Pacers turn down Heat in in second half

NBA: Roy Hibbert scored 24 points and Paul George had 15 of his 17 points during a second-half rally to lead the Indiana Pacers past Miami 90-84 Tuesday night in Indianapolis in a matchup of the Eastern Conference’s top two teams.

Indiana improved its league-best record to 19-3 and extended its lead to three full games by beating Miami at home for the fourth straight time.

LeBron James led the Heat with 17 points, 14 rebounds and six assists but had only three baskets and nine points over the final 36 minutes. Miami has lost three of five.

The Heat led by 13 in the first half and didn’t trail until Hibbert completed a three-point play with 6:12 left in the third quarter to put the Pacers ahead 58-57. But with George heating up, Hibbert dominating the middle and Indiana’s bench playing solidly, Miami couldn’t tie it or take the lead again.

• Durant scores 30 for surging Thunder: Kevin Durant scored 30 points and the visiting Oklahoma City Thunder won for the 11th time in 12 games, holding off the Atlanta Hawks 101-92.

• Love powers Minnesota: Kevin Love had 26 points and 16 rebounds to lead the visiting Minnesota Timberwolves to a 121-94 rout of the Detroit Pistons. Love only played 30 minutes, sitting out the fourth quarter with the big lead.

• Kyrie hot for Cavs: Kyrie Irving had 37 points and 11 assists and Jarrett Jack added 17 points, leading the host Cleveland Cavaliers to a 109-94 victory over the sinking New York Knicks.

• Baynes hits career-high 14: Washington State product Aron Baynes had a career-best 14 points and the visiting San Antonio Spurs beat the Toronto Raptors 116-103.

• Kobe’s 20 not enough: Goran Dragic scored 31 points and the Phoenix Suns beat the host Lakers 114-108, keeping Los Angeles winless with Kobe Bryant back in the lineup.

Bryant led the Lakers with 20 points while playing 29 mostly sharp minutes in his second game back from a nearly eight-month absence with a torn Achilles tendon.

Ovechkin scores four in shootout victory

NHL: Alex Ovechkin scored four goals, including the equalizer with 32.4 seconds left in regulation, and the host Washington Capitals rallied to beat the Tampa Bay Lightning 6-5 in a shootout.

Central Valley High graduate Tyler Johnson and Martin St. Louis each had a goal and two assists for the Lightning, who squandered a three-goal lead in losing their sixth straight at Washington.

• Rookie posts second straight shutout: Rookie Martin Jones made 31 saves for his second shutout in as many games, and six Los Angeles players scored in the Kings’ 6-0 victory over the host Montreal Canadiens.

• Oilers win in overtime: Jordan Eberle scored a power-play goal at 1:48 of overtime and the Edmonton Oilers earned a 5-4 victory over the visiting Carolina Hurricanes at Edmonton, Alberta.

Bowling Green coach hired by Wake Forest

College football: Wake Forest announced that Bowling Green’s Dave Clawson has agreed to become the Demon Deacons’ next football coach.

Clawson led Bowling Green (10-3) to an upset of previously unbeaten and then-No. 16 Northern Illinois in the Mid-American Conference championship game last week.

Adam Scheier will be the interim coach when Bowling Green meets Pittsburgh in the Little Caesars Pizza Bowl on Dec. 26.

• Spartans coach honored: Michigan State defensive coordinator Paqt Narduzzi has won the Broyles Award, given annually to college football’s top assistant coach.

• Briles wins Big 12 award: Baylor coach Art Briles is the unanimous pick as the AP Big 12 coach of the year.

No. 11 Kentucky hands Boise State first loss

College basketball: James Young scored 17 of his 21 points in the first half and No. 11 Kentucky (8-2) used solid defense to hand Boise State (8-1) its first loss, 70-55 at Lexington, Ky.

• Gators edge Jayhawks: Scottie Wilbekin scored a career-high 18 points, Dorian Finney-Smith added 15 and No. 19 Florida (7-2) held on to beat No. 13 Kansas (6-3) 67-61 at Gainesville, Fla.

Champion Thorns hire Riley as coach

Soccer: Paul Riley has been hired as the head coach of the defending NWSL champion Portland Thorns.

Riley most recently coached the Philadelphia Independence of the now-defunct Women’s Professional Soccer league.

• Two more reach final 16: Olympiakos and Bayer Leverkusen reached the last 16 of the Champions League with victories while the Juventus-Galatasaray game was abandoned because of a snowstorm.

Olympiakos beat eight-man Anderlecht 3-1 to advance and Leverkusen won 1-0 at Real Sociedad.