AP Tuesday Sports Roundup

Spurs still perfect at home

UNDATED (AP) — The San Antonio Spurs continue to be the best NBA team no one is talking about.

With the Golden State Warriors off to a 26-1 start, the Spurs have quietly gone 24-5, including Monday's 106-92 victory over Indiana. Kawhi Leonard finished with 24 points and the Spurs improved to 16-0 at home by picking up their sixth consecutive win overall. Tony Parker delivered nine of his 15 points in the fourth quarter, and Boris Diaw finished with 14 points for San Antonio.

The Spurs are off to the second-best start in team history, yet they are three games behind the Western Conference-leading Warriors.

In other NBA action:

— Kevin Durant drained a go-ahead jumper with 5.8 seconds left before blocking Chris Paul's potential game-winning shot to secure Oklahoma City's 100-99 victory against the Clippers in Los Angeles. Durant finished with 24 points and Russell Westbrook scored 10 of his game-high 33 points in the final period to help the Thunder overcome Chris Paul's 32 points and 10 assists.

— Boston was a 113-99 winner over Minnesota as Kelly Olynyk scored 19 points and Jae Crowder had 18. Tyler Zeller provided 14 points and eight rebounds to help the Celtics end a three-game losing streak.

— Brooklyn's five-game losing streak is over after Brook Lopez had 21 points and 12 rebounds in a 105-102 triumph at Chicago. Thaddeus Young added 16 points and 13 rebounds as the Nets dealt the Bulls their third straight loss.

— Dennis Schroder dropped in 18 points and Atlanta picked up its fourth straight win by downing Portland 106-97. The Trail Blazers have dropped four in a row.

— James Harden scored 36 points converted a tiebreaking, three-point play with 31.6 seconds left in Houston's 102-95 decision over Charlotte. Harden made 16 of 19 free throws and secured Houston's third straight win by making two with 13.9 seconds remaining.

— Nikola Vucevic tied his season high with 26 points and grabbed nine rebounds as the Magic won for the fourth time in five games, 107-99 at New York. Tobias Harris scored 20 points to help the Magic hand the Knicks their first loss in five games.

— John Wall and Marcin Gortat each had double-doubles in Washington's 113-99 win against Sacramento. Wall finished with 12 points and a career-high 19 assists, while Gortat contributed 27 points and 16 rebounds.

— Utah has its first winning streak of the month after Gordon Hayward scored 24 points in a 110-89 rout of Phoenix. Derrick Favors finished with 18 points and nine rebounds for the Jazz, who opened the second half on a 12-0 run to take a 22-point lead.

BASKETBALL-HALL OF FAME

Hall hopefuls announced

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (AP) — Shaquille O'Neal, Allen Iverson and Yao Ming are among the first-time candidates on the ballot for the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. Michigan State coach Tom Izzo and former women's star Sheryl Swoopes are also among the candidates announced Monday for the class of 2016.

The finalists will be announced on Feb. 12 during the NBA's All-Star weekend.

NFL-GIANTS-BECKHAM SUSPENSION

Giants' Beckham suspended

NEW YORK (AP) — The New York Giants most likely will be without one of their two top offensive weapons when they try to avoid elimination from the NFC East race Sunday night in Minnesota.

The NFL has hit wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. with a one-game suspension for his conduct in Sunday's loss to Carolina in which he drew three personal foul penalties. Beckham has appealed the punishment in an effort to play against the Vikings.

Beckham and Panthers cornerback Josh Norman tangled from the beginning of the Panthers' 38-35 victory. At one point, Beckham delivered a diving helmet-to-helmet hit on Norman while blocking.

NFL-LIONS/SAINTS

Lions hold off Saints

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Matthew Stafford had a near-perfect performance in leading the Detroit Lions to a 35-27 victory at New Orleans on Monday.

Stafford was 22 of 25 for 254 yards, three first-half touchdowns and no interceptions. He hit Golden Tate for a pair of TDs while the Lions were building a 28-3 lead.

Drew Brees fueled the Saints' second-half rally and was 34 of 52 for 341 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions. Brees eclipsed the 4,000-yard mark for the 10th straight season and became only the fourth quarterback to surpass 60,000 yards in a career.

Both teams are 5-9.

NFL-RAIDERS/WOODSON

ALAMEDA, Calif. (AP) — This is Charles Woodson's final NFL season.

The Oakland Raiders' 39-year-old safety has announced he will retire after the season, saying he realized late last month that he couldn't play another year.

Woodson is one of the top defensive backs to play the game. He is tied for fifth in NFL history with 65 interceptions and is still playing at a high level. He ranks second in the league with eight takeaways this season, intercepting five passes and recovering three fumbles.

NFL-JAGUARS-BLACKMON DUI

Suspended receiver charged with DUI

ARDMORE, Okla. (AP) — Suspended Jacksonville Jaguars receiver Justin Blackmon has been charged in Oklahoma with driving under the influence.

Online court records show the misdemeanor was filed Monday against the 25-year-old Blackmon in Carter County. Blackmon was released after posting an $850 bond.

Last year, Blackmon pleaded no contest to misdemeanor marijuana possession.

NFL-INJURIES

Cardinals lose Mathieu for the season...Titans QB Mariota out Sunday

UNDATED (AP) — Arizona's Super Bowl chances have taken a hit.

Cardinals safety Tyrann Mathieu is out for the season after tearing the ACL in his right knee after intercepting a pass in the closing moments of Sunday night's win over Philadelphia.

It's the second serious knee injury for Mathieu, who hurt his left knee two seasons ago.

The "Honey Badger" was having an outstanding season and was the NFC defensive player of the month for November.

In other NFL news:

— Veteran running back Steven Jackson has announced via his Twitter account Monday that he is joining the New England Patriots. Jackson hasn't played this season after spending the last two years with the Falcons.

— Kellen Moore will be the Cowboys' fourth starting quarterback of the season when he takes on the Bills in Buffalo on Sunday. Moore replaced an ineffective Matt Cassel in the second quarter of Saturday's 19-16 loss to the New York Jets going 15 of 25 for 158 yards and one touchdown.

— Packers tight end Andrew Quarless has been activated from the injured reserve-designated to return list. Quarless has missed 10 games since sustaining a knee injury in the Week 3 victory over Kansas City.

— Tennessee quarterback Marcus Mariota has a sprained MCL in his right knee that will keep the rookie out of Sunday's home finale with Houston. Zach Mettenberger will start against Houston.

— Denver safety David Bruton Jr. is out indefinitely after playing most of Sunday's at Pittsburgh with a fractured right fibula. Bruton was injured when he collided with cornerback Aqib Talib on an incomplete pass.

— Browns offensive right guard John Greco will miss the final two games with a sprained right knee ligament suffered in Sunday's loss to the Seattle Seahawks.

— San Diego rookie running back Melvin Gordon has torn cartilage in his left knee and will miss the final two games of the season.

— Brock Osweiler remains the Denver Broncos' starting quarterback pending medical tests on his injured left shoulder. Coach Gary Kubiak said "nothing has changed" with his QB situation Monday, a day after Denver blew a double-digit halftime lead for the second consecutive week. Meanwhile, Peyton Manning will try to return to practice Wednesday.

— Running back Melvin Gordon will sit out the San Diego Chargers' last two games of the season due to torn cartilage in his left knee. Gordon was hurt late in the second quarter of Sunday's emotional 30-14 victory against Miami.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL-MIAMI BEACH BOWL

Western Kentucky wins

MIAMI (AP) — Western Kentucky has completed the best college football season in school history by winning its bowl game.

Brandon Doughty passed for 461 yards and three touchdowns in leading the 25th-ranked Hilltoppers to a 45-35 win over South Florida in the Miami Beach Bowl. Anthony Wales rushed for 105 yards and two touchdowns, including a 42-yarder with 5:05 left.

Western Kentucky trailed by 14 before earning its sixth straight win and ending the season 12-2.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL: AP Coach of the Year

Clemson's Swinney takes coach honors

UNDATED (AP) — Clemson's Dabo Swinney is The Associated Press college football coach of the year after leading the top-ranked Tigers to a 13-0 regular season.

Swinney received 35 of 60 votes from the AP Top 25 media panel. Iowa's Kirk Ferentz was second with 10.

T25 FOOTBALL-FLORIDA-NFL

More Gators on the move

GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Florida coach Jim McElwain says that running back Kelvin Taylor, receiver Demarcus Robinson and defensive end Alex McCalister have decided to forgo their senior seasons and enter the NFL draft. They join All-American cornerback Vernon Hargreaves III, who declared his intentions to turn pro after the SEC championship game earlier this month.

The decisions mean the 19th-ranked Gators will lose their leading rusher, leading receiver, best defensive back and one of their top pass rushers from this season.

T25 MEN'S BASKETBALL

Tar Heels breeze

UNDATED (AP) — North Carolina was the highest-ranked men's basketball team in action on Monday, and the No. 7 Tar Heels improved to 10-2 with their third straight win.

Brice Johnson scored 22 points and Joel Berry II added 11 and a career-high 11 assists as the Heels whipped Appalachian State 94-70. Justin Jackson and Isaiah Hicks each had 12 points for North Carolina, which pulled away with an early 15-2 run.

The Tar Heels spent much of the game without star guard Marcus Paige, who jammed his right ankle in the first half and played just 17 minutes.

In other top-25 finals:

— Tenth-ranked Providence beat Massachusetts 90-66 behind Ben Bentil's career-high 32 points and 12 boards. Preseason All-American Kris Dunn finished with 14 points and 11 assists in 24 minutes after missing the Friars' previous two games with a stomach virus.

— Jaysean Paige scored all of his 17 points in the first half as 19th-ranked West Virginia crushed Eastern Kentucky 84-59. The Mountaineers hit 10 of their 24 3-point attempts, with Paige going 4-for-7.

T25 BASKETBALL-AP POLL

Michigan State stays No. 1

UNDATED (AP) — Michigan State, Kansas and Oklahoma hold the top three spots in The Associated Press' college basketball poll for a second straight week.

The 12-0 Spartans received 64 of 65 first-place votes after scoring a 20-point win over Northeastern in their only game last week.

Kansas got the other No. 1 vote after improving to 9-1.

Maryland and Virginia round out the top five and are followed by Xavier, North Carolina, Arizona, Butler and Providence.

T25 WOMEN'S BASKETBALL-AP POLL

UConn stays No. 1

UNDATED (AP) — Connecticut continues to top The Associated Press women's college basketball poll, picking up every first place vote this week.

The 8-0 Huskies had the week off for final exams and resume play tonight against LSU.

The top five is identical to last week, with South Carolina checking in at No. 2 followed by Notre Dame, Baylor and Texas.

NHL-SCHEDULE

Caps win again

UNDATED (AP) — The Washington Capitals have padded their lead in the NHL's Metropolitan Division by picking up their sixth consecutive victory.

Backup Philipp Grubauer turned back 31 shots and the Capitals carried a 2-0 lead into the third period before settling for a 2-1 win at Carolina. Grubauer blanked the Hurricanes until Kris Versteeg beat him 2:18 into the final period.

Michael Latta and Jason Chimera did the scoring for the Capitals, who are 13-1-1 in their last 15 games.

Washington tops its division by nine points over the New York Islanders. The Caps also top the Eastern Conference standings by nine points over the Isles and Montreal Canadiens.

The Capitals continue to share the overall lead with Dallas at 52 points after the Stars turned a two-goal, second-period deficit into a 6-3 victory at Minnesota. The Wild led 2-0 until Jordie Benn, Vernon Fiddler and Tyler Seguin scored during the last 5:01 of the second period.

Fiddler added an empty-net goal and Antti Niemi made 32 saves as the Stars improved to 25-7-2.

Dallas paces the Western Conference and Central Division races by six points over Chicago and St. Louis.

Elsewhere on NHL ice:

— The Islanders had dropped three straight before John Tavares collected two assists in the first period of a 5-2 win over Anaheim. John Tavares and Casey Cizikas each had two assists for the Islanders, who took control on goals by Travis Hamonic and Brock Nelson 43 seconds apart in the final minute of the opening period.

— Montreal lost for the eighth time in nine games as Pekka Rinne stopped 35 shots in Nashville's 5-1 win over the Canadiens. Shea Weber and Colin Wilson each had a goal and two assists to help the Predators improve to 2-0 on their four-game homestand.

— Evgeny Medvedev scored the game-winner with 3:13 left to cap Philadelphia's comeback from a 3-0 deficit in a 4-3 triumph against St. Louis. Wayne Simmonds tallied twice in the Flyers' third victory in four games.

— Pittsburgh ended a five-game losing streak and picked up their first victory under new coach Mike Sullivan by beating Columbus 5-2. Evgeni Malkin and Phil Kessel each scored twice for the Penguins, who managed to win while captain Sidney Crosby sat out with a lower-body injury.

— Tyler Bozak scored three times in the third period and Jake Gardiner set up four goals in Toronto's 7-4 rout of Colorado. The game was tied 3-3 until Bozak scored twice in the first seven minutes of the final stanza.

— Cam Talbot handled 44 shots and Teddy Purcell had two goals and an assist as Edmonton beat Winnipeg 3-1 to end a three-game losing streak. Taylor Hall had three assists in helping the Oilers drop the Jets below .500.

NHL-WILD-SPURGEON

Defenseman gets $20 million extension

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — The Minnesota Wild have signed defenseman Jared Spurgeon to a four-year, $20.75 million extension that kicks in next season.

The 26-year-old Spurgeon has five goals and 17 points with a plus-3 rating and a team-high 68 blocked shots in 32 games this season.

SOCCER-FIFA INVESTIGATION

Blatter, Platini banned for 8 years

ZURICH (AP) — FIFA president Sepp Blatter and vice-president Michel Platini have each been banned for eight years by the ethics committee of soccer's governing body in a stunning removal of the sport's most powerful leaders.

The bans stems from a $2 million payment deal that is also the subject of a criminal investigation in Switzerland.

Blatter and Platini say they will appeal.