Moore Leads Dolphins Past Jets
(East Rutherford, NJ) — Matt Moore threw four touchdowns in his first start since 2012 as the Dolphins dropped the Jets, 34-13, on Saturday night at MetLife Stadium. Moore hit Kenny Stills for a 52-yard score and threw a 66-yard TD-bomb to Jarvis Landry in place of the injured Ryan Tannehill. Deon Sims caught two scores as Miami improved to 9-and-5. The Dolphins have won eight of their past nine games. Bryce Petty threw for 235 yards, a touchdown, and two interceptions for the Jets before getting knocked out of the game on a hit by Ndamukong Suh and Cameron Wake. Robby Anderson caught four passes for 80 yards and a score in defeat.
Westbrook, Thunder Roll Past Suns
(Oklahoma City, OK) — Russell Westbrook notched his 50th career triple-double in epic fashion as the Thunder rolled past the Suns, 114-101, in Oklahoma City. Westbrook finished with 26 points, a career-high 22 assists, and 11 rebounds. The Thunder led by 15 at halftime and cruised in the second half, improving to 16-and-11. Devin Booker led Phoenix with 31 points. The Suns dropped to 8-and-19.
Cavaliers Bounce Lakers
(Cleveland, OH) — The Cavaliers were back at full strength as they bounced the Lakers, 119-108, in Cleveland. LeBron James scored 16 of his 26 points in the fourth quarter after missing Wednesday’s loss to Memphis. Kevin Love added 27 points and 17 boards, and Kyrie Irving had 21 points and 12 assists. The Cavs moved to 19-and-6. Nick Young led the Lakers with 32 points in defeat. Jordan Clarkson scored 20 off the bench as L.A. has lost nine of its past 10 games.
Hornets Sting Hawks
(Atlanta, GA) — Kemba Walker scored 18 points and dished out 10 assists as the Hornets topped the Hawks, 107-99, in Atlanta. Cody Zeller added 16 points and 11 rebounds as Charlotte snapped a four-game skid. The Hornets lead the Southeast Division by a game and a half at 15-and-13. Tim Hardaway Junior paced the Hawks with 21 points. Dwight Howard added 10 points and 23 rebounds in defeat. Atlanta has lost 12-of-16 games.
Rockets Outlast Timberwolves
(Minneapolis, MN) — The Rockets rallied from a 13-point fourth-quarter deficit to escape with a 111-109 overtime win against the Timberwolves at the Target Center. James Harden was a rebound shy of a triple-double, finishing with 28 points, 13 assists, and nine boards. Ryan Anderson added 28 points as Houston won its 10th straight game to improve to 21-and-7 on the season. Karl-Anthony Towns led Minnesota with 41 points and 15 rebounds. The T-Wolves dropped to 7-and-19, having lost five of their past six games.
Nuggets Roll Past Knicks
(Denver, CO) — Kenneth Faried scored 25 off the bench to lead the Nuggets as they topped the Knicks, 127-114, at the Pepsi Center. All five Denver starters finished in double digits, including Emmanuel Mudiay who dropped 22. The Nuggets shot better than 55-percent from the field as a team and improved to 11-and-16. Carmelo Anthony paced New York with 29 points as the Knicks dropped their third straight. Kristaps Porzingis contributed 22, and Willy Hernangomez had 17 with 10 boards off the bench in defeat.
Warriors Crush Trail Blazers
(Oakland, CA) — Kevin Durant scored 34 points and pulled down 11 rebounds as the Warriors crushed the Trail Blazers, 135-90, in Oakland. Steph Curry dropped 19, and Klay Thompson added 16 points as Golden State won its NBA best 24th game. Ian Clark scored a career-high 23 points off the bench. The Warriors shot better than 58-percent in the winning effort. Damian Lillard paced the Blazers with 20 points in defeat. This was the sixth loss in seven games for Portland as it fell to 13-and-16.
Pacers Down Pistons
(Auburn Hills, MI) — The Pacers outscored the Pistons in every quarter to earn a 105-90 win at the Palace of Auburn Hills. Paul George put up 26 points, and Jeff Teague flirted with a triple-double, falling a rebound and two assists short. Indiana moved back to .500 at 14-and-14. Reggie Jackson had 19 points and 10 assists for the Pistons, who have lost three of their past four games. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope added 20 points in defeat.
Stars End Flyers’ Win Streak
(Dallas, TX) — Adam Cracknell scored the go-ahead goal in the third period as the Stars stopped the Flyers, 3-1, in Dallas. Jordie Benn padded the lead in the game’s final minute, and Radek Faksa tied it in the second. The win ends Philly’s 10-game win streak. Antti Niemi made 31 saves for Dallas, which is 13-14-and-6. Taylor Leier scored his first NHL goal in the first for the Flyers. Their last loss was on November 25th.
Red Wings Rally Past Ducks
(Detroit, MI) — The Red Wings used a three-goal second period to rally past the Ducks, 6-4, in Detroit. Tomas Tatar cut the deficit to one in the second period before Dylan Larkin tied it and Xavier Ouellet gave them the lead. Tatar notched a hat trick as the Red Wings ended a four-game slide. Rickard Rakell scored twice for Anaheim, which blew a two-goal lead. The Ducks fell to 16-11-and-5.
Blackhawks Top Blues In Wild Game
(St. Louis, MO) — Vincent Hinostroza scored the game winner as the Blackhawks topped the Blues 6-4 at the Scottrade Center. A three goal Chicago third-period also saw Niklas Hjalmarsson light the lamp and an Artemi Panarin empty-netter. Patrick Kane, Dennis Rasmussen, and Brian Campbell also scored as the Hawks won their fourth straight. St. Louis led on four separate occasions but lost for the fifth time in eight games. Patrik Berglund scored two goals in defeat.
Wild Drill Coyotes For Seventh Straight Win
(Saint Paul, MN) — Eric Staal finished with a goal and assist as the Wild drilled the Coyotes, 4-1, in Saint Paul. Ryan Suter, Tyler Graovac and Chris Stewart gave the Wild a three-goal lead as they won their seventh straight game. Darcy Kuemper made 27 saves in the win. Brendan Perlini scored the lone goal for Arizona. The ‘Yotes are 11-15-and-5.
Senators Down Devils
(Ottawa, Ontario) — Zack Smith recorded a goal and an assist as the Senators downed the Devils, 3-1, at the Canadian Tire Centre. Bobby Ryan and Derick Brassard also found the back of the net for Ottawa. Goalie Mike Condon made 29 saves, and the Senators snapped a three-game losing streak to improve to 17-11-and-3 on the season. John Moore scored the lone goal for New Jersey, and Keith Kinkaid stopped 28-of-30 shots in defeat. The Devils have dropped five in a row to fall to 12-12-and-6 on the season.
Maple Leafs Clip Penguins In Overtime
(Toronto, Ontario) — Jake Gardiner scored two minutes into overtime to lift the Maple Leafs over the Penguins, 2-1, in Toronto. Nikita Zaitsev [[ ZIGH-t’sehv ]] lit the lamp for the first goal of his NHL career. Frederik Andersen stopped 33-of-34 shots in the winning effort. It was only the second victory in eight games for the Leafs. Evgeni Malkin scored the lone Pittsburgh goal as the Pens earned at least a point in their ninth straight game. Sidney Crosby had an assist, and Marc-Andre Fleury made 41 saves in defeat.
Rangers Edge Predators
(Nashville, TN) — Jimmy Vesey and Mats Zuccarello each scored in the shootout to push the Rangers past the Predators, 2-1, at Bridgestone Arena. Rick Nash scored his 13th goal of the season to give New York the early lead. Goalie Henrik Lundqvist stopped 31-of-32 shots as the Rangers improved to 22-10-and-1 with their second straight win. Mike Fisher scored the lone goal for Nashville, and Juuse Saros made 26 saves in defeat. The Preds have dropped two in a row to fall to 13-12-and-5 on the season.
Oilers Edge Lightning in Shootout
(Edmonton, Alberta) — Mark Letestu and Connor McDavid each scored in the shootout to push the Oilers past the Lightning, 3-2, at Rogers Place. Leon Draisaitl recorded a goal and an assist, and Cam Talbot made 31 saves. Edmonton has won two of its past three games to improve to 16-12-and-5 on the season. Tampa Bay’s Jonathan Drouin and Tyler Johnson each scored in defeat. The Lightning have dropped nine of their past 11 games to fall to 15-14-and-3 on the season.
#18 Butler Drops #9 Indiana
(Indianapolis, IN) — Kelan Martin put up 28 points as number-18 Butler dropped ninth-ranked Indiana in the nightcap of the Crossroads Classic in Indianapolis. The Bulldogs fought off a late rally by the Hoosiers to move to 10-and-1. Andrew Chrabascz and Kamar Baldwin added 14 points for Butler. James Blackmon Junior led the Hoosiers with 26 points. Indiana fell to 8-and-2.
#16 Purdue Knocks Off #21 Notre Dame
(Indianapolis, IN) — Caleb Swanigan dominated in the post as 16th-ranked Purdue knocked off number-21 Notre Dame, 86-81, in the opener of the Crossroads Classic in Indianapolis. Swanigan finished with 26 points, 10 rebounds, and four blocks to lead the Boilermakers. Vince Edwards added 20 points and 10 boards as Purdue moved to 9-and-2. Bonzie Colson put up 23 points and 10 boards for the Fighting Irish, who fell to 9-and-2. Matt Farrell finished with 22 points and 10 assists for Notre Dame.