Blazers Knock Off Celtics In Overtime
(Boston, MA) — Damian Lillard converted a three-point play with 47 seconds left as the Blazers knocked off the Celtics, 127-123, in overtime from Boston. Lillard sank a lay-up despite getting fouled by Jae Crowder, and the free throw put Portland up by four. C.J. McCollum led the Blazers with 35 points and Lillard finished with 28. The Blazers ended a four-game slide. Isaiah Thomas led the Celtics with 41 points. Boston fell to 26-and-17.
Morris Nails Winning Tip-In Over Twin, Pistons Down Wizards
(Detroit, MI) — Pistons forward Marcus Morris nailed the winning tip-in over his twin brother as Detroit downed the Wizards, 113-112, at the Palace of Auburn Hills. Morris finished with 25 points and 11 boards in the win. Reggie Jackson had 19 points and eight assists in the back-and-forth affair. Detroit moved to 21-and-24. Markeiff Morris had 19 points for the Wizards as he fell to his brother’s team. John Wall put up 19 points and 10 assists in defeat.
Hornets Sting Nets
(Charlotte, NC) — Michael Kidd-Gilchrist led the way with 17 points and 14 rebounds as the Hornets held off the Nets 112-105 in Charlotte. Kemba Walker and Nicolas Batum [[ buh-TOOM ]] scored 16 apiece in the Hornets’ third-straight victory. Charlotte improved to 23-and-21. Ramon Sessions had 17 points off the bench in the winning effort. Brook Lopez paced Brooklyn with 24 points in defeat. The Nets are now 2-and-19 on the road and have just one win in their last 13 outings.
Hawks Cruise Past Sixers
(Atlanta, GA) — Paul Millsap dropped 22 points to help lift the Hawks past the 76ers 110-93 in Atlanta. Dennis Schroder scored 15 and added nine assists. The Hawks won for the second-straight night and the 11th time in the last 13 games. Dwight Howard had 13 points and 15 rebounds and Kent Bazemore scored 16 in the winning effort. Ersan Ilyasova paced the Sixers with 21 points in defeat. Joel Embiid was given the night off for rest, Philly lost for just the third time in 11 outings.
Booker, Suns Escape Knicks
(New York, NY) — Devin Booker nailed the winning three-pointer with 31 seconds left as the Suns escaped the Knicks, 107-105, in New York. Booker finished with 26 points and Eric Bledsoe added 23 for Phoenix. Tyson Chandler posted nine points and 16 rebounds against his former team as the Suns moved to 14-and-29. Carmelo Anthony piled up 31 points for the Knicks, who have dropped four of their past five games. Derrick Rose added 26 in defeat.
Heat Defeats Bucks
(Miami, FL) — Dion Waiters matched his career with 33 points as the Heat beat the Bucks 109-97 at Miami. Goran
Dragic contributed 25 points, while Hassan Whiteside had a double-double, 16 points and 15 rebounds for Miami. The Heat have won three straight. Jabari Parker did not start or the first time this season for breaking Bucks’ team rules, but scored 16 points in 30 minutes. Giannis Antetokounmpo topped Milwaukee with 24 points and 10 rebounds. The Bucks lost their fifth in a row.
Rockets Bounce Grizzlies
(Memphis, TN) — The Rockets outscored the Grizzlies by 15 in the second half of their 119-95 win in Memphis. James Harden put up 29 points and 10 assists while Sam Dekker scored a career-high 30 points. Dekker nailed 6-of-11 three-pointers in the win. Eric Gordon added 21 points as Houston moved to 34-and-13. Marc Gasol paced the Grizzlies with 32 points in defeat. Memphis fell to 26-and-20.
Spurs Defeat Cavaliers In Overtime
(Cleveland, OH) — Kawhi Leonard scored six of his career-high 41 points in overtime as the Spurs beat the Cavaliers 118-115 in Cleveland. Leonard has scored 30 or more points in six straight games. The Spurs won without starters Tony Parker and Pau Gasol. The Spurs improved to 18-and-4 on the road. LeBron James and Kyrie Irving each scored 29 points for the Cavaliers. Cleveland lost for the fourth time in six games.
Jazz Stump Pacers
(Salt Lake City, UT) — George Hill dropped 30 points against his former team as the Jazz stumped the Blazers, 109-100, in Salt Lake City. Gordon Hayward put up 27 points and Rudy Gobert added 19 points and 11 boards. Utah is riding a six-game win streak. Thaddeus Young, Paul George, and Jeff Teague each scored 19 points for Indiana. The Pacers fell behind in the first quarter and never recovered in their second straight loss.
Nuggets Crush Short Handed Clippers
(Denver, CO) — Nikola Jokic led the way with 19 points and 10 rebounds as the Nuggets cruised past the Clippers 123-98 in Denver. Danilo Gallinari, Will Barton, and Wilson Chandler dropped 18 apiece. The Nuggets have won four-of-five improving to 18-and-24 overall. Denver shot better than 52-percent from the field in the winning effort. Marreese Speights led the short-handed L.A. attack with 18 points in defeat. The Clippers have lost two in a row since losing Chris Paul to a finger injury.
Bulls Hang On, Clip Kings
(Chicago, IL) — Dwyane Wade had 30 points and came up with two big steals in the final minute to help lift the Bulls past the Kings 102-99 in Chicago. Jimmy Butler added 23 points and seven assists as the Bulls snapped a two-game slide. Paul Zipser and Nikola Mirotic combined for 24 points off the bench in the winning effort. DeMarcus Cousins led the way with 42 points and 14 boards for Sacramento in defeat. No other Kings player scored in double-digits as they lost for the eighth time in the last 10 games.
Jets Soar Past Blues
(Winnipeg, Manitoba) — Bryan Little scored twice as the Jets opened up a four-goal lead and held on to top the Blues 5-3 in Winnipeg. Blake Wheeler, Mark Scheifele, and Nikolaj Ehlers also contributed in a four-goal run that gave the Jets a 5-1 advantage. Winnipeg has won two-straight following a four-game slide. Ondrej Pavelec made 34 saves in the winning effort. Kevin Shattenkirk had two goals and Paul Stastny had the other in defeat for St. Louis. The Blues have lost three in a row and six-of-10 overall.
Blue Jackets Top Hurricanes
(Columbus, OH) — Scott Hartnell had two goals, including the game-winner in the third period as the Blue Jackets topped the Hurricanes, 3-2, in Columbus. Hartnell lit the lamp in the first before putting the Jackets up for good in the third. Markus Hannikainen also tallied a goal for Columbus. Sergei Bobrovsky racked up 35 saves in the win. Sebastian Aho and Justin Faulk scored to tie the game in the second for Carolina. The ‘Canes are on a three-game slide.
Devils Cruise Past Flyers
(Philadelphia, PA) — Miles Wood netted the final two goals as the Devils cruised past the Flyers 4-1 in Philadelphia. Pavel Zacha and Kyle Palmieri also lit the lamp as New Jersey won its fourth straight road game. With 49 points the Devils sit just one out of the final playoff spot in the tight Eastern Conference race. Keith Kincaid made 35 saves in the winning effort. Travis Konecny scored the lone Flyers goal in defeat. Philly has dropped 12 of its past 15 games.
Islanders Edge Kings
(Brooklyn, NY) — Anders Lee notched a pair of power play goals including the go-ahead in the final period as the Islanders edged the Kings, 4-2, in Brooklyn. John Tavares padded the lead in the third and Jason Chimera started the scoring for the Isles. Jean-Francois Berube [[ ZHAWN-fran-SWUH beh-ROO-bay ]] had 34 saves in New York’s third straight win. Jeff Carter and Drew Doughty briefly tied the game with third-period goals for the Kings, who are on a three-game skid.
Capitals Down Stars In OT
(Dallas, TX) — Jay Beagle notched the winning goal 19 seconds into overtime as the Capitals downed the Stars, 4-3, in Dallas. Alex Ovechkin and T.J. Oshie put Washington back in the game with power play goals in the third period. Andre Burakovsky lit the lamp in the first for the Caps, who have won 11 of their past 12 games. Adam Cracknell, Patrick Eaves, and Jamie Benn lit the lamp for the Stars, who are on a two-game slide. Dallas is 19-20-and-9.
Coyotes Crush Lightning
(Glendale, AZ) — The Coyotes did all of their scoring in the first two periods as they crushed the Lightning, 5-3, in Glendale. Radim Vrbata finished with a goal and three assists for the Coyotes, who had a four-goal lead after two periods. Martin Hanzal and Tobias Reider each had a goal and two assists in the win as Arizona ended a four-game slide. Ondrej Palat had an assist and a goal in the third period as Tampa’s rally attempt fell short. The Bolts have lost three straight.
Wild Rally To Beat Ducks 5-3
(St. Paul, MN) — Jason Zucker and Eric Haula each scored two goals as the Wild rallied to defeat the Ducks 5-3 at St. Paul. Zucker, Haula and Ryan Suter scored in a two-minute stretch in the final period to give the Wild a two-goal advantage with less than four minutes to play. Minnesota won for the sixth time in seven games. Stefan Noesen, Cam Fowler and Corey Perry had the Anaheim goals. The Ducks are 5-1-1 in their past seven games.
Sharks Clip Avalanche In OT
(San Jose, CA) — David Schlemko found the back of the net in overtime to lift the Sharks past the Avalanche 3-2 in San Jose. Joel Ward and Melker Karlsson lit the lamp in regulation for the Sharks. Martin Jones stopped 31-of-33 shots in the winning effort. San Jose has won four-straight. Mikhail Grigorenko and Francois Beauchemin scored for Colorado in defeat. The Avs have lost 15-of-17 and have the worst record in the NHL at 13-29-and-2.
Kansas State Upsets Number-Eight West Virginia
(Manhattan, KS) — Barry Brown and Kamau Stokes dropped 15 apiece to help Kansas State upset eighth-ranked West Virginia 79-75 in Manhattan. Senior forward D.J. Johnson had 14 points and eight rebounds as the Wildcats won their second-straight. Wesley Iwundu and Dean Wade each scored 13 in the winning effort. K-State improved to 15-and-4. Tarik Phillip paced the Mountaineers with 20 points in defeat. West Virginia is 15-and-4 and has lost two in a row.
Kentucky Drops South Carolina In Top-25 Battle
(Lexington, KY) — Malik Monk led the way as fifth-ranked Kentucky topped number-24 South Carolina 85-69 at Rupp Arena. Monk finished with 27 points. The Wildcats improved to 17-and-2 overall and 7-and-0 in SEC play to claim the top-spot in the conference. Edrice Adebayo scored 18 in the winning effort. Sindarius Thornwell led all scorers with 34 points in defeat. The 15-and-4 Gamecocks lost for the first time in five games.
#13 Arizona Outlasts #3 UCLA
(Los Angeles, CA) — The 13th-ranked Wildcats contained number-three UCLA in a 96-85 win over the Bruins in Los Angeles. Kobi Simmons led U-of-A with 20 points and Allonzo Trier scored 12 points in his season debut after serving a suspension for performance-enhancing drugs. Lauri Markkanen added 18 points and seven boards as the Wildcats move to 18-and-2 overall and 7-and-0 in the Pac-12. Freshman phenom Lonzo Ball led UCLA with 24 points, eight assists, and six rebounds. Bryce Alford added 15 in defeat as the Bruins fell to 19-and-2 overall and 6-and-2 in conference action.
Vanderbilt Knocks Off #21 Florida
(Gainesville, FL) — After six lead changes in the final five minutes, Vanderbilt prevailed to knock off number-21 Florida, 68-66, in Gainesville. Matthew Fisher-Davis led the Commodores with 19 points. Noah Cressler scored four of his 10 points in the final 90 seconds as Vandy improved to 9-and-10. Kevaughn Allen led the Gators with 29 points. Florida is now 14-and-5 after two straight losses.
Marquette Stuns #7 Creighton
(Omaha, NE) — Marquette carried a 10-point lead into halftime and held on to stun seventh-ranked Creighton, 102-94, in Omaha. Katin Reinhardt scored 17 of his 21 points in the first half and added seven assists. JaJuan Johnson and Luke Fischer each scored 18 as the Golden Eagles moved to 13-and-6. Marcus Foster led the Bluejays with 30 points, but they couldn’t overcome the first half deficit. Creighton fell to 18-and-2.
#12 Florida State Drops #11 Louisville
(Tallahassee, FL) — Freshman Jonathan Isaac notched his third straight double-double as 12th-ranked Florida State dropped number-11 Louisville, 73-68, in Tallahassee. Isaac had 16 points and 10 rebounds for the Seminoles, who fought off a couple of Cardinal rallies in the second half. Dwayne Bacon added 16 of his own for 18-and-2 Florida State. Tony Hicks put up 16 points for Louisville, which dropped to 16-and-4. The Cardinals had their four-game win streak snapped.
Adam Hadwin Shoots 59, Takes Lead Into Sunday
(La Quinta, CA) — Canada’s Adam Hadwin became the eighth different PGA Tour player to shoot 59 or better as he sits atop of the leaderboard at the CareerBuilder Challenge in La Quinta, California. Hadwin finished 13-under on the day and holds a one-stroke advantage heading into Sunday’s final round. Dominic Bozzelli is in second place at minus-16. Bud Cauley, Brian Harman, Chad Campbell, and Hudson Swafford are in a four-way tie for third at 15-under par. The final round kicks off at 10:30 a.m. Eastern Time on Sunday.