India 185 for 4 (Verma 73, Mandhana 67, Mohammed 2-35, Selman 2-36) beat West Indies 101 for 9 (Campbelle 33, Radha Yadav 2-10, Pandey 2-22, Poonam Yadav 2-24) by 84 runs

Openers Shafali Verma and Smriti Mandhana put up India's highest partnership in women's T20Is, helping them clinch the first game of the five-match series against West Indies by 84 runs in St Lucia. Their opening stand of 143 took India to 185 for 4, the highest by any side against West Indies in the format, after which the hosts were restricted to 101 for 9.

After a quiet first over, 15-year-old Verma struck the returning Shakera Selman for two fours and a six in the second over, before launching Chinelle Henry for four fours and a six in the fourth over. At that stage, she was on 40 from just 15 balls.

Mandhana, not outscored by her partners too often, took off in the third over by hitting three fours off Hayley Matthews, but Verma was on an 18-ball 43 at the end of the powerplay, while her senior mate was on 31 from the same number of balls. The total had reached 77 by that stage.

The scoring rate fell a bit after the 11th over, but India were still eyeing a strong total, with the openers having brought up the 100-run stand within ten overs. Selman finally got the breakthrough in the 16th over, dismissing Shafali for a 49-ball 73, her highest score in a young career so far. Anisa Mohammed sent back Mandhana in the next over for 67, scored off 46 balls, and Pooja Vastrakar and Deepti Sharma fell cheaply after that. But a late impetus from captain Harmanpreet Kaur and Veda Krishnamurthy in the last two overs lifted India to their third-highest total in the format.

It didn't help West Indies that their fielders missed as many as four chances - three dropped catches and a missed stumping - against Mandhana, Natasha McLean missing two out at long-off; McLean also dropped Harmanpreet in the covers in the last over.

"We definitely don't want to remember tonight," West Indies' stand-in captain Mohammed said after the game. "Our fielding - we need to sharpen up. We can't restrict a team to a low total if we are going to field like that. And, our batters, they needed to be there at the end, and not expect bowlers to chase 12-13 runs an over."

On that, the batting, West Indies sorely missed their captain Stafanie Taylor, who had scored 94, 20 and 79 in the three ODIs that preceded the T20Is but is out with an injury.

West Indies lost three wickets inside the powerplay for just 33 runs. Matthews started the chase by hitting two fours off Deepti but fell in the second over to Shikha Pandey. Left-arm spinner Radha Yadav took McLean out in the third over, while Pandey added one more to her tally when she dismissed Chedean Nation.

With the required run-rate soaring, West Indies could not keep up, losing their last five wickets for just 23 runs. Shemaine Campbell finished as their highest runs scorer of the day with a 34-ball 33, while Pandey, Radha and Poonam Yadav finished with two wickets each.

The match, though, had slipped from West Indies' grasp well before that, in the first half itself. "We worked hard on our opening pair," Harmanpreet said. "We did well today, especially Shafali Verma, because is young and she is giving so much contribution to the team, playing like a senior player. Smriti Mandhana also played really well, both of their contributions played a big role for us."

Australia A's match against Pakistan is being framed as a contest for the last couple of open spots in the Australian Test batting order, with the likes of Travis Head, Will Pucovski, Joe Burns and Usman Khawaja all in competition with one another to set themselves up for strong international summers.

Yet, at the same time, it will be played in the shadow of two absentees - Glenn Maxwell and Nic Maddinson - as they deal with mental health issues that have pushed them away from the game and the accompanying pressures.

Alex Carey, the Australia A captain and himself something of a contender for a Test berth in the near future, balanced his concern for Maxwell and Maddinson with an honest appraisal of the crucible into which all players will be stepping this week and for the Test matches afterwards.

"For me, I'm really enjoying my cricket, you are away from home quite a bit and that's the nature of the sport, I guess, and we do have a lot of support but I can't speak for everyone," Carey said in Perth. "Away from family, away from friends and we've got so much support and those two boys have got the support of sports psychologists, doctors, and, as a mate, I'm right behind them.

ALSO READ: Setbacks and fatherhood mould Alex Carey the leader

"For some people, it is easier to speak up and for those two boys to have the courage to speak up, it's great to see them not fighting through that. Some people can put a bit of a shield up and that's not what we want. We want guys being honest and being able to talk. Justin Langer flagged it the other day with Maxi, so we've got really close relationships and it's great that they did speak up.

"Those two guys are close mates of mine and I fully support those boys, along with the whole cricket family, we're right behind those guys to get well. We give them our full support. Chris Lynn said it the other day, they've both got the support of the full Australian cricket public and first and foremost is the mental health and wellbeing of every player in the system."

Cricket has advanced a significant distance in a couple of years, from a time when Moises Henriques withdrew from Big Bash League duty for the Sydney Sixers under a shroud of secrecy as to his exact ailment, to Pucovski last summer and now Maxwell and Maddinson taking their troubles on far more openly and publicly.

Carey noted that the recent death of the former St Kilda footballer and media personality Danny Frawley, a longtime sufferer of depression, as an example of what could lurk beneath a happy-looking surface.

"Any person, cricketer, someone working down the road, I think everyone should be able to speak up," Carey said. "As we've seen with Danny Frawley as well, it's around and we've got to have the courage to speak up, and it's great that those two guys have done. It does set a good example for young people, for anyone.

"[Maxwell and Maddinson] are going okay. I've sent my support and taken a back seat now and let the family, friends and close support around them take care of that."

As for the game itself, Carey said that Australia A would be fighting especially hard to win the three-day match, in doing so achieving the dual goals of setting back the Pakistani tourists ahead of the Tests and also setting the home side's players up for the season.

"It's a pink-ball game, it's under lights, Pakistan are here for a big summer, so it's a great opportunity for myself, the boys that are playing this game, to start the international summer really strongly," Carey said. "Experience the lights, the pink ball, the stadium, it's a new experience for some of us and exciting to get out there.

"The beauty of this team is it's a really strong line-up, we've probably got four bowlers that can take the new ball and bowl throughout the day and Travis can bowl a few overs as well. We're only here for a short week and it's a really close group of players, a close group of guys, a strong team and we should be looking to put in a really good performance and hopefully win this game of cricket."

Alabama has the brand. It has the tradition, the coach and the clout -- it even has the respect of the College Football Playoff selection committee despite a weak schedule -- but for the first time in six seasons, the Crimson Tide might not have what it takes to finish in the top four.

After losing at home Saturday to No. 2 LSU, No. 3 Alabama also lost its one opportunity to dazzle the selection committee with a blockbuster win. Now, the Tide have almost no chance to win the SEC -- they would need to win out and see the Tigers to lose two of their final three games, against 4-6 Ole Miss, 2-8 Arkansas and 6-3 Texas A&M, just to have a shot at winning their division. Without a conference championship, Alabama will have to prove it is "unequivocally" one of the four best teams in the country. That seems like a tall task considering its next three games are against five-loss Mississippi State, FCS Western Carolina and Auburn. And the Tide's underwhelming schedule so far -- they have yet to beat a ranked team -- won't help, either.

LSU, on the other hand, made a great case to jump Ohio State for the No. 1 spot in Tuesday's rankings (7 p.m. ET, ESPN and ESPN App), while Alabama might drop only to No. 4 as the highest-ranked one-loss team. But that's because the committee doesn't look ahead.

"The committee's job is to enter the room with a blank sheet of paper, meaning we start with an open mind as we consider the strengths and weaknesses of every team, from opening day through this past Saturday," selection committee chair Rob Mullens said last week. "Nothing else matters."

Though it's impossible to predict what 13 people might do on Selection Day, remember how things change on championship weekend, when the final piece of the résumé is added and the committee is required to follow the protocol given to it by the 10 FBS conference commissioners and Notre Dame athletic director Jack Swarbrick:

Strength of schedule, head-to-head competition and championships won must be specifically applied as tiebreakers between teams that look similar.

That's where Alabama could be in trouble -- if the committee deems the Tide "similar" to the winners of the Pac-12 or Big 12, forcing the use of those tiebreakers.

In each of the past three seasons, the committee has chosen a top-four team that didn't win a conference title: Ohio State (2016), Alabama (2017) and Notre Dame (2018). While those three storylines are often referred to and still debated, they're also not the norm, as 17 of the past 20 semifinalists have been conference champions.

In 2017, when Alabama finished No. 4 despite losing to Auburn and not winning the SEC West, the Tide had two other ranked wins, against LSU and Mississippi State. This season, assuming the Tide win out, Auburn would be the only ranked opponent they beat.

That could be important if Alabama is part of a debate with Oregon for the fourth spot because Auburn is a common opponent, and the Ducks lost 27-21 to Auburn in the season opener. In addition to winning out in convincing fashion, Alabama's playoff hopes would increase again dramatically if Oklahoma loses and the Pac-12 produces a two-loss conference champion.

Alabama is the only program in the country that has finished in the top four every season of the playoff's brief existence, but after Saturday, that streak is in jeopardy. That's a question for the committee to tackle on Dec. 8. Here are three more questions that will affect this week:

Who's No. 1?
The selection committee ranked Ohio State No. 1 this past week "because of their overall consistent dominant play each week as well as their strength on offense and defense," Mullens said. Nothing Ohio State did in its 73-14 smashing of Maryland changes that evaluation, but LSU now has victories against the committee's No. 3 team (Alabama), No. 10 team (Florida) and No. 11 team (Auburn). It also has a road win against unranked Texas, which is now 5-3.

How high does Minnesota climb?
In the history of the CFP rankings, no team has jumped higher than six spots into the top 10, but No. 17 Minnesota has a chance to change that after its victory over No. 4 Penn State. What is the Golden Gophers' ceiling? For now, it's probably the No. 9 or No. 10 range, and probably ahead of the Nittany Lions, assuming the committee honors the head-to-head result. Although it was a monumental win for the program, remember that Minnesota beat South Dakota State 28-21, needed double overtime to beat Fresno State, and beat Georgia Southern 35-32. Penn State was the first ranked opponent the Gophers had faced all season. It was a huge step in the right direction, but probably not enough to overcome an otherwise dreadful schedule and really make a push for the top four right now. If Minnesota wins out, though, with victories against Iowa and Wisconsin, and beats Ohio State to win the Big Ten? Then it's time to talk playoff.

Can the Big Ten still get two teams in?
It's still possible, but less likely because of what would have to happen -- a combination of Penn State winning out, Minnesota finishing undefeated, and/or Ohio State finishing undefeated or with one loss. The first scenario is if Penn State runs the table and avenges the regular-season loss to what would be an undefeated Minnesota team in the Big Ten title game. The selection committee could consider one-loss Big Ten champion Penn State, one-loss runner-up Minnesota and one-loss Ohio State.

Another possibility would be if Ohio State and Minnesota were both undefeated heading into the Big Ten title game, and the committee considered both the winner and the runner-up. The only thing that seems certain right now is Penn State lost its chance of getting in without winning the conference. The Nittany Lions probably need to beat Ohio State and run the table to finish in the top four.

Remember, the second-best team in the Big Ten would face the same burden as Alabama, with the committee having to conclude that it's "unequivocally" one of the four best teams in the country. Would the Big Ten's second-best team be better than the Pac-12 champ? The Big 12 champ? Alabama?

Any team not playing on Dec. 7 can only hope.

Imagine a world where Ed Orgeron utterly outcoached Nick Saban.

Imagine, if you will, a place where P.J. Fleck doesn't just have Minnesota rowing the boat, but partying aboard a boat heisted from some Rick Ross video.

Imagine waking up to find that a team -- the defending national champion, actually -- has a clear shot to the playoff without having played a single opponent likely to be ranked in the top 25.

Close your eyes and envision a scenario in which a team that, just two years ago, finished 1-11 -- and is now among the final five unbeatens. Or a scenario where Lovie Smith is going bowling, where an SEC team gets housed at home by San Jose State and Western Kentucky in the same season, where Texas is celebrating another last-second win over a team from Kansas, and where Appalachian State owns both North and South Carolina.

Welcome to Bizarro College Football.

Saturday was supposed to separate the men from the boys on the field, and it certainly did that. The results, however, have shaken the very fabric of the college football universe, a disruption in the space-Tide continuum, where up is down and Alabama's playoff hopes are on life support.

Certainly, LSU's 46-41 victory in Tuscaloosa shouldn't come as an enormous shock. These Tigers are good, with an offense capable of tormenting even the most astute defensive coordinator, and a Heisman favorite at quarterback. And, as we no doubt hear on repeat between now and the official announcement of the College Football Playoff, Tua Tagovailoa was hobbled, his ankle taped to keep him upright in a game in which he still mustered every bit of magic to throw for more than 400 yards.

But for all the logic behind LSU's march through Alabama, it still feels like some strange dream. Could the Crimson Tide, participants in every playoff to date, really be done?

The final score shows a valiant effort by Alabama, but it also belies the real impact of LSU's performance. The Tigers totaled 559 yards of offense, the most against an Alabama team since 2014 and the most in a win over a Saban-coached Tide team. To be sure, Joe Burrow was transcendent -- whizzing bullets on quick throws for which Alabama had no answer, scrambling for crucial yardage to wriggle from nearly every breakdown. There's a case to be made that, at the moment, the best coach in the SEC is the guy nobody wanted just three years ago, while the merry-go-round on Saban's staff might have finally caught up with him.

Nick Saban has now been schooled in his last two consequential games. Not a good look for the GOAT.

- Paul Finebaum (@finebaum) November 10, 2019

What is shocking isn't so much that it happened than that it has happened so often of late. Alabama has given up 450 yards or more 15 times under Saban. Six of those games have come since last December. Burrow, too, was just the latest QB to torch the Tide. The quarterbacks of the past five ranked opponents to face Alabama have combined for 63% completions, nearly 2,000 yards, 15 total touchdowns and no interceptions. All five have topped 300 total yards of offense. To see Clyde Edwards-Helaire rack up 180 yards and four touchdowns is mind-boggling against an Alabama defense. Except, given the youth up the middle of this particular defense, it's actually not all that shocking.

Perhaps more surprising was the scene in Minnesota, where the Golden Gophers -- a team that narrowly escaped South Dakota State to open the season -- utterly exposed Penn State's disastrous secondary, pulling off the upset of the Nittany Lions 31-26. Tanner Morgan threw more touchdowns (three) than incompletions (two), Antoine Winfield Jr. picked off two passes, and Fleck crowd-surfed the locker room afterward. Minnesota is leading the country in partying. Indeed, a dominant Minnesota is not unique. The Gophers have seven national championships in their history. It's just that the most recent one came when Prince was in diapers.

The losses by Penn State and Alabama clarified the playoff picture enough that, while Virginia Tech's upset of Wake Forest erased Clemson's best shot at beating a ranked team, the Tigers -- dominant in a 55-10 win over NC State -- probably don't have to worry about winning a beauty contest with the committee. It's too bad. Dabo Swinney would've dominated the talent competition.

Baylor, ranked 12th, might be the team with the most complaints for the committee, but the Bears didn't exactly help their case by going to three overtimes with TCU before emerging with the victory. Baylor remains undefeated, with Oklahoma on deck next weekend. Wherever this season ends, it's a long way from where Matt Rhule began, inheriting a program in utter turmoil two years ago.

Speaking of complaints, Chad Morris might need witness protection in Arkansas after getting demolished by Western Kentucky. He is perhaps not alone on the SEC hot seat, either. Will Muschamp might own one of the season's most stunning upsets with a win at Georgia, but Saturday's home defeat to Appalachian State means he'll need to pull off another stunner against Clemson in the finale if the Gamecocks are to make a bowl.

And then there's Illinois. If there's anything approaching rock-solid proof that this, indeed, is some sort of strange alternate reality, it's the Illini. A month ago, Smith's team was 2-4, left for dead in mid-October -- or, as it's usually described in Illinois, a typical season. Then a stunner against Wisconsin, with a last-second field goal to win it, followed by victories over Purdue and Rutgers, and another shocking comeback, against Michigan State on Saturday. Illinois scored 27 fourth-quarter points to erase a 31-10 deficit, taking a 37-34 lead with 5 seconds left and becoming bowl-eligible for the first time since 2014. There's a little Ron Zook-era magic in the air in Champaign, and we can't get enough of it.

Sure, somewhere on some other timeline, all remains normal in the world. Alabama's D is good, Illinois is bad, and Ohio State is busy apologizing for some inexplicable Big Ten loss. In that universe, it all makes sense, college football as we've come to know it.

On this timeline, though? It's a brave new world, where Coach O is magic, Minnesota has playoff hopes and virtually anything seems possible in the next three weeks.

Well, that was easy

Ohio State was a 43-point favorite against Maryland on Saturday, which might've seemed like a lot if you haven't seen Maryland play football lately. For the Buckeyes, it took a little more than a half of football to cover that spread. They led 42-0 at intermission, won 73-14, and for the ninth time in nine games celebrated a win by at least 24 points.

How rare is that feat? According to ESPN Stats & Information research, it's only the seventh time in the AP poll era a team won each of its first nine games by 24 or more -- and the first since Ohio State did it in 1973.

Only one team has ever won each of its first 10 by that margin. That was the 1971 Nebraska Cornhuskers, a team that won the national championship.

Think Ohio State has a shot to match Nebraska? The Buckeyes have Rutgers on deck.

Another 200 for Taylor

Jonathan Taylor had only 52 yards against Ohio State a week ago, and his 2.6 yards per rush marked the worst average of his career. So what did he do to get back on track? How's 31 carries for 250 yards sound?

Taylor scorched the Iowa defense in a 24-22 victory, racking up the ninth 200-yard game of his career. Northern Illinois' Garrett Wolfe is the only other FBS player in the past 20 years to do that, per ESPN Stats & Info data. And with at least four games left on the docket for Taylor, he has a shot to match the NCAA record of 10, held by three of the best to ever carry a football -- Ricky Williams, Ron Dayne and Marcus Allen.

Home cooking for the Hokies

Virginia Tech pulled the upset over No. 19 Wake Forest on Saturday behind a stellar effort from the defense in a game honoring legendary coordinator Bud Foster, who is set to retire at season's end.

The celebration surrounding Foster was hardly the only reason for a festive crowd in Blacksburg, though. Though the victory marked Virginia Tech's 13th win over a ranked opponent in the past decade, according to ESPN Stats & Info research, it was the first time the Hokies had beaten a top-25 team at home since 2009, when they upended No. 9 Miami.

You hate to see it

East Carolina pushed No. 25 SMU to the brink, but ultimately fell 59-51 Saturday. That comes just one week after nearly toppling No. 17 Cincinnati in what ended up a 46-43 loss. The Pirates are just the second team in the past decade to score at least a combined 94 points in consecutive games and lose both, following a similarly unpleasant stretch by West Virginia last season.

Heisman Five

Is this really necessary any longer? Sure, we probably said the same at this point a year ago, when Tagovailoa looked like a sure thing for the Heisman Trophy, only for Kyler Murray to make a late charge and swipe the award. So perhaps we're getting ahead of ourselves. But Burrow's 31-of-39 for 393 yards at Alabama -- that's a Heisman line. Good luck to the rest of the contenders trying to find a performance to top that.

1. Joe Burrow, LSU

He's good. You heard it here first.

2. Justin Fields, Ohio State

Four more touchdowns in a 73-14 win over Maryland. Up next is Rutgers. The only problem is going to be keeping Fields in the game long enough to pad the stats.

3. Jalen Hurts, Oklahoma

Hurts had his eighth game of the season with at least four total touchdowns. In the past decade, only three players have had nine -- and two of them (Marcus Mariota in 2014, Murray last season) won the Heisman.

4. Chuba Hubbard, Oklahoma State

He leads the nation in rushing yards, rushing touchdowns and has a way cooler name than "Joe" or "Justin," so that's a solid case for an invite to the ceremony.

5. Tua Tagovailoa, Alabama

The final line looks awfully good: 418 yards and four TDs. But Tagovailoa also had two turnovers, completed just a tick better than 50% of his throws, and was upstaged by Burrow.

Best bets and bad beats

• Overtime is a real problem for bettors of the under. Triple OT is far worse. Smart bettors were all over the under (48.5) in Baylor's showdown with TCU, and they might've been counting their cash when the Horned Frogs led 9-6 with less than a minute remaining. But John Mayers' 51-yard field goal with 36 seconds to play tied it at 9 and sent the game to overtime. And the two teams traded touchdowns through the first two periods before Baylor won it in the third OT. Points in regulation: 18. Points in overtime: 34. Profanities uttered by folks with the under: countless.

• Minnesota was a rare 8-0 home underdog Saturday, getting 6.5 points against No. 4 Penn State. That made the Golden Gophers just the 18th team in the past four decades to be 8-0 or better and still get points at home, per ESPN Stats & Information research. And bettors who studied the history probably knew to load up on Fleck's crew. Overall now, the 'dogs are an impressive 14-3-1 against the spread with 13 outright wins. Fleck, meanwhile, has won six consecutive games as an underdog -- just the ninth coach in the past 40 years to do that.

• Texas backers might've breathed a sigh of relief when the Longhorns found the end zone with 39 seconds to play -- a PAT away from a push as a touchdown favorite. Then they saw the laundry on the field. The Longhorns were flagged for an illegal formation, negating the TD. Sam Ehlinger's next play went nowhere, and Texas settled for a field goal -- good enough for a straight-up win but four points shy of the point spread.

• When Texas Tech jumped out to a 28-3 lead early in the second quarter against West Virginia, it sure seemed the Red Raiders might hit the over (56.5) without much help from the Mountaineers. At halftime, Texas Tech led 35-10, inching ever closer to the total. The second half, however, was an over bettor's nightmare. Texas Tech had a first-and-10 at the West Virginia 14, but turned it over on downs. West Virginia had a first-and-10 at the Red Raiders' 17 and threw a pick. The Mountaineers' penultimate drive got to the Texas Tech 2, but a fourth-down try from the 4 failed. Again, no points. In all, the second half totaled 10 points, and the under covered by 1.

Give it to the big man

It has been tough for Clemson to steal the spotlight with a schedule that features several high school teams, so the Tigers pulled out the one play guaranteed to end up on every highlight show this weekend: the Big Man Touchdown.

On a goal-line run, Trevor Lawrence handed to 330-pound guard John Simpson, who did his impression of Clemson running over its ACC schedule, rumbling into the end zone for the score.

While Clemson alum William "The Refrigerator" Perry set the standard for Big Man TDs, he never scored one with the Tigers. Still, Simpson does match the school's record, which unofficially belongs to Dexter Lawrence, who did it just last season at 342 pounds.

Under-the-radar play of the week

There has not been much good news for Florida State this season, but in its first game since the firing of coach Willie Taggart, D.J. Matthews willed FSU to a win over Boston College with a wild run-after-catch. Matthews hauled in the pass from James Blackman near midfield, split two defenders, juked two more as he headed toward the sideline, then dove the final five yards for the pylon. The 60-yard reception was the difference in a 38-31 victory that, with Alabama State on deck, all but assured the Seminoles would get back to a bowl game this season.

Under-the-radar game of the week

Minnesota toppling Penn State and LSU upending Alabama made for a terrific Saturday of undefeated teams going head to head, but they didn't have a monopoly on the action. In the Ivy League, Dartmouth handed Princeton its first loss of the season, too -- 27-10 -- to move to 8-0 and snap a 17-game winning streak for the Tigers. The Big Green's dominant defense held the high-flying Tigers to just 246 yards and their worst scoring day since 2015's season finale, which also came against Dartmouth. It's a sad day for Princeton, which really has nothing without football.

CHICAGO -- James Harden exited the Houston Rockets' game against the Chicago Bulls and took a seat next to Thabo Sefolosha on the bench with 3:37 remaining in the fourth quarter at the United Center on Saturday.

He ended the night one point shy of a triple-double, with 42 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists, also passing Bulls legend Scottie Pippen for 58th on the NBA all-time scoring list, but it was Houston's defensive effort that pleased him more in the 117-94 win.

"Our talk, our aggressiveness, we're getting after it," Harden said of the defensive effort. "We were too soft earlier -- the first couple games, we were too soft. So, we've got to make teams feel us a little bit more defensively."

Through Nov. 3, following a 129-100 loss in Miami, only the Golden State Warriors had a worse defensive rating than the Rockets (116.2). However, in Week 3, the Rockets went 3-0, and their defensive efficiency was 97.5 points per 100 possessions allowed -- good for third-best, behind the Denver Nuggets and the Los Angeles Lakers, since Nov. 4.

Chicago's 94 points were the fewest allowed by the Rockets this season.

"That's been a point of emphasis: to try to keep teams under 100," said Rockets forward P.J. Tucker, who posted four points and five boards. "We know even on our worst night, we're still gonna score 100 points, so if we keep teams under 24 a quarter, we will be alright and will have a really good chance to win the game -- so it's something from here on out we always try to take advantage of."

Chicago (3-7) went 4-for-32 from beyond the arc (12.5%) which is the sixth-worst 3-point field goal percentage in a game in NBA history, with a minimum of 30 3-point field goal attempts, according to ESPN Stats & Information research. That mark was also the second-worst in a game in Bulls history, with the same minimum.

Houston outscored Chicago 36-18 in the third quarter to pull away on the night.

"Effort, plain and simple," said Rockets guard Russell Westbrook, who had 26 points, seven rebounds and seven turnovers. "We have a scheme, we just don't want to get away from it ... just keep playing. The way to win in this league: You have to defend. There is no night off; you have to defend every single night against some of the best teams."

For the season, the Rockets are still 23rd in defensive efficiency overall (110.1), so there's still work to do, but as impressed as Houston coach Mike D'Antoni was with the way Harden filled up the basket in Chicago, he also recognized the defensive improvement.

"Better. Much better, and we also held them under 100 giving up 24 turnovers, and that's hard to do," D'Antoni said. "But, I thought we were talking, switching and doing the right thing. I think Clint (Capela), his presence guarding the rim really helps. He bothered a lot of shots, got a lot of blocked shots, and then Danuel House comes up with six steals, and it was good. Overall, good ... better."

SAN DIEGO -- Brown is back for the San Diego Padres.

The Padres unveiled new uniforms Saturday night that feature a brown-and-gold color scheme, similar to the one used from the franchise's inception in 1969 through 1984.

The new uniforms were unveiled at Petco Park in front a few thousand fans by players Fernando Tatis Jr., Eric Hosmer and Manny Machado.

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Your city. Your colors. #BrownIsBack and it's better than ever!

A post shared by San Diego Padres (@padres) on Nov 9, 2019 at 7:38pm PST

Machado modeled the home white uniform with brown pinstripes that included the word "Padres" in brown on the front, trimmed in gold.

Hosmer showed off the solid brown primary road jersey with a yellow "San Diego" across the front, with sand pants.

Tatis modeled a tan alternate road jersey with brown pinstripes. That jersey had "San Diego" across the front in brown and trimmed in gold.

Fans have clamored for years for a return to the brown. The team's primary color scheme for several years has been blue and white.

"People wanted brown and we gave it to them," executive chairman Ron Fowler said. "Now we've got to start winning baseball games."

"It's going to be different, it's going to be unique, and like they said, they're going to know who's playing right away when they see the brown on the field," said Tatis, whose phenomenal rookie season was cut short by a stress reaction in his lower back.

The Padres continue to build what they hope is a contending season. They've missed the playoffs for 13 straight seasons and haven't had a winning record since 2010.

"I think that's the way everyone's looking at it, is we can turn the page of those tough times," Hosmer said. "We're trying to start a new wave now, a new culture, and the brown really represents the beginning of all that."

The Padres finished last in the National League West at 70-92. Manager Andy Green was fired with eight games to go. Rookie manager Jayce Tingler was hired late last month.

AVONDALE, Ariz. — Ty Gibbs bagged his first NASCAR K&N Pro Series West victory during the season finale Saturday at ISM Raceway.

Most of the race was dominated by NASCAR K&N Pro Series East champion Sam Mayer. He started from the pole and appeared the man to beat, but restarts proved to be his undoing as Gibbs was able to get the lead on lap 71.

“There was a lot going on there,” Gibbs said of the finish to the Arizona Lottery 100. “Those restarts really kind of got me flustered there. I got nervous for a little bit. I could really set (Mayer) up on the restarts. That’s where I could get him the most. We just persevered, started in the back and the car was so good that we got to victory lane, it was a cool day.”

The win for Gibbs came under the Levin Racing banner in a partnership with Joe Gibbs Racing.

Derek Kraus clinched the series championship by simply taking the green flag to start the race. He finished the race in the third position.

“I really can’t thank all these (Bill McAnally Racing) guys enough,” Kraus said. “They work their tails off on this race car to get it as good as it is every single race. And to finish the year out strong finishing fourth after starting towards the back of the field, it was a really good night and I’m really excited for the following years.”

Mayer was second and Corey Heim crossed the finish line in third, but officially was credited with a 25th-place finish because his Chad Bryant Racing team ran an Illmor engine as a test. NASCAR and team officials agreed prior to the race the team would be scored in 25th regardless of where they finished on the track.

Kraus was thus credited with finishing third, followed by Hailie Deegan and Jagger Jones.

The finish:

Ty Gibbs, Sam Mayer, Derek Kraus, Hailie Deegan, Jagger Jones, Brittney Zamora, Trenton Moriarity, Trevor Huddleston, Todd Souza, Riley Herbst, Jack Wood, Matt Levin, Taylor Canfield, Travis Milburn, Takuma Koga, Billy Kann, Josh Jackson, Drew Dollar, Bobby Hillis Jr., Ty Majeski, Zane Smith, Bill Kann, Tony Cosentino, Keith McGee, Corey Heim.

CONCORD, N.C. – All eyes were on Super DIRTcar Series championship contenders Mat Williamson and Matt Sheppard Saturday night during the Can-Am World Finals, but Billy Decker decided to make a few headlines of his own.

Decker bested both championship contenders to win Saturday’s season finale for the Super DIRTcar Series at The Dirt Track at Charlotte, ending a winless drought dating back to Oct. 13, 2017 in the process.

Williamson finished two spots ahead of Sheppard, which gave the Canadian his first Super DIRTcar Series big-block modified championship.

Decker started fourth in Saturday’s 40-lap feature as championship contenders Sheppard and Williamson shared the front row. On the start Decker rocketed from the second row, taking second from Williamson as the field exited turn two on the opening lap.

The first and only caution flag of the race waved on lap two when Brian Swartzlander looped his car in the middle of the pack, collecting the cars of Tyler Thompson, Justin Haers and Justin Wright in the process.

Racing resumed and Sheppard continued to lead as Decker and Williamson gave chase. Decker hounded Sheppard for several laps before finally getting a run on Sheppard coming out of turn two on lap 10 to get alongside him.

Decker edged ahead of Sheppard at the start of the next lap to take the lead and cleared him on the next circuit. Sheppard, meanwhile, stayed close to Decker as the race leader soon found himself navigating slower traffic.

On lap 20 Sheppard began to challenge Decker for the lead and after several attempts, got the lead back at the start/finish line to start lap 22. Decker kept fighting with Sheppard and on lap 26 got back under Sheppard’s No. 9s in turn three before regaining the race lead at the line.

At that point Sheppard began to fade, with Williamson getting past him on the 29th circuit to take the second position. Sheppard continued to slip back, with Mike Maresca dispatching Sheppard to take the third position on lap 31.

Meanwhile, at the front, Decker was not going to be denied as he pulled away to a 1.122-second victory to close out the Super DIRTcar Series season.

The victory served as vindication for Decker, who was leading Friday’s Super DIRTcar Series feature at The Dirt Track at Charlotte when a flat tire derailed his evening.

“I’d like to tell you Charlotte has been a pain in my side, but I’ve got a little lower opinion,” Decker joked. “One got away from us last night. This is a product of the LJL Racing and Gypsum Wholesaler team. When that thing came out of the box it was a rocket ship and it is fun to be a part of.

“I’ll tell you, we felt like last night one got away from us and had me down pretty hard. We came out swinging today.”

Williamson finished second, which was enough to give him his first series championship by 28 points over Sheppard, who ended up fourth.

“Man, that was tough. I really didn’t know what to think when Matt got back by Billy,” said Williamson, who became the first Canadian-born driver to win the Super DIRTcar Series championship. “I had to keep my cool and stay with them there. This is everything I’ve ever dreamed of and I can’t believe we got it done.”

Maresca finished third, followed by Sheppard and Max McLaughlin.

The finish:

Billy Decker, Mat Williamson, Michael Maresca, Matt Sheppard, Max McLaughlin, Demetrios Drellos, Erick Rudolph, Mike Mahaney, Chris Hile, Tim Fuller, Larry Wight, Gary Tomkins, Jimmy Phelps, Billy Pauch Jr., Billy Dunn, Steve Bernard, Ryan Godown, Danny Johnson, Brian Swartzlander, Peter Britten, Gary Lindberg, Jack Lehner, Ronnie Johnson, Tyler Siri, Anthony Perrego, Pat Ward, Paul St. Sauveur, Brett Hearn, Tyler Thompson, Justin Haers, Justin Wright.

CONCORD, N.C. – Jimmy Owens collected his seventh Can-Am World Finals victory during the season finale for the World of Outlaws Morton Buildings Late Model Series Saturday night at The Dirt Track at Charlotte.

Owens started fourth in the 50-lap feature, with Shane Clanton and John Blankenship brought the field to the green flag. Blankenship took the lead on the opening lap, with Clanton, Owens, Jonathan Davenport and Ricky Weiss giving chase.

On lap five Owens was able to slip past Clanton to take over second, taking the position out of turn four. On the next lap the caution flag waved when Brian Birkhofer slowed on the backstretch, setting up the first restart of the evening.

Blankenship held his lead on the restart despite Owens getting an incredible start, which saw Owens challenge Blankenship entering turn one before falling back in behind him in second. Owens didn’t give up, getting back alongside Blankenship and leading at the start/finish line to start lap seven.

On the next lap Owens was able to clear Blankenship in the battle for the lead, but behind them Davenport was moving forward after taking third from Clanton. On lap 11 Davenport dispatched Blankenship to move into second and quickly began to close the gap.

Using the top line to gain momentum, Davenport chased down Owens as the pair navigated traffic. On lap 20 Davenport got a massive run on the outside of turn four, which allowed him to get to Owens’ outside and take the lead at the start/finish line.

Unfortunately things turned sour for Davenport on the next lap as the Georgia native bounced the right side of his car off the turn four wall, killing his momentum and allowing Owens to get back by him for the lead.

Two laps later the caution flag waved for series champion Brandon Sheppard, who slowed to a stop on the backstretch. When racing resumed Owens held serve as Davenport, with a visible damage to his rear spoiler, did his best to keep up.

Owens was just beginning to enter traffic again when the next caution waved when Ross Bailes looped his car on the frontstretch with 33 laps complete. During the restart Owens held his position, but behind him Weiss threw a big slide job into turn one to take second away from Davenport.

Traffic came into play again on lap 43, with Owens forced to navigate slower cars as Weiss did his best to close in. Weiss suddenly found himself with company in the form of a fast closing Dale McDowell, with the two going side-by-side for second on laps 44 and 45 before Weiss pulled clear.

Meanwhile, Owens was still struggling with traffic and that allowed Weiss to close to within two car lengths of the race leader. That was as close as he could get though as Owens held on to collect the victory, worth $12,000.

“It was an extremely fun race. It’s good to be back in victory lane,” said Owens after his third series victory of the season. “When I moved up a lane I couldn’t steer as good as I wanted to, so I had to either go all the way to the top or toward the middle. I went to the top down yonder in three and four once and it didn’t do as good as I needed it to.

“We were able to hold them off and come home with the win.”

Weiss, who will be honored as the World of Outlaws Morton Buildings Late Model Series rookie-of-the-year during Sunday’s banquet, fell just short of his first series victory.

“We tried everything we could do,” Weiss said. “We were gaining, gaining, gaining. I looked up when I saw 45 (laps complete) and then Dale (McDowell) got under me. That was some of the hardest five laps I’ve ever driven in my life. I didn’t want to give up second.

“I really wanted to get that win. We were just driving as hard as we could drive.”

McDowell finished third, followed by Mike Marlar and Friday’s race winner Chris Madden.

The finish:

Jimmy Owens, Ricky Weiss, Dale McDowell, Mike Marlar, Chris Madden, Jonathan Davenport, John Blankenship, Josh Richards, Scott Bloomquist, Don O’Neal, Brandon Sheppard, Shane Clanton, Dennis Erb Jr., Hudson O’Neal, Chris Ferguson, Brandon Overton, Max Blair, Chase Junghans, Darrell Lanigan, Jason Covert, Tyler Erb, Steven Roberts, Rick Eckert, Boom Briggs, Brent Larson, Tim McCreadie, Ross Bailes, Cade Dillard, Trent Ivey.