WAMC Sports Report 12/20/24: Towns relishes return to Minnesota as Knicks blow out Timberwolves

NBA

Karl-Anthony Towns needed some extra time to prepare for playing against the team he always figured he’d be with his whole career. The surreal experience of returning to Minnesota was enjoyable from start to finish for Towns. He had 32 points and 20 rebounds for the New York Knicks in a 133-107 victory over the Timberwolves. There was no sense in trying to downplay the significance of this reunion. Minnesota still means a lot to Towns. He also made a major impact on the organization and the community despite some difficult years.

Cam Johnson hit a tiebreaking 3-pointer with less than two minutes remaining in the fourth quarter and finished with 33 points as the Brooklyn Nets overcame a 10-point deficit and beat the Toronto Raptors 101-94. Ben Simmons and Shake Milton each scored 12 points, and Noah Clowney had 11 for the Nets, who trailed 76-66 late in the third. Toronto’s Scottie Barnes returned after missing the past two games due to a sprained right ankle, finishing with 16 points in 36 minutes. Ochai Agbaji led the Raptors with 20 points, and Gradey Dick added 19 as Toronto’s losing streak reached six.

Zach LaVine scored a season-high 36 points and the Chicago Bulls used a fourth-quarter flurry to hold off the Boston Celtics 117-108 on Thursday night in the opener of a home-and-home set. The teams will meet again in Chicago on Saturday night. Ayo Dosunmu added 17 points and Nikola Vucevic had 16 points and 14 rebounds to help Chicago win its season-best third straight. Chicago outscored Boston 35-22 in the fourth quarter and made 19 3-pointers for the game. Jayson Tatum had 31 points to lead Boston, which lost for just the fourth time at home this season. Kristaps Porzings added 20 points and eight rebounds.

Celtics forward Jaylen Brown took issue with back-to-back technical fouls called on coach Joe Mazzulla and himself late in the fourth quarter of Boston’s 117-108 loss to the Chicago Bulls. Trailing 99-90, Celtics scored six straight points before consecutive techs were called on Mazzulla and Brown with 5:12 left to play after both protested a non-foul call as Brown scrambled for a loose ball. A jump ball was called instead. Brown said he approached referee Justin Van Duyne to get an explanation on Mazzulla’s tech, which Brown felt was unwarranted. Brown was eventually whistled for a technical as well.

Jordan Poole scored 27 points and Malcolm Brogdon added 25 in his return from injury as the Washington Wizards beat the Charlotte Hornets 123-114. Rookie Alex Sarr had 19 points and nine rebounds for Washington. The Wizards (4-21) snapped a three-game skid in winning for just the second time in 21 games. Washington’s sluggish start follows a franchise-worst 15-67 record a season ago. LaMelo Ball had 34 points and 13 assists for Charlotte, which lost its third straight and for the 11th time in 12 games. Miles Bridges and Mark Williams added 16 points and eight rebounds each for the Hornets. Brandon Miller sat out with a left ankle sprain.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 35 points and Jalen Williams scored six straight points in a run in the fourth quarter that helped turned back an Orlando comeback bid as the Oklahoma City Thunder beat the Magic 105-99. Isaiah Hartenstein had 12 points and 12 rebounds for the Thunder. Williams, Aaron Wiggins and Alex Caruso each finished with 11 points. Anthony Black scored the first nine points in the fourth quarter and matched his career high with 23 points for the Magic.

Collin Sexton scored 30 points, Lauri Markkanen had 27 points and 14 rebounds and the Utah Jazz beat the Detroit Pistons 126-119 on Thursday night for for their second victory in 10 games. Keyonte George added 28 points for Utah. The Jazz built a 29-point lead in the first quarter and overcame 27 turnovers to improve to 6-20. Cade Cunningham had 33 points for Detroit before fouling out in the final minute. Malik Beasley added 23. Utah led by 15 with 3:54 left, but had five turnovers to help the Pistons pull to 114-109 with 1:45 left. John Collins and George hit back-to-back 3-pointers to make it 120-109 with 51 seconds to go.

Stephen Curry had a game like none other in his career. It was part of an awful night for the Golden State Warriors. Curry didn’t make a shot from the field in his 24 minutes — the first time he’s played that many minutes without a basket in his 16-year career — and the Warriors fell behind by 57 points in what became a 144-93 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies on Thursday night. The 51-point final margin and 57-point deficit were both the largest in the NBA this season.

Jalen Green scored 34 points to lead the Houston Rockets to a 133-113 win over the New Orleans Pelicans. Green had a season-high 22 points in the third quarter and shot 13 of 22 in the game, including 4 for 10 from beyond the arc. Dillon Brooks scored 26 points, and Alperen Sengun added 23 points and nine rebounds as the Rockets improved to 11-3 at home. Trey Murphy III scored 28 points, and Herb Jones had 20 for the Pelicans, who have lost five straight and fell to 1-14 on the road.

Victor Wembanyama scored eight of his 42 points in overtime and the San Antonio Spurs outlasted the Atlanta Hawks 133-126 on Thursday night. Wembanyama was 13 for 24 from the field, going 7 of 15 on 3-pointers. He also had six rebounds, five assists, four blocks and two steals. De’Andre Hunter scored 27 points for Atlanta. Trae Young had 23 points and 16 assists and Jalen Johnson added 22 points. Devin Vassell added 23 points for San Antonio, and Jeremy Sochan had 20. Chris Paul scored 10 of his 12 points in the fourth quarter and overtime, including a four-point play that helped the Spurs reach overtime.

Norman Powell scored 29 points, James Harden added 24 and Ivica Zubac had 21 points and 15 rebounds as the Los Angeles Clippers beat Dallas 118-95 in the Mavericks’ first game this season playing without star guards Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving. Doncic sat out with a left heel contusion, Irving with right shoulder soreness. First-year Maverick Klay Thompson scored 22 points.

Pascal Siakam had 25 points and 18 rebounds, Myles Turner added 19 points and the Indiana Pacers beat the Phoenix Suns 120-111 on Thursday night. Indiana used a 15-4 run to lead 97-83 after three quarters and stretched it to 105-86 early in the fourth. The Pacers shot 16 of 41 from 3-point range to win for the fourth time in five games. Tyrese Halliburton added 13 points and 12 assists, hitting 4 of 9 from 3. Kevin Durant led the Suns with 37 points and 10 rebounds. Bradley Beal added 16 points after missing two games because of a swollen right knee. Devin Booker had 17 points, but went out in the third quarter with groin tightness.

Anfernee Simons made a driving layup at the buzzer to give the Portland Trail Blazers a 126-124 victory over Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets. Simons drove to his right and got past defender Russell Westbrook, lofting the ball high off the glass as the horn sounded. He finished with 28 points and 10 assists. Shaedon Sharpe scored 27 points for the Blazers, who snapped a six-game skid. Deni Avdija added 19 points and Deandre Ayton had 15 points and 13 rebounds. Jokic had 34 points and eight assists for Denver.

LeBron James had 19 points, six rebounds and seven assists while breaking the NBA record for regular-season minutes, helping the Los Angeles beat the Sacramento Kings 113-110 on Thursday night. James spent 34 minutes on the court against the Kings to give him 57,471 in his career, moving past Hall of Famer Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (57,446) for the record. Anthony Davis had 21 points and 20 rebounds in the opener of a two-game set at Golden 1 Center. Austin Reaves scored 35 points. De’Aaron Fox had 26 points, five assists and three steals for the Kings.

NHL

Connor McDavid scored the tying goal with 2:21 remaining in regulation and Mattias Ekholm got the overtime winner as the Edmonton Oilers overcame a shoddy start for a 3-2 victory against the Boston Bruins. Just 1:04 into the extra period, Bruins goalie Jeremy Swayman made the initial save on Leon Draisaitl but Ryan Nugent-Hopkins was there to grab the rebound and drop it back to Ekholm, who scored his fourth goal of the season. Draisaitl had three assists to give him 900 career points. Zach Hyman had a goal and an assist for the Oilers, who have won nine of 11. Elias Lindholm and Mark Kastelic scored in the first period to give the Bruins a 2-0 lead.

Anze Kopitar and Kevin Fiala scored two goals each and the Los Angeles Kings rallied to beat the Philadelphia Flyers 7-3. Kopitar scored the tying goal in the final minute of the second period and then re-directed a pass from Alex Turcotte in the third period. Darcy Kuemper made 23 saves. Kopitar now has at least one point in 19 of his last 24 games. Tanner Jeannot and Quinton Byfield also scored for the Kings, who won for the eighth time in their last 11 games. Tyson Foerster scored a pair of goals and Noah Cates had one for Philadelphia.

Sean Monahan had two goals and an assist, Elvis Merzlikins stopped a season-high 40 shots and the Columbus Blue Jackets snapped a five-game skid with a 4-2 victory over the New Jersey Devils. Ivan Provorov and Zach Werenski also scored for Columbus, which has won only two of its last 10 games. Kirill Marchenko contributed two assists for his 100th NHL point, extending his point streak to four games. Luke Hughes had a goal and an assist, Timo Meier scored and Jake Allen stopped 16 shots for New Jersey, which had won three straight.

Nikita Kucherov had a pair of assists to lead the Tampa Bay Lightning to a 3-1 victory against the St. Louis Blues. Anthony Cirelli, Gage Goncalves and Nick Perbix scored for the Lightning, who have won six of their last seven. Andrei Vasilevskiy finished with 31 saves in the win. Pavel Buchnevich scored for St. Louis. Jordan Binnington allowed three goals on 11 shots before being replaced by Joel Hofer, who stopped all seven shots he faced.

Bryan Rust scored his second goal of the game 1:07 into overtime and Sidney Crosby had a season-high four points as the Pittsburgh Penguins beat the Nashville Predators 5-4. Rust also had two assists and Crosby finished with a goal and three assists. Rickard Rakell and Erik Karlsson each had a goal and an assist for the Penguins, who have won three of four. Tristan Jarry made 22 saves. Crosby, the Pitsburgh captain, snapped a 10-game goal drought. Steven Stamkos, Jonathan Marchessault, Luke Evangelista and Brady Skjei scored for Nashville. Juuse Saros stopped 15 shots, and Filip Forsberg had two assists.

Ilya Mikheyev scored two more goals, Arvid Soderblom made 27 saves and the Chicago Blackhawks beat the Seattle Kraken 3-1 for their third straight win. Teuvo Teravainen had two assists as Chicago closed out a perfect three-game homestand. Nolan Allan added his first career goal in the third period. It’s the first three-game win streak for the Blackhawks since they won five in a row in February 2023. Seattle lost for the fourth time in five games and has managed just two goals during a three-game losing streak. Mikheyev has four goals during a three-game scoring streak.

Brady Tkachuk scored 55 seconds into overtime and the Ottawa Senators extended their win streak to five games with a 3-2 victory against the Calgary Flames. After Calgary failed to convert a two-on-one at one end, goaltender Linus Ullmark fired the loose puck up to Tim Stutzle to start a two-on-one break for Ottawa. Dan Vladar stopped the initial shot, but Tkachuk knocked in the rebound. Ridly Greig had a short-handed goal and Nick Cousins also scored for Ottawa. Blake Coleman and Jonathan Huberdeau scored for Calgary.

William Karlsson broke a tie early in the third period and the Vegas Golden Knights went on to beat the Vancouver Canucks 3-1. The Pacific Division-leading Golden Knights have won six of their last seven. Karlsson scored when he skated in along the goal line, banked a shot off Canucks goalie Kevin Lankinen’s stick blade, grabbed the rebound in the crease and fired it on the opposite side of the goal. Alex Pietrangelo scored his third goal of the season, Brett Howden notched his 12th into an empty net with 51 seconds left and Adin Hill stopped 19 shots. Teddy Blueger scored for the Canucks and Lankinen made 19 saves.

Joel Kiviranta scored twice in the third period, Mackenzie Blackwood made 32 saves against his former team and the Colorado Avalanche beat the San Jose Sharks 4-2. The Avalanche have won five of seven, while the Sharks have dropped six of seven. After the Avalanche killed a penalty, Kiviranta scored off the counterattack at 13:06 of the third to give Colorado a 3-2 lead. He scored again just under three minutes later for an insurance goal. The game featured goaltenders who were traded for each other last week. Alexandar Georgiev stopped 27 shots for the Sharks.

NFL

Cameron Dicker of the Los Angeles Chargers made the first successful fair-catch kick in the NFL since 1976 on Thursday night. He connected from 57 yards right before halftime against the Denver Broncos. Dicker and the Chargers took advantage of a seldom-used football play called the fair-catch kick, which allows a team that has just made a fair catch to try a free kick for three points. Only five NFL teams had previously tried the kick in the 21st century, and nobody had successfully executed it since Ray Wersching did it for the San Diego Chargers 48 years ago.

Justin Herbert passed for 284 yards and two touchdowns, including a go-ahead 19-yarder to Derius Davis early in the fourth quarter, and the Los Angeles Chargers got closer to wrapping up a playoff spot by rallying past the Denver Broncos 34-27 on Thursday night. The Chargers’ comeback also included Cameron Dicker making the first successful fair-catch kick in the NFL in 48 years. He was good from 57 yards on the final play of the first half to pull the Chargers within 21-13. Los Angeles needs losses by Indianapolis and Miami on Sunday to make the playoffs. Denver failed to clinch a playoff berth and had its four-game winning streak snapped.

MLB

Sammy Sosa appeared to acknowledge using performance enhancing drugs during a career in which he hit more than 600 home runs, and the Chicago Cubs said they were ready to welcome him back. Sosa says in a statement “there were times I did whatever I could to recover from injuries in an effort to keep my strength up to perform over 162 games.” He adds: “I never broke any laws. But in hindsight, I made mistakes and I apologize.” Cubs chairman Tom Ricketts said the team plans to invite Sosa to the annual fan convention Jan. 17-19 in Chicago.

WOMEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL

Siena 65 Niagara 57

Iona 58 Sacred Heart 44

OT Marist 61 Mount St. Mary’s 50

Buffalo 70 Vermont 68

COLLEGE FOOTBALL

It took more than 100 years, a few billion dollars and the cold, hard realization that you can’t fight progress forever. And now, finally, college football has what the rest of sports have: a legitimate postseason tournament. The first-of-its-kind 12-team College Football Playoff kicks off Friday and Saturday with four first-round games on campuses steeped in gridiron tradition: Texas, Penn State, Notre Dame and Ohio State. Winners advance to play over the New Year’s holiday, and the tournament concludes Jan. 20 with the national title game.

THEATER

Australian breaker Rachael “Raygun” Gunn has tried to be a good sport about the jokes and criticism that poured in from around the globe after her controversial performance at the Paris Olympics. But maybe “Raygun: the Musical” was a bridge too far. Comedian Stephanie Broadbridge called off the show just hours before it was set to premiere in Sydney, after Gunn’s lawyers contacted its comedy club venue and threatened legal action. On Thursday, Broadbridge said the musical had been rebranded as “Breaking: The Musical,” “A completely legal parody musical.” Gunn said in a video posted to social media that decision to demand her name be removed from the musical was not about not “being able to take a joke.”

SOCCER

U.S. women’s soccer team forward Trinity Rodman has opened up about her strained relationship with father Dennis Rodman, saying he is largely absent from her life. She told the Call Her Daddy podcast that the former NBA star is only a father by blood. Dennis Rodman responded to his daughter with a post on Instagram saying he tried to be a father and will keep trying.

OLYMPICS

Seven International Olympic Committee members are running as candidates to be the next president in its first election since 2013. Their newly published manifestos show broad consensus on some issues and challenges for the IOC and global sports. Climate change and sustainability, engaging with youth via social and digital media in the fast-changing broadcasting landscape, harnessing AI, protecting women’s sport. There are clear differences on paying prize money to Olympic athletes and how to engage more than 100 members to shape the IOC’s future and pick host cities. Those members vote at a March 18-21 election meeting in Greece.

© 2024 Associated Press. All rights reserved.