Thursday Morning Sports Update-02/25/2021

pistons-pelicans-basketball
pistons-pelicans-basketball

NBA – National Basketball Association
Last Night
New Orleans Pelicans 128, Detroit Pistons 118
Golden State Warriors 111, Indiana Pacers 107
Chicago Bulls 133, Minnesota Timberwolves 126 – OT

Pelicans 128, Pistons 118 – Zion Williamson leads Pelicans past Pistons, 128-118
Zion Williamson scored 32 points in his first game since being named a first-time All-Star, and the New Orleans Pelicans beat the Detroit Pistons 128-118. Brandon Ingram added 27 points, eight assists and seven rebounds for New Orleans, which trailed most of the first three quarters before thwarting the Pistons’ bid to win two road games on consecutive nights. Pelicans center Steven Adams scored 14 points and grabbed 15 rebounds in his first action since missing two games with a sore right ankle.  Josh Jackson scored 25 points and Mason Plumlee added 21 points for Detroit.

Bulls 133, T-Wolves 126 – OT – LaVine scores 35 as Bulls beat Timberwolves 133-126 in OT
Zach LaVine celebrated his first All-Star selection with 35 points against his original NBA team, helping the Chicago Bulls beat the Minnesota Timberwolves 133-126 in overtime. Chicago shot 59% from the field and had seven players score in double figures during its fifth win in six games. Coby White had 20 points, and Wendell Carter Jr. finished with 17 points and 10 rebounds. Minnesota lost for the 10th time in 11 games despite a gutsy second-half rally while playing for the second straight night. New coach Chris Finch is winless in two games since taking over after Ryan Saunders was fired Sunday night.

Warriors 111, Pacers 107 – Warriors use late run to pull away from Pacers, 111-107
Stephen Curry scored 24 points, Draymond Green fell just short of a triple-double and the weary Golden State Warriors beat the Indiana Pacers 111-107 on Wednesday night. Green had 12 points, 11 rebounds, nine assists and three steals. The Warriors took control with a late 6-0 run to seal their second straight victory on a four-game trip. Malcolm Brogdon led the Pacers with 24 points and Domantas Sabonis had 22 points and 16 rebounds for his his 24th double-double of the season. But the Pacers looked rusty after taking an unexpected one-week break because of two postponed games.

Golf – LA sheriff calls Tiger Woods crash ‘purely an accident’
The Los Angeles County sheriff says the rollover that seriously injured Tiger Woods was “purely an accident” on a downhill section of road known for crashes. Sheriff Alex Villanueva said Wednesday that deputies saw no evidence the golf star was impaired by drugs or alcohol after Tuesday’s rollover. A personal injury attorney in California says that if investigators prove the road is unsafe and contributed to the crash, the city that controls it could be held liable. The county supervisor who represents the area has requested a safety review. A police expert says it’s “premature” to say the crash was an accident.

NCAAMBB – Men’s College Basketball
Today
Miami (OH) at Western Michigan, 12:00 p.m.
Eastern Michigan at Ohio, 2:00 p.m.
Central Michigan at Buffalo, 2:00 p.m.
(9) Iowa at (3) Michigan, 7:00 p.m.                News/Talk/Sports 94.9 WSJM 6:30
(4) Ohio State at Michigan State, 9:00 p.m.    Superhits 103.7 Cosy-FM 8:00

NCAAMBB – Michigan/Iowa Preview – Garza, Dickinson ready to renew acquaintances
When No. 3 Michigan hosts No. 9 Iowa on Thursday night, it will be a matchup of two of the top big men in the country — Hunter Dickinson of the Wolverines and Luka Garza of the Hawkeyes. The two of them are both from the Washington, D.C. area and have known each other for years. The 7-foot-1 Dickinson, in his first season at Michigan, leads the team with 15 points and 7.8 rebounds per game. The 6-foot-11 Garza, a senior, leads the nation in scoring with an average of 24.7 points.

NHL – National Hockey League
Tonight
Chicago Blackhawks at Columbus Blue Jackets, 7:00 p.m.
Nashville Predators at Detroit Red Wings, 7:30 p.m.

NHL – Canadiens fire coach Claude Julien amid losing stretch
The struggling Montreal Canadiens fired head coach Claude Julien and associate coach Kirk Muller on Wednesday following a three-game skid. Assistant coach Dominique Ducharme was appointed interim coach, and Alex Burrows was added to the Canadiens’ coaching staff.  The Canadiens were battling the Toronto Maple Leafs for top spot in the North Division earlier in the season but have since dropped into fourth.  A 5-4 shootout loss in Ottawa against the Senators on Tuesday night marked the end of the line for Julien, who returned for his second go-round as Montreal’s coach midway through the 2016-17 season.

NCAAWBB – Women’s College Basketball
Last Night
(25) Rutgers 63, Michigan State 53
Toledo 72, Central Michigan 67
Western Michigan 66, Eastern Michigan 56

(25) Rutgers 63, Michigan State 53 – No. 25 Rutgers women dominate 4th quarter to top Michigan St
Freshman Diamond Johnson scored 22 points, Arella Guirantes had 11 points, nine rebounds and eight assists, and No. 25 Rutgers used a 24-7 fourth quarter to beat Michigan State 63-53 for its sixth double-digit victory in a row.

Tonight
(12) Michigan at Iowa, 4:30 p.m.
Florida State at Notre Dame, 7:00 p.m.

NCAAWBB – Official injured after buzzer of Rutgers-Michigan State game
Official Angie Enlund was hurt at the end of the Rutgers-Michigan State women’s basketball game and taken to a hospital. After the final buzzer, Rutgers player Tekia Mack was heading back to the Scarlet Knights bench when she inadvertently ran over Enlund at center court, hitting her hard. Enlund was on the ground for a few minutes and taken off on a stretcher. She did have mobility and movement of her extremities and went to a hospital to be further evaluated.

NCAA – Bill would allow college athletes to return from draft
The latest federal bill related to college sports would allow athletes to earn money from endorsements, loosen restrictions around transfers and permit players to return to school after entering a professional league’s draft.  The proposed legislation would require the wealthiest athletic programs to increase spending on long-term medical care for athletes. The bill is the fourth to emerge from the Senate since December and second from a Republican. Most recently, Connecticut Sen. Chris Murphy introduced a bill narrowly focused on giving college athletes the right to earn money off their names, images and likenesses.

NFL – Bucs still keen on Brady extension
It’s not often you hear of a team that’s prepared to offer an extension to a 40-something athlete. Then again, Tom Brady’s not an average athlete. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are open to giving the seven-time Super Bowl champion a contract extension. General manager Jason Licht reiterated Wednesday that the Super Bowl champions would like to keep the 43-year-old quarterback in uniform for as long as Brady wants to play. Licht declined to characterize any conversations the team’s had about that prospect. Brady just led the Bucs to their second Super Bowl title.

Olympics – NBC to air Paralympic coverage in prime time for first time
NBC will air coverage of the Paralympics during prime time for the first time this summer. NBCUniversal announced that 1,200 hours of programming will air across NBC’s linear and digital channels from the Summer Paralympic Games in Tokyo. That includes more than 200 hours on NBC, NBCSN and the Olympic Channel. NBC Olympics President Gary Zenkel says he expects NBC’s prime time coverage from the Paralympics to total four hours over multiple nights. The Games are scheduled to begin in six months after being postponed last year because of the pandemic.

MHSAA – High School Sports
Last Night
Boys Basketball
Edwardsburg 59, Dowagiac 39
Plainwell 41, Allegan 33
Three Rivers 59, Paw Paw 51
Sturgis 68, Vicksburg 61
Colon 41, Mendon 36
Parchment 48, Constantine 28
Watervliet 63, Fennville 61

Girls Basketball
Saugatuck 55, Benton Harbor 38
Edwardsburg 62, Dowagiac 13
Plainwell 57, Allegan 30
Vicksburg 34, Sturgis 19
Three Rivers 46, Paw Paw 38
Brandywine 46, Hartford 39
South Haven 44, Coloma 29
Homer 37, White Pigeon 5

Wrestling
South Haven 46, Battle Creek Pennfield 25
Lakeshore 72, Portage Central 12
Lakeshore 77, Portage Northern 0
Plainwell 51, Niles 15
Niles 54, Sturgis 18
Paw Paw 66, Niles 15

Tonight
Boys Basketball
Gull Lake at Benton Harbor, 7:00 p.m.
Comstock at Allegan, 7:00 p.m.
Delton-Kellogg at Constantine, 7:30 p.m.

Girls Basketball
St. Joseph at Lakeshore, 7:00 p.m.
Michigan Lutheran at River Valley, 7:30 p.m.
Eau Claire at New Buffalo, 7:00 p.m.
Battle Creek Lakeview at Battle Creek Central, 5:45 p.m.
Kalamazoo Central at Kalamazoo Loy Norrix, 5:45 p.m.
Comstock at Allegan, 5:30 p.m.
Delton-Kellogg at Constantine, 6:00 p.m.