Pacers Ride George To Win Over Magic
(Orlando, FL) — Paul George poured in a game-high 37 points to lead the Pacers to a 127-112 win over the Magic in Orlando. Myles Turner pitched in with 23 points and 10 rebounds for Indiana, which won its third straight to even its record at 40-and-40. The Pacers are seventh in the East with two games to play. Terrence Ross tallied 29 points to lead Orlando, which has lost six-of-seven to slip to 28-and-52. Evan Fournier added 23 points in defeat.
Nets Outlast Bulls
(Brooklyn, NY) — Spencer Dinwiddie nailed four free throws in the final 13.6 seconds as the Nets outlasted the Bulls 107-106 in Brooklyn. The Nets entered the fourth quarter down seven, but clawed back to win. Dinwiddie and Caris LeVert each scored 19 for Brooklyn. Rondae Hollis-Jefferson had 16 points and 12 rebounds as the Nets won for the fourth time in five games. Jimmy Butler led Chicago with 33 points. Dwyane Wade scored 14 points in his return after sitting out since March 15th with a fractured elbow. The Bulls are tied with Miami for the final playoff spot in the East, but hold the tiebreaker over the Heat.
Durant Returns, Warriors Crush Pelicans
(Oakland, CA) — Kevin Durant returned to lead the Warriors after a 19-game absence and they crushed the Pelicans, 123-101, in Oakland. Durant finished with 16 points, 10 rebounds and six assists in 31 minutes for Golden State. Klay Thompson scored 20 in an easy win. Stephen Curry sat out with a bruised knee. Quinn Cook led New Orleans with 22 off the bench. DeMarcus Cousins and Anthony Davis sat out due to injury.
Kings Rally To Beat Blackhawks In OT
(Los Angeles, CA) — Drew Doughty found the back of the net just 27 seconds into overtime as the Kings rallied for a 3-2 win over the Blackhawks in Los Angeles. Dustin Brown’s goal with less than a minute left in regulation tied the game for LA to force OT. Tyler Toffoli also scored for the Kings, who are out of playoff contention. Jonathan Toews and Artemi Panarin had goals for Chicago, which has already clinched the top seed in the East.
Blues Clip Hurricanes In Shootout
(Raleigh, NC) — Vladimir Tarasenko scored the deciding goal in the shootout to lift the Blues past the Hurricanes 5-4 in Raleigh. Tarasenko also notched two assists for St. Louis. Ivan Barbashev, Alexander Steen, Ryan Reaves and Scottie Upshall found the back of the net in regulation for the Blues, who have won three of their last four to clinch third in the Central Division. Jeff Skinner lit the lamp twice for the ‘Canes in defeat. Carolina has lost five in-a-row.
Wild Dump Coyotes
(Glendale, AZ) — Erik Haula and Eric Staal each scored first period goals as the Wild dumped the Coyotes, 3-1, in Glendale. Martin Hanzal added a power play goal in the third period and Darcy Kuemper made 20 saves. The regular season is over for the Wild, who will face St. Louis in the first round of the playoffs. Brendan Perlini scored the lone goal for Arizona. The ‘Yotes end the season at 30-42-and-10.
Rose, Garcia Lead After Three Rounds At Masters
(Augusta, GA) — Justin Rose fired a five-under 67 in Saturday’s third round to hold a share of the lead after three rounds of The Masters at Augusta National. Rose is tied with Sergio Garcia at six-under as both look for their first “Green Jacket.” Rickie Fowler is one stroke back at five-under and 2015 champ Jordan Spieth sits at minus-four. Ryan Moore and Charley Hoffman are also at four-under. Phil Mickelson is tied for 21st at two-over par.
Diaz Helps Cards Power Past Reds
(St. Louis, MO) — Aledmys Diaz went 3-for-5 with a solo homer and a three-run shot to power the Cardinals to a 10-4 win over the Reds at Busch Stadium. Jedd Gyorko added two hits and two RBI for St. Louis. Michael Wacha pitched six innings of three-hit, one-run ball for the win. Bronson Arroyo was tagged for six runs in four frames to take the loss. Scott Schebler and Eugenio Suarez homered for Cincinnati.
White Sox Hand Twins First Loss
(Chicago, IL) — Avisail Garcia went 3-for-4 with a two-run homer and three RBI as the White Sox handed the Twins their first loss 6-2 in Chicago. Geovany Soto also went deep for the Sox, who led 3-0 early and broke open a 3-2 game with three runs in the sixth. Miguel Gonzalez pitched six innings of two-run ball for the win. Adalberto Mejia gave up three runs in less than two innings to take the loss. Jason Castro hit a two-run homer for Minnesota.
Cubs Hammer Brewers With 17-Hit Attack
(Milwaukee, WI) — The Cubs put the game out of reach with a four-run eighth inning as they hammered the Brewers 11-6 in Milwaukee. Kris Bryant had two doubles and three RBI, and Javier Baez drove in two and scored twice as Chicago piled up 17 hits. Kyle Hendricks tossed six frames of four-run ball to get the win. Jonathan Villar, Nick Franklin and Jett Bandy clubbed homers for Milwaukee. Jhan Marinez took the loss in relief to fall to 0-and-2.
Royals Rally Past Astros With Six-Run Eighth
(Houston, TX) — Alex Gordon doubled home the go-ahead runs in the eighth inning for the second straight game as the Royals rallied to beat the Astros 7-3 in Houston. Eric Hosmer and Salvador Perez added home runs in what turned into a six-run eighth for KC, which has won two straight after an 0-and-3 start. Danny Duffy pitched seven innings of two-run ball for the win. Luke Gregorson took the loss in relief. Brian McCann homered for Houston.