California.
Cleveland fell to 1-6 since LeBron James was sidelined with a strained back and left knee. He’s expected to miss at least two more games.
• Durant leads Thunder past Jazz: Kevin Durant scored 32 points to help the Oklahoma City Thunder beat the visiting Utah Jazz 99-94. Russell Westbrook had 25 points and 12 assists for the Thunder, who lost their previous two games by a combined 47 points.
• Evans leads Pelicans past Grizzlies: Tyreke Evans had 21 points and 10 rebounds, and the New Orleans Pelicans beat the visiting Memphis Grizzlies 106-95.
Jrue Holiday had 23 points and eight assists for New Orleans, which had four players hit the 20-point mark.
• Spurs rally without Big Three to beat Suns: Danny Green had 20 points and the San Antonio Spurs fought through the second half without their Big Three, rallying to beat the visiting Phoenix Suns 100-95.
Tim Duncan had 12 points and seven rebounds, but played less than a minute in the fourth quarter as coach Gregg Popovich chose to rest Duncan and Tony Parker. Parker left in the third quarter with seven points in 21 minutes. Manu Ginobili sat out the second half because of back spasms.
• Ex-Sonic Robert Swift arrested: Troubled former NBA player Robert Swift was arrested Tuesday along with another man suspected of attempting to break into a home in Gold Bar, Washington. The former SuperSonic, 29, was arrested on a warrant from a gun charge and jailed in Seattle.
The warrant was issued in November after Swift failed to show up in court on a charge of possessing a sawed-off shot gun that was found in an October raid on a home in Kirkland where he was living.
Stamkos pushes Lightning past Sabres
NHL: Steven Stamkos scored his 22nd goal to break a third-period tie and the Eastern Conference-leading Tampa Bay Lightning beat the stumbling Buffalo Sabres 2-1 in Tampa, Florida. Valtteri Filppula also scored for the Lightning, who have won seven of eight. The Sabres have lost seven in a row.
• Tavares scores in OT, Islanders beat Devils: John Tavares forced overtime with a goal moments after an expired power play and scored unassisted with 1:55 left in the extra period to lead the New York Islanders to a 3-2 victory over the New Jersey Devils in Newark, New Jersey. Jaroslav Halak made 21 saves as the Islanders snapped a two-game losing streak.
• Van Riemsdyk scores twice as Leafs top Blue Jackets: James van Riemsdyk scored two goals and added an assist, helping the Toronto Maple Leafs to a 5-2 victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets in Toronto.
The win was the Maple Leafs’ first in two games under interim coach Peter Horachek, who took over for the fired Randy Carlyle.
• Roy leads Oilers past Blackhawks: Derek Roy had a goal and two assists to lift the Edmonton Oilers to a 5-2 victory over the Chicago Blackhawks in Edmonton, Alberta.
The Oilers are 3-1-2 under interim coach Todd Nelson. The Oilers had lost 20 of 21 games before the recent surge.
Mariners Cano to play limited winter ball
MLB: Mariners second baseman Robinson Cano has received permission from the club to play winter ball games in his native Dominican Republic.
Cano plans to play for Estrellas Orientales before joining Seattle at spring training in Peoria, Arizona, next month. Mariners general manager Jack Zduriencik said Cano approached the team, which “granted him permission to play in a limited amount of games.”
In November, Cano broke his right pinkie toe during the Major League Baseball All-Stars tour of Japan when he was hit by a pitch on the foot. The infielder says his toe is fully healed.
Tressel, Snyder to Hall of Fame
College Football: Former Ohio State coach Jim Tressel and Kansas State coach Bill Snyder have been selected for induction to the College Football Hall of Fame.
Washington Huskies lineman Lincoln Kennedy, Heisman Trophy winner Ricky Williams of Texas and Oklahoma linebacker Brian Bosworth were also selected to the class of 15 players and two coaches announced by the National Football Foundation.
Murder trial of Aaron Hernandez begins
Pro Football: The murder trial of former New England Patriots player Aaron Hernandez began in Fall River, Massachusetts, with the judge telling the first batch of prospective jurors that they could still be chosen to sit on the panel even if they had heard about the high-profile case.
Hernandez, 25, is charged with killing Odin Lloyd, who was dating the sister of Hernandez’s fiancee.
The trial is expected to last six to 10 weeks.
Henley’s 65 leads at Kapalua
PGA: Russell Henley ran off eight birdies on a gorgeous day with little wind for an 8-under 65, giving him a one-shot lead over Bae Sang-Moon in the opening round of the Hyundai Tournament of Champions in Kapalua, Hawaii.
Bae opened with six birdies in eight holes. His year starts with some uncertainty over his travel status. South Korea is not extending his travel permit, and Bae might be facing his mandatory military service.
Berdych to play Ferrer in Qatar final
Tennis: Third-seeded Tomas Berdych of Czech Republic beat Andreas Seppi 6-2, 6-3 to set up a Qatar Open final against fourth-seeded David Ferrer of Spain in Doha, Qatar.
Berdych hasn’t dropped his serve in four matches this week.
Ferrer defeated seventh-seeded Ivo Karlovic of Croatia 6-7 (2), 7-6 (5), 7-6 (4) in a match that featured no service breaks.
Ferrer is looking to win his 22nd career singles title.