By wire sources
Burton, Nevada
beat Hawaii 88-79
HONOLULU — Deonte Burton scored 20 points to lead Nevada to an 88-79 victory over Hawaii Thursday night.
Burton was one of five players that scored in double figures for the WAC-leading Wolf Pack (20-4, 9-1). Malik Story had 19 points, Olek Czyz and Dario Hunt scored 15 apiece and Jerry Evans Jr. had 11 points for Nevada. Hunt also had 17 rebounds.
Joston Thomas led Hawaii (13-10, 5-4) with 18 points. Hauns Brereton added 17 points, Jeremiah Ostrowski 15 and Vander Joaquim 14 for the Rainbow Warriors, who dropped to fourth in the WAC.
Hawaii led 39-36 at halftime, but Nevada’s 15-4 run early in the second half gave the Wolf Pack a 53-48 lead. The Rainbow Warriors got as close as 71-67 before Nevada scored the next eight points to take control.
Dirk, Pierce All-Stars
NEW YORK — Dirk Nowitzki and Paul Pierce overcame slow starts to return to the All-Star game, while lengthy runs ended for Kevin Garnett and Tim Duncan.
Nowitzki was chosen Thursday to his 11th straight All-Star game, despite his lowest scoring average since his second NBA season. Pierce has come on after a slow start caused by a foot injury and was picked for the 10th time.
But Garnett wasn’t chosen after 14 consecutive selections, and Duncan was left out after 13 in a row. Other All-Star regulars such as Ray Allen and Amare Stoudemire will be home, giving way to five first-timers: Portland’s LaMarcus Aldridge, Marc Gasol of Memphis, Andre Iguodala of Philadelphia, Indiana’s Roy Hibbert, and Chicago’s Luol Deng.
Also headed to Orlando for the Feb. 26 game are NBA assists leader Steve Nash of Phoenix, Tony Parker of San Antonio, Russell Westbrook of Oklahoma City, Kevin Love of Minnesota, Chris Bosh of Miami, Atlanta’s Joe Johnson and Deron Williams of New Jersey.
Red Wings, Maple Leafs to play
at Big House
ANN ARBOR, Mich. — The Detroit Red Wings and Toronto Maple Leafs will began 2013 by renewing their rivalry at one of North America’s most iconic stadiums.
The two Original Six foes will play in the Winter Classic on Jan. 1 at Michigan Stadium, part of an outdoor showcase that will also include minor league and college hockey games at Detroit’s Comerica Park.
Toronto will become the first Canadian team to play in the Winter Classic when the Maple Leafs and Red Wings face off in Ann Arbor, about 45 miles west of Detroit.
Armstrong happy investigation over
AUSTIN, Texas — As far as Lance Armstrong is concerned, it’s all over.
The stress, the waiting, the whispers about whether he doped during his stellar cycling career, all of it ended when — after nearly two years — federal prosecutors closed an investigation of him last week without bringing any charges.
“I’m happy. I’m glad it’s behind me,” Armstrong told The Associated Press on Thursday in his first interview since prosecutors announced they were dropping the case.
The seven-time Tour de France winner said he remained confident he would not be indicted, but admitted the weight of the long investigation took a toll on him personally.
“It’s not a pleasant experience … It was difficult at times,” he said. “But I was confident that we would always end up in this place.”
By wire sources