Washington
Mavs take down Pistons
For you skeptics that have dismissed the Mavericks’ season as a goner, consider Friday’s 123-117 win over the Detroit Pistons a “take that” moment.
The Mavericks stopped a five-game home losing streak as they dusted the Pistons at American Airlines Center behind a season-best 31 points from Spencer Dinwiddie and 27 from P.J. Washington.
And, they proved that they are perfectly capable of learning from their mistakes.
It was just two nights earlier that the Mavericks had a seven-point lead in the final minute against Indiana, only to lose 135-131.
This time, the Mavericks were up by seven points with under two minutes left. Yet, you got the feeling that the Pistons sensed vulnerability. They turned up the defensive heat, but the Mavericks played with more poise and better execution. They also made seven of nine free throws down the stretch.
‘I think being in Indiana, learning from our mistakes, I said after (that) game that we’ll be better and I thought we were better at being able to take the ball out and get the ball past half court and take care of the ball,” coach Jason Kidd said. “The guys learned from that experience. That could have been a game that stuck with us for a while, but they turned the page.”
By doing so, they improved to 34-37 and kept the pressure on Phoenix and Sacramento, the two teams directly in front of them in the Western Conference standings. Two of those three teams are likely to be in the play-in tournament. One likely will be on the outside looking in.
To say the least, it was a critical game.
“It was huge, definitely a big win,” Washington said. “I’m glad we got this one. It puts us in a great (frame of mind) going forward. I can’t wait to get on the road and battle with those teams, too.”
And the Mavericks are going to have to earn their way into the play-in tournament on the road, where they play their next four games and seven of their final 11, starting Monday in Brooklyn.

The Mavericks led by 12 early in the fourth quarter, but they have had trouble lately closing out games. Perhaps knowing that, the Pistons closed the gap to 102-98 before Washington drilled a corner three-pointer.
That steadied the Mavericks briefly, but it was going to require poise down the stretch. That’s where the fresh memory of Wednesday night helped.
“Wednesday’s game was on me,” Washington said. “I missed too many free throws. I think we executed better tonight in the last minute and a half. And obviously we won the game. I think guys felt that one in Indiana and didn’t want that to happen again tonight.”
A crucial play came when Dennis Schroder’s three pointer cut the Mavericks’ lead to 114-110. After each team misfired, the Mavericks missed and the ball went out of bounds. Originally, possession was given to Detroit, but the call was overturned when Jason Kidd challenged it and the Mavericks had possession with 1:07 to go.
Dinwiddie was fouled, but made only the second of two free throws for a five-point advantage.
Schroder was fouled with 48 ticks left, with Kai Jones fouling out on the play. Schroder helped out the Mavericks by missing the first of the two freebies. The Mavericks had trouble handling Detroit’s pressure, but ran a smart play that got Washington a clear path to the rim, where he was met and fouled by Cade Cunningham, who had 35 points.
Washington’s free throw (he missed the second) with 36.9 showing made it 116-111. This time, unlike Wednesday, there would be no late meltdown.
Cunningham would slice through the Mavericks twice, but Dinwiddie made two free throws and Brandon Williams converted a three-point play after taking a nice feed from Klay Thompson, who had 20 points, for a 121-115 lead with 16 seconds left to ice it.
All of those late plays required execution, which had been missing 48 hours earlier in Indiana.
And, also important, was the way the Mavericks handled the bigger Pistons in the paint. The Mavericks actually won the rebounding battle, 44-41.
Said Kidd: “We knew we had to come with some physicality. That’s what they do. So I thought we matched it and didn’t back down. They might be a little bigger than us, but being able to rebound and play with some pace, I thought everyone did their part and did it at a high level.”
X: @ESefko
Washington
Bellevue vs. Renton: Watch Washington boys high school basketball tilt live tonight
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Bellevue travels to Renton High School on Friday night for a nonleague matchup that pits two surging programs coming in on win streaks. The Wolverines (12-2) enter riding momentum from last season’s state quarterfinal appearance, while the Red Hawks (7-8) look to build consistency under head coach Rashaad Powell.
Head coach Warren King returns a deep senior class led by Jackson Skaggs, Max Harrity, Eduardo Molina, Kenny Shin, Trevin King and Nick Norrah. The Wolverines also feature junior Tayten Jones, giving them a balanced roster capable of competing with any team in the state.
The Red Hawks counter with their own weapons. Senior Isaac Elegan anchors the lineup, while junior scorer Sudan Luok provides offensive firepower. Junior co-captains Julius White-Kelly, Nick Jarvis and Jalen Taylor round out a core that has shown flashes this season.
Opening tipoff is set for 8 p.m. PT on Friday, January 16 with a live TV broadcast on NFHS Network.
• WATCH: Bellevue vs. Renton basketball is livestreaming on NFHS Network
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How to watch Bellevue vs. Renton basketball livestream
What: Wolverines, Red Hawks set for Friday night Showdown in Renton
When: Tipoff is set for 8 p.m. PT on Friday, January 16
Where: Renton High School | Renton, Washington
Watch live: Watch Bellevue vs. Renton live on the NFHS Network
Washington
National Guard troops to stay on Washington, DC, streets through 2026
WASHINGTON (AP) — National Guard troops will be on the streets of Washington, D.C., until the end of the year, according to a memo reviewed by The Associated Press.
The memo, signed by Army Secretary Dan Driscoll and dated Wednesday, said “the conditions of the mission” warranted an extension past the end of next month to continue supporting President Donald Trump’s “ongoing efforts to restore law and order.”
Meanwhile, Trump said this month that for now he was dropping his push to deploy National Guard troops in Chicago, Los Angeles and Portland, Oregon, which had provoked legal challenges. He also backed off a bit Friday from his threat a day earlier to invoke the Insurrection Act to deploy troops to quell protests in Minnesota.
In Washington, troops have been charged with patrolling the streets and picking up trash. Trump has asserted repeatedly that crime has vanished in the city.
Two National Guard troops from West Virginia that were part of the mission in D.C. were shot the day before Thanksgiving. Specialist Sarah Beckstrom, 20, died from her injuries.
The National Guard has about 2,400 troops in Washington, with about 700 from D.C. and the rest from 11 states with Republican governors, including Indiana, South Carolina, Alabama and Oklahoma.
Washington
Skeletal remains that washed up on Washington beach identified as Oregon mayor who vanished 20 years ago
Skeletal remains that washed up on a Washington beach have been identified as those of a former Oregon mayor who vanished in 2006, ending a 20-year mystery with the help of genetic genealogy.
Edwin Asher, who previously was mayor of Fossil, Oregon, disappeared while he was crabbing in Tillamook Bay, on the northwest coast of Oregon, on Sept. 5, 2006, the Grays Harbor County coroner and Othram, a forensic genetic genealogy lab, said in news releases this week.
He was presumed to have drowned and was legally declared dead that same year, officials said.
In November 2006, skeletal remains washed ashore in Taholah, an unincorporated village on the Quinault Indian Reservation in Grays Harbor County, Washington, the coroner’s office said.
Taholah is about 124 miles north of Tillamook Bay.
The local sheriff’s and coroner’s offices responded and collected evidence.
It was determined the remains were those of a man estimated to 20 to 60 years old or older, 5 feet, 9 inches tall and an estimated 170 to 180 pounds.
However, the man was never identified, and he became known as the “Grays Harbor County John Doe (2006).”
Last year, the Grays Harbor Coroner’s Office and the King County medical examiner submitted forensic evidence to Othram to try to identify John Doe.
Scientists used genome sequencing to build a DNA profile for the man and genetic genealogy search to develop “new investigative leads.”
Investigators were led to potential relatives of the man, and reference DNA samples were collected from a relative and compared with those of John Doe.
Finally, it led to a positive identification: Grays Harbor John Doe was Clarence Edwin “Ed” Asher, born April 2, 1934.
He was 72 when he died.
Asher was born in Salem and raised in Astoria, and in 1952 he moved to Fossil, where he was a lineman technician for the Fossil Telephone Co. until he retired in 1995, according to his obituary. He also opened his own shop, Asher’s Variety Store, in 1965.
He loved antique cars, fishing and boating, the obituary said.
He had served as mayor and also volunteered as a local fireman and ambulance driver.
He was survived by his wife of over 20 years, children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. NBC News has reached out to the city of Fossil for comment.
Forensic genetic genealogy has grown in popularity in recent years and has helped solve decades-old cold cases.
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