South Carolina-Upstate 68, Florida International 53

A pair of one-loss teams clashed Thanksgiving during the first round of the Spartanburg Marriott Upstate Classic, and South Carolina-Upstate emerged with a 68-53 victory over Florida International in Spartanburg, S.C. It was the first meeting between the two programs, and the Spartans (4-1) pulled away after halftime. USC Upstate turned a close game into […]

Jeff Hawkins  •  15 Oct 2021
Hot start pushes Illinois to Las Vegas title game

LAS VEGAS — Illinois coach John Groce said getting games off to a strong start is a major emphasis for his squad. A 30-8 lead after just 11 1/2 minutes meets that description nicely. The Fighting Illini connected on five of their first six 3-point attempts while building the early 22-point lead en route to […]

Jeff Hawkins  •  15 Oct 2021
Stony Brook 73, LIU Brooklyn 54

Forward Jameel Warney made eight of nine shots from the floor en route to 18 points, leading Stony Brook to a 73-54 victory over LIU Brooklyn on Thursday in the NIT Season Tip-Off at Madison Square Garden in New York. Guard Roland Nyama added 16 points for the Seawolves (4-2), and forward Rayshaun McGrew finished […]

Jeff Hawkins  •  15 Oct 2021
Curry leads Warriors to win against Magic

ORLANDO, Fla. — This is a good time to be guard Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors. He can’t miss. They don’t lose. Curry scored 28 points in 24 minutes Wednesday night, leading the Warriors to their seventh consecutive victory by blistering the Orlando Magic, 111-96, at the Amway Center. The Warriors (12-2) are […]

Jeff Hawkins  •  15 Oct 2021
Nowitzki, Chandler lead Mavericks past Knicks

DALLAS — Dallas Mavericks forward Dirk Nowitzki scored half of his game-high 30 points in the fourth quarter and overtime, and center Tyson Chandler was relentless against his former team with 25 rebounds and 17 points to slip Dallas past the shorthanded, but hustling New York Knicks, 109-102, at American Airlines Center. Nowitzki’s free-throw line […]

Jeff Hawkins  •  15 Oct 2021
Bench propels Raptors past Hawks

ATLANTA — Toronto Raptors coach Dwane Casey was ecstatic to see three of his guards combine for 70 points. He was even happier with the way it came about. DeMar DeRozan scored 27 points, Lou Williams came off the bench to scored 22 and reserve Greivis Vasquez added 21 to lead the Raptors to a […]

Jeff Hawkins  •  15 Oct 2021
Crawford, Clippers get fourth win on trip

AUBURN HILLS, Mich. — Scoring has never been an issue for Jamal Crawford. He didn’t have any trouble doing that on Wednesday night, but the Los Angeles Clippers took greater satisfaction in his defense. Crawford made a pivotal block in the late going then hit a game-clinching 3-pointer in the Clippers’ 104-98 victory over the […]

Jeff Hawkins  •  15 Oct 2021
Thunder defeats Jazz to end skid

OKLAHOMA CITY — Long losing streaks are foreign to Oklahoma City. Since 2009, the franchise hadn’t lost more than six games in a row. Yet, entering Wednesday’s contest with Utah, the Thunder were in danger of tying the franchise record with a seven-game losing streak. However, guard Jeremy Lamb used the opportunity to break out […]

Jeff Hawkins  •  15 Oct 2021
Knight guides Bucks past Wolves down stretch

MINNEAPOLIS — Brandon Knight was quiet for three quarters Wednesday night at Target Center. The Milwaukee Bucks guard scored just two points to that point as his team struggled to break open the game. Then came the fourth quarter, and Knight took over. The third-year guard scored 13 of his 15 points in the final […]

Jeff Hawkins  •  15 Oct 2021