By Dave Hart
LocalSportsJournal.com

Lions 20, Bears 17 – The Lions took one step closer to their first ever NFC North Division title with a home win against the Chicago Bears on Sunday.

Detroit trailed 3-0 after the first quarter, led 10-3 at halftime and had a 13-10 advantage heading into the fourth quarter.

The Lions are now 9-4 on the season, good for first place in the division with three games remaining. They can clinch next week with a win on the road against the New York Giants with a Green Bay Packers loss to in Chicago.

The Bears took a 17-13 lead with 7:07 left in the game on a 24-yard interception by Cre’von LeBlanc.

The Lions responded by driving the ball 76 yards on seven plays which resulted in a game-winning seven yard touchdown run by Matthew Stafford with 3:17 left in regulation.

Stafford threw for 223 yards on 21-for-35 passing, one touchdown and two interceptions.

Detroit’s wide out Anquan Boldin caught three passes for 49 yards and a touchdown while kicker Matt Prater nailed two field goals and two extra points.
Record: 9-4

1st Place in NFC North Division (2 games ahead of Green Bay and Minnesota)

Magic # to clinch a playoff spot: 2

Magic # to clinch an NFC North Division title: 2

Next Game: 12/18/2016 @ New York Giants 1:00 p.m. @ MetLife Stadium

Stats: Passing-Matthew Stafford 21/35 223 YDs 1 TD 2 Int 7 YD TD run. Rushing- Dwayne Washington 16 Att 64 YDs. Receiving- Marvin Jones 4 Rec 67 YDs, Golden Tate 6 Rec 58 YDs, Anquan Boldin 3 Rec 49 YDs 1 TD. Defense- Tahir Whitehead, Tavon Wilson and Josh Bynes 5 Tackles each. Kicking-Matt Prater 2/2 FG (29, 54 YDs) 2/2 XP.

Flyers 1, Red Wings (OT) – Brayden Schenn’s game-winning overtime goal led the Philadelphia Flyers over the Red Wings on Sunday evening.

The Red Wings are now 13-12-4 on the season, good for 30 points and a fourth-place tie in the Atlantic Division.

Anthony Stolarz picked up the shutout win in net for the Flyers, stopping all 28 Detroit shots, while Jimmy Howard took the loss in overtime stopping 35 of 36 overall shots.

Detroit will continue its home stand on Tuesday night against the Arizona Coyotes.

 

Record: 13-12-4   30 pts

Tied for 4th Place in Atlantic Division (11 points behind first place Montreal)

Tied for 9th Place in Eastern Conference (11 points behind Montreal)

2 points behind Boston for the last playoff spot

Magic # of pts to clinch a playoff berth: 109 pts

Magic # of pts to clinch a regular season Atlantic Division title: 120 pts

Magic # of pts to clinch a regular season Eastern Conference title: 120 pts

Next Game: 12/13/2016 vs Arizona Coyotes 7:30 p.m. @ Joe Louis Arena

Stats: Goals- N/A.   Assists- N/A. Goalie- Jimmy Howard OTL (5-5-1) 35 saves on 36 shots.

76ers 97, Pistons 79 – The Philadelphia 76ers scored early and often on Sunday evening and cruised to an 18-point win over the Pistons.

Detroit trailed 32-12 after the first quarter, 58-35 at halftime and 80-64 heading into the fourth quarter.

The 76ers were led by Robert Covington with 16 points, former Piston Ersan Ilyasova 15 points and Jahlil Okafor with 14.

Philadelphia’s T.J. McConnell nearly had a triple-double with 12 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists.

The Pistons, who are now 13-13 on the season, were paced by Marcus Morris with a game-high 28 points while Andre Drummond added 14 points and 14 rebounds.

Detroit will go on the road to face the Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday night.

 

Record: 13-13

Tied for 3rd Place in Central Division (6 games behind first place Cleveland)

Tied 7th Place in Eastern Conference (6 games behind first place Cleveland)

Tied for the final playoff spot

Magic # to clinch a playoff spot: 58

Magic # to clinch a Central Division title: 65

Magic # to clinch a regular season Eastern Conference title: 65

Next Game: 12/                14/2016 @ Dallas Mavericks 8:30 p.m. @ American Airlines Center

Stats: Marcus Morris 28 points, Andre Drummond 14 points 14 rebounds, Reggie Jackson 10 points.