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Ja Morant scores 30 points in 125-119 win over Hawks as Grizzlies move to 3-0 since his return

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 12:03:43 GMT

ATLANTA (AP) — On a scale of 1 to 10, Ja Morant was quick to give his rating of how his first three games with the Memphis Grizzlies have gone this season.“A 10,” he said. “We won. That’s what we shoot for, that’s what we play for.”Morant had 30 points and 11 assists as Memphis moved to 3-0 since his return with a 125-119 victory over the Atlanta Hawks on Saturday night.Desmond Bane had 37 points for the Grizzlies, who had not won three straight games all season while stumbling to a 6-19 start as Morant served a 25-game suspension for waving a gun multiple times on social media. Bane also had seven rebounds and six assists.“There’s definitely more spirit when you win games,” Bane said. “It is just natural. We’re definitely feeling good about where we’re at and we’ve got more players coming back to keep it going.”Trae Young made history in defeat, finishing with 30 points and 13 assists. It was his seventh consecutive game with at least 30 points and 10 assists, tying Oscar Robertson...

No. 14 Florida Atlantic knocks off No. 4 Arizona 96-95 in 2OT at Desert Classic

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 12:03:43 GMT

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Johnell Davis had 35 points and nine rebounds and No. 14 Florida Atlantic beat No. 4 Arizona 96-95 in double overtime on Saturday in the Desert Classic, the Owls’ first win over a top-10 team.Giancarlo Rosado made the back end of two free throws with just under a minute remaining for what turned out to be the winning point for the Owls (10-2), who beat their second ranked opponent of the season. FAU defeated then-No. 12 Texas A&M 96-89 on Nov. 24.Caleb Love, who led Arizona (9-2) with 26 points, missed a 3-pointer at the buzzer. He was one of five Wildcats to score in double figures. Pelle Larsson added 15 points.Jalen Gaffney scored 20 points and Alijah Martin added 13 for FAU, which made a surprising run to the Final Four in the NCAA Tournament last season.Vladislav Goldin, who entered leading the nation in shooting at 75.9% and FAU in scoring at 15.1 points per game and rebounds (7.0), was in foul trouble most of the game. He picked up his fifth foul in...

Anders Lee’s 3-point night leads Islanders over Hurricanes 5-4

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 12:03:43 GMT

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Anders Lee had a goal and two assists to lead the New York Islanders to a 5-4 win over the Carolina Hurricanes on Saturday night.Ilya Sorokin stopped 36 shots for the Islanders, who head into the Christmas break with at least a point in 11 of their past 12 games.“Any time you go into a break you want to be feeling good,” said Lee, the Islanders’ captain. “To get two points going into the break, get a few days rest and enjoy some family time is really nice. We will get back at it in a few days.”Lee has nine goals in the past 18 games after starting the season with one goal in the first 15 games.“He has stepped up,” Islanders coach Lane Lambert said. “Like I said before when he wasn’t scoring, I did say it was only a matter of time.”Brock Nelson, Bo Horvat and Mike Reilly each had a goal and assist, and Sebastian Aho had a goal for the Islanders. Kyle Palmieri and Mathew Barzal had two assists each.“We played a full 60 minutes,” Lee said. “To beat this team ...

Meier scores 2, Toffoli gets game winner as Devils edge Red Wings 3-2

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 12:03:43 GMT

NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — The New Jersey Devils were looking to turn things around heading into the holiday break and Tyler Toffoli did just that with nice deflection and a little puck luck against the Detroit Red Wings.Timo Meier scored twice, Toffoli tallied the game winner with 7:15 left and the Devils snapped a three-game winless streak with a 3-2 decision over the slumping Detroit Red Wings on Saturday night.“Obviously the past couple games haven’t gone the way we wanted,” Toffoli said. “Obviously, the Red Wings played last night so you’re not going to take it too far but we knew that they were tired and we wanted to have the best game that we could before the break and I thought that’s what we did.”Vitek Vanecek made 22 saves and benefited from a shot off the goalpost by Daniel Sprong on a late power play in helping the Devils win for the first time on a five-game homestand (1-2-1).Toffoli got his first-game winning goal as a Devil, redirecting Jesper Bratt’s shot past Michael Hutch...

Jordan Clarkson scores 16 of his 30 in 4th, Jazz overcome 17-point deficit to beat Raptors 126-119

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 12:03:43 GMT

TORONTO (AP) — Jordan Clarkson scored 16 of his 30 points in the fourth quarter, Lauri Markkanen also had 30 and the Utah Jazz overcame a 17-point deficit to beat the Toronto Raptors 126-119 on Saturday night.Collin Sexton scored 16 points, John Collins and Walker Kessler each had 10 and Kris Dunn added a season-high 13 assists as the Jazz posted their second straight road win. Utah is 4-13 away from home.“We’ve been struggling on the road a little bit this year,” Clarkson said. “It just feels good to get a win, keep it going.”Markkanen returned after missing Thursday’s win at Detroit because of a sore left hamstring, while Clarkson was available again after missing six games because of a sore right hamstring.“It didn’t feel like he’d been gone for a while,” Jazz coach Will Hardy said of Clarkson. “The way that he was playing, I thought he really meshed well with his teammates.”Clarkson shot 11 for 22, making 5 of 10 attempts in the fourth.“He showed the level of player that he is, ...

Prince William supervisors approve luxury apartment complex near planned Quartz District

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 12:03:43 GMT

The Prince William Board of County Supervisors on Tuesday approved a rezoning to pave way for the luxury Windsor Oaks apartment complex outside Dale City.The site, located on nearly 10 acres at 3695 Elm Farm Road near the Prince William Parkway, could include up to 233 multi-family residential units, with some reserved for low-income residents. The project is designed to complement and be integrated into the existing neighborhoods and the planned mixed-use Quartz District, which will be located directly across the parkway.The Quartz District, planned on 145 acres at the intersection of Minnieville Road and the Prince William Parkway, calls for office space, restaurants, retail, residential units and a dedicated destination adventure park site.If all goes to plan for the developer, Atlantic Funding, Ltd., the complex is expected to be occupied by mid-2026 at the earliest, according to representatives with the company. They expect the apartments to be lived in by young professionals, ...

Ben Bryant leads Northwestern past Utah 14-7 in Las Vegas Bowl

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 12:03:43 GMT

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Ben Bryant passed for 222 yards and found Bryce Kirtz in the corner of the end zone midway through the fourth quarter, helping Northwestern beat Utah 14-7 Saturday night in the Las Vegas Bowl.Bryant went 22 for 34 with two touchdowns as Northwestern (8-5) closed out its season with a fourth straight win. The Wildcats limited Utah (8-5) to 221 yards and had two interceptions and a fumble recovery.Bryson Barnes was 8 for 13 for 55 yards with two interceptions, and Ja’Quinden Jackson rushed for 55 yards on eight carries to lead Utah, which lost three of its last four games.The Utes trailed 7-0 early in the fourth quarter and tied the game with 12:38 left when Micah Bernard scored on a 6-yard run. The touchdown capped an eight-play, 60-yard drive that took 3:59. Bernard was playing for the first time since injuring a knee in the season-opener against Florida.Northwestern scored the first points of the game with 1:20 left in the first half when Bryant connected wit...

Gio Lopez leads South Alabama to 59-10 rout of Eastern Michigan in 68 Ventures Bowl

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 12:03:43 GMT

MOBILE, Ala. (AP) — Freshman Gio Lopez threw for three touchdowns and ran for another, and South Alabama trounced Eastern Michigan 59-10 in the 68 Ventures Bowl on Saturday night.Playing on their home field at Hancock Whitney Stadium, the Jaguars (7-6) scored on their first three possessions, led 38-3 at halftime and outgained Eastern Michigan (6-7) 627 yards to 150. It was the first bowl victory for South Alabama, which joined the FBS in 2012 and had lost three previous bowl games.Lopez split time with Desmond Trotter, who started in place of the injured Carter Bailey. Lopez completed 14 of 19 passes for 192 yards and touchdowns of 5 and 42 yards to Jamaal Pritchett and 20 yards to DJ Thomas-Jones, and ran for a 27-yard score. He led the team with 88 yards rushing.Trotter threw a 3-yard touchdown pass to Thomas-Jones and ran for a 3-yard TD. Pritchett caught eight passes for 127 yards.South Alabama had the highest scoring total in program history against an FBS opponent. The Jaguar...

Alperen Sengun has career-high 37 points, Rockets beat Pelicans 106-104

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 12:03:43 GMT

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Houston center Alperen Sengun figured out a way to make his matchup with New Orleans veteran Jonas Valanciunas look more like a mismatch. Sengun scored a career-high 37 points and grabbed 11 rebounds to help the Rockets edge the Pelicans 106-104 on Saturday night.While Sengun complimented Valanciunas’ strength, he added, “I’m not that strong, but I’m fast, and he’s not fast like me, so we were just attacking him.“He got in foul trouble and that wasn’t good for them,” Sengun added. Valanciunas had 10 points and 11 rebounds before fouling out with 4:06 left while trying to stop one of Sengun’s drives down the lane.Jabari Smith Jr. added 26 points and 11 rebounds, and Fred VanVleet had 10 points for the Rockets, whose physical defensive play and willingness to get back in transition frustrated the Pelicans throughout. Houston had an 11-0 edge in fast-break points.It was the second time in three games that Smith — a second-year pro out of Aubur...

Klay Thompson, Stephen Curry lead Warriors past Trail Blazers for 5th straight win

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 12:03:43 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Klay Thompson scored 28 points, Stephen Curry had 27 and the Golden State Warriors beat the Portland Trail Blazers 126-106 on Saturday for their fifth straight victory.The Splash Brothers combined for 22 points in the third quarter to pace the Warriors to a 12-point advantage to start the fourth. Thompson, who has scored at least 20 points in his last five games after a sluggish start, had 11 straight points in the quarter – hitting back-to-back 3s.The five-game winning streak matches Golden State’s longest of the season. The Warriors improved to 15-14, their first time over .500 since Nov. 12 as they head into a Christmas showdown at Denver.Golden State improved to 3-0 against Portland this month, beating the Trail Blazers at home Dec. 6 and on the road Dec. 17.Two dunks by Trayce Jackson-Davis and a 3-pointer by Brandin Podziemski to start the fourth put the Warriors comfortably ahead at 96-79 with 10:39 left in regulation.Podziemski had 15 points, 10 re...