AP Sports Roundup

NBA-SCHEDULE

Gasol lifts Grizzlies

UNDATED (AP) — Marc Gasol's offense and defense sparked the Memphis Grizzlies to a 102-100 triumph over Houston on Wednesday.

The game was tied when Gasol blocked James Harden's layup attempt with 6.4 seconds left and drained a jumper with 0.1 seconds remaining. Gasol finished with 21 points for the Grizzlies, who led by 12 with five minutes to play before the Rockets went on a 14-2 run.

Terrence Jones scored seven of his 21 points during Houston's late run. Harden scored 18 in his return after a one-game suspension for kicking LeBron James on Sunday.

In other NBA finals:

— Stephen Curry hit six of Golden State's 14 3-pointers and finished with 19 points and 11 assists in a 102-93 victory against Milwaukee. Draymond Green shot 4-for-9 from beyond the arc and finished with 23 points and 12 boards to help the West-leading Warriors improve to 47-12, 4 1/2 games ahead of the Grizzlies.

LaMarcus Aldridge had the hot hand in Portland's 98-93 overtime win against the Clippers, going 12-for-20 and finishing with 29 points and nine rebounds. Damian Lillard made up for his 1-for-13 shooting performance by grabbing 18 rebounds in the Trail Blazers' fourth consecutive win.

— LeBron James had 29 points and matched his season high with 14 assists as the Cleveland Cavaliers won for the 20th time in their last 24 games, downing the Raptors 120-112 in Toronto. Kyrie Irving added 26 points in his second game since returning from a shoulder injury. Kevin Love chipped in 22 points and 10 rebounds to help the Cavs move into a virtual tie with Chicago for the Central Division lead.

— San Antonio posted its most lopsided win of the year as Kawhi Leonard had 21 points in a 112-85 laugher against Sacramento. Tony Parker added 19 points and helped the Spurs shoot 53 percent in their first home game since a 4-5 road trip.

— Russell Westbrook set career highs with 49 points and 16 rebounds, and added 10 assists for his fourth consecutive triple-double, but Oklahoma needed overtime before topping Philadelphia 123-118. The Thunder still have a one-game lead for the final Western Conference playoff berth after winning for the ninth time in 11 games.

— New Orleans remains a game behind Oklahoma City after Anthony Davis had 39 points, 13 rebounds and eight blocks in the Hornets' 88-85 win over Detroit. Davis was playing for the first time since missing five games with a sprained right shoulder.

— Dwyane Wade scored 25 points and added six assists as Miami beat the Los Angeles Lakers 100-94. Hassan Whiteside grabbed 25 rebounds and finished with 18 points, including a couple of big baskets in the final moments.

— Charlotte's Al Jefferson and Gerald Henderson each scored 19 points in a 115-91 romp over the Nets in Brooklyn. Marvin Williams had 18 points in the Hornets' third straight win.

— Phoenix came back from a 15-point deficit and beat Orlando 105-10 behind Brandon Knight's 28 points and seven assists. Markief Morris added 23 points and P.J. Tucker scored all 19 of his points in the second half to help the Suns snap a two-game skid.

— Boston beat Utah 85-84 on Tyler Zeller's buzzer-beating bank shot. Isaiah Thomas had a team-high 21 points for the Celtics, who blew an eight-point lead in the final 2 1/2 minutes before Zeller sent them to their fourth victory in five games.

— George Hill scored a season-high 21 points and Rodney Stuckey added 17 as Indiana ripped New York 105-82. The Pacers have won three straight and nine of 11.

— Denver improved to 2-0 under interim coach Melvin Hunt as Kenneth Faried had 18 points and 14 rebounds in a 100-85 triumph at Minnesota. Will Barton scored 17 points off the bench and the Nuggets outscored Minnesota 52-28 in the paint

NBA-ALLEN

Ray Allen not coming back

MIAMI (AP) — Ray Allen says he will not play this season but will consider returning to the NBA next season. It had been rumored that the Cleveland Cavaliers were among several teams wooing the NBA's all-time leading three-point shooter to return for the rest of this season.

The 39-year-old has made 2,973 shots from 3-point range in his 18 NBA seasons, 413 more than anyone else in league history.

BRONCOS-MANNING

Manning to stay with Broncos

UNDATED (AP) — The Denver Broncos won't have to hunt for another quarterback when the NFL transaction period begins on Tuesday.

A person with knowledge of the situation tells The Associated Press that Peyton Manning will return for a fourth season in Denver and 18th in the NFL. The person says Manning will reduce his salary from $19 million to $15 million in 2015, although the $4 could be made up through performance incentives.

The five-time MVP mulled retirement after the Broncos' playoff loss to the Indianapolis Colts.

In other NFL news:

— Vikings general manager Rick Spielman and head coach Mike Zimmer spent about four hours at Adrian Peterson's home north of Houston. This was the first meeting they've had with Peterson since the running back was placed on the exempt list in mid-September following his indictment in a child abuse case involving his 4-year-old son. Peterson is still under contract with the Vikings, and the team has said they'll welcome him back once he's fully reinstated by the NFL, but only if Peterson wants to be there.

— The Buffalo Bills will acquire quarterback Matt Cassel from Minnesota next week for an undisclosed draft pick. Cassel spent two years with the Vikings, taking over in 2013 after Christian Ponder struggled to keep the job. Cassel lost the starting job to injury last season.

— The Houston Texans have released veteran center Chris Myers, who started all 112 games during his seven seasons with the team. Myers holds the NFL's longest active streak for consecutive games played for an offensive lineman with 153, and consecutive starts at center with 128.

— The Cowboys have re-signed restricted free agent Cole Beasley, who had career highs with 420 yards and four touchdowns in his third season in 2014. The four-year contract is reportedly worth about $14 million, with $7 million guaranteed.

TOP 25 MEN'S BASKETBALL

Blue Devils hammer Deacs

UNDATED (AP) — The third-ranked Duke Blue Devils have secured the No. 2 seed in next week's ACC tournament by earning their 10th consecutive win.

Freshman Grayson Allen scored a season-best 27 points as the Blue Devils clobbered Wake Forest 94-51 to improve to 14-3 in the conference. Matt Jones added 17 points for Duke, which shot 58 percent and forced 19 turnovers.

The Demon Deacons never recovered after the Blue Devils opened on a 12-0 run.

Also in top-25 play:

— Demetrius Jackson scored 21 points and 12th-ranked Notre Dame made its final seven shots in a 71-59 triumph over No. 16 Louisville. Jerian Grant added 12 points for the Irish, who finished 54 percent from the field and made 20 of 25 from the line.

— D'Angelo Russell scored 28 points and 23rd-rated Ohio State improved to 22-8 with a 77-67 triumph at Penn State. Thad Matta picked up his 297 win as the Buckeyes' coach, tying Fred Taylor's school record.

— Ben Bentil scored a career-high 21 points and added 10 rebounds as No. 24 Providence defeated Seton Hall 79-66. The Friars trailed by eight before shooting 67 percent from the field in the second half.

MLB-RODRIGUEZ

A-Rod back with the Yankees

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Alex Rodriguez made his return to the playing field on Wednesday, going 1-for-2 with a walk in an exhibition game between the Yankees and Phillies in Tampa, Florida. The game was his first in 17 months following a drug suspension for the entire 2014 season. He was greeted by a 10-second mixture of cheers and boos. In his first at bat the three-time American League MVP lined a single to left field. He grounded out his second AB and walked in his third.

Before the game Yankees manager Joe Girardi said of Rodriguez: "He was caught. He paid his time and now he's back, and he's a Yankee and we're going to cheer for him."

A-Rod said of the cheers: "Once you hit rock bottom, any time you hear a few cheers these days is a pleasant surprise."

MLB-OBIT

Former batting champ dies

DETROIT (AP) — One-time American League batting champion Alex Johnson has died at 72. Johnson played 13 major league seasons, batting .288 with 78 homers and 525 RBIs. He became the only batting champion in the Angels' 55-year-old history when he hit .329 in 1970.

MLB-TIGERS

Tigers cut Hanrahan

SARASOTA, Fla. (AP) — Facing a second Tommy John surgery, pitcher Joel Hanrahan has been released by the Detroit Tigers. The Tigers signed Hanrahan last May, a year after his first surgery, but he never appeared in a game. Detroit re-signed him in November.

Hanrahan is 22-18 with a 3.85 ERA and 100 saves in seven seasons with Washington, Pittsburgh and Boston.

NHL-SCHEDULE

Wings beat Blueshirts in OT

UNDATED (AP) — The NHL's Eastern Conference race is even tighter following Wednesday's action. The New York Rangers are tied with the Islanders for the Metropolitan Division lead, just four points ahead of Pittsburgh. And Detroit has climbed within four points of the Atlantic Division-leading Montreal Canadiens.

Marek Zidlicky had a successful Red Wings debut, scoring the game-winner 69 seconds into overtime to complete a 2-1 win over the New York Rangers. Jimmy Howard stopped 39 shots and helped the Wings improve to 5-1-1 in their last seven games.

The Rangers are 9-1-2 in their last 12 and have two games in hand on the Islanders.

The Penguins were 3-1 losers in Colorado as Gabriel Landeskog provided a goal and two assists for the Avalanche. Semyon Varlamov made 28 saves and blanked the Pens until Evgeni Malkin tallied midway through the third period.

The Canadiens still lead the East by two points over the two New York teams following a 3-1 loss at Anaheim. John Gibson stopped 37 shots and Rickard Rakell notched the game-winner as the Ducks took over the Western Conference lead, two points ahead of Nashville.

Also in the NHL, Andrew Hammond stopped 35 shots and Kyle Turris had a goal and an assist as Ottawa beat Winnipeg 3-1 to pull within four points of Boston for the final Eastern Conference playoff berth. Hammond is 6-0-1 with a 1.35 goals-against average since making his season debut Feb. 16.

SOCCER-MLS

Labor peace in MLS

UNDATED (AP) — The MLS season will begin on Friday as scheduled.

A person familiar with the deal tells The Associated Press that Major League Soccer and its players' union have agreed in principle to a five-year labor contract, averting a possible strike

MLS's 20th season begins this weekend, with the defending champion Los Angeles Galaxy hosting Chicago in the opener.

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