Digest: James, Love carry Cavs to win over Knicks
NBA: LeBron James had 27 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists in his third triple-double of the season, Kevin Love added 28 points and 12 rebounds, and the Cleveland Cavaliers beat the New York Knicks 107-93 on Saturday night in New York.
Even with Kyrie Irving resting, the Cavaliers easily bounced back from a loss in Brooklyn on Thursday, shutting the Knicks down in the first half and pulling away when the lead got down to 10 in the fourth quarter.
J.R. Smith finished with 13 points in the Cavs’ sixth straight victory over the Knicks.
Carmelo Anthony scored 28 points after a brutal start for the Knicks, who were coming off a home-and-home sweep of Chicago.
James recorded his 42nd career triple-double and moved within three points of Dominique Wilkins for 12th place on the NBA’s scoring list.
Thunder beat short handed Spurs: Kevin Durant scored 31 points and Russell Westbrook added 29 to help the Thunder defeat the short-handed San Antonio Spurs 111-92 in Oklahoma City.
Enes Kanter had 20 points and 10 rebounds and Serge Ibaka added 15 points and eight rebounds for Oklahoma City, which won its seventh straight.
It wasn’t the late-season showdown that was anticipated when the schedule first came out. The Spurs, however opted to rest Kawhi Leonard, LaMarcus Aldridge, Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker.
Raptors tie team mark with 49th win: DeMar DeRozan scored 23 points, Patrick Patterson had 16 and the Raptors beat the New Orleans Pelicans 115-91 in New Orleans, to tie a franchise record with their 49th victory of the season.
Toronto was trying to stave off its first three-game losing streak since the first month of the season.
Toronto matched the team mark for wins it set a season ago with an efficient offensive performance and a hearty defensive effort.
Bulls playoff hopes in jeopardy: Orlando journeyman center Dewayne Dedmon scored a career-high 18 points and grabbed 13 rebounds, Jason Smith added 14 off the bench and the Magic dealt the Chicago Bulls a blow to their fading playoff hopes with a 111-89 win in Orlando.
Elfrid Payton scored 15 points and had 10 assists, Andrew Nicholson added 14 points and Evan Fournier had 12 points for the Magic, who snapped a six-game skid despite being without the injured Victor Oladipo.
Spieth loses match and No. 1 ranking
Golf: Jordan Spieth lost in the fourth round at the Dell Match Play in Austin, Texas. Then, he lost his No. 1 ranking.
Jason Day assured a return to the top of the ranking when he beat Brooks Koepka to advance to the semifinals. Next up for Day is Rory McIlroy, who overwhelmed Chris Kirk on the back nine at Austin Country Club to run his unbeaten streak in this tournament to 12.
Poulter takes Puerto Rico Open lead: Ian Poulter shot a 4-under 68 at windy Coco Beach to take the third-round lead in the PGA Tour’s Puerto Rico Open.
Playing the event for the first time after failing to qualify for the Match Play tournament in Texas, Poulter had an 11-under 205 total. The Englishman bogeyed the par-4 13th and rebounded with birdies on the par-5 15th and par-3 16th. He’s winless since the 2012 World Golf Championships-HSBC Champions in China.
Top-ranked Ko takes 3-shot lead: Top-ranked Lydia Ko made three straight birdies early on the back nine in the Kia Classic in Carlsbad, California. She finished with a 5-under 67 to take a three-stroke lead.
Ko birdied Nos. 11-13 and closed with five straight pars to reach 14-under 202 at Aviara in the final event before the major ANA Inspiration next week in Rancho Mirage.
The 18-year-old New Zealander saved par with a 10-foot putt on the par-4 18th, and has played bogey-free since her second hole in the first round. She won five times last season and is coming off second-place finish last week in Phoenix in the Founders Cup.
Blues win with 4th consecutive shutout
NHL: Jake Allen made 32 saves with regular starter Brian Elliott back home resting and the St. Louis Blues beat the NHL-leading Washington Capitals 4-0 in Washington for their fourth consecutive shutout.
St. Louis won for the 10th time in 12 games and kept pace with the Dallas Stars atop the Central Division.
Florida moves to first in Atlantic: Jaromir Jagr had a goal and an assist, Roberto Luongo made 33 saves and Florida took over first place in the Atlantic Division by beating Tampa Bay 5-2 in Tampa.
Vincent Trocheck, Jiri Hudler, Jonathan Huberdeau and Jussi Jokinen also scored for the Panthers, who have a two-point lead over the Lightning.
Tampa Bay got goals from Tyler Johnson and Steven Stamkos.
Penguins win 7 of 8 games: Carl Hagelin scored twice and Phil Kessel had a goal and four assists, helping Pittsburgh rout Detroit 7-2 in Pittsburgh.
Pittsburgh boosted its chances of earning a 10th straight trip to the playoffs and hurt Detroit’s quest to extend its postseason streak to 25.
The Penguins have won seven of eight, staying ahead of the New York Islanders for the third guaranteed spot from the Metropolitan Division.
Augustana wins Div II men’s basketball title
Miscallany: Alex Richter scored 26 points and Daniel Jansen had 25 to lead Augustana of South Dakota to the NCAA Division II championship, 90-81 over top-ranked Lincoln Memorial of Tennessee in Frisco, Texas.
Casey Schilling added 20 points and 19 rebounds. He scored eight points early in the second half to help second seeded Augustana take an eight-point lead after Lincoln Memorial pulled to 45-43.
Gun Runner wins Louisiana Derby: Gun Runner punched his ticket for the Kentucky Derby pulling away for a commanding victory in the Louisiana Derby at the Fair Grounds in New Orleans.
The Steve Asmussen-trained Gun Runner already had a qualifying spot secured thanks to his victory in the Risen Star here last month, but he was the 7-2 third-choice behind local favorite Mo Tom and Champagne Stakes winner Greenpointcrusader.
Texas records 12th national swimming title: Joseph Schooling won the 200-yard butterfly and Will Licon took the 200 breastroke in record-setting performances, helping Texas run away with its second straight NCAA swimming and diving title in Atlanta.
Coach Eddie Reese, in his 38th year at Texas, passed Ohio State’s Mike Peppe with 12 national titles, the most in NCAA history. The Longhorns are tied with Michigan for the NCAA record.
Ward wins in in light heavyweight debut: Andre Ward unanimously outpointed Sullivan Barrera in his light heavyweight debut in Oakland, setting the stage for a potential title fight against unified champion Sergey Kovalev.
Ending a nine-month layoff while fighting for just the fourth time in four years, Ward (29-0) knocked down Barrera in the second round with a sharp left.