Rose’s 35 carry Bulls over Wizards 98-88 (AP)
Rose’s 35 carry Bulls over Wizards 98-88 (AP)
WASHINGTON (AP)—Derrick Rose scored a season-high 35 points, Carlos Boozer had 18 and Kyle Korver added 17 to lead the Chicago Bulls to a 98-88 win over the Washington Wizards on Monday night. One day after a four-point loss in Miami, the Bulls rebounded to improve their Eastern Conference-leading record to 18-5. They had lost two of their last three. Meanwhile, the Wizards have lost 16 of 20. Washington won two of its previous three games—both against the woeful Charlotte Bobcats, who have the worst record in the NBA. Rose, who was 10 for 20 from the field and 14 of 15 from the free-throw line, had 34 points in his previous two games. He had 13 in the first quarter for the Bulls, who never trailed. John Wall led the Wizards with 20 points, while Nick Young had 17 and JaVale McGee scored 16. Chicago quickly opened up a 21-10 lead and had a 26-16 advantage after the first quarter. Midway through the second, the Wizards scored seven straight to cut the lead to 36-30, but the Bulls stretched their lead to 51-40 at halftime. Korver had 14 in the first half, including four 3-pointers. Chicago ran off 11 straight points in the third quarter to take a 70-49 lead with 5:24 left. Rose had 15 of the Bulls’ 25 points in the third. Rose was upset about Chicago’s loss on Sunday—when he missed a pair of key throws and a potential tying jumper in the final 30 seconds—and vowed not to let it happen again before Monday’s game. “If I ever get in that position again, I know it will be totally different. Yesterday isn’t going to do anything but make me stronger as a player,” Rose said. Against Washington, Rose came out quickly—hitting six of eight from the field in the first quarter. When the teams last met on Jan. 11, the Wizards scored just 64 points— fewest in franchise history. They lost that game by 14. This game was slightly more competitive for Washington, but it never seriously challenged in the second half. Early in the fourth, the Bulls led by 19, but Washington cut it to eight with 6:50 to play. Boozer hit three straight baskets, and Chicago led 92-78. Notes: Wizards F Andray Blatche will miss three-to-five weeks with a strained left calf, coach Randy Wittman announced before the game. … Washington recalled C Hamady Ndiaye from Iowa of the D-League. … The Bulls played without G Richard Hamilton (right thigh) and F Luol Deng (left wrist). It was the fifth straight game Deng missed. … This was the second of a nine-game road trip for Chicago—its longest since 1992-93. … The Bulls have won seven straight between the teams. … The attendance was 18,357—highest of the season.
Mattek-Sands, Tecau win mixed doubles (AP)
Mattek-Sands, Tecau win mixed doubles (AP)
MELBOURNE, Australia (AP)—American Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Romanian Horia Tecau won the mixed doubles title at the Australian Open on Sunday, beating Elena Vesnina and Leander Paes 6-3, 5-7, 10-3. It was the first Grand Slam victory for the 26-year-old Mattek-Sands, known as much for her eccentric on-court attire as her tennis. For the final, she wore a lime, one-sleeve top, black skirt, black knee-high socks, purple streaks in her hair and her regular eye black on her cheeks. Tecau also captured his first Grand Slam title. He has lost twice before in the men’s doubles final at Wimbledon. Paes, a 38-year-old doubles specialist from India, was playing in his second championship match in as many days. He won the men’s doubles trophy with Radek Stepanek on Saturday night.
Top 20 Countdown: No. 16 Jeff Burton (Yahoo! Sports)
Top 20 Countdown: No. 16 Jeff Burton (Yahoo! Sports)
Editor’s note: Yahoo! Sports is counting down the top 20 drivers of the 2012 season, as predicted by the Yahoo! Sports NASCAR staff: Jay Hart, Jay Busbee, Nick Bromberg and Geoffrey Miller. The countdown will conclude Feb. 17 with the unveiling of the No. 1 driver. 2011 statistics Finish Poles Wins Top 5 Top 10 20 0 0 2 5 The countdown No. 20: Marcos Ambrose | Career stats No. 19: Kurt Busch | Career stats No. 18: Martin Truex Jr. | Career stats No. 17: Juan Pablo Montoya | Career stats No. 16: Jeff Burton | Career stats No. 15: Revealed Monday, Jan. 30 2011 finish: 20th Our 2012 predictions:• Jay Hart: 14th• Jay Busbee: 20th• Nick Bromberg: 18th• Geoffrey Miller: 13th Crew chief: Drew Blickensderfer Offseason action: Lost Clint Bowyer as a teammate; gained Blickensderfer as his new crew chief. 2012 outlook: Was anyone more excited for the 2011 season to end than Burton? Without question, 2011 was one of the worst seasons in Burton’s 18-year Cup career. His first top 10 didn’t come until Aug. 15, he only had four more after that and wound up 20th in the standings – his lowest finish since his sophomore season back in 1995. In short, it was a nightmare from beginning to almost the end for a driver used to running up front. The “almost the end” part is the good news for Burton. Because while the first eight and a half months were miserable, Burton posted top 10s in four of the final five races of 2011, including a near win at Talladega in October. To get back to running up front, Burton must gel with new crew chief Drew Blickensderfer, who’s a bit of an enigma himself. Blickensderfer won his first two races as a Cup crew chief, including the 2009 Daytona 500 with Matt Kenseth, but since then has experienced a rocky road. Jack Roush yanked him from Kenseth’s pit box just one race into the 2010 season, relegated him to the Nationwide Series, then gave him another Cup opportunity with David Ragan. Now Blickensderfer is on the move to Richard Childress Racing, which is one car lighter with the departure of Clint Bowyer and the No. 33, which presumably means Burton and the 31 will get that much more attention. The question Burton faces in 2012 is whether 2011 was an aberration or, at 44, are his skills on the decline? Considering he’s made the Chase in four of the last six years, Burton deserves the benefit of the doubt. Point of interest: Burton’s winless streak sits at 113 races. His last win came at Charlotte on Oct. 11, 2008.
