29+ min ago (1067+ words) Pascal Siakam hit a 14-foot jumper at the buzzer and finished with 24 points and nine rebounds as the Indiana Pacers beat the Chicago Bulls 103-101 on Saturday night in Indianapolis. The Bulls' Tre Jones scored on a driving layup with 7.5 seconds left to tie the game before Siakam made a shot over two defenders to help the Pacers win back-to-back games for the first time this season. Bennedict Mathurin had 19 points for Indiana, which won for the fourth time in its first 20 games. Teammates Isaiah Jackson, Jay Huff and Andrew Nembhard each scored 14 points. Jones and Josh Giddey led Chicago with 17 points apiece. Nikola Vucevic had 16 points, eight rebounds and six assists, while Kevin Huerter and Ayo Dosunmu each had 15 points. Giddey added 11 boards and seven assists for the Bulls, who have lost three straight and four of their last five....

34+ min ago (1380+ words) Brandon Hagel scored two goals as the surging Tampa Bay Lightning extended their winning streak to seven games with a 4-1 victory Saturday over the New York Rangers, who continued their home woes. Hagel scored a goal for the fifth straight game and registered his third multi-goal game in that span as Tampa Bay also improved to 15-3-0 in their past 18 games following a 1-4-2 start. Hagel produced his fourth multi-goal game this season by scoring with 9:07 left in the first and with 11:03 remaining in the second. Nick Paul scored early in the third as Tampa Bay was on its way to avenging an earlier 7-3 home loss to the Rangers. Jake Guentzel finished it off on an empty-net goal with 17.4 seconds left. Nikita Kucherov collected three assists and extended his points streak to nine games. He has four goals and 14 assists during the…...

59+ min ago (335+ words) Tomas Hertl scored two goals and rookie Carl Lindbom made 18 saves to pick up his first NHL win as the Vegas Golden Knights snapped a four-game losing streak with a 4-3 victory over the San Jose Sharks on Saturday night in Las Vegas. It was the 36th career multi-goal game of Hertl's career and the first this season. Mitch Marner had a goal and an assist, and Colton Sissons also scored for Vegas, which scored its ninth consecutive win over San Jose while improving to 29-2-5 all-time against the Sharks. Will Smith scored two goals and William Eklund also scored for San Jose. Alex Nedeljkovic stopped 20 of 24 shots. Smith, playing in his 100th NHL game, gave San Jose a 1-0 lead at the 7:34 mark of the first period when he flicked a wrist shot from near the left faceoff circle past Lindbom's glove and into…...

59+ min ago (365+ words) Adrian Kempe scored his third overtime goal of the season at 3:58 to lift the Los Angeles Kings to a 2-1 victory against the visiting Vancouver Canucks on Saturday night. Quinton Byfield partially whiffed on a shot attempt and the puck went to Kempe at the side of the net. He skated to the inside edge of the right circle and scored with a wrist shot. The referees returned to the ice to review whether Byfield interfered with Canucks goalie Kevin Lankinen, but the goal stood. Anze Kopitar scored in regulation and Anton Forsberg made 19 saves for the Kings, who were coming off a 5-4 shootout loss at the Anaheim Ducks on Friday. Los Angeles has earned a point in nine of its past 10 games (6-1-3). Evander Kane scored for the Canucks, who have lost five of six (1-4-1). Lankinen returned after being unavailable the…...

1+ hour, 14+ min ago (420+ words) Klay Thompson turned back the clock with six 3-pointers en route to a season-high 23 points, Cooper Flagg went for a season-best 35 points and the Dallas Mavericks held off the host Los Angeles Clippers 114-110 on Saturday night. Resting Anthony Davis on the second night of a back-to-back, the Mavericks trailed 103-101 after a John Collins 3-pointer for the Clippers with 2:22 to go. But Thompson, playing in his hometown, capped a 17-point final period with a go-ahead 3-pointer with 1:52 remaining, Flagg dropped in three sets of two lead-extending free throws in the last 1:20 and the Mavericks kept the Clippers at arm's length en route to snapping a three-game losing streak. In a game in which neither team led by more than 10, the Clippers found themselves down 87-83 after a Thompson 3-pointer in the first minute of the fourth quarter. The game then became a…...

1+ hour, 44+ min ago (379+ words) Brian White scored a first-half brace and the visiting Vancouver Whitecaps comfortably secured their first MLS Cup final appearance with a 3-1 victory over host San Diego FC in the Western Conference Final on Saturday night. Andres Cubas and Ali Ahmed connected to set up both of White's goals for No. 2 seed Vancouver, which will visit East champion Inter Miami next Saturday in a meeting of teams who have never played for the MLS championship, let alone won it. It's also a rematch of this April's Concacaf Champions Cup semifinals, which Vancouver won 5-1 on aggregate over two legs. Ahmed also had the shot that led to Vancouver's other first-half tally, ultimately credited as an own goal to San Diego goalkeeper Pablo Sisniega. Halftime substitute Hirving Lozano broke through in the 60th minute for top-seeded San Diego, which completed the deepest playoff run…...

1+ hour, 59+ min ago (385+ words) Kendrick Raphael scored on a 2-yard run with 43 seconds remaining as Cal, in interim coach Nick Rolovich's debut, stunned No. 21 SMU 38-35 on Saturday night in Berkeley, Calif., denying the Mustangs a spot in the Atlantic Coast Conference championship game. A 1-yard plunge by T.J. Harden with 2:22 remaining capped SMU's run of touchdowns on four consecutive second-half possessions for a 35-31 lead, putting the Mustangs (8-4, 6-2 ACC) in the driver's seat for a shot at Virginia for the ACC title next Saturday. But freshman quarterback Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele, who threw four touchdowns, completed five consecutive passes to quickly move the Golden Bears in scoring position. Raphael then capped a 111-yard rushing night with his scamper that barely broke the plane of the goal line, sending Duke into the ACC title game. SMU had a chance to force overtime, but Sam Keltner missed wide right from…...

2+ hour, 8+ min ago (505+ words) Tyler Horton caught three touchdown passes from Ty Simpson to help visiting No. 10 Alabama survive blowing a 17-point lead to escape with a 27-20 win over rival Auburn in the Iron Bowl on Saturday night. The Crimson Tide (10-2, 7-1 Southeastern Conference) clinched a spot in the SEC conference game vs. Georgia with the dramatic victory, also likely locking up a spot in the College Football Playoff. "These guys are unbelievable," Alabama coach Kalen DeBoer said of his team in the ESPN postgame interview. "They've had their backs to the wall and been competing for a long time. These guys, they give you everything they've got every single day. It's been a long road, but we get to continue on. I can't wait to go do more with them next weekend." After the Tigers tied the game with 11:43 left, Alabama responded with a…...

2+ hour, 19+ min ago (389+ words) Nikola Jokic had 26 points, 10 assists and nine rebounds, Tim Hardaway Jr. tied a season high with 23 points while making a season-high seven 3-pointers, and the Denver Nuggets beat the host Phoenix Suns 130-112 for their seventh straight road victory Saturday. Jamal Murray had 24 points and five threes for the Nuggets, who were 22 of 38 from distance (57.9%), tying a season high for makes. They have 60 threes in their last three games. Dillon Brooks had 27 points, Devin Booker had 24 and Royce O'Neale had for the Suns, who had won nine of 12 and had advanced to the NBA Cup quarterfinals Friday despite a loss at Oklahoma City. Jokic fell just short of his 11th triple-double this season as the Nuggets rebounded from a home loss to San Antonio on Friday that cost them a spot in the NBA Cup quarterfinals. The Nuggets shot a season-high 57.9 percent…...

2+ hour, 29+ min ago (379+ words) Jimmy Butler III and Gary Payton II recorded double-doubles in the absence of All-Star Stephen Curry, Brandin Podziemski ignited a late lead-taking run and the Golden State Warriors outlasted the New Orleans Pelicans for a 104-96 triumph Saturday night in San Francisco. Having lost two of three to start a five-game homestand and facing the prospect of going without the injured Curry, the Warriors used a late 12-point flurry to overcame 12-for-47 shooting (25.5%) on 3-pointers. After Saddiq Bey's two free throws gave the visitors one last lead at 88-87 with 4:02 to play, Podziemski put Golden State on top for good on a 3-pointer with 3:50 to go. The Warriors then held the Pelicans without a point until only 46 seconds remained, and in the meantime extended their lead on a dunk and layup by Payton -- both assisted by Butler -- a Butler interior hoop and…...