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BUFFALO, N.Y. -- Sabres coach Ted Nolan will keep building what he started in Buffalo -- minus the interim tag. Nolan is staying on as the head coach beyond this season after signing a three-year contract extension Monday. The deal comes 4-1/2 months after Nolan returned to Buffalo for a second stint -- this time, initially, on an interim basis. And its a reward for Nolan, who has provided a spark to a young, patchwork lineup on a last-place team. "I said back in November that it was a dream to be able to come back and coach the Sabres, and thats still true today," Nolan said. "Im excited by the challenge facing our team and our organization. And Im truly thankful to have this opportunity." The extension was more of a formality than a surprise. The two sides established the framework of a contract about a month ago and agreed to the deal in principle last week. Nolan took over in mid-November after coach Ron Rolston was fired along with general manager Darcy Regier after Buffalo got off to a franchise-worst 4-15-1 start. The Sabres (20-45-9) havent done much better at 16-30-8 under Nolan and are likely to finish in last place with only two weeks left in the season. Buffalo is 1-10-1 in its past 12 games in preparing to host New Jersey on Tuesday. Record aside, rookie GM Tim Murray is impressed by the job Nolan has done during what he called "a trying situation." "I dont know if there was one Eureka moment," Murray said. "But I certainly got to the point where I knew I wanted him back, and I wanted him to be our head coach. And that wasnt yesterday or the day before." The next step is providing Nolan more talent. "We have to get him better players," Murray said. "It doesnt take a genius to figure that out." The Sabres are a shell of the team that last made the playoffs in 2011, with Nolan the teams third coach in a little over a calendar year. Regier began purging an over-priced and under-achieving roster last season. And Murray, who was hired in January, completed the overhaul in the days leading up to the NHL trade deadline on March 5. Thats when Buffalo made four trades, including one that sent goalie Ryan Miller and captain Steve Ott to St. Louis. The future looks promising with the team having stockpiled a series of first- and second-round draft picks over the next three years. Nolan has a reputation as a motivator with a solid track record of developing young players. This is Nolans second stint in Buffalo. He went 73-72-19 in two seasons before leaving in the summer of 1997 because he was unhappy with the teams one-year contract offer after being selected the NHLs coach of the year. Nolan then spent two seasons coaching the New York Islanders and led them to the playoffs in 2006-07, before being fired after the following season. Nolan also enjoyed a successful stint at the Sochi Games, where he coached Latvia to an eighth-place finish -- the countrys best in five Olympic appearances. Sabres players greeted the news of Nolans contract extension as an important first step toward establishing stability. "Hes a guy that I think is perfect for this type of rebuild as far as motivation and making sure the right guys are staying around," forward Drew Stafford said. "Its been a real challenging season, a lot of shake-ups, a lot of changes. To get that interim tag off is definitely some stability now." Nolan is staying on even though Pat LaFontaine -- the person who brought him on board -- abruptly stepped down as Sabres president of hockey operations on March 1, after only 3-1/2 months on the job. Thanking LaFontaine for the opportunity, Nolan said hes focused on the head coaching job. "Im really excited about going with the next step forward and helping shape this team into a very competitive team," Nolan said. "With Tims knowledge in getting us the right players, hopefully, I can coach them good enough to win." Akiem Hicks Youth Jersey . - PGA Tour rookie Tony Finau shot a 9-under 63 at Del Monte and had a two-stroke lead over Billy Andrade and Lee Janzen of the Champions Tour after Thursdays opening round of the Callaway Pebble Beach Invitational. David Montgomery Bears Jersey . 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He was taking the big shots in crunch time, and there wasnt anything 6-foot-10 All-Star Anthony Davis or anyone else on the Pelicans could do about it. "It was just a game where I didnt want to see slip away," Anthony said. His 12-foot jumper over Davis from the left side of the lane with 1:14 left, followed by a strikingly similar 14-footer over Luke Babbitt half a minute later, capped a 42-point performance that lifted the New York Knicks to 98-91 victory Wednesday night and halted a three-game skid. Looking to somehow stop Anthony from beating them in the waning minutes, the Pelicans sent Davis to the perimeter to guard New Yorks prolific scorer. But Anthony had no intention of giving up the shot, and had a plan to create an open look against the NBAs leading shot blocker. "Without a doubt. I knew once I beat him, just get a little bit of space from him, I had a chance of making the shot," Anthony said. A night after losing at Memphis, New York blew a 13-point, fourth-quarter lead before Anthony took over. J.R. Smith had 19 points and Tim Hardaway Jr. added 16 for New York, which lost Iman Shumpert to a sprained left knee in the third quarter. Tyson Chandler had 11 rebounds and a pair of blocks in the final minutes. Eric Gordon scored 28 for the Pelicans, but was shut out in the fourth quarter. Davis finished with 14 points and 10 rebounds. Austin Rivers finished with 14 points and Brian Roberts 10 for the Pelicans, whove lost three of four. It was almost enough in a see-saw game included 16 lead changes and six ties, if only the Pelicans had an answer for Anthony. "Our help (defence) was trying to get there, but you cant help against a guy like that if you give him one or two dribbles to the basket," Pelicans coach Monty Williams said of Anthony. "He was efficient all night long. ... He hit tough shots. A lot of those shots had a hand in his face." Then there was one critical, late sequence in which Chandler saved a lost ball after a missed shot and got it to AAnthony for a layup "I just wanted to win.dddddddddddd Whatever it took to keep that play alive," Chandler said. "Those kind of plays ultimately help you win basketball games." New York appeared to be seizing control late in the third quarter, which the Knicks closed with an 8-2 run that included two jumpers by Anthony, Hardaways breakaway dunk set up by Raymond Feltons block of Rivers, and Chandlers one-handed alley-oop finish over Davis. Smith then hit a 3 and driving layup to open the fourth quarter, giving New York its largest lead at 83-70. But the unlikely combination of Rivers, Babbitt and Roberts helped New Orleans storm back. Rivers hit a driving layup and a 3. Babbitt added a 3 and driving layup to cap an 11-2 spurt. Later, Babbitts turnaround and Roberts two consecutive driving floaters vaulted New Orleans back into the lead at 89-88 with 3:58 to go, setting the stage for Anthonys resounding finish. Anthony and Gordon wasted little time working their way into double-digit points, dueling throughout a tight first half in which neither team led by more than six points. Anthony scored 18 points in the opening two periods and Gordon 17. New York led by only a basket after Rivers pull-up jumper late in the second quarter, but Hardaway hit a 3 and Anthony added a free throw to make it 53-47 at halftime. Ultimately, Babbit said, the Pelicans were simply taken down by "one of the best one-on-one players in the league." "Carmelo was just in the zone tonight," Babbitt continued. "He was in rhythm. He made some plays down the stretch that really hurt us." Notes: Knicks F-C Amare Stoudemire sat out with left knee soreness. ... The Knicks said Shumpert would return to New York for further evaluation. He tore the ACL in the same knee in 2012 as a rookie. "They said my ACLs fine," Shumpert said. "That was my biggest concern." ... Each of New Orleans last three losses have come against Eastern Conference teams. The Pelicans next two games are on the road against East clubs Charlotte on Friday and Washington on Saturday. ' ' '