Associated Press
BOSTON ó Rajon Rondo scored 18 of his 26 points in the third quarter to help the Boston Celtics tie a franchise record with their 18th straight win in a 124-105 victory against the New York Knicks on Sunday.
The win improved Boston’s record to 26-2, matching the NBA mark for the best start by a team with two losses. The Celtics can break the record at home against the Phildelphia 76ers on Tuesday night.
Coincidentally, Boston tied the Knicks and 76ers at 26-2. New York did it in 1969-70 and Philadelphia in 1966-67.
Ray Allen had 18 points, Paul Pierce 17, and Kevin Garnett 12. Chris Duhon had 20 with 10 assists for New York.
Celtics forward Glen Davis was injured in an automobile accident on the Massachusetts Turnpike as he drove to the TD Banknorth Garden. He suffered a concussion and whiplash.
n WASHINGTON ó Jason Terry scored 25 points and Dirk Nowitzki had 23 to help Dallas beat Washington 97-86.
Washington tied a 42-year-old franchise record for worst start ó the 1966-67 Baltimore Bullets also started 4-21.
n ATLANTA ó Mike Bibby had a season-high 27 points Atlanta’s 85-78 win over Detroit.
n OKLAHOMA CITY ó LeBron James scored 31 points and Mo Williams added 20 as Cleveland finished a four-game road trip with a 102-91 win over Oklahoma City.HOCKEY
MONTREAL ó Tuomo Ruutu scored 1:43 into overtime to give the Carolina Hurricanes a 3-2 victory over Montreal.
Ruutu got behind Carey Price and brought the puck around the left post before sliding it over the goal line after a shot squirted through the Montreal goalie’s pads.
Sergei Samsonov and Eric Staal each had a goal and an assist, and Cam Ward made 26 saves to help Carolina improve to 4-1-3 in its last eight games.
n ST. LOUIS ó Phil Kessel had two assists to extend his points streak to 18 games, and former University of Minnesota teammate Blake Wheeler had two first-period goals in Boston’s 6-3 win over St. Louis.
n NEWARK, N.J. ó Scott Clemmensen made 27 saves in regulation and overtime for New Jersey, then allowed only one goal in five shootout attempts as New Jersey won 3-2 against Philadelphia.
Clemmensen, filling in while All-Star Martin Brodeur recovers from elbow surgery, improved to 11-3-1 overall and 2-1 in shootout this season.
n SUNRISE, Fla. ó Tomas Vokoun made 23 saves for his second shutout of the season as Florida beat Colorado 3-0.
COLLEGE FOOTBALLDETROIT ó Eastern Michigan has hired Ron English, making him the fifth black head football coach in major college football, a person familiar with the agreement told The Associated Press.
The other black coaches among the 119 teams in the NCAA’s Football Bowl Subdivision are Buffalo’s Turner Gill, Miami’s Randy Shannon, Houston’s Kevin Sumlin and New Mexico’s Mike Locksley.
English, 40, was Louisville’s defensive coordinator in 2008 after serving on Lloyd Carr’s staff at Michigan for five seasons.
n NEW ORLEANS ó Michael McGee blocked a potential game-tying field goal attempt in overtime, lifting Southern Mississippi to a 30-27 comeback victory over Troy in the New Orleans Bowl.
Troy held Southern Miss to Britt Barefoot’s 39-yard field goal on the first possession of OT, but that wound up being enough for the Golden Eagles.
Southern Miss receiver DeAndre Brown fractured his lower left leg and was taken to the hospital in the first quarter.
GOLFTHOUSAND OAKS, Calif. ó Three months after winning the FedEx Cup, Vijay Singh padded his most lucrative year in golf by making a 10-foot birdie on the final hole for a 5-under 67 and a one-shot victory over Steve Stricker in the Chevron World Challenge.
Anthony Kim, the 54-hole leader, closed with a 73 and tied for third with Hunter Mahan.