Thunder Outlast Nuggets In Overtime
(Denver, CO) — Russell Westbrook recorded his fifth triple-double of the year as the Thunder clipped the Nuggets in overtime 132-129 at the Pepsi Center. Westbrook finished with 36 points, 12 rebounds, and 18 assists as Oklahoma City improved to 9-and-8. Victor Oladipo dropped 26 and the Thunder shot better than 50-percent as a team in victory. Wilson Chandler paced Denver with a season high 32 points in defeat. Jameer Nelson scored 21 and had 13 dimes as the Nuggets dropped to 6-and-10. Jamal Murray contributed 20 off the bench in the losing effort.
Pacers Top Nets
(Indianapolis, IN) — Glenn Robinson the Third scored a team-high 20 points to help the Pacers down the Nets, 118-97, at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Rodney Stuckey added 18 points off the bench, and Jeff Teague narrowly missed a triple-double with nine points, nine rebounds, and eight assists. Paul George sat out with an ankle injury as Indiana snapped a two-game losing streak. Brook Lopez led Brooklyn with 20 points. The Nets have dropped six straight to fall to 4-and-11 on the year.
Timberwolves Hammer Suns
(Phoenix, AZ) — The Timberwolves held the Suns to just 10 fourth-quarter points in a 98-85 win in Phoenix. Andrew Wiggins posted 25 points, and Karl-Anthony Towns added 22 points and 10 rebounds. Minnesota sank 23-of-25 free throws and improved to 5-and-10. Eric Bledsoe paced the Suns with 23 points and 10 assists. Phoenix dropped to 5-and-12 on the year.
Blazers Bounce Pelicans
(Portland, OR) — Three different Blazers put up double-doubles as they bounced the Pelicans, 119-104, in Portland. Damian Lillard posted 27 points and 11 assists, Moe Harkless had 19 points and 11 boards, and Mason Plumlee had a dozen points and 14 boards. Meyers Leonard fell a rebound shy of his own double-double. The Blazers moved to 9-and-9 and 5-and-3 at home. Anthony Davis posted 31 points, 13 boards and five blocks for New Orleans. The Pelicans dropped to 6-and-11.
Jazz Crush Hawks
(Salt Lake City, UT) — Gordon Hayward led the way with 24 points as the Jazz crushed the Hawks, 95-68, in Salt Lake City. George Hill contributed 23 points, and Rudy Gobert [[ go-BEAR ]] recorded a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds in the winning effort. The Utah defense held Atlanta to 31-percent from the field as the Jazz improved to 9-and-8. Dennis Schroder led the Hawks with 16 points in defeat. Atlanta fell to 10-and-6 on the season.
Anthony, Knicks Knock Off Hornets In Overtime
(New York, NY) — Carmelo Anthony nailed the winning jumper with 3.1 seconds left as the Knicks knocked off the Hornets, 113-111, at Madison Square Garden. Anthony led New York with 35 points. Derrick Rose and Kristaps Porzingis each scored 16 in New York’s six straight home win. The Knicks will face the Hornets again on Saturday, this time in Charlotte. Marco Bellineli paced the Hornets with 19 points off the bench. Nic Batum flirted with a triple-double, finishing with 18 points, nine rebounds and nine dimes.
Wizards Get By Magic
(Orlando, FL) — The Wizards earned their first road win by stopping the Magic, 94-91, in Orlando. John Wall led the charge with 26 points, 10 assists and three steals. Otto Porter Junior posted 19 points and seven boards for Washington, which improved to 5-and-9. All five Wizards’ starters scored in double figures. Serge Ibaka finished with 19 points, eight rebounds and four blocks for the Magic. Orlando dropped three staight games.
Bulls Cruise Past Sixers
(Philadelphia, PA) — Dwayne Wade scored 26 points to lead the Bulls past the Sixers 105-89 at the Wells Fargo Center. Jimmy Butler also dropped 26 as he and Wade paced all led all scorers. Chicago held Philadelphia to 39.7-percent shooting as it improved to 10-and-5. Rajon Rondo dished out 10 assists in victory. Philly was without Joel Embiid who was given the night off to rest. Ersan Ilyasova paced the Sixers with 14 points in defeat as they fell to 4-and-12.
Cavaliers Cruise Past Mavericks
(Cleveland, OH) — The Cavaliers led by 20 points after the first quarter and cruised past the Mavericks, 128-90, in Cleveland. Kevin Love finished with 27 points and 10 rebounds, and Kyrie Irving put up 25 points on 10-of-13 shooting. LeBron James finished with 19 points and 11 assists for the 12-and-2 Cavs. The Mavs struggled to remain competitive in a one-sided loss. Dirk Nowitzki scored a team-high 15 points for 2-and-13 Dallas.
Pistons Down Clippers
(Detroit, MI) — Six players scored in double figures as the Pistons downed the Clippers, 108-97, at the Palace of Auburn Hills. Marcus Morris led Detroit with 17 points. Andre Drummond and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope each added a double-double. The Pistons have won two straight to improve to 8-and-9. LA’s Blake Griffin and J.J. Redick each scored 24 points in defeat. The Clippers fell to 14-and-3 with the loss.
DeRozan, Raptors Down Bucks
(Milwaukee, WI) — DeMar DeRozan scored a team-high 26 points to pace the Raptors past the Bucks, 105-99, at the BMO Harris Bradley Center. Kyle Lowry added 19 points for Toronto. The Raptors drilled a season-high 14 three-pointers. Toronto has won two straight to improve to 10-and-6 on the year. Giannis Antetokounmpo led Milwaukee with 29 points and 11 assists. The Bucks have dropped six of their past eight games to fall to 6-and-8 on the season.
Spurs, Leonard Beat Boston
(Boston, MA) — Kawhi [[ kuh-WHY ]] Leonard had 25 points and 10 rebounds as the San Antonio Spurs topped the Boston Celtics 109-103 in a matinee at the TD Garden. Patty Mills scored 19 points, while Davis Bertans and David Lee had 15 apiece all off of the Spurs’ bench. San Antonio is now 13-and-3 overall and 9-and-0 when playing on the road. Isaiah Thomas led the Celtics with 24 points and had eight assists. Avery Bradley had 19 points for the C’s, which had their three-game win streak snapped.
Heat Hang On To Top Grizzlies
(Memphis, TN) — The Heat hung on to top the Grizzlies, 90-81, in Memphis. Tyler Johnson led Miami with 22 points, and Dion Waiters added 15 points and three steals. The Heat got the win without Goran Dragic, Justise Winslow, and Wayne Ellington, who were all injured. They’ll face the Grizzlies again on Saturday in Miami. Mike Conley scored 16 points and JaMychal Green added 14 as the only two Grizzlies in double-figures. Zach Randolph sat out as he mourned the loss of his mother, who died on Thanksgiving.
Rockets Set Record In Win Over Kings
(Sacramento, CA) — The Rockets attempted an NBA-record 50 three-pointers in a 117-104 win over the Kings in Sacramento. All 18 of Trevor Ariza’s [[ A-Ree-Zah’s ]] points came from long distance as Houston moved to 10-and-6. James Harden added 23 points, 10 boards, and 10 assists in the win, the fourth in five games for the Rockets. DeMarcus Cousins posted 32 points, nine rebounds, and five blocks for Sacramento. The Kings have dropped five of their past seven games.
Kane Leads Blackhawks By Ducks
(Anaheim, CA) — Patrick Kane netted a goal and an assist to help the Chicago Blackhawks past the Anaheim Ducks 3-2 in the annual Black Friday rivalry game at the Honda Center. Playing without captain Jonathan Toews [[ Taves ]], Artem Anisimov and Ryan Hartman each lit the lamp for Chicago. Corey Crawford made 34 saves as the ‘Hawks ended a two-game skid. John Gibson stopped 22 shots for the Ducks. Nick Ritchie and Jakob Silfverberg both scored for the Ducks, who have lost five in-a-row in the rivalry played the day after Thanksgiving.
Wild Crush Pens Behind Coyle’s Two Goals
(St. Paul, MN) — Charlie Coyle netted two goals as the Minnesota Wild crush the Pittsburgh Penguins 6-2 from the Xcel Energy Center. Both goals for Coyle came in the first period. Jonas Brodin, Zach Parise, Mikael Granlund and Nino Niederreiter all found the back of the net for Minnesota. Devan Dubnyk made 34 saves for the Wild, which have won back-to-back games. Marc-Andre Fleury allow six goals on 36 shots for Pittsburgh. Phil Kessel and Bryan Rust had goals for the Penguins, who have dropped three of their last four games.
Rangers Hold On To Beat Flyers
(Philadelphia, PA) — Henrik Lundqvist turned away 40 shots and the New York Rangers held off the Philadelphia Flyers 3-2 at the Wells Fargo Center. Matt Puempel scored in his first game with the Rangers. Derek Stepan and Kevin Hayes each lit the lamp for New York, which improved to 15-6-and-1 overall. Brayden Schenn and Chris VandeVelde scored in the third period for Philadelphia. Steve Mason gave up three goals on 23 shots, as the Flyers have dropped back-to-back games.
Late Goal Helps Sharks Avoid OT Against Isles
(San Jose, CA) — Patrick Marleau scored with under 23-seconds left and the San Jose Sharks defeated the New York Islanders, 3-2, at the SAP Center. Nick Leddy had tied it for the Isles in the closing minute. Joe Pavelski and Brent Burns each scored for the Sharks. Aaron Dell stopped 26 shots for San Jose, which has won three straight. Anders Lee also scored for New York, and Thomas Greiss [[ Grice ]] made 25 saves. The Islanders have one win in eight road games this season and have not won in regulation since November 7th.
Red Wings Edge Devils In OT
(Newark, NJ) — Mike Green’s overtime goal pushed the Red Wings past the Devils, 5-4, at the Prudential Center. Frans Nielsen netted a pair of goals and Henrik Zetterberg dished out two assists as Detroit won its second straight game. The Red Wings improved to 10-10-and-1 with the win. John Moore and Michael Cammalleri [[ kam-UH-LAIR-ee ]] each recorded a goal and an assist for New Jersey. The Devils have dropped four of five to fall to 10-6-and-4.
Blue Jackets Thunder Past Lightning
(Tampa, FL) — The Blue Jackets scored the first two and last two goals of the game as they defeated the Lightning 5-3 in Tampa. Alexander Wennberg and Nick Foligno [[ foh-LEE-noh ]] put Columbus in front with first period goals. Brandon Saad and Cam Atkinson lit the lamp in the third to improve the Blue Jackets to 11-5-and-3. Josh Anderson also scored in the winning effort. Nikita Kucherov [[ KOO-chuhr-awv ]] tallied his 11th goal of the season for the Lightning. Jason Garrison found the back of the net for the first time this year as Tampa fell to 13-8-and-1. Ondrej Palat [[ AWN-dray PAL-at ]] also scored a goal in defeat.
Nebraska Bashes Iowa, Loss Gives Wisconsin Big Ten West
(Iowa City, IA) — C.J. Beathard and LeShun Daniels Junior keyed the Iowa offense as they knocked off number-16 Nebraska, 40-10, in Iowa City. Beathard threw for three touchdowns and Daniels Junior piled up 158 yards and two scores on the ground for the Hawkeyes. The win puts Iowa at 8-and-4 to end the regular season. The Cornhuskers managed just 217 yards of total offense in the loss. Tommy Armstrong Junior was 13-of-35 for 125 yards and a score as the loss pushed Nebraska out of the Big Ten West lead and allowed the Wisconsin Badgers to clinch the division.
Air Force Stuns Boise State
(Air Force Academy, CO) — Air Force delivered a pivotal goal-line stand in the game’s final five minutes as they stunned number-19 Boise State, 27-20, at Falcon Stadium. The Broncos went 86 yards on two plays before the Falcons stuffed them on four straight downs inside the Air Force five-yard line. The Falcon running game piled up 314 yards with D.J. Johnson and Shayne Davern finding the end zone. Air Force will end the regular season at 9-and-3. Boise State quarterback Brett Rypien was 9-of-26 for 316 yards and one touchdown in defeat. The loss dropped the Broncos to 10-and-2, and they’re now out of contention for the Mountain West title.
Washington Crushes Washington State To Clinch Apple Cup, Pac-12 North
(Pullman, WA) — The fifth-ranked Washington Huskies piled up 28 points in the first quarter as they crushed Washington State, 45-17, to win the Apple Cup and clinch the Pac-12 North in Pullman. Jake Browning threw for 292 yards and three-first quarter touchdowns to give the Huskies an early lead. Myles Gaskin and Lavon Coleman combined for 132 yards and three rushing touchdowns in Washington’s fourth straight win in the rivalry. They’ll face either USC or Colorado in the Pac-12 title game. Luke Falk threw for 269 yards, a touchdown and three interceptions for number-23 Washington State. The Cougars end the regular season at 8-and-4 overall and 7-and-2 in the Pac-12.
Memphis Upsets #20 Houston In Shootout
(Memphis, TN) — Riley Ferguson connected with Anthony Miller for a go-ahead touchdown with 19 seconds left as Memphis upset 20th-ranked Houston 48-44 at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium. The Cougars had taken the lead just over a minute before with a Greg Ward Junior touchdown pass to Chance Allen. Ferguson went 30-for-45 passing with 409 yards and four scores. Miller caught 15 passes for 169 yards and two touchdowns for the Tigers, which improved to 8-and-4. Ward completed 46-of-66 passes for 489 yards with four touchdowns and an interception. Linell Bonner had 17 catches for 235 yards and a score for Houston, which falls to 9-and-3 overall.
Temple Upsets Mountaineers, Wins NIT Season Tip-Off
(Brooklyn, NY) — The Temple Owls defeated number-17 West Virginia to win the NIT Season Tip-Off 81-77 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn. Obi Enechionyia led the way with 22 points and 12 rebounds as the Owls defeated their second ranked opponent in as many days. Freshman Alani Moore the Second contributed 18 and Daniel Dingle dropped 15 as Temple won its third straight to move to 4-and-2. West Virginia was paced by Esa Ahmad, who had 19 points in defeat. Nathan Adrian and Tarik Phillip each scored 13 as the Mountaineers fell to 4-and-1.
Butler Downs Arizona, Wins Las Vegas Invitational
(Las Vegas, NV) — Down 63-58 in the second half, the Butler Bulldogs used an 8-0 run to knock off ninth-ranked Arizona, 69-65, to win the Continental Tire Las Vegas Invitational. Kelan Martin led Butler with 16 points, and tournament MVP Andrew Chrabascz finished with 14 points and seven boards. The Bulldogs moved to 6-and-0. Freshman Lauri Markkanen paced the Wildcats with 15 points in defeat. Kobi Simmons added 14 in Arizona’s first loss.
Baylor Stuns Louisville, Wins Battle 4 Atlantis
(Paradise Island, Bahamas) — The Baylor Bears erased a 15-point halftime deficit to upset 10th-ranked Louisville 66-63 in the Bahamas. King McClure scored all 15 of his points in the second half and Jonathan Motley added 15 points for the Bears. Terry Maston scored 12 as Baylor improved to 6-and-0. Donovan Mitchell led the Cardinals with 17 points, eight rebounds and four assists. Louisville dropped to 5-and-1.