ST. LOUIS—Mike Rodriguez scored 16 points, Sean Lloyd had 14 and fourth-seeded Southern Illinois held off fifth-seeded Loyola 55-50 on Friday in the quarterfinals of the Missouri Valley Conference tournament.A week after the Salukis (17-15) beat the Ramblers (18-14) 72-70 with a late 3-pointer to close the regular season, both teams struggled.Southern Illinois, which faces top-seeded Illinois State in a semifinal on Saturday, led 49-41 on a Rodriguez layup with 1:14 to play. But the Salukis missed 6 of 10 free throws in the last minute, including the front end of two 1-and-1s.The Ramblers made four free throws to make it 50-45 before SIU’s Armon Fletcher got behind the press for a dunk. A 3-pointer by Milton Doyle with 13 seconds to go cut the deficit to 52-48 before Rodriguez made two free throws at 11.6 to seal it.Both teams struggled in the first half – Loyola had 14 turnovers, SIU nine – with the Salukis leading 23-20.The Ramblers shot 27 percent in both halves but had six 3s in the second. Ben Richardson knocked down his first five before missing his last six and scored 16 points.

Jimmy Butler scored 22 points and the Bulls beat Golden State 94-87 on Thursday night in the Warriors’ first game since Kevin Durant injured his left leg.Golden State was breathing a little easier after learning Durant probably will play again this season. He was hurt two nights earlier in a loss at Washington.The NBA-leading Warriors’ league-record regular-season streak without consecutive losses ended at 146 games.Stephen Curry scored 23 points, and Klay Thompson finished with 13. The star guards combined to hit just 3 of 22 3-pointers, and the Warriors made it back-to-back losses for the first time since April 2015.Bobby Portis added 17 points and a season-high 13 rebounds for the Bulls,who outscored Golden State 10-2 over the final three minutes to wipe out a one-point deficit and come away with their fifth win in six games.Butler made all 10 free throws and had five rebounds and six assists. And Portis had his best game of the season.Durant is scheduled to be examined again in about a month. If the eight-time All-Star is ready to return at that time, there would be about two weeks left in the regular season.Of course, the Warriors have won big without Durant. They captured the championship two years ago and followed that up with a league-record 73 wins last year.The Warriors, who beat the Bulls by 31 at home last month, were leading 85-84 when Butler hit two free throws with 2:53 left to start the game-ending run.Wade buried a fadeaway jumper and Paul Zipser nailed a 3-pointer from the right wing to make it 91-85 with 1:41 left.

NOTES—Steve Kerr coached the game after missing the morning shootaround because of a stomach illness. … Thursday marked the 55th anniversary of Wilt Chamberlain’s record 100-point game for the Philadelphia Warriors against the New York Knicks…..Michael Carter-Williams missed his third consecutive game because of knee tendinitis. … Zipser had been sidelined by tendinitis in his left ankle…..The Bulls host the Los Angeles Clippers on Saturday.

EVANSTON—Dererk Pardon scored on a layup at the buzzer off a long inbound pass from Nathan Taphorn to give Northwestern a 67-65 victory over Michigan on Wednesday night.The Wolverines’ Zak Irvin had just missed a 3-pointer in the closing seconds. The ball got knocked out of bounds and, after timeout, Taphorn threw a baseball style pass the length of the court, hitting Pardon in stride for the winning shot.As the buzzer sounded, fans packing Welsh-Ryan Arena poured onto the court. The win was just what the Wildcats (21-9, 10-7 Big Ten) – trying to make their first NCAA Tournament – needed after dropping five of seven.Vic Law scored 18 for Northwestern. Bryant McIntosh added 13 points and five assists, and the Wildcats matched their highest conference win total since the 1932-33 team tied for the Big Ten championship.Derrick Walton Jr. shook off a slow start to score 15 for Michigan (19-11, 9-8). He hit 4 of 8 3-pointers. Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rahkman finished with 13 points. Irvin scored 12 and Moritz Wagner grabbed 10 rebounds. But the Wolverines took the loss after winning five of six.Wagner had just been called for a lane violation attempting the front end of a one-and-one when McIntosh whipped a pass to Sanjay Lumpkin to give Northwestern a 65-63 lead with 1:47 remaining.Irvin tied it on a put-back with 1:28 remaining. Both teams missed some chances to take the lead, but Northwestern came out on top thanks to a perfect pass from Taphorn to Pardon.The Wildcats, who looked like a lock for the NCAA a few weeks ago, can breathe a little easier after a rough stretch…..Northwestern closes the Regular Season against Purdue in the final game at Welsh-Ryan Arena until the 2018-19 season. The Wildcats will play next year at Allstate Arena in Rosemont while their facility undergoes a $110 million renovation.

CHAMPAIGN—Too many times, Illinois had fallen to pressure.In a season filled with disappointment for Illinois coach John Groce and his team, Wednesday’s 73-70 win over Michigan State showed the team Groce thought he would have all season, and one players knew they could be.The Spartans fought all the way, erasing a couple of double-digit leads, but the Illini relied on a defense that’s grown stronger in the last few games.

”It just feels different,” said Malcolm Hill, who led the Illini with 22 points. ”I think it’s just clicking for us.”

Michigan State had a chance to win the game in the last 10 second, but Miles Bridges missed a layup when Illinois’ Te’Jon Lucas stripped the ball away.Illinois led 73-70 with three seconds left after Kipper Nichols made one of two free throws and Lourawls Nairn Jr. attempted a 3-pointer with the game clock expiring, but the shot caromed off the backboard, securing the Illini win.Hill scored 22 points on 6 of 16 shooting and helped the Illini control the pace for what was a close game for much of the night – leading for 25:33.Much of the success came from hot shooting. Illinois (18-12, 8-9 Big Ten) shot 45 percent from the field and 11-26 from 3-point range.But the key was a strong defensive effort that has helped Illinois win four straight and five of the last six games.For a team that has gone through a clich rollercoaster ride this season, Illinois still has a postseason shot with one game left. Insiders and fans may not have seen that coming after the rough start to the season.

”It was a high-level game, there was a lot of emotion both ways,” Groce said. ”It’s kind of cool when you’re still playing for something.”

Michigan State coach Tom Izzo had fewer answers on the other hand.His team shot 48 percent from the field, 8-21 from 3-point range, out-rebounded Illinois 33-25, but despite all the category wins, the Spartans couldn’t overcome Illinois and only led for 8:40.Izzo was worried about his team’s confidence after the Spartans beat No. 16 Wisconsin on Sunday, and he was right to be worried.

”It was not the focus that we need on the road to beat a good, experienced team,” Izzo said. ”I’m just disappointed. We didn’t do enough.”

Bridges led the way for Michigan State (18-12, 10-7 Big Ten) with 21 points and Alvin Ellis III scored 15 points, 13 of which came in the second half. The Spartans turned the ball over 15 times.Izzo’s team has one more game before the postseason starts. He wants an accountable team, and is eager to see how the Spartans respond.

”This time I thought the players did not bring what they needed to bring, and we’ll find a way to bring it to Maryland,” Izzo said.

Izzo can’t be happy with his team, losing a game that it should’ve won. With a game left in the season, the Spartans are poised for strong runs in both the Big Ten and NCAA tournaments.The Illini won arguably their most important game of the season. A win against Rutgers and a few more in the Big Ten Tournament might be enough for an NCAA Tournament berth and save Groce’s job.Freshman guard Te’Jon Lucas continued to make flashy plays Wednesday. With 5:52 left in the game, the guard made a no-look pass to give Leron Black an uncontested dunk.Kipper Nichols continued a strong first season, scoring five points and bringing in three rebounds and one steal.Bridges had a strong start to the game, scoring seven points and bringing in six rebounds in the first 10 minutes of the game.Illinois travels to Rutgers on Saturday for its regular season finale.

Patrick Kane and the Blackhawks pushed aside the Pittsburgh Penguins.Kane had his second hat trick in three games, Scott Darling made 36 saves and the Blackhawks beat the Penguins 4-1 on Wednesday night for their fifth straight victory and 10th in 11 games.Richard Panik also scored to help the Hawks pull within three points of first-place Minnesota in the Central Division and Western Conference. Kane, last season’s MVP, has a team-leading 27 goals – scoring 12 times and adding seven assists in his last 11 games.Kane said he was pumped up for first meeting this season between the last two Stanley Cup winners.

”It felt like a playoff game out there,” Kane said. ”It’s a team we don’t really see a lot. ”We knew they’re coming off a back-to-back game, but they still played hard tonight. A tough team to play against.”

It’s tougher to play against the Blackhawks right now, especially with Kane at top speed.

”He’s made some great shots,” coach Joel Quenneville said. ”He’s a threat to shoot and he’s a threat to make a play, so I think you’ve got to respect the other option which is not easy on goalies.”

Darling started a second straight game in place of Corey Crawford, the No. 1 goalie who has been fighting an illness. Crawford said he felt much better following Wednesday’s morning skate and was on the bench to back up Darling.

”Scotty had some huge saves, and we got some timely goals tonight,” Kane said.

Scott Wilson scored for Pittsburgh as the Penguins fell short again after a 3-2 loss at Dallas on Tuesday night. Marc-Andre Fleury stopped 25 shots for Pittsburgh in his first start in two weeks.Despite the second straight loss, coach Mike Sullivan wasn’t upset with his team’s effort, just a couple of breakdowns the Blackhawks jumped on.

”I thought we competed hard,” Sullivan said. ”I think we can play a little bit smarter in a couple of the areas where we gave up a couple of odd man rushes, but what I really liked is I thought we had a heightened intensity.”

Artem Anisimov left the game in the second period with an injury.

”He might miss a little bit of time, not a lot of time,” Quenneville said with a grimace. ”We’ll know tomorrow.”

Rookie Nick Schmaltz moved to Anisimov’s center position on line with Kane and Artemi Panarin and had two assists.Kane opened the scoring at 8:49 of the second.Rookie Nick Schmaltz stripped the puck from Jake Guentzel at the Hawk blue line, then quickly whipped it the other direction to Kane who closed in on a 2 on 1. Kane fooled Fleury with a low shot between the legs,.Wilson tied it at 1 with 3 minutes left in the second on a rising backhander from the right circle that slipped over Darling’s glove.Wilson’s shot popped back out of the net so quickly that the goal wasn’t immediately ruled a score. Play continued for 29 seconds before the horn sounded, and the goal underwent a video review by the NHL office in Toronto and was allowed.Panik put the Hawks back in front 2-1 with 24 seconds left in the period with 17th goal. He made a power move down the slot around Chris Kunitz and beat Fleury high on the glove side.Darling was at his best in the third to preserve the lead.Kane made it 3-1 on a wrist shot from the right circle with 3:08 remaining. He completed his fourth career regular-season hat trick with an empty-netter with 40.7 seconds remaining.

NOTES—Niklas Hjalmarsson missed his second game with an upper-body injury. Although Hjalmarsson is on IR on retroactive to Feb. 23, GM Stan Bowman said the condition is not serious. … Oduya, a member of the Hawks 2013 and 2015 Stanley Cup teams, returned from an ankle injury and played his first game in more than a month Sunday for the Stars against Boston. Coach Joel Quenneville said he wanted to give the 35-year-old a chance to settle in….The Blackhawks host the New York Islanders on Friday night.

The Blackhawks have reacquired defenseman Jonny Oduya from the Dallas Stars in exchange for Mark McNeill and a conditional fourth-round pick Tuesday.Oduya will head back to Chicago in hopes of making another deep playoff run with the team he’s already won two Stanley Cups with. The 35-year-old blueliner has only drawn into 37 games this season due to injury, but he was activated off injured reserve Sunday, and could slot into the Blackhawks’ lineup as soon as Wednesday against Pittsburgh. This move won’t mean much to fantasy owners, as Oduya’s meager offensive production keeps him off the radar in most formats, but it will provide the Hawks with another stable, veteran presence on the blue line down the stretch.

The “Odd-Bulls” live! Nikola Jokic had 19 points, 16 rebounds and 10 assists for his third triple-double of the season, and the Denver Nuggets rode a second-half surge to a 125-107 victory over the Bulls on Tuesday night.Danilo Gallinari scored 22 points and former DePaul Blue Demon Wilson Chandler added 20 as Denver, which entered the game fourth in the NBA in scoring (110.6 points per game), posted a 70-48 advantage in the second half to erase a halftime deficit.Gary Harris and Will Barton had 15 points apiece for the Nuggets.Dwyane Wade and Rajon Rondo had 19 points apiece for the Bulls, who had their four-game winning streak snapped. Jimmy Butler finished with just eight points on 3-for-13 shooting.The Bulls had a 59-56 halftime lead before Denver busted out for a 35-point third quarter to take a 91-83 advantage into the fourth. The Nuggets were 11 of 20 from the field and 10 of 11 from the free throw line in the third.

Denver carried the momentum into the final quarter, scoring the first eight points – capped by Gallinari’s two 3-pointers – for a 99-83 lead. The margin was up to 21 points (110-89) a few minutes later and the rout was on.

MOTES—Fred Hoiberg has two main objectives during the final six weeks of the regular season: win enough games to make the playoffs while taking a long look at some of the team’s young players, including newly acquired Cameron Payne and Joffrey Lauvergne. ”We played 11 in the first half the other night (against Cleveland) and it’s tough to play that many guys,” Hoiberg said. ”But at the same time, you do want to get a look at the new guys.”….The Bulls host Golden State on Thursday.Kevin Drant is doubtfull after soffering a hyperextended left knee in a Tuesday night loss to Washington.

PROVIDENCE—Kyron Cartwright and Emmitt Holt scored 14 points apiece and Providence rolled to a 73-64 victory over DePaul on Tuesday night for its fifth straight win.Providence (19-11, 9-8 Big East) entered the game in a four-way tie for fourth place in the conference standings, and visits St. John’s (13-17, 7-10) on Saturday to end its regular season. DePaul (9-21, 2-15) has lost 12 of its last 13 games.The Friars took the lead for good about six minute in and built a 34-23 halftime advantage. DePaul pulled within seven points before the Friars used a 19-8 run for a 60-42 lead with 6:40 to play. Cartwright scored nine points and Holt chipped in four during the stretch.Rodney Bullock added 13 points and eight rebounds for the Friars. Jalen Lindsey finished with 12 points.Brandon Cyrus and Devin Gage each scored 12 points to lead DePaul.