The NBA admitted officials missed two calls in the final moments of Cleveland’s 109-108 win over Golden State on Sunday, and both aided the Cavaliers. On Monday, the league said Cleveland’s LeBron James should have received a technical foul for deliberately hanging on the rim after dunking with 1:43 left, and that Cavaliers forward Richard Jefferson should have been called for fouling Kevin Durant on the game’s final play. Jefferson’s feet appeared to get tangled with Durant, who managed a one-handed fling toward the basket as time expired. Durant on Tuesday called on the NBA to toss out the Last Two Minute Report because he, like officials, believes it will only lead to more errors . . . The Clippers said DeAndre Jordan is OK after a two-car accident in Playa del Rey, Calif., while on his way to the airport in advance of Wednesday’s game in New Orleans, according to ESPN . . . Heat forward Josh McRoberts has a stress fracture in his problematic left foot and will be out indefinitely.
McRoberts broke that foot during last season’s Eastern Conference semifinal series against Toronto, and had a stress reaction in the same foot that kept him out for training camp and the first seven games of this season.
LeBron is crowned AP’s Male Athlete of the Year
In June, James ended Cleveland's 52-year title drought when he led the Cavaliers to a historic comeback from a 3-1 deficit in the NBA Finals to stun the defending champion Warriors. On Tuesday, he was named AP's Male Athlete of the Year for the second time, collecting 24 first-place votes to beat out a pair of Olympic legends: swimmer Michael Phelps (16) and sprinter Usain Bolt (9). Chicago Cubs third baseman Kris Bryant, the NL MVP who led his team to its first World Series title since 1908, tied for fourth with Golden State guard Stephen Curry, last year’s winner.
Cristiano Ronaldo, Von Miller, and Andy Murray also got votes. James, who also won the AP award in 2013, joins Michael Jordan as the only NBA players to win twice. Jordan won three straight from 1991-94.
HOCKEY
Vancouver’s Hansen (knee) sidelined at least a month
Vancouver Canucks forward Jannik Hansen will miss 4-6 weeks with a right knee injury suffered Thursday, according to reports. Hansen had returned to the lineup Dec. 11 after missing a month with a fractured rib . . . Sabres top-line center Ryan O'Reilly is out indefinitely after having his appendix removed over the holiday break . . . Hurricanes defenseman Justin Faulk is week to week with a lower-body injury sustained Friday,NHL.com reported . . . In Montreal, Kasper Krog’s 34 saves helped Denmark upset defending champ Finland, 3-2, in preliminary-round play at the World Junior Championship, while Nico Hischier’s OT goal led Switzerland past the Czech Republic, 4-3. In Toronto, Kirill Kaprizov’s three goals and two assists paced Russia’s 9-1 win over Latvia, while five different scorers led Canada over Slovakia, 5-0.
COLLEGES
Minnesota pulls off upset despite player suspensions
Shannon Brooks caught a tipped pass from Mitch Leidner for a 13-yard, go-ahead TD in the third quarter and Minnesota, beset by turmoil after 10 players were suspended after a sexual assault investigation, upset Washington State, 17-12, in the Holiday Bowl in San Diego. The Golden Gophers (9-4) looked to regroup after backing down from a threat to skip the game if the suspended players weren’t reinstated, while the Cougars (8-5) ended the season on a three-game skid and were held to their lowest point total of the season . . . Jordan Asberry’s 3-yard overtime touchdown run led Army (8-5) past North Texas (5-8), 38-31, in the Heart of Dallas Bowl. The Black Knights ran for 480 yards and six TDs, finishing with a team-record 46 rushing TDs for the season . . . John Wolford went 10 of 19 for 183 yards and two TDs before leaving with a neck strain, and a 31-17 lead, in the third quarter as Wake Forest (7-6) upset Temple (10-4) in the Military Bowl at Annapolis, Md. . . . In women’s basketball, Lindsay Allen had 11 points, 11 rebounds, and 12 assists as No. 2 Notre Dame beat Chattanooga, 79-58.
SOCCER
Swansea jettisons US coach Bradley after just 11 games
American coach Bob Bradley was fired by Swansea, a day after the team's 4-1 home loss to West Ham and less than three months after taking charge at the English Premier League club. The 58-year-old, who won two of his 11 games as coach, was dismissed by Swansea’s American co-owners just 85 days after taking over the English Premier League struggler.
Hamburger SV signed Albanian defender Mergim Mavraj from Bundesliga rival Cologne through June 2019 to boost its chances of avoiding relegation. Hamburg is the only remaining founding member of the Bundesliga never relegated . . . Struggling Bundesliga team Darmstadt appointed former Germany midfielder Torsten Frings coach in a bid to avoid relegation.
MISCELLANY
Shiffrin outdoes Worley in capturing giant slalom win
American Mikaela Shiffrin held on to her first-run lead to beat France’s Tessa Worley by 0.78 seconds in a women’s World Cup giant slalom in Semmering, Austria, for her first GS win in 26 months. Italy’s Manuela Moelgg was 1.09 back for her first podium in nearly six years. Shiffrin extended her overall lead to 55 points over defending champ Lara Gut of Switzerland, who finished the race in fourth . . . Olympic champion Kjetil Jansrud became the second man to win the first three super-G races of the season with a World Cup win in Santa Caterina Valfurva, Italy by 0.60 seconds over Hannes Reichelt of Austria and 0.65 in front of Dominik Paris of Italy. Austrian Hermann Maier did it in 1997-98 and 1999-2000 . . . The Cincinnati Reds completed their front office reorganization, with Dick Williams succeeding Walt Jocketty as general manager.
Perpetual Loyal captured the Sydney to Hobart yacht race in Australia with a winning time almost five hours faster than the previous record set in 2012. Skippered by Anthony Bell, Perpetual Loyal completed the 630-nautical-mile race in 1 day, 13 hours, 31 minutes, 20 seconds to shatter the 2012 mark set by rival Wild Oats XI, by 4 hours, 51 minutes, 52 seconds.
