No. 3 Duke routs Indiana in ACC/Big Ten Challenge

DURHAM, N.C. (AP) — Zion Williamson scored 25 points, RJ Barrett added 22 and No. 3 Duke routed Indiana 90-69 on Tuesday night in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge.

Tre Jones added 15 points and a fourth Duke freshman — Cameron Reddish — finished with 13 to help the Blue Devils (6-1) bounce back from their lone loss and win one of the made-for-TV event’s glamour matchups. This one featured a handful of potential NBA lottery picks — the Duke freshmen and Indiana’s Romeo Langford — on the floor at the same time.

Duke looked nothing like the group that lost to Gonzaga last week in the Maui Invitational final . The Blue Devils never trailed, shot 52 percent and turned a season-worst 20 turnovers by Indiana into 24 points.

Langford scored 13 points on 3-of-15 shooting to lead the Hoosiers (5-2).

No. 5 NEVADA 79, LOYOLA-CHICAGO 65

CHICAGO (AP) — Caleb Martin had 21 points, twin brother Cody Martin scored 20 and Nevada beat Loyola-Chicago in an NCAA Tournament rematch.

Loyola beat Nevada by one point in the NCAA South Regional semifinals last season — the only other meeting between these programs. That victory came during a stunning Final Four run for the Ramblers.

Caleb Martin scored 17 in the first half, helping the Wolf Pack (7-0) grab a 44-28 lead. The preseason All-American shot 8 of 13 in the game, including 3 for 6 on 3-pointers.

Cody Martin was 9 of 14 with seven assists.

Jordan Caroline had 15 points and six rebounds. Trey Porter added 14 points and 10 boards.

Marques Townes — who hit the decisive 3 in the closing seconds of that NCAA game — led Loyola (4-3) with a season-high 24 points, but the Ramblers dropped their second straight game.

LOUISVILLE 82, MICHIGAN STATE 78

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Ryan McMahon made two free throws with 7.1 seconds remaining in overtime before Jordan Nwora made another from the line with 3.1 seconds left to seal it as Louisville upset Michigan State.

McMahon scored all seven of his points in the extra session from the line to finish with a career-high 24. Nwora’s clinching free throw followed his 3-pointer with 2:05 left that gave the Cardinals (4-2) the lead for good in an exciting matchup that ended a two-game slide and gave first-year coach Chris Mack his first significant win with the program.

Louisville needed just about every point to hold off the Spartans (5-2), who had a chance to get close with Joshua Langford (15 points) at the line. But he missed the first of two free throws with 4.2 seconds left and failed to hit the rim on an intentional miss, a violation that gave Louisville the ball and led to Nwora’s free throw.

PENN STATE 63, No. 13 VIRGINIA TECH 62

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (AP) — Myreon Jones scored 13 of his 18 points in the second half to lead Penn State to an upset win over Virginia Tech.

Lamar Stevens added 14 points and eight rebounds and Rasir Bolton chipped in 11 points for the Nittany Lions (4-2), who snapped Virginia Tech’s five-game winning streak. It was Penn State’s first win over a nonconference Top 25 team at home in 20 years.

Justin Robinson led the Hokies (5-1) with 19 points while Ty Outlaw added 16. Kerry Blackshear Jr. and Nickeil Alexander-Walker scored 14 and 13 points respectively for the Hokies who led 37-35 at halftime.

The Hokies, playing for the first time on the road this season, used a 9-0 run midway through the second half that gave them a 50-44 lead. But Jones led the Nittany Lions back to a 56-55 advantage with 10 points over the next five minutes.

Bolton hit his third 3-pointer of the game to give Penn State the lead for good, 61-58 lead with 3:57 to play.

No. 14 IOWA 69, PITT 68

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Freshman guard Joe Wieskamp had 18 points and 11 rebounds, Nicholas Baer scored 14 of his 16 points in the second half and Iowa held off Pittsburgh for its third win over a power program this season.

Jordan Bohannon had 12 points and six steals for the Hawkeyes (6-0), who’ve also taken down Oregon and Connecticut this month.

Pitt (6-1) put itself in position for the upset — only to miss two shots in the final 10.4 seconds that would’ve given the Panthers the win.

Xavier Johnson had 18 points to lead Pitt.

No. 22 WISCONSIN 79, N.C. STATE 75

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Ethan Happ had 19 points and 11 rebounds, D’Mitrik Trice hit a long jumper with 23.6 seconds left and Wisconsin withstood North Carolina State’s in-your-face defense to rally for a win.

Wisconsin’s Brad Davison drew a charging call on Markell Johnson on the perimeter with 16 seconds left. The emotional Davison let out a furious yell and pumped his arms after forcing a critical turnover with the Wolfpack trailing by three.

Davison hit two foul shots with 8 seconds left for a four-point lead for Wisconsin (6-1), and a last-gasp 3-point try for the Wolfpack sailed harmlessly off the backboard at the other end.

Johnson had 21 points to lead N.C. State (6-1).

Nuggets win 117-85 in their biggest rout ever of Lakers

DENVER (AP) — Paul Millsap, Jamal Murray and Malik Beasley scored 20 points apiece, and the Denver Nuggets rolled to their biggest victory ever over the Los Angeles Lakers, a 117-85 rout on Tuesday night.

The 32-point margin surpassed a 29-point win in 1993.

Nikola Jokic added 14 points and Juancho Hernangomez had 12 for the Nuggets, who won their fourth in a row.

Kyle Kuzma scored 21 points for Los Angeles, while LeBron James and Brandon Ingram added 14 apiece. The Lakers, who handed the Nuggets their first loss of the season in late October in Los Angeles, struggled to find their shooting touch against Denver’s defensive pressure.

RAPTORS 122, GRIZZLIES 114

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Kyle Lowry had 24 points and six assists, Fred VanVleet added 18 points and Toronto used a 3-point shooting burst in the fourth quarter to beat Memphis.

VanVleet made all six shots on the night, including three from outside the arc in the fourth, when Toronto was 7 of 12 from 3-point range. Lowry was 5 of 8 on 3-pointers.

Kawhi Leonard finished with 17 points and 10 rebounds, and Serge Ibaka scored 16 points as the Raptors won their sixth straight.

Marc Gasol led Memphis with 27 points, making 10 of his 14 shots. Mike Conley added 20 points and six assists.

PISTONS 115, KNICKS 108

DETROIT (AP) — Blake Griffin scored 30 points and Stanley Johnson added 21 to lift Detroit over New York.

Reggie Jackson contributed 21 points for Detroit. The Pistons held New York to 40 percent shooting from the field and led throughout the final three quarters.

Allonzo Trier scored 24 points for the Knicks, who had won a season-high three in a row.

The Pistons (11-7) are off to a solid start under new coach Dwane Casey, although nine of their victories have been against teams that currently have losing records.

PACERS 109, SUNS 104

PHOENIX (AP) — Bojan Bogdanovic sank the go-ahead 3-pointer with 31 seconds to play and Indiana with a victory over Phoenix.

The Pacers, coming off a 33-point victory at Utah the previous night, had their hands full in a tight fourth quarter.

After Bogdanovic’s long-range basket, Devin Booker’s attempt at a game-tying 3 barely rimmed out. Darren Collison’s two free throws wrapped up the scoring.

Doug McDermott and Domantas Sabonis scored 21 points apiece for Indiana. Myles Turner added 16 and Bogdanovic 15.

T.J. Warren scored 25 for the Suns. Booker was just 7-of-21 shooting but scored 20 points and had eight assists. Deandre Ayton had 18 points and 12 rebounds.

HAWKS 115, HEAT 113

MIAMI (AP) — Taurean Prince scored 18 points, Trae Young finished with 17 points and 10 assists and the Atlanta Hawks held off the Miami Heat 115-113 on Tuesday night to snap a seven-game road slide.

John Collins scored 16 points, Omari Spellman had 14 and Kent Bazemore finished with 12 for the Hawks, who are 2-0 against Miami this season and 3-16 against everyone else.

Josh Richardson led Miami with 22 points, but his potential winning 3-pointer with 3 seconds left — a wide-open look — bounced off the rim. Dwyane Wade scored 18 and Wayne Ellington added 15 for the Heat, who have lost six straight at home. It’s only the 10th time in the 31 years of Heat basketball that Miami has lost so many consecutive games at home.

Bam Adebayo scored 12 for Miami, which got 11 apiece from Justise Winslow and Hassan Whiteside.

Mississippi voters decide last Senate midterm race

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — Mississippi voters are deciding the last U.S. Senate race of the midterms, choosing between a white Republican Senate appointee backed by President Donald Trump and a black Democrat who was agriculture secretary when Bill Clinton was in the White House.

History will be made either way: Republican Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith, 59, would be the first woman ever elected to Congress from Mississippi, and Democrat Mike Espy, 64, would be the state’s first African-American U.S. senator since Reconstruction.

Mississippi’s past of racist violence became a dominant theme after a video showed Hyde-Smith praising a supporter in early November by saying, “If he invited me to a public hanging, I’d be on the front row.” She said it was “an exaggerated expression of regard.” More than a week after the video’s release, she said she apologized to “anyone that was offended by my comments,” but also said the remark was used as a “weapon” against her.

Hyde-Smith was seen in another video talking about making voting difficult for “liberal folks,” and a photo circulated of her wearing a replica Confederate military hat during a 2014 visit to Beauvoir, a beachside museum in Biloxi, Mississippi, that was the last home of Confederate president Jefferson Davis.

Critics said Hyde-Smith’s comments and Confederate regalia showed callous indifference in a state with a 38 percent black population, and some corporate donors, including Walmart, requested refunds on their campaign contributions to her.

Mississippi — which still has the Confederate battle emblem on its state flag — has a history of racially motivated lynchings. The NAACP website says that between 1882 and 1968, there were 4,743 lynchings in the United States, and that nearly 73 percent of the victims were black. It says Mississippi had 581 lynchings during that time, the highest number of any state.

Hyde-Smith was in her second term as Mississippi’s elected agriculture commissioner when Republican Gov. Phil Bryant chose her to temporarily succeed longtime Republican Sen. Thad Cochran, who retired in April amid health concerns. Tuesday’s winner will serve the last two years of Cochran’s six-year term.

Hyde-Smith has campaigned as an unwavering supporter of Trump, who campaigned with her Monday, praising her at a rally in the northeastern Mississippi city of Tupelo for voting to confirm Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court.

“She stood up to the Democrat smear machine,” Trump said.

With the Mississippi election undecided, Republicans hold 52 of the 100 Senate seats.

Mississippi last elected a Democrat to the U.S. Senate in 1982, but Espy was trying for the same kind of longshot win that fellow Democrat Doug Jones had nearly a year ago in neighboring Alabama, another conservative Deep South state where Republicans hold most statewide offices.

Espy campaigned as someone who would be able to bridge the partisan divide in Washington. He was endorsed by former Vice President Joe Biden, and three Democrats who are potential 2020 presidential candidates — former Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick and Sens. Kamala Harris of California and Cory Booker of New Jersey — traveled to Mississippi to campaign for him.

“I ask you tonight, Mississippi. It’s the third decade of the 21st century. Why are we still fighting about the color line?” Espy said during a speech Monday night at a predominantly African-American church.

“This is a campaign that goes to the color line and it reached across the color line, across the chasm of racial division, across the chasm of racial acrimony,” Espy said.

If white voters outnumber black voters 2-to-1 on Tuesday, Espy would have to win 30 percent or more of white votes, a tough task in a state with possibly the most racially polarized electorate in the country. But if black voters rise to 40 percent of the electorate and Espy wins 9 out of 10, he needs less than a quarter of white votes to squeak out a victory.

“If Espy wins that race, it represents a huge breakthrough for America,” said the Rev. Jesse Jackson, a longtime civil rights activist and former Democratic presidential candidate. “If he loses, it’s a brief statement about Mississippi being unrepentant.”

Meanwhile, federal and state authorities are investigating seven nooses that were found hanging from trees outside the Mississippi Capitol on Monday, along with handwritten signs that referred to the Senate runoff and the state’s history of lynching.

Hyde-Smith campaign hammered Espy for his $750,000 lobbying contract in 2011 with the Cocoa and Coffee Board of the Ivory Coast. She noted that the country’s ex-president, Laurent Gbagbo, is being tried in the International Criminal Court for crimes against humanity.

“I don’t know how many Mississippians can really relate to an income that can command a $750,000 check from one person for a lobbying job,” Hyde-Smith, who is a cattle rancher, said during a Nov. 20 debate.

Espy, who is an attorney, said: “I found out later that this guy, the president, was a really bad guy. I resigned the contract.”

Federal registration papers show Espy terminated the contract two weeks before its scheduled end.

Espy resigned the Cabinet post in 1994 amid a special counsel investigation that accused him of improperly accepting gifts. He was tried and acquitted on 30 corruption charges, but the Mississippi Republican Party ran an ad this year that called Espy “too corrupt for the Clintons” and “too liberal for Mississippi.”

Espy said he refused to accept offers of plea deals.

“I put my reputation on the line, went through a trial, went through 70 witnesses against me, went through the special prosecutor who spent $26 million against me and I was found not guilty. Because I was not guilty,” Espy told The Associated Press in October. “In fact, I was so not guilty, I was innocent.”

Correction: Truck was stopped

A Nov. 18 traffic incident involving Jeffery J. Jones and  Ron Conaway was not reported correctly in the Nov. 20 Register.

Conaway told the Register that as he was westbound in the 1100 block of East Lincoln Street, he saw Jones enter the roadway and run directly at his pickup.

Conaway came to a full stop. Jones did not, slamming into Conaway’s vehicle, damaging the front grille in process.

Jones was not seriously injured in the incident. The article incorrectly reported Conaway struck Jones.

Rare dog attacked at zoo

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — The Topeka Zoo and Conservation Center says an African painted dog has died after another dog attacked her.

The Topeka Capital-Journal reports that the dog, named Annie, had been brought to Topeka last week from the Bronx Zoo as a mate for one of the zoo’s male dogs. The attack happened Saturday as Annie was introduced to the other painted dogs.

Things went smoothly when Annie met the alpha male. There also weren’t problems when the next subordinate male was added to the mix. Topeka Zoo director Brendan Wiley says problems arose when Annie was introduced to a third dog.

Zoo staff was watching the introduction and intervened but Annie died Sunday.

Mueller: Manafort violated plea deal

WASHINGTON (AP) — The special counsel in the Russia investigation is accusing former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort of violating his plea agreement by repeatedly lying to federal investigators, an extraordinary allegation that could expose him to a lengthier prison sentence — and potentially more criminal charges.

The torpedoing of Manafort’s plea deal, disclosed in a court filing Monday, also results in special counsel Robert Mueller’s team losing a cooperating witness from the top of Donald Trump’s presidential campaign who was present for several key episodes under investigation. That includes a Trump Tower meeting involving Donald Trump Jr. and a Russian lawyer he was told had derogatory information on Democrat Hillary Clinton.

The move signals a return to the acrimonious relationship Manafort has had with the special counsel’s office since his indictment last year. Before his plea agreement, Manafort aggressively challenged the special counsel’s legitimacy in court, went through a bitter trial and landed himself in jail after prosecutors discovered he had attempted to tamper with witnesses in his case.

In the latest filing, Mueller’s team said Manafort “committed federal crimes” by lying about “a variety of subject matters” even after he agreed to truthfully cooperate with the investigation. Prosecutors said they will detail the “nature of the defendant’s crimes and lies” in writing at a later date to the judge.

Through his attorneys, Manafort denied lying, saying he “believes he provided truthful information” during a series of sessions with Mueller’s investigators. He also disagreed that he breached his plea agreement. Still, both sides now agree they can’t resolve the conflict, and U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson should set a date to sentence him.

Manafort, who remains jailed, had been meeting with the special counsel’s office since he pleaded guilty in September to conspiracy against the United States and conspiracy to obstruct justice. He cut that deal to head off a second trial after being convicted last summer of eight felony counts related to millions of dollars he hid from the IRS in offshore accounts.

Both cases stemmed from his Ukrainian political work and undisclosed lobbying work he admitted to carrying out in the U.S. in violation of federal law.

As part of his plea agreement, Manafort pledged to “cooperate fully, truthfully, completely, and forthrightly” with the government “in any and all matters” prosecutors deemed necessary. That included his work on the Trump campaign as well as his Ukrainian political work, which remains under investigation by the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York.

Prosecutors there are looking into the conduct of longtime Democratic lobbyist Tony Podesta, former Obama White House counsel Greg Craig and former Republican congressman and lobbyist Vin Weber to determine whether they violated federal law by failing to register as foreign agents with the Justice Department. None of the men has been charged with any crimes.

As part of his plea deal, Manafort also forfeited many of his rights as well as his ability to withdraw the plea if he broke any of the terms. In return, prosecutors agreed to not bring additional charges against him and to ask a judge for a reduction of his sentence if he provided “substantial assistance.”

But with prosecutors saying he breached the agreement, Manafort now faces serious repercussions such as the possibility of prosecution on additional charges including the 10 felony counts prosecutors dropped when he made the deal.

Manafort already faces up to five years in prison on the two charges in his plea agreement. In his separate Virginia case, Manafort’s potential sentencing under federal guidelines has not yet been calculated, but prosecutors have previously said he could face as much as 10 years in prison on those charges.

He is scheduled to be sentenced in that case in February. His co-defendant, Rick Gates, who spent a longer time on the campaign and worked on the Trump inaugural committee, has not had a sentencing date set yet. He continues to cooperate with Mueller.

Don’t forget to report wheat acres

Filing an accurate acreage report for all crops and land uses will prevent area farmers and ranchers from losing benefits for a variety of Farm Service Agency (FSA) programs.

All small grains such as wheat and rye that was planted this fall for 2019 harvest, grazing, and for cover only must be reported by Dec. 17.

Prevented planting must be reported no later than 15 days after the final planting date for the applicable crop. Nov. 15 was the final planting date for 2019 wheat in Allen and Woodson Counties. As a result, prevented planting acreage must be reported to FSA by Friday, if you want this reflected on your acreage report without any late-filed fee being assessed.

Failure to timely report acres will result in a late-filed penalty of at least $46 per farm.

All cropland on the farm must be reported for producers to remain eligible for price support loans or loan deficiency payments.

Unlike the spring crop reporting deadline, the office staff has no way of knowing if farmers decided to plant wheat or intended to.  As a result, they will not get a reminder call and it will be up to the producers to remember to the timely report.

Those in town are invited to stop by the Allen County FSA Office at 202 West Miller Rd. in Iola or call 365-2901.

 

Prairie Dell 4-H saddles up

Emilia Wilkerson led the club in the flag salute and 4-H pledge.

The service committee has planned for the club to play bingo with Heartland Meadows residents at the next meeting. The committee will organize the event and gather game prizes.

Annika Hobbs told us about her horse project and showed her saddle to club members.

The next meeting will be Dec. 2 at 2 p.m. at Heartland Meadows.  Talks will be given by Emilia Wilkerson and Luke Wicoff. Members are encouraged to bring a friend to play bingo.

— Emilia Wilkerson, reporter

Texans beat Titans 34-17

HOUSTON (AP) — The Houston Texans wanted to honor their late owner and founder Robert “Bob” McNair, who died last week at age 81.

They knew the perfect way to do that Monday night was to keep their winning streak going.

Deshaun Watson threw two touchdown passes and ran for another score as the Texans set a franchise record with their eighth straight victory, 34-17 over the Tennessee Titans.

“The one thing Mr. McNair wanted was a winner,” J.J. Watt said. “All he wanted was a winner. He wanted to win every week. He wanted a team that could win and bring a championship to this city. So to be able to win eight straight and to be able to win tonight for him was good, and we’re going to try to keep doing that for him.”

Demaryius Thomas scored his first two touchdowns with Houston and Lamar Miller ran for 162 yards, including a 97-yard TD.

The Texans (8-3) also saluted McNair by wearing decals in the shape of a football with white block letters bearing his initials of “RCM.” With that tribute on the back of their helmets, they became the first team in NFL history to win eight games in a row after starting 0-3. They lead the AFC South by two games over Indianapolis.

“We need to try and keep getting better,” coach Bill O’Brien said. “We need to take the mantra that we’re going to improve every day.”

The Texans trailed by 10 early before reeling off 27 straight points.

Houston receiver DeAndre Hopkins said there was no panic after the team fell behind in the first quarter.

“We’ve been down 0-3 as a record, so being down 10-0 on the board is nothing to this team,” he said.

Tennessee (5-6) finally scored again on a 48-yard reception by Corey Davis late in the third quarter, but the second TD by Thomas — this one for 10 yards — made it 34-17 with just more than eight minutes left.

Marcus Mariota, who missed the second half of last week’s game with a stinger, was 22 of 23 for 303 yards and two touchdowns. He completed his first 19 passes before an incompletion with just more than a minute remaining.

Miller’s 97-yard breakaway in the second quarter made it 21-10. It was the longest run in franchise history and the longest in the NFL since his dash of the same length for a touchdown on Dec. 28, 2014, with the Dolphins. He’s the only player in league history with two career rushing touchdowns of 95 yards or longer.

The Titans went ahead 3-0 on their first possession, and Jonnu Smith had a career-long 61-yard catch-and-run touchdown that extended their lead less than halfway through the first quarter.

Houston got going after that, cutting the lead to 10-7 when Thomas grabbed his first touchdown since being traded from Denver on Oct. 30, a 12-yard grab with about six minutes left in the quarter.

Watson put the Texans on top when he scrambled 15 yards for a score on the first play of the second quarter.

The Titans went for it on fourth-and-inches from the 3 later in the second, but tight end Luke Stocker was stopped for no gain.

“If you look at their goal-line defense and having a lot of good knowledge of what they do on the goal line, that’s one play that had worked,” Tennessee coach Mike Vrabel said. “It didn’t work tonight and that’s not the reason that we lost. That’s a bad play.”

Miller’s long TD , which helped Houston set a franchise record with 281 yards rushing, came on the next play. He took the handoff in the end zone and darted through a crowd of Titans before shedding one tackle and simply outrunning the rest of the defense.

“My whole mindset is just, don’t get caught,” Miller said. “Because … when we played the Dolphins, I got caught, so all the guys were giving me a hard time. So that was the only thing on my mind.”

The Texans kicked a field goal as time expired in the second quarter to take a 24-10 lead into halftime.

 

MCNAIR REMEMBERED

The Texans honored McNair in a pregame ceremony, which included a video tribute to him while the Texas A&M Singing Cadets sang “Amazing Grace.” While the video was played, one side of the video board displayed the words: “Faith, Family, Philanthropy, Football.”

Painted on both 25-yard lines was a football with his initials that looked just like the decals on the players’ helmets.

Television cameras panned to several fans with signs honoring the late owner. One read: “McNair Never Forgotten.”

 

WATSON’S WORK

Watson has thrown 39 touchdown passes in his first 18 career games, which is third in NFL history behind Hall of Famers Kurt Warner (44) and Dan Marino (40). His 70 yards rushing on Monday were a career best and he tied Matt Schaub’s franchise record by throwing a TD pass in his 16th straight game.

 

INJURIES

Titans cornerback Malcolm Butler left in the second quarter to be evaluated for a concussion and did not return. … Houston WR Keke Coutee didn’t return after injuring his hamstring in the third quarter.

 

UP NEXT

Titans: Host the New York Jets on Sunday.

Texans: Host the Cleveland Browns on Sunday.

Wall, Wizards beat Rockets in OT

WASHINGTON (AP) — John Wall scored a season-high 36 points, including six in overtime, and the Washington Wizards overcame James Harden’s season-best 54 points to outlast the Houston Rockets 135-131 on Monday night.

Wall had two baskets in the extra period and finished with 11 assists. Bradley Beal equaled his season high with 32 points for the Wizards.

Otto Porter hit a runner with 4:37 to play for the first basket in overtime and the Wizards remained ahead from there. Wall followed with a jumper to make it 129-125 and later made another jumper that pushed the lead to five. Beal’s jumper extended it to 133-126 with 1:50 to play.

Harden had 44 points through three quarters but missed five of his seven shots in the fourth. In overtime, Harden whose career high is 60, was 1 of 2 from the field and had two free throws. He had 11 turnovers, three in overtime.

Eric Gordon scored a season-high 36 for the short-handed Rockets, who played without Chris Paul for the second straight game.

 

WARRIORS 116, MAGIC 110

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Kevin Durant scored a season-high 49 points, giving Golden State the lead on a three-point play with 1:19 left before hitting a 3-pointer with 22 seconds remaining to send the Warriors past Orlando.

Durant topped his 44-point performance two nights earlier with another brilliant outing on both ends — and Klay Thompson was his scoring sidekick once more as the two-time defending NBA champions played without injured All-Stars Stephen Curry and Draymond Green.

Thompson hit his sixth 3 of the night to tie it with 1:45 left and finished with 29 points.

Durant became the seventh player in Warriors history to post consecutive 40-point games — along with Rick Barry, Wilt Chamberlain, Curry, Antawn Jamison, Purvis Short and Thompson, according to Elias.

Nikola Vucevic had 30 points, 12 rebounds and six assists for the Magic, who coming off a victory over the Los Angeles Lakers on the road Sunday.

 

CELTICS 124, PELICANS 107

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Kyrie Irving closed out a 26-point, 10-assist performance with a 3-pointer and a tough baseline fade over Anthony Davis, and Boston pulled away late for a victory over New Orleans.

Jayson Tatum, who scored 20, threw down a right-handed dunk while being fouled by Davis with 2:26 left, at which point Pelicans coach Alvin Gentry began subbing out starters and fans started filing out, resigned to just New Orleans’ second loss in 10 home games this season.

Davis finished with 27 points, 16 rebounds and three blocks, Nikola Mirotic hit six 3s as part of his 25 points, and Julius Randle added 15 points from the bench, but that wasn’t enough to end what is now a four-game losing streak for New Orleans.

Al Horford scored 20 points, and Marcus Morris had 19 points and 11 rebounds for Boston, which punished the Pelicans for their 22 turnovers, converting them into 32 points.

 

HORNETS 110, BUCKS 107

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Kemba Walker and Jeremy Lamb each had 21 points, and Charlotte held on to beat Milwaukee after nearly squandering a 25-point, third-quarter lead.

Marvin Williams added 16 points and eight rebounds, and Tony Parker had 15 points off the bench for the Hornets, who bounced back from a loss at Atlanta on Sunday night and ended a two-game skid.

The Bucks nearly came all the way back, cutting the lead to one with 17 seconds left on a layup by Giannis Antetokounmpo.

But Walker made two free throws with 7.1 seconds left and the Bucks failed to get off a good shot after a side inbounds, with Eric Bledsoe forced to launch an off-balance 3-pointer at the buzzer that hit off the glass and the rim and bounced away as time expired.

Antetokounmpo had 20 points, 13 rebounds and nine assists. Bledsoe scored 17 points.

 

PACERS 121, JAZZ 88

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Doug McDermott scored a season-high 21 points and Indiana rolled to an easy victory without leading scorer Victor Oladipo, beating Utah.

Myles Turner set the tone with 16 points, all in the first three quarters, and seven Pacers reached double figures. Tyreke Evans scored 14 points and Cory Joseph and Domantas Sabonis each had 13.

The Pacers shot a season-best 58.3 percent and made half of their 18 3-point attempts.

Donovan Mitchell, who scores 20.6 per game, sat out his second game with bruised ribs and Utah was playing a back-to-back, but it was 19 turnovers and poor shooting that buried the Jazz and dropped their usually stellar home record to 2-6.

 

SPURS 108, BULLS 107

CHICAGO (AP) — LaMarcus Aldridge scored 11 of his 20 points in the fourth quarter, and San Antonio held off Chicago.

DeMar DeRozan had 21 points and Patty Mills finished with 17 as San Antonio improved to 2-1 on a four-game trip. Bryn Forbes made three of the Spurs’ 10 3-pointers on his way to 13 points.

Chicago had two chances to go in front in the final seconds and came up empty each time. Zach LaVine was short on a 3-point try from the top of the key, and Ryan Arcidiacono missed a jumper as time expired.

LaVine scored 11 of his 28 points in the fourth, but the Bulls lost for the seventh time in eight games. Arcidiacono finished with a career-high 22 points, Jabari Parker had 18 and Justin Holiday added 17.

 

TIMBERWOLVES 102, CAVALIERS 95

CLEVELAND (AP) — Robert Covington scored 24 points, Karl-Anthony Towns added 21 and Minnesota beat Cleveland.

Minnesota is 6-2 since trading disgruntled star Jimmy Butler to Philadelphia two weeks ago and 10-11 overall. The latest win was its second in 10 road games this season.

Derrick Rose came off the bench to score 10 of his 12 points in the fourth quarter. Towns hit two baskets in the final two minutes, including a fadeaway jumper on the baseline, after Cleveland cut the lead to 91-86.

Cleveland beat Philadelphia and Houston last week for its first back-to-back wins of the season, but couldn’t make it three straight.

Kyle Korver scored 22 points, including six 3-pointers for Cleveland. Rodney Hood added 20 points while Tristan Thompson had 16 points and 11 rebounds.