The Warriors won their fourth game of the season on Wednesday night behind Draymond Green’s return and a solid defensive effort.
On Wednesday night, the Warriors ended their three-game losing streak and did so in rather convincing fashion. Fortunately for the club, Draymond Green returned to the lineup after missing the team’s last three games, and his presence helped to buoy the team on the defensive end of the floor.
Green would finish the night with seven points, five rebounds, eight assists, three steals and two blocks. The Dubs held the Bulls to just 90 points on 34-for-89 shooting from the field (38.2 percent).
Given the team’s struggled on the defensive end of the floor, the effort was noteworthy. Entering play on November 27, Golden State was yielding 113.9 points per-100 possessions which ranked 27th in the league. Similarly, the club’s 116.1 points allowed per game ranked 23rd across the NBA.
To put it mildly, defense hasn’t necessarily been the club’s strong suit this season. At least for one night, though, it was. The effort was just the third time this season that the Warriors held an opponent under 90 points.
With the win, the club improved to 4-15 on the season. Despite the fact that the team is in line to receive a high draft pick after what appears to be a season with no playoff berth, Steve Kerr has managed to keep his team engaged and competitive, and that starts on the defensive end.
The NBA will not compete on Thanksgiving Day, but the Dubs will be back in action on Friday night when they pay a visit to Jimmy Butler and the Miami Heat.
EVANSTON, Ill. — There’s no trophy to distinguish the Northwestern-Minnesota series. If there was one, what would it be, a mitten? A mini-snowblower? An icicle?
In the absence of an official trophy, there was one that appeared to unofficially change hands between the two teams after the conclusion of Saturday’s game: the Big Ten West crown.
The Wildcats, coming off a nine-win season that took them to the Big Ten Championship Game, have taken a significant step backward this year, and have failed to win a single conference game this season. While Northwestern has been mired in the basement of the West, the Golden Gophers have stood atop it, soaring to unprecedented heights in P.J. Fleck’s third season at the helm of the program.
Undefeated for nine weeks, Minnesota fell at Iowa last week, a loss that has likely doomed their outside bid at a College Football Playoff berth. But their postseason ambitions aren’t completely dead in the water, as a two-loss Wisconsin team has made it increasingly likely that Minnesota will represent the West Division in the Big Ten title game.
Minnesota head coach PJ Fleck leads his team onto the field against the Northwestern Wildcats at Ryan Field. (Photo credit: David Banks — USA TODAY Sports)
Powered by an excellent performance from quarterback Tanner Morgan, and a near-perfect day from receivers Tyler Johnson and Rashod Bateman, the No. 11 ranked Gophers (9-1, 7-1 Big Ten) never trailed in a commanding 38-22 win over Northwestern (2-9, 0-8 Big Ten), and are one win closer to Indianapolis, a capstone to a once-in-a-generation season.
Morgan, whose status for Saturday’s game was in question heading into the week, was cleared to play in the days leading up to the contest after entering concussion protocol, assuaging concerns that Minnesota would have to start a redshirt-freshman quarterback in his place.
Morgan, who has been first-rate all season, threw for four touchdowns and 211 yards, tying his season-high in touchdown passes in a game. The sophomore led a torrid passing attack that evenly targeted Johnson and Bateman with seven receptions apiece.
The Gophers blitzed out to a quick 21-0 lead in the first half, and with Northwestern’s offense generating just 88 yards of total offense, it looked like the rout was on.
Bateman jump-started the Minnesota offense on their first drive, snagging a perfectly-placed throw over safety Travis Whillock on a post route for a 19-yard score. The redshirt-senior topped that impressive catch in the second quarter with an arguably even better play, beating Trae Williams on a double move before extending his arms to make a toe drag catch near the front left pylon.
Running back Shannon Brooks practically walked-in a nine-yard touchdown in the first quarter.
Minnesota is now 19-1 under Fleck when they lead after the first quarter.
To their credit, Northwestern finished the first half strong, denying the Gophers any more points. A 67-yard boot off the leg of punter Andrew David pinned Minnesota inside their five-yard line with nine minutes to play in the half. On the first play of the Minnesota drive, senior defensive lineman Joe Gaziano scored a safety by pressuring Morgan in the end zone, forcing a throw out-of-bounds that sailed short of the first-down marker. After it was ruled a sack, Gaziano became Northwestern’s all-time leader in the category with 28.5, a proud moment for the senior.
“It was a big momentum play, because our offense gets the ball back and we scored a nine-point swing in the game,” said Gaziano. “I was really excited for the guys to be able to grasp momentum like that.”
The safety ignited a 14-play, 69-yard drive that ended with an Andrew Marty connection with sophomore Jace James in the endzone to make it 21-9.
While Morgan was predictably reliable, Northwestern’s quarterback carousel continued to be unpredictable heading into Saturday’s game.
After sustaining an injury in last week’s game against UMass, Aidan Smith was listed as doubtful in Thursday’s injury report, leading many to make the assumption that Andrew Marty would make the start for the ‘Cats.
Except, he didn’t. ESPN’s Rece Davis revealed a couple hours before kickoff on College Gameday that Johnson would be the starter.
Oh, Pat Fitzgerald and his depth chart shenanigans.
Northwestern quarterback Hunter Johnson (15) being sacked during the first half at Ryan Field. Johnson (Photo credit: David Banks — USA TODAY Sports)
Johnson, who had not played since the team’s Nov. 2 loss at Indiana, has battled a myriad of injuries and off-the-field issues this season. To say the least, this year has not gone as planned for Johnson. Unfortunately, his misfortunes continued in Saturday’s game.
Johnson was rendered unable to complete a single pass and subject to relentless pressure thanks to poor offensive line play. The redshirt sophomore was sacked three times, the third of which knocked him out of the game with concussion-like symptoms as characterized by the ABC broadcast.
That meant the quarterbacking duties fell to Marty.
Despite the short notice, Marty played the most complete game by a Northwestern quarterback all season, throwing for 95 yards and one touchdown on 8-of-10 passing, while punching into two rushing touchdowns at the goal line.
“I was proud of Andrew for stepping up and getting his first real experience,” said Fitzgerald of Marty’s performance. “I’m just happy for him. He’s worked really hard and he’s a great young man. My hope is that he gains confidence through the experience and it’s great fuel and motivation for him as he moves forward in his career.”
Any momentum the ‘Cats had from the end of the first half failed to carry over in the second half, as Minnesota continued to keep pace with Northwestern, despite Marty’s best efforts.
Minnesota wide receiver Tyler Johnson (6) catches a pass as Northwestern Wildcats defensive back Trae Williams (3) defends him. (Photo credit: David Banks — USA TODAY Sports)
Rashod Bateman and Tyler Johnson each caught a touchdown pass, and Michael Lantz contributed a 37-yard field goal to end a clock-killing fourth-quarter drive.
Bateman’s three touchdown receptions were the most in one game in his career.
The Gophers’ endless depth on both sides of the ball choked a banged-up, inexperienced Northwestern team. The Gophers split 217 rushing yards on 39 carries among three running backs
Northwestern, on the other hand, was forced to rely on two freshmen running backs against a top-30 rushing defense.
To say Northwestern never had a chance to upset Minnesota would be an overstatement. But without a deluge of unforced errors, it’s hard to see how the Wildcats could have ever overcome such a severe talent disparity.
As the sun sets on Northwestern’s reign as Big Ten West champions, a new insurgent team stands in the wings, ready to assume the title.
“If you want to be a Big Ten West champ, you got to beat the Big Ten West champ,” said Fleck.
What’s Next:
Northwestern at Illinois (Saturday, Nov. 30 @ TBD)
Minnesota at #12 Wisconsin (Saturday, November 30 @ 2:30 p.m. on ABC)
The combination of Spencer Dinwiddie and Joe Harris proved to be a bit too much for the lowly Kings to overcome, even without Kyrie Irving.
With Kyrie Irving on the shelf, Spencer Dinwiddie has gotten the opportunity to start at point guard for the Nets.
Apparently, it’s a role that seems to suit him quite well.
Dinwiddie led the Nets in what ended up being a wire-to-wire victory on Friday night, as Brooklyn outlasted Buddy Hield and the Sacramento Kings by a final score of 116-97.
The point guard scored a game-high 23 points on 8-for-15 shooting from the field. He also had seven assists.
Although he performed admirably, Dinwiddie got plenty of help from his teammates, including Joe Harris. The sharpshooter scored 22 points on 8-for-11 shooting from the field, including 5-for-7 from 3-point territory.
Overall, the contest ended up being a relatively easy victory for Brooklyn, as they never trailed. Garrett Temple scored the first basket of the contest to give the Nets an early 3-0 lead, and they never looked back. They led 26-23 after the first quarter and eventually opened up a double-digit lead in the second quarter. The Kings never seriously threatened afterward, as they shot just 4-for-26 from the 3-point line—one of their many problems on the night.
Sacramento was led by 18 points from Harrison Barnes. Buddy Hield managed just 16 points on 6-for-15 shooting from the field.
For Brooklyn, center Jarrett Allen was in the starting lineup after being considered questionable for the contest due to some ankle woes, but he managed an 11-point, nine-rebound effort in just 25 minutes.
With the win, the Nets improve to 3-1 in the four contests they’ve played without Irving, who’s missed each of the team’s contests since the Nov. 16 win over the Chicago Bulls.
The Nets will next suit up on Sunday when they travel to Madison Square Garden to lock horns with the New York Knicks.
The Dallas Cowboys have earned their sixth victory of the season, and they did it once again on the throwing arm of quarterback Dak Prescott. Dallas’ coaching staff came under fire for their run-first, run-often game plan against the Minnesota Vikings in Week 10, and they finally turned the page in their Week 11 matchup with the Detroit Lions.
Detroit fields one of the league’s worst secondaries and Prescott took full advantage, loading up for 444 passing yards on the day using both short, intermediate and deep passing to launch haymakers at the Lions defense. In the end, Dallas escaped a competitive effort led by backup QB Jeff Driskel and outpaced the Lions, final score 35-27.
It was Prescott’s third, 400-yard passing game of the season, leading the league. He also now has four games where he’s thrown for at least 375 yards with 2+ touchdowns, the second-most in league history.
Peyton Manning’s six in 2013 is the record.
For the second-consecutive game, Dallas had two receivers going over 100 receiving yards. Michael Gallup hauled in a career-high 9 receptions for 148 yards, while Randall Cobb had his second-straight 100-yard day, catching four for 115 and a score. Running backs Ezekiel Elliott and Tony Pollard both caught touchdown passes while Elliott also punched one in on the ground.
Prescott was the story of the game, as he continues to assault the record books. He came into the game third, but now sits second in passing yards per game with 322.1. He also sits atop several advanced passing categories, making his case as one of the NFL’s tops at the position.
Dallas did not escape unscathed though, as their defense was not very impressive, allowing the Lions to march up and down the field on the strength of Driskel’s scrambling ability. Dallas fell behind early, but surged ahead after waking up earlier than they had in many of their previous slow starts.
Still though, the defense was not good in their tackling efforts, and then matters got worse with injuries popping up. On back-to-back plays, Dallas lost DeMarcus Ware, Xavier Woods and Anthony Brown to injuries, though Woods returned the next series. Before that happened though, Prescott and right tackle La’el Collins collided, with Collins having to be helped off the field with a left knee injury.
Punt returner Tavon Austin also left the game with an arm injury after breaking up a would-be interception, and WR Amari Cooper was in and out of the game after not practicing much throughout the week. Jeff Heath missed the contest at strong safety with shoulder injuries.
With the New England Patriots on the horizon, this would be bad timing for the injury front.
All in all though, Dallas has to be ecstatic to earn the victory and move on to the back stretch of the season.
Today’s loss to ISU drops Texas to 6-4 and out of the Big 12 title race. While the defense played well, the offense was not good enough.
With four seconds left in the game, Iowa State’s Connor Assalley hit a game-winning field goal, handing the Longhorns their fourth loss of the season. The Cyclones used Brock Purdy’s 354 yards to win 23-21.
The story of the game was Texas’ inability to move the ball on offense, especially in the first half. The Longhorns punted the ball nine different times, including eight three-and-outs. Only four of Texas’ drives lasted longer than three plays, three of which ended in touchdowns.
Sam Ehlinger completed 55% of his passes, going 22/40 with 273 yards and a touchdown. Wide receiver Devin Duvernay was clutch down the stretch, picking up first downs to keep Texas drives alive. He ended with a game-high nine catches and 107 yards.
Iowa State made a huge stop with three minutes left in the game, making Texas punt the ball back and giving them a chance to win. Lining up for a field goal with two minutes and 16 seconds left, Joseph Ossai jumped offsides, giving Iowa State a first down.
That penalty is ultimately what lost the game for Texas, giving Iowa State the ability to drain the clock out and hit the game-winning kick as the clock expired. The Cyclones move to 6-4 and above Texas in the Big 12 standings.
While the Longhorns are not eliminated from the Big 12 championship race, it is highly unlikely. The Longhorns would need to win out, have Iowa State to lose one more time to either Kansas or Kansas State, and have Baylor lose their final three games.
Texas closes the season out on the road to Baylor and at home against Texas Tech and is playing for a better bowl game at this point. It has been a rough season for the Longhorns and today’s game against Iowa State was their final chance to prove themselves.
D’Angelo Russell left the contest early due to injury, but the Warriors were able to score a monumental upset over the Celtics, anyway.
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So close, yet so far.
On Friday night, the Golden State Warriors gave the Boston Celtics all they could handle before faltering down the stretch and dropping a tough decision, 105-100.
If there’s one lesson to take from the game for the Warriors, it’s that late-game execution is most often the difference-maker. Despite outplaying Boston for a majority of the game, the Warriors allowed the Celtics to hang around.
Draymond Green’s two free-throws with 3:13 remaining gave his club a three-point lead before a Willie Cauley-Stein dunk on the next possession gave the Dubs a five-point cushion with about 2:30 remaining.
Led by Walker, though, the Celtics responded with an 11-0 run that helped them leave Chase Center with a well-fought victory.
During the game’s final three minutes, Steve Kerr’s team shot just 2-for-7 from the field, scoring three points. That obviously wasn’t enough to get it done, despite the fact that Golden State held Boston to just 40.7 shooting from the field for the contest.
What was most remarkable about Walker’s heroics was that he scored 14 points in the game’s final frame after struggling through the game’s first three quarter.
The loss drops the Warriors to 2-11 on the regular season while the Celtics, who have now won 10 games in a row, improve to 10-1.
To make matters even worse, the bigger loss of the night for the Dubs was that of D’Angelo Russell, who left the contest early with a sprained right thumb.
In all likelihood, the Warriors will update his status on Saturday as they prepare to begin four-game road trip on Sunday when they visit the New Orleans Pelicans.
Even without Anthony Davis, the Lakers easily handled the Golden State Warriors on Wednesday night, sending them to fifth-straight loss.
The Warriors had no answers for LeBron James and the Lakers on Wednesday night, as Golden State suffered their fifth consecutive loss at Staples Center, 120-94.
For the Warriors, D’Angelo Russell continued his strong play with a 21-point, eight-assist effort. His career-high streak of four consecutive 30-point games ended at the hands of Frank Vogel’s team, though.
Unfortunately for the Warriors, Russell didn’t get much help from his teammates, as Eric Paschall was the second leading scorer with 13. Even without Anthony Davis, the Lakers had no trouble handling the young Dubs.
James led Los Angeles with 23 points, six rebounds and 12 assists. Even more impressive than the numbers was the fact that he accumulated them in just 26 minutes of action. The center duo of former Warrior JaVale McGee and Dwight Howard dominated the Warriors’ front line with a combined total of 33 points, 24 rebounds and five assists.
The Warriors’ defense was porous, as has become the norm. As a unit, the Lakers shot 56.6 percent from the field and converted on eight of their 17 looks from three-point territory—47.1 percent. The Warriors, on the other hand, shot just 9-for-35 from distance.
With the win, the Lakers improved to 9-2 on the season while the Warriors fell to 2-10. The loss for the Warriors overtakes the Knicks once again for the worst record in the league.
The good news for the Warriors on Monday night was that Draymond Green’s extended absence ended. The bad news? Their losing streak didn’t.
Golden State was no match for Donovan Mitchell and the Utah Jazz, dropping their fourth straight contest to the tune of a 122-108 decision.
Prior to the contest, it was announced that Green would suit up for the first time since November 1, and after missing five consecutive games, he showed some obvious signs of rust. In 22 minutes, Green shot just 2-for-7 from the field, scoring four points. He also had four rebounds and seven assists.
Green, who had a frustrating night, was ejected with about 8:30 remaining in the fourth quarter after he received two technical fouls for arguing a foul call. The team trailed by 13 points at the time.
D’Angelo Russell continued his strong play, scoring 33 points on an efficient 13-for-25 shooting from the field, but he got little help from his comrades, as no other player on the team scored more than 11.
The Warriors entered the contest ranking dead last in the NBA in defensive efficiency, yielding 117 points per 100 possessions. The presence of Green should have produced a better overall defensive effort from the Warriors, but they allowed Utah to score 35 and 34 points in the first and second quarters, respectively. With a 15-point deficit at the half, things didn’t get much better for the Warriors in the game’s final 24 minutes.
Utah shot a blistering 16-for-35 from three-point territory (compared to 10-for-31and outscored Golden State from the free-throw line by 18 points. As is often the case in the NBA, it’s difficult to overcome those shortcomings. For the Warriors on Monday night, it was.
The club will now head to Los Angeles on Wednesday to square off against LeBron James and the Lakers.
