After a series of blowouts on the road, the Clippers finish up their time away from Staples Center with a big win over the slumping Mavericks. Elsewhere, the Nets, Knicks, Pacers, and Pelicans blow big leads and the Warriors survive a tough shooting night.
Let’s get to the games:
Magic 80 (16-39) – Wizards 96 (33-20)
Coach Randy Whitman has encouraged the Wizards to be more aggressive, and that’s been evident the last few games as the Wizards took the early lead and never let go en-route to their second straight win. Washington has been in a slump of late and the aggressiveness has been key to them turning things around. The Magic, even with a new head coach, still seem disorganized and too reliant on their stars – Oladipo and Vucevic. The Wizards were led by 15 from Rasual Butler, while Drew Gooden had 10, and John Wall just missed a triple-double with 9 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists. The Magic were led by Evan Fournier with 18, who criticized the Magic’s seriousness in post-game comments.
Warriors 89 (41-9) – 76ers 84 (12-41)
By all accounts Monday night was an “off” night for the Warriors, but they stayed together as a team and were able to overcome the youthful 76ers. Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson, both featured in the 3-point shootout this weekend, went a combined 4 for 18 from behind the arc tonight, but it was the Golden State bench who were the most efficient in victory. Despite the poor shooting, Stephen Curry finished with 20 and Leandro Barbosa had 16 off the bench for the Warriors. The 76ers were led by Robert Covington with 21 and K.J. McDaniels, who had a highlight-worthy self-ally-oop off the backboard in the first half.
Spurs 95 (33-19) – Pacers 93 (20-33)
It took a 14-point rally in the 4th quarter, but the Spurs were able to get the win and give coach Gregg Popovich his 1,000th win of his career. The Spurs won in characteristic fashion, with a tip-in from the unlikely hero – this time Marco Bellinelli – and much like Popovich’s other exciting wins, the coach passed it off as no big deal and went about his normal post-game routine. Tony Parker scored 19 while Tim Duncan had 15 points and 8 rebounds. The Pacers were led by David West with 10 points and 18 rebounds, and Rodney Stuckey finished with 18 points.
Knicks 95 (10-42) – Heat 109 (22-29)
The Knicks played a solid first quarter, but quickly went downhill from there, culminating in a fourth quarter in which they were overrun and lost Carmelo Anthony to his lingering knee soreness. The Heat came back from 14 down with help from the point guard spot, where three players combined for 35 points and 17 assists. Chris Bosh led all scorers with 32 points, while Mario Chalmers led the point guard platoon with 18. The Knicks got 26 from Anthony before he was forced to the locker room, and are now the first team to be guaranteed to finish with a sub-.500 record.
Hawks 117 (43-10) – Timberwolves 105 (11-41)
Minnesota came into the game tonight having won 4 in a row, but a big Hawks 3rd quarter ended their streak and kept Atlanta from having back-to-back losses for the first time this season. Al Horford and Paul Milsap, who were 4 for 21 on Sunday night were a combined 19 for 31 against the wolves. Horford finished with a season-high 28 and DeMarre Carrol had a career-high 26 in the win. For the wolves, Kevin Martin had 21 points and Shabazz Muhammad had 18 with 8 rebounds.
Nets 97 (21-30) – Bucks 103 (29-23)
The Bucks had a big third quarter to help them overcome a 17 point deficit to get the win over the visiting Nets. The Bucks started the game shooting only 33%, but picked up before the half and their tenacious defense and fast-break style plagued the Nets down the stretch. Jared Dudley led the Bucks with 19, while Khris Middleton had 18, and Giannis Antetokoumpo had 12 with 9 rebounds. For the Nets, Jarrett Jack had 26 and Joe Johnson finished with 19.
Jazz 100 (19-33) – Pelicans 96 (27-25)
Anthony Davis’ absence is putting a spectre over the Pelicans, and more importantly putting their playoff chances at risk. The Pelicans are also without Ryan Anderson and Jrue Holiday, both of whom are key to their chances of overtaking the Suns in the West. The Jazz have relied on Gordon Hayward, and the Utah coaching staff has pushed him to be the more aggressive scorer in close games. Hayward finished with 32 points and helped Utah overcome a 14-point deficit in the third quarter. Derrick Favors added 18 and Enes Kanter had 14 points and 11 rebounds for Utah. For the Pelicans, Eric Gordan had 8 3-pointers and finished with 31 while Tyreke Evans had 18 and 10 assists.
Clippers 115 (34-19) – Mavericks 98 (35-19)
The Clippers needed a win, and getting one over the slumping Mavericks was a good sign for a team many people are starting to doubt as a serious contender in the West. With both teams missing key players due to injury, key role players needed to step up, and LeMarcus Aldridge did that for the Clippers to help get the comfortable win. Aldridge finished with 22 points on 27 rebounds, a career-high. Dirk Nowitzki had 18 and Chandler Parsons had 16 with 12-rebounds, but the Mavs couldn’t keep up with the surging Clippers.
Thunder 124 (27-25) – Nuggets 114 (19-33)
The Thunder are pressing towards the 8th position in the Western Conference, and with tonights action are now tied with New Orleans, 1 1/2 games behind the Suns for the final spot. Kevin Durant continues to dominate since his return, and the play of he and Russell Westbrook has led the Thunder back into consideration. Durant finished with 40 points, while Westbrook added 26 points and Mitch McGary had 17 and 10 rebounds. The Nuggets were led by Wilson Chandler with 23 points, while Kenneth Faried and Ty Lawson both had 22.