Weekday Morning Sports – Thursday 1/18/18

sportsreport-355
sportsreport-355

95.7 & 1400 WSJM Sports     @wsjmsports     wsjmsports.com     Thursday, January 18, 2018

NBA – National Basketball Association
Last Night
Toronto Raptors 96, Detroit Pistons 91
Golden State Warriors 119, Chicago Bulls 112

Raptors 96, Pistons 91 – Valanciunas has double-double Raptors beat Pistons 96-91
Jonas Valanciunas had 17 points and 16 rebounds, C.J. Miles scored 21 points and the Toronto Raptors beat the Detroit Pistons 96-91 Wednesday night.  Kyle Lowry scored 18 points and DeMar DeRozan had 17 to help the Raptors avoid their first three game losing streak of the season. Toronto lost at home to Golden State last Saturday before losing at Philadelphia on Monday. Andre Drummond had 25 points and 17 rebounds, but the Pistons lost for the seventh time in eight road games. Avery Bradley scored 19 points, Tobias Harris had 12 and Langston Galloway 11 for the Pistons, who have lost seven of 10 overall. Drummond scored 11 of Detroit’s 22 points in the third quarter. The score was tied 73-73 heading to the fourth.

Warriors 119, Bulls 112 – Warriors beat Bulls 119-112 for 14th straight road win
Klay Thompson scored 38 points, Stephen Curry added 30 and the Golden State Warriors beat the Chicago Bulls 119-112 on Wednesday night for their franchise record-tying 14th straight road win. Kevin Durant had 19 points as Golden State moved into a tie for the third-longest road winning streak in a season in NBA history. The Los Angeles Lakers hold the record with 16 straight road wins during the 1971-72 season. Next up for the NBA-leading Warriors is a trip to Houston for a showdown with the Rockets on Saturday night. Nikola Mirotic scored 24 points for Chicago, which dropped to 14-8 since its 3-20 start. Robin Lopez scored 12 of his 16 points in the first half, and Kris Dunn also had 16.

Tonight
Indiana Pacers at Portland Trail Blazers, 10:00 p.m.

NCAAMBB – Men’s College Basketball
Tonight
(23) Michigan at Nebraska, 9:00 p.m.   95.7 & 1400 WSJM Sports 8:30

NCAAWBB – Women’s College Basketball
Last Night
Eastern Michigan 69, Western Michigan 67
Central Michigan 81, Northern Illinois 78

Tonight
(6) Tennessee at (5) Notre Dame, 7:00 p.m.

NFL – Brady misses news conference to meet with medical staff
The Patriots say quarterback Tom Brady did not attend a scheduled AFC championship news conference Wednesday because he was meeting with the team medical staff for a right hand injury. According to New England’s first injury report of the week, Brady was a limited participant in the practice held earlier in the day. It was the Patriots’ first practice in preparation for Sunday’s conference title game against Jacksonville. Defensive lineman Alan Branch and running backs Mike Gillislee and Rex Burkhead also were limited by knee injuries. The 40-year-old has never missed a playoff start during his 18-year career.

NCAAFB – Police interview friends of quarterback who killed himself
Police are interviewing Washington State quarterback Tyler Hilinski’s friends and people who knew him to try to learn why he apparently took his life. Police Chief Gary Jenkins says officers have no motive for the death of the 21-year-old athlete, who was found dead in his Pullman, Washington, apartment on Tuesday along with a rifle and a suicide note. Hilinski backed up Luke Falk this season and was the presumptive starter heading into his junior season.  Hilinski started in the Cougars last game, a loss to Michigan State in the Holiday Bowl last month.

MLB – Tigers reach 1-year, $6,275,000 deal with Iglesias
The Detroit Tigers have avoided arbitration with Jose Iglesias, agreeing to a $6,275,000, one-year contract with the 28-year-old shortstop.  Iglesias was the only remaining Detroit player eligible for arbitration. He had asked for $6.8 million and the team had offered $5.6 million. Iglesias hit .255 with six home runs and 54 RBIs in 2017. In 531 major league games with the Tigers and Boston Red Sox, he’s hit .270 with a .316 on-base percentage. He was an All-Star in 2015. His days with Detroit could be numbered. The Tigers have traded several of their top players over the past year, with an eye toward rebuilding for the future.

MLB – AP source: Cubs, Duensing agree to $7 million, 2-year deal
A person with direct knowledge of the situation says the Chicago Cubs and free agent reliever Brian Duensing have agreed to a $7 million, two-year contract. The person confirmed the contract to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity Wednesday because it is pending a physical. Duensing returns to Chicago after signing a one-year deal with the Cubs last winter. The left-hander went 1-1 with a 2.74 ERA in 68 appearances last season. Duensing, who turns 35 next month, broke into the majors with Minnesota in 2009. He is 43-38 with a 4.01 ERA in nine seasons.

MCCAA – Junior College Basketball
Last Night
Women’s Basketball
Lake Michigan College 64, Grand Rapids 59

  • Lake Michigan College held on for a 64-59 win over Grand Rapids Community College Wednesday night.

The Lady Red Hawks led by 15 at the half and survived the Raiders’ comeback bid over the final 20 minutes.  Jade Mosier led LMC with a game high 26 points.  The Red Hawks also got 14 points from Emily Atsinger and 11 from Mariah Mireles. The win lifts LMC to 11-3 on the season and 2-1 in the MCCAA Western Conference.  Grand Rapids falls to 9-6 on the season and 2-3 in the league.

Men’s Basketball
Lake Michigan College 89, Grand Rapids 81

  • Gavin Rasler led five players in double figures as Lake Michigan College came away with an 89-81 win over Grand Rapids Community College. The Red Hawks led by as many as 16 points in the second half.  The Raiders pulled to within four, but couldn’t get any closer. Rasler finished with a game high 22 points.  Right behind him, Deion Gatson scored 18, Ajani Parker finished with 16, Bryce Saxton turned in 14, and James Smith added 12. With the win, the red Hawks improve to 7-8 on the season and 3-1 in the MCCAA Western Conference.  Grand Rapids falls to 11-5 on the season and 3-2 in the league.

MHSAA – High School Sports
Last Night
Boys Basketball
Decatur 69, Eau Claire 36

  • Three Decatur players scored in double figures as the Raiders beat Eau Claire 69-36.  Matty Stambek scored a game high 20 points in the victory.  Payton Hoekstra added 14 points while Jakob Southworth scored 13.

Girls Basketball
Cassopolis 44, Dowagiac 42
Decatur 51, Eau Claire 7

  • Regan Rose had a game best 15 points to give Decatur a 51-7 win over Eau Claire.   Decatur improves to 6-4 and 5-3 in the Southwest 10 Conference.  Eau Claire is 0-8

Wrestling
Lakeshore 58, St. Joseph 15
Niles 68, Portage Northern 10
Mattawan 54 Gull Lake 23

Tonight
Boys Basketball
Marcellus at Centreville, 7:30 p.m.
Parchment at Buchanan, 7:30 p.m.

Boys Swimming and Diving
Plainwell at St. Joseph, 6:00 p.m.
Portage Central at Bridgman Co-Op, 6:00 p.m.

Girls Basketball
Decatur at Bangor, 6:00 p.m.
Buchanan at Parchment, 7:00 p.m.
Bridgman at Berrien Springs, 7:30 p.m.
Countryside at Covert, 7:30 p.m.
Calhoun Christian at Lake Michigan Catholic, 6:00 p.m.
River Valley at Michigan Lutheran, 7:30 p.m.
New Buffalo at Grace Christian, 7:00 p.m.
Centreville at Marcellus, 7:30 p.m.