Cavs' Long-Range Game Lead Them Over Hawks'
The Cleveland Cavaliers used an NBA-record number of three-pointers to hold off the Atlanta Hawks in a wild showdown Friday night. The Cavs hit 25 threes on the night in a 135-130 win over the Hawks, as that broke a record set by the Houston Rockets less than three months ago. Kyrie Irving scored 43 points, while LeBron James had 38 points to help Cleveland hold off a late Atlanta rally. It's only fitting that former Hawk Kyle Korver is the one who hit the record-breaking three-pointer in the win. The Hawks trailed by 15 heading into the fourth, but outscored the Cavs by 13 in the final 12 minutes to make things interesting. Cleveland's largest lead was at 25 points on the night. James was 6-of-10 from three, and added 13 rebounds and eight assists in the Cavs' 42nd win of the year.
Another Westbrook Performance Goes to Waste in Thunder Loss
For the second consecutive night Russell Westbrook went off on the floor, but for a second consecutive night it came in a losing effort. Westbrook finished with 48 points, 17 rebounds, and nine assists, but the Oklahoma City Thunder fell to the lowly Phoenix Suns, 118-111, on Friday night. Eric Bledsoe scored 18 points to help pull off the upset, which was just the 12th home win of the year. Meanwhile, the Thunder's struggles on the road continued, as they fell to 12-19 away from OKC. Alan Williams had 14 points and 13 rebounds and Tyler Ulis had a season-high 14 points and seven assists, as the Suns snapped a six-game losing streak against the Thunder. Phoenix is now on a three-game win streak, while OKC has now lost two in a row after being victorious in four straight.
Malkin Leads Penguins in 700th Game
Evgeni Malkin celebrated his 700th career NHL game on Friday night, and he did so in impressive fashion against the Tampa Bay Lightning. Malkin scored twice and recorded an assist, leading the Pittsburgh Penguins over the Lightning, 5-2. The win pulls them into a tie for second in the Metropolitan Division with Columbus Blue Jackets. Mark Streit scored in his Penguin debut, while Phil Kessel assisted both of Malkin's goals, and Justin Schultz had a goal and an assist, as the Penguins swept the season series with Tampa Bay. Matt Murray had 27 saves, surrendering two power play goals to Nikita Kucherov and Adam Erne. Despite that, the Lightning dropped their third straight on the road, after losses earlier the week in Dallas and Chicago. Between the Capitals, Blue Jackets, Penguins, and Rangers, the Metropolitan Division race will go down to the final game of the season to decide who the top three teams are.
The Cleveland Cavaliers used an NBA-record number of three-pointers to hold off the Atlanta Hawks in a wild showdown Friday night. The Cavs hit 25 threes on the night in a 135-130 win over the Hawks, as that broke a record set by the Houston Rockets less than three months ago. Kyrie Irving scored 43 points, while LeBron James had 38 points to help Cleveland hold off a late Atlanta rally. It's only fitting that former Hawk Kyle Korver is the one who hit the record-breaking three-pointer in the win. The Hawks trailed by 15 heading into the fourth, but outscored the Cavs by 13 in the final 12 minutes to make things interesting. Cleveland's largest lead was at 25 points on the night. James was 6-of-10 from three, and added 13 rebounds and eight assists in the Cavs' 42nd win of the year.
Another Westbrook Performance Goes to Waste in Thunder Loss
For the second consecutive night Russell Westbrook went off on the floor, but for a second consecutive night it came in a losing effort. Westbrook finished with 48 points, 17 rebounds, and nine assists, but the Oklahoma City Thunder fell to the lowly Phoenix Suns, 118-111, on Friday night. Eric Bledsoe scored 18 points to help pull off the upset, which was just the 12th home win of the year. Meanwhile, the Thunder's struggles on the road continued, as they fell to 12-19 away from OKC. Alan Williams had 14 points and 13 rebounds and Tyler Ulis had a season-high 14 points and seven assists, as the Suns snapped a six-game losing streak against the Thunder. Phoenix is now on a three-game win streak, while OKC has now lost two in a row after being victorious in four straight.
Malkin Leads Penguins in 700th Game
Evgeni Malkin celebrated his 700th career NHL game on Friday night, and he did so in impressive fashion against the Tampa Bay Lightning. Malkin scored twice and recorded an assist, leading the Pittsburgh Penguins over the Lightning, 5-2. The win pulls them into a tie for second in the Metropolitan Division with Columbus Blue Jackets. Mark Streit scored in his Penguin debut, while Phil Kessel assisted both of Malkin's goals, and Justin Schultz had a goal and an assist, as the Penguins swept the season series with Tampa Bay. Matt Murray had 27 saves, surrendering two power play goals to Nikita Kucherov and Adam Erne. Despite that, the Lightning dropped their third straight on the road, after losses earlier the week in Dallas and Chicago. Between the Capitals, Blue Jackets, Penguins, and Rangers, the Metropolitan Division race will go down to the final game of the season to decide who the top three teams are.
