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NEW YORK (AP) In a game that was almost all about offense, Kyrie Irving just couldn't get into the act. Then in the fourth quarter, he shot the Hawks down from the unbeaten list. Irving shook off three rough quarters to score 17 of his 25 points in the fourth, Kevin Durant had 33 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists, and the Brooklyn Nets handed Atlanta its first loss with a 145-141 victory on Wednesday night. The opener of a two-game series was the third game in Nets franchise history where both teams had 100 points through three quarters. But Irving was just 3 for 16 from the field and getting badly outplayed by point guard counterpart Trae Young. Then he made three 3-pointers in the final period after missing all seven through three as the Nets rallied to win after dropping two straight following their 2-0 start. Irving and Durant combined for Brooklyn's final 20 points over the final 5 1/2 minutes of a game that left everyone spent. ''Yeah, I definitely need

DALLAS (AP) LaMelo Ball scored 22 points, Miles Bridges had 20 points and a career-high 16 rebounds and the Charlotte Hornets blew out Dallas 118-99 in the Mavericks' home opener Wednesday night. Terry Rozier, who scored 18 points, hit a pair of 3-pointers early in a 14-0 run to start the second half, giving the Hornets a 25-point lead coming off their first win - over Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and the Brooklyn Nets - after an 0-2 start. Charlotte silenced Luka Doncic and the Mavericks, who are still without European sidekick Kristaps Porzingis as the 7-foot-3 Latvian recovers from knee surgery. Still, Dallas was coming off its first victory after dropping the first two games as well, a 51-point blowout at the Los Angeles Clippers that included an NBA-record halftime lead of 50 points (77-27). ''For us it's just about building and growing,'' Charlotte coach James Borrego said. ''We didn't have the best training camp. There's a lot of factor

SAN ANTONIO (AP) Becky Hammon would have preferred a victory over history after becoming the first woman to coach an NBA team. The assistant coach took over the San Antonio Spurs in the second quarter after coach Gregg Popovich was ejected in a 121-107 loss to LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers on Wednesday night. ''I try not to think of the huge picture and huge aspect of it because it can be overwhelming,'' Hammon said. ''I really have had no time to reflect. I have not had time to look at my phone. So, I don't know what's going on outside the AT&T Center.'' Hammon and the Spurs already had a lot to contend with against the defending league champion Lakers. James celebrated his 36th birthday with 26 points, eight assists and five rebounds in the Lakers' third double-digit victory. The teams will complete the two-game set Friday night. ''(I was) trying to get the guys in the right spots,'' Hammon said. '

MIAMI (AP) The Miami Heat engineered a 58-point turnaround against the Milwaukee Bucks in 24 hours. And just like that, an embarrassing loss was avenged. Goran Dragic scored 26 points off the bench, Bam Adebayo finished with 22 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds and the Heat beat the Bucks 119-108 on Wednesday night - one day after Milwaukee made an NBA-record 29 3-pointers on the way to a 47-point romp on Miami's home floor. ''They were better than us last night,'' Dragic said. ''Tonight, we had to fight.'' Tyler Herro scored 21 points and grabbed a career-best 15 rebounds for Miami, which trailed by 14 early in the second half and rallied to get a split of the two-game, two-night series against the team that finished with the NBA's best record in each of the past two regular seasons. ''Started to feel like Miami Heat basketball again,'' Herro said. Giannis Antetokounmpo had a triple-double - 26 points, 13 rebounds, 10

Carlo Ancelotti says Everton have not abandoned their principles, but rather tweaked their approach, after a run of four straight Premier League victories amid an injury crisis. Lucas Digne, James Rodriguez, Allan and Richarlison have all been out over the course of the last month, yet the Toffees have won their last four league games, following a run of just one win from seven. To cope with a growing absentee list, Ancelotti switched to a solid defence of four centre-backs, and Everton have not conceded from open play during their winning run. West Ham and former Toffees boss David Moyes are the first visitors to Goodison Park in 2021, with Ancelotti able to welcome back Richarlison for Friday's meeting. James, Digne and Allan are all scheduled to return in January, but Ancelotti insisted he has not decided to switch Everton's style of play for good. "In the last games we've increased our consistency, we were strong defensively, solid. But every game is its own

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer believes there has been a big shift in the mentality of Manchester United's squad since he took charge two years ago, with his side sitting second in the Premier League. Despite an iffy start to the campaign, United trail leaders Liverpool by just three points heading into 2021, and have a game in hand over the defending champions. United are unbeaten in the league since November 1, when they lost 1-0 to Arsenal, and have won seven of their nine games in that run. They host in-form Aston Villa on Friday, and Solskjaer is thrilled with how his squad is performing. "We have to know that so many games are decided towards the end," Solskjaer said. "We can't blow teams away and win at half-time. Discipline is there and we can play in a certain way, have players who can win a game in a second. "They're two years older than when I came and some strong personalities have been a good influence. We have a strong competition for places whi

Warren initially felt soreness in his foot after the Pacers' loss to the Boston Celtics Tuesday. Indiana Pacers forward TJ Warren will undergo surgery to repair a stress fracture in his left foot, ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reports .  Warren will be out indefinitely, according to Wojnarowski. The forward was ruled out of the Pacers' game on Thursday against the Cleveland Cavaliers due to soreness in his left foot.  Warren initially felt soreness in his foot after the Pacers' loss to the Boston Celtics Tuesday. It was his other foot that hindered him in training camp due to plantar fasciitis. Warren averaged 15 points in four games this season after a breakout performance in the Orlando restart in the NBA Bubble. He had a similar procedure on his right foot in Phoenix in 2016 before fully recovering. In the 2019-20, Warren averaged 19.8 points and 4.2 rebounds in 67 games played. Five games into the season, Indiana (4-1) is in second place in the Eastern Conference.

Oklahoma set a Cotton Bowl record with 684 total yards as the Sooners blew out the Gators, 55-20. Spencer Rattler threw three touchdown passes and ran for another score, Rhamondre Stevenson rushed for 186 yards and No. 8 Oklahoma beat 10th-ranked SEC runner-up Florida 55-20 on Wednesday night in the Cotton Bowl. Back in the same NFL stadium where 11 days earlier they won their sixth consecutive Big 12 title, the Sooners (9-2, No. 6 CFP) jumped out to a 17-0 lead in the first seven minutes. The 55 points were their most ever in a bowl game, while piling up a Cotton Bowl-record 684 total yards. Rattler threw a 27-yard TD pass to fellow freshman Marvin Mims on the game’s opening drive, and Florida’s first possession ended with Tre Norwood’s 45-yard interception return for a touchdown. That was the first of three picks thrown by Heisman Trophy finalist quarterback Kyle Trask in the first quarter, after only five all season. Oklahoma played in its sixth consecutive New Year’s Six bowl

SOUTH BEND, Ind. (AP) Virginia's momentary shakiness against surging Notre Dame reminded Cavaliers coach Tony Bennett of a toy from the 1970s. ''Weebles wobble, but they don't fall down,'' Bennett said after the No. 23 Cavaliers relinquished almost all of an 11-point second-half lead, then pulled away late for a 66-57 victory over the Fighting Irish on Wednesday night. ''Our young guys don't know what that is,'' Bennett said of the old-time toy, ''but we wobbled a couple times, but we didn't fall down.'' Kihei Clark had 19 points and five assists as No. 23 Virginia continued its string of dominance over Notre Dame. The Cavaliers (5-2, 1-0) improved to 12-0 in Atlantic Coast Conference openers under Bennett and 10-0 in ACC regular-season matchups against the Irish. Jay Huff scored 15 points for Virginia. Sam Hauser added 13 points and 10 rebounds. Notre Dame (3-5, 0-2) fell despite a career-high 28 points from Nate L

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) Oklahoma State went to the air early and often to finish its season on a high note. Spencer Sanders threw for 305 yards and four touchdowns, and the Cowboys held off No. 18 Miami for a 37-34 victory in the Cheez-It Bowl on Tuesday. Oklahoma State (8-3) called 15 consecutive pass plays to open the game and stormed out to a 21-0 lead. Sanders threw TD passes of 30 and 32 yards to Brennan Presley, and LD Brown had a 2-yard touchdown run. ''Our game plan going in was to try to offset some of the speed and strength they have in the front six,'' Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy said. ''They are a fast, athletic team. We wanted to throw the ball 25 times in the first half.'' Sanders also led the Cowboys with 45 yards rushing and was named Most Valuable Player. ''That MVP doesn't just go to me,'' Sanders said. ''The defense stopped them when they needed to stop them. We scored when we needed to score. I told th

SAN ANTONIO (AP) Texas has been tested all year, but losing senior quarterback Sam Ehlinger to a shoulder injury was an obstacle the Longhorns never anticipated. The same spirit that pushed the team through this entire chaotic season helped the Longhorns thrive without him. Sophomore signal-caller Casey Thompson came off the bench and passed for 170 yards and four touchdowns, and No. 20 Texas overcame Ehlinger's injury to beat Colorado 55-23 in the Valero Alamo Bowl on Tuesday night. Freshman running back Bijan Robinson had 183 yards on 10 carries with a TD for Texas (7-3). He was selected the bowl's offensive MVP. ''We had a lot of young guys that stepped up in this game,'' Robinson said. The Longhorns are undefeated in four bowl games under Tom Herman, unbeaten as a head coach in five bowls overall. ''This is the culmination of a lot of hard work by some really dedicated young men that 10 months ago made a decision that they were going to go to

Arkansas brings an unsightly 3-7 record and a four-game losing skid into the Texas Bowl to face TCU on New Year's Eve in Houston. Razorbacks coach Sam Pittman isn't making any apologies. "We'll always have folks who will say we were 3-7 and things of that nature. If you look at our schedule and look - obviously we played 10 SEC games, certainly played four I think of the top nine teams in the country," said Pittman, whose three wins were against Mississippi State, Ole Miss and Tennessee. Teams did not need a winning record or a minimum number of victories this season to be eligible for a bowl due to the uncertainty of COVID-19. The Horned Frogs (6-4), winners of three straight and five of their last six games, last faced the Razorbacks when they split a home-and-home series from 2016-17. TCU's winning streak includes a 29-22 victory over then-No. 15 Oklahoma State on Dec. 5. The Texas Bowl will mark the Frogs' ninth game out of 11 played in Texas thi

The No. 15 Iowa Hawkeyes will seek their fourth consecutive bowl victory when they face the Missouri Tigers in the Music City Bowl on Wednesday, Dec. 30 in Nashville. The Hawkeyes (6-2) should carry momentum into this game after winning the last six games of their Big Ten season. "The camaraderie's been great," Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz said. "The support of each other has been great. I think all of us feel extremely fortunate we've been able to get eight games. We're not taking one day for granted moving forward." The depleted Tigers (5-5) closed their Southeastern Conference season with lopsided losses to Georgia (49-14) at home and Mississippi State (51-32) on the road. "We want to continue to fight and earn respect. We want to continue to put a good product on the field," Missouri coach Eliah Drinkwitz said. "We're going to have some adversity in this game, but it's an opportunity for us to compete." Offensive tackle L

The Milwaukee Bucks set a single game NBA record with 29 three-pointers with Jrue Holiday leading the way with six. The Milwaukee Bucks set a single game NBA record with 29 three-pointers in their 144-97 victory over the Miami Heat on Tuesday night.  However, most wouldn't have expected this after the program's worst three-point effort in over a year this past Sunday.  The only Bucks player who didn't make the list on the historic night was two-time reigning MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo, who tallied nine points.  Khris Middleton had four three-pointers and a total of 25 points while Jrue Holiday tallied six three's in his 24-point night. Donte DiVincenzo went 5-for-6 from deep and finished with 17 points. Sam Merrill broke the record with the team's 28th three-pointer with 6:07 to go.  The Houston Rockets set the previous record against the Phoenix Suns on April 7, 2019 with 27 three-pointers. Milwaukee's previous high was 22 in 2018.  The most Miami has al

Oklahoma State's Tre Sterling and Brennan Presley showered Mike Gundy in Cheez-Its following narrow bowl victory over Miami. While 2020 was a difficult year to say the least for the world, some football bowl traditions bring a sense of normalcy during a chaotic time.  We saw Nevada get penalized for spilling French fries on the field  at the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl. And now, Oklahoma State's head coach Mike Gundy was showered in Cheez-Its after his team beat Miami 37-34 in Tuesday's Cheez-It Bowl.   However, it seemed to be harder than expected.  As the final seconds ticked away on the game clock, Tre Sterling and Brennan Presley ran down the sideline, searching for the Gatorade container filled with Cheez-Its. The two crept down the sidelines, aiming to hide the inevitable surprise from Gundy.  But, they didn't expect to lose the head coach as the sidelines cleared to shake hands. The two kept turning in circles, and eventually, a staff member pointed Sterlin

Flags, penalties and injuries filled the Cheez-It Bowl as Oklahoma State topped Miami thanks to a fourth quarter sprint. The Cheez-It Bowl between No. 21 Oklahoma State and No. 18 Miami mirrored the chaotic energy that filled 2020.  Flags, penalties and injuries plagued the two teams as the Cowboys won 37-34 thanks to a fourth quarter sprint.  Oklahoma State took the lead early, going on a 21-0 run in the first quarter. However, they didn't score again until early in the fourth quarter after Miami closed to gap to just two points.  The Hurricanes scored a touchdown and field goal in the second quarter, but lost a key player late in the second quarter to a right knee injury. Quarterback D'Eriq King scrambled to his right before running five yards, ending with King grabbing his right knee.  The redshirt senior refused a medical cart to ride back to the locker room, The Athletic 's Manny Navarro reported , and limped back while appearing not to put weight on that leg. T

The fifth-ranked Houston Cougars had rolled to a pair of easy victories following their 15-day pause of team activities caused by a COVID-19 outbreak, but an inevitable test awaited them. That challenge came on Saturday night in Orlando in the form of a UCF squad coming off a road upset of then-No. 15 Florida State. Despite some ragged moments, Houston (7-0, 2-0 American) found a way to squeeze out a 63-54 victory that kept its perfect record intact. "I refuse to overreact when we play poorly or really good because we just haven't had enough time to get in the gym with each other," Cougars coach Kelvin Sampson said. "I was proud that we found a way to win the game. I think that says a lot about our culture and the way our kids are built." Houston will face Tulsa on Tuesday at the Reynolds Center armed with its full complement of talented guards. Injuries and the coronavirus had ravaged the Houston backcourt to varying degrees, but against UCF, the Cougars t

HATTIESBURG, Miss. (AP) LaDavius Draine had 21 points as Southern Miss easily defeated Loyola (La.) 74-54 on Monday. Artur Konontsuk and Tae Hardy each added 11 points for Southern Miss (4-3). Myles Burns had 13 points for the Wolfpack. Eddie Burgess added 10 points. --- For more AP college basketball coverage: https://apnews.com/Collegebasketball and http://twitter.com/AP-Top25 --- This was generated by Automated Insights, http://www.automatedinsights.com/ap, using data from STATS LLC, https://www.stats.com

Indiana and Penn State are two teams looking to not fall far behind in the competitive Big Ten. That makes the matchup between the Nittany Lions (3-3, 0-2 Big Ten) and Hoosiers (5-4, 0-2) on Wednesday night crucial, as both teams are still seeking their first conference wins of the season. "We've got to get in the race," Indiana coach Archie Miller said on his radio show Monday night. "The gun took off and everyone took off running, and we're holding in the blocks right now, and you don't want to get too far behind because there's some fast teams. "I think just in general our resolve, our togetherness, our resolve early here in the conference season is going to be tested here on Wednesday night." Indiana is returning home after a 69-60 loss at then-No. 18 Illinois in a game in which the Hoosiers led by five points in the middle of the second half but couldn't make big shots and big plays down the stretch. "We were good enough to w

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) The Buffalo Bills put a cherry atop the changing of the guard in the AFC East. A week after unseating the Patriots as division champions, Buffalo became the first AFC East team in two decades to sweep New England in a season series with a 38-9 victory Monday night. Josh Allen passed for four touchdowns to help the Bills stay in the mix for the No. 2 seed in the AFC playoffs. The Bills (12-3) last swept the Patriots in 1999. The last division opponents to sweep the Patriots were the Jets and Dolphins in 2000. The Patriots' 19 straight seasons without losing both games to a divisional opponent was an NFL record. New England (6-9) will finish with its first losing record since coach Bill Belichick's first season in 2000. Allen was 27 of 36 for 320 yards. He now has 34 touchdown passes, surpassing Jim Kelly to set a franchise single-season record. With his eighth 300-yard game, he also surpassed Drew Bledsoe's single-season team record of seven. 

The No. 15 Iowa Hawkeyes will seek their fourth consecutive bowl victory when they face the Missouri Tigers in the Music City Bowl on Wednesday, Dec. 30 in Nashville. The Hawkeyes (6-2) should carry momentum into this game after winning the last six games of their Big Ten season. "The camaraderie's been great," Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz said. "The support of each other has been great. I think all of us feel extremely fortunate we've been able to get eight games. We're not taking one day for granted moving forward." The depleted Tigers (5-5) closed their Southeastern Conference season with lopsided losses to Georgia (49-14) at home and Mississippi State (51-32) on the road. "We want to continue to fight and earn respect. We want to continue to put a good product on the field," Missouri coach Eliah Drinkwitz said. "We're going to have some adversity in this game, but it's an opportunity for us to compete." Offensive tackle L

Jose Mourinho will be aiming for Tottenham to show more "ambition and desire" after saying his team lacked such attributes in their 1-1 draw with Wolves. Tanguy Ndombele's first-minute strike looked set to be sending Spurs into third place on Sunday, yet Romain Saiss headed in a late equaliser for Nuno Espirito Santo's side. Spurs mustered just three attempts on target in total, the last of which came in the 21st minute, and Mourinho was left frustrated by his side's display. "I am (frustrated). One point against Wolves normally wouldn't be a bad result but they are a strong opponent, but scoring a goal in the first minute and having control of the game for the rest of it, and having 89 minutes to score more goals, it feels frustrating," he told Sky Sports. "I give some credit to Wolves because though they were losing they put pressure on us - pressure that we coped with, controlled the game very well - but we didn't have that ambition,

Liverpool's players were left angry after their 1-1 draw with West Brom, but Jurgen Klopp says his side understand they must work hard to win games. Semi Ajayi's header snatched a point for the struggling Baggies at Anfield on Sunday, as Sam Allardyce's fine record at the home of the champions continued. Klopp's focus will now switch to Wednesday's contest with Newcastle United, and the German insisted his team are fully appreciative of the shortcomings which cost them against West Brom. "I am not the first day in the job," Klopp told reporters. "We should have won the game, or we wanted to win the game and we didn't, and now we are all depressed or whatever. The boys are more angry than anything else because they know that it was not perfect. "But that's it and now, of course, we have to play the next game in three days. We don't live in dreamland and just win football matches because we want to win them. We have to work for it

YPSILANTI, Mich. (AP) Yeikson Montero had 25 points as Eastern Michigan easily defeated Division III Olivet College 94-65 on Sunday. Bryce McBride had 17 points for Eastern Michigan (2-2). Drew Lowder added 11 points. Darion Spottsville had 11 points. Britton Angell had 13 points and eight rebounds for the Comets. He also committed seven turnovers. Eddie Thigpen added 13 points. --- For more AP college basketball coverage: https://apnews.com/Collegebasketball and http://twitter.com/AP-Top25 --- This was generated by Automated Insights, http://www.automatedinsights.com/ap, using data from STATS LLC, https://www.stats.comD

The Boston Celtics might not be off to the start they envisioned at 1-2, but there's no sense of panic yet. The NBA season still has a long way to go, and the team understands coming slow out of the gate can be overcome. "It is a process," said swingman Jaylen Brown. "If you ask me where we're at in the process, I think it's Game 3, and we're looking forward to Game 4." That contest might offer a greater sense of motivation as it comes in the form of a rematch on the road against the Indiana Pacers on Tuesday night. The two teams met Sunday in the first game of the miniseries in Indianapolis, with the Pacers eking out a 108-107 victory that improved their record to 3-0. Domantas Sabonis converted the game-winning layup with just 8.4 seconds remaining, giving the Celtics the ball back down one after he missed a free throw that would have made it a three-point play. Jayson Tatum's 3-point attempt with 1.8 seconds to go clanked off the back of t

The Philadelphia 76ers will look to rebound from a disappointing loss when they host the Toronto Raptors on Tuesday. The Sixers were dismantled 118-94 on the road against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Sunday without All-Star Joel Embiid. Shortly before the game, Embiid was scratched with back tightness and the Sixers never responded. Philadelphia went 11-10 last season without Embiid. The Sixers won their first two games with double-doubles by Embiid before falling to the Cavaliers. Embiid's status is unclear for the game against the Raptors. Tobias Harris scored 16 points and Ben Simmons added 15 but committed six turnovers. The Sixers' team defense was subpar as the Cavaliers shot 52.7 percent from the field and dominated from the opening tip to the final buzzer. "There were so many stretches where we weren't locked in, offensively and defensively, but it started on the defensive end," Simmons said. "We didn't really change too much up for them to gi

The last time the Utah Jazz were in Oklahoma City, the sports world -- and the world at large -- was about to change significantly. On March 11, Rudy Gobert tested positive for COVID-19 before his Jazz were scheduled to play the Thunder. That game was postponed, soon after the NBA season was suspended and the rest of the sports world followed, elevating the pandemic into the American consciousness. "The whole evening was surreal," Jazz coach Quin Snyder said not long after last season resumed in the summer. "That game was a unique set of circumstances that we'll never see again." On Monday, more than nine months after Gobert's positive test, the Jazz return to Chesapeake Energy Arena to face the Thunder in Oklahoma City's home opener. While the OKC roster features just five returning players from last season, Utah is much the same. That includes Gobert, who has been a thorn in the Thunder's side. Gobert played a big role in helping the Jazz e

In a first-round rematch of last season's Western Conference playoffs, the Portland Trail Blazers visit the defending champion Los Angeles Lakers on Monday night. It's the first meeting between the clubs since Los Angeles claimed a 4-1 series win in the opening round in August. The Blazers' start this season began with a thud. They lost 120-100 at home Wednesday to the Utah Jazz. They also were forced to overcome a slow start to beat the short-handed Houston Rockets 128-126 in overtime Saturday. CJ McCollum scored 44 points, including the go-ahead 3-pointer, and had eight assists for Portland in the win over Houston. McCollum converted 17 of 30 shots from the field and hit a career-best nine 3-pointers on 16 attempts. Damian Lillard contributed 32 points and nine assists and Jusuf Nurkic added 12 points, 11 rebounds and six assists. The Blazers trailed by as many as 16 in the first half before rallying. McCollum sparked a third-quarter surge by scoring 14 points, 12 vi

The Houston Rockets are battling a coronavirus crisis, while the Denver Nuggets are battling a crisis of confidence. Neither team is at its best early in the season, but something will give when they meet Monday night. The Rockets visit Denver with four players in quarantine after a tumultuous opening week. Trade rumors surrounding star James Harden -- one including the Nuggets that was quickly quashed -- and his violation of league COVID-19 rules and regulations have made it a tough start for new coach Stephen Silas. Houston had its opener postponed before nearly beating the Portland Trail Blazers on the road in their first game Saturday night. Harden scored 44 points in the overtime loss and wasn't surprised at his performance even with the off-the-court issues. "I didn't surprise myself at all," Harden said after the game. "I know what I'm capable of." The Rockets will need more of that from Harden without key rotation players. John Wall, DeMarc

Newton was replaced by Jarrett Stidham after throwing for just 34 yards on 10 attempts. The Patriots benched quarterback Cam Newton in the second half of their matchup with the Bills on Monday night. Newton struggled mightily before getting replaced by Jarrett Stidham in the third quarter. He threw for just 34 yards on 10 attempts, failing to find the end zone in the air as the Bills opened up a double-digit lead.  Monday's struggles continued a trend of poor performances from Newton. He has thrown just one touchdown in his last five games, throwing for 2,381 yards in 13 starts.  Stidham couldn't exactly get the Patriots offense back on track after Newton's benching. Buffalo entered the fourth quarter with a 31-9 lead, blowing past the Patriots as Josh Allen tallied a quartet of touchdown passes. Allen's 34 touchdowns in 2020 are the most in franchise history.  New England entered Monday night third in the AFC East at 6–8. Bill Belichick and Co. will miss

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) With Indiana down one in the final seconds Sunday, coach Nate Bjorkgren asked Domantis Sabontis to bail out the Pacers. The All-Star forward delivered. He put the ball on the floor, drove hard toward the basket, muscled in the go-ahead layup and drew a foul with 8.4 seconds to play. Sure he missed the free throw, but Indiana's defense forced an errant 3-pointer with 1.8 seconds left and held on for a 108-107 victory over Boston. ''Coach is a genius. He has a different play for everything,'' Sabonis said. ''He trusts every single one of us and that makes it easier for the players. We all trust him and just try to execute as best we can.'' So far, Sabonis has thrived in Bjorkgren's new system. He followed Saturday's triple-double, with 19 points, 10 rebounds and five assists - his third double-double in three games and No. 100 in his career. And Sabonis had plenty of help, too. Malcolm Brogdon scored a season-high 25 p