Magic Mow Down Lakers
(Orlando, FL) — The Magic never trailed as they mowed down the Lakers, 109-90, in Orlando. The Magic blocked a team-record nine shots in the first quarter and led by 16 after one. Elfrid Payton posted 25 points and nine assists while Serge Ibaka added 19 points, 11 boards, and five blocks. The Magic moved to 14-and-18. Jordan Clarkson led the Lakers with 18 points. L.A. has dropped 12 of its past 13 games.
Batum, Hornets Zap Bulls
(Charlotte, NC) — Nicolas Batum recorded a triple-double as the Hornets zapped the Bulls, 103-91, in Charlotte. Batum posted 20 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists in the Hornets’ third straight win. Kemba Walker also scored 20 points and Charlotte blocked a season-high 13 shots. Jimmy Butler led the Bulls with 26 points in the loss. Chicago has dropped five of its past six games.
Warriors Motor Past Pistons
(Detroit, MI) — Kevin Durant dropped 32 points with eight rebounds as the Warriors clipped the Pistons 119-113 in Detroit. Steph Curry scored 25 and added eight assists as Golden State won its NBA best 27th game. Klay Thompson contributed 17 and JaVale McGee had 15 off the bench in nine-minutes of work. Draymond Green had 10 rebounds and 12 assists in the winning effort. Tobias Harris paced the Pistons with 26 points off the bench. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope added 25 in defeat, Detroit has lost five-straight and seven-of-10.
Cavaliers Pummel Nets
(Cleveland, OH) — The Cavaliers led by 41 points after three quarters as they pummeled the Nets, 119-99, in Cleveland. LeBron James scored a team-high 19 points in the win while Kevin Love, Kyrie Irving and Tristan Thompson all had double-doubles in the easy victory. The Cavs improved to 22-and-6 overall and 15-and-2 at home. Brook Lopez scored 16 points to lead the Nets, who are 1-and-14 away from home. Brooklyn has lost five straight games.
Kings Escape Timberwolves
(Minneapolis, MN) — Ty Lawson nailed two late three-pointers as the Kings escaped the Timberwolves, 109-105, in Minneapolis. Lawson’s second three put the Kings up for good in their third straight win. DeMarcus Cousins led the way with 32 points and Lawson finished with 15. The Kings are 13-and-17 on the year. Zach LaVine recorded a career-high 40 points, but it wasn’t enough for the T-Wolves. Karl-Anthony Towns added 20 points and 13 boards in defeat.
Hawks Hang On, Clip Nuggets
(Denver, CO) — Paul Millsap sank two free throws with six seconds left to lift the Hawks over the Nuggets 109-108 at the Pepsi Center. Millsap finished with 20 points as Atlanta improved to 15-and-15. The Hawks finished the game on a 9-0 run to earn the victory. Dennis Schroder led all scorers with 27 points in the winning effort. Danilo Gallinari paced Denver with 21 points and 11 boards in defeat. Wilson Chandler also added a double-double scoring 19 with 11 rebounds, the Nuggets have lost 8-of-14 at home.
Davis, Pelicans Bounce Heat
(New Orleans, LA) — Anthony Davis keyed the Pelicans with a big double-double as they bounced the Heat, 91-87, in New Orleans. Davis put up 28 points, 22 rebounds, and four blocks as the Pelicans used a 12-0 fourth quarter run to snatch a win at home. Jrue Holiday scored 22 points for New Orleans, which improved to 11-and-21. Goran Dragic led the Heat with 23 points and Hassan Whiteside added 10 points and 18 boards. Miami has lost four of its past five games.
Spurs Cruise Past Trail Blazers
(Portland, OR) — Kawhi Leonard dropped 33 points as the Spurs crushed the Trail Blazers 110-90 at the Moda Center. LaMarcus Aldridge had a double-double against his former team, dropping 18 with 14-rebounds. Patty Mills added 23 off the bench as San Antonio improved to 24-and-6. San Antonio shot 60-percent from three in the winning effort. Portland was paced by Damian Lillard, C.J. McCollum, and Meyers Leonard who scored 16 apiece in defeat. The Blazers have now lost 9-of-10.
Suns Storm Back, Top Sixers
(Phoenix, AZ) — Eric Bledsoe scored 24 with 11 assists as the Suns came back to top the Sixers 123-116 in Phoenix. Devin Booker contributed 23 as the Suns snapped a four-game slide. Tyson Chandler and P.J. Tucker dropped 15 apiece while TJ Warren had 19 points off the bench in the winning effort. Joel Embiid led the way for Philadelphia with 27 points in defeat. Sergio Rodriguez added 21, the Sixers have lost four-of-five.
Bucks Bash Wizards
(Milwaukee, WI) — Giannis Antetokounmpo scored a career-high 39 points as the Bucks bashed the Wizards, 123-96, in Milwaukee. The Bucks put up 73 in the first half and won every quarter in the dominating win. Jabari Parker finished with 21 points and eight boards as Milwaukee ended a two-game skid and got back to .500 at 14-and-14. John Wall finished with 18 points and 10 assists as the Wizards fell to 3-and-10 away from home.
Barnes, Mavericks Nip Clippers
(Los Angeles, CA) — Harrison Barnes nailed the winning jumper with 3.7 seconds left as the Mavericks nipped the Clippers, 90-88, in Los Angeles. Barnes finished with a team-high 24 points as the Mavs earned their third win in four games. Dirk Nowitzki scored 17 points in 15 minutes for Dallas. Jamal Crawford led the Clippers with 26 points. They’re now 22-and-9.
Grizzlies Clip Rockets
(Memphis, TN) — Mike Conley led the way with 24-points as the Grizzlies clipped the Rockets 115-109 at the FedEx Forum. Zach Randolph contributed 16 off the bench as Memphis snapped a three-game home losing streak. The Grizzlies shot 52-percent from three including Vince Carter who was 4-of-6 and finished with 14 points. Marc Gasol also had 16 in the winning effort. Ryan Anderson paced Houston with 31 points, James Harden had 16 with 17 assists in defeat. The Rockets bench was outscored 55-27 as they lost for just the second time in 13-games.
Westbrook, Thunder Drop Celtics
(Boston, MA) — Russell Westbrook put up his 14th triple-double of the young season as the Thunder dropped the Celtics, 117-112, in Boston. Westbrook finished with 45 points, 11 rebounds, and 11 assists in his third straight game with 40-plus points. He went on a personal 10-0 run to give OKC the lead in the fourth quarter. The Thunder are 18-and-12 on the year. Isaiah Thomas racked up 34 points and 10 assists for Boston, which fell to 6-and-6 at the TD Garden. Al Horford scored 23 in defeat.
Islanders Cruise Past Sabres
(Brooklyn, NY) — The Islanders scored the first five goals of the game as they cruised past the Sabres 5-1 in Brooklyn. Anthony Beauvillier started the scoring in the first period. Ryan Strome and John Tavares extended the lead to 3-0 after the second. Andrew Ladd and Calvin de Haan lit the lamp in the third as New York won its second straight. Dennis Seidenberg and Travis Hamonic had two assists apiece in the winning effort. Zemgus Girgensons scored the lone Buffalo goal in defeat. The Sabres have lost four-straight.
Carlson, Capitals Blank Lightning
(Washington, DC) — John Carlson scored a pair of first-period goals as the Capitals blanked the Lightning, 4-0, in Washington, DC. Braden Holtby racked up 23 saves in the win, and Alex Ovechkin and Marcus Johansson padded the lead for the Caps. Washington ended a two-game slide and has won seven of its past nine games. Andrei Vasilevskiy gave up all four goals for the Lightning, who fell to 17-15-and-3.
Penguins Cruise Past Devils
(Pittsburgh, PA) — Sidney Crosby scored his league-leading 24th goal as the Penguins topped the Devils 4-1 at PPG Paints Arena. Eric Fehr and Chad Ruhwedel lit the lamp in a two-goal second period as Pittsburgh won for only the second time in five games. Patric Hornqvist also found the back of the net and Evgeni Malkin had two assists in the winning effort. Kyle Palmieri scored the lone New Jersey goal in defeat. The Devils have lost eight of their last nine contests.
Avalanche Down Blackhawks In OT
(Chicago, IL) — Nathan MacKinnon scored the winning goal as the Avalanche downed the Blackhawks, 2-1, in overtime from Chicago. MacKinnon also assisted on Mikko Rantanen’s tying goal in the third period as Colorado ended a five-game skid. Tyson Barrie had two assists and Calvin Pickard made 38 saves in the win. Jonathan Toews [[ taves ]] lit the lamp in the third for the Blackhawks, who have lost two straight after a five-game win streak.
Red Wings Top Panthers
(Sunrise, FL) — Frans Nielsen scored the deciding goal in the shootout as the Red Wings topped the Panthers, 4-3, at the BB&T Center. Nielsen also scored the tying goal in the third period for Detroit. Anthony Mantha and Drew Miller notched goals for the Wings, who are 15-15-and-4. Jason Demers had a goal and assist in the loss for Florida. The Panthers have dropped two straight games.
Troy Outlasts Ohio In Dollar General Bowl
(Mobile, AL) — Jordan Chunn plunged for three touchdowns as Troy outlasted Ohio, 28-23, in the Dollar General Bowl from Mobile, Alabama. The Trojan defense racked up four interceptions and Brandon Silver threw for a score as Troy ends the season at 10-and-3. This is Troy’s first bowl win since 2010. Greg Windham threw for 315 yards, two scores and the four picks for the 8-and-6 Bobcats. Jordan Reid caught 12 passes for 162 yards and a touchdown in defeat.
Louisiana Tech Slips Past Navy In Armed Forces Bowl
(Fort Worth, TX) — Jonathan Barnes nailed the go-ahead field goal on the game’s final play as Louisiana Tech slipped past Navy, 48-45, in the Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl in Fort Worth. Ryan Higgins threw for 409 yards and four touchdowns for the Bulldogs in a back-and-forth affair. Trent Taylor finished with 12 catches for 233 yards and two scores as Louisiana Tech ends the year at 9-and-5. Zach Abey rushed for 114 yards and two scores for Navy and also threw a touchdown in defeat. The Midshipmen also finish the season at 9-and-5.
ODU Wins First-Ever Bowl In Bahamas
(Nassau, Bahamas) — David Washington threw for three scores as Old Dominion defeated Eastern Michigan 24-20 in the Popeyes Bahamas Bowl. The victory gives ODU its first FBS bowl victory in program history. Ray Lawry rushed 23 times for 133 yards, while Zach Pascal led Monarchs’ receivers with 53 yards and a touchdown. Old Dominion finishes the season 10-and-3. Brogan Roback threw for 300 yards with two touchdowns and an interception for the 7-and-6 Eagles.