TNT broadcaster Craig Sager was the biggest hero on the court Thursday night. Suffering from Leukemia, Sager has been off the air for the past few months but triumphantly returned to work with the Thunder-Bulls game in Chicago. The well-dressed and poignant Sager received a hearty welcome and standing ovation, just like the Bulls’ E’Twaun Moore. In the only other game of the night, Portland easily dispatched Dalls.
Let’s get to the games:
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Oklahoma City Thunder | 105 | (34-28) |
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Chicago Bulls | 108 | (39-23) |
| Final | |||
As strong as he’s been lately, Russell Westbrook came up just short against the Bulls. E’Twaun Moore was the jaw-dropper in this one. Moore sunk a game-winning 3-pointer with two seconds left. The Thunder still had a chance, but Westbrook stepped out on the inbounds, giving the ball back to Chicago where it added a free throw for the eventual final score. Westbrook still registered a game-high 42 points, but had his triple-double streak snapped at four games. He added eight rebounds and seven assists. Moore finished with 19 points for Chicago, while Pau Gasol and Mike Dunleavy each led with 21 points. Gasol and Joakim Noah each brought down 12 rebounds. After trailing by 12 points after the first quarter the Bulls rallied and held a 36-26 advantage in the final frame.
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Dallas Mavericks | 75 | (40-23) |
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Portland Trail Blazers | 94 | (41-19) |
| Final | |||
In a battle of two of the Western Conference’s best teams, Portland looked like a contender and Dallas looked like a pretender. The Trail Blazer ran past the Mavericks, 54-39, for their fifth-straght victory. Portland remains in third place in the conference, six games behind first place Golden State, and Dallas is sixth.The Trail Blazers received a bit of bad news, though, as Wesley Matthews will be sidelined for the rest of the season with an Achilles injury. Matthews still had four points and three assists before suffering the ailment 18 minutes into the game. LaMarcus Aldridge led the team with 17 points and 12 rebounds, while Nicolas Batum also had a double-double with 15 points and 12 rebounds. Portland held a 56-41 advantage on the glass and also scored 20 points of Dallas turnovers. The Mavericks were led by Monta Ellis and Amar’e Stoudemire, who each scored 12 points.