Brandon Ingram scored 25 points, including eight in the final 3:18, and the Los Angeles Lakers rallied late for a 108-103 victory over the Bulls after losing a 12-point, fourth-quarter lead.Jordan Clarkson had 19 points and Brook Lopez added 17 for the Lakers, who have won four straight and eight of 10. Six of the eight wins were at home.Los Angeles trailed 95-92 with less than four minutes to play before Ingram – who also had nine rebounds and was 10 for 18 from the field – started the rally with a pair of free throws.Nikola Mirotic scored 14 of his 18 points in the fourth quarter, and Denzel Valentine and Bobby Portis had 16 apiece for the Bulls who have dropped three straight.

”We did not get off to a good start tonight,” coach Fred Hoiberg said. ”Our grit, toughness wasn’t there. Give our guys credit for continuing to fight. Our second unit got us back into that game and got us back in it again in the fourth after falling behind double digits.”

Los Angeles led by as much as 17 in the first half before the Bulls rallied to tie the score at 68 early in the third quarter. The Lakers, though, answered with 11 straight points and led 84-72 entering the fourth.The Bulls rallied again and took a 92-90 lead with 5 1/2 minutes remaining on Valentine’s 3-pointer. It was Chicago’s first lead since 3-2. Mirotic hit a 3-pointer to give the Bulls the 95-92 lead before Los Angeles took control.Ingram’s free throws started a 13-2 run that sealed the win. Rookie G Lonzo Ball missed his sixth straight game with a sore left knee. The second overall pick is averaging 10.2 points, 7.1 rebounds and 7.1 assists.Zach LaVine, playing in just his seventh game of the season following ACL surgery last February, played a season-high 26 minutes. His minutes restriction was lifted to 26-28 minutes before the game .The Bulls were 17 for 36 on 3-pointers and now have made at least 10 3s in each of its last 11 home games.Kris Dunn missed his fourth straight game with a concussion, and it’s unclear when he might return.

DETROIT—Alex DeBrincat has been one of the few bright spots this season for the Blackhawks.The 20-year-old rookie had his second hat trick, and the Hawks chased Detroit goalie Jimmy Howard in the first period on their way to a 5-1 victory over the Red Wings on Thursday night. DeBrincat, a Farmington Hills native, also had an assist in his return to the area where he was born.

”The puck was bouncing my way today,” DeBrincat said. ”It feels good to get that done in front of my family and friends.”

DeBrincat, Anthony Duclair and Vinnie Hinostroza scored in the first 8:47 before Howard was pulled, and the Red Wings never got back in the game. DeBrincat added another goal in the second period and scored an empty-netter in the third, bringing his season total to 17.Anton Forsberg came within 3:51 of his first career shutout before Anthony Mantha scored for Detroit.DeBrincat opened the scoring after just 3:19 when he wheeled around and shot from near the top of the right circle. With Jonathan Toews creating traffic in front, the puck went past Howard for a 1-0 lead.Duclair made it 2-0 with a shot from the high slot. Then Hinostroza came in on a 2-on-1 and decided to shoot himself, beating Howard to give Chicago a three-goal advantage.Howard headed to the bench after making only six saves, and Petr Mrazek replaced him.

”Really bad start from us,” Detroit’s Henrik Zetterberg said. ”Too many guys who were not ready to go when the puck dropped. That’s unacceptable. That’s on me. I got to get the guys ready when the puck is dropped.”

Detroit’s Gustav Nyquist hit the post shortly after the Red Wings fell behind 3-0, but Detroit didn’t create much sustained pressure, even though it was the Hawks that had played the night before. The Blackhawks had lost four in a row and are in last place in the Central Division, but after going just 1-4-1 on a six-game homestand, the Blackhawks head into the All-Star break on a better note with the win at Detroit.

”Certainly it feels a lot different than the experience we’ve had over the last week,” Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville said. ”I thought we did a lot of good things in our two prior games without getting a `W’ – so maybe there’s a corner that’s turned.”

Forsberg was closing in on a shutout in his 27th career game, but Mantha redirected a pass from Zetterberg into the net. Zetterberg moved into a tie with Pavel Datsyuk for fifth place on Detroit’s career assists list with No. 604.The Red Wings pulled their goalie at the end, and that gave DeBrincat an opportunity to shoot into the open net in the final minute.

NOTES—DeBrincat also had a hat trick against Anaheim on Nov. 27. … Forsberg made 23 saves, bouncing back after allowing five goals on 35 shots in his previous start against the Islanders. … Quenneville said he’s hoping G Corey Crawford will be back on the ice during the break, and then the team can decide whether he goes on a road trip next week. … The Hawks had a goal waved off in the second period. Duclair went down near the goal and actually ended up inside the net, behind Mrazek. A shot went past both of them and into the goal, but it was immediately disallowed.

The Toronto Maple Leafs found themselves in yet another tight game. William Nylander found a way to make sure they got two points this time.Nylander scored on a penalty shot 6 seconds into overtime to lift the Maple Leafs to a 3-2 win over the sagging Blackhawks on Wednesday night.Nylander was awarded the attempt after he broke in alone on Jeff Glass from the opening faceoff in the extra period, but was hooked from behind by Duncan Keith. Nylander scored the game-winner and his 10th goal by faking Glass and then burying a high backhander to send the Blackhawks to their fourth straight defeat.

”I thought I needed to throw a little harder fake on him so he’d bite,” Nylander said. ”I went to the backhand on the two previous breakaways. Third time’s the lucky charm.”

Nylander was stopped by Glass with 4:02 left in the third period when he pounced on Jordan Oesterle’s turnover and cut in alone.

”I’ve had breakaways in the previous games and hadn’t scored,” Nylander said. ”So it’s nice to score on one.”

Eight of Toronto’s last nine games have been decided by one goal, including three overtime losses and one in regulation. In the Maple Leafs’ 4-2 loss to Colorado on Monday, the Avalanche’s Gabriel Landeskog finished the scoring with a late empty-netter.

”That’s the way it is every night,” said Maple Leafs coach Mike Babcock, whose team won for second time in seven games. ”I still think we can play way better.”

Toronto’s Nazem Kadri connected for his 15th goal, a power-play score that snapped a seven-game scoring drought and was just his second goal in 20 games. Mitch Marner also scored for the Maple Leafs.Brent Seabrook and Nick Schmaltz scored power-play goals for the Hawks, who snapped an 0-for-16 drought with the man advantage. Schmaltz’s goal, at 7:55 of the third period, tied it at 2.Seabrook’s first-period score was the Blackhawks’ first power-play goal at home since Dec. 8 against Buffalo, ending a span of 33 failed chances over 10 games.Joel Quenneville sounded almost more wistful than disappointed about how his team lost this one.

”We had one (a hooking from behind) that was called a two-minute minor,” Quenneville said. ”I don’t know what’s more advantageous: a power-play with a 4-on-3 or a penalty shot.”

Toronto’s Frederik Andersen made 34 saves, including some tough chances as the Blackhawks battled for a second straight game following several soft efforts. Glass finished with 33 stops.Seabrook’s power-play goal opened the scoring 5:29 in. His shot from the top of the right circle deflected off the stick of Toronto’s Leo Komarov and flipped past Andersen.Marner was credited with tying it 1-all with 3:23 left in the first to cap a scramble in the Hawk zone. After Glass made a couple of tough saves, Jake Gardiner’s shot from the top of the left circle struck Marner in traffic and deflected in.

PHILADELPHIA—Ben Simmons wasn’t among the players selected as an All-Star Game reserve – and the rookie showed what the league will be missing.Simmons had 19 points, 17 rebounds and 14 assists for his fifth triple-double of the season to lead the Philadelphia 76ers to a 115-101 victory over the Bulls.Dario Saric added 21 points and 10 rebounds and Joel Embiid had 22 points for the 76ers, who have won seven of 10.Embiid, picked to be a starter for the Eastern Conference last week, thinks the omission spurred Simmons.Philadelphia played without guards JJ Redick (left leg), T.J. McConnell (personal) and Jerryd Bayless (left wrist), but Simmons picked up the slack.The rookie was just two assists away from a triple-double in the first half when he helped the 76ers to a 55-41 halftime lead with 11 points, 13 rebounds and eight assists. His slam dunk with 7:40 left in the third quarter was part of a dominating period for Philadelphia.Embiid’s 3-pointer with 4:23 left in the third stretched the 76ers’ lead to 25 points at 79-54. Embiid threw his hands up to get an already excited Philadelphia sports crowd even more revved up.Philadelphia has had difficulty protecting late leads this season and blew a 15-point second-half advantage in Monday’s 105-101 loss at Memphis, but the 25-point cushion was more than enough for the hot-shooting 76ers.

 

DES MOINES—Marques Townes scored 17 points, Clayton Custer added 14 with eight assists, and Loyola used a big second-half run to beat Drake 80-57 on Wednesday night for its sixth straight win.Cameron Krutwig scored 12 points and Lucas Williamson added 10 for the Ramblers (17-4, 7-2 Missouri Valley Conference), who shot 56.7 from the field and trailed 31-29 at halftime.Krutwig tied it at 31 with a layup and Custer made two layups amid a 10-2 run for a 41-34 lead with 15:43 to play. Drake’s Nick McGlynn tied it at 51 with a 3-pointer with 9:19 left, but Ben Richardson’s layup ignited a 22-2 run in which Williamson and Custer each hit 3s. The Bulldogs went without a field goal for nearly seven minutes during the stretch.Graham Woodward scored 14 points, McGlynn added 12 and Reed Timmer had 10 with three assists for the Bulldogs (12-10, 6-3).

WASHINGTON—Eli Cain scored a season-high 27 points and hit the game-winner with 7.3 seconds on the clock as DePaul battled past Georgetown 74-73 in a thriller Wednesday night, winning on the last possession for the second season in a row.Marcus Derrickson sank a pair from the line to lift Georgetown into a 70-70 tie, then nailed a 3-pointer to put the Hoyas ahead 73-72 with 50 seconds remaining.Max Strus missed a 3 for DePaul, but the Blue Demons controlled the rebound and worked the clock down to 7.3 seconds when Cain hit his winning jumper.Jagan Mosely drove for the last shot for Georgetown, but his jumper didn’t fall and DePaul’s Marin Maric wrapped up the rebound.Strus finished with 19 points for DePaul (9-11, 2-6 Big East), and Paul Reed added 11 with nine rebounds.Derrickson led the Hoyas (13-7, 3-6) with 23 points, Jamorko Pickett added 19 with eight boards and Mosely scored 10.

CHAMPAIGN—Illinois opened its season with eight straight Big Ten losses. It tied the worst conference start in school history, and included seven losses by 10 points or less.Early on Wednesday night, it looked as if it would be more of the same for the Illini.The Hoosiers made six of their first nine shots, leading to a quick 14-6 lead.But freshman Trent Frazier kept the Illini afloat in the first half. With just over six minutes left in the period, he reeled off 13 straight points. He finished with 19 points and a team-high three assists to help Illinois squeeze out a 73-71 victory over Indiana.

”We just celebrated in the locker room,” Frazier said. ”It feels good, man. . We’re finally building that (winning) culture.”

The two-point victory was the team’s first Big 10 Conference win of the season and the first of coach Brad Underwood’s career. It also snapped the Illini’s six-game losing streak.

”What do you want to call it?” Underwood asked. ”We finally got the gorilla, the monkey, the piano gets lifted off (our) back. . You get a better feeling when you leave the building.”

Leron Black also had a big night for the Illini. He scored 11 of his 19 points in the second half and reached double figures for the 18th time this season.At halftime, Illinois (11-11, 1-8) trailed by six and had only two free throw attempts. But in the final period, Illinois made 22-of-30 free throws and forced 11 turnovers to outscore the Hoosiers 41-33. The biggest shot of the game came from Kipper Nichols with just over two minutes to play.Leading by three, Illinois swung the ball to Nichols for a wide open look. He buried the long jumper and the fans at State Farm Center erupted as he put the Illini ahead by two possessions.That six-point lead proved to be big, as Indiana cut the lead to two with just 8.3 seconds left. Frazier had the chance to seal the deal, but missed two free throws, leaving Indiana (12-9, 5-4) an opportunity to tie or win the game.

MINNEAPOLIS—The storm in Minnesota that dropped more than a foot of snow on campus kept Northwestern from traveling the night before the game.The well-rested Wildcats arrived about eight hours before tipoff and wore down the banged-up Gophers with a seasoned, spirited rally.Bryant McIntosh and Vic Law scored 18 points apiece for Northwestern, leading the comeback Tuesday from a 10-point deficit to beat reeling Minnesota 77-69.

”Everyone knows the struggles we’ve had throughout the year to try to find ourselves as a team. We feel like in the last two weeks we’re starting to play good basketball,” Northwestern coach Chris Collins said. ”This was a big game.”

Scottie Lindsey added 15 points, Dererk Pardon pitched in 10 points and eight rebounds and Law pulled down 13 rebounds himself for the Wildcats (13-9, 4-5 Big Ten), who won their second straight game after losing five of their previous seven contests.

”We’ve just got to continue to play with pace, with pop, and play together,” McIntosh said, ”and I think we can be a really good team.”

Nate Mason had 25 points and nine assists for the Gophers (14-9, 3-7), who lost for the sixth time in their last seven games. Amir Coffey scored 15 points on 7-for-13 shooting, but he had five fouls and five turnovers in another collapse down the stretch by the team’s half-court offense and collective belief.

”We’re obviously tired and undermanned,” coach Richard Pitino said.

Both of these teams, fresh from NCAA Tournament appearances that were the first in four years for the Gophers and the first ever for the Wildcats, started their schedule with Big Ten title aspirations and preseason rankings in the Associated Press poll. Northwestern fell out of the Top 25 in three weeks, despite four returning starters. Minnesota dropped from the rankings three weeks after that, with a lack of depth exposed.This contest certainly qualified as a swing game in the muddled middle of the Big Ten, with Northwestern’s 83-60 victory over Minnesota at home the difference entering the evening.After Mason beat the shot-clock buzzer with less than 13 minutes left to give Minnesota a 52-47 lead, the Northwestern rally ratcheted up. Aaron Falzon stole the ball from a double-teamed Jordan Murphy down low and fed Lindsey for a fast-break layup to pull the Wildcats within 52-51, the closest they’d come since 16-15.On the first of three straight baskets by McIntosh, the senior point guard who’s the all-time program leader in assists, the Wildcats retook the lead at 60-59 with 7:37 left and never lost it again. Coffey’s dunk with 4:12 remaining brought the Gophers within 66-63, but that was the last time they made it a one-possession game.The Gophers shot just 9 for 29 from the field in the second half, including 3 for 14 from 3-point range.

”You always feel like you’re stealing a game when you win on the road,” Collins said.

The Wildcats came through in the clutch in a difficult place to play, their experience and confidence complementing a cranked-up second half defense to take over down the stretch.

Andrei Vasilevskiy made 40 saves in his NHL-best seventh shutout, Chris Kunitz scored a short-handed goal in the second period and the Tampa Bay Lightning beat the Blackhawks 2-0 on Monday night.Yanni Gourde also scored as Tampa Bay stopped a season-high three-game slide and leapfrogged idle Vegas for the best record in the NHL. The Lightning, who lost to the Blackhawks in the 2015 Stanley Cup Final, improved to 11-0-2 against the Hawks in their last 13 regular-season meetings.The Hawks controlled most of the second period, but one little lapse proved costly. With Tampa Bay defenseman Mikhail Sergachev serving a double minor for high sticking and unsportsmanlike conduct, Jake Dotchin shot the puck wide of the net and Kunitz found it before anyone else, taking it off the backboard and banking it in off the right skate of goaltender Jeff Glass.Kunitz’s sixth goal of the season was enough for Vasilevskiy, who got his 28th win of the season. Patrick Kane shot the puck off the right post during a power play in the first and Anthony Duclair was stopped by Vasilevskiy on a breakaway 6:41 into the third.Gourde put the game away when he beat Glass with a slap shot low on the goaltender’s glove side with 1:34 left. It was Gourde’s 15th goal of the season.Tampa Bay (32-12-3) improved to 1-1 on an eight-game trip overlapping the All-Star festivities at its home arena. It’s the longest road trip in the NHL this season.Glass made 29 saves, but the last-place Blackhawks (22-19-6) lost for the fourth time in five games. It was a much better performance than its previous two games, when the Hawks were outscored 11-3 in losses to Detroit and the New York Islanders, but the Blackhawks are running out of time in the competitive Central Division.

NOTES—Blackhawks C Artem Anisimov was activated from injured reserve after missing 10 straight games with an injury. The 29-year-old Anisimov has 13 goals, including six game-winners, and five assists in 37 games this season…..The Blackhawks host the Toronto Maple Leafs on Wednesday night.Andrei Vasilevskiy was terrific, Chris Kunitz made a clutch play and Tampa Bay’s penalty killers had a big night.The Lightning followed a familiar formula back to the top of the NHL.Vasilevskiy made 40 saves in his league-best seventh shutout and Kunitz scored a short-handed goal in the second period, leading Tampa Bay to a 2-0 victory over the sliding Blackhawks on Monday.Yanni Gourde also scored as Tampa Bay stopped a season-high three-game skid and leapfrogged idle Vegas for the best record in the NHL. The Lightning, who lost to the Hawks in the 2015 Stanley Cup Final, improved to 11-0-2 against the Blackhawks in their last 13 regular-season meetings.The Blackhawks controlled most of the second period, but one little lapse proved costly. With Tampa Bay defenseman Mikhail Sergachev serving a double minor for high sticking and unsportsmanlike conduct, Jake Dotchin shot the puck wide of the net and Kunitz found it before anyone else, taking it off the backboard and banking it in off the right skate of goaltender Jeff Glass.

NEW ORLEANS—DeMarcus Cousins considered the most impressive statistical night of his career and only half-jokingly asserted that he was most proud of the stamina he needed to log a career high of more than 51 minutes on the court.Cousins had 44 points, 24 rebounds and 10 assists, Anthony Davis scored 34, and the All-Star pair led a 17-point New Orleans comeback in the final five minutes of regulation before the Pelicans pulled out a 132-128 victory over the Bulls in double overtime Monday night.

”My strength coach had the nerve to ask me, do I want to lift after this game? I almost lost it. If I had some energy, we would have fought,” Cousins said. ”I’m just glad it’s over. Seriously. I think (the Bulls) feel the same way, too.”

In between several moments of brilliance in the second overtime, Cousins’ body language suggested he could barely stand. His feet hardly left the floor on a 3-pointer that rolled around the rim and in. He also managed to hit a turnaround jumper and calmly made two free throws to ice the game with eight seconds left.

Davis, who fouled out in the first overtime, called Cousins’ performance ”legendary,” adding that his fellow big man – more than anyone – earned the day off from practice the Pelicans were given on Tuesday.When the game was finally over, an excited Davis jumped on Cousins and wrapped his arms around his neck.

”He played his heart out,” Davis said.

Cousins became the first NBA player since Hall of Famer Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in 1972 to have as many as 40 points, 20 rebounds and 10 assists in a game, Few others have done it.Cousins’ assists included alley-oop lobs to Davis and a couple of long passes to him for breakaway baskets.

”You dream about moments like that as a kid – a game coming down to the line and just making big plays down the stretch,” Cousins said. ”I think we just willed our way through this game.”

And yet Cousins’ heroics nearly never happened. Even after the Pelicans’ stunning 23-4 run in the last five minutes of regulation gave them a 114-112 lead on Davis’ free throws with 3.2 seconds left, Justin Holiday was fouled by Darius Miller attempting a 3-pointer in the final second of the period.Holiday’s first two free throws looked perfect. His last, for the win, rattled out.

”It wasn’t meant to happen,” Holiday said. ”I had the opportunity. I don’t miss free throws. Obviously after the game we can talk about things we did wrong, but when we get an opportunity like that, that’s what is on my mind right now.”

After Holiday had swished the second free throw, Davis recalled, ”I looked at DeMarcus and we both just shook our head with sad faces, like, `We had this one.’

”And then he missed, and it was, `All right. Let’s go get it.”’

Jerian Grant had 22 points and 13 assists, and Robin Lopez also scored 22 for the Bulls, who appeared well on their way to their fifth victory in six games when they opened the fourth quarter with a 23-5 run to take their largest lead at 104-86.

”A lot of good things and obviously we had a chance to win it at the end,” coach Fred Hoiberg said. ”A lot of things we can learn as well and grow from.”

Lauri Markkanen had 14 points and 17 rebounds. Zach LaVine had 19 points, Holiday 15 and Nikola Mirotic 14. … Came in having made at least 10 3s in 10 straight games and in 32 games total this season, but went 8 of 31 from deep in New Orleans. … Chicago shot 48.9 percent (45 of 92) overall….Former Bull E’Twaun Moore scored 15 points, including a 3 in the second overtime to help the Pelicans win for the fifth time in six games. …. Often guarded by his brother, Jrue Holiday had one of his lowest recent scoring totals, with 12 points, after averaging 25.6 points in his previous five games. … Miller scored 10 points. … Won despite shooting only 41.6 percent (47 of 113).