Balanced Nets beat Suns 116-112, spoiling debut of Phoenix’s All-Star trio

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 02:22:54 GMT

Balanced Nets beat Suns 116-112, spoiling debut of Phoenix’s All-Star trio PHOENIX (AP) — Cam Thomas scored 24 points, Mikal Bridges added 21 in his return to the desert and the Brooklyn Nets held on to beat the Phoenix Suns 116-112 on Wednesday night, spoiling the debut of the team’s All-Star trio.The Nets have won seven of their past nine.The Suns trailed by eight points at the break but rallied for an 88-86 lead heading into the fourth. The game stayed tight throughout the final quarter, but the Nets took the lead with about 10 minutes remaining and never gave it up.Spencer Dinwiddie hit a 3 to put the Nets up 112-106 with 1:54 left. He followed with a layup on the team’s next offensive possession and finished with 16 points.The Suns cut it to 114-112 with 28 seconds left, but Thomas hit two free throws with 3 seconds left to seal it. Thomas scored 10 points in the fourth.It was the first time this season — in the 24th game — that Phoenix’s Kevin Durant, Devin Booker and Bradley Beal played on the same night. The trio’s debut was...

Fulks scores 19 as Louisiana-Lafayette beats Eastern Kentucky 73-62

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 02:22:54 GMT

Fulks scores 19 as Louisiana-Lafayette beats Eastern Kentucky 73-62 LAFAYETTE, La. (AP) — Themus Fulks scored 19 points and Louisiana-Lafayette beat Eastern Kentucky 73-62 on Wednesday night.Fulks had five assists and three steals for the Ragin’ Cajuns (6-4). Kobe Julien scored 17 points while going 7 of 16 from the floor, including 1 for 5 from 3-point range, and 2 for 3 from the line, and added five rebounds. Kentrell Garnett had 12 points and shot 5 for 10, including 2 for 5 from beyond the arc.Isaiah Cozart finished with 16 points, nine rebounds, two steals and four blocks for the Colonels (4-5). Devontae Blanton added 14 points and four assists for Eastern Kentucky. ___The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.Source

No. 19 Marquette beats No. 20 Creighton 76-70 in Big East Conference opener

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 02:22:54 GMT

No. 19 Marquette beats No. 20 Creighton 76-70 in Big East Conference opener MILWAUKEE (AP) — Liza Karlen had 25 points and 12 rebounds for her second double-double of the season, Mackenzie Hare added 15 points and No. 19 Marquette beat No. 20 Creighton 76-70 on Wednesday night in the Big East opener for both teams.The teams were tied at 64 with 4:28 left in the fourth quarter before Marquette pulled away by scoring on three straight possessions, two by Karlen. Creighton’s only field goal in the final four minutes came with 38 seconds remaining.Rose Nkumu and Jordan King each had 11 points for Marquette (10-0). Emma Ronsiek led Creighton (7-2) with 29 points. Molly Mogensen scored a season-high 21 points, and Lauren Jensen added 13. Morgan Maly, averaging 16.5 points, was held to four points on 2-of-13 shooting.NO. 5 TEXAS 88, ARIZONA 75TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) — Rori Harmon had 19 points, 11 assists and nine rebounds, and Taylor Jones added 16 points as Texas beat Arizona to remain unbeaten.The Longhorns (11-0) extended their best start in eight years by shooting...

Crosby moves into tie for 13th place on scoring list, Penguins outlast Canadiens 4-3 in SO

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 02:22:54 GMT

Crosby moves into tie for 13th place on scoring list, Penguins outlast Canadiens 4-3 in SO MONTREAL (AP) — Sidney Crosby climbed up the NHL career scoring list and Jansen Harkins scored the deciding goal in the 12th round of the shootout, lifting the Pittsburgh Penguins to a 4-3 win over the Montreal Canadiens on Wednesday night.Crosby had two goals and an assist to move past Paul Coffey and into a tie with former teammate Mark Recchi for 13th place on the NHL points list with 1,533. Jake Guentzel also scored in regulation for the Penguins, who won their second straight after a four-game skid.Erik Karlsson had two assists and Alex Nedeljkovic finished with 39 saves.David Savard, Jayden Struble and Sean Monahan scored for Montreal, which has lost eight of its last nine at home. Sam Montembeault had 27 saves.Montreal’s Nick Suzuki and Cole Caulfield and Pittsburgh’s Kris Letang and Crosby all scored on the first four attempts of the shootout. The next eight skaters couldn’t convert until Sean Monahan scored for the Canadiens and Lars Eller for the Penguins in the seventh ro...

Robinson hits eight 3s and scores career-best 28 to lead No. 18 BYU past Denver 90-74

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 02:22:54 GMT

Robinson hits eight 3s and scores career-best 28 to lead No. 18 BYU past Denver 90-74 PROVO, Utah (AP) — Jaxson Robinson made eight 3-pointers and scored 28 points, both career bests, to lead No. 18 BYU past Denver 90-74 on Wednesday night.Noah Waterman finished with 22 points and a career-high 14 rebounds for his first double-double with the Cougars. Spencer Johnson added 11 points, 10 rebounds and six assists.BYU (9-1) shot 50% from the field and coasted to its seventh double-digit win of the season. The Cougars had a 15-9 edge in fast-break points and a 16-9 advantage in second-chance points.Jaxon Brenchley led Denver with a career-high 21 points and seven rebounds. It was Brenchley’s first game back in his home state since joining the Pioneers as a graduate transfer from Utah. Tommy Bruner added 15 points.Denver (6-5) trailed from start to finish in its second consecutive game against a Top 25 opponent. The Pioneers shot just 22% from 3-point range.BYU scored four straight baskets to spark a 14-4 run and take a 24-12 lead midway through the first half. Gaining gr...

City of Encinitas moves forward with shopping cart ordinance to limit abandoned carts

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 02:22:54 GMT

City of Encinitas moves forward with shopping cart ordinance to limit abandoned carts ENCINITAS, Calif. -- Encinitas City Council members voted unanimously to move forward with this shopping cart ordinance Wednesday to help clean up city streets. They say the idea has gotten positive feedback from both the public and businesses.The Encinitas shopping cart ordinance would establish it’s unlawful to remove a shopping cart from private property, which is supported by state law. It takes things further by asking businesses to have identifying contact information on the carts, as well as shopping cart removal warning signs at locations and in parking lots.The ordinance would require shopping cart owners to either have a containment measure like a wheel locking system or a cart retrieval service contract. About half of businesses in Encinitas currently use this option, according to the city.Upon notification of an abandoned cart, it would be expected to be removed within 48 hours. Two San Diego universities face discrimination investigations "Not only will this assist ou...

Dismayed by Moscow’s war, Russian volunteers are joining Ukrainian ranks to fight Putin’s troops

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 02:22:54 GMT

Dismayed by Moscow’s war, Russian volunteers are joining Ukrainian ranks to fight Putin’s troops KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — When Russia’s invasion of Ukraine ignited into war, back in Moscow, a young Russian who now goes by the name of Karabas was plunged into despair. Shocked by images of what was happening to Ukrainians in Russian-occupied areas, he decided to act — against Russia, his home and country.Karabas said he knew that what he was doing was drastic. He packed his bags and decided to find a way to get to Ukraine to join the ranks of Kyiv’s troops fighting Russian forces. It took him almost a year to make it happen. Today, he is part of the Siberian Battalion, a unit made up of Russians who have joined Ukrainian military ranks to fight against their homeland, hoping someday to help oust Russian President Vladimir Putin. Its members hail mostly from ethnic minorities from Russia’s far east.“I was disillusioned with my own people,” recounted Karabas, who like other fighters in the battalion spoke to The Associated Press on condition that only his military call sign be us...

With inflation down, people are talking rate cuts. The European Central Bank may say not so fast

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 02:22:54 GMT

With inflation down, people are talking rate cuts. The European Central Bank may say not so fast FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — The inflation plaguing European shoppers has fallen faster than expected. The economy is in the dumps. That has people talking about interest rate cuts by the European Central Bank, perhaps as soon as the first few months of next year. No rate move is expected at the bank’s policy meeting Thursday, and analysts say ECB President Christine Lagarde is highly unlikely to confirm any plans to cut. She may even warn that it’s too early to declare victory over inflation despite how it’s improved.Like the ECB, the U.S. Federal Reserve and other central banks are running into market expectations that they will trim rates to support flagging economic growth now that price spikes have eased. But central bankers just finished drastic rate rises and want to ensure inflation is firmly contained.Inflation in the 20 countries that use the euro currency surprisingly fell to 2.4% in November. That is not too far from the ECB’s goal of 2% considered best fo...

Bank of England is set to hold interest rates at a 15-year high despite worries about the economy

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 02:22:54 GMT

Bank of England is set to hold interest rates at a 15-year high despite worries about the economy LONDON (AP) — The Bank of England is set to join its peers in the U.S. and Europe in keeping borrowing rates unchanged at its policy meeting Thursday despite mounting worries over the state of the British economy.The central bank is expected to keep its main interest rate at a 15-year high of 5.25%, where it has stood since August. Holding that high rate follows two years of hikes that targeted a surge in inflation, first stoked by supply chain issues during the coronavirus pandemic and then Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which pushed up food and energy costs.Its decision comes during a busy pre-Christmas bout of central bank activity, with the U.S. Federal Reserve and the European Central Bank also set to keep their main borrowing rates on hold at multiyear highs.The Bank of England is widely thought to be further away from cutting rates than the Fed or the ECB, with inflation in the U.K. higher than in the U.S. or across the 20 European Union countries that use the euro currency.Th...

Mikko Rantanen, Valeri Nichushkin power Avalanche past Sabres for second straight win

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 02:22:54 GMT

Mikko Rantanen, Valeri Nichushkin power Avalanche past Sabres for second straight win In a season of peaks and valleys to this point, a raucous third-period rally earlier this week might have sparked another surge for the Colorado Avalanche.The Avs used a dominant first period and some strong goaltending in the middle frame Wednesday night to dispatch the Buffalo Sabres, 5-1, in Erik Johnson’s emotional return to Ball Arena.“No wins are easy,” Avs coach Jared Bednar said. “It’s not just about winning for me. I always say I’m not going to judge our team just on the results. It’s about how we play and our conscience and are we going to play the right way and develop the habits we need to win at the most important time?“I thought we made a big step in the right direction over the last two games and we got rewarded for it.”Mikko Rantanen had a goal and two assists for the second consecutive game. Valeri Nichushkin had maybe his best game of the season with two goals. Sam Malinski continued to make a strong impression ...