Trail Blazers defeat L.A. Clippers in OT
NBA: LaMarcus Aldridge scored 32 points and the Portland Trail Blazers defeated the Los Angeles Clippers 116-112 in overtime on Thursday night to improve to an NBA-best 24-5.
Blake Griffin scored 35 points and grabbed 11 rebounds for the Clippers while teammate Chris Paul scored 34 points while coming up with 16 assists. DeAndre Jordan contributed 19 rebounds.
Six Blazers scored in double figures including Robin Lopez, who grabbed 15 rebounds to go along with 11 points.
Two free throws by Wesley Matthews put Portland up by four points with 12 seconds left in overtime. Paul missed a 3-point try with 8 seconds remaining and Matthews grabbed the rebound to secure the win.
• Green perfect in Spurs victory: Danny Green didn’t miss a shot in scoring 22 points, Tim Duncan had 21 points and 13 rebounds, and the San Antonio Spurs took advantage of the Mavericks’ weakened frontcourt for a 116-109 victory in Dallas. Mavericks centers Samuel Dalembert and Brandan Wright were fighting undisclosed illnesses.
• Harden’s free throws lead Rockets: James Harden scored 11 of his 27 points in the fourth quarter, helping the Houston Rockets rally for a 100-92 home victory over the Memphis Grizzlies. Harden struggled from the field, going 2 for 9, but was 22 of 25 from the free-throw line. He made 9 of 11 foul shots in the final quarter.
• Hawks win in double OT: Jeff Teague scored a career-high 34 points, including a 20-foot jumper at the buzzer in the second overtime, to give the Atlanta Hawks a 127-125 win over the Cavaliers at Cleveland.
• Pistons send down rookies: The Detroit Pistons assigned rookies Tony Mitchell and Peyton Siva to the Fort Wayne Mad Ants of the NBA Development League.
Clowney pulled over again
College football: South Carolina defensive end Jadeveon Clowney has been pulled over again for going at least 25 mph over the speed limit near the Gamecocks’ campus.
It’s Clowney’s second ticket in three weeks. On Dec. 7, state troopers say he was going 110 mph in a 70 mph zone.
• Freshman QB to start for Michigan: Michigan freshman quarterback Shane Morris will make his first collegiate start in place of Devin Gardner against Kansas State in the Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl on Saturday. Gardner sustained a turf toe injury in the Wolverines’ final regular-season game against Ohio State and showed up in Arizona wearing a protective boot.
• Bobby Bowden’s grandson killed: Authorities say former Florida State football coach Bobby Bowden’s grandson was one of two men killed when their car flipped into a small ditch off a central Florida road. The Polk County Sheriff’s Office says in a news release that 23-year-old Taylor Jeffrey Bowden and 25-year-old Rafael Fernandes De Aguiar Valim, who had been driving, both died in the Thursday crash in Winter Haven.
U.S. beats Czech Republic
Hockey: Providence’s Jon Gillies made 23 saves to help the United States open its world junior title defense with a 5-1 victory over the Czech Republic at Malmo, Sweden. In the other Group A game, Anthony Mantha scored three goals in Canada’s 7-2 win over Germany.