Rising in the polls, Sanders takes jabs from Trump, Warren

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Chiefs rally from 24-0 hole to beat Texans 51-31 in playoffs

<p>NEW YORK &#8212; Kyrie Irving scored 21 points in 20 minutes of an easy return from a two-month absence with an injured right shoulder, leading the Brooklyn Nets to a 108-86 victory over the Atlanta Hawks on Sunday.</p><p>Irving shot 10 for 11 from the field after missing 26 games with an impingement. The shoulder looked fine and his handle looked as good as ever while he dribbled his way around a hopeless Atlanta defense.</p><p>Energized by his return that still seemed a ways away just a week ago, the Nets led by 39 points and won their second straight after dropping seven in a row.</p><p>Cam Reddish scored 20 points for the Hawks, who played without star guard Trae Young because of a left hamstring injury and lost their fourth straight.</p><p>Taurean Prince scored 14 points for the Nets, who made it such an easy night that their fans didn&#8217;t need to worry about the scoreboard as they roared for Vince Carter&#8217;s two 3-pointers in the fourth quarter. The 42-year-old former Nets star finished with eight points in his final road appearance against the franchise.</p><p>Irving began feeling pain in his shoulder early in the season, and he took himself out of the lineup after a game in Denver on Nov. 14. The Nets held up well without him for a while thanks mostly to Spencer Dinwiddie&#8217;s strong play, but had faltered recently and struggled especially in crunch time.</p><p>Irving got a cortisone shot on Dec. 24, revealing last weekend his options were that or surgery. He gave no indication then he was close to returning, but participated fully in practice this week.</p><p>He started alongside Dinwiddie to share the playmaking responsibilities and did most of his scoring near the basket, making the only 3-pointer he attempted. The Nets were already leading 70-46 at halftime before he went 5 for 5 for 10 points in a dazzling six-minute stretch of the third quarter.</p><p><strong>JAZZ 127, WIZARDS 116</strong></p><p>WASHINGTON	&#8212; Bojan Bogdonovic scored 31 points, Rudy Gobert added 21 points and 14 rebounds and Utah beat Washington for its ninth straight victory.</p><p>Utah overcame a 15-point deficit in the third quarter to win for the 14th time in 15 games. Jordan Clarkson had 17 of his 23 points in the second half. Utah scoring leader Donovan Mitchell sat out because of an illness.</p><p>Bradley Beal scored 25 points for Washington after missing give games with right leg soreness.</p><p><strong>SPURS 105, RAPTORS 104</strong></p><p>TORONTO	&#8212; DeMar DeRozan scored 25 points, Rudy Gay had 15 and San Antonio overcame an 18-point deficit to beat Toronto.</p><p>San Antonio used a big fourth quarter to win for the third time in four games. Derrick White scored 13 points for the Spurs, and LaMarcus Aldridge had 11. DeRozan also had eight rebounds and four assists against his former team.</p><p>Serge Ibaka had 21 points and a season-high 15 rebounds for Toronto. Kyle Lowry had 16 points and a season-high 15 assists.</p><p><strong>GRIZZLIES 122, WARRIORS 102</strong></p><p>MEMPHIS, Tenn. &#8212; Jonas Valanciunas had 31 points and a season-high 19 rebounds and Memphis handed Golden State its eighth straight loss.</p><p>Valanciunas was 13 of 17 from the field, including a 3-pointer to help the Grizzlies win their fifth straight. Jaren Jackson Jr. finished with 21 points, and Ja Morant had 11 points and 10 assists.</p><p>D&#8217;Angelo Russel led the Warriors with 34 points in his return from a right shoulder injury.</p><p><strong>KNICKS 124, HEAT 121</strong></p><p>NEW YORK &#8212; Julius Randle scored 26 points, RJ Barrett chipped in 23 and New York rallied to beat Miami.</p><p>Kevin Knox had 17 points off the bench and Reggie Bullock added 16 to help the Knicks snap a five-game losing streak.</p><p>Jimmy Butler had 25 points and 10 rebounds for the Heat. They blew a lead down the stretch for the second time</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Brooklyn Nets guard Kyrie Irving celebrates with teammates, including DeAndre Jordan (6), during the first half of an NBA game against the Atlanta Hawks on Sunday in New York. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/web1_AP20013012399710.jpg</photo0><caption0>Brooklyn Nets guard Kyrie Irving celebrates with teammates, including DeAndre Jordan (6), during the first half of an NBA game against the Atlanta Hawks on Sunday in New York. </caption0><photoCredit0>AP photo </photoCredit0></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>The Associated Press</p></bylineMeta></div>

NBA roundup: Kyrie Irving returns to help Nets rout Hawks