Plummer, Shaw earn Big East honors
Kelsey Shaw of Mount Desert Island and Joe Plummer of Hermon have been selected as the Big East Conference/Maine Athletic Fundraising Players of the Week in high school basketball.
Durant out of lineup again
OKLAHOMA CITY — After missing the Christmas Day game against the defending NBA champion San Antonio Spurs, injured Oklahoma City forward Kevin Durant sat out again Friday night when the Thunder played the Charlotte Hornets.
Durant has now missed the past five games with a sprained right ankle.
“I can’t play basketball,” Durant said. “I can’t run. I can’t cut. I can’t jump. I’m not just sitting out just because. If I could play I would play. But I can’t play.”
Charlotte guard Lance Stephenson also missed his fifth straight game with a pelvic sprain. Hornets coach Steve Clifford said there is no timetable for Stephenson’s return.
Devils fire DeBoer
The struggling New Jersey Devils fired head coach Peter DeBoer on Friday.
The Devils (12-17-7) are seventh in the Metropolitan Division with 31 points. DeBoer was in his fourth season as New Jersey’s coach.
General manager Lou Lamoriello did not comment on the reasons behind the move or a possible replacement for DeBoer. The Devils said in a statement that there would be no further comment until Lamoriello addresses the team Saturday, when the Devils play the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden.
U.S. wins opener in World Juniors
Chase de Leo scored the winning goal in a shootout as the United States began the IIHF World Junior Championship with a 2-1 victory over Finland on Friday afternoon at the Bell Centre in Montreal.
U.S. captain Jack Eichel scored first in the shootout and forward Artturi Lehkonen responded for Finland. After the next two shooters came up empty, de Leo came through and U.S. goaltender Thatcher Demko, a second-round draft pick by the Vancouver Canucks, stopped an attempt by Finland forward Kasperi Kapanen to close it out.
Demko, who finished with 28 saves, gave up an unassisted goal by forward Mikko Rantanen at 1:22 of the first period but shut out Finland the rest of the way. Rantanen was attempting to center the puck when it went in the net off the leg of U.S. forward Austin Matthews.
The U.S. tied the score at 13:54 of the first period on a power-play goal by forward Alex Tuch with assists from Eichel, who is expected to be one of the top picks in the 2015 NHL Draft, and defenseman Anthony DeAngelo. Tuck was a first-round draft pick by the Minnesota Wild.
Finland goalie Ville Husso, selected in the fourth round of the 2014 NHL Draft by the St. Louis Blues, finished with 36 saves.
Kuroda returns to Japan
Right-hander Hiroki Kuroda is headed back to his native Japan to finish his career, according to reports.
After seven years in the major leagues, Kuroda will play for the Hiroshima Toyo Carp next season, Chugoku Shimbun and Sports Nippon reported Friday.
The 39-year-old Kuroda posted a 11-9 record with a 3.71 ERA, 35 walks and 146 strikeouts in 199 innings last season for the New York Yankees. He was 79-79 with a 3.45 ERA during his major-league career with the Yankees and Los Angeles Dodgers.
Kuroda reportedly could have signed a one-year contract with the Yankees for 2015 but opted for Japan.
Lynch fined for touchdown move
Seattle Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch was fined $11,050 by the NFL for his actions while scoring a touchdown on Sunday.
To finish his 79-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter of Sunday’s 35-6 victory over the Arizona Cardinals, Lynch did a backward dive into the end zone while grabbing his crotch. Apparently, the NFL did not approve.
Lynch was not penalized at the time for the move, which the league considered unsportsmanlike conduct.
Varejao undergoes Achilles’ surgery
Cleveland Cavaliers center Anderson Varejao underwent successful surgery on Friday at the Cleveland Clinic in Cleveland to repair his ruptured left Achilles’ tendon, the team announced.
Dr. Brian Donley performed the surgery with Cavaliers team physician Dr. Richard Parker and Dr. James Rosneck assisting.
Varejao will miss the remainder of the 2014-15 season, although the team did not establish a timetable for his possible return.
The Cavs signed him to a three-year, $30 million extension in October. He is shooting 55 percent from the field and averaging 10 points and 6.6 rebounds.