UNC Gets Revenge Win Over Duke
The North Carolina Tar Heels aimed to get revenge on their longtime rival Saturday night, and Joel Berry II made sure that happened. Berry scored 28 points, including seven straight late, to help the Tar Heels pull away for a 90-83 win over the Duke Blue Devils at home. The fifth-ranked Tar Heels not only avenged a loss to the Blue Devils from a month ago, but also a loss to No. 23 Virginia earlier this week. The win ends their regular season at 14-4 in conference play and 26-6 overall heading into the ACC Tournament. They secured the one seed in the tournament earlier in the day when Louisville got past Notre Dame. Isaiah Hicks scored 21 points to help UNC come out on top in a back-and-forth game that included 24 lead changes and 14 ties. The seven-point advantage as time expired was the largest lead for either side all night long.
Spurs Clinch Playoff Spot With OT Win
The San Antonio Spurs sit just two games behind the Golden State Warriors in the West, and are surely feeling good about themselves, especially after Saturday night. Kawhi Leonard had 34 points and 10 rebounds to help the Spurs outlast the Minnesota Timberwolves in overtime, 97-90. The win clinches a playoff spot for the second-place Spurs, as they improved to 48-13 on the year, including 21-6 at home. They extended a couple of streaks with the victory, as they are heading to the playoffs for a 20th straight year, and it was also their seventh win in a row overall. LaMarcus Aldridge added 18 points and 10 rebounds, while Pau Gasol had 17 points and eight rebounds to lead the Spurs to their second straight OT win. San Antonio outscored Minnesota 35-20 in the fourth quarter and OT, taking down the T'Wolves late despite Ricky Rubio's fifth career triple-double. Karl-Anthony Towns had 24 points and 14 rebounds in the Timberwolves' 37th loss of the season.
Backstrom Lifts Caps to 15th Straight Home Win
The Washington Capitals are flying high as the NHL's top team in the league, especially when it comes to defending their home ice. That stood true on Saturday night, as Nicklas Backstrom scored a power play goal in the extra period, giving the Caps a 2-1 win over the Philadelphia Flyers. The win was the 15th straight home win for the Caps, as they killed off all six Flyers' power plays to force overtime. They have now killed off all 15 man advantages against the Flyers this season, which is the type of play that led to their playoff-series win last spring. Backstrom's game-winning goal was his 20th of the year, coming 3:25 into OT. The regulation goals came from Dmitry Orlov of Washington and Sean Courtier for the Flyers, which was his first since February 2nd. The Capitals hold a nine-point lead in the Metropolitan Division, and are now six points ahead of the Blackhawks for tops in the NHL. Following the loss, the Flyers sit three points out of the final playoff spot in the East with 18 games remaining.
The North Carolina Tar Heels aimed to get revenge on their longtime rival Saturday night, and Joel Berry II made sure that happened. Berry scored 28 points, including seven straight late, to help the Tar Heels pull away for a 90-83 win over the Duke Blue Devils at home. The fifth-ranked Tar Heels not only avenged a loss to the Blue Devils from a month ago, but also a loss to No. 23 Virginia earlier this week. The win ends their regular season at 14-4 in conference play and 26-6 overall heading into the ACC Tournament. They secured the one seed in the tournament earlier in the day when Louisville got past Notre Dame. Isaiah Hicks scored 21 points to help UNC come out on top in a back-and-forth game that included 24 lead changes and 14 ties. The seven-point advantage as time expired was the largest lead for either side all night long.
Spurs Clinch Playoff Spot With OT Win
The San Antonio Spurs sit just two games behind the Golden State Warriors in the West, and are surely feeling good about themselves, especially after Saturday night. Kawhi Leonard had 34 points and 10 rebounds to help the Spurs outlast the Minnesota Timberwolves in overtime, 97-90. The win clinches a playoff spot for the second-place Spurs, as they improved to 48-13 on the year, including 21-6 at home. They extended a couple of streaks with the victory, as they are heading to the playoffs for a 20th straight year, and it was also their seventh win in a row overall. LaMarcus Aldridge added 18 points and 10 rebounds, while Pau Gasol had 17 points and eight rebounds to lead the Spurs to their second straight OT win. San Antonio outscored Minnesota 35-20 in the fourth quarter and OT, taking down the T'Wolves late despite Ricky Rubio's fifth career triple-double. Karl-Anthony Towns had 24 points and 14 rebounds in the Timberwolves' 37th loss of the season.
Backstrom Lifts Caps to 15th Straight Home Win
The Washington Capitals are flying high as the NHL's top team in the league, especially when it comes to defending their home ice. That stood true on Saturday night, as Nicklas Backstrom scored a power play goal in the extra period, giving the Caps a 2-1 win over the Philadelphia Flyers. The win was the 15th straight home win for the Caps, as they killed off all six Flyers' power plays to force overtime. They have now killed off all 15 man advantages against the Flyers this season, which is the type of play that led to their playoff-series win last spring. Backstrom's game-winning goal was his 20th of the year, coming 3:25 into OT. The regulation goals came from Dmitry Orlov of Washington and Sean Courtier for the Flyers, which was his first since February 2nd. The Capitals hold a nine-point lead in the Metropolitan Division, and are now six points ahead of the Blackhawks for tops in the NHL. Following the loss, the Flyers sit three points out of the final playoff spot in the East with 18 games remaining.
