In the NBA, there were four games Thursday.
The Portland Trail Blazers blew an 11-point, fourth-quarter lead last night before grabbing sole possession of the Western Conference lead, a half-game ahead of Oklahoma City.
LaMarcus Aldridge scored seven of his 32 points in overtime as the Blazers downed the Los Angeles Clippers 116-112. Nicolas Batum and Wesley Matthews each added 19 points for the Blazers, who went 8-for-8 from the line in the final 65 seconds to secure their league-leading 24th win.
The Clippers dropped their second game in as many nights despite Blake Griffin and Chris Paul, who combined for 69 points. Griffin had a game-high 35 points and 11 rebounds, while Paul finished with 34 points and a game-high 16 assists.
The Spurs remain 1 ½ games behind Portland after Danny Green shot 5-for-5 from 3-point range to finish with 22 points in a 116-109 triumph at Dallas. Tim Duncan posted his 10th double-double of the season with 21 points and 13 rebounds, while Tony Parker added a team-high 23 points.
A 12-0 Mavericks run cut the Spurs' lead to 100-97 with 3:55 to play, but Duncan then scored six consecutive points and passed to Green for a 3-pointer and a 110-103 advantage.
In Thursday’s other NBA games, James Harden and Jeremy Lin fueled Houston's fourth-quarter surge in a 100-92 victory against Memphis. Harden scored 11 of his 27 points in the final period, and Lin contributed 14 of his 18 over the last 12 minutes as the Rockets erased a 76-66 deficit.
Jeff Teague capped his career-high 34-point night by hitting a 20-footer at the final buzzer to give Atlanta a 127-125 win over Cleveland in double overtime. Kyrie Irving led Cleveland with 40 points, 12 coming in the second OT.
In the NFL, there are two winner take all games this weekend.
Dallas plays Philadelphia on Sunday, with the winner clinching the NFC East title and a playoff spot. The availability of Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo is in question.
The other game pits Chicago against Green Bay which will determine the NFC North champion.
In college football, No. 24 Northern Illinois lost 21-14 to Utah State.
Finally, the University of Massachusetts Amherst dismissed Charley Molnar as its head football coach. The search for a new coach begins immediately.
The Minutemen joined the Mid-American Conference and the Football Bowl Subdivision, the highest level of competition in college football, in 2012.
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