Robinson, Gordon, Porzingis Lead All-Star Saturday Night
The NBA held their famous All-Star Saturday night in New Orleans, as always a night before the All-Star Game. The Slam Dunk Contest was your main event, per usual, and it was Glenn Robinson III of the Indiana Pacers who is now known as the dunk king. It was a dunk over the likes of Paul George, the Pacers' mascot, and a cheerleader that sealed the victory over Phoenix Suns' rookie Derrick Jones Jr. Robinson was helped out by Jones's inability to complete the first of two final-round dunks. DeAndre Jordan of the Los Angeles Clippers and Aaron Gordon of the Orlando Magic did not make it past the first round. Meanwhile, as the Houston Rockets are one of the hottest shooting teams in the league, it only makes sense that a Rocket won the Three-Point Shootout. Eric Gordon beat out Kyrie Irving of the Cavaliers, 21-18, in the final round tiebreaker to give him the win. Both shooters had finished with 20 in the finale, so they each shot 25 more balls to decide the victor. Last year's winner, Klay Thompson of the Warriors, was eliminated in the first round. And Kristaps Porzingis of the Knicks kept the trend of big men winning the Skills Competition alive, beating out Utah's Gordon Hayward in the finals. Favorites like John Wall and Isaiah Thomas were eliminated early on in the competition, as a big man won for a second year in a row.
Kansas Holds Off Baylor Late For Top-5 Win
The Big 12 race got much more heated on Saturday afternoon with a top-5 matchup, as No. 3 Kansas ended the game on an 8-0 run to get past No. 4 Baylor, 67-65. Landen Lucas made two clutch free throws with 11 seconds left to give the Jayhawks the lead, as they held the Bears scoreless in their final possession as time expired. Kansas is now sitting pretty in the Big-12 Race with a three-game lead on Baylor, as they sit at 12-2 in conference play. Frank Mason III led the way with 23 points on Saturday, as his team is on pace to secure their 13th straight conference title. Baylor is now 22-5 on the year, with all five losses coming in Big-12 play, as they have dropped four of their past six games. Jonathan Motley had 19 points in Saturday's tough loss at home.
West Virginia Avoids Second Straight Loss in Double-OT
The ninth-ranked West Virginia Mountaineers were coming off a tough overtime loss to the Jayhawks in which they blew a 14-point lead late, and they nearly dropped a second straight in extra time on Saturday. Jevon Carter had a season-high 24 points to help WVU holds off the Texas Tech Red Raiders in double-overtime, 83-74. Carter hit the go-ahead basket in the second overtime period, as the Mountaineers' defense held Texas Tech scoreless for four minutes in extra time to pull away. Tarik Phillip added 15 points, as West Virginia outscored the Red Raiders 13-4 in the second overtime. Keenan Evans tied a career-high with 28 points in the loss, while Niem Stevenson added 17, all of which came in the first half. The Mountaineers are three games out in the Big-12 at 9-5, while Texas Tech fell to 5-9 in conference play.
The NBA held their famous All-Star Saturday night in New Orleans, as always a night before the All-Star Game. The Slam Dunk Contest was your main event, per usual, and it was Glenn Robinson III of the Indiana Pacers who is now known as the dunk king. It was a dunk over the likes of Paul George, the Pacers' mascot, and a cheerleader that sealed the victory over Phoenix Suns' rookie Derrick Jones Jr. Robinson was helped out by Jones's inability to complete the first of two final-round dunks. DeAndre Jordan of the Los Angeles Clippers and Aaron Gordon of the Orlando Magic did not make it past the first round. Meanwhile, as the Houston Rockets are one of the hottest shooting teams in the league, it only makes sense that a Rocket won the Three-Point Shootout. Eric Gordon beat out Kyrie Irving of the Cavaliers, 21-18, in the final round tiebreaker to give him the win. Both shooters had finished with 20 in the finale, so they each shot 25 more balls to decide the victor. Last year's winner, Klay Thompson of the Warriors, was eliminated in the first round. And Kristaps Porzingis of the Knicks kept the trend of big men winning the Skills Competition alive, beating out Utah's Gordon Hayward in the finals. Favorites like John Wall and Isaiah Thomas were eliminated early on in the competition, as a big man won for a second year in a row.
Kansas Holds Off Baylor Late For Top-5 Win
The Big 12 race got much more heated on Saturday afternoon with a top-5 matchup, as No. 3 Kansas ended the game on an 8-0 run to get past No. 4 Baylor, 67-65. Landen Lucas made two clutch free throws with 11 seconds left to give the Jayhawks the lead, as they held the Bears scoreless in their final possession as time expired. Kansas is now sitting pretty in the Big-12 Race with a three-game lead on Baylor, as they sit at 12-2 in conference play. Frank Mason III led the way with 23 points on Saturday, as his team is on pace to secure their 13th straight conference title. Baylor is now 22-5 on the year, with all five losses coming in Big-12 play, as they have dropped four of their past six games. Jonathan Motley had 19 points in Saturday's tough loss at home.
West Virginia Avoids Second Straight Loss in Double-OT
The ninth-ranked West Virginia Mountaineers were coming off a tough overtime loss to the Jayhawks in which they blew a 14-point lead late, and they nearly dropped a second straight in extra time on Saturday. Jevon Carter had a season-high 24 points to help WVU holds off the Texas Tech Red Raiders in double-overtime, 83-74. Carter hit the go-ahead basket in the second overtime period, as the Mountaineers' defense held Texas Tech scoreless for four minutes in extra time to pull away. Tarik Phillip added 15 points, as West Virginia outscored the Red Raiders 13-4 in the second overtime. Keenan Evans tied a career-high with 28 points in the loss, while Niem Stevenson added 17, all of which came in the first half. The Mountaineers are three games out in the Big-12 at 9-5, while Texas Tech fell to 5-9 in conference play.
