Hawks hold on to beat Denver
ATLANTA — Atlanta point guard Trae Young had 35 points and 15 assists, and Clint Capela added 22 points and 10 rebounds as the Hawks beat the Denver Nuggets 123-115 on Sunday night. The Hawks had lost five of their past six games and eight of 10. The Nuggets have lost six of seven on the road. Jamal Murray, coming off a career-high 50 points Friday at Cleveland, led Denver with
30. Will Barton, Nikola Jokic and Monte Morris each scored 15 in Atlanta. The Nuggets, playing their fourth game in six days, looked tired in the second half as the Hawks went up by 22 points on a 3-pointer by Young at the 2:35 mark of the third quarter. They trimmed the lead to eight with 1:14 left in the game and closed within seven with 46 seconds remaining but got no closer. Hawks coach Lloyd Pierce missed his third straight game, this time because the NBA ruled that COVID-19 restrictions meant he needs to stay away from the team a couple of more days. Pierce remained home during the Hawks’ two games in Boston last week for the birth of his second child.
› COLUMBUS, Ohio — Sunday afternoon in a virtually empty Value City Arena, a men’s basketball matchup between No. 3 Michigan and No. 4 Ohio State in February looked more like an intense NCAA tournament game in March: good shooting, timely 3-pointers, fierce play under the rim, few mistakes and some late drama. After six ties in the second half, Michigan pulled away in the final minutes and then held off the Buckeyes 92-87 in a Big Ten rivalry meeting that showcased teams aiming for No. 1 seeds next month. The win also highlighted the importance of the Wolverines’ 7-foot-1 freshman center, Hunter Dickinson, who had several inches and considerable reach on Ohio State’s big men. He led the Wolverines with 22 points and nine rebounds, hitting all six of his foul shots. Michigan (16-1, 11-1) had pulled away and led by nine with 23 seconds left, but a pair of 3-pointers from Duane Washington Jr. around a layup by CJ Walker got the Buckeyes (18-5, 12-5) within three points with three seconds to go. Ohio State was forced to foul, and Eli Brooks made both of his free throws to seal Michigan’s fifth straight win, a run that came around a three-week break due to COVID-19 protocol.
BASEBALL
› DENVER — Ian Desmond provided a calming voice to help the Colorado Rockies stick together soon after losing star third baseman Nolan Arenado in a blockbuster trade recently. That just may be the veteran outfielder’s biggest contribution this season. Desmond decided Sunday to opt out for a second straight MLB season. He announced on his Instagram account that his “desire to be with my family is greater than my desire to go back and play baseball under these circumstances.” No amount of lobbying by Rockies manager Bud Black could persuade the 35-year-old Desmond, who was scheduled to make $8 million this season after walking away from a pro-rated salary of $5,555,556 last season. “This was a decision not about money,” said Black, whose team will begin full-squad spring training workouts Tuesday in Arizona. Desmond did leave the door open for a possible return by adding “for now” in his post.
FOOTBALL
› COOKEVILLE, Tenn. — David Gist ran for a pair of touchdowns as Tennessee Tech defeated reigning Ohio Valley Conference champion Austin Peay 27-21 in a league opener Sunday. The Golden Eagles, playing for the first time in 455 days, were outgained 373-156 but scored 20 points off four Austin Peay turnovers. Trailing 14-3 midway through the third quarter, Bailey Fisher threw a 13-yard screen pass to Metrius Fleming for a score. Early in the fourth quarter, Josh Reliford intercepted a pass he returned to the Governors’ 22-yard line. A roughing-the-passer negated an interception, and Gist eventually scored from 2 yards out as the home team went ahead for good.