NBA
Defense? Who needs D? Stars shine on All-Star night
NEW ORLEANS – The Eastern Conference finally stopped Kevin Durant and Blake Griffin, then stopped its losing streak at the NBA All-Star game.
Kyrie Irving had 31 points and 14 assists and was voted the game’s MVP, Carmelo Anthony made a record eight 3-pointers and scored 30 points, and the East rallied for a 163-155 victory over the West on Sunday night in the highest-scoring All-Star game ever.
Durant and Griffin each finished with 38 points, four shy of Wilt Chamberlain’s All-Star game record. But the East scored the final 10 points to pull out a game it trailed by 18.
Irving scored 15 points in the fourth quarter as the East ended a three-game losing streak.
James had 22 points, seven rebounds and seven assists.
The 318 points broke the record of 303 set in 1987.
Griffin shot 19-of-23, while Durant finished with 10 rebounds and six assists.
Golf
Watson wins for the first time since the 2012 Masters
LOS ANGELES – Two weeks after Bubba Watson made a pair of late bogeys in the Phoenix Open, he delivered the best closing round at Riviera in three decades. Watson played the final 39 holes without a bogey and shot a 7-under 64 on Sunday to win the Northern Trust Open.
It was his first win in 22 months and 41 tournaments worldwide dating to the 2012 Masters.
EAST LONDON, South Africa – Thomas Aiken beat Oliver Fisher in a playoff to claim the Africa Open title Sunday and maintain South African players’ run of success on home soil at European Tour tournaments. Aiken won his third tour title and first in his home country by sinking a 30-foot birdie putt on the first playoff hole.
MELBOURNE, Australia – Karrie Webb won the Women’s Australian Open for the fifth time Sunday, shooting a 4-under 68 in the final round to beat Chella Choi by one stroke. Webb birdied the 18th hole to take the outright lead, then watched as Choi, who shot a course-record 62 on Saturday, pushed a 10-foot putt wide of the hole at 18 to miss the chance for a playoff.
NAPLES, Fla. – Kirk Triplett won the ACE Group Classic on Sunday for his third Champions Tour title, holing a 6-foot par putt on the final hole for a one-stroke victory. The 51-year-old Triplett shot a 6-under 66 to finish at 16-under 200 on TwinEagles’ Talon Course.
NASCAR
A familiar number will sit the pole at Daytona Beach
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Austin Dillon took the fabled No. 3 out of hibernation and straight to the top at Daytona.
Dillon reawakened the days of Dale Earnhardt and proved he can handle the spotlight thrust on his ride in the 3, winning the pole Sunday for the season-opening Daytona 500. He took the top spot with a lap at 196.019 mph in NASCAR’s season opener.
Tennis
Ferrer tops Fognini to win his 21st title on the ATP Tour
BUENOS AIRES, Argentina – David Ferrer of Spain won his third consecutive Copa Claro title, defeating Fabio Fognini 6-4, 6-3 on Sunday on outdoor clay in the Argentine capital for his 21st ATP singles title.
DOHA, Qatar – Seventh-seeded Simona Halep of Romania won her first title of the year and seventh in her career with a 6-2, 6-3 victory over sixth-seeded Angelique Kerber of Germany in the Qatar Open final on Sunday.
MEMPHIS, Tenn. – Kei Nishikori repeated as champion at the U.S. National Indoor Tennis Championships, beating Ivo Karlovic of Croatia 6-4, 7-6 (0) on Sunday. He made this his first successful title defense, his fourth career title and took the $103,100 winner’s check and 250 points on the ATP Tour at The Racquet Club.
ROTTERDAM, Netherlands – Tomas Berdych won his first ATP tournament title since October 2012, beating Marin Cilic of Croatia 6-4, 6-2 on Sunday in the ABN Amro final.
Associated Press
