In brief: LeBron’s 36 helps Cavs win 10th straight
NBA: LeBron James scored 36 points – 17 on free throws – and Daniel Gibson added 12 after returning from the hospital as the Cleveland Cavaliers ran their winning streak to 10 with a 102-84 win over Dwyane Wade and the Miami Heat on Thursday night at Cleveland.
•Blazers rally to beat Spurs: LaMarcus Aldridge had 28 points and 13 rebounds and the Portland Trail Blazers rallied for a 96-93 victory over the San Antonio Spurs at Portland.
The Spurs led by 10 points early in the fourth quarter but the Blazers went ahead 88-87 on an Aldridge jumper with just under three minutes left.
With the victory, Portland swept the three-game series over San Antonio this season.
•Dunleavy relinquishes coaching duties: Mike Dunleavy stepped down as the Los Angeles Clippers’ head coach, retaining his job as general manager.
Assistant coach Kim Hughes will be the interim replacement for Dunleavy, who has led the Clippers to just one winning season since taking over the star-crossed franchise in 2003.
The Clippers abruptly announced the moves in an afternoon news release, saying the decision was voluntary and mutual.
Singler leads Duke past Yellow Jackets
Men’s College Basketball: Kyle Singler had career highs of 30 points and eight 3-pointers and Jon Scheyer added 21 to lead No. 10 Duke past No. 21 Georgia Tech 86-67 at Durham, N.C.
•Purdue holds off Indiana: Robbie Hummel and JaJuan Johnson each scored 21 points, and No. 8 Purdue held off in-state rival Indiana 78-75 at Bloomington, Ind., its first win at Indiana since 1999.
Lady Vols dominate Razorbacks
Women’s College Basketball: Kelley Cain scored 14 points, grabbed 17 rebounds and blocked eight shots as No. 5 Tennessee beat Arkansas 74-57 at Knoxville, Tenn.
The win gave Tennessee its 20th victory for a 34th consecutive season under coach Pat Summitt.
University High graduate Angie Bjorklund scored all of her 17 points after halftime to help the Lady Vols pull away.
•Duke upset by Boston College: Carolyn Swords had 14 points and nine rebounds, going 8 for 8 from the line in the final five minutes to lead Boston College to a 61-57 victory over No. 6 Duke at Boston.
It was the first victory for BC over a ranked team since beating then-No. 2 Ohio State in the second round of the 2006 NCAA tournament.
Thrashers trade Kovalchuk to Devils
NHL: The Atlanta Thrashers sent Ilya Kovalchuk and defenseman Anssi Salmela to the Devils for right winger Niclas Bergfors, defenseman Johnny Oduya, prospect Patrice Cormier and a first-round pick.
Since the Thrashers drafted him No. 1 overall in 2001, Kovalchuk leads the NHL with 328 goals, but Atlanta has made just one playoff appearance.
•Sens beat Canucks, extend win streak to 11: Jason Spezza scored his ninth goal in his last eight games and the Ottawa Senators extended their team-record winning streak to 11 with a 3-1 victory over the Vancouver Canucks at Ottawa.
Johnson takes early lead at Riviera
Golf: Dustin Johnson hit a 65-foot putt during a string of birdies and finished with a 7-under 64 to build a one-shot lead over Andres Romero and Kevin Stadler at the Northern Trust Open in Los Angeles.
Brandt Snedeker and Ricky Barnes are two back of Johnson. Spokane native Alex Prugh was tied for 55th at even-par through 17 holes when play was suspended for darkness. Prugh will finish his round this morning before teeing off in round two.
Hudson, Twins agree to 1-year contract
MLB: Second baseman Orlando Hudson and the Minnesota Twins agreed to a $5 million, one-year contract.
Hudson gives the Twins a veteran at the top of the batting order with a .282 career average and four Gold Glove awards. He played in his second All-Star game last season, his only year with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Daytona practice marred by crash
Auto racing: An on-track tangle between Mark Martin and Denny Hamlin triggered a seven-car accident that may set the tone for two weeks of ramped-up racing at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Fla.
Jamie McMurray, Joey Logano, Kyle Busch and Clint Bowyer also were part of the melee, which happened halfway into the first practice for the Budweiser Shootout.
Martin was in front of Hamlin in a pack of cars when Hamlin hooked the rear of Martin’s car.
Ching, Orozco added to U.S. training camp
Miscellany: Former Gonzaga Bulldog Brian Ching and defender Michael Orozco have been added to the 23-man U.S. roster for a training camp ahead of a Feb. 24 World Cup warmup against El Salvador at Tampa, Fla.
Ching, a member of the 2006 World Cup roster, decided to skip the January camp to concentrate on individual workouts ahead of the Houston Dynamo training camp.
•U.S. whips Finland in final Olympic tuneup: Jessie Vetter saved 24 of 25 shots and the U.S. women’s hockey team wrapped up its 10-game exhibition slate with a 5-1 win over Finland at Colorado Springs, Colo.