Chris Paul leads OKC past Golden State

TORONTO (AP) — Pascal Siakam scored 25 points, Fred VanVleet added 24 and the Toronto Raptors held Joel Embiid scoreless for the first time in his career in a 101-96 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers on Monday night.

Rondae Hollis-Jefferson had 16 points and 10 rebounds for the Raptors, who posted their 14th consecutive home victory over the 76ers.

OG Anunoby scored 12 points, Terence Davis had 11 and Norman Powell 10 as Toronto improved to 7-0 at home.

Josh Richardson scored 25 points and Tobias Harris had 18 for the 76ers, who have not won a regular-season game in Toronto in more than seven years.

Embiid shot 0 for 11, missing all four of his shots from 3-point range and going 0 for 3 at the free throw line. He finished with a game-high 13 rebounds.

 

BUCKS 122, JAZZ 118

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Giannis Antetokounmpo scored a season-high 50 points and grabbed 14 rebounds for his 17th consecutive double-double to help Milwaukee rally past Utah for its eighth consecutive victory.

Wesley Matthews added 19 points and Eric Bledsoe scored 13 for the Bucks, whose last loss was at Utah on Nov. 8.

Bojan Bogdanovic had 24 points and Donovan Mitchell scored 20 for the Jazz, who were 21 of 45 on 3-pointers.

Antetokounmpo’s streak of double-doubles is the longest to open a season since Bill Walton opened with 34 straight in 1976-77.

 

LAKERS 114, SPURS 104

SAN ANTONIO (AP) — LeBron James had 33 points and 13 assists, and Los Angeles won in San Antonio for the second time this season.

Anthony Davis added 17 points and 12 rebounds for the Lakers (15-2) in his final game before returning to New Orleans on Wednesday.

LaMarcus Aldridge had 30 points and DeMar DeRozan added 22 for the Spurs. San Antonio fell to 6-12 after its 11th loss in 13 games.

 

TRAIL BLAZERS 117, BULLS 94

CHICAGO (AP) — Carmelo Anthony scored 25 points in just his fourth game of the season, CJ McCollum added 21 and Portland beat Chicago.

Damian Lillard had 13 points and 12 assists as Portland snapped a four-game losing streak.

Anthony was 10 for 20 from the field, including 4 of 7 on 3-pointers. He now has 25,615 career points to move ahead of Alex English (26,613) into 18th place on the NBA’s career scoring list.

Zach LaVine had 18 points for Chicago, which has dropped two of three. LaVine was just 1 for 5 on 3-pointers two days after making 13 of 17 while scoring a career-high 49 points Saturday at Charlotte.

 

CELTICS 103, KINGS 102

BOSTON (AP) — Jaylen Brown scored 24 points, Jayson Tatum had 20 and Boston held off Sacramento Kings despite a career-high 41 points from Buddy Hield.

Marcus Smart had 17 points with seven assists, and Enes Kanter added 13 points and nine rebounds for the Celtics, who had lost the final two games of a 2-3 West Coast trip.

Harrison Barnes added 20 points for the Kings, who had won 7 of 10. Hield was 15 of 26 from the floor and went 11 for 21 on 3-point attempts.

 

HEAT 117, HORNETS 100

MIAMI (AP) — Bam Adebayo scored 21 points and grabbed 13 rebounds, Jimmy Butler also scored 21 points and Miami remained unbeaten at home by topping Charlotte.

Kendrick Nunn scored 19 points, Tyler Herro added 18 and Kelly Olynyk finished with 15 points and 16 rebounds for Miami.

The Heat are 7-0 at home for only the second time — they went 8-0 at home to start the 2012-13 championship season.

Terry Rozier had 19 points and nine assists for Charlotte, which has dropped five in a row.

 

NETS 108, CAVALIERS 106

CLEVELAND (AP) — Spencer Dinwiddie hit a fadeaway jumper with 1.9 seconds remaining to give Brooklyn its fourth straight victory.

Cleveland erased a 106-97 deficit with just over 2 minutes left and tied the game on Collin’s Sexton’s free throw with 21 seconds to play.

Following a shot clock violation, the Nets called timeout and set up the last play. Dinwiddie took the inbounds pass from Joe Harris, dribbled to the right of the key and hit the tiebreaking shot.

Dinwiddie scored 23 points on the day he was voted Eastern Conference player of the week. Jarrett Allen had 22 points and a season-high 21 rebounds.

Clarkson scored 23 points while Larry Nance Jr. had 20 points and 13 rebounds for Cleveland, which has lost seven of eight.

 

PACERS 126, GRIZZLIES 114

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — T.J. Warren scored 26 points to lead the Indiana past Memphis.

Jeremy Lamb had 19 points and Aaron Holiday added 16 points off the bench for the Pacers, who have won three straight and seven of nine.

Jared Jackson Jr. scored 28 points, Ja Morant had 19 points and 10 rebounds, and Brandon Clarke scored 17 points on 8-of-9 shooting for the Grizzlies, who have lost four straight.

TIMBERWOLVES 125, HAWKS 113

ATLANTA (AP) — Karl-Anthony Towns had 28 points and 13 rebounds, Andrew Wiggins added 25 points and Minnesota rode three big offensive quarters to rally past Atlanta.

Trae Young scored 37 points for the Hawks, who outscored the Timberwolves 34-16 in the second quarter. But Minnesota had 38 points in the first quarter, 39 in the third and 32 in the fourth against one of the NBA’s weakest defensive teams and snapped a two-game skid.

The Timberwolves got 46 points from their bench, with Keita Bates-Diop and Gorgui Dieng each scoring 13.

Jabari Parker pitched in 22 points for the Hawks and rookie center Bruno Fernando scored a career-high 13.

 

PISTONS 103, MAGIC 88

DETROIT (AP) — Luke Kennard scored 20 points and Blake Griffin added 17 to lead Detroit past Orlando.

The Magic were held to 15 points in the third quarter and 33 in the second half. They are now 0-7 on the road this season.

Detroit went on an 11-0 run near the end of the third and led 78-70 at the start of the fourth. Orlando never really threatened after that.

Terrence Ross led Orlando with 19 points and Evan Fournier added 17. Andre Drummond had seven points and 18 rebounds for Detroit.

 

THUNDER 100, WARRIORS 97

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Chris Paul hit a 19-footer with 36 seconds left to put Oklahoma City ahead and Alec Burks missed a contested shot in the paint moments later on the other end, sending the Thunder to their first road win of the season.

The Warriors led most of the way before the Thunder scored the final 13 points.

Glenn Robinson III scored 25 points and Ky Bowman added 24 as injury-plagued Golden State competed with just eight healthy players. The Warriors lost their third straight game and 10th in 11, committing five of their 12 turnovers in the final quarter.

Dennis Schroder scored 22 points off the bench and dished out five assists. Paul struggled early to find his shooting stroke but finished with 20 points, while Danilo Gallinari had 15 points, seven rebounds and six assists as the Thunder moved to 1-6 on the road.

Kansas cruises over Chaminade

LAHAINA, Hawaii (AP) — Kansas was good, not great, and had to play most of the first half without big man Udoka Azubuike.

The fourth-ranked Jayhawks were certainly better than Division II Chaminade, earning them a spot in the Maui Invitational semifinals. That’s enough — for now.

Devin Dotson scored 19 points, Azubuike added 15 despite early foul trouble and Kansas cruised to a 93-63 victory over the Silverswords on Monday.

“I don’t think we played great, but I don’t think we played poorly either,” Kansas coach Bill Self said. “t certainly happy to advance and what an atmosphere for an opening round game like this.”

The Jayhawks (4-1) jumped on the Silverswords (2-1) with a huge early run and never let up, shooting 55% while making 12 of 29 from 3-point range. Kansas scored 36 points off Chaminade’s 27 turnovers and had a 50-22 advantage in the paint.

Isaiah Moss had 13 points for the two-time Maui champion Jayhawks, who move on to face UCLA or BYU in Tuesday’s semifinals.

“We just needed to lock in and do what we needed to do in order to be successful,” said Kansas big man David McCormick, who had 10 points. “Emphasizing defense and just making them turn over the ball is what we did.”

Andre Arissol had 18 points and Tyler Cartaino 17 to lead Chaminade. The Silverswords led early, but, as is often the case against Power Five schools, had a huge size disadvantage against the Jayhawks.

“Unfortunately, we have had two weeks to sit and prepare for them and watch them way, way too much and we knew how good they were,” Chaminade coach Eric Bovaird said. “I thought through stretches, we executed our game plan really well and then we weren’t locked into what we were supposed to be doing offensively and defensively and that’s the moment it kind of got away.”

Kansas opened the season with a two-point loss to Duke after turning it over a whopping 28 times. The Jayhawks have gotten a better grip since then, heading into Maui with three straight double-digit wins.

Chaminade returned to the championship round this year after playing in the opening rounds last season.

The tournament hosts have had a knack for pulling off upsets against bigger opponents, most recently against California in 2017.

The Silverswords opened by making three of their first four shots to take a brief lead.

Very brief.

Once the Jayhawks got acclimated to shooting in the tiny confines of Lahaina Civic Center, they flew away. Kansas used a 20-2 run to go up 20-7 and made 18 of 32 shots to lead 47-27 at halftime with Azubuike limited to 7 minutes with foul trouble.

Another short run to start the second half put the Jayhawks up 61-33 and the game out of reach.

“We tried to double them a lot and we knew even with doubles it would be hard to do, so we kind of went to make plays and get strips,” Cartaino said. “That didn’t happen a lot and we paid for it.”

 

BIG PICTURE

Kansas squelched any thought of an upset with its big early run and cruised into the semifinals.

Chaminade needed to shoot well to have any chance of keeping it close and wasn’t nearly good enough to keep up with the Jayhawks.

 

UP NEXT

Kansas faces the UCLA-BYU winner in Tuesday’s semifinals.

Chaminade plays the UCLA-BYU loser.

Pittsburgh hands K-State first loss

FORT MYERS, Fla. (AP) — Xavier Johnson made a short jumper with 10.1 seconds left to give his team the lead, then made two free throws with 4.6 seconds to help Pittsburgh top Kansas State 63-59 in the Fort Myers TipOff on Monday night.

“Coach drew up a play and I’m pretty good at driving to the basket,” Johnson said. “It’s a great win.”

After seeing a 57-51 lead disappear as they couldn’t score for 3:56, the Panthers (5-2) scored six points in the last 10.1 seconds. Two more free throws by Justin Champagnie clinched it with 0.1 seconds left.

Ryan Murphy and Eric Hamilton both scored 13 points for Pitt while Johnson and Champagnie added 12 each.

The Panthers won despite making just 1 of 16 3-pointers and committing 21 turnovers. They did hit 47% of their shots, went 18 of 21 on free throws and had a 40-30 rebounding advantage.

“When you have 21 turnovers and two assists, how do you win a game like that?” Pitt coach Jeff Capel said. “You go out and rebound like we did. Show toughness. We’re not going to out-talent most teams and they have players and a program that has a culture.”

Cartier Diarra scored 13 and DaJuan Gordon added 12, 10 straight in the first half, for Kansas State (4-1), which made just 3 of 13 free throws.

“That’s not gonna happen again,” Diarra said.

Xavier Sneed, who came in leading K-State with 16 points per game, didn’t score until 15:40 remained in the second half. He finished with eight points.

For the first time this season, Kansas State had a first-half lead, going up 30-28. The Wildcats took a 9-0 lead. They also led 27-17 before Pitt rallied.

“We didn’t finish off that first half,” Diarra said. “If we keep that 10-point lead, it’s a different story.”

 

BIG PICTURE

Pitt: The Panthers are starting to build a nice resume with victories over two teams, which made the NCAA Tournament last season. Pitt opened the season by beating Florida State 63-61. However, it does have a big blemish, a 75-70 loss to Nicholls State.

Kansas State: Picked to finish ninth in the Big 12, the Wildcats play defense of an NCAA-Tournament caliber team but offense can be hard to find at times, especially if Sneed struggles to score and Makol Mawien gets in foul trouble like they did Monday night. They came in averaging a combined 25.5 points per game but ended up with 12 against Pitt.

 

UP NEXT

Pittsburgh will play the winner of Monday’s second game between Northwestern and Bradley for the Fort Myers TipOff Championship.

Kansas State will play the loser of Monday’s second game for the Fort Myers TipOff third-place game.

Russian foreign minister criticizes doping sanctions

MOSCOW (AP) — The Russian foreign minister cast calls for new anti-doping sanctions on Russian sports as one more Western effort to sideline Russia, while the country’s top anti-doping official called the step “justified” on Tuesday.

A key panel at the World Anti-Doping Agency recommended on Monday that Russian athletes compete as neutrals at next year’s Olympics and other major events for the next four years.

The panel also wants Russia banned from hosting events during that time.

“There are those who want to put Russia in a defensive position accused of pretty much everything in every sphere of international life — conflicts, economics, energy, gas pipelines, arms sales,” Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told a news conference in Moscow when asked about the WADA panel’s recommendation.

WADA’s executive board will vote on the recommendations on Dec. 9.

Handing over the data in January was meant to be Russia’s peace offering to put years of doping disputes behind it, while allowing past cover-ups to be revealed.

However, WADA’s compliance review committee concluded there were intense efforts to remove hundreds of positive tests and plant fake messages implicating WADA’s star witness, former lab director Grigory Rodchenkov.

The Russian anti-doping agency, known as RUSADA, has been sharply critical of the country’s authorities’ approach to the issue and said it expects Russia will likely have to accept the consequences.

“They’re to be expected and they’re justified,” RUSADA CEO Yuri Ganus told The Associated Press.

“One of the conditions for the sports authorities was not met, and unfortunately our athletes become hostages in this situation,” he added. “Now there’s a question about a possible appeal, but as a lawyer I don’t see how it can be appealed.”

Ganus has long called for a shakeup in how sports are run in Russia, and suggested years of defensiveness had driven Russia into a dead end.

He said: “We’re in the fifth year of this crisis, and unfortunately those individuals running our sport have not just failed to bring it out of the crisis, they’ve stuck it in deeper.”

The International Olympic Committee has not responded to the WADA panel’s plan, which would mean Russia fielding a neutral team at next year’s Olympics in Tokyo and the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing.

However, Russian IOC member Yelena Isinbayeva said she expected WADA’s executive committee to approve the sanctions, which would be the strictest punishment yet for any country for doping-related offenses.

“Experience shows that if there’s already a recommendation, then they will be taken note of and implemented,” the former pole vaulter wrote on Instagram. “I have no illusions about a positive outcome or a negative scenario. I’m just waiting for the ruling to be announced Dec. 9.”

At last year’s Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, Russia sent 168 athletes under the banner “Olympic Athletes from Russia” after its team was officially barred by the IOC.

This time round, new rules passed last year give WADA much greater authority to sanction entire countries across a range of sports. The rules have yet to be tested at the Court of Arbitration for Sport and some Russian sports officials have already signaled they plan legal challenges.

College cutting gen ed mandates

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Kansas universities are reducing general education requirements to ensure more students can graduate on time and create more room for classes in their majors.

Wichita State University became the latest school to slash the numbers of general ed classes their undergraduates are required to take.

Schools are hoping students can learn skills such as ethical reasoning from an engineering course by scrapping philosophy and history requirements in favor of specific goals.

But, KCUR-AM reported, some liberal arts professors warn the change will remove an essential aspect of what a university education offers — a widespread knowledge of the world that extends beyond what’s taught in their major.

“Our students will be less competitive, less prepared for the world that they enter when they leave here,” Wichita State University associate sociology professor Chase Billingham said at the faculty vote.

Wichita State’s general education cuts were largely spurred by a Kansas Board of Regents mandate to reduce credit hours.

Fine arts and engineering faculty at Wichita State protested that they already slashed as many classes as they could and were still above the credit limit. It’s why they believed general ed cuts should make up the rest.

Wichita State voice professor Pina Mozzani said core courses “already have been cut to the bone.”

“Our students are going out impoverished in their own area.”

Wichita State could take a page from Kansas State by ditching the classic university model in which students take specific subjects offered by specialized departments, and instead have them focus on concepts.

In 2012, Kansas State overhauled its general education program and the University of Kansas made a similar change a year later. Kansas State students are still required to take some liberal arts courses.

Kansas State is still evaluating the effects of the changes, but the university noted it’s seen positive early results.

Elsewhere, Fort Hays State University is considering allowing some major classes to count toward general education, though its focus is slashing credits. Pittsburg State University reduced general education credit this year, while Emporia State University is also trying to do the same.

Humboldt hosts holiday bike ride

HUMBOLDT — The second annual Bike Around Humboldt Square will help ring in the holiday season Friday.

The fun begins at 5 p.m. with participants invited to ride their bicycles around the Humboldt downtown square. Glow-in-the-dark accessories will be available.

Meanwhile, several downtown merchants will offer special sales during the evening.

A lighting ceremony caps the celebration.

Soggy travels possible

Mother Nature may throw a monkey wrench into travel plans for Thanksgiving.

A number of active storm systems are forecast from coast to coast on and before Thanksgiving Day.

Forecasts call for an 80 percent chance of precipitation in Allen County on Thursday, with the type determined by temperatures. 

The overnight low from Wednesday to Thursday is expected to hover at or slightly above freezing. High temps on Thursday are expected to reach the mid-40s.

Warmer weather is expected Friday and Saturday, but with significant chances of rain expected both days.

Suzanne Munzesheimer

Suzanne Thomasson Munzesheimer passed away peacefully at her home in Oklahoma City on Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2019. Suzie was born on July 20, 1940 to Bill and Annabell Truax Thomasson in Iola. Suzie grew up in Iola and was a member of the high school marching band and tennis team. She graduated from Iola High School in 1958. After graduation, Suzie moved to Bartlesville and was employed by the Phillips Petroleum Company. She soon became a flight attendant and moved to Dallas, Texas, where she met her husband Rick and raised their two children, Laura and Aaron. Suzie was active in her community as a soccer coach, Richardson High School band parent and member of Temple Shalom. Suzie became a realtor and was employed by the Henry S. Miller agency and Virginia Cook Realtors.

After many years of living in the Richardson area, Suzie retired and moved to her beloved lake house on Lake Texoma and later moved back to her hometown of Iola. Suzie recently relocated to Oklahoma City to be near her family.

She lived her life with gusto. She was an avid tennis player and fan. She enjoyed playing bridge and knitting. Suzie was a terrific cook and enjoyed entertaining guests. She was known as “Gram” by all the neighborhood children. Above all, Suzie loved her family, her friends and her dogs.

Suzie is survived by her daughter and son-in-law, Laura and Louis Barlow of OKC; her five beautiful granddaughters Baylea, Sadie, Lily, Hope and Hannah; her daughter-in-law Megan Burch; and her Yayas, Linda Guenther, Sharon Hoffmeir and Judy Jo Laver. Suzie is preceded in death by her father and mother, Bill and Annabell Thomasson; her son, Aaron Munzesheimer, and her Yaya, Naomi Oliphant.

Suzie was loved dearly and will be greatly missed by her family and friends.

Services will be at 1 p.m. on Wednesday at Temple B’nai Israel in Oklahoma City.  Suzie’s signature color was purple, and those attending the service are encouraged to wear a bit of Suzie’s favorite color.

Dale Donovan

Dale Ray Donovan Sr., age 73, of Iola, died Thursday at Allen County Regional Hospital in Iola. He was born Aug. 13, 1946, to Robert and Thelma (Hubbard) Donovan in Adrian, Mo.

He served with the U.S. Air Force. He married Kathy “Kate” Owings on April 5, 1968, in Drexel, Mo.

Survivors include his wife; a daughter, April Donovan of Iola, and a son, Dale Donovan Jr. of Harrison, Ark.

Services are at 2 p.m. Tuesday at Feuerborn Family Funeral Service, Iola. Memorials in honor of Dale are suggested to the Salvation Army and can be left in the care of the funeral home.

Herschel Perry

Herschel Perry, age 86, of Iola, died Saturday, Nov. 23, 2019, at Allen County Regional Hospital.

Services will be at 1 p.m. Wednesday at Feuerborn Family Funeral Chapel, 1883 US Hwy 54, with the Rev. Dr. Jocelyn Tupper officiating. Burial will follow in Highland Cemetery, Iola. Memorial contributions may be made to ACARF (Allen County Animal Rescue Foundation) and left in care of the funeral home.