✽ ❋✆✞✟✠✡✱ ☛✠✡ ☞✱ ✌✍✎✏ ❚ ✁ ✂✄☎✁✆✝✁✆ Blazers even series with Denver ➍➎✙ ➏✘✘➐➑➒❛❡✙➓ ➔✚✙✘✘ DENVER — After giving up 39 points to Damian Lillard in the opener, the Denver Nuggets were de- termined to make sure Portland’s role players would have to bear the burden of evening up the series. His teammates were up to the task on a night that Lillard, who came in av- eraging 34.8 points in the ✯✰✧✲✴→✤✾ ✳✧✤ ✭★✰✫ ✥✴ ❀✼ points on 5-of-17 shooting. CJ McCollum led six ➣✣✧✷✰ ❆✰✧↔★✣✤ ✷✪ ✫✴✶✦✰★ ✢↕✵ ❘❉❊●❍■ ❏❉❊■❑▲▼◆P◗❙P◗❯❧P❱❲❳❨❳ ④❬s♠❵❪❫ ②❪❵✇❥❫ ♦❬♠♦❢❵❪ ⑤❪❬❫❴♣ ⑤❥✉q♣❫✇ ✉❬s ❬ s❵♦❥❫❴⑥ ♠❵❬❝ ❬qq⑥⑦❬s♦❬❴❵ ⑦❥qq❵✇♣❬♠❵ ⑦❥❫⑧❵❪❵❫♦❵ ♦❬♠♦❢❵❪③ Trio of Eastern Oregon softball players scoop up CCC awards ❖✗✘✙✚✈✙✚ ✘❡❛✛✛ Three members of the Eastern Oregon softball team earned all-confer- ence recognition from the Cascade Collegiate Confer- ence, the CCC announced Thursday. Senior Brandi Bowl- ing led the award winners from EOU as a second- team all-CCC catcher, and senior Shevan DeFreitas ✜✢✣✤✥ ✦✧✤★✩ ✧✪✫ ✬✣★✤✭✮✧✪ Haley Ebner (designated ✯✰✧✲★✣✩ ✳★✣★ ✦✴✥✭ ✭✴✪✴✣✵ able mention. Bowling, who missed half the season due to in- jury, still had an impact for Eastern in CCC play. The senior played in 17 confer- ence games, and hit a team- best .370 in CCC action with seven RBIs and seven run scored. For the season, Bowling had a .377 average with one home run, 13 RBIs and 11 runs scored. She also threw out seven would-be base stealers. DeFreitas hit .353 — sec- ond on the team — with three home runs, 13 RBIs and seven runs scored. Those numbers included a .328 average with four RBIs in CCC action. Ebner hit .309 with four home runs and a team- best 26 RBIs, and her 19 runs tied her for second on the team. In CCC games, she hit an even .300 with a home run, 14 RBIs and 12 runs. ures with 20 points in a 97- 90 victory at the Pepsi Cen- ter on Wednesday night that evened their series 1-1. “It’s very important,” said Enes Kanter, who chipped in 15 points for Portland. “Teams can’t guard him with one man. They were sending double- teams, triple-teams. That’s when I said, ‘He’s making himself better, but at the same time he’s making ev- erybody else better around ⑨●⑩❶■ ❷●❍❸❹❉❺❻❼❶❑❽❲P❾◆◆❳❿➀➁❨P➂➃◗P◆◆ him.’ He was passing the ball, really active on de- ➄❥❪♠q❬❫❴❞❪❬♣q ⑤q❬➅❵❪s ✇❣❬❪❴ ➇❬❝♣❬❫ ❩♣qq❬❪❴❤ ❪♣✇❢♠❤ ❴❪♣❦❵s ❬s ➇❵❫❦❵❪ ➈❣✇✇❵♠s ✇❣❬❪❴ ❜❬❝❬q fense. He’s been unbeliev- ➉❣❪❪❬r ❴❵⑧❵❫❴s ❴❣❪♣❫✇ ♠❢❵ s❵♦❥❫❴ ❢❬q⑧①❵❴❫❵s❴❬r ❫♣✇❢♠ ♣❫ ➇❵❫❦❵❪③ ➄❥❪♠q❬❫❴ ✉❥❫ ➊➋⑥➊➌③ able, man.” The series shifts to Port- trol force he was in Game 1, Hood, 11 from Al-Farouq rebound and his 3-pointer land for Game 3 Friday when he scored 37 points. Aminu and 10 from Zach with a minute left in the ➟✶✧✣✥★✣ ✳✧✤ ➫★✪✸★✣➭✤ ✢✣✤✥ night, and Lillard’s hop- “The last quarter we Collins. ing a return to the Moda missed a lot of put-backs, ➡➢➤➥➦➧ ➨➩ ✤✷✪✹★ ❀➯❀❀ ✴✬ ✥✭★ ✢✣✤✥ ➟✶✧✣✵ Denver spark plug for- ter. ✺★✪✥★✣ ✳✷✰✰ ✭★✰✯ ✭✷✮ ✢✪✫ ✦✶✥ ➝✿ ✴→★✪✤✷✸★ ✣★✦✴✶✪✫✤ “I think Torrey Craig his long-range rhythm af- is a big number,” Jokic ward Torrey Craig’s nose ✥★✣ ✭★ ✮✷✤✢✣★✫ ✴✪ ❀✼ ✴✬ ❀➙ ✤✧✷✫❇ ➞➣✭★ ✢✣✤✥ ✭✧✰✬ ✳★ ✭✧✫ was bloodied after he is the unsung hero of the 3-pointers in Denver. open shots but we didn’t was knocked down and game,” Malone said. “He’s slammed into teammate ↕✴✥ ✤✴✮★ ✜↕✶✥✤✩❇ ➲★➭✤ ↕✴✥ The Nuggets trimmed make any of those.” a 17-point, third-quarter With Jokic taking — and Monte Morris’ foot early some toughness.” ✫★✢✹✷✥ ✥✴ ➙➛✵➙❁ ✷✪ ✥✭★ ✢✪✧✰ missing — just one shot in in the second quarter. Mo- ➳➵➨➸➸➺➦ Jokic pushed Kanter, minute thanks to an as- ✥✭★ ✢✣✤✥ ➟✶✧✣✥★✣ ✧✪✫ ✤✹✴✣✵ ments after Craig hobbled ✥✴✪✷✤✭✷✪↕ ❀✼ ✴→★✪✤✷✸★ ✣★✵ ✷✪↕ ✤✷➠ ✯✴✷✪✥✤ ✷✪ ✥✭★ ✢✣✤✥ ✴→✾ ✰★✧✸✷✪↕ ✧ ✥✣✧✷✰ ✴✬ ✦✰✴✴✫✾ who slammed into Craig bounds in the fourth quar- half, the Nuggets trailed Maurice Harkless rolled with 43.5 seconds left on ter and a 19-9 run before 50-35 at halftime after the his right ankle and also left a made free throw. Mur- ray took exception to Rodney Hood’s two free franchise’s worst quarter the game. Harkless didn’t return Kanter staring down the throws with 17 seconds left ever at home in the play- iced it. ✴→✤✾ ✴✪★ ✷✪ ✳✭✷✹✭ ✥✭★✲ but Craig came back in the ✬✧✰✰★✪ ✺✣✧✷↕ ✧✪✫ ✧ ✤✹✶➻★ ensued at midcourt. The “The good news is they made just 5 of 23 shots second half. Jamal Murray spent part two were assessed a double ✭✧✫ ✧✰✰ ✴✬ ✥✭✴✤★ ✴→★✪✤✷✸★ and missed all 10 of their of the fourth quarter on technical. rebounds but they didn’t 3-pointers. convert a lot,” Portland Nuggets coach Michael the stationary bike trying ➡➼➽➾➚➦➳ Stotts and his assistants coach Terry Stotts said. Malone said he admon- to loosen up his tight right “They were 8 for 24 on ished his team at halftime, thigh. He missed 12 of 18 rocked bow ties Wednes- day night in honor of Jon second-chance points. We “‘if you’re not making shots. Craig, whose insertion Yim, the team’s video co- were fortunate we came shots, maybe attack the away not hurt as badly as basket, maybe get to the into the starting lineup ordinator and player de- we could have been on the foul line, maybe get to the turned around the Nuggets’ velopment coach who was rim.’” ✢✣✤✥✵✣✴✶✪✫ ✤★✣✷★✤ ✧↕✧✷✪✤✥ seriously injured in an auto ✴→★✪✤✷✸★ ✦✴✧✣✫✤❇➜ Nikola Jokic had 16 They started doing that San Antonio, returned with accident last week that left points and 14 boards but after halftime, but the Blaz- a face mask with 3 minutes him hospitalized with a ↕✴✥ ✴→ ✥✴ ✧ ✤✰✴✳ ✤✥✧✣✥ ✧✪✫ ers answered time after left in the third quarter. broken leg and collapsed wasn’t nearly the take-con- time, getting 15 points from He immediately grabbed a lung. Tigers tennis teams win six matches in Ontario ❖✗✘✙✚✈✙✚ ✘❡❛✛✛ teams of Nick DuVernay La Grande’s doubles The La Grande Tigers boys tennis team earned ✧✪✫ ❂✧✰★✦ ❃✲★✣ ✜✻✵❁✾ ✻✵❁✩✾ teams, Mattie Hendrick- and James Thurman and son and Maylen Tommy, Wednesday in Ontario, while the girls team picked up two wins. La Grande went 2-1 in boys singles, with wins also won. All four victories were in straight sets. The LHS girls also went 2-1 in singles, getting vic- tories from both Brenna and Ashton Morwood (6- from Emily Wilson (6-0, son Forsberg. The doubles her match in three sets. lin Banes, Isabelle Hadley and Celeste Villagomez, and Martiza Villagomez and Maria Ortiz, all took setbacks. The Tigers play again to- ❘❉❊●❍■ ❏❉❊■❑▲▼◆P◗❙P◗❯❧P❱❲❳❨❳ day and Saturday in the Spe- cial District 4 Sub-District ❩❬ ❭❪❬❫❴❵➆s ❜❬❝❵s❞❢❣❪❝❬❫❤ ❬✐❥❦❵❤ ❬❫❴ ♠❵❬❝❝❬♠❵ ♥♦❥♠♠ t❵❝♣qr ✉❥❫ ♠❢❵♣❪ ❴❥❣✐q❵s ❝❬♠♦❢ ♣❫ s♠❪❬♣✇❢♠ s❵♠s①❵❴❫❵s❴❬r ♣❫ ②❫♠❬❪♣❥③ Tournament in Nyssa. ✬✴✶✣ ✳✷✪✤ ✷✪ ✢✸★ ✮✧✥✹✭★✤ ❄✹✴✥✥ ❅★✮✷✰✲ ✜✻✵❁✾ ✻✵❁✩✾ Linsday Shaul and Kate- ✦✲ ✺✴✰✮ ✺✧✭✷✰✰ ✜✻✵✼✾ ✻✵✿✩ ❆✶✤✭✮✧✪ ✜✻✵✿✾ ✻✵❁✩ ✧✪✫ ❀✾ ✻✵❁✩ ✧✪✫ ✧ ✰✴✤✤ ✦✲ ✺✧✲✵ ✻✵❁✩❇ ❅★✦★✹✹✧ ✺✴✪❈✰✷✪ ✰✴✤✥ check out the on the ✑ ✒✒ ✓✔✔ ✓ ✕ ✑✖ Listen to the Johnny Ballgame Show from 3-6 p.m. Monday through Friday on SuperTalk 1450 AM. @lgoBond Tune into the Johnny Ballgame Show for the Local Sports Report with Observer Sports Editor Ronald Bond at 5:30 p.m. each Wednesday. @JBG_Show