In brief: James moves into 12th place on the NBA’s career scoring list
NBA: LeBron James is still soaring – across the court and up the record books. Both facts are important and pleasing to the Cavaliers.
James scored 24 points to move into 12th place on the NBA’s all-time scoring list in the Cavs’ 107-87 win over the Brooklyn Nets on Thursday night in Cleveland. James, who also passed for 11 assists, now has 26,689 career points to move ahead of Dominique Wilkins. He remains just 21 points behind Oscar Robertson for 11th place and can surpass him Friday when the Cavs play at the Atlanta Hawks.
Bulls win pivotal game in Houston: Nikola Mirotic scored 28 points and Jimmy Butler added 21 to lead the Chicago Bulls past the Houston Rockets 103-100.
In a pivotal game for two teams fighting for the final playoff spots in their respective conferences, the Bulls were fueled by a strong fourth quarter in which they outscored the Rockets 32-20.
James Harden had 24 points and eight assists for Houston, which dropped a half-game behind Utah and Dallas, who are tied for the seventh and eighth seeds in the West.
Grizzlies sign guard Farmar: The Memphis Grizzlies have signed guard Jordan Farmar for the rest of this season.
The 6-foot-2, 180-pound Farmar has started three of five games since signing a 10-day contract with Memphis on March 21, and he has averaged 10.8 points and 3.6 assists.
Hoffman starts strong at Houston Open
Golf: Charley Hoffman birdied half the holes in the first round of the Shell Houston Open in Houston, Texas, grabbing the lead with an 8-under 64.
Hoffman birdied the first four holes of his back nine, and then added another birdie on No. 8. That broke him out of what had been a four-way tie for first with Dustin Johnson, Roberto Castro and Scott Brown, who all shot 65s on the Golf Club of Houston course.
Munoz, Miyazato tied at ANA: Azahara Munoz bogeyed the par-5 18th hole in breezy afternoon conditions at Rancho Mirage, California, during the ANA Inspiration, dropping into a tie for the first-round lead with Ai Miyazato.
Munoz and Miyazato shot 5-under 67 in the first major championship of the year. Miyazato played in the morning session before the wind picked up at Mission Hills.
Kessel scores twice in Penguins victory
NHL: Phil Kessel scored twice and Pittsburgh moved within striking distance of a 10th consecutive postseason berth with a 5-2 victory over the Nashville Predators in Pittsburgh. Buried in 11th in the East when Johnston was fired on Dec. 12, the Penguins are now second in the Metropolitan Division and can clinch a playoff berth Friday if Detroit loses in regulation to Minnesota.
Sabres’ Kane to miss final days of season: Buffalo Sabres forward Evander Kane will miss the final nine days of the season because of an upper body injury.
Coach Dan Bylsma said that Kane likely needs three to four weeks to recover. Buffalo is out of playoff contention and has just five games left.
Predators told of Vesey’s plans: Jimmy Vesey will become a free agent Aug. 15, and his representatives say the Nashville Predators were told not to factor the Harvard forward’s future into any decisions at the trade deadline.
Vesey’s representatives issued a statement responding to Nashville GM David Poile’s comments. The GM says Vesey told assistant general manager Peter Fenton in February that he would sign with the Predators, who drafted him in 2012.
Chimera fined $5,000 for stick poke: Washington Capitals forward Jason Chimera has been fined $5,000 by the NHL for butt-ending Philadelphia rookie defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere in the Flyers’ 2-1 win Wednesday night.
Chimera and Gostisbehere were skating around the net after the whistle had blown in the second period when Chimera used the butt end of the stick to poke Gostisbehere in the midsection.
Papadakis, Cizeron repeat as champs
Figure Skating: Gabriella Papadakis and Guillaume Cizeron of France repeated as ice dance world champs in Boston, defending their title despite missing the Grand Prix season because of injury.
They scored a record 118.17 points for a total of 194.46 and easily held off local favorites Maia and Alex Shibutani. The siblings from nearby Connecticut who scored 113.73 points for a total of 188.43 for their second world championship medal and first since 2011.
Gold leads after program: Gracie Gold leads after the short program as she seeks to become the first American woman to win a world championship in a decade
No U.S. woman has even finished on the podium since Kimmie Meissner took gold and Sasha Cohen bronze in 2006. But at a home world championships in Boston, the Americans now have a chance at two medals with Ashley Wagner in fourth.
Football hits linked to later-life difficulty
Miscellany: The more hits to the head an amateur football player takes, the greater the risk that he will be depressed, have difficulty making decisions or develop other forms of cognitive impairment as an adult, a preliminary study suggests.
The study by Boston University researchers published in the Journal of Neurotrauma is the first of its kind to look at the connection between the cumulative number of impacts sustained from youth football through college and later-in-life mental difficulties, according to Dr. Robert Stern, one of the co-authors.
N. Carolina law could turn NCAA away: For the second straight year, NCAA President Mark Emmert faced questions at his Final Four news conference about a state’s religious exemption law that critics say allows discrimination against gays, lesbians and others.
And for the second straight year, Emmert said the association is prepared to refrain from doing business in that state and others that create what it considers unwelcoming environments for student-athletes, coaches and fans.
Azarenka to face Kuznetsova in Miami final: Serena Williams made an early exit at the Miami Open, setting up former champions Svetlana Kuznetsova and Victoria Azarenka in the final at Key Biscayne, Florida.
Eight-time champion Williams was beaten by Kuznetsova in the fourth round, and then the Russian just kept winning. In the semifinals she erased 12 of the 14 break points she faced in a 7-5, 6-3 victory over Timea Bacsinszky.