>>Illinois Loses At Nebraska On Late Three
(Lincoln, NE) — Illinois is still winless in Big Ten play. James Palmer Jr. drilled a three-pointer just before the buzzer as Nebraska beat Illinois 64-63 in Lincoln. Trent Frazier scored 19 points to lead the Fighting Ilini, who were just 3-of-18 from three. Illinois is 10-and-9 overall and 0-and-6 in conference. The Illini visit Wisconsin on Friday.
>>Bulls Hold Off Heat
(Chicago, IL) — Justin Holiday led the way with 25 points as the Bulls upended the Heat 119-111 in Chicago. Holiday was 8-of-15 from the field, including 7-of-11 from beyond the arc in the winning effort. Zach LaVine and Nikola Mirotic [[ MEER-oh-titch ]] added 18 points apiece for the Bulls. Chicago has won three straight to improve to 17-and-27. They host the Warriors tomorrow night.
>>Warriors Hammer Cavs On MLK Day
(Cleveland, OH) — The Cavaliers were no match for the Warriors in a 118-108 loss at Quicken Loans Arena on Martin Luther King Day. Golden State outscored Cleveland by 17 in the second half to sweep the two-game regular season series. Kevin Durant led the way with 32 points and Steph Curry added 23. LeBron James put up 32 points, but turned the ball over eight times in the defeat.
>>Altercation Between Rockets And Clippers Postgame
(Los Angeles, CA) — Chris Paul’s return to STAPLES Center ended with the Clippers beating the Rockets, 113-102. The emotion-filled game spilled over to the locker room after the buzzer sounded. According to multiple outlets, Houston’s Paul, Trevor Ariza, Gerald Green and James Harden tried to get into LA’s locker room to go after Blake Griffin and Austin Rivers. Security stopped anything physical from happening.
>>Giants Acquire McCutchen From Pirates
(San Francisco, CA) — The Giants are hoping to bounce back quickly from a disappointing 64-win series. San Francisco continued its offseason overhaul by acquiring former MVP Andrew McCutchen from the Pirates. San Francisco sent right handler Kyle Crick, minor league outfielder Bryan Reynolds along with international signing bonus allocation money to Pittsburgh, which recently traded Gerrit Cole to the Astros.
>>Cardinals’ Molina Reiterates He’s Done After Three-Year Extension
(St. Louis, MO) — Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina isn’t planning to change his mind about retiring at the end of contract. He’s entering the first year of a three-year, 60-million-dollar extension he signed last spring. Molina reiterated on the final day of the team’s Winter Warm-Up yesterday that he intends to walk away after that.
>>Giants And Colts Zeroing In On Coach Hires
(Undated) — The Giants and Colts are both identifying who they want to be the next head coach of their respective franchises. It’s been reported that New York is expected to hire Vikings offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur to take over interim head coach Steven Spagnuolo. Indianapolis will replace Chuck Pagano with Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels. Both won’t be official until Minnesota and New England are eliminated from the playoffs.
>>Titans Part Ways With Mularkey After Playoff Win
(Nashville, TN) — The Titans and head coach Mike Mularkey are parting ways despite the team’s first playoff win in 14 years. Controlling owner Amy Adams Strunk issued a statement Monday saying the two sides discussed extending Mularkey’s contract over the last week but they ultimately saw different paths to success going forward. Mularkey took over as interim coach of the Titans for the final nine games in 2015.
>>Blues At Maple Leafs Tonight
(Toronto, Ontario) — The Blues begin a two-game Canadian road trip tonight in Toronto. St. Louis will also visit Ottawa on Thursday before returning home. The Blues have been off since last Tuesday and have dropped their last three games. They are third in the Central Division with 55 points, four behind the first-place Winnipeg Jets.
>>Blackhawks Enjoying Time Off
(Chicago, IL) — The Blackhawks are enjoying an extended break. Chicago is off until they host the Islanders on Saturday. They were shutout by the Red Wings, 4-0, on Sunday. The Hawks are last in the Central Division with 50 points.