The Cavaliers pick up an important win over the Bulls, while the Hawks take down the surging Pistons, and the Mavs stop the Grizzlies. A great day in the NBA finishes with the Suns and Blazers picking up key wins.The
Let’s get to the games:
Timberwolves 80 (7-33) – Hornets 105 (17-25)
The return of Al Jefferson was cause to celebrate, but the blowout win gave the Hornet fans something even more important to cheer about, as they moved within 1/2 game of the 8th playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. Jefferson returned and came off the bench, helping Charlotte to a big 2nd and 3rd quarter. For Charlotte, Gerald Henderson had 17, Brian Robert had 16 and 5 assists, and Marvin Williams came off the bench for 11 rebounds. The Wolves were led by Thaddeus Young with 18 and 4 rebounds, while Andrew Wiggans added 12 and Gorgui Dieng had 9 and 10 rebounds.
76ers 76 (8-33) – Wizards 111 (29-13)
After a mediocre showing in a back-to-back with the Nets, the Wizards came out strong from the tip to blow out the 76ers. The Wizards were up 23 at the half and 30 by the end of the 3rd, as 7 players finished in double figures. Gortat led Washington in scoring with 20 and 8 rebounds, John Wall had 11 with 10 assists, and Nene had 12 with 6 rebounds. For the 76ers, Henry Sims had another nice night with 13, and Nerlend Noel aded 11 with 7 rebounds.
Pistons 82 (16-26) – Hawks 93 (34-8)
The Hawks continue their Eastern Conference dominance with their 13th straight win, relying on defense to push them over the edge in this close game. Paul Milsap led the Hawks with 20 points and 7 rebounds, Al Horford had 14 with 7 assists and 6 rebounds, and Mike Scott came off the bench for 20 points. The Pistons played well throughout, with Greg Monroe scoring 16 with 20 rebounds, and Andre Drummond adding 13 with 18 rebounds.
Celtics 93 (13-26) – Clippers 102 (28-14)
The Clippers were dominant throughout, but managed to allow a 23 point lead to slide away and still get by with a nine-point win. Boston’s bench provided most of their offense, as the first team was unable to get it going. The Clippers were led by Blake Griffin with 22 points and 9 boards, and DeAndre Jordan added 19 points and 12 rebounds on 8 for 9 from the floor. J.J. Redick had another nice night with 16 points. The Celtics got a good game from Jared Sullinger with 14 and 8 rebounds, Evan Turner with 10 and 10 assists, and Brandon Bass leading the second unit with 17 points.
Nuggets 79 (18-23) – Warriors 122 (33-6)
The Warriors blow out the Nuggets and match their franchise record with 16 straight home victories. This was a blow-out from the tip, as Golden State took a 55-28 lead into halftime and never looked back. Everyone dressed scored for the Warriors, as Klay Thompson had 22 and Stephen Curry had 20 and 8 assists. Shaun Livingston came off the bench with 12 in one of his strongest performances of the season thus far. The Nuggets’ Ty Lawson scored 19 and added 6 assists while Jameer Nelson had 14 with 5 assists off the bench.
Mavericks 103 (29-13) – Grizzlies 95 (29-12)
Memphis took the lead with 4 minutes left but were outscored 14-4 until the end of the game and Dallas pick up the win. Dirk scored 8 points in the last 2 minutes to lead the charge, after Dallas jumped out in the first and fought the Grizzlies all the way to the final whistle. Monta Ellis led all scorers with 25 points and added 7 assists. Dirk had 21 with 6 rebounds and Tyson Chandler had 10 with 16 rebounds, including 7 offense rebounds. The Grizzlies were led by Mike Conley with 22, while in the front court, Zach Randolph had 18 with 15 rebounds and Marc Gasol had 20 with 8.
Pacers 98 (15-28) – Rockets 110 (29-13)
The Rockets came in with a chip on their shoulder after a home loss to the Warriors in which they were characterized as ‘lazy’. That was not the case tonight, as the Rockets put on a huge display, leading by 10 at the half and 21 after three. James Harden had a season-high 45 points, adding 7 assists and Dwight Howard had 14 with 17 boards. Montejunas, the silent parter of the Rockets, had 10 with 9 rebounds and has become an important protecter for Howard on both ends. For the Pacers, Roy Hibbert had 12 points and a mere 4 rebounds, while C.J. Miles had 23 off the bench.
Pelicans 92 (20-21) – Knicks 99 (6-36)
The Knicks snap their 16-game losing streak with a win over the Pelicans, who come in after a last-minute win in Toronto last night. The Knicks controlled the action most of the game, taking advantage of a tired New Orleans lineup. Carmelo Anthony scored 24 and added 9 rebounds, and first-time starter Langston Galloway had 21 with 5 assists. Jason Smith added 12 with 6 assists and 3 rebounds. The Pelicans, still without star player Anthony Davis, were led by 23 points and 9 rebounds, while Eric Gordan had 20 with 5 assists and Omar Asik had 11 with 17 boards.
Bulls 94 (27-16) – Cavaliers 108 (22-20)
After finishing their road trip with two straight wins, the Cavs are starting to look like the team we though they could be. The win tonight starts a rough week on a great note, as the newest team members are starting to fit into the team chemistry. LeBron, in his third game back from injury, had 26 and 5 rebounds, and J.R. Smith had 20 on 6 three pointers. Kyrie Irving had 18 with 12 assists, and Timofey Mozgov, the other new arrival, had 15 with 15 rebounds. The Bulls had a rough shooting first period, and never were able to catch up. Jimmy Butler had 20 and 7 assists while Derrick Rose had 18. The front court was led by Pau Gasol with 11 and 11 boards with Taj Gibson had 10 and 10.
Raptors 92 (26-14) – Bucks 89 (21-19)
A night after losing at home to the Pelicans, the Raptors jumped out on the Bucks in the 2nd quarter. The Bucks battled back to keep it close, but a defensive lapse in the final seconds meant that the Raptors came out with the win. Kyle Lowry led the Raptors finished with 18 and 5 rebounds and Jonas Valanciunas had 11 with 13 boards. Terrence Ross, who came off the bench and provided energy and seriousness, finished with 16 in the win. The Bucks were led by Brandon Knight’s 20 points and 5 assists, and Ersan Ilyasova had 14 and 7 rebounds off the bench.
Kings 94 (16-25) – Trail Blazers 98 (31-11)
The Blazers snapped a three game losing streak to ruin the return of Demarcus Cousins, but it was the 2nd quarter injury to LeMarcus Aldridge that will keep Portland fans sleepless tonight. The Blazers were led by Damian Lillard with 22 points, 6 assists, and 5 rebounds, and 3 steals. Nicolas Batum, who has had a mixed year, had 8 with 4 rebounds and 4 assists. The Kings were led by Rudy Gay 26 and 5 rebounds, while Demarcus Cousins had 22 and 19 rebounds before fouling out in the 4th quarter.
Lakers 100 (12-30) – Suns 115 (25-18)
The Guards of the Suns have baffled defenses on several occasions this season, and although the Lakers are not the best defensive team in the league, they did so again tonight. Kobe Bryant missed his 2nd straight game and is expected back with the team on Tuesday. Goran Dragic scored 24 with 9 rebounds, and Isaiah Thomas matched that with 24 points plus 4 assists and 5 steals. Eric Bledsoe added 17 with 7 assists, and the Lakers didn’t have the defense to guard the backcourt. Los Angeles were led by Nick Young, who came off the bench and kept them in the game with 24 points. Jeremy Lin added 10 and 10 assists, and Ed Davis had 8 with 11 rebounds.