cted on a 3-pointer to close the quarter and help the S

DURHAM, N. Fake 76ers Jerseys .C. -- Rodney Hood connected from all over the court while freshman Jabari Parker was busy swatting shots and scoring in transition. And sixth-ranked Duke needed every bit of that production to hold off East Carolina. Hood scored a career-high 30 points Tuesday night to help the Blue Devils beat the Pirates 83-74 in the NIT Season Tipoff. Parker had 21 points, nine rebounds and six blocks for the Blue Devils (4-1), who survived a tougher-than-expected fight from the underdog Pirates to improve to 24-2 all-time in the early season tournament. It was also the second game in as many nights for both teams, who were playing in a four-team pod at Dukes Cameron Indoor Stadium. "The last two nights, weve played our butts off," Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski said. "This is not about Duke not playing (well). ... Dont undersell what they did. We were ready and we played hard. I thought we brought great energy but so did they. This was a really good basketball game." Duke led by a point with about 7 minutes left but stayed in front and did enough in the final 2 1/2 minutes to turn away East Carolina (4-1), earning a trip to next weeks NIT semifinals for a matchup with Alabama in New Yorks Madison Square Garden. Hood, a 6-foot-8 sophomore transfer from Mississippi State, finished 8 for 10 from the field and hit all 12 of his free throws while playing nearly the entire 40 minutes. Parker made his biggest impact with a couple of key second-half plays, from taking a rebound all the way for a team-rousing dunk to blocking consecutive shots with his team protecting a 75-70 lead. "We couldnt scout them like we normally do and we tried not to stay in the gym last night and watch them play because we had a quick turnaround," Hood said. "But theyre a great team. Theyve got a lot of talent, especially for a mid-major. They played hard. They wasnt scared of us." The Blue Devils, who beat UNC Asheville 91-55 on Monday night, cooled off significantly after a hot start and shot 47 per cent, failing to reach at least 50 per cent for the first time this year. The Pirates had a much tougher time in their Tipoff opener, needing to rally from 17 down after halftime to beat Norfolk State 76-74. That game at Cameron marked a return to unfriendly surroundings for Pirates coach Jeff Lebo, who played for Dean Smith at hated rival North Carolina in the 1980s. Lebos team turned in a strong fight less than 24 hours later, but couldnt pull off a huge upset. "We can draw a lot from this -- our kids playing in this stage, this environment," Lebo said. "We dont get a chance to do that too often. We draw a lot of positives, and when we watch the tape, I think well get some confidence from that. "And then weve got to be able to build up on it. We cant say, Hey, we played well and were done for the year." Prince Williams scored 15 for the Pirates, who shot 40 per cent and helped themselves by hitting the offensive glass for a 16-3 edge in second-chance points. East Carolina fell to 0-21 all-time against Duke, though the Pirates flirted with earning their first win against a ranked opponent in nearly 11 years. Duke led by 18 points late in the first half after an 11-for-11 shooting start, but the Pirates didnt let the Blue Devils put together a knockout run. Instead, the Pirates closed the gap to 11 by halftime, and then kept inching closer and closer from there. East Carolina twice got within a point, the last coming on Williams free throws with 6:58 left, but never could push in front. Duke helped itself by playing with composure down the stretch, hitting all eight of its free throws in the final 2:34 to stay in control. Parker also came through with a big defensive sequence after his coast-to-coast dunk, swatting a leaner from Williams out of bounds and then stuffing a driving shot from Antonio Robinson with about 2 minutes left. Hood hit two free throws to make it 77-70, and East Carolina didnt get closer than five again. Duke finished 24 for 31 from the foul line, including 19 for 24 after halftime. The Blue Devils, who beat Florida Atlantic on Friday night, are off until Sunday, when they host Vermont. "Now weve got to rest," Krzyzewski said. "I mean, our guys are dead." Custom Philadelphia 76ers Jerseys . The Wizards gave up two seldom-used players — forward Jan Vesely and point guard Eric Maynor. Vesely goes to the Nuggets, while Maynor gets shipped to the 76ers. Philadelphia receives two second-round draft picks, one from the Wizards in 2015 and one from the Nuggets in 2016. 76ers Jerseys 2020 . Mats Zuccarello and Derek Stepan scored shootout goals, and backup goalie Cam Talbot earned his second win in two nights as the Rangers shook off a late tying tally and beat the Maple Leafs 2-1 Monday night. https://www.cheap76ers.com/ . The Cubs made the moves before Thursdays game against Arizona. They promoted left-hander Zac Rosscup and right-hander Neil Ramirez from Triple-A Iowa and optioned righty Blake Parker to their top minor league team.New Orleans, LA (SportsNetwork.com) - Tyreke Evans scored 24 points with eight rebounds and was instrumental down the stretch to help the New Orleans Pelicans in a 110-106 win over the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday. Jrue Holiday had 21 points with six assists and Anthony Davis contributed 19 points and season-high 18 rebounds for the Pelicans, who have won two of their last three. I am really thankful to our fans. I thought our guys got a ton of energy from this city tonight, said Pelicans coach Monty Williams. As happy as I am about the numbers, winning the game, Im really proud of how our fans hung in with us down the stretch. Goran Dragic paced the Suns with 22 points, Eric Bledsoe tallied 21 points with eight assists and Gerald Green scored 17 off the bench. Markieff Morris added 13 points for Phoenix, which had its six-game winning streak snapped. P.J. Tucker made a pair of free throws to tie the game at 95-95 with over four minutes to play. The score was still tied until Evans knocked down a pair of free throws with 1:32 remaining, then Dragic threw it away and Dante Cunningham swiped the loose ball. Evans made the turnover count with a jumper from the top of the key for a 104-100 edge. Bledsoe converted a tough layup at the other end to cut the deficit in half with 38.7 seconds left. Evans used some clock prior to driving the lane and converting a layup that rattled in. Philadelphia 76ers Shirts. Dragic caught the transition defense sleeping and raced down the floor to make a layup. Evans was then fouled and made both free throws to restore the four-point cushion with 14 seconds left. Each team then traded free throws and Isaiah Thomas 3-pointer in the closing seconds was off the mark as New Orleans held on. The Pelicans led 73-66 after a Davis jumper, then Phoenix responded with 11 straight points. Dragic scored the first seven points of the surge before Morris capped it with a layup for a 77-73 lead. The Pelicans scored the final six points of the frame, however, and led 81-79 entering the fourth. New Orleans jumped out to a 17-8 lead in the first quarter. Thomas and Marcus Morris each connected on a 3-pointer to close the quarter and help the Suns cut their deficit to 31-25. The game remained tight in the second stanza with New Orleans clinging to a 55-53 lead at the break. Game Notes Ryan Anderson had 19 points on 3-of-4 shooting from beyond the arc and Omer Asik deposited 11 points with eight rebounds ... New Orleans shot 51.9 percent from the floor, while Phoenix made 47.7 percent of its shots ... The Pelicans had a 49-38 rebounding edge and also outscored the Suns, 58-48 in the paint. ' ' '

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