Kings 106, Knicks 105: Knicks Fight Back Against Kings, Only to Be Blindsided at the Buzzer

Ezra Shaw/Getty Images

Steve Novak of the Knicks walks off the court as the Kings celebrate their win at the buzzer.

SACRAMENTO — The Knicks faced a daunting task Friday night when they found themselves down by 27 points in a road game in which they were without Carmelo Anthony, their top scorer, and Raymond Felton, their starting point guard.

But they did not lose their composure when trailing by double digits, as they have on recent occasions. They did not panic. They did not quit. But two nights after watching J. R. Smith seal a win for them on a last-second jumper in Phoenix, the Knicks found themselves Friday on the other side of a buzzer-beater when Sacramento’s James Johnson made an open 3-pointer as time expired to give the Sacramento Kings a 106-105 victory.

“Karma comes back around quickly,” Smith said. “It’s a bad feeling.

“No matter who we play, we have to play with a sense of urgency and pride.”

The loss denied the Knicks the largest comeback victory in franchise history, which remains a 26-point rally against Milwaukee in 2004.

Johnson, who was mobbed by his Kings teammates, finished with 17 points as the Knicks walked slowly to the locker room, their heads down. Johnson’s game-winning basket was his first 3-pointer of the season. He was 0 for 11 before Friday’s game.

“I thought it was short, honestly, from the angle I had,” Tyson Chandler said of Johnson’s jumper. “I knew he got it off in time. I was just curious about his feet. And then I saw the replay and he obviously had both feet behind the line.”

When the Knicks thought about the final 30 seconds of the game, they were disappointed with how they couldn’t execute simple things.

Jason Kidd knew he should have made a better pass to Chandler for an alley-oop dunk. Sacramento’s DeMarcus Cousins deflected the pass, which created a turnover. On defense, Steve Novak knew he could have made a game-winning steal. Instead, a pass by John Salmons made it to Johnson. And Smith knew he had a chance to block Johnson’s 3-pointer before time expired.

“That’s the toughest way to lose,” Novak said. “You’d rather lose by 40 than to lose on a game-winner. That’s going to sting for a while.”

Smith scored a game-high 28 points and Chris Copeland added 23. Chandler (21 points, 18 rebounds) was solid on both ends of the floor.

The Knicks were without Anthony for a second straight game because of a hyperextended knee, as well as Felton, who is expected to miss a month with a broken finger. With Amar’e Stoudemire, Rasheed Wallace and Iman Shumpert also sidelined, the Knicks were down to a 10-man team, and they looked in the first half as if they could have used another 10 to relieve them.

They were down by 21 at halftime.

“That first half we had was just unacceptable,” Novak said. “We gave their shooters way too much freedom.”

But the Knicks found a new burst of energy in the second half, chipping away at the Kings’ lead and eventually pulling in front about midway through the fourth quarter when Kidd hit a 3-pointer for a 97-95 lead.

But Kidd also helped put the Kings in position to win. His foul on Isaiah Thomas in the fourth quarter sent Thomas to the line, where he made both free throws to cut the Knicks’ lead to 105-103. Then, Kidd’s pass was intercepted with 16 seconds left. The Knicks never got the ball back.

“I had Tyson wide open,” Kidd said. “It was an easy pass. I just turned it over and they capitalized on it.”

The Knicks (21-9) surrendered 71 points in the first half as the Kings (10-19) shot 59.5 percent from the field and made 10 3-pointers. But as disappointing as the first half was for them, the Knicks said they showed character in rallying to take the lead.

“Losses like this build character,” Chandler said. “It hurts right now, but I feel like we won’t be in this situation again.”

He continued: “It shows how good we can be defensively. We dug ourselves a hole. To me, there’s no reason that we can hold a team to 35 points in the second half and can’t do it in the first. I was proud of the guys, though. This one burns, but we battled our hearts out.”

 

REBOUNDS

With five injured players, Coach Mike Woodson said he almost felt as if he had no choice but to hope Amar’e Stoudemire would be ready to play his first game of the season Tuesday against the Portland Trail Blazers. Stoudemire will be re-evaluated by a knee specialist Saturday before he participates in another practice. Woodson plans to have Stoudemire practice Sunday and Monday. “Those two practices will give us some indication of where he is,” Woodson said. “I’m going to put him through a full practice in terms of running up and down and banging some with him, too. Hopefully, there will be no setbacks, and he’ll be ready to go New Year’s Day.” ... Rasheed Wallace, who has a stress fracture in his left foot, also hopes to return to practice in the next few days. Woodson said he expected Wallace to see some minutes against the Trail Blazers. “I’m very antsy about it,” Wallace said of returning to the court. “Very antsy, especially when we play big games like we did against the Lakers. The nail-biter against Phoenix the other night. It’s not up to me, though. It’s up to the doctors.”

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Android-powered Ouya console now shipping to 1,200 developers [video]

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FBI removes many redactions in Marilyn Monroe file

LOS ANGELES (AP) — FBI files on Marilyn Monroe that could not be located earlier this year have been found and re-issued, revealing the names of some of the movie star's communist-leaning friends who drew concern from government officials and her own entourage.

But the records, which previously had been heavily redacted, do not contain any new information about Monroe's death 50 years ago. Letters and news clippings included in the files show the bureau was aware of theories the actress had been killed, but they do not show that any effort was undertaken to investigate the claims. Los Angeles authorities concluded Monroe's death was a probable suicide.

Recently obtained by The Associated Press through the Freedom of Information Act, the updated FBI files do show the extent the agency was monitoring Monroe for ties to communism in the years before her death in August 1962.

The records reveal that some in Monroe's inner circle were concerned about her association with Frederick Vanderbilt Field, who was disinherited from his wealthy family over his leftist views.

A trip to Mexico earlier that year to shop for furniture brought Monroe in contact with Field, who was living in the country with his wife in self-imposed exile. Informants reported to the FBI that a "mutual infatuation" had developed between Field and Monroe, which caused concern among some in her inner circle, including her therapist, the files state.

"This situation caused considerable dismay among Miss Monroe's entourage and also among the (American Communist Group in Mexico)," the file states. It includes references to an interior decorator who worked with Monroe's analyst reporting her connection to Field to the doctor.

Field's autobiography devotes an entire chapter to Monroe's Mexico trip, "An Indian Summer Interlude." He mentions that he and his wife accompanied Monroe on shopping trips and meals and he only mentions politics once in a passage on their dinnertime conversations.

"She talked mostly about herself and some of the people who had been or still were important to her," Field wrote in "From Right to Left." ''She told us about her strong feelings for civil rights, for black equality, as well as her admiration for what was being done in China, her anger at red-baiting and McCarthyism and her hatred of (FBI director) J. Edgar Hoover."

Under Hoover's watch, the FBI kept tabs on the political and social lives of many celebrities, including Frank Sinatra, Charlie Chaplin and Monroe's ex-husband Arthur Miller. The bureau has also been involved in numerous investigations about crimes against celebrities, including threats against Elizabeth Taylor, an extortion case involving Clark Gable and more recently, trying to solve who killed rapper Notorious B.I.G.

The AP had sought the removal of redactions from Monroe's FBI files earlier this year as part of a series of stories on the 50th anniversary of Monroe's death. The FBI had reported that it had transferred the files to a National Archives facility in Maryland, but archivists said the documents had not been received. A few months after requesting details on the transfer, the FBI released an updated version of the files that eliminate dozens of redactions.

For years, the files have intrigued investigators, biographers and those who don't believe Monroe's death at her Los Angeles area home was a suicide.

A 1982 investigation by the Los Angeles District Attorney's Office found no evidence of foul play after reviewing all available investigative records, but noted that the FBI files were "heavily censored."

That characterization intrigued the man who performed Monroe's autopsy, Dr. Thomas Noguchi. While the DA investigation concluded he conducted a thorough autopsy, Noguchi has conceded that no one will likely ever know all the details of Monroe's death. The FBI files and confidential interviews conducted with the actress' friends that have never been made public might help, he wrote in his 1983 memoir "Coroner."

"On the basis of my own involvement in the case, beginning with the autopsy, I would call Monroe's suicide 'very probable,'" Noguchi wrote. "But I also believe that until the complete FBI files are made public and the notes and interviews of the suicide panel released, controversy will continue to swirl around her death."

Monroe's file begins in 1955 and mostly focuses on her travels and associations, searching for signs of leftist views and possible ties to communism. One entry, which previously had been almost completely redacted, concerned intelligence that Monroe and other entertainers sought visas to visit Russia that year.

The file continues up until the months before her death, and also includes several news stories and references to Norman Mailer's biography of the actress, which focused on questions about whether Monroe was killed by the government.

For all the focus on Monroe's closeness to suspected communists, the bureau never found any proof she was a member of the party.

"Subject's views are very positively and concisely leftist; however, if she is being actively used by the Communist Party, it is not general knowledge among those working with the movement in Los Angeles," a July 1962 entry in Monroe's file states.

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Anthony McCartney can be reached at http://twitter.com/mccartneyAP

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China Toughens Restrictions on Internet Use

How Hwee Young/European Pressphoto Agency

New measures by the Chinese government could chill some of the vibrant discourse on Twitter-like microblogs.

HONG KONG — The Chinese government issued new rules on Friday requiring Internet users to provide their real names to service providers, while assigning Internet companies greater responsibility for deleting forbidden postings and reporting them to the authorities.

The decision came as government censors have sharply stepped up restrictions on China’s international Internet traffic in recent weeks. The restrictions are making it harder for businesses to protect commercial secrets and for individuals to view overseas Web sites that the Chinese Communist Party deems politically sensitive.

The new regulations, issued by the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress, allow Internet users to continue to adopt pseudonyms for their online postings, but only if they first provide their real names to service providers, a measure that could chill some of the vibrant discourse on the country’s Twitter-like microblogs. The authorities periodically detain and even jail Internet users for politically sensitive comments, such as calls for a multiparty democracy or accusations of impropriety by local officials.

Any entity providing Internet access, including over fixed-line or mobile phones, “should when signing agreements with users or confirming provision of services, demand that users provide true information about their identities,” the committee ordered.

In recent weeks, Internet users in China have exposed a series of sexual and financial scandals that have led to the resignations or dismissals of at least 10 local officials. International news media have also published a series of reports in recent months on the accumulation of wealth by the family members of China’s leaders, and some Web sites carrying such reports, including Bloomberg’s and the English- and Chinese-language sites of The New York Times, have been assiduously blocked, while Internet comments about them have been swiftly deleted.

The regulations issued Friday build on a series of similar administrative guidelines and municipal rules issued over the past year. China’s mostly private Internet service providers have been slow to comply with them, fearing the reactions of their customers. The committee’s decision has much greater legal force, and puts far more pressure on Chinese Internet providers to comply more quickly and more comprehensively, Internet specialists said.

In what appeared to be an effort to make the decision more palatable to the Chinese public, the committee also included a mandate for businesses in China to be more cautious in gathering and protecting electronic data.

“Nowadays on the Internet there are very serious problems with citizens’ personal electronic information being recklessly collected, used without approval, illegally disclosed, and even traded and sold,” Li Fei, a deputy director of the committee’s legislative affairs panel, said on Friday at a news conference in Beijing. “There are also a large number of cases of invasive attacks on information systems to steal personal electronic information, as well as lawbreaking on the Internet through swindles and through defaming and slandering others.”

Mr. Li denied that the government was seeking to prevent the exposure of corruption.

“When citizens exercise these rights according to the law, no organization or individual can use any reason or excuse to interfere, and cannot suppress them or exact revenge,” he said. “At the same time, when citizens exercise their rights, including through use of the Internet, they should stay within the bounds of the Constitution and the laws, and must not harm the legitimate rights and interests of the state, society, the collective or of other citizens.”

A spokesman for the National People’s Congress said that 145 members of the committee voted in favor of the new rules, with 5 abstaining and 1 voting against them.

The requirement for real names appeared to be aimed particularly at cellphone companies and other providers of mobile Internet access. At the news conference, an official from the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, Zhao Zhiguo, said that nearly all fixed-line services now had real-name registration, but that only about 70 percent of mobile phones were registered under real names.

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Official Acquitted in Russian Jail Death Case

MOSCOW (AP) — A Moscow court has acquitted the only official charged with the death of whistleblowing lawyer Sergei Magnitsky.

Magnitsky died in jail in 2009 after his pancreatitis went untreated. An investigation by Russia's presidential council on human rights concluded that Magnitsky was severely beaten and denied medical treatment.

The Tverskoy court found jail doctor Dmitry Kratov not guilty of negligence causing death.

The case has become a rallying point for human rights advocates in Russia and abroad. Congress in December passed legislation calling for sanctions against officials deemed human rights violators. The bill provoked retaliation from Moscow, including a bill barring Americans from adopting Russian children that President Vladimir Putin is expected to sign.

Magnitsky's family and associates described the trial as sham, saying authorities failed to prosecute officials responsible.

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Leaked BlackBerry 10 slides show video calling and screen sharing for BBM

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Katie Holmes' Broadway play 'Dead Accounts' closes

NEW YORK (AP) — Katie Holmes' return to Broadway will be much shorter than she would have liked.

The former Mrs. Cruise's play "Dead Accounts" will close within a week of the new year. Producers said Thursday that Theresa Rebeck's drama will close on Jan. 6 after 27 previews and 44 performances.

The show, which opened to poor reviews on Nov. 29, stars Norbert Leo Butz as Holmes' onstage brother who returns to his Midwest home with a secret. Rebeck created the first season of NBC's "Smash" and several well-received plays including "Seminar" and "Mauritius."

Holmes, who became a star in the teen soap opera "Dawson's Creek," made her Broadway debut in the 2008 production of "All My Sons." She was married to Tom Cruise from 2006 until this year.

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Online: http://www.deadaccountsonbroadway.com

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Recipes for Health: Spinach, Sardine and Rice Gratin

Andrew Scrivani for The New York Times

Spinach, sardine and rice gratin.

Sometimes a can of sardines comes in very handy and this dish is a great way to work more high-omega 3 fish into your diet. It is a classic Provençal gratin, traditionally made with fresh sardines but just as good made with the skinless, boneless olive-oil packed sardines I buy at Trader Joe’s. You are getting lots of calcium, Omega-3 fatty acids and iron from both the sardines and the spinach.

 

2 3.75-ounce cans boneless, skinless and boneless sardines packed in olive oil

2 pounds spinach (2 generous bunches), stemmed and washed in two changes of water or 1 pound baby spinach

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

1 medium onion, finely chopped

2 to 4 garlic cloves, minced

1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves, roughly chopped, or 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

1 teaspoon all-purpose flour

1/2 cup low-fat milk

1 cup cooked rice (brown or white; I like to use Arborio)

1/4 cup fresh or dry bread crumbs

 

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Oil a 1 1/2 to 2-quart gratin or baking dish. Remove the sardines from the oil and separate them into fillets. Set the oil aside.

2. Wilt the spinach either by steaming or blanching. To blanch bring a large pot of water to a boil, salt generously and add the spinach. Blanch for no more than 20 seconds (do this in batches). Transfer to a bowl of cold water, drain and squeeze out excess water. If you prefer, you can wilt the spinach by steaming for about 1 minute over an inch of boiling water. Chop medium-fine.

3. Heat the olive oil (not the oil from the sardines) in the skillet over medium heat and add the onion and a pinch of salt. Cook, stirring, until tender, 5 to 8 minutes. Add a generous pinch of salt, stir in the garlic and thyme and cook, stirring, until fragrant, 30 seconds to a minute, then add the chopped wilted spinach, flour, and salt and pepper to taste. Stir together for 1 minute, until everything is blended. Add the milk and cooked rice and stir together for about 1 minute, until you no longer see liquid in the pan. Remove from the heat. Taste and adjust salt and pepper.

4. Spread half the rice and spinach in the bottom of the baking dish. Top with the sardine fillets in one layer. Drizzle a tablespoon of the oil from the cans over the sardines, then top with the remaining rice and spinach in an even layer. Sprinkle on the breadcrumbs and drizzle on another tablespoon of the oil from the sardine cans. Place in the oven and bake 15 minutes, until sizzling. Serve hot or warm.

 

Yield: Serves 4

Advance preparation: You can assemble this up to a day ahead of baking. Do not top with the breadcrumbs and oil until just before baking. Keep well covered in the refrigerator. Leftovers will keep for a few days in the refrigerator. Reheat in a moderate oven.

Nutritional information per serving: 265 calories; 11 grams fat; 2 grams saturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 3 grams monounsaturated fat; 10 milligrams cholesterol; 22 grams carbohydrates; 4 grams dietary fiber; 271 milligrams sodium (does not include salt to taste); 20 grams protein

 

Martha Rose Shulman is the author of “The Very Best of Recipes for Health.”

 

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Knicks 99, Suns 97: Hobbled by Injuries, Knicks Win on Last Shot

PHOENIX — J. R Smith walked on the court and looked up at the scoreboard. It said the game was tied at 97-97, and Smith knew the ball — and the game’s biggest moment — was coming to him. Smith then closed his eyes and bowed his head. He meditated.

“When I was walking on the court, I was like, “Man, you’re going to make it, you’re going to make it,’ ” Smith said. “I was mentally really trying to get my form ready before I even thought about taking it.”

Catch the ball cleanly, he thought. Square your shoulders to the basket, he reminded himself. Believe in yourself.

Smith ran to the left corner of the court, received Jason Kidd’s pass, turned his body, jumped high in the air and faded away from the Phoenix Suns’ P. J. Tucker.

Buzzer sounds. Swish. Game over.

Smith’s difficult jumper as time expired gave the Knicks a 99-97 victory over the Phoenix Suns on Wednesday night, a much-needed lift for a weakened team. It was the second game-winner by Smith this month. His previous one, the first game-winner of his career, came on Dec. 5 against the Charlotte Bobcats.

And both final-second shots by Smith came with Carmelo Anthony not on the floor; Anthony missed Wednesday’s game because of a hyperextended knee.

Tyson Chandler called Smith’s basket an incredible one to watch from his perspective near the basket.

“Knowing J. R., it’s almost better for him to take a tough shot,” Chandler said. He added: “It seems like he makes the tougher shots with the guy is draped all over him. He does it in practice.”

After Smith made his shot, all of his teammates hugged him on the court.

“It was big just to see how hyped my teammates were, especially Tyson and Jason,” he said. “They’ve seen big shots hit before, so for them to be excited was great.”

Even before Smith’s last-second shot, the Knicks learned what it is like when their best player, Anthony, and their main point guard, Raymond Felton, are not playing. Minutes piled up for everyone else. Roles were expanded. And fitness was tested.

Throughout the game, Smith was erratic, Steve Novak was off target from long distance, and Chandler was fatigued.

Coach Mike Woodson put his trust in Smith and Kidd, a 39-year-old veteran, who gave one of his better all-around performances of the season. Kidd had 23 points, 6 rebounds and 8 assists. His final assist of the game was the inbounds pass on Smith’s buzzer-beater.

“Kidd was big,” Woodson said. “He nearly had a triple-double. Here he is almost 40 years old still playing like that. It’s incredible.”

Early in the fourth quarter, Woodson realized that the Knicks needed to outscore the Suns rather than beat them with defense. So in a bold move, Woodson left Chris Copeland (14 points) and Novak, who are not known for defense, in the game for much of the fourth quarter.

What the Knicks lacked most was the ability to track Jared Dudley, who scored a season-high 36 points for the Suns (11-18).

With 34.5 seconds left, Dudley was fouled by James White, who started for Anthony after Anthony hurt his left knee Tuesday. Dudley made both free throws to give the Suns a 97-95 lead. After a timeout, Woodson wanted the ball in Kidd’s hands. But Kidd passed up a tough shot and gave the ball to Smith, who drained a turnaround 17-foot jumper.

“He set the table with a tough shot to tie the game,” Kidd said. He added about Smith’s late-game confidence, “He likes that moment and he’s done it twice for us.”

The Suns followed with a turnover as Sebastian Telfair dribbled out of bounds with a second left. That set the stage for Smith’s shot.

“When Coach was drawing up the play, he looked at me and said, “We’re going to you,’ ” Smith said of Woodson. “That was big for him to show confidence in me. That gave me the extra emphasis to make the shot.”

This victory by the Knicks (21-8) came in difficult circumstances.

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Patrick Dempsey brews up coffee shop purchase

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Patrick Dempsey says he wants to rescue a coffee house chain and more than 500 jobs.

The "Grey's Anatomy" star said Wednesday he's leading a group attempting to buy Tully's Coffee. The Seattle-based company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in October.

Dempsey said he's excited about the chance to help hundreds of workers and give back to Seattle.

The actor has a strong TV tie to the city: He plays Dr. Derek Shepherd on "Grey's Anatomy," the ABC drama set at fictional Seattle Grace Hospital.

Tully's has 47 company-run stores in Washington and California, as well as five franchised stores and 58 licensed locations in the U.S.

Any sale would have to be approved by a judge. A bankruptcy court hearing is set for Jan. 11 in Seattle.

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