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95.7 & 1400 WSJM Sports @wsjmsports wsjmsports.com Thursday, December 07, 2017
NBA – National Basketball Association
Last Night
Indiana Pacers 98, Chicago Bulls 96
Milwaukee Bucks 104, Detroit Pistons 100
Pacers 98, Bulls 96 – Oladipo helps Pacers rally past Bulls 98-96
Victor Oladipo scored 27 points, including a clutch 3-pointer with 31.1 seconds left, and the Indiana Pacers beat the Chicago Bulls 98-96 on Wednesday night. Bojan Bogdanovic had 17 points for Indiana, and Darren Collison finished with 14. Myles Turner had 11 points and blocked four shots, and Thaddeus Young finished with 10 points and nine rebounds. The lowly Bulls led by as many as 17, but couldn’t hold off the Pacers in the final moments. Oladipo’s 3 gave Indiana its first lead at 97-96, and he tacked on a free throw with 12.8 seconds left. Lauri Markkanen missed a potential game-winning 3-pointer in the final seconds of Chicago’s 10th straight loss. Kris Dunn had 18 points, six rebounds and six assists for the Bulls (3-20), and Robin Lopez scored 16 points. Denzel Valentine finished with 15 points and eight boards.
Bucks 104, Pistons 100 – Bucks use fourth-quarter run to beat Pistons 104-100
Giannis Antetokounmpo had 25 points and 10 rebounds, and the Milwaukee Bucks used a strong start to the fourth quarter to beat the Detroit Pistons 104-100 on Wednesday night. Khris Middleton had 21 points, including four free throws in the final 20 seconds to help the Bucks win for the fourth time in five games. Eric Bledsoe added 22 points. Detroit lost its fourth straight. Andre Drummond led the Pistons with 27 points and 20 rebounds. Tobias Harris had 21 points, and Avery Bradley scored 20.
NBA – Curry out at least 2 weeks
The defending NBA champs will be spending a few games without their two-time NBA most valuable player. Warriors guard Stephen Curry will miss a minimum of two weeks after an MRI exam revealed a sprained right ankle. Curry was injured while scoring 31 points in Monday’s win at New Orleans. Curry is averaging 26.3 points, 6.6 assists and 5.1 rebounds per game this season. Golden State says its leading scorer will be re-evaluated in two weeks.
NHL – National Hockey League
Last Night
Washington Capitals 6, Chicago Blackhawks 2
Capitals 6, Blackhawks 2 – Wilson, Ovechkin lead Capitals past Blackhawks, 6-2
Tom Wilson had two goals and two assists and Alex Ovechkin had a goal and three assists in the Washington Capitals’ 6-2 victory over the Chicago Blackhawks on Wednesday night. Nicklas Backstrom ended a 21-game stretch without a goal and added two assists, and Washington’s top-line trio each scored a goal in the first period when the Capitals opened a 3-0 lead. Backstrom hadn’t scored since Oct. 14 in Philadelphia. Braden Holtby made 37 saves for Washington to help the Capitals win for the sixth time in seven games. Brett Connolly scored in his third straight game, and Evgeny Kuznetsov added a goal. Lance Bouma and Jonathan Toews scored for Chicago. The Blackhawks are 0-3-2 in their last five.
NCAAMBB – NCAA Basketball – Men’s
Last Night
Western Michigan 78, Cleveland State 67
Eastern Michigan 95, Oakland 89
WMU 78, Cleveland State 67 – Jones scores 37 as W. Michigan beats Cleveland State 78-67
Reggie Jones scored seven of his career-high 27 points during the decisive second-half run and Western Michigan beat Cleveland State 78-67 on Wednesday night.
EMU 95, OU 89 – Thompson, Jackson, Minnie lead EMU over Oakland 95-89
James Thompson IV, Paul Jackson and Elijah Minnie each scored 24 points and Eastern Michigan beat Oakland 95-89 on Wednesday night.
NCAA Basketball – Women’s
Last Night
(3) Notre Dame 90, Michigan State 59
(3) Notre Dame 90, Michigan State 59 – No. 3 Notre Dame women rout Michigan State 90-59
Arike Ogunbowale scored 23 points and No. 3 Notre Dame beat Michigan State 90-59 on Wednesday night in its first home game in 25 days. Junior transfer Jessica Shepard had 19 points, Jackie Young added 13 points and graduate transfer Lili Thompson had 12 for Notre Dame (8-1). The Irish went 6-1 on the road, the loss coming Sunday at No. 1 Connecticut. Jenna Allen led Michigan State (5-3), and Lexi Gussert had 11. Coach Muffet McGraw used mostly a seven-player rotation and her Irish shot 80 percent (8 of 10) in the second quarter and held the Spartans scoreless over the final 6:16 to take a 47-16 halftime lead. Despite shooting just 33 percent in the third quarter, including a 2:23 scoreless streak to end it, Notre Dame maintained a 63-40 lead heading into the
final quarter. Notre Dame shot 51.8 percent from the field while holding Michigan State to 30.8, and the Irish outrebounded the Spartans, 44-34, as Thompson, a 5-foot-7 guard, snared a team-high nine.
Tonight
Marquette at (24) Michigan, 7:00 p.m.
Central Michigan at SIU-Edwardsville, 8:00 p.m.
NFL – National Football League – Week 14
Tonight
New Orleans Saints at Atlanta Falcons, 8:25 p.m. 95.7 & 1400 WSJM Sports 8:00
NFL – Lions QB Stafford rests 3 injured fingers early in practice
Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford seems to be resting the injured fingers on his throwing hand. Stafford did not throw passes Wednesday while reporters had access to the
beginning of practice. His right hand was stepped on in Sunday’s loss at Baltimore, knocking him out of the game. Stafford and the Lions were relieved that X-rays were negative. He had bandages
wrapped around his pinkie, ring and middle fingers on his right hand earlier this week. The Lions (6-6) play at Tampa Bay (4-8), clinging to their slim chances of earning a spot in the playoffs. Stafford’s backups are second-year pro Jake Rudock and rookie Brad Kaaya, who is on the practice squad.
NFL – Injured Steelers LB Shazier transferred to Pittsburgh
The Pittsburgh Steelers say linebacker Ryan Shazier has been transferred from a Cincinnati hospital to Pittsburgh medical facility to continue treatment for a spinal injury suffered during Monday night’s game against the Bengals. The Steelers added that Shazier will continue to undergo tests before the team offers an update on his status. Shazier left Paul Brown Stadium on a stretcher following a tackle that left the 25-year-old writhing on the turf, his legs motionless.
NFL – NFL commissioner Goodell signs 5-year contract extension
Roger Goodell has signed a five-year contract extension to remain commissioner of the NFL through 2024. A memo from the NFL’s compensation committee to team owners and obtained by The Associated Press confirms that Goodell and committee chairman Arthur Blank, owner of the Atlanta Falcons, have signed the extension. That extension has been a source of controversy because Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones objected to the process. All 32 owners approved in May the compensation committee’s power to negotiate and sign a deal with Goodell, who replaced Paul Tagliabue in 2006. Since then, the league’s total revenues have more than doubled to over $13 billion.
NFL – Iloka suspension overturned
Bengals safety George Iloka has had his one-game suspension overturned on appeal. That leaves him with a fine of almost $36,500 for his hit to Antonio Brown’s head during Monday’s game against Pittsburgh.
MLB – Giants working on Stanton deal
The San Francisco Giants feel they have the pieces to acquire reigning National League MVP Giancarlo Stanton. Giants general manager Bobby Evans confirmed on San Francisco’s flagship radio station KNBR that the club has reached the parameters of a potential trade for the Marlins outfielder. Evans added that the specifics of the deal weren’t something they were comfortable in revealing, but he added their terms with the Marlins are clear. Stanton is due to make $25 million in 2018 after he led the majors with 59 home runs and 132 RBIs this season.
AHL – American Hockey League
Last Night
Chicago Wolves 3, San Diego Gulls 1
ECHL – East Coast Hockey League
Yesterday
Fort Wayne Komets 5, Toledo Walleye 2
MHSAA – High School Sports
Last Night
Wrestling
Mishawaka 37, Lakeshore 29
Mattawan 66, Decatur 4
Mattawan 69, Benton Harbor 10
Lawton 60, Benton Harbor 24
Mendon 69, Coloma 12
Charlotte 52, Coloma 24
Watervliet 39, Brandywine 35
Constantine 48, Brandywine 24
Boys Basketball
Decatur 66, Lawrence 40
Tonight
Boys Basketball
Lake Michigan Catholic at New Buffalo, 7:30 p.m.
Mendon at Howardsville Christian, 7:00 p.m.
River Valley at White Pigeon, 7:30 p.m.
Girls Basketball
Lake Michigan Catholic at New Buffalo, 6:00 p.m.
Paw Paw at Vicksburg, 7:15 p.m.
Boys Swimming and Diving
Kalamazoo Central at St. Joseph, 6:00 p.m.
Battle Creek Central at Bridgman/Lakeshore, 6:00 p.m.
Battle Creek Lakeview at Mattawan, 6:00 p.m.