With the snow storm in the east postponing games for the Knicks at Nets, the attention shifter further west, where the Clippers pulled out a close win. Elsewhere, the Pelicans and Thunder kept up the heat for the 8th playoff seed, and the Grizzlies moved to within 5 games of the Warriors.
Let’s get to the games:
Magic 94 (15-33) – Grizzlies 103 (32-12)
A big 2nd quarter led the Grizzlies to their third straight win, continuing a great home stand. Memphis is now only 5 games behind Golden State in 2nd place in the West. The Grizzlies were led by a great night from Zach Randolph with 24 points and 10 rebounds. All-star Marc Gasol added 16 and 10 boards, and Beno Uldrich continued his nice run of play with 15. For the Magic, Vucevic had his 23rd double-double of the year with 18 and 12 rebounds, Victor Oladipo added 18 and 7 rebounds, and Elfrid Payton had 12 with 6 assists.
76ers 74 (8-37) – Pelicans 99 (24-21)
The Pelicans got their 4th win in a row to keep pressure on the Suns for the last playoff spot in the West. New Orleans jumped out in the first quarter and never looked back in the blow out win. Anthony Davis led the team with 32 and 10 rebounds, Eric Gordon had 13 and 5 assists, and Tyreke Evans added 12 assists. The 76ers were led by K.J. MacDaniels off the bench with 16, while Henry Sims and Mbah a Moute both added 14.
Timberwolves 84 (7-37) – Thunder 92 (23-22)
With Kevin Durant nursing a strained big toe, The Thunder turned up the defense and played a “grind-it-out” game to get the victory. Oklahoma City won the first half and held on for he win as the Wolves never really challenged. Russell Westbrook had 18 with 5 assists and 4 rebounds, and Serge Ibaka had a big night with 13 and 19 rebounds. For Minnesota, Andrew Wiggins had 23, Thaddeus Young added 22 and 8 rebounds, and Gorgui Dieng finished with 18 rebounds.
Celtics 99 (16-27) – Jazz 90 (16-29)
Both teams dominated a quarter, but the Celtics owned the 4th and got the win. Tayshaun Prince proved his “crafty veteran” status with a big night for the Celtics, leading the team with 19 and added 5 assists and calming the young team when the Jazz made runs in the 3rd quarter. Marcus Smart added 14 and 7 rebounds, while Jared Sullinger and Avery Bradley both had 12 on the night. The Jazz were again led by Gordon Hayward, with 26 points and 6 rebounds, while Enes Kanter had 20 with 6 boards and Trey Burke had 18 off the bench.
Nuggets 98 (18-27) – Clippers 102 (31-14)
A back and forth game, the Clippers seemed to lose focus throughout the game but came together in the 4th quarter to get the win. Jamal Crawford reversed his recent shooting slump and finished with 23, while Matt Barnes added 18 and Blake Griffin just missed a triple-double with 14 points, 10 assists, and 9 rebounds. The Nuggets were led by Ty Lawson with 19 and 11 assists, while Wilson Chandler had 18 and 10 boards and Arron Afflalo added 18 in the loss.