In Brief: Cavaliers stay unbeaten with 128-122 win over Celtics
NBA: For all that LeBron James has accomplished in his glowing career, only once did a season start this well for his team. And it ended in a championship over Kevin Durant.
James scored a season-high 30 points to go with his 12 assists Thursday, including 20 points in the third quarter, and the Cavaliers improved to 5-0 with a 128-122 victory against the short-handed Boston Celtics. Kevin Love scored a season-high 26 points and Kyrie Irving scored 23 for the Cavs, who improved to 5-0 for the first time since the 1976-77 season.
The only other time James started 5-0 was 2011-12, which ended in a sweep of Durant and the Oklahoma City Thunder to give James his first NBA championship. And with a road game at the Philadelphia 76ers up next on Saturday, James could easily be looking at 6-0 for the first time in his career.
Isaiah Thomas scored a season-high 30 points and Avery Bradley had 26 points and 10 rebounds for the Celtics, who were wounded and playing on the second night of a back-to-back.
Durant, Warriors topple Thunder: Kevin Durant matched his career high with seven 3-pointers and scored 39 points, coolly knocking down long jumpers while thoroughly embarrassing Russell Westbrook and his old Oklahoma City team in Golden State’s 122-96 rout of the Thunder in Oakland, California.
This rematch of the Western Conference Finals won by the Warriors in seven games quickly turned into the KD show at sold-out Oracle Arena, where OKC (4-1) took its first loss to leave LeBron James and the champion Cavaliers as the league’s lone unbeaten team.
Fournier, Ibaka lead Magic over Kings: Evan Fournier scored 29 points and Serge Ibaka added 17 to lead host Orlando to a 102-94 victory over the Sacramento Kings on Thursday night.
In one of their better offensive games this season, the Magic had five players score in double figures with Aaron Gordon contributing a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds, while reserve Jeff Green scored 15 points. The Magic won back-to-back games for the first time this season as they returned home from a three-game trip.
DeMarcus Cousins led all scorers with 33 points, while Rudy Gay added 16 for the Kings, who have lost three straight on their current five-game road swing.
Lin out at least two weeks: The Brooklyn Nets say Jeremy Lin has a strained left hamstring and will miss at least two weeks.
Lin was hurt Wednesday while helping the Nets to a 109-101 victory over the Detroit Pistons. The Nets announced the point guard’s status on Thursday. He is averaging 15 points and 6.2 assists through five games.
Lightning fall to Bruins in shootout
NHL: Jimmy Hayes scored in the 10th round of a shootout, Tuukka Rask won his sixth straight game to start the season and the visiting Bruins beat the Tampa Bay Lightning 4-3.
Tampa Bay’s Brayden Point and Boston’s Riley Nash both scored in the fourth round, but Rask and Andrei Vasilevskiy were strong during the shootout.
Brandon Carlo, Ryan Spooner and David Pastrnak scored in regulation for the Bruins, who finished a 3-1 road trip.
The Lightning got two goals from Tyler Johnson. Victor Hedman had the other Tampa Bay goal in the team’s first home game since a 3-3 trip.
Johnson redirected Braydon Coburn’s shot past Rask to tie it 3-all 10:04 into the third period. The goal stood after a video review showed Johnson didn’t score with a high stick.
Condon stars in Ottawa debut: Mike Condon made 27 saves in his Ottawa debut and the host Senators blanked Vancouver 1-0, the fourth time the Canucks have been shut out in five games.
Mike Hoffman scored the lone goal for the Senators. Jacob Markstrom made 23 saves for the Canucks, who have lost seven straight.
Ottawa made the most of a giveaway by Erik Gudbranson at the 14-minute mark of the second period as Markstrom tried to play the loose puck, but instead left a wide-open cage for Hoffman.
Gilbert receives three game ban: Los Angeles Kings defenseman Tom Gilbert has been given a three-game suspension for boarding Anaheim Ducks forward Nick Ritchie. The NHL’s Department of Player Safety announced the suspension Thursday.
Gilbert hit Ritchie during the second period of the Kings’ 4-0 loss to the rival Ducks on Tuesday, making contact with Ritchie’s head while driving him into the glass. No penalty was given on the play, but Ritchie didn’t return to the game, and he didn’t play in Anaheim’s loss to Pittsburgh on Wednesday.
Gilbert will lose over $23,000 in salary during his suspension.
Mike Condon made 27 saves in his Ottawa debut and the Senators blanked Vancouver 1-0 on Thursday night, the fourth time the Canucks have been shut out in five games.
Mike Hoffman scored the lone goal for the Senators (7-3-0).
Jacob Markstrom made 23 saves for the Canucks (4-6-1), who have lost seven straight (0-6-1).
Ottawa made the most of a giveaway by Erik Gudbranson at the 14-minute mark of the second period as Markstrom tried to play the loose puck, but instead left a wide-open cage for Hoffman.
Eagles cut ties with Huff following arrest
NFL: The Eagles released Josh Huff on Thursday morning, two days after the wide receiver was arrested on gun and drug charges and a day after Eagles coach Doug Pederson said he expected him to play Sunday against the New York Giants.
The team’s stance on Huff changed after meetings among the organization’s brass prompted them to let the third-year wide receiver go. Owner Jeffrey Lurie, top football executive Howie Roseman, team president Don Smolenski, and Pederson discussed what to do about Huff on Wednesday and into Thursday morning, when Roseman and Pederson informed Huff of his release.
Huff was charged with speeding, possession of a small amount of marijuana, unlawful possession of a weapon and prohibited weapons/devices after a traffic violation on the Walt Whitman Bridge.
“We spent a lot of time over the last 48 hours just making sure that we had the information and that we weren’t rushing to judgment,” Roseman said, “and that we have a process in place for these sort of things that could lead us to what we think is the right decision.”
McCoy ready to play against Seattle: Buffalo Bills running back LeSean McCoy expects to play at Seattle on Monday night after testing his injured left hamstring in practice.
McCoy said “I’m ready to roll” in noting how good he felt physically and mentally during practice Thursday. It was his first time back on the field since aggravating the injury in a 28-25 loss at Miami on Oct. 23.
The Bills have lost two straight and could certainly use their top offensive threat. McCoy leads the team with 598 yards rushing and has scored seven touchdowns, including one receiving.
Harvard shuts down men’s soccer amidst scandal
Miscellany: Harvard University is suspending its men’s soccer team for the rest of the season over sexual comments made about members of the women’s soccer team.
University President Drew Faust said in a statement Thursday night that an investigation into the 2012 team found that their “appalling” comments were not isolated and have continued through the current season.
The 2012 document uncovered by The Harvard Crimson student newspaper rated the attractiveness of recruits on the women’s team and included lewd comments about them. Members of the men’s team called it their “scouting report” and circulated it online.
Cilic, Djokovic advance at Paris Masters: Marin Cilic ended a three-match losing streak against David Goffin at the Paris Masters on Thursday to earn a spot at the ATP Finals.
Cilic converted his sixth match point to beat Goffin 6-3, 7-6 (9) at the indoor tournament, giving him a spot in the quarterfinals and one of the remaining two berths in the eight-man ATP Finals in London this month.
Next on his plate is top-ranked Novak Djokjovic, who rallied past Grigor Dimitrov 4-6, 6-2, 6-3. Cilic has a terrible 0-14 record against the Serb.
“He likes to play me,” Cilic said. “Or if you want to put it around differently, I don’t like to play him that much.”
A three-time defending champion at the Paris Masters, Djokovic sealed victory on his second match point. Dimitrov served and returned extremely well in the opener, then the Bulgarian appeared to lose his focus and was undone by multiple errors.
Pampling fires opening round 60: Rod Pampling shot an 11-under 60 on Thursday in the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open, missing a chance for a 59 when he parred the final two holes.
The 47-year-old Australian had two eagles and seven birdies in his morning round to match the TPC Summerlin record. He left a 22-footer short on the par-3 17th, and missed from missed from 12 feet on the par-4 18th.