Clippers Rip Bulls
(Chicago, IL) — The Clippers held the Bulls to a dozen points in the third quarter as they earned a 101-91 win in Chicago. Former Bull Jamal Crawford piled up 25 points for Los Angeles, which closed the third quarter on a 10-0 run held on for the win. Chris Paul scored 17 points for the Clippers and Blake Griffin added 16 as they improved to 37-and-25. Jimmy Butler keyed Chicago with 16 points in defeat. The Bulls dropped to 31-and-31 on the season.
Heat Bounce LeBron-less Cavaliers
(Miami, FL) — LeBron James got the night off against his former team as the Heat bounced the Cavaliers, 120-92, in Miami. Goran Dragic led the Heat with 23 points and Hassan Whiteside posted 20 points and 13 rebounds. Tyler Johnson added 17 off the bench as Miami outscored Cleveland 32-16 in the second quarter and never looked back. Kyrie Irving also didn’t suit up for the Cavs, who fell to 42-and-19 overall and 16-and-13 away from home. Channing Frye scored a team-high 21 points in defeat.
Pistons Pound 76ers
(Philadelphia, PA) — The Pistons scored at last 30 points in every quarter as they pounded the 76ers, 136-106, in Philadelphia. Four Pistons topped 20 points, led by 26 from Kentavious Caldwell-Pope. Andre Drummond added 14 points, 14 rebounds, four steals and three blocks as Detroit won every quarter and improved to 30-and-32. Nik Stauskas led Philly with 24 points on 10-of-15 shooting. Dario Saric added 19 in defeat. The Sixers have lost four of their past five games.
Spurs Start Slow, But Top Timberwolves In Overtime
(San Antonio, TX) — Kawhi Leonard had 34 points and 10 rebounds as the Spurs rallied to defeat the Timberwolves in overtime, 97-90, in San Antonio. The Spurs were down 12 points at halftime. San Antonio won its seventh in a row and clinched a playoff berth for the 20th straight year. Karl-Anthony Towns scored 24 points and hauled in 14 boards for Minnesota. The Timberwolves scored only 35 points after halftime. Minnesota is 4-and-2 in its last six games.
Rockets Cruise Past Slumping Grizzlies
(Houston, TX) — James Harden fell three rebounds shy of a triple double as the Rockets stomped the Grizzlies 123-108 in Houston. Harden finished with 33 points, 11 assists, and seven rebounds. Clint Capela added 24 points and 11 boards in the winning effort. Houston has won four-of-five and improved to 44-and-19 overall. Mike Conley paced Memphis with 23 points in defeat. Jeff Green had 20 to go along with 10 rebounds as the Griz lost for the fifth time in eight games.
Hornets Hang On To Pin Loss On Nuggets
(Denver, CO) — Kemba Walker had 27 points as the Hornets topped the Nuggets 112-102 in Denver. Nicolas Batum contributed 21 points with six Hornets landing in double-figures. Charlotte is 3-and-2 in its last five games. Nikola Jokic led the Nuggets with 31 points. Denver’s two-game winning streak ended.
Blazers Cruise Past Nets
(Portland, OR) — C.J. McCollum led all scorers with 31 points to help lift the Trail Blazers past the Nets 130-116 in Portland. Damian Lillard added 19 points along with 11 assists as the Blazers pulled away in the second half. Al-Farouq Aminu scored 23 off the bench in the winning effort. Portland improved to 26-and-35. Brook Lopez paced Brooklyn with 26 points in defeat. Jeremy Lin scored 18 and the Nets NBA worst road record moved to 3-and-27.
Lightning Top Sabres In Shootout
(Buffalo, NY) — Brayden Point and Nikita Kucherov scored in a shootout as the Lightning beat the Sabres 2-1 in Buffalo. Tampa Bay’s Tyler Johnson found the back of the net in the second period to tie the score. The Lightning picked up their third victory in four games. Ryan O’Reilly’s power play goal with 12 second left in the first period gave Buffalo a 1-0 advantage. The Sabres lost for the fifth time in six games.
Oilers Hang On, Clip Red wings
(Edmonton, Alberta) — Connor McDavid recorded a goal and an assist to help lift the Oilers past the Red Wings 4-3 in Edmonton. McDavid and Zack Kassian lit the lamp in the first. Jordan Eberle and Patrick Maroon padded the lead in the third. The Oilers won their second-straight and improved to 35-22-and-8. Anthony Mantha, Darren Helm, and Dylan Larkin found the back of the net in defeat. Petr Mrazek made 34 saves. Detroit fell to 25-27-and-11.
Capitals Clip Flyers In OT
(Washington, D.C.) — Nicklas Backstrom scored the overtime game-winner to lift the Capitals past the Flyers 2-1 in Washington. Dmitry Orlov tallied the regulation goal as the Capitals won for the fifth time in six games. Braden Holtby made 30 saves in the winning effort. Washington has an NHL best 95 points. Sean Couturier scored the lone Philly goal in defeat. The Flyers fell to 30-26-and-8.
Late Blackhawks’ Goals Beat Predators
(Nashville, TN) — Brian Campbell and Patrick Kane scored in the final 65 seconds as the Blackhawks skated past the Predators 5-3 in Nashville. Kane scored on a power play in the first period and an empty netter in the final seconds to bring his goal total to 29. The Blackhawks set a franchise record with eight consecutive road wins. Viktor Arvidsson had a pair of goals for the Predators. Nashville has lost two straight.
Senators Outlast Blue Jackets
(Ottawa, Ontario) — Zack Smith’s short-handed goal with 3:02 left padded the Senators’ lead as they outlasted the Blue Jackets, 3-2, in Ottawa. Viktor Stalberg and Erik Karlsson scored in the first and second periods respectively as the Sens won their second straight games. Brandon Saad lit the lamp in the first for Columbus, and Sam Gagner added a power play goal late in the game. The Blue Jackets have dropped two straight on the road.
Jets Cruise Past Avalanche
(Winnipeg, Manitoba) — The Jets led by three after one period as they cruised past the Avalanche, 6-1, in Winnipeg. Blake Wheeler and Nikolaj Ehlers each had a goal and two assists as the Jets led five-nil after two periods. Connor Hellebuyck made 22 saves for Winnipeg, which has won its past two games by a combined scored of 9-1. Gabriel Landeskog scored with 16 seconds left to prevent the shutout for Colorado. With just 37 points, the Avs are the worst team in the NHL.
Stars Hold Off Panthers
(Sunrise, FL) — John Klingberg scored the winning goal with 1:07 left as the Stars held off the Panthers, 2-1, at the BB&T Center. Jamie Benn scored int he first period and had an assist for Dallas. Tyler Seguin had two assists and Kari Lehtonen racked up 41 saves in the win. Dallas improved to 26-29-and-10. Jonathan Huberdeau scored on a power play in the first for Florida. Jonathan Reimer made 32 saves in defeat.
Canadiens Close Out Rangers
(New York, NY) — The Canadiens extended their winning streak to five games as they closed out the Rangers, 4-1, at Madison Square Garden. Shea Weber, Artturi Lehtonen, and Andrew Shaw lit the lamp to give Montreal a three-goal lead after two periods. Carey Price racked up 26 saves as the Habs improved to 37-21-and-8. Chris Kreider prevented the shutout for the Rangers with his 24th goal of the season. Henrik Lundqvist made 31 saves in defeat. New York has dropped three of its past four games.
Bruins Hang On, Clip Devils
(Boston, MA) — Ryan Spooner scored the go-ahead goal with 11:42 remaining in the third and Boston held on to top the Devils 3-2 in Boston. Brandon Carlo and Torey Krug also lit the lamp for the Bruins. Patrice Bergeron had two assists in the winning effort. Boston has won eight of its last 10 games. Kyle Palmieri and Devante Smith-Pelly found the back of the net for New Jersey. Cory Schneider made 37 saves but the Devils lost for the eighth time in the last 10 outings.
#5 North Carolina Fights Off #14 Duke
(Chapel Hill, NC) — The fifth-ranked Tar Heels clinched the ACC regular season title by fighting off number-14 Duke, 90-83, in Chapel Hill. Joel Berry the Second exploded for 28 points as the Heels pulled away down the stretch. Isaiah Hicks posted 21 points and nine rebounds as UNC avenged a loss to Duke earlier in the season. Luke Kennard keyed the Blue Devils with 28 points. Frank Jackson scored 15 as Duke dropped to 23-and-8.
Seton Hall Knocks Off #15 Butler
(Indianapolis, IN) — Seton Hall used a second-half rally to knock off number-15 Butler, 70-64, in Indianapolis. Angel Delgado posted 20 points and 16 rebounds as the Pirates erased a 10-point deficit in the final seven minutes to get their 20th win. Desi Rodriguez added 21 points as Seton Hall finishes the regular season at 20-and-10 overall and 10-and-8 in the Big East. Kelan Martin led the Bulldogs with 19 points. Butler shot just 31-percent in the second half, falling to 23-and-7 overall and 12-and-6 in the Big East. The conference tournament tips off in New York City on Wednesday.
#7 Louisville Slips Past #13 Notre Dame
(Louisville, KY) — Deng Adel nailed a key three-pointer with 39 seconds left as number-seven Louisville slipped past 13th-ranked Notre Dame, 71-64, at the KFC Yum! Center. Donovan Mitchell scored 20 points and nailed four key free throws down the stretch. Mangok Mathiang posted 18 points and 11 rebounds off the bench and the Cardinals out-rebounded Notre Dame, 44-27. Louisville improved to 24-and-7. Bonzie Colson led the Fighting Irish with 20 points as they fell to 23-and-8. Both squads are 12-and-6 in ACC action as the regular season comes to a close. The ACC Men’s Basketball Tournament tips off in Brooklyn on Tuesday.
#17 Florida State Drops #25 Miami
(Tallahassee, FL) — The 17th-ranked Florida State Seminoles finished the regular season unbeaten at home as they dropped number-25 Miami, 66-57, in Tallahassee. Dwayne Bacon keyed the ‘Noles with 23 points. Jarquez Smith added 11 points as the only other FSU player in double figures. The Seminoles improved to 24-and-7. Davon Reed posted 22 points, six rebounds and six assists for Miami. The Hurricanes are 20-and-10.
Vanderbilt Upsets #12 Florida
(Nashville, TN) — Riley LaChance nailed the go-ahead layup with 1:35 left as Vanderbilt upset 12th-ranked Florida, 73-71, in Nashville. The Commodores erased a 12-Point lead to complete the season sweep of the Gators. Luke Kornet led the way with 24 points as Vandy improved to 17-and-14 on the year. Canyon Barry led Florida with 15 points off the bench. The Gators dropped to 24-and-7 overall, and 14-and-4 in the SEC.