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This Comeback Falls Short For USC

March 19, 2017

The Trojans NCAA tournament run came to an end on Sunday night against Baylor, after losing 82-78 in the round of 32.

Johnathan Motley had 19 points and 10 rebounds, and King McClure added 17, as the Bears advanced to the Sweet 16 to play South Carolina.

Chimezie Metu scored 28 points and Bennie Boatwright had 16, as the Trojans bid to make their first Sweet 16 since 2007 fell short.

A four-point play from Manu Lecompte put Baylor up 69-67, and was his first points of the game. He then scored 8 points in 45 seconds to give the Bears a 73-67 lead. Lecompte would finish the game with 12 points, and all of them coming in the final five minutes.

Metu summed it up nicely. “Lecomte,” forward Chimezie Metu said. “Or whatever his name is.” “He kind of took over in the last couple minutes,”

USC had won 13 games after trailing by double figures. They nearly did it again. The Trojans scored 10 points unanswered in a run that started the end of the first half and the start of the second. 1:16 into the second half, the score was tied.

“This was a game that was there for the taking if we would have executed down the stretch,” USC Coach Andy Enfield said.

“I actually joked with Andy,” Baylor Coach Scott Drew said. “I said, ‘Do you want to be up at halftime?’ He said, ‘No, no, we like being down.’”

However, it was Lecomte who made the big plays in the final five minutes to help Baylor avoid the upset.

USC can’t be too disappointed with how their season turned out despite the loss. The Trojans lost quite a bit of talent after last season, yet Enfield led the team to an unexpected run in the NCAA tournament.

Russell Goes Off But Lakers Lose To Cavs

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March 19, 2017

D’Angelo Russell scored a career-high 40 points, but he was out done by Kyrie Irving’s 46 points, as the Cavaliers beat the Lakers 125-120.

The Cavaliers rested Lebron James, Kyrie Irving, and Kevin Love on Saturday against the Clippers. It turns out they needed all that rest to beat the Lakers on Sunday.

Irving led all scorers with 46 points. LeBron James had 34 with seven assists and six rebounds, and Kevin Love scored 21 points for Cleveland.

The Lakers actually led by as many as 11 points in the fourth quarter before Cleveland came back. After a Lebron James layup with just over five minutes left, the score was tied at 104-104. The Cavs took control from there.

Jordan Clarkson added 19 points for the Lakers, and rookie Brandon Ingram had 18. All five Lakers starters scored in double figures for the first time since Christmas.

Russell also had six assists, two steals and only one turnover. He became the youngest player since James did it in 2004 to score 40 points, with six assists and one or no turnovers. He also got some praise from his competition when it was over.

“He’s a special guy,” Lebron James said. “He’s a special player. Russell was extremely hot tonight, and those guys fed off him.”

“He’s a great young player,” Irving said. “… I understand what he means to the Lakers. It’s always good to have some great competition out there.”

The Lakers have been experimenting with different lineups the last week to better evaluate their young talent. Russell had been coming off the bench for a few games before returning to the starting lineup on Sunday. There’s also been some talk about whether or not he’s really a shooting guard or a point guard.

“I’m a basketball player,” he said, “not a point guard or a shooting guard.” Russell looked like a very promising one on Sunday.

The Lakers return to action on Tuesday night against the Clippers. It will be a designated home game for the Clippers.

Kings Get Trounced By Flames

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March 19, 2017

The Kings continued to fall further out of the playoffs on Sunday night in Calgary, this time getting beaten by the Flames 5-2.

This night belonged to the Flames Johnny Gaudreau, who had a goal and two assists for Calgary. “Johnny Hockey” set up goals by Sean Monahan and Michael Stone to give the Flames an early lead, then scored the second of two Calgary goals 50 seconds apart early in the second period.

The Flames also got goals from Mark Giordano and Kris Versteeg, and Brian Elliott made 19 saves. Anze Kopitar and Nic Dowd scored the Kings’ goals, but it was a rough night from the start.

Jonathan Quick started for LA, but was pulled after giving up two goals on seven shots. Ben Bishop relieved him, and gave up 2 more goals on 16 shots.

LA’s usually stingy defense was nowhere to be found on Sunday. The speed of the Flames created great scoring opportunities, and the Kings were never able to impose their heavy-hitting style of play.

The Kings are now six points behind Nashville for the final playoff spot in the Western Conference. Calgary on the other hand, has won 12 of their last 13 games, and moved into 3rd place in the Pacific Division.

With just 11 games left, the Kings will now travel to Edmonton to take on the Oilers on Monday night.

Clippers Beat Shorthanded Cavs

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March 18, 2017

The Clippers will take wins any way they can get them right now, and they got one Saturday night against a shorthanded Cavaliers team, 108-70.

The Cavaliers played without Lebron James, Kyrie Irving, and Kevin Love, who all sat out to rest. The NBA certainly will not be happy about that given that the game was on national television.

Blake Griffin scored 23 points, and JJ Redick added 16, which helped LA snap a 3-game losing skid. It was Griffin, along with DeAndre Jordan, who sat on Thursday night’s road game against Denver, which the Clippers lost.

The large margin of victory also allowed the Clippers to rest Chris Paul, Griffin, and Jordan for the entire 4th quarter.

The Cavaliers were led by Richard Jefferson’s 12 points. However, they shot just 38% from the field, while the Clippers shot 51%. LA also hammered Cleveland on the boards, outrebounding them 54-40.

The win allowed the Clippers to maintain their hold on 5th place in the Western Conference. Not only are the Clippers trying to move up, but they are trying to hold off the Thunder and the Grizzlies, who are right behind them in the standings.

The Clippers will be back in action on Monday night at Staples Center against the Knicks.

Ducks Skate By Sharks

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March 18th, 2017

Patrick Eaves and Jakob Silfverberg scored goals and the Anaheim Ducks took down San Jose to tighten the Pacific Division race with a 2-1 victory over the Sharks on Saturday night.

Jonathan Bernier made 33 saves, which got him his 5th win in his last 6 starts. Logan Couture scored the lone goal for the Sharks, and Martin Jones made 25 saves.

The Ducks are just four points behind San Jose in the Pacific Division after picking up the win. Ryan Getzlaf hasn’t given up hope on catching them. “This is the team we’re chasing,” he said. “You don’t ever want to let them know that we’ve given up. I’m sure they viewed it as a way to put us away for the year. For our group, it’s nice to come out and respond after a tough overtime loss last night.”

Eaves goal came just 39 seconds into the game. He took advantage of a coverage breakdown by the Sharks in front of their own net. Couture would tie it up on a power play goal with 47 seconds left in the period.

Silfverberg on a breakaway about 6:30 minutes into the second period, and that would be the game winner. San Jose would have their chances in the 3rd, but Bernier continued to make the important saves.

This is the 8th straight game between the Sharks and Ducks that was decided by one goal. Anaheim has won 6 of those 8 games.

The Ducks return to action on Wednesday against the Oilers at the Honda Center.

Lakers Put Up A Fight But Lose To Bucks

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March 17th, 2017

The Lakers and Bucks engaged in a typical NBA style fight which led to a series of ejections in Milwaukee’s 107-103 victory over LA at Staples Center on Friday.

Khris Middleton scored 14 of his 30 points in the 4th quarter, to help get the Bucks their 8th win in the last 9 games. However, the story of the game was ejections.

Malcolm Brogdon fouled Nick Young hard with 36 seconds left in the 3rd quarter, which prompted Young to shove him back. Greg Monroe shoved young, and then D’Angelo Russell and Brandon Ingram came to Young’s defense, shoving back, and so did a Bucks security guard.

Monroe, Russell, and Young were ejected from the game. However, Luke Walton was pleased that the Lakers were standing up for one another. “D’Angelo only responded after Monroe had grabbed Nick by the neck and thrown him,” Walton said. “So if D’Angelo didn’t push him, I would have been (mad) at D’Angelo. He did the right thing. So for the NBA to say that the two of them did the same thing and just canceled each other out is absolute crap to me.”

Young scored 16 points and Russell had 14 before their ejections, but the Bucks appeared to be cruising to an easy win before the prolonged scuffle. They had opened up an 18-point lead while Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 12 points in the first 6:15 of the third. “The Greek Freak” finished with 26 points before fouling out.

The Lakers were led by Jordan Clarkson’s 21 points. They maintained their 2 game “advantage” over Phoenix for the 2nd worst record in the league.

Milwaukee leads eighth-place Miami (34-35) by a half-game, and the Bucks opened up a 1 1/2-game lead over the ninth-place Detroit Pistons (33-36), who lost to Toronto.

The Lakers return to action on Sunday against the Cavs at Staples Center.

Bruins Get A Scare But Beat Kent St.

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March 17, 2017

The Bruins collectively held their breath on Friday night in the 1st half when Lonzo Ball fell to the floor holding his hip. Ball was undercut after receiving a lob pass just before halftime. However, after slowly getting up, he stayed in the game. Ball went on to finish the game with 15 points and the Bruins took care of Kent State 97-80 to advance to the round of 32 in the NCAA tournament.

TJ Leaf scored 23 points and Thomas Welsh added 16, as UCLA pulled away late to get the win in Sacramento. The Bruins jumped out to a 14 point lead in the opening minutes, but Kent State would battle their way back against a UCLA team that didn’t seem very interested in playing defense again.

Despite a 16-2 run in the 1st half, Kent State was only down 47-39 at the half. The Golden Flashes would get as close as four points in the 2nd half after a 3-pointer by Jalen Avery. Jaylin Walker led Kent State with 23 points and Jimmy Hall Jr scored 20 for the Golden Flashes.

However, midway through the 2nd half, UCLA would put the lead back to double-digits. “We kinda let up,” Bruins coach Steve Alford said. “Our shot selection was worse. We didn’t defend. There is a poise to what you want to do offensively, but you’ve got to have poise defensively too. I didn’t think we did that as well in the first half as a team.”

Had Ball been seriously hurt, the Bruins hope for NCAA tournament run would have been crushed. Fortunately, he avoided major injury. “I’m fine,” said Ball. “Finished the game, got up. I’m good.”

UCLA finally found its shooting stroke after last week’s struggles in the conference tournament. The Bruins shot 62% from the field and 50% from the 3-point line.

The Bruins will need to keep that shooting stroke going against a gritty Cincinnati team on Sunday in the round of 32.

Trojans Rally Again To Knock Off SMU

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May 17, 2017

The Trojans pulled off one of the biggest upsets of the NCAA tournament on Friday, defeating #11 SMU 66-65 in Tulsa.

Elijah Stewart buried a 3-pointer with 36 seconds left, and the Mustang’s Shake Milton missed a floater at the buzzer, sending USC into the round of 32.

Stewart scored 22 points in the game, while Bennie Boatwright and Chimezie Metu scored 14 apiece. Semi Ojeleye had 24 points and 10 rebounds and Sterling Brown had 17 points for SMU, which had won 16 straight coming into the game.

For the 2nd straight game USC rallied from a double digit deficit. Throughout the entire game, they had the lead for just over a minute. SMU built a lead as big as 12 points, and used a 14-3 run in the 1st half to take a 38-30 lead at halftime. After the Trojans got a pair of 3-pointers from Boatwright and Stewart, the game was tied four minutes into the 2nd half. However, SMU went on a 10-1 run, and looked like they would put the game out of reach.

Over the next 6 minutes, the Trojans would fight their way back, tying the game on a Stewart dunk with 7:33 left. It wasn’t until Boatwright’s 3-pointer with just over two minutes left that gave USC their first lead of the game.

Even after Stewart’s big 3-pointer in the final minute, the Mustangs had their chance. SMU’s Ben Moore drew a foul with 12 seconds left, and his team down by 1. However, he missed the first half of a one-and-one foul shot. Chimezie Metu was fouled after that, but missed his free throw as well, setting the stage for Milton’s final opportunity. Milton’s shot bounced off the rim and the Trojans prevailed.

USC now moves on to take on the #3 seed Baylor Bears on Sunday.

Sabres Outlast Ducks

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March 17th, 2017

It took a 10 round shootout, but the Sabres outlasted the Ducks in Anaheim on Friday night 2-1. Zemgus Girgensons scored the decisive goal in the 10th round of the shootout to give Buffalo the win.

Ryan O’Reilly and Rasmus Ristolainen scored in the shootout as well, which helped the Sabres end a 7-game losing skid in Southern California. The last time the Sabres won in SoCal was in February of 2012.

O’Reilly scored his 17th goal of the season for Buffalo. The Ducks goal was scored by Rickard Rakell. Jonathan Bernier made 30 saves for Anaheim, while Anders Nilsson stopped 39 for the Sabres.

Rakell scored on a rebound at 8:12 of the 1st period, which was his 31st goal, and put Anaheim ahead 1-0. However, Buffalo would tie it on O’Reilly’s goal 5 minutes into the 2nd period.

The Ducks were hoping for their first 3-game win streak in over two months, but they were unable to capitalize.

This is the first of back-to-back games for the Ducks, who will be visiting San Jose tomorrow night.

Clippers In Disarray After Loss To Nuggets

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March 17th, 2017

The Clippers troubles continued on Thursday night in Denver with a 129-114 loss to the Nuggets. It was the 3rd straight loss for LA, and their 8th in the last 13 games.

The Clips played without both Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan, who were resting back in LA. However, Nuggets power forward Nikola Jokic took advantage of their absence by dominating in the paint. Jokic scored 17 points, pulled down 14 rebounds, and dished out 11 assists for his 5th triple- double of the season. Will Barton also scored a career-high 35 points for Denver.

Chris Paul had 18 points and 14 assists, J.J. Redick scored a team-high 22 points and Austin Rivers had 17 for the Clippers. Defense was the issue again though. Denver shot both 53% from 3-point land, and 53% from the field.

“That’s on us,” Chris Paul said. “We’ve got to give more effort, be better all around.” Paul also questioned what the Clippers identity was at this point in the season. “Yeah, you would hope to not be trying to figure that out at this point of the season,” he said.

The Nuggets didn’t give the Clippers much of a chance to make a run. Denver built a 103-80 lead heading into the fourth. The advantage grew to as much as 25 and the Clippers never threatened. Barton’s seventh 3-pointer, which tied a career high, capped a 20-point half for the guard.

J.J. Redick doesn’t like where things are going either. “I don’t know what to expect from this team anymore,” he said. “It’s just — we’re in a bad place right now. We’re losing games. We’ve been [a mess] since the All-Star break.”

To make matters worse, the Clippers are losing ground in the Western Conference playoff race. They are now 3 games back of the Jazz for 4th place in the conference. They also have Oklahoma City and Memphis right behind them in the standings, so they could find themselves in 7th place in no time.

Things won’t get much easier for them. They’ll return home on Saturday to take on the defending NBA champion Cleveland Cavaliers.