76ers win franchise-record 15th straight in beating Hawks

JJ Redick scored 28 points and the streaking Philadelphia 76ers moved a step closer to clinching the third seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs with a 121-113 win over the Atlanta Hawks on Tuesday at Philips Arena.

The 76ers, who have won a franchise-record 15 in a row, can seal the No. 3 seed with a win over the Milwaukee Bucks on Wednesday in Philadelphia. The Sixers lead the Cleveland Cavaliers by one game heading into Wednesday's finale. The Cavaliers host the New York Knicks on Wednesday.

Philadelphia led the Hawks 89-79 heading into the fourth quarter. Atlanta would not go away and cut the deficit to five with a John Collins put-back dunk with three minutes to play. But Ben Simmons had a late dunk, and Ersan Ilyasova added a layup to help the Sixers finish off Atlanta.


Simmons shook off an illness that put his status for Tuesday's game in question to score 14 points, grab 10 rebounds and hand out six assists with six turnovers. Ilyasova scored 26 points off the bench and Marco Belinelli also added 20 points for Philadelphia.

Taurean Prince led the Hawks with 27 points. Prince set a Hawks franchise record with 18 3-point attempts in the game, making six. Tyler Dorsey had 17 points off the bench, and Dewayne Dedmon added 14 points and seven rebounds for Atlanta.

The 76ers haven't lost since a 101-98 home loss to the Indiana Pacers on March 13. Philadelphia is headed back to the playoffs for the time since 2012 and are expected to get All-Star center Joel Embiid back at some point in the postseason. Embiid has been out for two weeks since suffering an orbital fracture and going through the NBA's concussion protocol.

Starting forward Dario Saric sustained an unintentional elbow to the mouth while battling for a rebound on the first possession of the game. He suffered a lacerated upper lip and did not return.

Atlanta is in position for a high lottery after finishing the season at 24-58.

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NBA: Warriors hold off Hawks after Curry leaves with injury

The Golden State Warriors overcame a Stephen Curry injury and a frantic finish Friday night to defeat the Atlanta Hawks, 114-109, and sweep their three-game Eastern trip.

The win was the Warriors' 13th in 14 road games against Eastern Conference opponents this season and completed their fourth unbeaten trip of three or more games.


Golden State had to finish the game without Curry, who aggravated his previously injured right ankle late in the first quarter.

After going to the locker room for an examination, Curry returned to play in both the second and third quarters, but he was pulled from the game for good with 6:24 to go in the third.

He had 28 points in 24 minutes, helping the Warriors hold a 73-65 lead at the time of his exit.

Golden State barely held on despite leading 111-100 with just 2:18 to go.

Atlanta got within 112-109 and had possession with 18.5 seconds left, but Warriors veteran Andre Iguodala stole the ball from Kent Bazemore and went in for a game-clinching dunk.

Bazemore had a game-high 29 points for the Hawks, who were seeking their first two-game winning streak since beating New York and Memphis on Feb. 4 and Feb. 6.

Aided by a 10-point run to open the second quarter, one in which reserve Nick Young contributed eight points, the Warriors built as much as a 12-point lead in the first half.

Golden State extended the margin to 15 in the third period before the Hawks rallied within 90-84 by period's end.

Klay Thompson hit a 3-pointer to help Golden State go up 101-87 with 7:06 left, but the Hawks rallied to create the exciting finish.

Curry had four 3-pointers and hit all eight of his free throws. Kevin Durant matched Curry's 28-point total on 12-for-19 shooting, while Young finished with 16 points and Thompson added 15.

Golden State's Draymond Green recorded team highs in rebounds (seven) and assists (nine) and scored two points. The Warriors connected on 11 of their 31 3-point attempts while earning their sixth straight victory over the Hawks.

Dennis Schroder backed Bazemore's 29 points with 27 for the Hawks, who hit 15 of 35 3-point attempts.

Schroder also recorded a team-high nine assists.

John Collins added 16 points and a game-high eight rebounds, and Taurean Prince had 15 points for Atlanta, which has a far better record against Western Conference teams this season (10-13) than Eastern clubs (9-31).

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NBA: James' triple-double, Korver's 30 points lead Cavs past Hawks

LeBron James recorded his second straight triple-double and Kyle Korver torched his former team as the new-look Cleveland Cavaliers beat the Atlanta Hawks 123-107 Friday at Philips Arena in Atlanta.

James finished with 22 points, 12 rebounds and 17 assists, and Korver scored a season-high 30 points, including seven 3-pointers, for the Cavaliers, who remade their roster ahead of Thursday's trade deadline.

It was James' 10th triple-double of the season, and his 17 assists tied a career high.

The Cavs on Thursday acquired Jordan Clarkson, Larry Nance Jr., George Hill and Rodney Hood and shipped away Isaiah Thomas, Dwyane Wade, Derrick Rose, Jae Crowder, Iman Shumpert and Channing Frye. None of the new acquisitions were in uniform against the Hawks, but James and Korver were more than enough.

Cleveland led 83-80 with just under three minutes left in the third quarter before Korver went off. He hit four of his 3-pointers in the final 2:21 of the third quarter, helping Cleveland break open a close game and take a 97-82 lead into the fourth.

Korver spent five seasons with Atlanta, helping the Hawks reach the Eastern Conference Finals in 2015. He's in his second season with the Cavaliers and is one of the holdovers in Cleveland after Thursday's barrage of activity.

Dennis Schroder led the Hawks with 25 points, and Taurean Prince added 15 points in a losing effort.

Jeff Green scored 24 points off the bench for the Cavs, who won their second straight game.

Kent Bazemore had 13 points, and Tyler Dorsey and Isaiah Taylor had 14 and 11 points, respectively, off the bench for the Hawks.

Atlanta wasn't nearly as active as the Cavs -- no team was -- but the Hawks did cut salary by sending Luke Babbitt to Miami on Thursday and releasing Marco Belinelli on Friday.

Friday's game in Atlanta was the first of three straight road tests for the Cavs. They travel to Boston on Sunday and Oklahoma City on Tuesday.

The Hawks host Detroit on Sunday.

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NBA: Dinwiddie leads Nets to late comeback win vs. Hawks

Spencer Dinwiddie hit the go-ahead layup with 11 seconds remaining and scored seven of his 20 points in the final 2 1/2 minutes of the fourth quarter, as the Brooklyn Nets beat the Atlanta Hawks 110-105 Friday night at Philips Arena in Atlanta.

Dinwiddie helped the Nets finish the game with a 9-2 run in the final 85 seconds. He gave the Nets the lead for good when he rebounded a missed layup by Dennis Schroder and converted the layup while being fouled by Malcolm Delaney.

After Dinwiddie missed the foul shot, he grabbed the rebound with nine seconds left and sank two free throws for a 108-105 margin.

Following a timeout, Schroder missed a layup with five seconds remaining and was called for traveling after the Hawks grabbed the rebound. The Nets finished it off when Caris LeVert dunked with three seconds remaining.

Dinwiddie nearly recorded his first career triple-double, totaling 10 assists and matching a career best with nine rebounds. He posted his first career game with 20 points and 10 assists, as the Nets broke a three-game losing streak.

Schroder led all scorers with a career-high 34 points on 14-of-26 shooting. He scored 11 of his points in the fourth and added seven assists.

Schroder's final assist was to Dewayne Dedmon, who buried an open 3-pointer to give Atlanta a 99-94 lead with 2:37 remaining.

Jahlil Okafor added 17 points for the Nets, who shot 46 percent and made eight of their last nine shots. Rondae Hollis-Jefferson added 14, while DeMarre Carroll contributed 13 for Brooklyn.

Kent Bazemore added 16 and Dedmon contributed 11 before fouling out for Atlanta, which did not take its first lead until late in the third quarter.

The Nets held a 53-50 lead by halftime, opened the third with a 9-2 run and took a 63-52 lead on a Dinwiddie 3-pointer with 8:19 remaining. Atlanta countered with a 17-5 run to take a 70-68 lead on a 3-pointer by Bazemore with 2:25 left.

The teams went into the fourth in a 74-74 deadlock after LeVert missed a drive to the rim and Tyler Dorsey missed a 3-pointer for Atlanta.

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Iguodala, Curry lead Warriors past Hawks

LOS ANGELES -- Stephen Curry and Andre Iguodala weighed in with 24 points each as the Golden State Warriors defeated the Atlanta Hawks 119-111 on Monday.

The Warriors maintained their grip on the Western Conference rankings after an inspired performance from Iguodala, who scored his points after coming off the bench to lead a second-quarter rally.


Iguodala made six of eight shots from the field as well as grabbing five rebounds, three steals and providing four assists as the Warriors improved to 52-11 for the season.

It was a vintage display from Iguodala, who is eager to help fill the void created by the injury to Kevin Durant.

"Collectively, as a unit, we try to make up for KD's presence," Iguodala said. "Tonight we did a great job of that," added Iguodala, a pivotal figure in the Dubs' 2015 NBA Finals win.

Iguodala's performance delighted Warriors coach Steve Kerr.

"I told him it looked like he was 25 out there again," he said of the 33-year-old.

"Andre has been absolutely phenomenal the last couple of weeks. He just looks so spry out there and young and confident and such a great basketball player."

Curry's 24-point haul included six three-pointers and he also contributed nine assists and four rebounds.

Klay Thompson meanwhile finished with 13 points, all scored in the second half, while Draymond Green had eight rebounds, six assists and 12 points.

Atlanta, who fell to 34-29, saw point guard Dennis Schroder net 23 points.

However, Schroder was hooked with 9:30 left in the third quarter, with coach Mike Budenholzer clearly unhappy with his defensive work.

At one point, an unmarked Curry calmly drained a three as Schroder argued with center Dwight Howard.

"There were moments when it felt like we were close to getting back in it and competing," Budenholzer said. "A few more plays from our guys here and there and a few less threes from Iguodala... but that's the game."

The Hawks leading scorers also included Paul Millsap with 20 points and 10 rebounds. Tim Hardaway Jr. had 19 points, four rebounds and five assists while Kent Bazemore had 18 points.

It was a third straight loss for Atlanta, who led by 15 points in the second quarter before the Warriors gradually built momentum to close to 66-61 at the half.

Thompson led the Warriors fightback in the third period with nine points before Golden State went on to close out the win.

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Cavs set NBA three-point record in win over Hawks

LOS ANGELES, United States - The Cleveland Cavaliers set an NBA regular-season record with 25 three-pointers on Friday as they defeated the Hawks 135-130 in Atlanta.

Former Hawks player Kyle Korver delivered the record-setting three-pointer with 1:17 remaining as the Cavaliers turned back a furious Atlanta rally.

The reigning NBA champion Cavaliers led by as many as 25 points in the second half, but the Hawks trimmed the deficit to one point on Paul Millsap's basket with 1:32 to play.

Korver then drained his third three-pointer of the night to help the Cavs hang on.

Kyrie Irving scored 43 points for Cleveland and superstar LeBron James added 38 -- Irving making five of his eight from three-point range and James connecting on six of 10 from beyond the arc.

The Cavs' 25 treys, on 46 attempts, broke a record that had stood less than three months. The Houston Rockets made 24 in a 122-100 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans on December 16. The Rockets had shared the previous record of 23 with the Golden State Warriors.

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Atlanta's Hardaway, Portland's McCollum win with career highs

LOS ANGELES -- Tim Hardaway and CJ McCollum both enjoyed career nights Sunday as the Atlanta Hawks surprised the first-place San Antonio Spurs while McCollum carried the Portland Trail Blazers to a come-from-behind victory.

McCollum scored a career-high 43 points as the Trail Blazers rallied past Minnesota 95-89 and Hardaway tallied 29 points, matching his all-time best total, to push the Hawks over the Spurs 114-112 in overtime.

McCollum, who reached his previous best of 37 points twice, shot 16-of-25 from the field to set a career high for field goals.

"Obviously, C.J. had an outstanding game," Portland coach Terry Stotts said.

Averaging 27.1 points in his last eight contests, this was McCollum's fourth consecutive game scoring over 20 points in place of Damian Lillard, who injured his ankle on December 23. McCollum has scored 30 points in seven games this season.

Minnesota guard Kris Dunn came off the bench to play 21 minutes and spent a good portion of it trying to stop McCollum.

"He can shoot the ball," Dunn said. "The three, the midrange, he can drive it to the basket.

"When somebody can do all of those things, you've just got to try and find a couple of things to take away from him. He got it going today so it was kind of hard."

Canadian Andrew Wiggins led Minnesota with 24 points while the young Timberwolves trio of Wiggins, Karl-Anthony Towns and Zach LaVine combined for 48 points after getting 73 together on Friday against Milwaukee.

Towns finished with 11 points and 12 rebounds for his fourth double-double in a row and 24th of the season.

Portland quickly rallied from a 12-point half-time deficit with a 14-2 run to tie the game at 51-51 on a McCollum's jumper. McCollum scored 16 points in the third and the Trail Blazers took a 69-64 lead into the fourth

Portland never trailed in the final quarter and led by as many as eight points in the closing 12 minutes.

LaVine's three pointer with 54 seconds to go allowed Minnesota to get within four at 91-87 but McCollum hit a jumper 20 seconds later and the Blazers finished the game at the charity stripe.

Minnesota coach Tom Thibodeau described the third quarter as "just a total breakdown."

"The thing that is concerning is the big halftime leads that we don't protect and we don't come out with the urgency and the understanding of playing a whole 48 minutes and how important that is and how hard you have to play," he said.

In Atlanta, Hardaway scored the go-ahead free throw in overtime as the Hawks snapped an 11-game losing streak to San Antonio in front of a crowd of 18,000.

San Antonio had a chance to level the game at the buzzer but Kawhi Leonard's layup rolled around the rim and spun out.

Hardaway scored 21 points in the second half and scored the first eight points in overtime. He made the first of two free throws with 10 seconds left in overtime to put Atlanta ahead for good.

"Once you make one and then make another one, everything seems to come," Hardaway said. "We came out today and played with a lot of pride."

Atlanta's Paul Millsap scored a season-high 32 points, including 14 in a row in the third and fourth quarters, to keep the Hawks within reach. Millsap added 13 rebounds and three assists.

Elsewhere, Myles Turner recorded his fifth double-double of the season with 23 points and 12 rebounds to lead the Indiana Pacers to a 117-104 victory over the Orlando Magic.

Turner has scored in double figures in 14 consecutive games with six 20-plus-point performances during that span.

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Hawks overcome slow start to torch Celtics

The Atlanta Hawks overcame a sluggish start with a sizzling run that put away the Boston Celtics 110-83 in Game 5 of an Eastern Conference first-round playoff series at Philips Arena.

Atlanta forward Mike Scott came off the bench to score 17 points, leading five Hawks in double figures. Kent Bazemore, Jeff Teague, Kyle Korver and Paul Millsap all made big shots for the Hawks, who pestered the Celtics into 19 turnovers.

Atlanta lead the best-of-seven series 3-2 with Game 6 to come on Thursday in Boston.

Celtics point guard Isaiah Thomas, who was booed relentlessly every time he touched the ball, suffered through his worst game of the series and tweaked an ankle in the fourth.

Thomas finished with seven points on 3-of-12 shooting from the floor before limping off the court and back to the locker room with 10 minutes to play and the outcome long decided.

Throughout the back-and-forth series, the Hawks have grabbed big leads after slow starts by the Celtics. But Boston have had a knack at coming from behind, much like they did in the second half of a Game 4 win on Sunday in Boston.

However, there was no coming back from the barrage the Hawks dropped on the Celtics in the second and third quarters -- and especially not with Thomas struggling.

Midway through the second quarter, Atlanta was ice cold and had made only 6 of 34 shots from the field. But the Celtics, in part because of turnover issues and Thomas' early scoring woes, did not take full advantage. Their biggest lead was 29-19 before the Hawks started to heat up.

Bazemore hit three nothing-but-net 3-pointers, fueling a 28-10 Atlanta run to close the half.

The Hawks led 47-39 at intermission, despite an 0-of-8 shooting performance by forward Al Horford.

Thomas did not score in the first half for the Celtics, who turned the ball over nine times in the first half and 20 times for the game.

Boston cut into Atlanta's lead early in the third quarter before things got out of hand. Korver, Scott, Millsap and Dennis Schroder hit triples during a 2 1/2-minute stretch that electrified Philips Arena and put the Hawks in complete control with a 22-point advantage.

The Celtics had no answer and now must find a way to regroup heading back to Boston. Evan Turner had 15 points and Jae Crowder and Marcus Smart each added 10 points.

Scott hit 7 of 9 shots from the field, including two 3-pointers. Bazemore and Teague each finished with 15 points in a balanced effort that saw the Hawks rack up 30 assists on 42 field goals.

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NBA: Hawks find enough energy to outlast Wizards

The Atlanta Hawks were playing their fourth game in five days and seventh in 10 days, but still had their legs in the fourth quarter to record a 114-99 victory over the turnover-plagued Washington Wizards on Saturday.

The Hawks scored 73 points in the second half, including 39 in the fourth quarter, and forced 26 turnovers to win their seventh successive game after losing the season opener.

"Both teams were fatigued, but I think we wanted it a little more than they did," said Atlanta forward Kent Bazemore, who had a career-high 25 points. "We kept playing hard and then were able to keep stretching out the lead."

Bazemore, who moved into the starting lineup this season after DeMarre Carroll signed with Toronto as a free agent, scored 16 points in the second half, going 3-of-4 on three-point attempts.

"The team believed in me and it feels good to be able to pay them back," said Bazemore. "I worked hard to try to get to this point."



 Washington wilted down the stretch despite a career-best 23 points by forward Otto Porter Jr. as turnovers proved again too much to overcome.

"We've had 50 turnovers the last two games," Wizards coach Randy Wittman said.

"That's got be close to a record for two games in the history of the league. A lot of them, in my opinion, are self inflicted. A lot of them I've never seen at this level."

Guard John Wall had 19 points and 12 assists for the Wizards but also had seven turnovers.

Guard Bradley Beal, who had scored at least 24 points in each of the first five games, committed eight turnovers and was held to 11 points before leaving late in the fourth quarter after banging up first his shoulder and then his wrist.

Forward Paul Millsap scored 21 points and center Al Horford added 14 points for the Hawks.

"It was the fourth game in five days and we were dragging a little bit," Horford said.

"But we kept pushing each other. We were resilient and got through it. We were able to make that final run and get the victory."

In other games:

Timberwolves 102, Bulls 93 (OT)

Guard Andrew Wiggins scored 31 points as the Minnesota Timberwolves outlasted the Chicago Bulls for a 102-93 overtime win.

Rookie center Karl-Anthony Towns scored 17 points and grabbed 13 rebounds to post his third double-double in five games. Forward Nemanja Bjelica added 17 points and 11 rebounds off the bench for Minnesota.

Center Pau Gasol scored 21 points and grabbed 14 rebounds for his third double-double of the season. Forward Tony Snell scored 14 points off the bench for Chicago.

After a back-and-forth game that featured 15 ties and 18 lead changes, Minnesota outscored Chicago 9-0 in overtime. The Bulls shot 0-for-9 during the extra session.

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Magic 105, 76ers 97

Guard Elfrid Payton scored 12 of his season-high 20 points in the final 7:45 as the Orlando Magic held off the Philadelphia 76ers.

Payton led seven players in double figures for Orlando, with forward Evan Fournier scoring 17, Victor Oladipo (15), Dewayne Dedmon (12) and guard Mario Hezonja 11.

Forward Aaron Gordon and center Jason Smith contributed 10 apiece.

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Bucks 94, Nets 86

Center Greg Monroe scored 20 points and guard Jerryd Bayless added 19 off the bench as the Milwaukee Bucks extended their winning streak to four games with a 94-86 victory over the Brooklyn Nets.

Monroe hit 8-of-16 shots and was 4-for-5 from the free throw line but failed to record a double-double for the first time this season, finishing with eight rebounds.

Bayless scored 14 of his points in the second half, as the Bucks broke a 55-55 halftime tie with a 23-point third quarter and took a 78-72 lead into the fourth.

Shooting guard Khris Middleton chipped in with 14 points for the Bucks and also added nine rebounds and seven assists in 33 minutes.

Center Brook Lopez had 20 points to lead the winless Nets, but only four of those came in the second half and he missed most of the fourth quarter with a sore right foot.

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Spurs 114, Hornets 94

Small forward Kawhi Leonard scored 23 points as the San Antonio went berserk offensively in the third quarter of a 114-94 win over the Charlotte Hornets.

The Spurs shot 55.6 percent for the game, but it was not until their 42-point explosion in the third quarter that they took control.

Guard Manu Ginobili knocked down three three-pointers and point guard Patty Mills added another one in the middle of a 24-2 run late in the third that turned a six-point deficit into an 89-73 advantage.

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Mavericks 107, Pelicans 98

Guard Deron Williams scored 19 points and forward Dirk Nowitzki added 18 for Dallas, who needed a game-deciding 17-5 run in the fourth quarter to top the injury-ravaged New Orleans Pelicans 107-98.

The Pelicans dropped to 0-6 and remain the last team in the Western Conference without a victory.

New Orleans only suited up nine players. In addition to the myriad injuries that have hit the club, starting point guard Jrue Holiday sat out the game to rest.

Power forward Anthony Davis followed a 40-point effort on Friday with game-high 25 points to go along with six rebounds, four assists and two blocks.


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Hawks lose Korver for remainder of playoff run

ATLANTA -- Atlanta Hawks 3-point sharpshooter Kyle Korver will miss the remainder of the team's NBA playoff run with a severe right ankle sprain, the club announced Saturday.

The 34-year-old American guard suffered the injury late in the third quarter of Friday's 94-82 home loss to Cleveland in the Eastern Conference finals.

The Cavaliers lead Atlanta 2-0 in the best-of-seven series to decide which team will advance to the NBA Finals against the Western Conference champions, either the Golden State Warriors or Houston Rockets.

Australian Matthew Dellavedova, a Cleveland guard, rolled into Korver as both chased a loose ball to cause the injury.

An MRI exam performed Saturday confirmed Korver's severe sprain after post-game X-rays had been negative.

Korver averaged 12.1 points, 4.1 rebounds and 2.6 assists for the Hawks this season and connected on 49.2 percent of his 3-point attempts. In 14 playoff appearances, Korver averaged 11.1 points, 5.0 rebounds and 2.4 assists.

Korver, an NBA All-Star for the first time in his career this season, owns the NBA record for consecutive games with a 3-point basket at 127 and the best 3-point accuracy percentage in a single season at 53.6, set with Utah in the 2009-2010 campaign.

Over 13 NBA seasons, Korver has averaged 10 points, 3.1 rebounds and 1.8 assists a game.

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Hawks rally past Knicks; Heat down T-Wolves

Hawks 103, Knicks 96

Kyle Korver got hot, while Carmelo Anthony disappeared, as Atlanta rallied past New York at Philips Arena.

Korver, the Hawks' sharp-shooting guard, hit six three-pointers, including two in the fourth quarter, to help Atlanta overcome a 13-point halftime deficit and snap a two-game slide. Korver finished with a game-high 27 points.

Anthony has been mired in a shooting slump to start the season and scored only eight points in the final three quarters, finishing with 20.

- - -

Heat 102, Timberwolves 92

Dwyane Wade had 25 points and eight assists to lead Miami over Minnesota at AmericanAirlines Arena.

Heat forward Chris Bosh added 24 points. He has scored at least 20 points in all six Heat games this season. The Heat (4-2) snapped a two-game losing streak.

Minnesota (2-4) were playing their first game without injured point guard Ricky Rubio, who ranks third in the NBA with 10 assists per outing.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com