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AP Mar 18, 2018 at 7:25a ET WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — The unflappable freshman with swag to spare let loose a long 3-pointer just as the buzzer sounded, watched it splash through the net and took off on a dead sprint around the arena. “I saw everybody celebrating,” Michigan’s Jordan Poole said later, “and I always thought if I hit a shot like that, I didn’t want to get tackled. So I tried to avoid everybody.” He finally gave up, allowing the sweetest of parties to truly begin. Poole’s buzzer-beater, which came after Houston squandered a chance to lock up a spot in the Midwest Region semifinals, lifted the third-seeded Wolverines to a 64-63 victory Saturday night — and left longtime coach John Beilein struggling to find the right words. Dramatic? That’s a good place to start. “I’m just trying to appreciate the moment of what just happened,” Beilein said. “When he makes that shot, … [Read more...] about Poole’s buzzer-beating 3-pointer lifts Michigan over Houston 64-63

AP Mar 18, 2018 at 7:19a ET PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Damian Lillard says Portland’s current streak is more about the Blazers than their opponents. Lillard had 24 points, eight assists and seven rebounds, and the Blazers beat the Detroit Pistons 100-87 on Saturday night for their 12th straight victory. “During this entire run a lot of the things we’ve done have been about us,” Lillard said. “Us communicating, being on the string defensively, locking into the scouting report and knowing what hurt us the last time we played these teams, and also trusting each other on offense, and making other teams have to work to stop us instead of being easy to guard.” CJ McCollum added 16 points for the Blazers, who have the longest current winning streak in the league. It’s the longest streak for the franchise since it won 13 in a row in December 2007. Portland (43-26) also earned its season-best ninth straight home win — a … [Read more...] about Van Gundy fumes about officiating after Pistons’ 100-87 loss in Portland

AP Mar 17, 2018 at 9:08a ET ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — The Anaheim Ducks and Detroit Red Wings are no longer in the same conference, but share enough institutional memory and bad feelings to give their games a little extra charge. The Ducks fed off the emotion of that throwback hockey, including three fights, to boost their position in the playoff chase. Corey Perry scored a tiebreaking goal late in the second period, John Gibson made 28 saves and the Ducks defeated the skidding Red Wings 4-2 on Friday night. “It’s old-time hockey and the league’s turned pretty soft, so it’s fun when you have games like that,” Anaheim center Ryan Kesler said. Kesler, Nick Ritchie and Derek Grant each had a goal for the Ducks, tied with Los Angeles for third place in the Pacific Division. Anaheim has 84 points — also the same amount as Colorado and Dallas, which hold the two wild-card spots in the Western Conference. Anaheim does not own the … [Read more...] about Red Wings drop ninth straight for first time since February 1986

Blount ran for a team-high 766 yards and two touchdowns during the regular season last year in Philadelphia and scored three touchdowns during the Eagles' Super Bowl-winning run. Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports AP Mar 16, 2018 at 11:25p ET ALLEN PARK, Mich. (AP) — The Detroit Lions added depth in the backfield, signing LeGarrette Blount and re-signing Zach Zenner. Detroit signed both players Friday to compete with Ameer Abdullah and Theo Riddick for carries this year. Blount, an unrestricted free agent, ran for a team-high 766 yards and two touchdowns during the regular season last year in Philadelphia and scored three touchdowns during the Eagles’ Super Bowl-winning run. He previously played for the New England Patriots, who used to employ Detroit general manager Bob Quin and coach Matt Patricia. Blount, who has also played for Tampa Bay and Pittsburgh, has run for 5,888 yards and 51 touchdowns in his career along with catching 54 passes … [Read more...] about Lions sign Super Bowl-winning running back LeGarrette Blount

Michigan State is trying to advance from the first weekend of the NCAA Tournament for the first time in three years. Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports AP Mar 16, 2018 at 9:59p ET DETROIT (AP) — Miles Bridges outlasted Zach Thomas, scoring 29 points and grabbing nine rebounds to help second-seeded Michigan State hold on for an 82-78 win over Bucknell on Friday night in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Thomas fouled out on a technical with 6:06 left and finished with 27 points. He put on a show in the first half, scoring 20 points and making all three of his shots beyond the 3-point arc to keep the Bison close. The Spartans (30-4) made the most of playing about 75 miles from campus in a packed arena with green-and-white clad fans in the stands. They roared when Bridges dunked, as he did once on a spectacular slam off an offensive rebound, and jeered when replays showed a foul called against their team. Michigan State will play the winner of the … [Read more...] about Bridges scores 29 as MSU outlasts Bucknell 82-78

FOX Sports Detroit Mar 16, 2018 at 11:45a ET Click on the link to watch the game of your choice. All games will also be aired on FOX Sports Detroit. — Class D: Chassell vs. Adrian Lenawee Christian at 10 a.m. — Class A: Grosse Pointe North/Saginaw Heritage vs. East Lansing/Wayne Memorial at 12 p.m. — Class C: Detroit Edison PSA vs. Ypsilanti Arbor Prep at 4 p.m. — Class B: Jackson Northwest/Michigan Center vs. Detroit Country Day/Kingsley at 6 p.m. FOX Sports DetroitFOX Sports Detroit - Prep Zone … [Read more...] about LIVE STREAMS: MHSAA Girls Basketball Finals on Saturday

Charles Matthews had 20 points with 11 rebounds as Michigan advanced in the NCAA Tournament. Peter G. Aiken-USA TODAY Sports AP Mar 16, 2018 at 7:08a ET WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Michigan coach John Beilein didn’t have to point out to his guys during the first media timeout of Thursday night’s NCAA Tournament game against Montana that they had yet to score. He didn’t have to give them a blueprint for a comeback, either. “Our huddle was like a normal huddle,” he explained, “because I really trust these guys to know what’s going on. We had to make some adjustments, hang in there, stay consistent with what we do. “I loved the way we stayed composed during that time.” The third-seeded Wolverines absorbed a big opening salvo from the Grizzlies, then turned to Charles Matthews to lead them back. He poured in 20 points with 11 rebounds, Michigan locked down on defense and pulled away for a 61-47 victory … [Read more...] about Charles Matthews leads rusty Michigan over Montana 61-47

Detroit's Tyler Bertuzzi scuffles with Los Angeles' Dion Phaneuf during the second period Thursday night. Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports AP Mar 16, 2018 at 7:01a ET LOS ANGELES (AP) — There are goals struck so well it can be hard to see the puck until it hits the net. And then there are those like the game-winner in the Los Angeles Kings’ 4-1 victory Thursday night over the Detroit Red Wings. This puck danced , took odd bounces, trickled off the back of unsuspecting goalie Jared Coreau and then landed behind the goal line to give the Kings a 2-1 lead at 8:22 of the third period. “When plays like that happen, it’s kind of in slow motion,” Kings forward Anze Kopitar said. “I was right at the post seeing the puck tumble. I’m thinking, what’s going to happen? Can I get a stick on it? And then it rolled down his back. And I started celebrating.” The goal went to Kopitar, who had battled along the wall … [Read more...] about Red Wings suffer season-worst eighth consecutive defeat

AP Mar 16, 2018 at 12:10a ET DENVER (AP) — Nikola Jokic had 23 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists for his eighth triple-double of the season, Jamal Murray added 26 points and the Denver Nuggets’ playoff hopes received a much-needed boost with a 120-113 victory over the Detroit Pistons on Thursday night. Will Barton hit a big basket down the stretch and later knocked down two free throws to help the Nuggets hold off a Pistons team that trailed by as many as 26 points in the third quarter. The Nuggets now hit the road for a pivotal seven-game trip. The fading Pistons dropped their 11th straight road game despite Andre Drummond scoring 21 points and grabbing 17 rebounds. Blake Griffin added 26 points and nine assists. Jokic’s eight triple-doubles are the most by a Nuggets player in a season since Fat Lever had nine in 1988-89. Denver’s big second-half lead melted away with the Pistons heating up behind the play of Dwight Buycks, who had 19 … [Read more...] about Pistons drop another one, Nuggets win 120-113

Linebacker Christian Jones had a career-high 84 tackles last season in Chicago. Patrick Gorski-USA TODAY Sports AP Mar 15, 2018 at 8:09p ET DETROIT (AP) — The Detroit Lions bolstered their linebacker group with Christian Jones and Devon Kennard, and their offensive line with Kenny Wiggins. Detroit signed the trio of unrestricted free agents on Thursday. Jones and Kennard were starters for the Chicago Bears and New York Giants, respectively, in parts of four seasons. Jones had a career-high 84 tackles last season in Chicago and matched career highs with two sacks, a forced fumble and a recovered fumble. Kennard had four sacks last season with the Giants and 9 sacks in his career. Wiggins started every game at guard for the Chargers last season, helping them give up an NFL-low 18 sacks and lead the league in yards passing. He has started 25 of 45 games in his career with the Chargers and San Francisco. The Lions made a major move on the first day … [Read more...] about Lions sign trio of unrestricted free agents Thursday