Pelicans tip Celtics for first home win
NEW ORLEANS — Anthony Davis scored 25 points and guard Tim Frazier made two foul shots in the final 14.8 seconds to lift the New Orleans Pelicans to their first home victory of the season, a 106-105 win over the Boston Celtics on Monday night at the Smoothie King Center.
The Pelicans led 100-99 with 2:16 left when Langston Galloway, who had 21 points, hit a 17-foot jumper from the left wing. Celtics guard Isaiah Thomas, who scored a game-high 37 points, came right back with a 3-pointer from the right wing, and Boston led 102-100.
Davis was fouled on a rebound and made two free throws to tie the game at 102 with 1:31 remaining.
Each team missed on its next possession, but Thomas drove the lane against Davis and picked up a blocking foul, making one of two foul shots for a 103-102 Boston lead with 33.1 seconds left.
The Pelicans then went to Davis, who missed a jumper in the lane but got his own rebound and was fouled. Davis made both free throws, and New Orleans led 104-103 with 24.7 seconds left.
Avery Bradley got matched up against Davis on Boston’s next possession, and he fired up a 3-pointer that Davis grazed, causing it to come up short. Boston kept possession with 15.3 seconds left when the ball went off Solomon Hill’s hand.
However, Frazier stole the inbounds pass from Amir Johnson and was fouled. He made one foul shot to extend the New Orleans lead to 105-103 lead with 14.8 seconds left.
After Thomas tied it at 105 with a left-handed layup, Frazier drew a foul on a pump fake and made one free throw for the winning margin.
Patriots’ Gronkowski may have punctured lung
New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski suffered what might be a punctured lung, which will force him to miss the next game, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport reported Monday.
There remains uncertainty as to whether the injury is a punctured lung, and a report from CBS Sports’ Jason La Canfora indicated that it is less severe than a punctured lung and is not considered a long-term injury.
Gronkowski is undergoing further tests to determine the exact nature of the injury.
Gronkowski apparently sustained the injury during the Patriots’ 31-24 loss to the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday night. He finished the game, and he was the intended receiver on the Patriots’ final offensive play, when he and safety Kam Chancellor got tangled up in the end zone on an incomplete pass.
It is unclear when Gronkowski was injured, but he left the game temporarily after a big hit from Earl Thomas seemed to stun the tight end.
Martellus Bennett is the team’s second string tight end, and he caught seven passes for 102 yards on Sunday.
Bears’ Jeffery suspended for four games
Chicago Bears wide receiver Alshon Jeffery has been suspended four games for violating the NFL’s performance-enhancing drug policy.
The league announced Monday that Jeffery will miss the next four games. He is eligible to return to Chicago’s active roster following the game against the Detroit Lions on Dec. 11 and be available for the game against the Green Bay Packers on Dec. 18.
Jeffery has been playing under the franchise tag worth $14,599,000 in 2016. He leads the Bears with 630 receiving yards and is second on the team with 40 receptions. He has scored one touchdown.
Jeffery will be a free agent this offseason unless the Bears apply their franchise tag on him again.
Coyotes finalize plans for new arena
The Arizona Coyotes announced Monday they have finalized plans for a new 16,000-plus seat arena in Tempe after years of looking for a new home.
The Coyotes entered into an exclusive negotiation agreement with Catellus Development Corporation, master developer for the Arizona State University Athletic Facilities District, to work toward the finalization of a new arena and 58-acre commercial development project located along Tempe Town Lake.
The Coyotes will continue playing at Gila River Arena through the 2018-19 season. In 2015, the Glendale City Council voided a 15-year agreement with the Coyotes, who later signed to continue playing at Gila River Arena while exploring options for a new arena in the metro Phoenix area.
The new arena is expected to be ready for the start of the 2019-20 NHL season.
Cowboys sticking with Prescott
There is no quarterback controversy in Dallas after all as Tony Romo gets ready this week for the Cowboys to be rookie Dak Prescott’s backup against the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday.
“We are going to let the decision make itself,” owner and general manager Jerry Jones said after the Cowboys beat the Pittsburgh Steelers 35-30 on Sunday for their eighth straight win. “Dak has got a hot hand, and we’re going to go with it.”
Prescott has been outstanding in Romo’s absence, completing 67 percent of his passes for 2,339 yards with 14 touchdowns and only two interceptions for the Cowboys, who have the NFL’s best record at 8-1.
“It’s just going with the obvious,” Jones told reporters. “You are going with how the team is doing right now. It must not be obvious because I get asked about it every time I open my mouth. It’s not hard. It’s not hard at all. Tony would make the same decision. That’s what you do.”
Knicks president Jackson staying put
New York Knicks president Phil Jackson put an end to speculation that he would opt out of his contract with the team after this season and return to the Los Angeles Lakers as an executive in 2017.
The speculation is fueled by Jackson’s ties to the Lakers organization. His fiancee, Jeanie Buss, is the Lakers team president and part-owner.
Jackson, who has a record 11 NBA championships as a head coach, said in an interview with ESPN’s Jackie MacMullan that it was “never important” for him to return to the Lakers.
“They’re moving forward in the right direction. (New Lakers head coach) Luke (Walton) has them engaged, Brian (Shaw) is an associate head coach; they have a core group of guys that will get it done. It was never important to me to go back and be a part of that,” Jackson told MacMullan. “Especially not now. I have this job, this commitment.”