>>Indians Hold Off Cubs, Win Game Three
(Chicago, IL) — Coco Crisp belted a pinch-hit, RBI-single to break a scoreless tie in the seventh inning as the Indians slipped the Cubs, 1-0, in Game Three of the World Series at Wrigley Field. Josh Tomlin and three relievers combined on a five-hit shutout with Andrew Miller getting the win. Francisco Lindor and Jose Ramirez each had a pair of hits as Cleveland took a 2-1 series lead. Cody Allen made the save. The Cubs had two men on with Javier Baez at the plate in the bottom of the ninth, but Allen struck him out to end the game. Chicago’s Kyle Hendricks pitched four-and-a-third innings of shutout ball. Carl Edwards Junior took the loss in relief. The Cubs host Game Four tomorrow at Wrigley Field.
Jazz Surge Past Lakers
(Salt Lake City, UT) — An 11-0 run in the fourth quarter lifted the Jazz past the Lakers, 96-89, in Utah’s home opener in Salt Lake City. George Hill scored a game-high 23 points for the Jazz. Rudy Gobert finished with 13 points, 13 rebounds, and four blocks as Utah improved to 1-and-1. Lou Williams led the Lakers with 17 points. Luol Deng finished with 12 points and 12 boards as L.A. dropped to 1-and-1.
Thunder Slip Suns In Overtime
(Oklahoma City, OK) — Russell Westbrook’s triple-double and go-ahead lay-up with seven seconds left in overtime lifted the Thunder past the Suns 113-110 in Oklahoma City. Westbrook closed out the game with two free throws and finished with 51 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists. He shot a career-high 44 shots and was 15-of-20 at the charity stripe as the Thunder moved to 2-and-0. T.J. Warren posted 30 points and nine rebounds for Phoenix, which dropped to 0-and-2. Devin Booker scored 21 points in defeat.
Rockets Clip Short-handed Mavericks
(Dallas, TX) — Dirk Nowitzki was unable to play due to illness as the Mavs dropped their home opener to Houston 106-98 in Dallas. James Harden shot 50-percent from the field on his way to 26 points and eight assists. Trevor Ariza scored a team-high 27 points. The Rockets moved to 1-and-1 with their first win of the year. The Mavericks were led by Harrison Barnes who scored a career-high 31 points. Point guard Deron Williams added 14, and Wesley Matthews dropped 13 in the losing effort. Dallas is still searching for its first win after falling to 0-and-2.
Hornets Rally Past Heat
(Miami, FL) — Kemba Walker scored 24 points as the Hornets rallied from a 19-point second-half deficit to down the Heat, 97-91, at American Airlines Arena. Six players scored in double-figures for Charlotte, including Jeremy Lamb, who connected for 16 points. The Hornets are 2-and-0 on the year. Hassan Whiteside led Miami with 20 points and 15 rebounds. The Heat are 1-and-1.
Big Fourth Quarter Lifts Nets Past Pacers
(Brooklyn, NY) — The Nets outscored the Pacers by 16 points in the final quarter to win their home-opener, 103-94, at the Barclays Center. Brook Lopez led the way with a game-high 25 points and added five boards. Jeremy Lin filled the stat sheet with 21 points, nine rebounds, and nine assists. Trevor Booker helped added a double-double, recording 10 points and 11 boards. Brooklyn improves to 1-and-1 with the victory. Paul George led the way for the Indiana with 22 points. Myles Turner added a double-double with 13 points and 11 rebounds. The Pacers bench was outscored 41-25 in the losing effort.
Pistons Roll Magic
(Detroit, MI) — The Pistons outscored the Magic by 21 points in the second quarter en route to a 108-82 win at the Palace of Auburn Hills. Andre Drummond recorded 12 points and 20 rebounds, and Tobias Harris added a game-high 18 points. Detroit improves to 1-and-1 with the win. Aaron Gordon led the Magic with 17 points. Orlando is winless at 0-and-2.
Cavaliers Fight Off Raptors
(Toronto, Ontario) — The Cavaliers didn’t trail until 2:37 left in the game and had to fight off the Raptors for a 94-91 win in Toronto. LeBron James finished with 21 points, eight rebounds, and seven assists for 2-and-0 Cleveland. Kyrie Irving scored a team-high 26 points, and Kevin Love added 18 points and 10 boards. DeMar DeRozan kept the Raptors in the game and finished with 32 points. Jonas Valanciunas posted 10 points and 17 rebounds as Toronto dropped to 1-and-1.
Warriors Fight Off Pesky Pelicans
(New Orleans, LA) — Kevin Durant posted 30 points and 17 rebounds as the Warriors held off the pesky Pelicans 122-114 in New Orleans. Klay Thompson finished with 28 points and Steph Curry put up 23 in Golden State’s first win. The Dubs held off a late rally by the Pelicans to get to 1-and-1. Anthony Davis had another big game for New Orleans, finishing with 45 points and 17 rebounds in defeat. Davis scored 50 in the season-opening loss to Denver. Tim Frazier finished with 21 points and 10 assists for the 0-and-2 Pelicans.
Blackhawks Clip Devils In Overtime
(Newark, NJ) — Artem Ansimov found the back of the net 1:15 into overtime to lift the Blackhawks over the Devils 3-2 at the Prudential Center. Artemi Panarin tied the game at one in the second. After falling behind again 2-1 Marian Hossa lit the lamp with less than three minutes left to send it to OT. Corey Crawford made 30 saves in the win. P.A. Parenteau’s power play goal in the first gave New Jersey an early lead. John Moore added a third period goal and Keith Kinkaid made 26 saves in defeat.
Jets Hold On, Shut Out Avalanche
(Denver, CO) — Michael Hutchinson stopped all 37 shots he faced as the Jets took out the Avalanche, 1-0, in Denver. It was the third career shutout for Hutchinson, and the Jets improved to 4-4-and-0. Shawn Matthias scored the lone goal against his former team in the second period. Colorado out-shot Winnipeg 37-21 but could not find the back of the net. The Avs were 0-for-4 on the power play. Semyon Varlamov stopped 20 of the 21 shots he faced in the losing effort. Colorado drops to 3-3-and-0 with the loss.
Hurricanes Edge Rangers
(Raleigh, NC) — Jeff Skinner scored a pair of goals and dished out an assist as the Hurricanes edged the Rangers, 3-2, at PNC Arena. Victor Rask collected two assists to extend his points streak to seven games. Cam Ward stopped 28 shots as Carolina snapped a two-game losing streak. The Hurricanes improved to 2-3-and-2 on the year. Mats Zuccarello scored both goals for New York. The Rangers dropped to 5-3-and-0 with the loss.
Blue Jackets Blank Ducks
(Anaheim, CA) — Sergei Bobrovsky stopped all 35 shots as the Blue Jackets blanked the Ducks, 4-0, at the Honda Center. Sam Gagner and Brandon Saad each scored a pair of first-period goals, and Nick Foligno added three assists. Columbus improves to 3-3-and-1 with the win. Anaheim was 0-for-4 on power play opportunities. Goalie John Gibson was replaced by Dustin Tokarski in the third period. The Ducks drop to 3-4-and-2 with the loss.