Westbrook, Thunder Bash Pistons
(Oklahoma City, OK) — Russell Westbrook put up his seventh triple-double of the season as the Thunder bashed the Pistons, 106-88, in Oklahoma City. Westbrook finished with 17 points, 15 assists, and 13 rebounds as the Thunder moved to 10-and-8. OKC carried a 10-point lead into halftime and held on for the win. Anthony Morrow scored 21 points off the bench. Tobias Harris scored a team-high 21 points for Detroit. The Pistons are 1-and-8 in road games this year.
Hornets Sting Knicks
(Charlotte, NC) — The Hornets jumped out to a 14-point first quarter lead and held on to sting the Knicks, 107-102, in Charlotte. Kemba Walker piled up 28 points, and Jeremy Lamb posted 18 points and 17 rebounds in the win. The Hornets avenged an overtime loss to New York on Friday and snapped a four-game skid. Charlotte is 9-and-7. Kristaps Porzingis finished with 25 points for the Knicks, who fell to 8-and-8. New York is 1-and-6 away from home.
Spurs Run Past Wizards
(Washington, DC) — The Spurs pushed their win streak to nine games as they ran past the Wizards, 112-100, in DC. LaMarcus Aldridge finished with 24 points and seven rebounds, and Tony Parker added 20 points for San Antonio. The Spurs shot over 53-percent from the field as they moved to 14-and-3 on the season and 10-and-0 on the road. Bradley Beal keyed the Wizards with 25 points, and John Wall added 21. The Wiz fell to 5-and-10.
Late Rally Lifts Grizzlies Over Heat
(Miami, FL) — Mike Conley scored 11 points in the final 3:06 of the game to left the Grizzlies over the Heat 110-107 at American Airlines Arena. Conley finished with 21 points and 7 assists in the winning effort. Marc Gasol dropped a season high 28 as the Grizzlies improved to 11-6 with eight wins in their last 10 games. Dion Waiters paced Miami with 28 points in defeat. Hassan Whiteside recorded his 13th double-double with 15 points and 12 boards as the Heat fell to 5-and-11.
Warriors Dump Timberwolves
(Oakland, CA) — Stephen [[ STEFF-ihn ]] Curry, Kevin Durant, and Klay Thompson provided nearly 74-percent of Golden State’s offense as the Warriors dumped the Timberwolves, 115-102, at Oracle Arena. Curry led the way with 34 points, Durant added 28, and Thompson finished with 23 for Golden State. The Warriors won their 11th straight game to improve to 15-and-2 on the year. Minnesota’s Zach LaVine scored 31 points in defeat. The T-Wolves have dropped four of five to fall to 5-and-11 on the season.
Late Goal Lift Senators Over Hurricanes
(Ottawa, Ontario) — Kyle Turris found the back of the net with 3:32 left in the third period to lift the Senators over the Hurricanes 2-1 at the Canadian Tire Centre. Craig Anderson made 32-of-33 saves in the winning effort. The Senators improved to 13-7-and-1 with their third consecutive win. Dion Phaneuf [[ fah-NUF ]] also lit the lamp for Ottawa in the second period. Sebastian Aho scored the lone Carolina goal in the first period. Cam Ward made 22 saves in defeat as the Hurricanes dropped to 8-8-and-4.
Panthers Top Blue Jackets
(Sunrise, FL) — Aleksander Barkov scored the only goal of the shootout as the Panthers topped the Blue Jackets, 2-1, at the BB&T Center. Barkov also notched an assist on Jaromir Jagr’s first period goal. Roberto Luongo racked up 36 saves for Florida, which improved to 11-9-and-1. Brandon Saad scored the lone goal for Columbus, which has dropped three of its past four games. Sergei Bobrovsky made 22 saves in the loss.
Maple Leafs Top Capitals
(Toronto, Ontario) — Four different players scored for Toronto as the Maple Leafs downed the Capitals, 4-2, at the Air Canada Centre. Mitch Marner dished out a pair of assists, and Frederik [[ FREH-duhr-ihk ]] Andersen stopped 33-of-35 shots in the win. The Leafs improved to 9-8-and-4 with the win. Nicklas Backstrom collected a goal and an assist in defeat. Washington dropped to 13-6-and-2 with the loss.
Penguins Edge Devils
(Pittsburgh, PA) — Kris Letang’s [[ leh-TANG’s ]] shootout goal pushed the Penguins past the Devils, 4-3, at PPG Paints Arena. Sidney Crosby tied the game at three with less than 15 seconds remaining in regulation. Evgeni Malkin [[ ehv-GEH-nee MAHL-kihn ]] dished out three assists as Pittsburgh improved to 13-6-and-3 with the win. New Jersey’s Michael Cammalleri [[ kam-UH-LAIR-ee ]] scored a pair of goals in defeat. The Devils dropped to 10-6-and-5 on the season.
Blues Stump Wild In Shootout
(St. Louis, MO) — David Perron [[ peh-RAWN ]] scored the only goal of the shootout as the Blues stumped the Wild, 4-3, in St. Louis. Jaden Schwartz scored twice in the final period to put the Blues back in the game, and Perron assisted on a Paul Stastny goal in the second. Jake Allen notched 28 saves as St. Louis earned its fifth win in six games. Mikko Koivu [[ MEE-koh KOI-voo ]] had a goal and assist for Minnesota. Devan Dubnyk [[ DOOB-nihk ]] made 35 saves on 38 shots as the Wild fell to 11-7-and-3.
Kings Clip Blackhawks In Overtime
(Los Angeles, CA) — Jeff Carter scored a little over a minute into the overtime period to lift the Kings over the Blackhawks, 2-1, at the Staples Center. The goal was Carter’s 10th on the season. He also recorded an assist in the game. Alec Martinez lit the lamp in the winning effort as Los Angeles won its fifth straight to improve to 12-9-and-1. Patrick Kane scored the lone goal for Chicago as it fell to 14-6-and-3. Scott Darling made 27 saves on 29 shots in defeat.
Ducks Clip Sharks
(San Jose, CA) — Ryan Getzlaf buried the eventual game winner in the second period as the Ducks held on to top the Sharks, 3-2, in San Jose. Getzlaf also recorded an assist in the winning effort as Anaheim moved to 10-8-and-4. Ryan Garbutt and Rickard Rakell also found the back of the net for the Ducks. San Jose’s Logan Couture started the scoring with a power play goal in the first. Dylan DeMelo added his first goal of the season as the Sharks fell to 12-9-and-1. Martin Jones stopped 23 shots in defeat.
Canadiens Edge Red Wings In OT
(Detroit, MI) — Alex Galchenyuk’s [[ gal-CHEHN-yuhk’s ]] overtime goal pushed the Canadiens past the Red Wings, 2-1, at Joe Louis Arena. Brendan Gallagher tied the game at one midway through the third period. Carey Price stopped 32-of-33 shots, and Montreal won its second straight game to improve to 16-4-and-2. Justin Abdelkader put Detroit on the board and gave the Red Wings a brief lead with a goal early in the third. Detroit drops to 10-10-and-2 on the year.
Ohio State Outlasts Michigan In Double-Overtime
(Columbus, OH) — Curtis Samuel scored the winning 15-yard touchdown run in double-overtime as Ohio State outlasted Michigan, 30-27, in Columbus. The run capped the first overtime game in the storied history. J.T. Barrett was 15-of-32 for 124 yards and an interception and rushed for 125 yards and a score. He converted a fourth-and-one one play before Samuel’s winning touchdown. Malik Hooker started the scoring with a 16-yard pick-six in the first quater as the Buckeyes improved to 11-and-1. Wilton Speight threw for 219 yards with two touchdowns and two picks for the Wolverines. Khalid Hill found the end zone twice as Michigan fell to 10-and-2.
Pittsburgh Drops Syracuse In Record-Setting Game
(Pittsburgh, PA) — In the highest scoring football game in FBS history, Pittsburgh dropped Syracuse, 76-61, at Heinz Field. The combined 137 points broke the previous record of 136 when Navy beat North Texas, 74-62, in 2007. Pitt quarterback Nathan Peterman completed nine passes, four for socres. He also ran for one, while James Conner extended his ACC-record touchdown mark to 56 with three total TDs. Zack Mahoney threw for 440 yards and five touchdowns, all to receiver Amba Etta-Tawo, who had 13 catches for 178 yards. The Panthers end the year at 8-and-4 while the Orange are 4-and-8.
Kentucky Stuns Jackson, Louisville
(Louisville, KY) — A Lamar Jackson fumble set up Kentucky’s winning drive as the Wildcats escaped with a 41-38 win over their rivals in Louisville. With the game tied at 38 with less than two minutes remaining, Jackson fumbled in the red zone. The Wildcats drove 60 yards in seven plays before Austin MacGinnis nailed the winning 47-yard field goal with 12 seconds left. Stephen Johnson threw for 338 yards, three touchdowns and an interception for Kentucky, which ends the year at 7-and-5. Jackson was 16-of-25 for 281 yards and two touchdowns, and ran for 171 yards and two rushing scores but had four turnovers in the loss. The Cardinals fell to 9-and-3.
Florida State Knocks Off Rival Florida
(Tallahassee, FL) — Dalvin Cook rushed for 153 yards and a touchdown as Florida State knocked off in-state rival Florida, 31-13, in Tallahassee. Deondre Francois threw for a score and rushed for another as the Seminoles beat the Gators for the fourth straight time. FSU overcame three turnovers to end the regular season at 9-and-3. Florida’s offense failed to find the end zone. Marcell Harris scored the only touchdown by returning a fumble for a score. The Gators end the regular season at 8-and-3.
Alabama Rolls Past Auburn In Iron Bowl
(Tuscaloosa, AL) — Top-ranked Alabama stepped on the gas in the second half as they rolled past 13-ranked Auburn, 30-12, in Tuscaloosa. Jalen Hurts was 27-of-36 for 286 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions while adding 37 rushing yards and another TD on the ground. ArDarius Stewart caught 10 passes for 127 yards and a score as ‘Bama finished the regular season at 12-and-0 overall and 8-and-0 in the SEC. The Tigers managed just 182 yards of total offense and got their points from four Daniel Carlson field goals. Auburn ends the year at 8-and-4 overall and 5-and-3 in the SEC.
Jackson, USC Bury Notre Dame
(Los Angeles, CA) — Adoree Jackson did it all as 12th-ranked USC buried Notre Dame, 45-27, in Los Angeles. Jackson returned a punt 55 yards for a score, took a kick-off back 97 yards for another score, and turned a swing pass into a 55-yard touchdown catch for the Trojans. Ronald Jones the Second ran for 134 yards and a TD while Sam Darnold tossed two scores in the win. USC ends the regular season at 9-and-3 and 6-and-0 at home. DeShone Kizer accounted for three touchdowns for the Irish, but took six sacks and turned the ball over twice. Notre Dame ends the year at 4-and-8, its first losing season since going 3-and-9 in 2007.
Colorado Outlasts Utah To Clinch Pac-12 South
(Boulder, CO) — Sefo Liufau [[ seff-oh lee-ooh-fow ]] ran for a score and threw for another as ninth-ranked Colorado outlasted number-22 Utah, 27-22, in Boulder. The win clinched the Pac-12 South title for the Buffaloes. Kenneth Olugbode [[ oh-lew-bo-day ]] returned a fumble 10 yards for a score to cap the win for Colorado. Tedric Thompson had a pair of pivotal interceptions as the Buffs end the regular season at 10-and-2. Quarterback Troy Williams was 13-of-40 for 160 yards, a TD, and two picks for Utah. Joe Williams ran for 97 yards as the Utes finish the regular season at 8-and-4.
Vanderbilt Clinches Bowl Bid With Win Over Tennessee
(Nashville, TN) — Darrius Sims scored the go-ahead touchdown in the fourth quarter and Ralph Webb iced the cake with a TD-run of his own as Vanderbilt upset number-17 Tennessee, 45-34, in Nashville. Webb finished with 114 yards and two touchdowns, while Kyle Shurmur threw for 416 yards, two scores and an interception. The Commodores end the year at 6-and-6, locking up a bowl berth in the process. Joshua Dobbs threw two touchdowns and Alvin Kamara ran for two for the Vols. Tennessee ends the regular season at 8-and-4 overall and 4-and-4 in the SEC.