NBA: Thunder notch 12th straight victory
Kevin Durant set a season high with 41 points and had 13 rebounds as the Thunder (21-4) held off the Hawks, 100-92, for their 12th straight win. Russell Westbrook added 27 points — 21 in the first half — and 11 assists for Oklahoma City. … Blake Griffin scored 18 points as the Clippers (19-6) beat the Hornets 93-77 for their franchise record-tying 11th consecutive victory.
Paul Pierce scored 25 of his season-high 40 points in the second half, hitting 10 of his 11 shots after halftime in the Celtics’ 103-91 win over the Cavaliers. … James Harden had 33 points and seven assists to lead the Rockets to a 125-103 victory over the 76ers.
NCAA: Kelly named AP coach of the year
Brian Kelly, who led Notre Dame into the BCS championship for the first time, was voted Associated Press college football coach of the year. He received 25 votes from the AP college football poll panel. Also receiving votes were Penn State’s Bill O’Brien, Stanford’s David Shaw, Texas A&M’s Kevin Sumlin , Kansas State’s Bill Snyder and Alabama’s Nick Saban. O’Brien was named the Maxwell Football Club coach of the year after the first-year head coach guided the Nittany Lions to an 8-4 record under unprecedented circumstances.
MLB: Diamondbacks hire Sax as coach
Steve Sax was hired by the Diamondbacks as their first base coach. Sax, 52, was a five-time All-Star second baseman for the Dodgers, Yankees and two other teams. He has been a professional speaker on motivation and leadership since he ritired in 1994.
Jeff Francis completed a $1.5 million, one-year contract to remain with the Rockies, a deal that allows the 31-year-old left-hander to double his income if he pitches 210 innings.
College Hoops: Edwin leads Seton Hall
Senior guard Fuquan Edwin scored 19 points to lead Seton Hall to an easy 79-61 victory over Longwood. The win was the fourth in a row for the Pirates (9-2), while the Lancers (3-9) lost their second straight. Besides Edwin, the Pirates got 13 points from Brian Oliver, who had been practically invisible in the past three games, and 11 points and eight rebounds from freshman Kevin Johnson.
Desi Washington scored 28 points on 9-of-15 shooting to lead St. Peter’s to an 80-67 victory over LIU Brooklyn. The Blackbirds played without leading scorer Julian Boyd, who tore his ACL in the victory against Rice on Dec. 12. He will miss the rest of the season.
Sheldon McClellan scored 18 points, leading three Texas players in double figures in an 85-67 win over No. 23 North Carolina. After the game, Texas coach Rick Barnes would not directly comment on a report that guard Myck Kabongo will be suspended by the NCAA for the rest of the season. According to Yahoo! Sports, Kabongo will be banned following an investigation into the sophomore’s relationship with Rich Paul, the agent of LeBron James.
GOLF: McIlroy voted player of the year
Rory McIlroy was the near unanimous choice as the best male player by the Golf Writers Association of America. McIlroy received 190 out of the 194 votes cast by GWAA members. Three votes went to FedEx Cup champion Brandt Snedeker, and the other went to Tiger Woods.