The Montreal Canadiens are heading back to the playoffs. Paul Byron scored twice, Brendan Gallagher had a goal and three assists, and the Canadiens beat the Florida Panthers 6-2 on Thursday night to clinch a spot in the postseason. A massive collapse knocked Montreal out of the playoff picture last year.
LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers just might be at their lowest point since the King came home three years ago. Nikola Mirotic tied season highs with 28 points and six 3-pointers, Jimmy Butler scored 25, and the Chicago Bulls beat the Cavaliers 99-93 Thursday on a night when James moved into seventh place on the NBA’s career scoring list. James passed Shaquille O’Neal, finishing with 26 points.
The Detroit Pistons made a crucial stand to keep their dwindling playoff hopes alive. Marcus Morris had 28 points and 13 rebounds, and Ish Smith hit the go-ahead 3-pointer late in the fourth quarter, helping the Pistons beat the Brooklyn Nets 90-89 on Thursday night. Smith, who finished with 21 points, six rebounds and five assists, gave the Pistons an 87-86 lead with 28.5 seconds left.
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Ricky Rubio knows the Minnesota Timberwolves will almost assuredly miss the playoffs for the 13th straight year. Rubio had a career-high 33 points, 10 assists and five rebounds and Karl-Anthony Towns scored 32 points to lead the Timberwolves to a 119-104 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday night. Andrew Wiggins scored 27 points for the Timberwolves (30-44), who have now won more games than they did last season.
The Detroit Pistons made a crucial stand to keep their dwindling playoff hopes alive. Marcus Morris had 28 points and 13 rebounds, and Ish Smith hit the go-ahead 3-pointer late in the fourth quarter, helping the Pistons beat the Brooklyn Nets 90-89 on Thursday night. Smith, who finished with 21 points, six rebounds and five assists, gave the Pistons an 87-86 lead with 28.5 seconds left.
Dustin Byfuglien tied the score with 12 seconds left in regulation and assisted on Mark Scheifele’s 30th goal this season at 3:34 of overtime, rallying the Winnipeg Jets to a 4-3 victory over the playoff-bound Anaheim Ducks on Thursday night. Winnipeg scored twice in the final 8:25 of the third period to pull even. Following a coach’s challenge by Randy Carlyle of the Ducks, it was determined that Byfuglien’s jam job in the crease was indeed a good goal.
Former running back LaDainian Tomlinson rejoined the Chargers on Thursday as a special assistant to the owner. The Los Angeles Chargers made the move to reunite the San Diego sports hero with the franchise that employed him for his first nine NFL seasons. Tomlinson will be a public representative of the Chargers and will participate in community outreach programs while the franchise moves north after 56 seasons in San Diego.
Nikola Mirotic tied season highs with 28 points and six 3-pointers, Jimmy Butler scored 25, and the Chicago Bulls beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 99-93 on a night when LeBron James moved into seventh place on the NBA’s career scoring list. James moved past Shaquille O’Neal, finishing with 26 points and giving him 28,599 for his career – three more than O’Neal.
