James Harden started the night by cutting up the Bulls defense, but Stephen Curry finished it by scoring 51 en-route to a win over the Mavericks. Elsewhere, the Nets blowout the stumbling Raptors, The Hawks extend their lead over the Wizards in the East, and the Heat fall again in embarrassing fashion.
Let’s get to the games:
Pistons 109 (19-31) – Pacers 114 (18-32)
George Hill’s return to the starting lineup for just the fourth time this season bunkered by news that Paul George might return this year led the Pacers to a win over the up-and-down Pistons. A 17-2 run in the third quarter proved to be the difference, as the Pistons didn’t have the gas to keep up on the back-to-back. Hill finished with 20 points while Roy Hibbert had 16 with 12 rebounds, and C.J. Miles had 15. For the Pistons, Andre Drummond finished with 18 and 16 rebounds, while Greg Monroe scored 16.
Nets 109 (20-28) – Raptors 93 (33-17)
After failing in an overtime comeback bid last week, the Nets came back tonight from a bad 1st quarter to blow out the Raptors in Toronto. The Nets credit the win to confidence, and it showed on Wednesday night with the team passing and trusting one another in a way we haven’t often seen this season. Jarret Jack continued his great play, finishing with 24, while Alan Anderson had a season-high with 22. The Raptors were led by Terrence Ross with 23, but were marred by DeMar DeRozen’s behavior in the final minutes, including 2 technicals and a Flagrent 2 foul.
Nuggets 100 (19-31) – Celtics 104 (18-30)
Jared Sullinger has perhaps been the brightest spot this year for the Celtics, but his lateness to team functions meant he would not start tonight. That didn’t hamper his end-of-game play, however, as he was a key to the Celtics getting the win over the struggling Nuggets. Sullinger finished with 14 points including key free-throws down the stretch, while Avery Bradley and Marcus Thornton both had 17 as part of the new starting backcourt. The Nuggets were led by Ty Lawson with 23, while Aaron Afflalo had 18 in Denver’s 4th straight loss.
Wizards 96 (31-19) – Hawks 105 (41-9)
Coming off the end to their winning streak last time out, the Hawks rebounded with a big win over the 2nd place team in the East. Not really a blow out, the game was never really in doubt with the Hawks playing tough defense and keeping the ball moving on the offensive end as they have done all season long. Jeff Teague finished with 26 and added 8 assists while Al Horford added 21 points and 13 rebound a day after all five starters were named “Player of the Month” for their great play in January. The Wizards were led by John Wall with 24 and 9 assists, nearly matching Teague basket-for-basket, while Bradley Beal added 23.
Heat 101 (21-28) – Timberwolves 102 (9-40)
The Heat suffered a tough loss for the second night in a row, this time over the Wolves who benefitted from the return of Ricky Rubio. Hassan Whiteside continues to impress for the Heat, but Rubio’s no-look passes and turnover-forcing defense made the difference for the Wolves. Kevin Martin led the scoring with 16 while Rubio had 8 points and 9 assists. For the Heat, Whiteside finished with 24 points and 20 rebounds, but was let down by the rest of the team down the stretch.
Lakers 105 (13-36) – Bucks 113 (27-22) OT
The Bucks got their 5th straight win over the Lakers, who despite a strong effort just couldn’t keep up into overtime. O.J. Mayo nailed two late three-pointers to seal the game, all the while double-covered by a tough Lakers defense. Brandon Knight and Giannis Antetokounmpo finished with 25 and 24 respectively, while Mayo and Khris Middleton both had 21 apiece. The Lakers were led by Carlos Boozer who had a season-high 28, while Ed Davis added 20 rebounds.
Bulls 90 (30-20) – Rockets 101 (34-15)
James Harden is starting to become the leader in many analyst’s MVP race, and tonight’s performance will only distance himself from the field. Harden single-handedly broke down the vaunted Bulls defense, leading to points for himself and his team in the ensuing chaos. Finishing with 27, Harden had 15 in the 2nd quarter when the lead ballooned to a point the Bulls could never catch up. Trevor Ariza added 20 on a night where the Rocket’s outside game made up for Dwight Howards absence in the Middle. The Bulls were led by Jimmy Butler with 27 and Derrick Rose with 23, who played in his 12th straight game for the first time since 2011.
Thunder 102 (25-24) – Pelicans 91 (26-23)
With Kevin Durant sidelined, the Thunder needed a big night from Russell Westbrook to overcome the Pelicans, whom they must catch first to even have a shot at making the Western Conference Playoffs. Luckily for them, they got the version of Westbrook that takes over games and delivers wins. Westbrook finished with a career-high matching 45, while Ibaka had 13, all in the second half, to help put the Thunder over in a generally close game. The Pelican’s Anthony Davis had 23 and 8 boards, but couldn’t give the team the spark they needed to overcome the dominant play of Westbrook.
Magic 103 (15-37) – Spurs 110 (31-18)
The Magic are hounded by rumors of a coaching change, but continue to play hard, but tonight it just wasn’t enough as the Spurs experience seemed to be too much for them. The win wasn’t easy for the Spurs, though, as they had to close it out amidst a fight from the Magic. Tim Duncan led the Spurs with 26 points and 10 boards, while Kawhi Leonard had 18 and Tony Parker finished with 15. The Magic were led by Nikola Vucevic with 25 points and 12 boards, while Tobais Harris had a nice night with 23 points and 10 rebounds.
Grizzlies 100 (37-12) – Jazz 90 (17-32)
After stumbling a few weeks back, the Grizzlies have been on fire – winners of 8 straight and finding more and more ways to beat teams led by their dominant front court. Memphis key was domination on the interior, outscoring Utah in the paint by 10 points. Marc Gasol led for Memphis with 23, while Randolph had 18 and 11 boards. For Utah, Trey Burke led with 21 points, and is averaging almost 17 ppg over the last two weeks.
Mavericks 114 (33-18) – Warriors 128 (39-8)
After a 42 point first quarter from the Mavs, the Warriors did not get spooked, but instead focused and played their game to come back and easily overtake Dallas for the win. Stephen Curry was the standout, and the Mavs seemed to have no defensive answer for him. Curry finished with 51 points including 10 3-pointers on the night. Klay Thompson added 18, but the night belonged to Curry for Golden State. The Mavs had a great night from Chandler Parsons who had 24, while Tyson Chandler finished with 21 points and 17 rebounds.