Could it be? The Philadelphia 76ers actually recorded a victory on Friday. An early losing streak to start the season and a trade deadline fire sale may have derailed the team for this season, but there was some positivity in the City of Brotherly Love as the 76ers dispatched one of the top teams in the East. Russell Westbrook has been a surging streaker this week as he earned his third triple-double of the week, though his Thunder were roughed up by Portland. After a slow Thursday, things pick back up mightily in the NBA on Friday.
Let’s get to the games:
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Washington Wizards | 81 | (33-26) |
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Philadelphia 76ers | 89 | (13-45) |
| Final | |||
Nerlens Noel and Robert Covington led Philadelphia’s charge scoring 14 and 13 points, respectively. Noel also grabbed 13 rebounds and Covington sunk all five of his attempted free throws. Washington still had the upper hand individually as its leading scorers registered 21 (John Wall) and 19 (Otto Porter Jr.) points, respectively. Marcin Gorat added 14 rebounds for the Wizards and Wall totaled 11 assists. The win was just Philadelphia’s 13th of the season and it improved to 8-20 at home.
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Cleveland Cavaliers | 86 | (37-23) |
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Indiana Pacers | 93 | (24-34) |
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The surging Pacers stopped the short-handed Cavaliers. Playing without LeBron James (sore back), Kyrie Irving (injured shoulder) and Paul George (broken leg), Cleveland lost just its third game in the last 20 outings. Indiana’s George Hill made up for the opposing setback by delivering 15 points, including four 3-pointers, and 12 rebounds. Rodney Stuckey came off the bench to lead all scorers with 19 points for Indiana. Kevin Love had to rise up in his fellow stars’ absence and scored 17 points for Cleveland, though reserve J.R. Smith had 21 points. Hill added 11 assists for the Pacers.
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Charlotte Hornets | 98 | (23-33) |
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Boston Celtics | 106 | (23-33) |
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A 37-point fourth quarter lifted the Celtics over the Hornets by overcoming a late 16-point deficit. Isaiah Thomas scored 21 of his 28 points in the second half and Avery Bradley added 19. Jonas Jerekbo added 16 points with 10 rebounds for the Celtics as every player that appeared in a Boston uniform had at least one rebound. Charlotte still had the advantage on the glass, 48-47. Every Hornets starter scored in double figures, led by Mo Williams’ 31 points. Al Jefferson and Gerald Henderson each scored 14 points and Michael Kidd-Gilchrest had 12 points with 11 rebounds.
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New York Knicks | 121 | (11-46) |
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Detroit Pistons | 115 | (23-35) |
| Final – 2OT | |||
It took two overtimes for the league’s worst road team to actually pull out a victory. The Knicks improved to 4-25 away from Madison Square Garden as Andrea Bargnani led the charge with 25 points and 12 rebounds. Despite fouling out in the fourth quarter, Bargnani did not commit any turnovers. Tim Hardaway Jr. and Lou Amundson scored 18 and 17 points, respectively for New York. Greg Monore led the Pistons with 28 points. Shane Larking completed a successful 3-point-play in the second overtime (a period where the Knicks outscored the Pistons, 16-10) to snap an eight-game losing streak.
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Golden State Warriors | 113 | (45-11) |
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Toronto Raptors | 89 | (37-21) |
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Golden State rebounded from Thursday’s loss to Cleveland with a commanding victory on the road against a playoff team. Steph Curry returned to the lineup and poured on 22 points as Klay Thompson led the Warriors with 25. Draymond Green added 17 points, but no Golden State player recorded a double-double. Still, as a team, it dished out 31 assists led by eight from Shaun Livingston. For the Raptors, Terrence Ross came off the bench to score 18 points. DeMar Rozen was the only starter to reach double figures, recording 14 points.
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Orlando Magic | 88 | (19-41) |
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Atlanta Hawks | 95 | (46-12) |
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A 34-point third quarter was almost not enough for the Hawks to hold off the Magic. Despite Paul Milsap’s hot first quarter, Orlando overcame an eventual 16-point deficit, outscoring Atlanta in the fourth quarter, but the Hawks held on. Atlanta is now 27-4 at home, thanks to Milsap recording 20 points and three other starters (Al Horford, Jeff Teague and DeMarre Carroll) scoring in double figures. Horford had 13 of the team’s 42 rebounds and every starter recorded at least one steal. Four starters scored in double figures for Orlando, as well, with Nikola Vucevic leading all scorers with 21 points.
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Minnesota Timberwolves | 89 | (13-44) |
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Chicago Bulls | 96 | (37-22) |
| Final | |||
The Bulls easily put away one of the worst teams in the league. Eleven of Chicago’s 12 players made an appearance against the Timberwolves as Jimmy Butler led the way with 28 points, Joakim Noah added 11 points and both players grabbed 12 rebounds. The Bulls shot just 29-percent from behind-the-arc, but Mike Dunleavy knocked down five triples and finished with 21 points. Four Timberwolves starters reached double figures, with Kevin Martin scoring 18 points.
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Miami Heat | 102 | (25-32) |
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New Orleans Pelicans | 104 | (31-27) |
| Final | |||
The Pelicans clipped the Heat thanks to Alexis Anjinca. He scored 24 points, including four points in the final minute, as Miami dropped to 23-4 this season when leading after three quarters. New Orleans had a 31-20 point advantage in the final frame. Ajinca also had eight rebounds and three blocks, while Eric Gordon chipped in with 20 points and 11 rebounds. Dante Cunningham also had a double-double for New Orleans with 10 points and 10 rebounds. Tyreke Evans overcame five turnovers to add 19 points and 11 assists. Luol Deng scored 22 points for the Heat, in fact it was the first time Miami has lost all season when Deng records at least 20 points. Goran Dragic added 20 points for the Heat.
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Brooklyn Nets | 98 | (23-33) |
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Houston Rockets | 102 | (40-18) |
| Final | |||
Terrence Jones had a season-high 26 points as the Rockets rallied for their fourth-straight win. James Harden broke a late tie with the Nets on a free throw and finished with 15 points. Jones also brought down 12 rebounds and Harden added 12 assists. Trevor Ariza hit five 3-pointers to finish with 20 points for Houston. Every Brooklyn starter reached double figures, led by 15 points from both Mason Plumlee and Deron Williams. Brook Lopez came off the bench to score 12 points and grab 12 rebounds.
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Los Angeles Clippers | 97 | (38-21) |
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Memphis Grizzlies | 79 | (41-16) |
| Final | |||
A slow start led to a commanding finish. The Clippers led just 17-16 after the first quarter against the Grizzlies, but Los Angeles scored in the 20s for each quarter in the remainder of the game, including a 28-17 fourth quarter for the win. Jamal Crawford and Chris Paul each scored 19 points to lead the Clippers. Paul added 13 assists and DeAndre Jordan had 22 rebounds with 15 points. J.J. Redick (18) and Matt Barnes (13) also reached double figures. Paul and Redick were each 4 for 4 from the foul line. Zach Randolph led Memphis with 20 points and 10 rebounds.
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Utah Jazz | 104 | (22-35) |
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Denver Nuggets | 82 | (20-38) |
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The Nuggets aren’t the worst team in the league, but they have fallen on the hardest of times. Denver lost 18 of its last 20 games and dropped nine in a row at home. The Jazz coasted to victory behind Derrick Favors’ 21 points and 10 rebounds. Trey Burke added 19 points and Gordon Hayward had 15 points despite seven turnovers. But the Utah defense scored 23 points off Denver turnovers. Will Barton scored 22 points off the bench to lead the Nuggets.
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San Antonio Spurs | 107 | (35-23) |
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Sacramento Kings | 96 | (20-36) |
| Final | |||
Outscoring the Kings, 27-18, in the fourth quarter assured a victory for San Antonio. Kawhi Leonard and Tony Parker scored 17 and 19 points, respectively as the Spurs snapped a four-game losing streak. All 13 players appeared in the game for San Antonio. Manu Ginobili added 16 points off the bench, though no player recorded a double-double for San Antonio. Ben McLemore led Sacramento with 21 points and Ray McCallum chipped in with 20. Jason Thompson had 12 points and 11 rebounds.
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Oklahoma City Thunder | 112 | (32-27) |
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Portland Trail Blazers | 115 | (38-19) |
| Final | |||
Russell Westbrook remains hot, but the Thunder are clearly missing Kevin Durant. He has missed seven games this month, but Westbrook has averaged a triple-double in games without KD. His 40-point outburst with 13 rebounds and 11 assists wasn’t enough to take out Portland, which improves to 25-6 at home. LeMarcus Alridige and Damian Lillard each scored 29 points for the Trail Blazers. Aaron Afflalo came off the bench to add 18. Reserve Mitch McGary helped Westbrook in the losing effort with 20 points and Serge Ibaka added 14 points.
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Milwaukee Bucks | 93 | (32-26) |
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Los Angeles Lakers | 101 | (16-41) |
| Final | |||
As the 76ers started off the night with a win, a fellow struggling team ended Friday with a win, as well. Six players scored in double figures, Jordan Clarkson leading the way with 16. Wayne Ellington, Jordan Hill and Jeremy Lin all added 14 points for Los Angeles. No Lakers player reached a double-double, but they still outrebounded Milwaukee, 50-49. Ersan Ilyasova had 17 points and 12 rebounds for the Bucks and Giannis Antetokounmpo added 13 points. The Lakers scored 36 points in the fourth quarter to capture their ninth win at home.