Jimmy Butler scored 42 points, and the Bulls overcame a 19-point deficit to beat the Toronto Raptors 123-118 in overtime Saturday night.Butler led a big run in the fourth quarter and hit a 3 with 17.3 seconds left in overtime for a five-point lead.He also hit the 40-point mark for the third time in six games. Dwyane Wade added 20 points, and Doug McDermott had 17 to help the Bulls win their 10th in a row against Toronto.DeMar DeRozan led the Raptors with 36 points. Kyle Lowry added 27 points, 12 assists and nine rebounds, but the Atlantic Division leaders lost for the fourth time in six games.The Raptors led by 19 late in the third, only to see the Bulls come charging back.It was tied in overtime when McDermott hit three free throws and cut for a dunk to give the Bulls a 116-111 lead with 2:18 remaining. Two free throws by Lowry made it a three-point game. But Terrence Ross missed potential tying 3-pointers on back-to-back possessions. Butler hit two free throws after DeMarre Carroll converted 1 of 2 to make it 118-114 with 1:06 remaining. Lowry then drove for a layup to cut it to two, but Butler nailed a dagger 3 from the wing to make it 121-116 with 17.3 seconds left.All that happened after a wild finish in regulation, with both teams missing in the closing seconds.Wade missed a spinning, driving layup and Felicio missed the tip-in. Toronto had a chance to win, but DeRozan missed a floater and Lowry could not knock down a fadeaway as time expired.The Raptors led 82-63 late in the third quarter and were up 99-87 midway through the fourth when the Bulls went on a 14-0 run.Butler, who had 14 points in the fourth against Cleveland, scored nine in that stretch and fed Wade for a layup to put the Bulls on top 101-99 with three minutes left. After Lowry hit a jumper for Toronto, Mirotic made a corner 3 to put the Bulls back on top 104-101 with 2:18 left.

NOTES—Toronto has not beaten the Bulls since Dec. 31, 2013. … F Patrick Patterson missed his fourth straight game because of a strained left knee…..Rajon Rondo did not play for the fourth straight game. … G Denzell Valentine missed his second consecutive game because of a sprained left ankle….The Bulls host Oklahoma City on Monday.

BLOOMINGTON, Ind.—James Blackmon Jr. scored 25 points, Thomas Bryant finished with 20 No. 25 Indiana defeated Illinois 96-80 on Saturday for its first Big Ten Conference win of the season.Illinois was scoreless for the first 6 minutes of the game, during which time the Hoosiers (11-5, 1-2) jumped out to a 13-0 lead. Indiana led for the entire game, and was up by as many as 22 points. Illinois pulled within 10 points of the Hoosiers with less than 5 minutes remaining in the game, but Indiana stretched its lead one final time.Robert Johnson finished with 18 points for Indiana and OG Anunoby had 12 points.Jalen Coleman-Lands and Malcolm Hill scored 21 points each and Maverick Morgan finished with 18 for Illinois (11-5, 1-2).The Illini finished the first half shooting 29 percent from the field (7 of 24) and finished the game at 44 percent (24 of 54).The Hoosiers made seven of 13 3-point attempts in the first half. Indiana’s offensive onslaught was a product of a balanced offense as 22 of the Hoosiers’ 29 field goals came by way of an assist.

After getting their first Big Ten win in front of their home crowd at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall, the Hoosiers will hit the road for four of their remaining six conference games in the month of January (Maryland, Penn State, Michigan, Northwestern)….After being ranked as high as No. 3 this season, the Hoosiers found themselves on the verge of being unranked, falling to No. 25 after losing four of their last six games. Saturday’s win should give Indiana a much needed bump in rankings….Illinois hosts Michigan on Wednesday

TERRE HAUTE—MiKyle McIntosh scored a career-high 31 points, reaching his season high of 21 in the first half, and Illinois State beat Indiana State 77-58 on Saturday for its fifth straight win.The Redbirds (12-4, 4-0 Missouri Valley) won for the eighth time in nine games and are off to their best start in conference play since 2007-08 when they went 6-0. The victory was also the first in Terre Haute since Feb. 14, 2007.Illinois State made nine 3-pointers to lead 47-24, its largest halftime lead this season. The Redbirds finished 13 of 25 from the arc with McIntosh making all five of his 3-pointers. The lead remained in double figures in the second half.Deontae Hawkins added 14 points, Paris Lee added 13 and seven assists, becoming the seventh Redbird to reach 400 career assists, and Phil Fayne had a career-high 11 rebounds.Everett Clemons and Jordan Barnes had 14 points each for Indiana State (6-10, 0-4), which is 0-4 in league play for the first time since 2004-05.

NEWARK—Angel Delgado had his ninth-consecutive double-double, Desi Rodriguez scored 25 points on 10-of-13 shooting and Seton Hall cruised to an 87-56 win over DePaul on Saturday.Delgado made 8 of 9 from the field and finished with 20 points and 12 rebounds while Rodriguez hit 5 of 7 from 3-point range. Myles Powell hit four 3s – including a 4-point play – for 13 points and Khadeen Carrington scored 10 with four assists and three steals.Rodriguez made a layup, a dunk and then hit a 3 to give Seton Hall (12-3, 2-1 Big East) a 7-2 lead it wouldn’t relinquish. The junior forward made all nine of his shots and scored 23 in the first half as the Pirates led 41-31 at the break. Powell’s 4-point play and a 3-point play by Carrington capped a 26-4 run to open the second half and Seton Hall cruised from there.Billy Garrett Jr. had 22 points on 8-of-11 shooting for the Blue Demons (7-8, 0-2). No other DePaul player scored in double figures and the rest of the team shot 27.9 percent (12 of 43) from the field.Seton Hall, which has won eight of its last nine, shot 54 percent, hit a season-high 13 3-pointers and tied a season-best with 21 assists.

Scott Darling’s 6-foot-6 frame was awfully handy Friday night.Darling had a season-high 39 saves, kicking out his long legs for a couple key stops, and the Blackhawks beat the Carolina Hurricanes 2-1 for their second straight win.Jonathan Toews and Artemi Panarin scored for the Hawks, who were coming off a 4-3 overtime victory against Buffalo on Thursday night. The consecutive wins against the Sabres and Hurricanes come in the aftermath of a 1-4-1 slump.

”We needed to get back to our winning ways,” said Darling, who backs up Corey Crawford. ”It’s not fun to lose. We want to have fun and win. It was a fun two nights.”

Cam Ward made 22 saves in his 15th straight start for Carolina, which won 4-2 at St. Louis on Thursday. Victor Rask had Carolina’s goal, connecting against Darling on the Hurricanes’ 31st shot with 4.2 seconds left in the second.The Hurricanes have dropped three of four.

”A huge tribute to our goaltender for winning there and coming up with two points,” Toews said.

Panarin’s 16th of the season stopped a six-game drought. Toews got his seventh goal.Carolina beat Darling 3-2 in Raleigh on Dec. 30 in their only other regular-season meeting. But the Hurricanes felt Darling was the difference in the rematch.

”I think I’ve played against him since I was 20 years old in the AHL and he keeps getting better and better every year,” said Ty Rattie, who got his first point with the Hurricanes in his second game with his new team. ”It’s going to be scary how good he gets as his career goes on.He covers 95 percent of the net to begin with and then he’s quick.”

Carolina controlled much of the first period, but the Blackhawks led 1-0 after 20 minutes. Toews finished off a crisp passing sequence with linemates Marian Hossa and Vinnie Hinostroza, scoring from the low edge of the left circle at 12:13.The Hurricanes got 19 shots on goal in the first, and Darling stopped every one of them. The Blackhawks killed off two Carolina power plays, with Darling making a sliding right pad stop on Justin Faulk’s shot from the left circle with 5:30 to go in the period.Ward stopped Patrick Kane’s backhander on a breakaway a minute into the second. Darling made another lunging right pad save to deny Jordan Staal on a short-handed, 2-on-1 break at 3:13.Panarin’s power-play goal from the left circle with 6:31 left in the second made it 2-0. After Duncan Keith narrowly held the puck in the Carolina zone, Kane swept a cross-ice pass to Panarin, who beat Ward low on the glove side.Rask cut it to 2-1 in the closing moments of the second with his 11th goal, finishing a close-in flurry. After Darling kicked out Jeff Skinner’s shot from the left wing and stopped Rattie from the slot, Rask swept in the rebound from the right side of the crease.Carolina’s Derek Ryan hit the left post with a shot 3:05 into the third. The Blackhawks checked well – Carolina had nine shots in the period – and Darling was sharp the rest of the way to preserve the lead.

NOTES—The Blackhawks sent D Gustav Forsling and F Spencer Abbott to Rockford of the AHL. The 20-year-old Forsling played in 32 games with the big club and had a goal and three assists while averaging 14:49 minutes of ice time. Abbott had been called up for Thursday’s win over Buffalo. … Brian Campbell played after sitting out Thursday’s game. … Rattie was claimed on waivers from St. Louis on Wednesday. … Carolina LW Teuvo Teravainen, the Hawks first-round draft pick in 2012, played his first game at the United Center since his trade to the Hurricanes last June. LW Bryan Bickell, sidelined with multiple sclerosis, also went to Carolina in the deal that netted the Blackhawks two draft picks.The Blackhawk are home to Nashville on Sunday in their third home game in four nights.

Patrick Kane stayed on the ice long enough to shoot the Blackhawks to a sorely needed victory.Kane scored 56 seconds into overtime, Artem Anisimov had two goals and the Blackhawks beat the Buffalo Sabres 4-3 on Thursday night.Jonathan Toews set up Kane’s 12th goal when he forced Anders Nilsson to make a left pad save. The rebound went right to the reigning NHL MVP, who knocked it into the open side of net before Nilsson could recover.Coach Joel Quenneville was trying to get Kane off the ice before he scored the winning goal .

”The time I wanted him to come was the right time and then he knew that then it was a little too late, that he had to stay,” Quenneville said. ”I give him credit. He knows the game.”

The Central Division-leading Blackhawks had dropped three in a row at home and five of six overall. Kane also had two assists against his hometown team, and Corey Crawford made 17 stops in the Hawks 10th consecutive victory against Buffalo.

”Nothing better than beating Buffalo, right?” a grinning Kane said as he addressed the crowd after the game.

Kyle Okposo had a goal and an assist for the Sabres, and Ryan O’Reilly had two assists in his return from an appendectomy. Jack Eichel also scored and Nilsson finished with 39 stops.Buffalo dropped to 3-9 in overtime and shootouts.

”Too many overtime losses this year,” Eichel said. ”It’s painful.”

The game was tied at 2 when O’Reilly found Eichel for a one-timer from the left circle at 1:10 of the third. It was Buffalo’s second power-play goal in three opportunities and Eichel’s eighth goal in 17 games this season.The Sabres then kept the action away from Nilsson for much of the third. The Blackhawks finally broke through when Kane got a backhander to the net and Anisimov knocked in the rebound for his team-best 18th goal with 2:04 remaining in regulation.

”He’s so skilled and when he gets those chances in front, he’s not going to miss them too often,” Kane said. ”He’s patient, he’s skilled and he knows where to put the puck.”

Buffalo also jumped in front in each of the first two periods, only to have the Blackhawks rally each time.

”There is a lot of disappointment giving up that game with the opportunity to win,” Sabres coach Dan Bylsma said.

Marcus Foligno intercepted a clearing attempt by Brent Seabrook in the first and beat Crawford on the glove side for his sixth of the season at 7:21. But Ryan Hartman responded for the Blackhawks, splitting Okposo and Sabres defenseman Taylor Fedun before sending a hard wrist shot over Nilsson’s glove at 16:20.The Hawks outshot Buffalo 20-6 in the first, but Hartman’s seventh of the season was all it could manage against Nilsson.The teams exchanged goals again 18 seconds apart in the second. After the Blackhawks were whistled for too many men on the ice, Okposo stuffed one home from the side of the net for his team-best 12th goal. Anisimov then sent a wrist shot over Nilsson’s glove for his team-best 17th of the season, tying it at 2 with 1:32 remaining in the period.

NOTES—Duncan Keith got his 400th career assist on Anisimov’s second goal. … O’Reilly had an appendectomy during the NHL’s holiday break and missed four games. D Josh Gorges also returned to Buffalo’s lineup after he missed Tuesday’s 4-1 victory against the New York Rangers with a hip injury, but F William Carrier was scratched with an illness. …Marian Hossa returned after missing five games with an injury. …Brian Campbell was a healthy scratch. … Sabres C Zemgus Girgensons turned 23 on Thursday….The Blackhawks host Carolina on Friday night.

CLEVELAND—LeBron James was reminded what it’s like to be Cleveland’s only star.Lonesome and no fun.Jimmy Butler took over in the fourth quarter, scoring 10 straight points during a critical stretch and leading the Bulls to a 106-94 win Wednesday night over the Cavaliers, who had a less-than-100 percent James and were without Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love.Butler, who was coming off a 52-point game against Charlotte, scored 14 of his 20 points in the fourth as the Bulls held off Cleveland’s rally and ended the Cavs’ 13-game winning streak with James in the lineup.Butler said Dwyane Wade, who returned to his hometown this summer, encouraged his new teammate to take control.

”The guy who wears No. 3 on this team came to me and was like, `Win the game,”’ Butler said. ”So I guess a switch cut on. I knew I was going to have to do that in the fourth anyway, but with him telling me that, you can’t let D-Wade down.He’s been doing it for years. It was my time to step up.”

James, who has been battling a head cold for several days, was questionable until about 20 minutes before the game, when the Cavs announced he would be the one – and only – member of Cleveland’s ”Big 3” in uniform. He finished with 31 points, eight rebounds and seven assists in 37 minutes.James was forced to go it alone as Irving missed his third straight game with a hamstring issue that appears to be more serious than first diagnosed and Love is still recovering from a nasty case of food poisoning.James said there was never any question he would play.

”If I can walk, I can go,” he said, ”unless coach tells me to sit down. My plan was to play.”

But without Irving and Love, the Cavs didn’t have enough firepower to slow the Bulls, who got 17 points from Doug McDermott and made a season-high 13 3-pointers.The Bulls made just 1 of 8 3s in the first quarter before finding their range. They dropped 11 of their next 14 and built a 15-point lead when James went to the bench with 3:30 left in the third quarter.But Cleveland’s reserves cut the Bulls lead to four when James returned with 8:49 remaining. He made two straight layups to pull the Cavs within 89-88 and was driving for the go-ahead bucket when Butler stepped in front of him in the lane and drew a charge.

”He’s coming at you full speed, that’s the right play to make,” Butler said. ”It could go either way, obviously. You’ve got to brace yourself. I got all my pads here somewhere. We’ve got all of that for a reason.”

James didn’t argue about the foul.

”It was a good call,” James said.

Butler then hit a 3-pointer on the next possession, and Cleveland never got closer than eight and had its home winning streak ended at nine.The Cavs are set to embark on a season-long, six-game road trip. James was asked if it’s coming at a good time with the injury and illnesses.

”I don’t know until we know who’s active,” he said. ”I don’t know if it’s going to be a good time or not until we know who’s active and who’s playing. See what happens.”

Wade scored 10 points in 27 minutes after missing Monday’s game with a swollen left knee. He said it feels better but the team will monitor him closely.

”This is a grueling month,” Wade said. ”We have four back-to-backs. We want to play it smart, find gaps, find days to get through it.”

NOTES—Rajon Rondo didn’t play for the third straight game amid talk that he could be traded. …The Bulls came in leading the league with 13.7 offensive rebounds and grabbed 12….Cleveland fell to 18-3 at home. … James played in his 724th game with Cleveland, passing Danny Ferry (723) for the second most in franchise history. Zydrunas Ilgauskas (771) is the career club leader. … Love received several IVs during his recovery from food poisoning, which the team said came from eating sea bass on New Year’s Eve. Lue said the forward lost 10 pounds and had not gotten his strength back. ”He couldn’t keep food down,” Lue said, adding Cleveland’s training staff felt he needed another day to recuperate. … Even before the flu bug bit Cleveland, the Cavs were already without J.R. Smith (thumb surgery) and Chris Andersen (ACL tear). … Indians free agent prize Edwin Encarnacion received a loud ovation when he was introduced during the first quarter….The Bulls host Toronto on Saturday. The Bulls have has won nine straight over the Raptors.

Following a year of inconsistency and disappointment, the Bulls entered 2017 with plenty of resolutions.There’s one thing, however, they are hoping remains the same – the production of Jimmy Butler, who scored 52 points and out dueled Kemba Walker, carrying the Bulls in a 118-111 victory over the Charlotte Hornets on Monday night.Butler was a point shy of his career high, which he got Jan. 14, 2016 at Philadelphia. He scored 20 points in the first half and 17 in the game’s final four minutes.

”It’s an understatement to say he was phenomenal. He did it in any which way,” Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg said. ”He just took what the defense gave him and obviously made huge plays down the stretch.”

Butler also had 12 rebounds and six assists while shooting 21 of 22 from the free-throw line. He has scored at least 25 points in four straight games, and his performance Monday surpassed his previous season high of 40 points, which he notched Wednesday against Brooklyn.

”I was just playing basketball,” Butler said. ”I didn’t even know how many points I had. I just had a groove. Coach kept drawing up the same play.”

Walker went blow-for-blow with Butler for much of the game, boosting his All-Star candidacy with 34 points and a season-high 11 rebounds. Walker, who scored 37 points against Cleveland on Saturday, notched consecutive 30-point games for the first time since March 7-9, 2016.Still, Hornets coach Steve Clifford saw room for improvement from everyone – his star included.

”(Walker) did a good job on offense,” Clifford said. ”But we have to try on defense, all of them. Our defense is soft and they pick and choose when they want to play. It’s not going to work.”

Charlotte, which entered Monday ranked among the top defensive teams in the NBA at 102.6 points allowed per game, has surrendered 119.5 over its last two losses.Nikola Mirotic had 12 points and Michael Carter-Williams finished with 10 points and nine rebounds.Nic Batum, who recorded a triple-double in Charlotte’s victory over the Bulls on Dec. 23, had 19 points, six rebounds and five assists. Jeremy Lamb added 15 points off the bench.Charlotte led for much of the second half until Butler’s three-point play with four minutes remaining tied the game at 100. Carter-Williams’ jumper at 2:33 gave the Bulls a lead they would not relinquish.Rajon Rondo, who indicated he may ask for a trade after being benched both Friday and Saturday, again received no floor time in Monday’s win. The 11th-year guard is averaging 7.2 points and 7.1 assists per game.Cody Zeller entered the NBA’s concussion protocol Monday after taking an elbow to the head in the fourth quarter of Saturday’s contest with the Cleveland Cavaliers. He has no timetable for return. Roy Hibbert started in place of the injured Zeller. … Former Bull Marco Belinelli (left ankle sprain) missed his fifth straight game.

NOTES—Dwyane Wade sat with swelling in his left knee. The 34-year-old veteran noticed the swelling Saturday night after playing in back-to-back defeats. Hoiberg does not believe the issue warrants an MRI, and Wade could return Wednesday against Cleveland. … Rookie Denzel Valentine, who had played just four total minutes over his last seven games, played 18 minutes and hit his first three 3-pointers, finishing with nine points. He exited with an ankle injury in the second half….The Bulls visit the Cavaliers on Wednesday night. Rondo had a triple-double in the Bulls 111-105 victory against Cleveland on Dec. 2.

ST. LOUIS—Vladimir Tarasenko looked quite comfortable at Busch Stadium. It turns out his wicked wrist shot works outside, too.Tarasenko scored two goals in the third period, Jake Allen stopped 22 shots and the St. Louis Blues beat the Blackhawks 4-1 in the Winter Classic on Monday at the 11 year home of baseball’s St. Louis Cardinals.

Tarasenko is ”a hungry offensive player. He sniffs out coverage issues and he jumps on it,” Blues coach Ken Hitchcock said. ”When he’s engaged like he was today and like he’s been for the most part this year, he’s dangerous. He’s always one shift away from breaking the thing wide open.”

As usual, Tarasenko deflected the attention away from himself.

”It’s not about my goals. We have a great team and a great goalie,” he said. ”It was a great win for us and everyone played their best.”

It was 46 degrees when play began before a sellout crowd of 46,556, the sixth largest for a Winter Classic. It was the 21st regular-season outdoor NHL game.Bobby Hull and son Brett dropped the ceremonial first puck. Bobby wore a Blackhawks jersey and Brett wore the Blues sweater.The Blues went ahead 2-1 when Tarasenko made a backhand pass that hit the skate of Blackhawks defenseman Niklas Hjalmarsson and slipped by Corey Crawford at 12:05 of the third.

”That’s one of those few guys in the league that has a shot that’s more than above average and he doesn’t have to wind up to get a big shot away,” Hjalmarsson said. ”So he can shoot it from anywhere and that’s what makes him so dangerous.”

Tarasenko then scored on a wrist shot over Crawford’s shoulder at 13:58, giving him 18 goals this season. Robbi Fabbri assisted on both goals.

”It’s no secret. He’s got probably one of the best wristers in the league and everyone knows when he’s out there,” Crawford said. ”Everyone knows what he can do.”

The Blues added an empty-net goal by Alexander Steen at 18:46 to seal the victory.

”I thought we played a great game,” Hitchcock said. ”I thought we played a smart, sound hockey game and quite frankly, deserved to win.”

St. Louis tied it at 1 at 7:45 of the second period. From behind the net, Jay Bouwmeester fed Patrick Berglund in the slot. Berglund one-timed the pass for his sixth goal this season. Steen got the second assist on the goal, the 300th of his career.The Blackhawks scored 62 seconds into the game. Michal Kempny hit a slap shot from just inside the blue line that bounced and wobbled and went off the top of Allen’s glove. Kempny got the puck on a pass from behind the net by Artemi Panarin.It was Kempny’s second goal of the season. He did not score in his first 24 games. Now he has scored in his last two games.Crawford, who faced 34 shots, made his best save when he denied Tarasenko on a breakaway three minutes into the third period.

NOTES—St. Louis improved to 2-1-1 this season against the Hawks who have lost five of their last six games. … The Blues are the 11th team to play in the annual Winter Classic. The Blackhawks are 0-3-0 in the Winter Classic after previous appearances in 2009 and 2015. … The Winter Classic at Busch Stadium was the fifth outdoor game for the Blackhawks since 2009. Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane, Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook each played in the previous four, and Crawford started the last three in goal. … Before Monday, the only Blues players to have played in an outdoor game were defensemen Carl Gunnarsson and Bouwmeester. …Marian Hossa is on the injured list with an injury and was not activated. …Marcus Kruger has been placed on the injured list. … Blues RW Nail Yakupov was out because of illness….The Blackhawks host Buffalo on Thursday.

MINNEAPOLIS—Sam Bradford concluded his first season with Minnesota with three first-half touchdown passes, helping the Vikings to a 38-10 victory over the bumbling Bears on Sunday.Bradford went 25 for 33 for 250 yards and one interception, finishing with a 71.6 percent completion rate to set an NFL single-season record. Drew Brees (71.2 for New Orleans) set the league mark in 2011.Kyle Rudolph caught 11 passes for 117 yards and a score for the Vikings (8-8), who started 5-0 before stumbling out of their bye week and never recovering.The Bears (3-13) wound up with their fewest wins in a non-strike year since 1973 after turning the ball over five times. Everson Griffen returned one of their three lost fumbles for a touchdown.Jordan Howard, the lone bright spot, rushed for 135 yards on 23 carries to break Matt Forte’s franchise rookie record and finish with 1,313 yards for the season for the Bears.Howard’s 202 yards from scrimmage at Soldier Field in the first meeting with Minnesota on Oct. 31 served as a breakout for the fifth-round draft pick and a bad omen for the Vikings in defeat.This was the fourth time in the past 12 years that the Bears and Vikings met in Minnesota in the last game of the regular season without any playoff implications for either team. This was the third of those played at noon local time on New Year’s Day, the perfect storm for a snoozer…..Two protesters spiced up the docile atmosphere by rappelling down from a bridge truss on the building’s east end that stretches from the upper concourse to the roof, unfurling a banner decrying stadium sponsor U.S. Bank’s alleged involvement in the bitterly disputed Dakota Access Pipeline project.One of them wore a Brett Favre Vikings jersey, and they both hung from their ropes for most of the afternoon while city police and firefighters strategized about their removal. Soon after the game ended, they voluntarily climbed up and peacefully left the perch….The Bears held two of their top edge rushers, OLBs Leonard Floyd (concussion) and Pernell McPhee (shoulder), out as expected. McPhee had four sacks in only nine games this season, and the rookie Floyd had seven sacks in just 12 games.