Indians Down Cubs To Take 3-1 World Series Lead
(Chicago, IL) — Corey Kluber tossed six innings of one-run ball for his second win of the series as the Indians downed the Cubs, 7-2, at Wrigley Field in Game Four of the World Series. Carlos Santana belted a solo homer in the second inning, and Jason Kipnis extended the lead with a three-run shot in the seventh. Both Santana and Kipnis had three hits as the Indians moved one win away from a championship. John Lackey gave up three runs, two earned, over five frames to take the loss for the Cubs. Anthony Rizzo singled in a run in the first, and Dexter Fowler went deep in the eighth inning for Chicago. The Cubs need three straight wins to secure their first World Series title since 1908.
Hawks Cruise Past 76ers
(Philadelphia, PA) — The Hawks used a strong defensive effort to cruise past the 76ers 104-72 in Philadelphia. The Sixers shot just 35-percent from the field. Paul Millsap scored a team-high 17 points and no Hawks player saw more than 28 minutes on the court. Dennis Schroeder had 11 points and 11 assists for 2-and-0 Atlanta. Joel Embiid has 14 points in 15 minutes for 76ers, who dropped to 0-and-2. Sergio Rodriguez added 14 points in defeat.
Celtics Sink Hornets
(Charlotte, NC) — Avery Bradley nailed eight three-pointers to help the Celtics sink the Hornets 104-98 in Charlotte. Bradley finished with 31 points and 11 rebounds for Boston. Isaiah Thomas scored 24 points and dished out seven assists. A 15-2 run in the fourth quarter put the game out of reach for the Celtics. Kemba Walker put up 29 points for Charlotte, which lost its home opener. Nic Batum scored 12 points in defeat.
Knicks Win Home Opener Against Grizzlies
(New York, NY) — The Knicks held off a late rally by the Grizzlies in a 111-104 win in their home opener at Madison Square Garden. Kristaps Porzingis put up 21 points for the Knicks, and Carmelo Anthony added 20. Derrick Rose contributed 13 points for New York. Marc Gasol paced Memphis with 20 points. James Ennis finished with 16 points for the 1-and-1 Grizzlies.
Balanced Attack Leads Spurs Past Pelicans
(San Antonio, TX) — The Spurs got contributions from the entire lineup on their way to a 98-79 win over the Pelicans at the AT&T Center. Kawhi Leonard led the way with 20 points, Patty Mills dropped 18 and LaMarcus Aldridge added 12 in the winning effort. No Spurs player saw more than 28 minutes. The San Antonio defense stood tall holding New Orleans to just over 37-percent shooting as a team. The Pelicans’ Anthony Davis was held to just 18 points and five boards after averaging 47.5 points and 16 rebounds in his first two games. E’Twaun Moore was the only other player in double figures with 18 points of his own. New Orleans dropped to 0-and-3.
Cavaliers Dump Magic
(Cleveland, OH) — The Cavaliers cruised to their 15th consecutive win over the Magic in a 105-99 win in Cleveland. LeBron James posted 23 points, nine assists, and six rebounds for the Cavs, who moved to 3-and-0. Their most recent loss to the Magic was in November 2012. Kyrie Irving added 20 points in the win. Evan Fournier posted 22 points to lead Orlando. Serge Ibaka added 19 points for the 0-and-3 Magic.
Bucks Edge Nets
(Milwaukee, WI) — John Henson’s putback at the buzzer pushed the Bucks past the Nets, 110-108, in Milwaukee. Henson finished with seven points and 12 rebounds. Rashad Vaughn scored a career-high 22 points, and Giannis Antetokounmpo [[ YAHN-iss ah-deh-toh-KOON-boh ]] added a double-double with 21 points and 11 boards. Brooklyn’s Bojan Bogdanovic [[ BOY-ahn bog-DON-O-Vich ]] scored a game-high 26 points, including a clutch three-pointer to tie the game at 108 with less than 12 seconds remaining. The Nets drop to 1-and-2 with the loss.
McDermott, Bulls Down Pacers
(Chicago, IL) — Doug McDermott scored a game-high 23 points as the Bulls downed the Pacers, 118-101, at the United Center. Jimmy Butler added 16 points, and Rajon Rondo dished out 13 assists as the Bulls improved to 2-and-0 on the season. Butler, Rondo, and Dwyane Wade each sat out the fourth quarter. Indiana’s Paul George and Myles Turner each scored 20 points in the losing effort. The Pacers fell to 1-and-2 with the loss.
Blazers Clip Nuggets In OT
(Denver, CO) — Damian Lillard hit the go-ahead floater with less than a second left in overtime as the Blazers clipped the Nuggets, 115-113, in Denver. Lillard scored a game-high 37 while adding five boards and seven assists. Fellow guard C.J. McCollum dropped 23 points and grabbed ten rebounds in the winning effort. The Nuggets were led by Nikola Jokic’s 23 points and 17 boards. Emmanuel Mudiay added 21 points in the loss. Denver dropped its home-opener to fall to 1-and-1 on the year.
Cousins, Gay Power Kings Past Timberwolves
(Sacramento, CA) — DeMarcus Cousins and Rudy Gay each did their part as the Kings downed the Timberwolves, 106-103, in Sacramento. Cousins finished with 29 points and seven rebounds. Gay added 28 points and five boards. Sacramento improves to 2-and-1 with the win. Andrew Wiggins led Minnesota with 29 points. The Timberwolves are 0-and-2 on the season.
Sabres Blank Panthers
(Buffalo, NY) — The Sabres ended a four-game skid by shutting out the Panthers 3-0 in Buffalo. Anders Nilsson racked up 33 saves, and Johan Larsson started the scoring in the first period. Kyle Okposo and Sam Reinhart netted power play goals in the second and third, respectively. Buffalo is 2-3-and-2. The Panthers out shot the Sabres by eight but couldn’t find the back of the net. Florida has lost three in a row and five of its past six.
Bruins Slip Past Red Wings
(Detroit, MI) — Tim Schaller broke a scoreless tie in the second period as the Bruins slipped past the Red Wings 1-0 in Detroit. Schaller’s first goal of the year came on a Dominic Moore pass. Tuukka Rask stopped all 24 shots sent his way as the Bruins ended a three-game skid. They’re 4-4-and-0 on the year. Detroit goalie Jimmy Howard stopped 35 of the 36 shots he faced. The Red Wings had their six-game win streak snapped.
Quick Start Leads Devils Over Lightning
(Newark, NJ) — Damon Severson and Adam Henrique set each other up on first-period goals as the Devils topped the Lightning, 3-1, in Newark. Devante Smith-Pelly lit the lamp in the second to make it 3-0, and New Jersey held on behind strong play from goalie Corey Schneider, who had 32 saves. Henrique’s first-period score was the 100th of his career. The Bolts lone goal came in the final period by Tyler Johnson. Andrei Vasilevskiy made 20 saves in the losing effort. Tampa Bay has lost two-in-a-row to drop to 5-3-and-0.
Stars Lead The Way As Penguins Top Flyers
(Philadelphia, PA) — Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin each lit the lamp twice as the Penguins beat the Flyers 5-4 in Philadelphia. Malkin’s second goal was the game-winner and 300th of his career. Matt Cullen also found the back of the net for Pittsburgh on its way to a three goal first period. The Pens have won four-of-five and improve to 6-2-and-1. Jakub Voracek scored twice for Philly, including a penalty shot that knotted the game at four in the second period. Flyers captain Claude Giroux scored his first goal of the season and Wayne Simmonds notched his sixth in the losing effort.
Blues Blank Kings
(St. Louis, MO) — Jake Allen stopped all 27 shots as the Blues blanked the Kings, 1-0, at the Scottrade Center. Jaden Schwartz’s third-period goal was the lone score of the game. Jori Lehtera and Vladimir Tarasenko each contributed an assist. St. Louis improves to 5-2-and-2 with the win. LA’s Peter Budaj stopped 24 of the 25 shots he faced. The Kings drop to 4-4-and-0 on the year.
Wild Blank Stars
(St. Paul, MN) — Mikael Granlund tallied an assist and a shorthanded goal as the Wild blanked the Stars, 4-0, at the Xcel Energy Center. Goalie Devan Dubnyk stopped all 29 shots for his third straight shutout. Tyler Graovac, Nino Niederreiter, and Eric Staal each found the back of the net for Minnesota. The Wild improve to 6-2-and-1 with the win. Dallas was 0-for-3 on power play opportunities. The Stars drop to 3-4-and-1 on the season.
Avalanche Slide Past Coyotes
(Glendale, AZ) — Matt Duchene scored twice, including the game-winner, as the Avalanche clipped the Coyotes, 3-2, in Glendale. Rene Bourque lit the lamp for the first time this season on a third-period power play to break a 1-1 tie. Calvin Pickard stopped 24-of-26 shots as the Avs improved to 4-3-and-0. Radim Vrbata staked the Yotes to a 1-0 lead in the first. Arizona had surrendered three unanswered goals before Tobias Rieder lit the lamp in the third to make it 3-2. The Coyotes struggles continue as they drop to 2-6-and-0.
Capitals Cruise Past Canucks
(Vancouver, British Columbia) — Marcus Johansson lit the lamp twice as the Capitals cruised past the Canucks, 5-2, in Vancouver. Washington got goals from T.J. Oshie and Karl Alzner in the third to pull away as it improved to 4-2-and-1. Philipp Grubauer stopped 23 shots in the win. Bo Horvat and Jannik Hansen found the back of the net for the Canucks in the losing effort. Jacob Markstrom stopped 30 of the 34 shots he faced, but it would not be enough. Vancouver drops to 4-4-and-1 with the loss.
Sharks Sink Predators
(San Jose, CA) — Four different players scored for San Jose as the Sharks sank the Predators, 4-1, at the SAP Center. Goalie Martin Jones stopped 27-of-28 shots, and Joe Pavelski tallied a goal and an assist. San Jose has won three straight to improve to 6-3-and-0 on the year. James Neal scored the lone goal for Nashville. The Predators have dropped three in a row to fall to 2-5-and-1.