>>Sports Recaps
Clippers Hang On, Clip Thunder
(Oklahoma City, OK) — The Clippers were paced by Blake Griffin’s 25 points as they held on late to beat the Thunder 110-108 in Oklahoma City. DeAndre Jordan contributed 12 of his own to go along with 13 boards while Chris Paul dropped 17 with 10 assists in the winning effort. Los Angeles won it’s fifth-straight and improved to 8-and-1 on the year. Russell Westbrook led the way for the Thunder with 29 points, 14 rebounds and nine assists in defeat. Fellow backcourt mate Victor Oladipo added 18 but Oklahoma City turned it over 16 times and fell to 6-and-3.
Spurs Down Pistons
(San Antonio, TX) — Pau Gasol scored a season-high 21 points as the Spurs downed the Pistons, 96-86, at the AT&T Center. Kawhi Leonard added 17 points, and LaMarcus Aldridge collected 14 points and 12 rebounds. San Antonio had dropped three consecutive home games. Andre Drummond led Detroit with 20 points and 17 rebounds. The Pistons have lost three in a row and four of their past five games.
76ers Top Pacers In OT For First Win
(Philadelphia, PA) — The 76ers would not be denied their first victory as they topped the Pacers, 109-105, in overtime from Philadelphia. Joel Embiid scored 16 of his 25 points in the fourth quarter and overtime. Philly avenged an overtime loss in Indiana on Wednesday. Paul George led the Pacers with 26 points. Monta Ellis added 19 as Indiana dropped to 0-and-5 on the road.
Cavaliers Crush Wizards
(Washington, DC) — LeBron James and Kyrie Irving led the charge as the Cavaliers crushed the Wizards, 105-94, in DC. Irving dropped 29 points for Cleveland, and LeBron James added 27 points and 10 boards in the win. The Cavs nailed 14 three-pointers a day after being honored at the White House by President Obama for last season’s championship. John Wall scored 28 points in front of the home crowd as the Wizards fell to 2-and-6. Markieff Morris scored 20 in defeat.
Jazz Stump Magic
(Orlando, FL) — Gordon Hayward flirted with a tripled-double as the Jazz stumped the Magic, 87-74, in Orlando. Hayward had 20 points, 10 rebounds, and eight assists for 6-and-3 Utah. Derrick Favors posted 18 points as the Jazz outscored the Magic, 27-10, in the final quarter. Orlando shot just 33-percent from the field as a team. Evan Fournier scored a team-high 21 points in defeat.
Celtics Dump Knicks
(Boston, MA) — Isaiah Thomas scored a game-high 29 points as the Celtics dumped the Knicks, 115-87, at TD Garden. Avery Bradley had 15 points, 10 rebounds and four steals as Boston snapped a three-game losing streak to improve to 4-and-4 on the year. Kristaps Porzingis led New York with 14 points. Carmelo Anthony was ejected in the second quarter after picking up a pair of technical fouls for arguing with the ref. The Knicks fall to 3-and-5 on the year.
Blazers Hold Off Kings In Overtime
(Portland, OR) — Meyers Leonard nailed a pair of free throws to put the Trail Blazers up for good in a 122-120 overtime win over the Kings in Portland. Damian Lillard led the charge with 36 points, and C.J. McCollum added 31 as the Blazers improved to 6-and-4. Allen Crabbe added 16 points for the Portland. DeMarcus Cousins led Sacramento with 33 points. Rudy Gay missed what would have been the game-tying basket in the final seconds and finished with 29 points and 14 rebounds. The Kings are 4-and-7.
Stone, Senators Edge Kings
(Ottawa, Ontario) — Mark Stone scored with less than 10 seconds remaining in regulation to push the Senators past the Kings, 2-1, at the Canadian Tire Centre. Zack Smith’s third-period goal put Ottawa on the board. Goalie Craig Anderson stopped 32 shots in the win. The Senators have won two straight to improve to 9-5-and-0 on the year. Dwight King scored the lone goal for LA. The Kings have dropped two in a row to fall to 7-8-and-0 this season.
Maple Leafs Double Up Flyers
(Toronto, Ontario) — The Maple Leafs scored four third-period goals as the cruised past the Flyers 6-3 at the Air Canada Centre. Nazem Kadri gave Toronto an early lead, but the Leafs trailed by one entering the final period. Martin Marincin, Zach Hyman, and Leo Komarov scored their first goals of the year in the four-goal third as Toronto improved to 6-5-and-3. Wayne Simmonds lit the lamp twice in defeat for Philly, which fell to 6-7-and-2. Steve Mason gave up six-goals on 23 shots in the losing effort.
Capitals Survive Blackhawks In Overtime
(Chicago, IL) — Jay Beagle scored twice, and Marcus Johansson scored the winning goal in overtime as the Capitals survived the Blackhawks, 3-2, in Chicago. Beagle lit the lamp twice in the first period, and Braden Holtby made 32 saves in the win. Washington is 9-3-and-1 on the year. Chicago’s Brian Campbell scored on a power play in the first, and Marian Hossa lit the lamp in the third. The Blackhawks’ seven-game winning streak is over.
Greene, Devils Drop Sabres In OT
(Buffalo, NY) — Andy Greene won the game on a penalty shot as the Devils dropped the Sabres, 2-1, in overtime in Buffalo. Greene was held from behind by Buffalo’s Evander Kane and was awarded the OT penalty shot for New Jersey. He got past Buffalo goalie Anders Nilsson to secure the win for the Devils. Yohann Auvitu scored his first career goal in the third period, and Keith Kinkaid made 25 saves in the win. Nilsson finished with 41 saves for Buffalo. Matt Moulson gave the Sabres an early lead, but Buffalo lost its third straight game.
Stars Shine, Clip Oilers
(Edmonton, Alberta) — Patrick Eaves scored a goal and assisted on the game-winner as the Stars downed the Oilers, 3-2, in Edmonton. Lauri Korpikoski lit the lamp just 28-seconds into the game to put Dallas in front. Antoine Roussel added the game-winner in the second. Kari Lehtonen made 40 saves as the Stars improved to 6-6-and-3. The Oilers got first period goals from Patrick Maroon and Tyler Pitlick but were held scoreless the rest of the way. It’s the fifth loss in seven games as Edmonton falls to 9-5-and-1.
Avalanche Ground Jets In Overtime
(Denver, CO) — Rene Bourque scored twice, including the overtime game-winner, as the Avalanche clipped the Jets, 3-2, at the Pepsi Center. Mikko Rantanen scored the first goal of his career as Colorado improved to 6-7-and-0. Semyon Varlamov only needed to make 16 saves in the winning effort. Winnipeg fought back from a 2-0 deficit behind goals from Blake Wheeler and Mark Scheifele, his 10th of the year. The Jets were out-shot 28-18 as they fall to 7-7-and-2.