J.R. Smith scored 24 points as the New York Knicks shook off the absence of Carmelo Anthony and the shock of Amare Stoudemire needing more knee surgery to rout the slumping Utah Jazz 113-84 on Saturday night.
The Knicks learned earlier on Saturday that Stoudemire will have right knee surgery that will sideline him for about six weeks. However, they still have plenty of scoring off the bench, with Steve Novak adding a season-high 20 points.
Alec Burks scored 14 points, while Gordon Hayward had 13 for the Jazz, who completed a 0-4 road trip that dropped them into a tie with the Lakers for the final playoff spot in the Western Conference.
Utah played without starting forward Paul Millsap because of right knee inflammation.
SUNS 107, ROCKETS 105
In Phoenix, Arizona, Goran Dragic scored 13 of his 18 points and delivered a key hustle play in the fourth quarter to help Phoenix beat Houston.
The Suns overcame 38 points from Rockets star James Harden. Phoenix, far out of playoff contention, have three straight wins over the post-season-hopeful Rockets and are 10-3 in the past 13 meetings.
Jared Dudley led the Suns with 22 points. The Rockets got 21 points off the bench from Carlos Delfino.
NETS 93, HAWKS 80
In Atlanta, Georgia, Brook Lopez and Andray Blatche each scored 18 points, while Deron Williams added 17 as Brooklyn won their third straight game by beating Atlanta.
Al Horford finished with 15 points and 12 rebounds for the Hawks, who seemed lethargic after losing in overtime against Boston on Friday.
Atlanta have lost two straight and five of six.
Brooklyn had a better performance coming off their 17-point home victory over Washington on Friday, in which Williams set the NBA record with nine three-pointers in a half and scored a season-high 42 points.
Lopez, who finished with nine rebounds, scored 14 points in the third, including a runner that gave Brooklyn their first 20-point lead.
NUGGETS 111, TIMBERWOLVES 88
In Denver, Colorado, Ty Lawson matched his season high with 32 points, including 14 in the fourth quarter, and Denver beat injury-depleted Minnesota to stretch their home winning streak to 13 games, their longest in 14 years.
In other NBA action, it was:
‧ Grizzlies 96, Hornets 85
‧ Bucks 103, Warriors 93
‧ Wizards 104, Bobcats 87
A sumo star was born in Japan on Sunday when 24-year-old Takerufuji became the first wrestler in 110 years to win a top-division tournament on his debut, triumphing at the 15-day Spring Grand Sumo Tournament in Osaka despite injuring his ankle on the penultimate day. Takerufuji, whose injury had left him in a wheelchair outside the ring, shoved out the higher-ranked Gonoyama at the Edion Arena Osaka to the delight of the crowd, giving him an unassailable record of 13 wins and two losses to claim the Emperor’s Cup. “I did it just through willpower. I didn’t really know what was going
The US’ Ilia Malinin on Saturday produced six scintillating quadruple jumps, including a quadruple Axel, in the men’s free skate to capture his first figure skating world title. The 19-year-old nicknamed the “Quad god,” who is the only skater to land a quadruple Axel in competition, dazzled with an array of breathtakingly executed jumps starting with his quad Axel and including a quadruple Lutz in combination with a triple flip and a quadruple toe loop in combination with a triple toe. He added an unexpected triple-triple combination at the end to earn a world-record 227.79 in the free program for a championship
Shohei Ohtani’s interpreter is being criminally investigated by the IRS, and the attorney for his alleged bookmaker said Thursday that the ex-Los Angeles Dodgers employee placed bets on international soccer — but not baseball. The IRS confirmed Thursday that interpreter Ippei Mizuhara and Mathew Bowyer, the alleged illegal bookmaker, are under criminal investigation through the agency’s Los Angeles Field Office. IRS Criminal Investigation spokesperson Scott Villiard said he could not provide additional details. Mizuhara, 39, was fired by the Dodgers on Wednesday following reports from the Los Angeles Times and ESPN about his alleged ties to an illegal bookmaker and debts well
MLB on Friday announced a formal investigation into the scandal swirling around Shohei Ohtani and his former interpreter amid charges that the Los Angeles Dodgers superstar was the victim of “massive theft.” The Dodgers on Wednesday fired Ippei Mizuhara, Ohtani’s long-time interpreter and close friend, after Ohtani’s representatives alleged that the Japanese two-way star had been the victim of theft, which was reported to involve millions of dollars and link Mizuhara to a suspected illegal bookmaker in California. “Major League Baseball has been gathering information since we learned about the allegations involving Shohei Ohtani and Ippei Mizuhara from the news media,” MLB