They’re back. And maybe better than ever. Russell Westbrook returned to the Thunder lineup on Wednesday and had one of his best performances of the year en route to his fourth-straight triple-double. Also, Anthony Davis returned to the Pelicans from an injury and had a monster game. In the East, the last postseason spot continues to flop around. Wednesday’s contests featured two buzzer-beaters and two overtime thrillers.D
Let’s get to the games:
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New York Knicks | 82 | (12-48) |
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Indiana Pacers | 105 | (26-34) |
| Final | |||
The Pacers charged out to a 65-41 halftime lead and never looked back in a rout against the Knicks. Indiana still remains one game out of the playoff hunt. George Hill scored 21 points to lead the Pacers and Rodney Stuckey added 17 as all 12 players that appeared in the game for Indiana scored at least two points. The Pacers limited New York to under 40-percent shooting from the field. Andrea Bargnani had a game-high 25 points for the Knicks.
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Phoenix Suns | 105 | (32-30) |
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Orlando Magic | 100 | (19-43) |
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A 31-point fourth quarter wasn’t enough for the Magic to mount a comeback, partially because they only scored 17 in the third quarter. It was the Suns who overcame an early 15-point deficit to hold on for the victory. Brandon Knight scored 28 points and Markieff Morris added 23. Knight and Eric Bledsoe combined for 16 of the Suns’ 22 assists. Orlando held a 42-34 rebounding advantage with Elfrid Payne pulling down 10 for the home team. In the losing effort, Victor Oladipo exploded for 38 points, including four 3-pointers.
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Utah Jazz | 84 | (24-36) |
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Boston Celtics | 85 | (24-35) |
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Banks across Boston were closed Wednesday night, but one was still operating at TD Garden. Tyler Zeller banked in the game-winning shot as time expired to lift his Celtics over the Jazz. Zeller finished with eight points and 11 rebounds as Isaiah Thomas led the way with 21 points. Jae Crowder added 18 points but Avery Bradley was the only Boston starter who reached double figures with 13 points. The Celtics committed just three turnovers. Trey Burke and Derrick Favors each scored 16 points for Utah.
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Cleveland Cavaliers | 120 | (39-24) |
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Toronto Raptors | 112 | (38-23) |
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LeBron James scored 15 of his game-high 29 points in the fourth quarter as the Cavaliers held on to win. Both teams combined for 74 points in the fourth quarter, alone. James added 14 assists and six rebounds. Every Cleveland starter reached double figures as Kyrie Irving added 26 and Kevin Love had 22. Toronto nearly shot 55-percent from the field as a team with Jonas Valanciunas and Louis Williams each pouring in 26 points.
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Charlotte Hornets | 115 | (26-33) |
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Brooklyn Nets | 91 | (25-34) |
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Currently, the Hornets hold the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. With their dominant win over Brooklyn, who is also fighting for the last spot, Charlotte gained key confidence heading into the stretch run. Every Hornets starter scored in double figures as every player made an appearance in the game. Gerald Henderson and Al Jefferson each scored 19 points. Mo Williams added 14 assists and Michael Kidd-Gilchrest had 13 rebounds. For Brooklyn, every player also appeared in the game and Deron Williams led the way with 12 points. All but one player scored and Bojan Bodanovic and Mason Plumlee each added 11 points.
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Denver Nuggets | 100 | (22-39) |
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Minnesota Timberwolves | 85 | (13-47) |
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A 34-16 run by the Nuggets in the second quarter proved to be the difference. Kenneth Faried led Denver with 18 points and 14 rebounds, Will Barton added 17 points and Danilo Gallinari added 16. Minnesota was limited to an under 40-percent field goal percentage but Andrew Wiggins managed to score 20 points. Ricky Rubio added 10 points and 10 rebounds.
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Los Angeles Lakers | 94 | (16-44) |
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Miami Heat | 100 | (27-33) |
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Miami used a late run to hold off the Lakers. Dwayne Wayne scored 25 points and Doran Gragic added 21 for the Heat. Hassan Whiteside was a monster on the boards with 25 rebounds and he also scored 18 points. In all Miami held a 55-42 advantage on the glass. The Lakers did score 19 points of Miami turnovers and Jeremy Lin had four steals, but it wasn’t enough for Los Angeles. Lin (12 points) was one of four Lakers bench players to reach double figures and Wayne Ellington and Ed Davis each led with 14.
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Detroit Pistons | 85 | (23-37) |
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New Orleans Pelicans | 88 | (33-28) |
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Anthony Davis is back when it matters. Coming off a shoulder sprain, Davis poured in 39 points and blocked eight shots in the back-and-forth contest. Tyreke Evans added 21 points and Alexis Anjinca scored 10 points with 11 rebounds. Jodie Meeks came off the bench to score 20 points for the Pistons.
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Memphis Grizzlies | 102 | (43-17) |
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Houston Rockets | 100 | (41-20) |
| Final | |||
Marc Gasol hit a last-second shot to stun the Houston Crowd. Gasol scored 21 total points to lead Memphis over the Rockets. Mike Conley added 17 and Zach Randolph had 15. The teams combined for 23 turnovers. The Grizzlies scored 25 points off Houston turnovers and the Rockets scored 20 points off Memphis turnovers. Nick Calathes had four steals for the Grizzles. Terrence Jones scored 21 points for Houston and James Harden added 18.
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Philadelphia 76ers | 118 | (13-48) |
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Oklahoma City Thunder | 123 | (34-27) |
| Final – OT | |||
Donning a mask following facial surgery, Russell Westbrook played like a man possessed. He scored a career-high 49 points with 16 rebounds and 10 assists for his fourth-straight triple-double. The other four Thunder starters had 12 points, 13 rebounds and zero assists — combined. Dion Waters scored 20 points off the bench. Oklahoma City held a 13-8 advantage in the overtime period. Philadelphia had two high scorers in Isaiah Canaan (31 points) and Jason Richardson (29 points).
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Sacramento Kings | 85 | (21-38) |
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San Antonio Spurs | 112 | (37-23) |
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A 28-11 spurt by the Spurs in the second quarter was enough to turn the game into a rout for the remainder. San Antonio also improved to 21-7 at home and the Kings dropped to 8-19 on the road. Every player on both sides appeared in the game and they all registered at least two points. Kawhi Leonard led the Spurs with 21 points and Tony Parker added 19. DeMarcus Cousins scored 14 for Sacramento. Neither team had a player register a double-double.
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Milwaukee Bucks | 93 | (32-29) |
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Golden State Warriors | 102 | (47-12) |
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Steph Curry turned it on when it counted and drilled three 3-pointers in just over a minute to secure a win in the fourth quarter. Curry finished with 19 points and the Warriors outscored the Bucks, 30-22, in the final frame. Curry added 11 assists and Draymond Green had 23 points and 12 rebounds. Milwaukee only played nine guys and they all scored. Michael Carter-Williams and Giannis Antetokounmpo each led with 16 points.
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Portland Trail Blazers | 98 | (40-19) |
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Los Angeles Clippers | 93 | (40-22) |
| Final – OT | |||
The Trail Blazers gained an 11-6 advantage in the overtime period to earn the win and spoil Chris Paul’s big night. Paul scored 26 points and dished out 12 assists to lead the Clippers, but Portland prevailed to hand Los Angeles its ninth loss at Staples Center this season. A 3-pointer by Nicolas Batum forced the overtime and he finished with 20 points. LaMarcus Aldridge led the Trail Blazers with 29 points. Damion Lillard pulled down 18 of the team’s 61 rebounds. DeAndre Jordan had 19 of the Clippers’ 51 rebounds. J.J. Redick added 26 points, including four 3-pointers for Los Angeles.