Thunder Shut Down Timberwolves
(Oklahoma City, OK) — Russell Westbrook led the charge as the Thunder shut down the Timberwolves 112-92 in Oklahoma City. Westbrook finished with 28 points, eight assists and three steals. Enes Kanter had 20 points and 10 rebounds in 21 minutes as OKC improved to 5-and-1. Karl-Anthony Towns led Minnesota with 33 points. Shabazz Muhammad was the only other Timberwolf in double-figures with 15 points as they dropped to 1-and-4.
Cavaliers Fight Off Pesky 76ers
(Philadelphia, PA) — Channing Frye nailed the game-winning three-pointer with 1:05 left as the Cavaliers fought off the pesky 76ers, 102-101, in Philadelphia. LeBron James finished with 25 points, 14 assists, and eight rebounds while moving past Hakeem Olajuwon for 10th on the NBA’s all-time scoring list. Kevin Love added 20 points and 11 boards for the 6-and-0 Cavs. Joel Embiid led the Sixers with 22 points as they fell just short of their first win. Ersan Ilyasova scored 21 points off the bench for Philly’s fifth straight loss to open the season.
Pacers Knock Off Bulls
(Indianapolis, IN) — Paul George was ejected for kicking a ball into the stands, but that didn’t stop the Pacers from knocking off the Bulls 111-94 in Indianapolis. Jeff Teague led the way with 21 points and six assists. C.J. Miles scored 20 for Indiana. George was apparently upset at being called for a foul in the third quarter and kicked the ball into the stands. He finished with 13 points as the Pacers improved to 3-and-0 at home. Bobby Portis and Jimmy Butler led the Bulls with 16 points each. Chicago is 3-and-3.
Pistons Bury Nuggets
(Auburn Hills, MI) — The Pistons led by 17 after the first quarter and buried the Nuggets 103-86 at The Palace. Andre Drummond posted 19 points, 20 rebounds and three blocks for Detroit, which is 4-and-2 overall and 4-and-0 at home. Marcus Morris and Jon Leuer each scored 15 points in the win. The Nuggets tried to claw back but fell short in their third loss. Wilson Chandler had 21 points and nine rebounds in defeat.
Hawks Down Rockets
(Atlanta, GA) — All five of Atlanta’s starters scored in double figures as the Hawks downed the Rockets, 112-97, at Philips Arena. Paul Millsap, Dwight Howard, and Dennis Schroder each finished with double-doubles. Atlanta snapped a two-game losing streak to improve to 4-and-2. Houston’s James Harden was a rebound shy of a triple-double. The Rockets committed 25 turnovers in the loss. They dropped to 3-and-3 on the season.
Teletovic Leads Bucks’ Rout Of Kings
(Milwaukee, WI) — Mirza Teletovic drained 7-of-9 three-pointers en route to 22 points as the Bucks blasted the Kings 117-91 in Milwaukee. Jabari Parker pitched in with 19 points for the Bucks, who won their third straight to improve to 3-and-1 at home and 4-and-2 overall. Garrett Temple had 19 points off the bench and DeMarcus Cousins added 15 for Sacramento, which lost its fourth in-a-row to fall to 2-and-5.
Griffin, Clippers Thump Spurs
(San Antonio, TX) — Blake Griffin scored a season-high 28 points as the Clippers thumped the Spurs, 116-92, at the AT&T Center. Chris Paul added nine points, 10 assists, and eight rebounds. LA shot over 50-percent from the field to improve to 5-and-1 on the season. LaMarcus Aldridge led San Antonio with 19 points. It was the second consecutive home loss for the Spurs, who dropped to 5-and-2 on the year.
Magic Streak Past Wizards
(Orlando, FL) — The Magic used an 18-3 run in the final quarter to streak past the Wizards, 88-86, in Orlando. Jeff Green scored a team-high 18 points to lead the rally. Evan Fournier posted 13 points for the Magic in their third straight win. Markeiff Morris led the Wizards with 18 points. Otto Porter Junior had 10 points and 13 boards. John Wall sat out as he continues to recover from knee surgery.
Avs Take Down Wild
(Denver, CO) — Calvin Pickard stopped 32 shots for the Avalanche in a 1-0 win over the Wild in Denver. Gabriel Landeskog broke a scoreless tie in the third period with a power play goal. The Avs stopped a two-game skid and are now 5-5-and-0. Devan Dubnyk made 31 saves in a losing effort for Minnesota. The Wild have lost two straight games after winning their previous three by shutout.
Bolts Get Past Devils
(Tampa, FL) — Two goals in each of the final two periods lifted the Lightning past the Devils, 4-1, in Tampa. Nikita Kucherov and Victor Hedman had a goal and an assist as the Bolts wrapped up the season series with New Jersey, two games to one. Brian Boyle and Brayden Point also lit the lamp in the win. Ben Bishop made 37 saves. Damon Severson started the scoring for New Jersey in the first period. The Devils have dropped three of their past four games.
Oilers Down Islanders In Shootout
(Brooklyn, NY) — Mark Letestu scored the only goal of the shootout as the Oilers downed the Islanders 4-3 in Brooklyn. Milan Lucic tied the game in the third period on a power play. Leon Draisaitl and Patrick Maroon each lit the lamp and Matthew Benning had two assists for Edmonton. The Oilers ended a three-game skid. Shane Prince had a goal and assist for the Isles in their third straight loss. New York scored twice in the first 5:49 before Edmonton tied it up.
Shorthanded Goals Help Rangers Beat Bruins
(Boston, MA) — Derek Stepan and Kevin Hayes each had shorthanded goals as the Rangers skated to a 5-2 win over the Bruins in Boston. Nick Holden, Pavel Buchnevich and Michael Grabner also scored for New York, which has won four in-a-row and seven of its last eight games. Patrice Bergeron and David Pastrnak lit the lamp for Boston, which was 0-for-3 on the power play. The Bruins had won their previous three games.
Capitals Drop Panthers
(Washington, DC) — T.J. Oshie scored two goals, including the go-ahead in the third period, as the Capitals dropped the Panthers 4-2 in D.C. Alex Ovechkin scored the tying goal in the third for Washington before Oshie broke the tie. Lars Eller padded the lead for the Caps. Braden Holtby made 22 saves in their fifth straight win. Jared McCann and Reilly Smith lit the lamp for Florida. The Panthers are 5-6-and-1.
Blues Beat Blue Jackets In OT
(St. Louis, MO) — Vladimir Tarasenko scored at 4:17 of overtime to give the Blues a 2-1 win over the Blue Jackets at Scottrade Center. Jay Bouwmeester tied the game at one in early in the third period for St. Louis, which got 20 saves in net from Carter Hutton to snap a two-game skid. Josh Anderson scored unassisted in the second for Columbus. Curtis McElhinney had 28 saves for the Blue Jackets, who had won three straight.
Canadiens Survive Flyers
(Montreal, Quebec) — Five different Canadiens scored as they survived the Flyers 5-4 in Montreal. A day after losing 10-0 to Columbus, the Habs went back to their winning ways. Alex Galchenyuk’s second-period goal put Montreal up for good as the Canadiens improved to an NHL-best 10-1-and-1. Carey Price made 34 saves in the win. Shayne Gostisbehere had a goal and assist for the Flyers, who are 6-6-and-1. Michal Neuvirth made 12 saves on 17 shots in defeat.
Blackhawks Rally To Edge Stars
(Dallas, TX) — Patrick Kane tallied a goal and an assist as the Blackhawks rallied to edge the Stars, 3-2, at the American Airlines Center. Richard Panik and Ryan Hartman each found the back of the net, and goalie Corey Crawford stopped 31 shots as Chicago improved to 8-3-and-1 on the season. Dallas led at the end of the first period thanks to goals from Brett Ritchie and Curtis McKenzie but was held scoreless the rest of the way. The Stars dropped to 4-5-and-2 with the loss.
Hurricanes Edge Predators
(Nashville, TN) — Jaccob Slavin’s shootout goal pushed the Hurricanes past the Predators, 3-2, at Bridgestone Arena. Jeff Skinner put Carolina on the board in the second period, and Ron Hainsey’s shorthanded goal in the third ensured the game went to overtime. The Hurricanes improved to 3-4-and-3 with the win. Nashville’s Matt Irwin recorded a goal and an assist in the loss, and the Predators dropped to 3-5-and-3.
Penguins Blank Sharks
(San Jose, CA) — Matt Murray stopped all 32 shots as the Penguins blanked the Sharks, 5-0, at the SAP Center. Sidney Crosby scored a pair of goals, and Carl Hagelin dished out a trio of assists. Pittsburgh improved to 8-2-and-2 with the win. San Jose goalie Martin Jones allowed three goals on seven shots before being pulled less than 15 seconds into the second period. The Sharks dropped their third straight game to fall to 6-6-and-0 on the year.
Fitzgerald, Mississippi State Knock Off Texas A&M
(Starkville, MS) — Mississippi State quarterback Nick Fitzgerald accounted for four touchdowns as the Bulldogs knocked off fourth-ranked Texas A&M, 35-28, in Starkville. Fitzgerald threw for 209 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions while rushing for 182 yards and two scores. Aeris Williams added 140 rushing yards and a TD for Mississippi State, which improved to 4-and-5. The Aggies fell in a 14-point hole in the first quarter and played catch-up all game. Quarterback Trevor Knight left the game in the second quarter with a shoulder injury as Texas A&M fell to 7-and-2.
Arkansas Pounds Florida
(Fayetteville, AR) — The Razorbacks rode Rawleigh Williams the Third to a 31-10 win over number-11 Florida in Fayetteville. Williams finished with 148 rushing yards and two touchdowns for 6-and-3 Arkansas. Austin Allen threw for 243 yards with a touchdown and an interception as the Razorbacks took an early lead and wore down the Gators. Luke Del Rio tossed two interceptions for Florida, which dropped to 6-and-2. Duke Dawson scored the team’s only touchdown on a 37-yard pick-six in the first quarter.
Hicks, Texas Christian Truck Baylor
(Waco, TX) — Kyle Hicks sprinted for 192 yards and five touchdowns as Texas Christian trucked number-17 Baylor 62-22 in Waco. The Horned Frogs finished with 431 rushing yards and six touchdowns as a team in the win. Kenny Hill threw for a score as TCU jumped to 5-and-4. Seth Russell threw for 282 yards, one touchdown and one pick for Baylor. He also finished with negative four yards rushing and two TDs on the ground. The Bears have lost two straight and fall to 6-and-2.
Alabama Survives Dogfight With LSU
(Baton Rouge, LA) — Top-ranked Alabama came out on top in a dogfight with number-13 Louisiana State, winning 10-0 in Baton Rouge. True freshman quarterback Jalen Hurts rushed 20 times for 114 yards and the game’s only touchdown. He broke the scoreless tie with a 21-yard TD run in the fourth quarter. The Crimson Tide limited the rival Tigers to just 125 yards of total offense as they improved to 9-and-0. Leonard Fournette got shut down for LSU, finishing with 17 carries for 35 yards. Danny Etling was 11-of-24 for 92 yards and a pick as the Tigers fell to 5-and-3.
Buckeyes Throttle Cornhuskers
(Columbus, OH) — J.T. Barrett threw for 290 yards and four touchdowns as the sixth-ranked Buckeyes rolled the number-10 Cornhuskers, 62-3, at Ohio Stadium. Curtis Samuel hauled in eight receptions for 137 yards and a pair of scores. Ohio State nearly tripled Nebraska in total yards, outgaining the Cornhuskers 590 to 204. The first down margin was just as lopsided, with OSU racking up 34 first downs compared to only nine for the Huskers. Nebraska QB Tommy Armstrong Junior was taken to the hospital after being knocked unconscious in the second quarter. He returned to the sidelines before the end of the game.