Two records were set on Tuesday night. On a positive, personal note, LeBron James recorded the most assists in Cleveland history. On a sour note, the Lakers are officially eliminated from postseason contention. It’s the earliest Los Angeles has been out of contention since the franchise moved from Minnesota to California in 1960. Even though the Lakers defeated the Pistons, their hopes are officially dashed.
Let’s get to the games:
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Orlando Magic | 86 | (21-44) |
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Indiana Pacers | 118 | (29-34) |
| Final | |||
The Pacers earned their sixth straight win in convincing fashion. Indiana outscored Orlando, 33-19, in the second quarter and 32-16 in the final frame as Rodney Stuckey scored a career high. Stuckey finished with 34 points off the bench. Luis Scola had 12 points and 10 rebounds, also off the bench, and Damjan Rudez added 17 points. Indiana shot 50-percent from behind-the-arc (17 0f 34) as Stuckey sunk five 3-pointers and Rudez had five. Tobias Harris led the Magic with 22 points.
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New Orleans Pelicans | 111 | (36-29) |
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Brooklyn Nets | 91 | (25-37) |
| Final | |||
Despite its above-.500 record and two-game winning streak, the Pelicans still are not in the playoffs. With a 20-point win over Brooklyn, though, they inched closer. New Orleans is now two percentage points behind Oklahoma City for the eighth spot in the Western Conference. Six players scored in the offensive onslaught as Quincy Poindexter and Alexis Anjinca led with 17 apiece. Omer Asik added 12 points and 15 rebounds and Norris Cole and Eric Gordon each chipped in with 16 points. The Pelicans had 31 assists, compared to just 19 by the Nets, and Gordon led with seven. Jarrett Jack and Brook Lopez each scored 15 points for Brooklyn.
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Cleveland Cavaliers | 127 | (41-25) |
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Dallas Mavericks | 94 | (41-25) |
| Final | |||
Two important things happened to LeBron James on Tuesday night. First, he started a game for the first time since 2003 without his signature headband. The fashion move paid off as James did something even more noteworthy by dishing out eight assists. He now 4,207 in a Cavaliers’ uniform, surpassing one of the top players of the early 1990s in Mark Price. James finished with 27 points to lead all scorers. Kevin Love added 21 points with 12 rebounds and Kyrie Irvin scored 22 points. Fellow starters J.R. Smith (21 points) and Timofey Mozgov (17 points) also reached double digits. The Cavaliers scored 23 points off Dallas turnovers. The Mavericks were led by Chandler Parsons’ 18 points.
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Toronto Raptors | 107 | (38-26) |
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San Antonio Spurs | 117 | (40-23) |
| Final | |||
A game-high 32 points by Kyle Lowry wasn’t enough for the Raptors to top the Spurs. San Antonio defended their home court and improved to 24-7 at the AT&T Center by gaining an early advantage and holding on in the end. The Spurs led 61-41 at halftime and fended off a 36-point outburst by Toronto in the fourth quarter. Kawhi Leonard and Tony Parker scored 24 and 23 points, respectively, to lead San Antonio. Leonard also had 11 rebounds and Tim Duncan also recorded a double-double with 12 points and 13 rebounds. Lowry added four assists, despite fouling out, for Toronto. DeMar Rozen chipped in with 21 points.
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New York Knicks | 82 | (12-51) |
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Utah Jazz | 87 | (27-36) |
| Final | |||
Derrick Favors and Rudy Gobert continued to carry the struggling Jazz by each recorded a double-double against the Knicks. Favors had 29 points and 12 rebounds, while Gobert finished with 10 points and 14 rebounds. Rodney Hood came off the bench to add 17 points. Cole Aldrich and Alexy Shved had double-doubles for New York. Aldrich scored 17 points and grabbed 13 rebounds, while Shved scored 21 points and grabbed 10 rebounds. Shved also dished out seven assists.
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Detroit Pistons | 85 | (23-40) |
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Los Angeles Lakers | 93 | (17-46) |
| Final | |||
Though the Lakers snapped a five-game losing streak, they added an unfortunate two-year streak to their legacy. For the second-straight season, Los Angeles will miss the postseason. They were officially eliminated before the game with Detroit as New Orleans topped Brooklyn earlier in the night. Seven Lakers scored in double figures as Jordan Hill led the way with 16 points. Wesley Johnson and Ed Davis each added 13 points, though no Los Angeles player had a double-double. Andre Drummond scored 14 points with 21 rebounds for the Pistons, while Greg Monroe led all scorers with 24 points.