Bucks beat Suns 108-99 in Boylan's first game

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Brandon Jennings glanced over and expected to see coach Scott Skiles on the end of the Milwaukee Bucks' bench. Instead, he saw Jim Boylan sitting in Skiles' old spot.
Jennings scored 29 points and the Bucks gave Boylan a win in his first game as coach with a 108-99 victory over the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday night.
"I'm just hooping," Jennings said. "It was weird looking on the end of the bench and he wasn't there. I'm sure I'll get over it soon. Jim's been here for four years. It'll be good sooner or later."
The Bucks parted ways with Skiles on Monday in what was called a mutual decision, and the Bucks tapped Skiles' top assistant Boylan as a replacement.
"I almost called Jim 'Scott' at one point," Jennings said. "But, hey, it's a business. I understand now. I've seen a lot."
Milwaukee's new head coach said before the game his top priority would be to get the Bucks playing well again after losing four consecutive games.
The Suns were a perfect opponent, playing poorly in the last few weeks with nine losses in the previous 10 games overall to go with a nine-game losing streak on the road.
"We can't play 40 minutes, 42 minutes or 38-minute games where we play pretty good and give ourselves an opportunity and then let it deteriorate away over a four- or five-minute period," Phoenix coach Alvin Gentry said. "That's kind of how our season has gone, really. We've just got to find a way to get better. The season is slipping away."
This is the second time Boylan has succeeded Skiles midseason. He took over the Chicago Bulls when Skiles was fired on Christmas Eve in 2007.
"I've been down this road before," Boylan said. "I won my first game against the Bucks when I was in Chicago, and it felt great. Feels great right now, too."
Jennings, who before the game said he was frustrated that he learned of the coaching change from Skiles himself instead of someone from the Bucks organization, made 9 of 15 shots and had nine assists.
"The main thing is I wasn't thinking," he said. "I was just, you know, taking whatever the defense gave me. I was able to find guys. Guys were making shots tonight."
Goran Dragic scored 21 points and Jared Dudley added 18 for Phoenix.
Larry Sanders had 10 points, eight rebounds, six blocks and three steals for Milwaukee. The Suns scored only 10 points in the paint in the second half as Sanders dominated defensively.
"Everything went down again," Marcin Gortat said of the second half. "Brandon Jennings, he just took it over, he started shooting 3s. We couldn't stop him."
The Bucks won despite an off-night from leading scorer Monta Ellis, who missed 14 of 19 shots and committed five turnovers. Ellis finished with 13 points after coming in with a 19.4 average.
Boylan made a couple of significant changes in his first game at the helm, inserting forward Ersan Ilyasova into the starting lineup and giving more minutes to rookie forward John Henson, the team's first-round draft pick.
Ilyasova had 12 points, six rebounds and four assists in 26 minutes. Henson had 12 points and 11 rebounds in 19 minutes.
"I like the way that looks right now," Boylan said of playing Henson and Ilyasova.
Milwaukee took control with a 12-3 run that spanned the end of the third and beginning of the fourth quarters. Beno Udrih had four points in the spurt and hit a 17-foot jumper with 8 minutes left to give the Bucks a 90-79 lead.
Phoenix pulled to 95-91 on a pair of free throws by Dragic with 3:49 left, but Henson scored on a dunk and Mike Dunleavy made a driving layup to extend the Milwaukee lead to 99-91 with 2:45 remaining. Phoenix never seriously threatened the rest of the game.
The Bucks used a 13-0 run, keyed by a pair of 3-pointers from Jennings and four points from Ilyasova, to open a 71-66 lead with 4:57 left in the third quarter.
Luis Scola's baseline jumper tied it at 71, but Ellis drove the lane for a basket that gave Milwaukee the lead for good, 73-71, with 3:34 left in the third.
Notes: Bucks GM John Hammond said before the game he and the team were talking about a contract extension. ... The ball stopped motionless at the back of the Phoenix rim — not stuck — with 9:24 to go in the second quarter, prompting wide grins from the Suns bench. Milwaukee won the ensuing jump ball. ... The teams meet again Jan. 17 in Phoenix.

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Nationals convince LaRoche to extend Washington stay

(Reuters) - The Washington Nationals finally persuaded Adam LaRoche to put pen to paper on Tuesday after spending the first half of the off-season courting their lead slugger.
The free agent inked a two-year deal worth $24 million with an option for a third season, adding solidity to an improving Nationals team and rewarding the franchise for their patience.
The 33-year-old had earlier declined to re-sign with the Nationals as he sought out a three-year deal but the first baseman eventually opted to return to a team where he has spent the last two seasons.
"We were patient with Adam and his representatives," Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo told the team's website (washingtonnationals.mlb.com).
"At the end of the day, I think we both agreed (Washington) was the best place for Adam to be."
Last season, LaRoche was instrumental in helping lead the Nationals to their first post-season berth since the team relocated from Montreal in 2004.
He hit .271 and led the team with 33 home runs and 100 RBIs as Washington (98-64) captured the National League East Division with the best overall MLB record.
Washington were beaten 3-2 in the best-of-five NL Division Series by the St Louis Cardinals, giving up four runs in the top of the ninth inning to fall 9-7 in the series decider.

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Cowboys release defensive coordinator Ryan

(Reuters) - The Dallas Cowboys released fiery defensive coordinator Rob Ryan on Tuesday after another disappointing season that saw them miss the playoffs.
Ryan, the twin brother of New York Jets coach Rex Ryan, had spent the last two seasons with the Cowboys where his demonstrative demeanor made him a colorful figure on the sidelines.
The Dallas defense did not show enough improvement, however, as they struggled with injuries and finished last in the NFL in interceptions.
Demanding owner Jerry Jones promised changes after the team finished 8-8 for the second consecutive year. The Cowboys have not reached the post-season since 2009.
"At this time, the decision has been made to move forward in a different direction philosophically on defense," Cowboys coach Jason Garrett said in a statement.
"I have an immense amount of respect for Rob as a person and as a football coach and I wish him and his family the very best.

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Rockets beat Lakers 125-112 for 5th straight win

HOUSTON (AP) — Sure the Los Angeles Lakers are short-handed.
But a team with Kobe Bryant, Steve Nash and Metta World Peace should still play better than this.
James Harden scored 31 points and Chandler Parsons added 20 to help the Houston Rockets pick up their fifth straight win with a 125-112 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday night
Houston trailed by as many as 14 in the first half, but used a pair of runs in the third quarter to go on top and build a big lead.
World Peace had a season-high 24 points for the Lakers, who were playing without their top three big men: Dwight Howard, Pau Gasol and Jordan Hill — who are all out with injuries.
Bryant added 20 points for the Lakers and Nash had 16 points and 10 assists to become only the fifth player to surpass 10,000 career assists, joining John Stockton, Jason Kidd, Mark Jackson and Magic Johnson.
Nash said he tweaked his back in the game, but that he was OK.
"It's really hard to enjoy it right now," Nash said of the assists. "I don't want to discredit it, or not appreciate the company I share in this milestone, but right now it's the farthest thing from my mind. We're just trying to find a way to win one game."
The Lakers, who lost their fourth straight to fall to 15-19, are in 11th place in the Western Conference.
"I thought we had the better team," World Peace said. "We definitely had the better team, but every night we have the better team and it's just not translating to wins."
The Rockets have rallied from double-digit deficits for their last three wins. As usual, they did it on Tuesday night behind the strong play of Harden, who has scored at least 25 points in 13 straight games.
"They were short-handed tonight, but they are still tough," Harden said of the Lakers. "We knew we couldn't take them lightly. They did a great job in the first half of really getting easy shots on us. In the second half we started to pick it up defensively. We got out in transition and made some easy shots."
Howard has a torn labrum in his right shoulder, Gasol has a concussion and Hill a right hip injury. All three are out indefinitely. Seven-foot rookie center Robert Sacre made his first career start due to the injuries, and finished with 10 points, four blocked shots and three rebounds.
"We've just got to move forward," World Peace said. "We don't have time to feel bad for anyone. This team just has to push and move forward."
Jeremy Lin chipped in 19 points with six rebounds and five assists for Houston, and Carlos Delfino also scored 19.
The Rockets led by nine midway through the fourth quarter and used a 5-0 run highlighted by a three-point play by Lin to make it 112-98. Lin drove to the basket and made the layup as he fell to the court after being fouled by Sacre.
"There are some things we can clean up as a group and do a better job," Lakers coach Mike D'Antoni said. "A little more attention to detail and we'll do better."
Houston used a 10-2 spurt early in the third quarter to tie it at 69 after a three-point play by Marcus Morris with 6½ minutes left in the quarter. The Rockets then broke off a 23-11 run to take a 92-80 lead near the end of the third. Lin had nine points in that span and Harden added six.
Bryant hit a jumper with about five minutes left in the third, and the Lakers didn't score another field goal until Chris Duhon made a 3-pointer with 48 seconds remaining in the quarter.
Houston led 96-88 at the end of the third quarter.
"Tonight we could offer up a number of excuses, but what is troubling is when we were healthy, we weren't stopping people, either," Nash said.
The Rockets were still down by six midway through the second quarter before a 7-0 run capped by a 3 from Delfino gave them their first lead of the game — 47-46 — about five minutes before halftime.
The game was tied a couple of minutes later when Nash scored five quick points to put the Lakers on top 56-51.
Los Angeles led 62-59 at halftime.
The Lakers led 18-4 early after a run where World Peace made two 3-pointers and Darius Morris made one. The Lakers were up by 13 later in the quarter before Houston used a 12-5 spurt powered by two 3s from Delfino to cut the lead to 34-28 at the end of the first quarter.
NOTES: Gasol was examined by a neurologist on Tuesday and was not cleared to play. He will be re-evaluated on Thursday. ... Harden's 13 straight games with at least 25 points are tied with Moses Malone for the such streak in franchise history. ... Delfino is shooting 61.3 percent from 3-point range in the last five games.

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Germany to host Sudan forum delayed by embassy storming

KHARTOUM (Reuters) - Germany will host a Sudan investment conference this month which was postponed after its embassy in Khartoum was stormed last year, officials and diplomats said on Monday.
Sudan is trying to attract more investment to overcome a severe economic crisis after losing most oil reserves to South Sudan when it became independent in 2011. Most Western companies shun the country due to a U.S. trade embargo.
The Berlin conference, planned for January 29, will be also attended by officials from South Sudan, who are also eager for Western firms to develop their country, ravaged by decades of civil war.
Germany, one of the few Western countries with good relations with Sudan, had originally planned the forum for October but shelved it after thousands of people stormed and set ablaze its embassy in protest against an anti-Islam film.
The Sudanese government had criticized Germany before the storming for allowing small protests by right-wing activists in August showing cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed. It also criticized Chancellor Angela Merkel for giving an award in 2010 to a Danish cartoonist who depicted the prophet in 2005.
Protesters in Khartoum also attacked the British and U.S. embassies over the film which was posted on the Internet.
Germany agreed to reschedule the forum after Sudanese Foreign Minister Ali Ahmed Karti apologized and provided land free of charge to rebuild the embassy, diplomats said.
Germany's foreign ministry declined to comment but diplomats and Sudan's foreign ministry said Karti would attend the Berlin conference.
German companies are among the few in Europe ignoring the U.S. trade embargo. Engineering group Lahmeyer just helped expanding a major dam in the southeast of the country.
Most Western countries have only limited ties to Sudan, whose President Omar Hassan al-Bashir faces charges of war crimes in Darfur at the International Criminal Court.
Diplomats said Germany was planning the conference on its own, so it would not have to rely on other Western powers which often criticize Khartoum for its human rights record. In March, Norway and Turkey called off similar events after the United States signaled it would not attend.
South Sudan seceded from Sudan under a peace deal that ended the civil war but left tensions and border issues unresolved. The neighbors agreed in September to restart cross-border oil flows but still need to secure their border first.

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Stock markets cool off following gains last week

 Global stock markets drifted lower on Monday as some investors sought to cash in on last week's strong gains and worries grew of more political brinkmanship in Washington.
Major indexes surged last week after U.S. lawmakers passed a bill to avoid a combination of government spending cuts and tax increases that have come to be known as the "fiscal cliff."
The deal, however, remains incomplete. Politicians will face another deadline in two months to agree on more spending cuts and the prospect of more squabbling seemed to hurt market sentiment.
Meanwhile, the U.S. economy keeps recovering, though only at a modest rate. On Friday, official figures showed employers added 155,000 jobs in December, roughly as expected. The good sign was that hiring held up during the tense fiscal negotiations in Washington. But the increase was not large enough to bring the unemployment rate down from 7.8 percent.
Having enjoyed a good few days, investors appeared ready to cash in some of their profits.
"It just seems like markets are entering a consolidation phase after recent gains," Stan Shamu, market strategist at IG Markets in Melbourne, said in a market commentary.
Britain's FTSE 100 fell 0.4 percent to close at 6,064.58 while Germany's DAX dropped 0.6 percent to 7,732.66. France's CAC-40 lost 0.7 percent to 3,704.64.
Wall Street traded lower as well, with the Dow shedding 0.6 percent to 13,358.10 and the broader S&P 500 falling 0.6 percent to 1,457.78.
The one bright spot was the banking sector, where stocks were up after global regulators eased new rules obliging lenders to set capital aside. The so-called Basel III rules are a set of new international standards to make sure banks don't fall back into the sort of trouble that caused the 2008 financial crash. On Sunday, the officials setting those rules delayed the date by which certain amounts of cash had to be readily available.
The move caused a jump in bank shares - Deutsche Bank rose 2.8 percent but the biggest gains were among ailing Spanish banks, which some had feared would struggle to meet the new cash requirements. Bankinter soared 9.2 percent and Banco Popular gained 2.1 percent higher.
The subdued mood in the broader markets was also seen earlier in Asia. The Nikkei in Tokyo fell 0.8 percent to close at 10,599.01.
The Hong Kong Hang Seng was nearly unchanged at 23,329.75. South Korea's Kospi lost less than 0.1 percent to 2,011.25. Benchmarks in Singapore and Taiwan fell while mainland Chinese shares rose. Weakness in Australian's resource sector sent the S&P/ASX 200 in Sydney 0.1 percent lower to 4,717.30.
South Korean and Taiwanese companies that were fined by China last week for fixing prices of LCD display screens saw their stocks tumble Monday. Taiwan's AU Optronics Corp. fell 5.1 percent. HannStar Display Corp. fell 4.7 percent. South Korea's LG Display fell 2.6 percent.
In commodity markets, the benchmark crude oil contract for February delivery was 14 cents lower at $92.95 per barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange.
In currencies, the euro edged 0.2 percent higher at $1.3105 while the dollar dropped against the Japanese yen, to 87.69 yen from 88.13 yen on Friday.

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Chinese hold anti-censorship protest outside newspaper

GUANGZHOU, China (Reuters) - Hundreds of supporters of one of China's most liberal newspapers demonstrated outside its headquarters on Monday, backing a strike by journalists against interference by the provincial propaganda chief.
The rare anti-censorship protest happened in Guangzhou, capital of wealthy Guangdong, China's most liberal province and birthplace of the reforms, begun three decades ago, that propelled China to become the world's second-largest economy.
The outcry began late last week when reporters at the influential Southern Weekly newspaper accused censors of replacing an original New Year's letter to readers that called for a constitutional government with another piece lauding the party's achievements.
Police allowed the demonstration, suggesting the Guangdong government, led by newly appointed Hu Chunhua, a rising political star, may want to tread carefully in tackling public discontent over censorship.
The protesters, many of them youths, held signs with slogans such as "Freedom of expression is not a crime," and "Chinese people want freedom". Others made speeches defending the paper an laid chrysanthemums, a flower used in Chinese funerals, to symbolically mourn the death of press freedom.
"The Nanfang (Southern) Media Group is relatively willing to speak the truth in China so we need to stand up for its courage and support it now," Ao Jiayang, a young worker for a non-governmental organization, told Reuters.
"We hope that through this we can fight for media freedom in China," Ao said. "Today's turnout reflects that more and more people in China have a civic consciousness."
PETITIONS
On Sunday night, the Southern Weekly's official microblog denied that the removal of the New Year letter was due to censorship, saying the "online rumors were false".
Many Southern Weekly journalists distanced themselves from the statement and said the blog had been taken over by management, and pledged to go on strike the next day.
It was not clear if the strike was ongoing and whether the weekly paper would still appear on Thursday.
One Southern Weekly journalist said staff were determined to "not let those people (the propaganda department) take over our paper". Another reporter said they were not actually on strike, though some staffers had taken time off.
The attention paid to the protest on China's social media highlights the unique position of Guangdong, the first province Xi Jinping's visited after being anointed Communist party chief in November.
Several petitions have circulated on the Internet, signed by the paper's journalists as well as academics and prominent citizens, denouncing the censorship and called for the Guangdong propaganda chief, Tuo Zhen, to step down.
Xiao Shu, formerly a prominent commentator at the Southern Weekly, said Tuo required journalists to submit topics for him to approve.
"He has established within the Guangdong media a system of prior censorship of the press," Xiao said, calling for Tuo's removal.
Retired Southern Weekly editor Yan Lieshan said: "Not since the time of reform and opening up and the founding of China has there been someone like Tuo Zhen," accusing him of overstepping his authority.
Chinese Internet users already cope with extensive censorship, especially over politically sensitive topics such as human rights and high-level politics, and the popular foreign sites Facebook, Twitter and Google-owned YouTube are blocked.
By Monday, most search terms for the Southern Weekly and media censorship were blocked.
China shut the website of a leading pro-reform magazine on Friday, apparently because it had run an article calling for political reform and constitutional government.

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Israeli PM says border fence with Syria needed

JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel's prime minister says he will erect a fortified fence on the border with Syria to protect against radical Islamist forces that he claims have taken over the area.
Benjamin Netanyahu says Israel needs a barrier like a new Egyptian border fence that he says has stemmed the flow of African migrants. He said the Syrian regime was "unstable" and Israel was concerned about the country's chemical weapons. He told his Cabinet Sunday that across the frontier "the Syrian army has moved away, and in its place, Global Jihad forces have moved in."
Global Jihad is the term Israel uses for forces influenced by al-Qaida. Syria's rebels include some al-Qaida-allied fighters.
Israel has largely stayed out of the conflict, though several mortar rounds have landed in the Israel-held Golan Heights.

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Iran lawmakers seek deeper probe in blogger death

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — A powerful group in Iran's parliament called Sunday for expanded investigations into the death of a jailed blogger in a case that has already brought down the chief of the Internet-monitoring police and opened rare public debates over the growing powers of the country's Web watchers.
While the blogger, Sattar Beheshti, was not the first suspected opposition activist to die in Iranian custody — and bring international condemnation on Iran — the fallout since November has taken an added toll by exposing apparent conflicts between regular security networks and the widening clout of the cyberpolice.
Iran's leaders have placed a top priority on efforts to stamp out online dissent and fight the co-called "soft war" against perceived Western influence via the Internet, which remains highly filtered in Iran but blocks are often bypassed by the country's educated and tech-savvy population. New Web-watching police units have gained increasing clout and took the lead in Beheshti's arrest and interrogation.
Some officials, including influential lawmakers, question whether the cyberpolice acted without going through proper judicial channels to receive an arrest warrant.
A statement read Sunday on behalf of the parliament's Committee on National Security and Foreign Policy called for a "special" investigation into the death of the 35-year-old blogger.
It was not immediately clear what kind of added probe could occur since prosecutors already have opened an investigation into the case. But the statement reflects widespread outrage over possible legal shortcuts by the cyberpolice and alleged abuses. The committee's report also urged police to monitor all detention centers through closed circuit cameras, and suggested prosecutors make regular visits.
The report said Beheshti — described as having "close contact" with foreign-based opposition groups — had bruises and inflammations in his face, left leg and back.
While in jail, Beheshti had officially complained that he was mistreated and tortured, according to Kaleme, a news website close to the opposition leader Mir Hossein Mousavi. Kaleme was the first to report the blogger's death in November.
In November, Iran's state prosecutor Gholam Hossein Mohseni Ejehei said Beheshti died in police custody and that wounds were found on his body.
Weeks later, Iran fired its head of cyber-security, Gen. Mohammad Hasan Shokrian, for "failure and lack of sufficient supervision over the performance of personnel under his command." Three police officers remain in detention.
Arrests of activists and claims of abuse in detention are commonplace in Iran, but deaths behind bars are much rarer.
In 2010, Iran's judiciary dismissed suspended three judges and dismissed several police officers following a report by the parliament over death of three prisoners of the post-election protests and clashes in the wake of the disputed 2009 presidential elections.

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Assad outlines new Syria peace plan

BEIRUT (AP) — Syrian President Bashar Assad on Sunday outlined his vision for a road map to end nearly 22 months of violence in Syria but also struck a defiant tone, calling on his countrymen to unite against "murderous criminals" whom he said are carrying out a foreign plot seeking to tear the nation apart.
In a one-hour speech to the nation in which he appeared confident and relaxed, Assad ignored international demands for him to step down and said he is ready to hold a dialogue but only with those "who have not betrayed Syria." He offered a national reconciliation conference, elections and a new constitution but demanded regional and Western countries stop funding and arming rebels trying to overthrow him first.
The proposal, however, is unlikely to win acceptance from Syria's opposition forces, including rebels on the ground, who have repeatedly said they will accept nothing less than the president's departure, dismissing any kind of settlement that leaves him in the picture. On top of that, Assad's new initiative is reminiscent of symbolic changes and concessions that his government made earlier in the uprising, which were rejected at the time as too little too late.
Speaking at the Opera House in central Damascus, Assad told the hall packed with his supporters that "we are in a state of war. We are fighting an external aggression that is more dangerous than any others, because they use us to kill each other."
"It is a war between the nation and its enemies, between the people and the murderous criminals," he added. The audience frequently broke out in cheers and applause.
Assad has rarely spoken since the uprising against his rule began in March 2011, and his speech Sunday was his first since June.
His last public comments were in an interview in November to Russian TV in which he vowed to die in Syria. On Sunday, he seemed equally confident in his troops' ability to crush the rebels fighting his rule, even as they edge in closer than ever to his seat of power, Damascus.
British Foreign Secretary William Hague said Assad's speech was "beyond hypocritical." In a message posted on his official Twitter feed, Hague said "empty promises of reform fool no one."
Wearing a suit and tie, the president spoke before a collage of pictures of what appeared to be Syrians who have been killed since March 2011.
At the end of his speech and as he was leaving the hall, he was mobbed by a group of loyalists shouting: "With our blood and souls we redeem you, Bashar!"
The president in turn waved and blew kisses to the crowd on his way out.
Assad, in his speech, acknowledged the enormous impact of the nation's conflict, which the United Nations recent estimated had killed more than 60,000 people.
"We meet today and suffering is overwhelming Syrian land. There is no place for joy in any corner of the country in the absence of security and stability," he said. "I look at the eyes of Syria's children and I don't see any happiness."
The Internet was cut in many parts of Damascus ahead of the address, apparently for security reasons.
As in previous speeches, Assad said his forces were fighting groups of "murderous criminals" and jihadi elements and denied that there was an uprising against his family's decades-long rule.
He stressed the presence of religious extremists and jihadi elements among those fighting in Syria, calling them "terrorists who carry the ideology of al-Qaeda" and "servants who know nothing but the language of slaughter."
He struck a defiant tone, saying Syria will not take dictates from anyone and urged his countrymen to unite to save the nation.
Outlining his peace initiative, he said: "The first part of a political solution would require regional powers to stop funding and arming (the rebels), an end to terrorism and controlling the borders."
He said this would then be followed by dialogue and a national reconciliation conference and the formation of a wide representative government which would then oversee new elections, a new constitution and general amnesty.
However, Assad made clear his offer to hold a dialogue is not open to those whom he considers extremists or carrying out a foreign agenda.
"We never rejected a political solution ... but with whom should we talk? With those who have extremist ideology who only understand the language of terrorism?" he said.
"Or should we with negotiate puppets whom the West brought? ... We negotiate with the master not with the slave."
As in previous speeches and interviews, he clung to the view that the crisis in Syria was a foreign-backed agenda and said it was not an uprising against his rule.
"Is this a revolution and are these revolutionaries? By God, I say they are a bunch of criminals," he said.

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