CHAMPAIGN—A year ago, Brandon Paul started his college career with two big games that powered Illinois to victories before sliding back to the bench and mostly watching the Illini wade through a disappointing season that ended in the NIT.On Monday night, Paul replayed a little of that history, scoring 18 points to lead No. 13 Illinois to a season-opening 79-65 victory against UC-Irvine.The trick now, he said, is to avoid a repeat. “It felt like déjà vu for me,” the sophomore said. “This year the main thing is to stay consistent. I don’t want to have a few good games and then slack off the next few games.” All of Paul’s points came on 3-pointers and he was 6 for 8 from the field with all of his shots from beyond the arc. Fifteen of his points came in the first 20 minutes as Illinois took a 42-18 lead.Paul sparked what had been a sluggish Illinois offense, hitting on three consecutive early possessions.His first 3 with 14:10 left in the first half gave the Illini an 11-5 lead.After a missed jumper by the Anteaters, point guard Demetri McCamey was bringing the Illini up court when Paul yelled his nickname loudly from behind — “Meechi! Meechi!” — looking for the ball. McCamey provided and, before UC-Irvine could set its defense, Paul hit another 3. Seconds later, on the next possession, he drained a third.Turner quickly called a timeout, but the Anteaters were already down 17-5 with 12:56 to play in the first half. While Paul and the Illini were finding their shooting stroke, UC-Irvine hit only 6 of its 26 first-half shots (23.1 percent).The Anteaters didn’t score during one five-minute-plus stretch, coming up dry on nine consecutive possessions after Darren Moore’s 3-pointer with 9:03 to play. Chris McNealy’s jumper ended the drought, but the Anteaters were already down 34-10. While Illini coach Bruce Weber was impressed with Paul’s offense, that first-half defense was what he wanted to talk about.The Illini struggled through two exhibition victories against Division II schools that left Weber wondering about his team’s intensity and whether they could live up to the preseason ranking.”We were intimidating defensively in the first half,” Weber said. “We were all over the place.” Paul, a key piece of that defense with two steals and a blocked shot, echoed Weber. “We came out feisty and fighting, diving for balls and stuff like that,” he said.McCamey, often a target for Weber’s criticism and, after those exhibition games, a source of his concern, finished with 13 points, two in the first half.He said after the game, though, that his eight assists proved he had at least part of the kind of night he had aimed for.”I shot terrible, but at the same time we got a win,” he said. “I said in the preseason that that was one of my goals, to make my teammates better.” UC-Irvine opened the second half with more offensive life — helped by a dip in intensity from Illinois — and outscored the Illini 47-37 over the final 20 minutes.The Anteaters cut the deficit to 49-34 with just under 15 minutes to play on Moore’s 3-pointer. Six minutes later, he drove the lane to shave Illinois’ lead to 14. But Illinois quickly snuffed out any ideas about a comeback, scoring five points over the next 55 seconds. The last two, a dunk by Mike Davis, made it 64-45 with 7:32 to play.Only a late flurry by UC-Irvine closed the gap to the final 14 points.Moore led the Anteaters with 18 points, while Patrick Rembert added 12 and Eric Wise and Pavol Losonsky had 11 each.Illinois’ Mike Tisdale had 12 points and Mike Davis added 11.Illinois will face Toledo on Wednesday night in the tournament’s second round.

The Edmonton Oilers,who had the NHL’s worst record last season, are playing better on the road.Meanwhile, the defending Stanley Cup champion Blackhawks seem to be losing their edge on home ice.Kurtis Foster and Sam Gagner scored 14 seconds apart in the third period, and Edmonton rallied to beat the Blackhawks 2-1 on Sunday night.Nikolai Khabibulin made 26 saves for Edmonton, which improved to 2-2-2 on the road this season and 4-23-3 in its last 30 games away from home dating to December 2009.Both of the Oilers’ road wins this season have been in the United Center. The Hawks dropped to 4-6-0 at home. Edmonton defeated the Blackhawks 7-4 at the United Center on Oct. 29.The Hawks were ahead 1-0 on a goal from ex-Oiler Fernando Pisani and were seemingly in control. Then, Foster scored on a power play to tie it and Gagner followed with the game-winner.The Hawks got 24 saves from backup Corey Crawford in his fourth start and fifth game of the season. But for the fifth time in their six home setbacks, the Blackhawks lost the game in the third period.The Blackhawks have lost three straight at home, including twice to the Oilers and once to injury-depleted New Jersey.Marian Hossa returned after missing five games with a shoulder injury.Pisani, signed as a free agent by the Hawks from Edmonton in the offseason, scored the only goal of the first period at 10:23. He skated in from the right circle and fired a shot under Khabibulin’s glove on the short side.Crawford wasn’t heavily tested, but did make a couple of tough stops in the scoreless second period. His best was a quick right pad save on Andrew Cogliano 7:40 into the period.Crawford made another point-blank pad save on Cogliano in the first minute of the third following a turnover by Duncan Keith. Seconds later, Edmonton’s Taylor Hall fired the rebound off the right post.Foster ended Crawford’s shutout bid at 7:13 of the third with a power-play goal from a sharp angle. Following a faceoff in the Chicago zone, Foster’s screened shot from the right circle slid underneath Crawford’s pads.”It’s amazing,” Foster said. “You can shoot 30 shots in a row hard, and the one you kind of whiff on goes through. It got through five-hole.Gagner put Edmonton ahead 2-1 just 14 seconds later when he slipped through the crease alone and knocked in Dustin Penner’s pass while falling to the ice.”It’s unacceptable to lose the game in one minute,” Hossa said. “We played a pretty good defensive game up to the third period. As a championship team, we have to respond better.”Khabibulin made point-blank saves on Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane from the slot with about 6 minutes left.

NOTES—The Oilers played their final regular-season game at the United Center this season. …Dave Bolland missed his fifth game with an upper-body injury. … Oilers LW Steve MacIntyre missed his third game with a back injury. Edmonton D Theo Peckham missed his second with the flu.

TORONTO—Pretty is wasn’t,but the Bears made just a couple of more plays late and won their first regular season game outside the United States 22-19 over the winless Buffalo Bills at the Rogers Centre to finish the first half of the season 5-3.The Bills won the coin toss but deferred,so the Bears got to receive Rian Lindell’s kickoff and Danieal Manning returned the kickoff 15 yards to his 22, Matt Forte got 7 yards on first down,but got nailed for a loss of one by Marcus Stroud.On third down,Forte was nailed by Paul Posluszny for no gain and Brad Maynard punted 38 yards to the Bills 33.Fred Jackson was nailed by Julius Peppers for no gain and then by Lance Briggs for a loss of two.Ryan Fitzpatrick’s first pass was forced into the ground and Brian Moorman kicked to Devin Hester,who slipped,and only got three yards to his 34.Forte rushed for a pair,then caught a pass for 1, and Cutler missed Hester up the middle forcing another Meynard punt which Roscoe Parrish returned six yards to his 31.On a second down,Fitzpatrick hit Parrish for 11 for the game’s initianl first down.Jackson then put on a neat mopve for six up the middle.An a creen,Parrish picked up 13 before Chris Harris stopped him.The next pass to Parrish was stopped by Harris for a three yard loss,and Jackson ran up the middle for two,leaving a third and eleven at the Bears 40,but a false start moved the ball back five yards.After Jackson got 2 on a screen, Moorman punted away from Hester who watched it roll dead at the Bears 19.Chester Taylor on his first carry got one yard.Then on an empty backfield set up, Cutler was left wide open and ran for 18 yards.Taylor was able to escape a sure loss and pick up one yard.Cutler then found Earl Bennett who made a leaping grab at the Bears 48 for ten yards.On a third and four, Cutler his Johnny Knox for 24 yards to the Bills 21.Hester on an end around lost a yard.Tarloy was able to get four to the Buffalo 18 as the first quarter ended.

A false start forced the Bears back to the 23.A pass to Taylor went for just five yards,but an illegal hands to the face gave the Bears an automatic first down at the 18.That break kep the drive going and allowed the Bears to score on foreign soil in regular season play for the first time ever.Taylor was tackled for no gain.Then on a creen,Taylor broke a tackle and picked up 14 to the four yard line for a first and goal,but another false start moved it back to the nine.After an incompleted pass to Greg Olsen,Cutler hit Forte for four yards to the five.On the next play Curler found Olsen with a quick five yard TD pass to make it 7-0 Bears with 12:06 to go in the first half. Robbie Gould’s kickoff went out of bounds,so the Bills got to start at their own 40.On first down a long pass from Fitzpatrick to Spiller was nullified by a holding call,but he then hit David Martin for 11.On first down a long pass from Fitzpatrick to Spiller was nullified by a holding call,but he then hit David Martin for 11.But that drive died and Moorman punted to Hester who fair-caught at his 13.A 26 hyard Cutler to Bennett pass moved the ball to midfield. Then Cutler found Knox at the Bills 38 for 12.Cutler scrambled for 14 and slid to the 21 of Buffalo.Taylor slipped with the handoff for a two yard loss.An illegal shift moved the ball back to the 28.Cutler found Bennett at the 14 for 14 yards as the two minute warning was reached.Two more false starts on the Bears pushed them back to the 24.After an incomplted try to Forte in the end zone,Gould missed a 42 yard field goal wide right with 1:45 left in the half.On first down,Fitzpatrick ran out of bounds and was touched by Peanut Tillman for a 15 yard personal foul moving the ball to the Bears 46.On fourth and 3,the Bills went for it,and Fitzpatrick hit David Nelson for ten, then he hit Jackson at the 21.A first down pass to Jackson followed with :27 left at the 14.On a third down from the Bears 14,Buffalo 14,Fitzpatrick found Parrish at the two and he was able to strech across the goal line to tie the game at 7-7 with :11 to go and at halftime.

Since Buffalo deferred on the opening coin toss,they received the second half kickoff which Gould booted deep enough into the end zone for a touch back.The Bills pikced up a pair of first downs,the second on a 13 yard pass from Fitzpatrick to Johnson at the Bears 49.Then Parrish brought in a 9 yard pass at the 39.On a third and 1,Jackson fumbled when hit by Peppers and Tillman recovered for the Bears at the 40.The Bears went the 60 yards in nin plays,taking 4:54. They moved the ball to the Buffalo 26 thanks in part to a 7 yard Cutler to Olsen pass.Forte then ran 22 yard to the Bills 4 for a first and goal.Taylor ran three yards to the one,then scored untouched to give the Bears the lead back with 6:18 to go in the third quarter. The Bills started at their twenty again.They picked up two first downs to the Bears 49,helped by a Bears penalty.Then,Johnson caught one for 45 yards,avoided three tackles and got to the Bears four.Jackson then bowled over for the touchdown,but Israel Idonije,in his home County of Canada,blocked the extra point by Lindell to allow the Bears to retain a one point lead 14-13 with 2:59 left in the third period.Cutler found Hester for 16 yards to the Bears 38 to start the drive.He then found Brendoln Manumalenuna at the 48 for ten more as the third quarter ended.After a pass interference gave the Bears a first down,Cutler was sacked for the first time in the game,Spencer Johnson with the sack,and also forcing a fumble and recovered the ball at the Bills 49.A pass to Lee Evans picked up a first down at the Bears 40.C.J.Spiller got five up the middle.Then on a draw play Spiller broke through for 15 to the 20.A pass to Evans followed to the Bears 7 for a first and goal.Then a short pass to Johnson to the one,and Corey McIntyre scored on the next play also Jackson was stopped by Idonije on a two point try.The Bills took a 19-14 lead with 10:24 to play.After nearly having a pass picked off,Cutler and the Bears went three and out and Maynard punted to the ball dead at the Bills 29.On first down,Fitzpatrick went for a long pass to Steve Jophnson and Tim Jennings jumped in front of it,picked it off and returned it 39 yards to the Buffalo 23.Two plays later,it was third and ten,and Cutler found Olsen at the five for a first and goal.After an incompleted pass and a two yd gain, Cutler hit Bennett for a four yard TD pass with 6:41 left and Forte ran in the two point conversion to give the Bears a 22-19 edge with 6:41 to go.Gould kicked off to Spiller who downed it.The Bills picked up one first down. On a third down Steve Johnson caught a 14 yard pass to get a first at the Bears 44,but the Bills would turn the ball over on downs to the Bears at the 44 with 2:20 left and two timeouts remaing for Buffalo.The Bears got the ball and had to punt and Maynard put the ball dead just outside the Buffalo one yard line with 1:04 left and no Bills timeout remaining.

NOTES—When Idonije blocked Lindell’s PAT try in the third quarter, it was the first miss of Lindell’s career after 321 successfull attempts which was an NFL record…..Attendance was 50,746.

LES

NOTES—Joel Quenneville earned his 544th victory to take sole possession of 10th place on the NHL list, moving ahead of former Blackhawks coach Billy Reay….Jeremy Morin, who made his NHL debut, limped off the ice after he blocked a shot by Johnny Oduya early in the third.The Hawks acquired Morin in the June 24 trade that sent Byfuglien, Ben Eager and Brent Sopel to Atlanta. … Before Toews’ first goal, Atlanta had killed 16 straight penalties over six games. … The Blackhawks improved to 2-5-1 when allowing a power-play goal.

STATE COLLEGE—That’s 400 and counting for Joe Paterno.JoePa became the first major college coach with 400 victories as Penn State rallied from a three-touchdown deficit Saturday night to defeat Northwestern 35-21.Backup quarterback Matt McGloin threw for four touchdowns and the Nittany Lions (6-3, 3-2 Big Ten) shut down Wildcats quarterback Dan Persa in the second half to get the 83-year-old Paterno his latest milestone.Only two other coaches have more wins. Eddie Robinson had 408 with FCS school Grambling State, while John Gagliardi had 476 entering the weekend with Division III St. John’s, Minn.Mobbed by his teammates, fans and wife Sue afterward, Penn State honored Paterno with a postgame ceremony as backup tailback Stephfon Green held a sign that read “400. The Paterno Way.” “People ask me why I’ve stayed here so long, and you know what, look around, look around. Now that the celebration’s over, let’s go beat Ohio State,” he said as the crowd roared. Persa ran for two scores and threw for another to build a 21-0 lead for Northwestern (6-3, 2-3). But McGloin rallied Penn State and Silas Redd put Penn State ahead for good with a 4-yard touchdown run for a 28-21 lead in the third quarter. NU had a last gasp when Persa drove the offense to the Penn State 9 with 8:13 left but threw incomplete into the end zone on fourth down. Linebacker Michael Mauti led a furious second-half defensive charge to contain the dual-threat quarterback.The 100,000-plus fans packed into Beaver Stadium began celebrating with anticipation, and chants of “Joe Paterno! Joe Paterno,” echoed through the stands with 6:30 left and Penn State up comfortably by two touchdowns.Camera flashes lit up the stands and Paterno stood idly by on the sideline, hands in his gray Penn State parka, not paying much attention to all the ruckus.As if enough history wasn’t being made at raucous Beaver Stadium, the win also matched the biggest come-from-behind win under Paterno, in 1994 when the Nittany Lions also rallied from 21 down to beat Illinois.The festivities at Beaver Stadium seemed like they were going to be put on hold when Persa cut through Penn State. He had touchdown runs of 6 and 4 yards in the first half, then found tight end Drake Dunsmore in the back of the end zone for a 9-yard touchdown pass for a 21-0 lead late in the first half.It turned out to be Northwestern’s last big play, and Penn State dominated from there.Freshman Rob Bolden started for the first time since getting knocked out of the Minnesota game two weeks ago with a concussion, but was pulled after fumbling the ball away on a sack on his second series.McGloin had a so-so start after entering before energizing the crowd with a two minute-drill drive to close the first half that ended with a pretty catch by Brett Brackett in the back of the end zone to cut the lead to 21-7 at the half.The Nittany Lions could seemingly do no wrong in the second half. McGloin found Nate Cadogan for a 3-yard score before hitting Derek Moye on perfect pass down the right sideline over corner Mike Bolden to tie the game at 21.From there,the Wildcats just seem to collapse.

ANN ARBOR—In the highest-scoring game in the history of Michigan football, the Wolverines’ defense came up with the game-winning play.Michael Shaw scored on a 1-yard run, Tate Forcier threw a 2-point conversion to Junior Hemingway and Michigan stopped the potential tying 2-point try in a 67-65 triple-overtime win over Illinois on Saturday.Mikel Leshoure ran for a touchdown to draw the Illini within two. On the conversion try, Michigan put a heavy rush on Nathan Scheelhaase, who flipped a desperation pass incomplete.Michigan (6-3, 2-3 Big Ten) snapped a three-game losing streak and became bowl-eligible for the first time in Rich Rodriguez’s three seasons.A few days after Michigan found out the NCAA would not be coming down hard on the program for rules violations under Rodriguez, the Wolverines came away with a win they badly needed.The Fighting Illini (5-4, 3-3) allowed Tate Forcier to cap an 80-yard drive with a 9-yard, game-tying pass to Darryl Stonum with 1:47 left in regulation.The 132 points made it the highest-scoring game of the year in major college football and in the 131-year history of Michigan football.The last FBS game to produce more points was when Navy beat North Texas 74-62 on Nov. 10, 2007.The previous highest-scoring Michigan game wasn’t nearly as dramatic. The Wolverines beat West Virginia 130-0 in 1904.Denard Robinson threw a 75-yard TD on the first play of the game, but didn’t play after the third quarter and it wasn’t immediately known why he spent the rest of the afternoon on the sideline.Robinson was 10 of 20 for a career-high 305 yards with three TDs and two interceptions. Forcier finished with 12 completions on 19 attempts for 114 yards with two TDs and an interception in the final minute of regulation.Roy Roundtree had a school-record 246 yards receiving and two scores. Hemingway had 104 yards receiving and two TDs.Scheelhaase threw for 211 yards, ran for 101 yards and accounted for four scores. Leshoure ran for 101 yards and a TD and Jason Ford had 91 yards rushing and a score against the 106th ranked defense in the country.But Michigan’s offense is about as good as its defense is bad. The Wolverines rank fourth in the nation and might have been able to reach 60 points in regulation if not for five turnovers.As it was, Forcier led the drive for the tying touchdown that made it 45-all at the end of regulation.Every overtime possession resulted in a touchdown.Shaw’s 5-yard touchdown run in the first overtime put Michigan ahead, then Leshoure’s run converted a fourth-and-1 and forced a second overtime.Scheelhaase then threw a 25-yard pass to a wide-open Patrick Nixon-Youman for a one-play possession, but Forcier answered with a 9-yard TD pass to Hemingway that was deflected by defensive back Terry Hawthorne, sending the game to a third OT.By rule, the teams had to start going for 2 at that point. Michigan got theirs. Illinois failed to convert and the Wolverines celebrated as if they had clinched a Rose Bowl bid instead of just a trip to some second-tier bowl.It didn’t take long to figure out the game was going to be a shootout.Robinson connected with Roundtree for a score on the first play.He fumbled on his next snap, a teammate recovered the football, then he threw interceptions on back-to-back plays.Michigan’s defense played relatively well in the first quarter — holding Illinois to two field goals — then fell apart, allowing the Illini to score 25 points in the second quarter.The Wolverines were fortunate that their offense kept up, scoring 24 points to make it 31-all at halftime.It was the highest-scoring total in a first half Michigan history, surpassing the 55 points it and Chicago scored in 1939.Michigan had 394 yards of offense in the first half and gave up 312 to Illinois.Shaw’s 18-yard run that put the Wolverines ahead 38-31 midway through the third and Michigan had a chance to take a 10-point lead late in the quarter, but Seth Broekhuizen couldn’t make a 39-yard field goal.Scheelhaase answered with a 27-yard TD pass to Leshoure, who was wide open in the end zone, to tie it on the first play of the fourth.Forcier fumbled on his first play and Illinois turned that into Leshoure’s go-ahead TD run.Forcier, last season’s starter before Robinson took over and become a Heisman contender, led a 12-play drive that tied it.

BOSTON—Tom Thibodeau knows what the Celtics can do when the game goes into overtime: He was Doc Rivers’ assistant when they played six OTs in a three-game span against the Bulls in the 2009 playoffs.Kevin Garnett chased down Joakim Noah and tipped the ball away from behind with 14 seconds left in overtime, and the Celtics held on to win 110-105. It was the second consecutive overtime game for the Celtics, the first back-to-back OT games since they played three straight against the Bulls in the first round of the 2009 playoffs.Garnett had 16 points and 10 rebounds, and he also drew an offensive foul on Derrick Rose with Boston nursing a three-point lead in overtime. Ray Allen, who scored 25 points, followed with a dunk on an assist from Pierce to make it a five-point game.After Luol Deng tipped in Kyle Korver’s airball, the Bulls had a chance to cut it to one point when Noah tried to take off on a fast break. But Garnett ran him down and tipped the ball to Glen “Big Baby” Davis; he hit the foul shots to clinch it.Noah had 26 points and 12 rebounds for the Bulls. Deng scored 20 and Rose had 18 points and nine assists for the Bulls who lost their second straight game and fell to 0-2 on the road.They lost to te Knicks at home Thursday night.Boston has won four in a row, and has not lost at home.The Celtics led by as many as 16 points in the third, but the Bulls cut it to six points late in the quarter and took the lead midway through the fourth when C.J. Watson hit a 3-pointer to give the Bulls an 82-81 lead. Boston opened a six-point lead before Deng hit a 3-pointer with 2 ½ minutes left, then he hit another with 1:18 left in regulation to make it 96-96.The Celtics had the ball with 35 seconds left and a chance to take the lead, but Pierce overthrew Allen, and Keith Bogans outran Allen to the loose ball, diving to the court and calling a timeout before he rolled out of bounds.That gave the Bulkls the ball with 23.3 seconds left. Rose dribbled the clock down before trying to drive against Rondo, but the Celtics point guard went low and knocked the ball away; it bounced to Noah, but he couldn’t gain control before the buzzer sounded.Rondo scored 10 points with 11 assists – below his record-setting average of more than 16 in the first five games. Rivers said Rondo had a foot injury that he was monitoring; the trainer had said Friday morning that Rondo would not be able to play.The crowd gave Thibodeau a warm welcome back, but the biggest cheer was for Brian Scalabrine, who spent five years in Boston and became a fan favorite as a bench player on the ’08 champions.In fact, a video of Scalabrine’s scoring and Thibodeau’s coaching from their Boston days got a louder reaction than the later one commemorating Pierce’s 20,000th point as a Celtic. The other Boston players applauded Pierce, who remained on the bench and nodded.

NOTES—The crowd gave a big cheer when the scoreboard showed the Miami Heat losing in the fourth quarter to the New Orleans Hornets.Get used to that, Miami will be the most hated team in the NBA all season….Davis drew two more charging fouls in the first half, giving him 11 for the season. The Celtics had 13 as a team coming into the game, compared to five for opponents…..Shaquille O’Neal did not play for the third straight game because of a bruised right knee. Rivers said O’Neal was questionable for the road trip to Oklahoma City, Dallas, Miami and Memphis…..Boston’s Semih Erden and the Bulls Omer Asik, teammates on the Turkish national team, matched up in the low post in the first half.

Tony Douglas scored a career-high 30 points, and New York made 16 of 24 3-point attempts in a 120-112 victory over the Bulls on Thursday.It was an outstanding shooting display for the Knicks after they hit just 29.1 percent over the first three games.Leading the charge was Douglas, who made 5 of 9 from long range.Raymond Felton was 4 of 6 from long range and finished with 20 points and 10 assists, while Amar’e Stoudemire added 14 points and eight rebounds. The Knicks forced 20 turnovers and got a reprieve after a dramatic first week.Besides close losses to Boston and Portland after taking the opener from Toronto, they had to postpone Tuesday’s home game against Orlando because of an asbestos scare at Madison Square Garden.They overcame another big effort from Derrick Rose, who scored 24 points and had 14 assists, but he sat out the final 9:31. That didn’t sit well with fans who chanted “We want Rose!” in the closing minutes as the Bulls made one final push.Kyle Korver finished with 18 points and Luol Deng scored 17 after pouring in a career-high 40 in a win over Portland on Monday. But thye Bulls simply couldn’t stop New York’s shooters.The Bulls were trailing by 17 points before making a run late in the third, cutting it to 10 on a 3-pointer by Deng with 28 seconds left, They were within 95-87 after a 3 by Korver early in the fourth. The Knicks responded by scoring 10 straight points with Ronny Turiaf’s three-point play on a dunk with 9:31 left capping that spurt.That’s when Rose and Deng headed to the sideline and joined Joakim Noah, who did not play at all in the fourth quarter. Fans made it clear who they wanted on the court, but coach Tom Thibodeau didn’t budge, sticking with a group that chipped away but ultimately came up short.Rose was not available for comment afterward, but Deng said it was the right decision to make.

NOTES—Rose apologized for missing a scheduled taping of CBS’ The Good Wife in New York on Tuesday. He was scheduled to fly in for the day, but he said he overslept after the Bulls played Portland the previous night. “I’m happy it’s out of the way,” Rose said. “I talked to the producer today, just apologized to him. He said that he felt that it really wasn’t anything that big. … I’m not that type of guy where I’ll try to big-time anyone or anything. It’s not in my character as a person and I’m sorry I did it.” ….Thibodeau wasn’t about to wax nostalgic over going against former boss Doc Rivers when the Bulls visit Boston on Friday. “I’m not really thinking about Boston right now,” he said. Thibodeau spent three seasons as an assistant in Boston before taking the Bulls’ job in the offseason…..This was the Knicks’ first game on TNT since Nov. 29, 2007, when they got crushed 104-59 by Boston.

Rookie Bradley Mills scored his first NHL goal with 3:51 left in the third period to snap a tie, and the team with the NHL’s worst record,the New Jersey Devils got past the Blackhawks 5-3 on Wednesday.Devils goalie Martin Brodeur left the game in the second period with a bruised his right elbow. X-rays were negative.With New Jersey leading 2-0 at 5:27 of the second period, the stick of Troy Brouwer appeared to hit the area around Brodeur’s blocker after he made a save on Patrick Kane.Brodeur removed the blocker, shook his arm and rotated his wrist as the trainer attended to him.Play then resumed, but Brodeur skated off the ice 21 seconds later following a stoppage in play. Brodeur finished with eight saves. He was replaced by Johan Hedberg, who stopped 21 of 24 shots.The Devils entered the game with seven points and moved out of last place in the league with the win. New Jersey played the final game of a six-game road trip, finishing 2-4-0.Mills, playing in his third NHL game for the injury-depleted Devils, put New Jersey ahead 3-2 when his attempt from the right side of the net struck the skate of Marty Turco and deflected in. Turco stopped 19 shots.Jamie Langenbrunner added an empty-net goal with 50 seconds left to make it 4-2. It stood up as the game-winner when Viktor Stalberg scored 16 seconds later to cut it to 4-3.New Jersey’s Andy Greene added another empty-netter with eight seconds left to complete the scoring.Jason Arnott and Travis Zajac also scored for the Devils, who ended a two-game losing streak and won for only the second time in seven games.Brian Campbell and Fernando Pisani each scored their first goals of the season for the Hawks, who dropped their second straight.The Devils played their second game without star forward Zach Parise, who underwent arthroscopic knee surgery on Tuesday to repair a torn meniscus and is expected to miss three months.Entering the game, the Devils’ injury list included seven players. Besides Parise, three others — forwards Jacob Josefson and Brian Rolston, and defenseman Mark Fraser — are recovering from surgery.Arnott scored the only goal in the first period at 15:31. Dainius Zubrus forced Campbell to turn the puck over behind the net and Patrik Elias sent it quickly to Arnott, who beat Turco from the slot.Zajac made it 2-0 at 4:14 of the second, capitalizing on another turnover.Duncan Keith couldn’t control the puck at the low edge of the left circle. The puck popped out to Zajac, who whipped in a shot from in front.Campbell cut it to 2-1 with 3:58 left in the second. His centering pass from the left corner was intended for Pisani, but deflected past Hedberg off the stick of New Jersey defenseman Colin White.Pisani tied it at 2 on a power play at 3:42 of the third period.After Hedberg made a pad save on Stalberg’s shot, Pisani tucked the rebound just inside the right post.

NOTES—Marty Hossa missed his fourth game with a shoulder injury. He’s expected to miss another week…..Dave Bolland missed his third game with an upper-body injury. … Also out for New Jersey: D Matthew Corrente (hand), D Anton Volchenkov (stiff neck) and D Bryce Salvador (concussion).

ARLINGTON—The prize that eluded Willie and Barry at long last belongs to the San Francisco Giants, thanks to a band of self-described castoffs and misfits and their shaggy-haired ace.Tim Lincecum, Edgar Renteria and the Giants won the World Series on Monday night, beating the Texas Rangers 3-1 in a tense Game 5 and taking the trophy home to the city by the Bay for the first time. It was an overdue victory — the Giants last wore the crown in 1954, four years before they moved West. So much for a franchise that never quite got it done in October despite the likes of baseball giants Willie Mays, Barry Bonds and Juan Marichal. It’s November, and now new stars stand tall in San Francisco. “This buried a lot of bones — ’62, ’89, 2002,” Giants general manager Brian Sabean said, ticking off losing Series appearances. “This group deserved it, faithful from the beginning. We’re proud and humbled by the achievement.” Lincecum outdueled Cliff Lee in an every-pitch-matters matchup that was scoreless until Renteria earned the Series MVP award by hitting a stunning three-run homer with two outs in the seventh inning. Nelson Cruz homered in the bottom half, but Lincecum returned to his wicked self and preserved the lead.Lincecum won this game of Texas Hold ’em, beating Lee for the second time in a week. The two-time NL Cy Young winner gave up three hits over eight innings and struck out 10.Brian Wilson closed for a save, completing a surprising romp through the postseason for a pitching-rich team that waited until the final day to clinch a playoff spot. Manager Bruce Bochy enjoys calling his Giants a ragtag bunch. Maybe Renteria, Cody Ross, Aubrey Huff and Freddy Sanchez fit that description. Cut loose by other clubs this season and before, they all wound up in San Francisco. But the foundation of this team — for now, for the foreseeable future – is totally home grown, built on a deep, talented and young rotation, a rookie catcher named Buster Posey with huge star potential and their bearded closer. “They did all right,” Bochy said. “I couldn’t be prouder of a group. They played with heart and determination. They weren’t going to be denied. My staff, they accepted their roles and had only one mission.” Renteria reprised his role of postseason star. His 11th-inning single ended Game 7 of the 1997 World Series and lifted Florida over Cleveland. Forget that he made the last out in the 2004 Series that finished Boston’s sweep of St. Louis — this journeyman’s path led to another title, helped by his go-ahead home run in Game 2. “It was a tough year for me,” the oft-injured shortstop said. “I told myself to keep working hard and keep in shape because something is going to be good this year.” A team seemingly free of egos did everything right to take the lead. Ross, the surprising MVP of the NL Championship Series, stayed square and hit a leadoff single and Juan Uribe followed with another hit up the middle.That put a runner at second base for the first time in the game and brought up Huff, who led the Giants in home runs this year. So what did he do? He expertly put down the first sacrifice bunt of his career.Lee struck out Pat Burrell to keep the runners put, but Ross began hopping home as soon as Renteria connected, sending a drive that kept sailing and landed over the left-center field wall.And just like that, all the Giants’ past troubles seemed like ancient history.Bonds, Mays and several other former San Francisco stars are still a part of the Giants family.Bonds got a hallowed home-run record, but questions persist about alleged steroids use. He visited the Giants clubhouse during the Series and got a big hand from fans when he took his seat at AT&T Park.His godfather, the 79-year-old Mays, was supposed to throw out the ceremonial first ball but was absent because of illness.The Giants won their previous title when they played in New York at the Polo Grounds. That’s where Mays raced back for perhaps the most famous catch of all time.They moved West in 1958 and had tried ever since to escape a sort of big league Alcatraz – the place where teams get stuck for decades as also-rans. The Red Sox and White Sox got free, not so the Cubs and Indians.So clang the cable car bells. Loudly, too. Baseball’s best play in the Bay.Exactly when these Giants turned into world beaters is hard to say. Trailing San Diego by 7½ games in the NL West on July 4, they meandered in the wild-card race until the stretch run, winning the division and finishing 92-70.Come the playoffs, they became dangerous. Any well-armed team is. Start with Matt Cain – three postseason starts, a 0.00 ERA. Throw in Lincecum, the two-time Cy Young winner. Add Madison Bumgarner, the 21-year-old rookie who helped blank Texas in Game 4.”This doesn’t make sense. You don’t realize it. It’s something that’s surreal. But that’s what we are, World Series champs,” Cain said. San Francisco posted a trio of one-run wins in the opening round that sent Atlanta manager Bobby Cox into retirement, then stopped the two-time defending NL champion Phillies in the championship series. Those wins, like this came on the road.In the Year of the Pitcher, the World Series proved the oldest adage in the game: Good pitching stops good hitting, every time. Lincecum and the team with the best ERA in the big leagues completely shut down Josh Hamilton and the club with the majors’ top batting average.Texas hit just .190 in the five games and was outscored 29-12. “They beat us soundly,” manager Ron Washington said. “They deserve it.” Texas became the latest Series newcomer to make a quick exit. Houston (2005) and Colorado (2007) got swept in their first appearances, Tampa Bay (2008) stuck around for just five games. The AL champion Rangers became the first team since 1966 to get shut out twice in a World Series, with big hitters Hamilton, Vladimir Guerrero and Cruz left taking half-swings or flailing wildly.The Rangers’ franchise wrapped up its 50th season overall, in good hands with Nolan Ryan as president and part-owner. If only Big Tex could teach his team to hit, too.By the final out, Ryan sat there glumly. The Giants won their sixth title overall, joining the likes of Christy Mathewson, Mel Ott and John McGraw as champs, and tying them for third with the Red Sox behind the Yankees (27) and Cardinals (10). They also helped ease the gloating that blew from across the Bay, where the Oakland Athletics won three straight crowns in the mid-1970s and swept the Giants in the earthquake-interrupted 1989 Series.San Francisco had come close before. Future Hall of Famers Willie McCovey, Orlando Cepeda, Mays and Marichal lost to the Yankees 1-0 in Game 7 in 1962. In 2002, Bonds & Co. led the Angels 5-0 in the seventh inning of Game 6 before letting that lead and Game 7 slip away. Many years ago, one swing of the bat prompted a call that resonates throughout Giants history and beyond.”The Giants win the pennant! The Giants win the pennant! The Giants win the pennant!” announcer Russ Hodges shouted over and over after Bobby Thomson launched “The Shot Heard ‘Round the World” in 1951.Time to redo that cry: The Giants win the Series! The Giants win the Series! The Giants win the Series! Back on regular rest, Lee and Lincecum were sharper than ever. Put it this way: Even a 1-0 count on a Rangers hitter got some Texas fans cheering.Long gone were their struggles in the opener, won by San Francisco 11-7. These were aces at their best.Renteria went 7 for 17 (.412) with a Series-leading six RBI. … At 2 hours, 32 minutes, it was the fastest Series game since Game 4 in 1992 between Toronto and Atlanta… Burrell was 0 for 13 with 11 strikeouts in the Series.