About The times. (Gainesville, Ga.) 1972-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 13, 2018)
2B Thursday, December 13, 2018 The Times, Gainesville, Georgia | gainesvilletimes.com SPORTS SCOREBOARD Football/NFL AMERICAN CONFERENCE East W L T Pet PF PA New England 9 4 0 .692 364 293 Miami 7 6 0 .538 278 333 Buffalo 4 9 0 .308 201 320 N.Y Jets 4 9 0 .308 270 330 South W L T Pet PF PA Houston 9 4 0 .692 323 259 Indianapolis 7 6 0 .538 349 300 Tennessee 7 6 0 .538 251 254 Jacksonville 4 9 0 .308 212 273 North W L T Pet PF PA Pittsburgh 7 5 1 .577 367 306 Baltimore 7 6 0 .538 321 241 Cleveland 5 7 1 .423 292 332 Cincinnati 5 8 0 .385 307 397 West W L T Pet PF PA x-Kansas City 11 2 0 .846 471 351 L.A. Chargers 10 3 0 .769 366 270 Denver 6 7 0 .462 290 282 Oakland 3 10 0 .231 244 388 NATIONAL CONFERENCE East W L T Pet PF PA Dallas 8 5 0 .615 276 246 Philadelphia 6 7 0 .462 281 295 Washington 6 7 0 .462 249 297 N.Y. Giants 5 8 0 .385 307 331 South W L T Pet PF PA y-New Orleans 11 2 0 .846 447 283 Carolina 6 7 0 .462 324 332 Tampa Bay 5 8 0 .385 332 383 Atlanta 4 9 0 .308 316 367 North W L T Pet PF PA Chicago 9 4 0 .692 359 247 Minnesota 6 6 1 .500 282 291 Green Bay 5 7 1 .423 315 307 Detroit 5 8 0 .385 271 319 West W L T Pet PF PA y-L.A. Rams 11 2 0 .846 425 313 Seattle 8 5 0 .615 340 266 Arizona 3 10 0 .231 178 327 San Francisco 3 10 0 .231 275 350 x-clinched playoff spot y-clinched division Today’s Game L.A. Chargers at Kansas City, 8:20 p.m. Saturday’s Games Houston at N.Y. Jets, 4:30 p.m. Cleveland at Denver, 8:20 p.m. Sunday’s Games Tennessee at N.Y. Giants, 1 p.m. Green Bay at Chicago, 1 p.m. Detroit at Buffalo, 1 p.m. Tampa Bay at Baltimore, 1 p.m. Arizona at Atlanta, 1 p.m. Oakland at Cincinnati, 1 p.m. Dallas at Indianapolis, 1 p.m. Miami at Minnesota, 1 p.m. Washington at Jacksonville, 1 p.m. Seattle at San Francisco, 4:05 p.m. New England at Pittsburgh, 4:25 p.m. Philadelphia at L.A. Rams, 8:20 p.m. Monday’s Games New Orleans at Carolina, 8:15 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 22 Washington at Tennessee, 4:30 p.m. Baltimore at L.A. Chargers, 8:20 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 23 Atlanta at Carolina, 1 p.m. Houston at Philadelphia, 1 p.m. N.Y. Giants at Indianapolis, 1 p.m. Green Bay at N.Y. Jets, 1 p.m. Minnesota at Detroit, 1 p.m. Buffalo at New England, 1 p.m. Cincinnati at Cleveland, 1 p.m. Jacksonville at Miami, 1 p.m. Tampa Bay at Dallas, 1 p.m. L.A. Rams at Arizona, 4:05 p.m. Chicago at San Francisco, 4:05 p.m. Pittsburgh at New Orleans, 4:25 p.m. Kansas City at Seattle, 8:20 p.m. Monday, Dec. 24 Denver at Oakland, 8:15 p.m. Basketball/college Men’s Top 25 Fared Wednesday 1. Kansas (8-0) did not play. Next: vs. No. 17 Villanova, Saturday. 2. Duke (9-1) did not play. Next: vs. Princeton, Tuesday. 3. Tennessee (7-1) did not play. Next: at Memphis, Saturday. 4. Gonzaga (9-1) did not play. Next: at No. 12 North Carolina, Saturday. 5. Michigan (10-0) did not play. Next: vs. Western Michigan, Saturday. 6. Virginia (9-0) did not play. Next: at South Carolina, Wednesday. 7. Nevada (10-0) did not play. Next: vs. South Dakota State, Saturday. 8. Auburn (8-1) did not play. Next: vs. UAB, Saturday. 9. Michigan State (8-2) did not play. Next: vs. Green Bay, Sunday. 10. Florida State (8-1) did not play. Next: vs. Southeast Missouri State, Monday. 11. Texas Tech (9-0) beat Northwestern State 79-44. Next: vs. Abilene Christian, Saturday. 12. North Carolina (7-2) did not play. Next: vs. No. 4 Gonzaga, Saturday. 13. Virginia Tech (8-1) did not play. Next: vs. Washington, Saturday. 14. Buffalo (9-0) did not play. Next: vs. Southern Illinois, Saturday. 15. Ohio State (8-1) did not play. Next: vs. Bucknell, Saturday. 16. Wisconsin (8-2) did not play. Next: vs. Savannah State, Thursday. 17. Villanova (8-3) did not play. Next: at No. 1 Kansas, Saturday. 18. Mississippi State (8-1) did not play. Next: vs. Cincinnati, Saturday. 19. Kentucky (7-2) did not play. Next: vs. Utah, Saturday. 20. Arizona State (7-1) did not play. Next: at Georgia, Saturday. 21. Marquette (8-2) did not play. Next: vs. North Dakota, Tuesday. 22. Iowa (7-2) did not play. Next: vs. Northern Iowa, Saturday. 23. Furman (11-0) did not play. Next: vs. UNC Wilmington, Saturday. 24. Houston (8-0) vs. LSU, late score. Next: vs. Saint Louis, Sunday. 25. Indiana (8-2) did not play. Next: vs. Butler, Saturday. 25. Kansas State (6-2) did not play. Next: vs. Georgia State, Saturday. 25. Syracuse (7-2) did not play. Next: vs. Old Dominion, Saturday. Golf 2019 LPGA Tour Schedule Jan. 17-20 — Diamond Resorts Tournament of Champions, Four Seasons Golf and Sports Club Orlando, Lake Buena Vista, Fla. Feb. 7-10 — Vic Open, 13th Beach GL, Barwon Heads, Australia Feb. 14-17 — ISPS Handa Women’s Australian Open, The Grange GC, Adelaide, Australia Feb. 21-24 — Honda LPGA Thailand, Siam CC, Chonburi, Thailand Feb. 28-March 3 — HSBC Women’s World Championship, Sentosa GC, Singapore March 21-24 — Bank of Hope Founders Cup, Wildfire GC at JW Marriott Phoenix Desert Ridge Resort & Spa, Phoenix March 28-31 — Kia Classic, Aviara GC, Carlsbad, Calif. April 4-7—ANA Inspiration, Mission Hills CC, Rancho Mirage, Calif. April 17-20 — LOTTE Championship, Ko Olina GC, Kapolei, Hawaii April 25-28 — Hugel-Air Premia LA Open, Wilshire GC, Los Angeles May 2-5 — LPGA Mediheal Championship, Lake Merced GC, Daly City, Calif. May 23-26 — Pure Silk Championship, Kingsmill Resort, Williamsburg, Va. May 30-June 2 — U.S. Women’s Open, Country Club of Charleston, Charleston, S.C. June 7-9 — ShopRite LPGA Classic, Stockton Seaview Hotel and GC, Galloway, N.J. June 13-16 — Meijer LPGA Classic, Blythefield CC, Grand Rapids, Mich. June 20-23 — KPMG Women’s PGA Championship, Hazeltine GC, Chaska, Minn. June 27-30 — Walmart NW Arkansas Championship, Pinnacle CC, Rogers, Ark. July 4-7 — Thornberry Creek LPGA Classic, Thornberry Creek at Oneida, Oneida, Wis. July 11-14 — Marathon Classic, Highland Meadows GC, Sylvania, Ohio July 18-21 — Dow Great Lakes Bay Invitational, Midland CC, Midland, Mich. July 25-28—The Evian Championship, Evian Resort GC, Evian-les-Bains, France Aug. 1-4 — AIG Women’s British Open, Woburn GC, Milton Keynes, England Aug. 8-11 —Aberdeen Standard Investments Ladies Scottish Open, The Renaissance Club, North Berwick, Scotland Aug. 22-25 — CP Women’s Open, Magna GC, Aurora, Ontario Aug. 29-Sept. 1 — Cambia Portland Classic, Columbia-Edgewater CC, Portland, Ore. Sept. 13-15 — Solheim Cup, The Gleneagles Hotel (PGA Centenary Course), Auchterarder, Scotland Sept. 26-29 — Indy Women in Tech Championship, Brickyard Crossing, Indianapolis Oct. 3-6—Volunteers of America Classic, Old America GC, The Colony, Texas Oct. 17-20 — Buick LPGA Shanghai, Shanghai Qizhong Garden GC, Shanghai Oct. 24-27 — BMW Ladies Championship, LPGA International Busan, Busan, South Korea Oct. 31-Nov. 3 — Swinging Skirts LPGA Taiwan Championship, TBA Nov. 8-10 — TOTO Japan Classic, Seta GC, Shiga, Japan Nov. 21 -24 — CME Group Tour Championship, Tiburon GC, Naples, Fla. Hockey/NHL EASTERN CONFERENCE Atlantic Division GP W L OTPts GF GA Tampa Bay 32 24 7 1 49 130 91 Toronto 31 21 9 1 43 113 85 Buffalo 31 18 9 4 40 95 91 Boston 31 17 10 4 38 85 79 Montreal 31 15 11 5 35 97 101 Detroit 32 14 14 4 32 93 107 Ottawa 32 13 15 4 30 106 125 Florida 29 11 12 6 28 96 105 Metropolitan Division GP W L OTPts GF GA Washington 30 18 9 3 39 112 92 Columbus 30 16 12 2 34 102 102 Pittsburgh 29 13 10 6 32 98 92 N.Y. Islanders 30 14 12 4 32 85 88 N.Y. Rangers 30 14 13 3 31 88 98 Carolina 29 13 12 4 30 72 81 Philadelphia 28 12 13 3 27 86 101 New Jersey 29 10 13 6 26 88 105 WESTERN CONFERENCE Central Division GP W L OTPts GF GA Nashville 31 20 10 1 41 98 78 Winnipeg 30 19 9 2 40 107 83 Colorado 31 17 9 5 39 112 94 Dallas 30 16 11 3 35 83 78 Minnesota 30 16 12 2 34 95 88 St. Louis 29 11 14 4 26 82 97 Chicago 32 9 18 5 23 87 121 Pacific Division GP W L OTPts GF GA Calgary 31 19 10 2 40 107 85 San Jose 32 16 11 5 37 102 98 Anaheim 32 16 11 5 37 81 94 Vegas 33 18 14 1 37 99 93 Edmonton 31 17 12 2 36 88 91 Vancouver 33 14 16 3 31 98 111 Arizona 29 13 14 2 28 76 80 Los Angeles 32 11 19 2 24 71 98 NOTE: Two points for a win, one point for overtime loss. Top three teams in each division and two wild cards per conference advance to playoffs. Tuesday’s Games Toronto 4, Carolina 1 Buffalo 4, Los Angeles 3, OT Vancouver 3, Columbus 2 Boston 4, Arizona 3 Washington 6, Detroit 2 Minnesota 7, Montreal 1 Nashville 3, Ottawa 1 Winnipeg 6, Chicago 3 St. Louis 4, Florida 3 Edmonton 6, Colorado 4 Wednesday’s Games Vegas 3, N.Y. Islanders 2 Pittsburgh at Chicago, late Philadelphia at Calgary, late Dallas at Anaheim, late Today’s Games Arizona at Buffalo, 7 p.m. Los Angeles at Columbus, 7 p.m. Toronto at Tampa Bay, 7:30 p.m. Carolina at Montreal, 7:30 p.m. Vancouver at Nashville, 8 p.m. Edmonton at Winnipeg, 8 p.m. Florida at Minnesota, 8 p.m. Dallas at San Jose, 10:30 p.m. Friday’s Games Vegas at New Jersey, 7 p.m. Boston at Pittsburgh, 7 p.m. Arizona at N.Y. Rangers, 7 p.m. Ottawa at Detroit, 7:30 p.m. Washington at Carolina, 7:30 p.m. Colorado at St. Louis, 8 p.m. Winnipeg at Chicago, 8:30 p.m. Philadelphia at Edmonton, 9 p.m. Saturday’s Games Calgary at Minnesota, 1:30 p.m. Anaheim at Columbus, 7 p.m. Ottawa at Montreal, 7 p.m. Detroit vs. N.Y. Islanders at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, 7 p.m. Buffalo at Washington, 7 p.m. Los Angeles at Pittsburgh, 7 p.m. Toronto at Florida, 7 p.m. New Jersey at Nashville, 8 p.m. Dallas at Colorado, 9 p.m. Philadelphia at Vancouver, 10 p.m. Transactions BASEBALL American League BOSTON RED SOX—Agreed to terms with OF Gorkys Hernandez on a minor league contract. Frontier League LAKE ERIE CRUSHERS — Exercised options on Cs Bryan De La Rosa, Mason Brown and Karl Ellison; 3B Cody Lenahan; LHPs Nick Deeg, Brandon Maddern, LHP Octavio Mirabel and Jake Repavich; RHPs Branden Nunn, Logan Lombana, Justin Sinibaldi, Alex Romero, Sean Renzi, Kent Hasler and Luke Watts; UT Doug Trimble; 2B Aaron Nill; OFs Dalton Wheat and Terry McClure; 1B Kewby Meyer; and INFs Nick Roark and Derek Perry. RIVER CITY RASCALS — Signed C Jason Agresti and OF Cody Livesay. SCHAUMBURG BOOMERS — Signed LHP Connor Reed. SOUTHERN ILLINOIS MINERS — Signed 3B Taylor Schwaner. Exercised options on RHPs Steven Ridings, Geno Encina, Jordan Brink, Patrick Duester and Kyle Tinius; INFs Harrison Bragg, Kyle Davis, Chance Shephard, Cletis Avery, Jake Willsey, Stephen Lohr, Marc DiLeo and Max Dutto; OFs Luke Bonfield and Joe Duncan; and LHP Nick Durazo. Declined options on INF John Holland, C Daniel Comstock, 1B Anthony Critelli and RHPs James Carter and Kody Rock. BASKETBALL National Basketball Association NBA — Fined Phoenix F T.J. Warren $15,000 for directing inappropriate language toward a game official following ejection. FOOTBALL National Football League BUFFALO BILLS — Signed RB Keith Ford and S Dean Marlowe from the practice squad and WR Tanner McEvoy, TE Kyle Carter and CB Josh Thornton to the practice squad. CHICAGO BEARS — Placed DB Bryce Callahan on injured reserve. Signed DB Marcus Williams. DETROIT LIONS — Signed DT Joshua Frazier, OL Jarron Jones and DE Jonathan Wynn to the practice squad. GREEN BAY PACKERS — Placed OL Byron Bell on injured reserve. Signed G Nico Siragusa from Baltimore’s practice squad. HOUSTON ASTROS — Signed WR Amba Etta- Tawo, LB Kennan Gilchrist and G Maurquice Shakir to the practice squad. LOS ANGELES RAMS — Signed OL Jamil Demby from Detroit’s practice squad. MIAMI DOLPHINS — Placed C Jake Brendel on injured reserve. Signed OL Hroniss Grasu. NEW YORK GIANTS — Signed DT Woodrow Hamilton to the practice squad. Canadian Football League WINNIPEG BLUE BOMBERS — Signed DL Evan Perrizo and DB Jimmy Pruitt. HOCKEY National Hockey League CALGARY FLAMES — Assigned G Nick Schneider from Stockton (AHL) to Kansas City (ECHL). CAROLINA HURRICANES — Placed F Jordan Staal on injured reserve. Recalled F Janne Kuokkanen from Charlotte (AHL). Assigned G Jeremy Helvig from Charlotte to Florida (ECHL). EDMONTON OILERS — Recalled G Dylan Wells from Wichita (ECHL) to Bakersfield (AHL). FLORIDA PANTHERS — Assigned F Patrick Bajkov from Springfield (AHL) to Manchester (ECHL). LOS ANGELES KINGS — Placed D Alec Martinez on injured reserve, retroactive to Saturday. Recalled D Daniel Brickley from Ontario (AHL). ST. LOUIS BLUES —Assigned F Jordan Kyrou to San Antonio (AHL). American Hockey League BAKERSFIELD CONDORS — Recalled D Jared Wilson from Wichita (ECHL). CHARLOTTE CHECKERS — Assigned F Zach Nastasiuk to Florida (ECHL). HARTFORD WOLF PACK — Released F Alex Kile from a professional tryout agreement. HERSHEY BEARS — Agreed to terms with D Steve Johnson on a professional tryout agree ment. LEHIGH VALLEY PHANTOMS — Recalled F Alex Krushelnyski from Reading (ECHL). STOCKTON HEAT — Returned F Steve McParland to Idaho (ECHL). Assigned F Jordan Ernst to Kansas City (ECHL). ECHL ATLANTA GLADIATORS — Signed F Jared Ross. READING ROYALS — Traded D Adam Larkin to Greenville. Released G Joel Eisenhower as emergency backup. SOUTH CAROLINA STINGRAYS — Added G Jeff Jakaitis as emergency backup. WICHITA THUNDER — Signed F Cam Reid. SOCCER Major League Soccer FC DALLAS — Traded M Victor Ulloa to Cincinnati for general allocation money. NEW YORK RED BULLS — Signed D Tim Parker to a multi-year contract. ORLANDO DITY SC — Traded M Tony Rocha to New York City FC for a 2019 fourth-round draft pick. COLLEGE CAMPBELL — Announced the resignation of athletic director Bob Roller. FLORIDA ATLANTIC — RB Devin Singletary will enter the NFL draft. MEMPHIS — RB Darrell Henderson will enter the NFL draft. MICHIGAN — Dismissed sophomore RB O’Maury Samuels from the football program. SETON HALL — Named Ciara Crinion wom en’s soccer coach. SOUTH DAKOTA STATE — Agreed to terms with football coach John Stiegelmeier on a five-year contract extension through the 2023 season. Football/college 2018-19 Bowl Glance Saturday, Dec. 15 Celebration Bowl At Atlanta NC A&T (9-2) vs. Alcorn State (9-3), Noon (ABC) Cure Bowl Orlando, Fla. Tulane (6-6) vs. Louisiana-Lafayette (7-6), 1:30 p.m. (CBSSN) New Mexico Bowl Albuquerque North Texas (9-3) vs. Utah State (10-2), 2 p.m. (ESPN) Las Vegas Bowl Fresno State (11-2) vs. Arizona State (7-5), 3:30 p.m. (ABC) Camellia Bowl Montgomery, Ala. Georgia Southern (9-3) vs. Eastern Michigan (7-5), 5:30 p.m. (ESPN) New Orleans Bowl Middle Tennessee (8-5) vs. Appalachian State (10-2), 9 p.m. (ESPN) Tuesday, Dec. 18 Boca Raton (Fla.) Bowl UAB (10-3) vs. North Illinois (8-5), 7 p.m. (ESPN) Wednesday, Dec. 19 Frisco (Texas) Bowl San Diego State (7-5) vs. Ohio (8-4), 8 p.m. (ESPN) Thursday, Dec. 20 Gasparilla Bowl At St. Petersburg, Fla. Marshall (8-4) vs. South Florida (7-5), 8 p.m. (ESPN) TODAY ON TV Golf Football ■ European Tour: Alfred ■ Chargers at Chiefs, 8:20 p.m., FOX Dunhill Championship, 5:30 a.m., Golf Channel Baseball Other ■ Lakers at Rockets, 8 p.m., TNT ■ G-League: Capital City Go-GO at South Bay Lakers, 10 p.m., ESPNU ■ Mavericks at Suns, 10:30 p.m., TNT ■ Women’s College Volleyball: BYU vs. Stanford, 7 p.m., ESPN ■ Women’s College Volleyball: Nebraska vs. Illinois, 9:30 p.m., ESPN MLB Dahlberg: It’s time for baseball’s shift to go Ask baseball managers what they think about the dreaded shift, and most of them have the same answer. It’s not a problem if the hitters don’t make it one. “There’s an easy way to combat that,” Oakland’s Bob Melvin said. “Just hit the ball the other way.” It’s a simple enough solu tion, though certainly an obvious one. Who among us, after all, hasn’t screamed at a batter to push the ball the other way or even bunt for a sure hit when the defense is loaded up on one side of the infield? The guys in the dugout surely have, even if job security dictates they do their screaming silently. “If a guy can use the whole field, they’re not going to shift you,” the Mar lins’ Don Mattingly said. Unfortunately, guys don’t use the whole field anymore. They haven’t for some time because they play baseball to make money and the players who make the most money try to hit the ball as hard as they can to the place they’re most comfortable hitting it. Hitters aren’t going to adapt. There’s no real incentive for them to go the other way, even when all the numbers add up. So while managers at this week’s winter meet ings talked about players adjusting to situations and shifts, their real audience is the guys in the dugout. And they, for the most part, aren’t listening. Push one down the third base line for an easy hit? You’d have better luck get ting Manny Machado to hustle down to first. “The majority of the hit ters, I’d say 90 to 95 percent, say to heck with it, I’m going to try to hit a homer and a double,” said Kansas City manager Ned Yost. “Our numbers for singles as a baseball league last year dropped way down. And you just lose strategy, you lose the ability to steal bases. You lose the ability to hit and run or bunt if you want to.” In other words, you’re los ing a big part of baseball. The shift, if you haven’t noticed, is killing baseball. Maybe not by itself, but as part of a new analytics culture in the game that doesn’t value steals, sacri fice bunts, hit-and-runs or any kind of strategy that doesn’t always make sense when all the numbers are crunched. Major League Baseball has noticed, mainly because attendance was down last season and so were hits. Singles have been in decline for the last five years, and the league average of .248 was the worst in 46 years. Meanwhile, for the first time there were more strikeouts than hits in the game, and the World Series — at least on the Dodgers’ side — was a badly flawed microcosm of what the game has become. That’s a big reason why baseball’s competition com mittee is looking at doing away with the shift, a move Commissioner Rob Manfred has said he is open to con sidering. Though baseball tends to move slow, there’s an outside chance both the commissioner’s office and the players’ union could agree to do something about the increasing use of the shift before next season. Banning the shift, of course, won’t magically make all the problems of the game go away. It might not change much at all, if you believe the analytics that show the shift mainly takes hits away from slow left-handed power hitters. But it’s a step toward making baseball look like baseball again. And it’s a step toward being more pro active when it comes to win ning back fans turned off by the slow pace of games and the interminable periods in games where nothing ever seems to happen. “I just think that shift, it makes the game much, much more boring in my opinion,” said Yost, one of the few managers to take a stand against the shift. Thankfully for baseball, there is an easy solution. Two infielders on each side of second base. Both with at least one foot on the infield dirt. You know, like baseball used to be played. The guess is that it’s likely to happen, if only because no one but pitch ers and the people in the analytics department have any love for the shift. That includes Dodgers manager Dave Roberts, who used it so much last season that at times it seemed like third baseman Justin Turner was spending more time on the other side of the second base bag than in his normal position. Roberts said he believes baseball is a better game without the shift, though for now his immediate plans are to increase the time his hitters spend hitting to the opposite field in spring training to try to combat it. Here’s hoping they won’t need that extra practice. It’s time for the shift to go. NBA Young scores 24, Hawks fall to Mavericks Harrison Barnes scored 25 points, Luka Doncic added 24 and the Dallas Mavericks extended their home winning streak to 11 games while ending a 10-game skid against Atlanta in a 114-107 victory over the Hawks on Wednesday night. J.J. Barea had 18 points before leaving with a sprained left ankle as the Mavericks finally beat the Hawks after blowing a 26-point lead in October, when rookie Trae Young had a strong fourth quarter in his home debut to help the Hawks rally to a 111-104 win. Instead of wilting in the fourth quarter, the Maver icks took control with a 7-0 opening run for a 10-point lead and eventually went up by as many as 15 before the Hawks made it closer with an 11- 1 run late. It was Dallas’ first win over Atlanta since Oct. 30, 2013, and the home winning streak is the longest since a 12- game run in 2007-08. Young had 24 points and 10 assists, but the rematch reiterated the opposite direc tions both teams are headed after ending the first meet ing at 2-2. The Mavericks are 13- 9 since then and among the current playoff teams in the rough Western Confer ence. The Hawks have gone 4-19. Kent Bazemore scored 22 for Atlanta, and John Collins had 20 points and a career- high 17 rebounds. Role players got the fourth moving for Dallas rather than Barnes and the rookie sensation Doncic, who was drafted third overall by Atlanta and traded to Dallas while the Mavericks selected Young fifth for the Hawks. Maxi Kleber opened the fourth with a dunk and scored all seven of his points in the final quarter, and Dorian Finney-Smith’s free throw gave Dallas its first 10-point lead. Finney-Smith scored 11. Doncic had 10 rebounds and a team-high six assists, and DeAndre Jordan had 11 points and 11 rebounds. NO DIRK YET Dirk Nowitzki was inactive after being listed as question able for the first time as the longer-than-expected recov ery from left ankle surgery delays him from officially becoming the first NBA player with 21 seasons for one franchise. Coach Rick Carlisle said the designa tion meant the 40-year-old Nowitzki was getting closer to returning, but didn’t want to discuss his status further before the game. TIP-INS Hawks: Vince Carter, Nowitzki’s former team mate also in his 21st season, got a nice ovation when he entered the game in the first quarter. The 41-year-old scored his only points on a 3 in the first quarter.... Collins had nine offensive rebounds, most by a Dallas opponent this season. Mavericks: Carlisle was ejected after two quick tech nicals in the third quarter when he thought Barnes got fouled without a call. Assistant Stephen Silas took over.... PG Dennis Smith Jr. missed his fourth straight game with a sprained right wrist. COLLEGE BASKETBALL Simonds scores 24, Georgia State holds off Chattanooga 95-88 Gainesville graduate D’Marcus Simonds scored 24 points, Kane Williams and Devin Mitchell scored 17 each and Georgia State pulled away in the second half to defeat Chattanooga 95-88 Wednesday night, end ing the Mocs three-game win streak. Simonds picked up a quick foul and a turnover, and Williams missed a layup in the early minutes as Chat tanooga jumped ahead 7-2. But things turned around as Simonds and Williams each hit 3-pointers to pull Georgia State (7-3) within a point, Jeff Thomas buried a 3 for a 15-13 lead and Mitchell scored eight straight with two 3s and a jumper and the Panthers led for good halfway through the opening period. About four minutes into the sec ond half, Georgia State built an 11-point cushion and the Mocs never got closer than seven. Associated Press JOHNSON ■ Continued from 1B three-star players especially loyal to the coach. “I love that man,” Stewart said. “He’s done so much for me and my family. I was under-recruited and no one really wanted me and he’s one of the Division I schools that believed in me. We had a long talk. I’m happy for him and hope the best for him in future endeavors.” Collins will install a pro style offense that will bring new challenges for players accustomed to Johnson’s triple-option scheme. Run ning back Nathan Cottrell said there’s no need to worry about that transition before spring practice. “The focus right now is getting through this season and then we’ll worry about what’s to come in the future and what’s to come in the spring,” Cottrell said. “Right now the main focus for all of us is just to send coach Johnson out on the right note and then what ever happens in the spring will happen. We’re looking forward to it.” At his first Georgia Tech news conference, Collins referred to Johnson as an “amazing” coach and said “I get to be a spectator and watch him coach next cou ple of weeks.” Johnson said Collins has an open invitation to visit practice. “I haven’t seen him,” Johnson said. “He’s more than welcome. I think he’s out recruiting.”
