INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Paul George scored 21 points, helping the Indiana Pacers extend their season-best winning streak to six games with a 105-84 victory over the Detroit Pistons on Saturday night.
John Wall had 24 points and 13 assists, Markieff Morris scored 18 points and the Washington Wizards held New Orleans scoreless for the final 5:52 of the fourth quarter to beat the Pelicans 105-91 Saturday night for their seventh straight win. Washington has its longest winning streak since a seven-game stretch from Jan. 2-15, 2005. The Wizards extended their home winning streak to 17 games, second-longest in franchise history.
Paul Millsap scored 21 points, all in the first three quarters, and the Atlanta Hawks never trailed in their 113-86 runaway win over the Orlando Magic on Saturday night. Tim Hardaway Jr. also had 21 points for Atlanta. Hardaway continued to make the most of his chance to start as Thabo Sefolosha missed his fourth straight game with a groin injury.
Overnight co-leader Byeong Hun An added a bogey-free 65 in his third round of the Waste Management Phoenix Open to post 16-under, good for a one-stroke lead entering Sunday’s finale. It’s the first time in the 25-year-old’s burgeoning PGA TOUR career that he’s held a lead outright after the conclusion of any round. For more of what unfolded in Phoenix, check out the Daily Wrap Up. An Fire In his tournament debut, An is navigating TPC Scottsdale with reckless abandon, and it’s working. “You basically hit drivers out there and try to carry all the bunkers,” he said. The husky South Korean skies to six feet, two inches, and has averaged over 311 yards in distance of all drives, so he knows. There’s also a specific affinity he’s enjoying with the layout that matches his success on similar tracks on the European Tour. “Never finished worse than 13th in the Middle East, and I just don’t know why,” he said. “Maybe if you miss, you’re in the desert and can still play shots instead of going in the water. “I think the last couple of holes [at TPC Scottsdale] freak me out because there is water here and there.” An has birdied the drivable, par-4 17th every day. He’s also birdied the par-4 18th once. In fact, his only bogey of the week was of the three-putt variety on the par-3 seventh hole on Friday. He’s scrambled for par all 11 times he’s missed a green in regulation. This mitigates the danger he introduces off the tee. Don’t expect his approach to change as he pursues his first PGA TOUR title on Sunday, but he’s surprisingly at peace if he falls short of the target. “My goal will be bogey-free again and just play smart,” he said. “Hopefully, tomorrow, just keep the same [form], and then I will be happy. “Doesn’t matter if I win or not.” Whatever works. Chance for Redemption Martin Laird crafted a 6-under 65 with seven birdies, including four in a row from beyond 12 feet on holes 3-6. At 15-under, the 34-year-old Scot is alone in second (and three clear of third) entering the final round. “I feel really comfortable on these greens,” said Laird, a notable ball-striker who ranks third in strokes gained: putting this week. “They are kind of tricky if you don’t play the Valley effect on them.” He’s glad that trophy presentations aren’t conducted on Saturdays, but he may have wished differently two years ago. The Scottsdale resident slept in his own bed and on a three-stroke lead entering the final round in 2015. He then played his first 16 holes that Sunday in bogey-free 2-under before a bogey-double bogey finish. The three shots he surrendered equaled the difference between forcing a playoff and a share of fifth place where he finished. It was a lesson learned. “I’d say I’m definitely better at coping with the crowds and all the mayhem the last three holes,” he said. “Hopefully, tomorrow, if I’m in the same position, I can handle it better than I did [in 2015].” Career Day The primary enjoyment for recreational golfers is the company and camaraderie during the round. A good score is a bonus. When it happens on the PGA TOUR, it can translate into history. John Peterson rebounded from a second-round 72 with an 8-under 63 on Saturday. It’s his lowest score of 214 on the PGA TOUR. His grouping that included Jordan Spieth and Boo Weekley wasn’t lost on Peterson, either. “I saw the pairing yesterday when I was home, and I loved it,” said the 27-year-old. “Jordan and I have grown up together. He’s a little younger (23) than me. We are from the same area, and we played some golf together. And Boo is just a great dude and he loves to hunt and fish like I do, so we had a lot to talk about today. “Any time you get a pairing like that, you’re more comfortable.” How about it. Peterson dropped in an eagle (at the par-5 13th hole) and eight birdies to cover a double bogey (at the par-4 sixth). He converted 151 feet worth of putts, seven of which from outside 10 feet, the longest ranging nearly 27 feet at No. 5. Spieth noticed the form that manufactured 10 fairways and 15 greens in regulation. “Saw a low score with just hitting it point A to point B and driving the ball well,” Spieth said of Peterson’s round. “That’s what it takes.” At 12-under, the LSU product is in a four-way share of third place, four strokes off An’s lead. Alternate Route Because the field consists of only 132 golfers, TPC Scottsdale is not a stop on the schedule for most of the guys who have status as Web.com Tour Finals graduates. Andrew Johnston and Brandon Hagy gained entry on sponsor exemptions, while C.T. Pan, J.J. Spaun and Ollie Schniederjans (formerly in on a sponsor exemption) secured berths via top-10 finishes at the Farmers Insurance Open. Sunday’s movement at Torrey Pines bumped Ryan Blaum to first alternate, he of the first position in the Web.com Tour reshuffle category. When he withdrew early, Cameron Smith assumed the role. The 23-year-old Aussie has capitalized by making the cut. The last man in the field is 6-under through three rounds. “I knew I was in the field about 20 minutes before I actually teed off [on Thursday],” Smith said after converting birdie on his last hole for a third-round 68. “I had a fairly good idea that Colt [Knost] was going to pull out anyway. He did the good deed, telling me that he’s 50/50, so to be here early. I was on the range warming up.” After what he endured in 2016, there’s little question that he’d be ready. Smith lost about 20 pounds during a four-month stretch due to an intestinal parasite. He’d finish 157th in the FedExCup standings in what was his first season with fully exempt status. He recovered in time for the Finals to regain his card. Since, he’s survived seven of eight cuts on the PGA TOUR and started this week slotted 55th in FedExCup points. With his health in check, he’s been able to settle into the customary learning curve of a second-year TOUR member. “I feel more comfortable out here, and then just knowing the courses is a huge help,” he added. “It just takes a lot of stress off my hands. “Just being around the same guys all of the time. All of the guys out here are really nice, especially the Australian guys.” NOTABLE NUGGETS Saturday didn’t disappoint at TPC Scottsdale. Mother Nature treated to ideal conditions for the 75 golfers who survived the cut and the record crowd in attendance. Attendance 204,906 • All-time record • Previous record was 201,003 on Saturday in 2016. • To break the tournament record for attendance, Sunday’s head count must be greater than 21,585. Last year’s Sunday total was 65,330. Scoring • Third-round average = 69.200 • 54-hole average = 70.084 Hardest hole in third round Par-3 7th (+0.133) • 5 birdies • 11 bogeys • 2 doubles Easiest hole in third round Par-5 3rd (-0.533) • 0 eagles • 43 birdies • 1 bogey • 1 double Par-3 16th hole in third round • 3.000 (tied for sixth-hardest) • 0 aces • 12 birdies • 10 bogeys • 1 double • Closest to the pin: Hideki Matsuyama (16 inches; birdie) • Longest putt: Chris Kirk (25 feet, seven inches; birdie) Par-4 17th hole in third round • 3.680 (third-easiest) • 32 birdies • 8 bogeys CALL OF THE DAY SHOT OF THE DAY BEST OF SOCIAL MEDIA
Minnesota Timberwolves shooting guard Zach LaVine was enjoying a breakout third season, proving to all those who watched that he is so much more than just a dunker. Faster than one of LaVine’s drives to the rim, it all came to an end. The news was a devastating blow to a young Wolves team that had recently begun to find a groove.
Minnesota Timberwolves shooting guard Zach LaVine was enjoying a breakout third season, proving to all those who watched that he is so much more than just a dunker. Faster than one of LaVine’s drives to the rim, it all came to an end. The news was a devastating blow to a young Wolves team that had recently begun to find a groove.
Giants quarterback Eli Manning and Cardinals wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald were named co-winners of the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year award Saturday night at ‘NFL Honors.’
Falcons QB Ryan easily bests Brady for NFL MVP
Quarterback Matt Ryan is the first Atlanta Falcons player to win Sports Betting News NFL Most Valuable Player award. Ryan, also voted to the 2016 All-Pro Team by a nationwide panel of 50 media members who regularly cover the NFL, earned 25 votes in balloting announced Saturday night at the NFL Honors show.
Quarterback Matt Ryan is the first Atlanta Falcons player to win Sports Betting News NFL Most Valuable Player award. Ryan, also voted to the 2016 All-Pro Team by a nationwide panel of 50 media members who regularly cover the NFL, earned 25 votes in balloting announced Saturday night at the NFL Honors show.
