The Hawks went on a scoring run to start the second half of Wednesday’s win over Dallas, while the Spurs are streaking in an opposite direction as losers of four-straight. It was also a special night in Minnesota as longtime star Kevin Garnett was welcomed home with open arms.
Let’s get to the games:
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Miami Heat | 93 | (25-31) |
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Orlando Magic | 90 | (19-40) |
| Final – OT | |||
The Heat are on an interesting streak, too, as winners of three out of the last four games – despite playing without Chris Bosh who is shut down for the season. Luol Deng has been coming up big in Bosh’s absence and the most recent overtime win was no exception. Deng had 21 points to lead Miami. Dwayne Wade added 15 points and Hassan Whiteside scored 13 points and grabbed 15 rebounds. Also, Deng and Whiteside did not commit a single turnover, where all of the Mavericks’ starters had at least one turnover. Nikola Vucevic scored 26 points to lead Dallas.
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New York Knicks | 94 | (10-46) |
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Boston Celtics | 115 | (22-33) |
| Final | |||
The Knicks can’t stop the bleeding. Despite a solid performance off the bench by Andrea Bargnani, who scored 17 points, New York was still lambasted by Boston. The Celtics’ bench still outproduced the Knicks as reserves Jonas Jerebko (20 points), Isaiah Thomas (19 points) and Jae Crowder (18 points) all reached double figures. Evan Turner had a double-double with 10 points and 10 assists. Jason Smith scored 14 points with 10 rebounds for the Knicks.
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Dallas Mavericks | 87 | (39-21) |
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Atlanta Hawks | 104 | (45-12) |
| Final | |||
A 13-0 run in the third quarter was exactly what the Hawks needed to dispatch Dallas. Six Atlanta players scored in double figures as Dennis Shroder led the way with 17 points and Kyle Korver added 16, hitting four 3-pointers. Atlanta improved to 26-4 at home with the victory. Monta Ellis led the Mavericks, who were playing without suspended guard Rajon Rondo, with 19 points.
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Washington Wizards | 77 | (33-25) |
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Minnesota Timberwolves | 97 | (13-43) |
| Final | |||
Wins have been hard to come by in Minnesota this year. Wednesday was the rare 20-point blowout in the positive fashion for the Timberwolves and the Twin Cities may have Kevin Garnett to think. Garnett scored five points for Minnesota in his first game with the team since 2007. Last week, he was traded from Brooklyn. Kevin Martin led the charge with 28 points and new star Andrew Wiggins added 19 points. The Timberwolves trailed by nine points at the end of the third quarter, but made up for it with 31 and 32-point outputs in the second and third quarter, respectively. Otto Porter Jr. had 13 points for the Wizards.
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Charlotte Hornets | 98 | (23-32) |
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Chicago Bulls | 86 | (36-22) |
| Final | |||
The bad news continued for the Bulls. The day after finding out that Derrick Rose will be shut down for the season due to his nagging knee injury, Chicago suffered a loss to the Hornets. A tie game at the end of the first and second quarters, Charlotte exploded in the fourth with 31 points to run the Bulls out of the arena. Michael Kidd-Gilchrest led the Hornets with 18 points and 12 rebounds. Chicago’s Pau Gasol led all scorers with 25 points. The teams combined to convert just seven 3-pointers.
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Philadelphia 76ers | 88 | (12-45) |
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Milwaukee Bucks | 104 | (32-25) |
| Final | |||
Michael Carter-Williams made his Bucks debut count on Wednesday. After coming over from the 76ers via trade, Carter-Williams beat his old team with seven points, eight of the team’s 32 assists and two steals. John Henson scored 21 points off the bench and Khris Middleton added 19 for Milwaukee. Jason Richardson led Philadelphia with 16 points.
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Brooklyn Nets | 96 | (23-32) |
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New Orleans Pelicans | 102 | (30-27) |
| Final | |||
Quincy Poindexter had a career game as the Pelicans held off Brooklyn. He scored 25 points for New Orleans. Tyreke Evans scored 15 points with 11 asists, while Omer Asik had 12 points and 13 rebounds for the Pelicans, who played only eight guys. Joe Johnson had 21 points for the Nets and grabbed 10 rebounds. Brooklyn missed 13 of its first 15 shots in the first quarter, as New Orleans shot 51-percent for the game.
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Los Angeles Clippers | 105 | (37-21) |
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Houston Rockets | 110 | (39-18) |
| Final | |||
Corey Brewer’s surge led the Rockets past the Clippers. Brewer scored 13 of his 20 points in the fourth quarter and the Rockets snapped a six-game losing streak. A 15-1 run to open the final frame helped lift Houston to just its second win over Los Angeles in their past 13 meetings. James Harden scored 21 points for the Rockets, with 10 assists. Chris Paul and DeAndre Jordan each scored 22 points for the Clippers. Jordan brought down 19 rebounds, while Paul had 14 assists.
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Los Angeles Lakers | 100 | (15-41) |
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Utah Jazz | 97 | (21-35) |
| Final | |||
Thanks to a successful fourth quarter spurt of their own, the Lakers made shots when it mattered most. They had a 10-0 run over the Jazz midway through the fourth, despite not earning its first lead until there were just four minutes left in regulation. Jordan Clarkson registered a career-best 22 points for Los Angeles. Jordan Hill added 16 points and Wayne Ellington had 15. The Lakers sunk just two 3-pointers, despite going 18 of 21 from the free throw line. Gordan Hayward scored 20 points for the Jazz, while Rudy Gobert scored 16 points with 14 rebounds.
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Phoenix Suns | 110 | (30-28) |
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Denver Nuggets | 96 | (20-37) |
| Final | |||
The Suns snapped a five-game losing streak, thanks to the hot hand of Brandon Knight. He knocked down a pair of 3-pointers at a critical time in the fourth quarter and finished with 19 points. Five other Phoenix players reached double figures, with Eric Beldsoe adding 18 and Gerald Green scoring 12. The Suns out-rebounded Denver, 60-42, with Alex Len leading with 10. Eleven of the 12 players who appeared in the game had at least one rebound for Phoenix. Randy Foye came off the bench to lead Denver with 22 points.
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Memphis Grizzlies | 90 | (41-15) |
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Sacramento Kings | 102 | (20-35) |
| Final | |||
The Kings overcame 20 turnovers to earn the victory. The offense was still rolling efficiently as every starter reached double figures, with Rudy Gay leading the way with 28 points. Jason Thompson and Reggie Evans each grabbed 11 rebounds for Sacramento. Zach Randolph led Memphis with 20 points. The game featured three technical foul calls. Though he also received a technical, Kings head coach George Karl improved to 2-1 leading the team.
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San Antonio Spurs | 95 | (34-23) |
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Portland Trail Blazers | 111 | (37-19) |
| Final | |||
Portland improved to 24-6 at home and are 25-4 when leading after three quarters. Wesley Matthews scored a blistering 31 points, knocking down four 3-pointers. LaMarucs Aldridge scored 11 points with 11 rebounds for the Trail Blazers. Though the Spurs scored 23 points off Portland turnovers, they still dropped their fourth-straight. Tim Duncan led the team with 20 points and Kawhi Leonard added 14. The tandem each pulled down eight rebounds.