Western Conference stars Russell Westbrook and James Harden were limited in their respective games on Wednesday and the Thunder and Rockets both fell in important position battles. Wednesday was full of closely contested tilts which made for an exciting slate as the season draws to a close.
Let’s get to the games:
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Chicago Bulls | 104 | (40-26) |
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Philadelphia 76ers | 95 | (14-50) |
| Final – OT | |||
Aaron Brooks, himself, outscored the 76ers, 7-3, in an overtime period. Brooks’ Bulls scored 10 points in the extra frame to hand Philadelphia its 23rd loss at home. Brooks scored a game-high and season-high 31 points to lead Chicago. Three Bulls recorded a double-double — Pau Gasol with 27 points and 16 rebounds, Nikola Mirotic with 16 points and 12 rebounds and Tony Snell with 10 points and 10 rebounds. Chicago shot 41-percent from behind-the-arc and every player that attempted a 3-pointer made at least one. Philadelphia’s Jason Richardson was 0 for 6 from 3-point range and finished with just four points. Ish Smith and Isaiah Canaan scored 23 and 20 points, respectively, as the 76ers’ only players in double figures.
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Sacramento Kings | 113 | (22-41) |
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Charlotte Hornets | 106 | (28-35) |
| Final | |||
A 35-28 fourth quarter run helped the Kings get past Charlotte. Ben McElmore led Sacramento with 27 points, Rudy Gay added 26 and DeMarcus Cousins had a double-double with 20 points and 14 points. All nine players that appeared in the game for the Kings scored at least three points. The Hornets had nearly half of their points come in the paint. Michael Kidd-Gilchrest scored 23 points for Charlotte, while Gerald Henderson had 17 points and 11 rebounds.
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Memphis Grizzlies | 92 | (45-19) |
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Boston Celtics | 95 | (27-36) |
| Final | |||
Marcus Smart and Avery Bradley converted clutch shots down the stretch as the Celtics held off one of the league’s best teams. Boston is still seeking the eighth playoff spot in the Eastern Conference and its second-stright victory helped gain more momentum. Bradley led the Celtics with 17 points, Jae Crowder added 16 and Kelly Olynyk scored 15 points. For Memphis, Mike Conley scored 20 points but suffered an injury in the fourth quarter. Memphis out rebounded the Celtics, 41-36 and scored 50 points in the paint.
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Brooklyn Nets | 98 | (25-38) |
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Miami Heat | 104 | (29-35) |
| Final | |||
The Heat held off a 31-point outburst by Brooklyn in the fourth quarter for a comfortable victory. A fast start which included a 34-point Miami first quarter helped lift it to victory. Dwayne Wade lit up the scoreboard with 28 points and had nine of the team’s 28 assists. Chris Anderson overcame an injury to score 18 points and grab 14 rebounds. Miami took care of the ball well, turning it over just 11 times. Deron Williams and Jarrett Jack each scored 18 points for the Nets and Brooke Lopez added 15 points with 14 rebounds.
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Orlando Magic | 91 | (21-45) |
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Milwaukee Bucks | 97 | (34-30) |
| Final | |||
Khris Middleton sunk his first five shots of the game and matched a career-high with 30 points for the Bucks. Every Milwauke starter scored in double figures with Ersan Ilyasova adding 12, Michael Carter-Williams and Giannis Antetokounmpo each scoring 11 and Zaza Pachulla chipping in with 10. Pachulla also had 12 rebounds. The Bucks overcame 23 turnovers for the victory. Three Magic players had three steals. Orlando sunk all 13 of its attempted free throws and Nikola Vucevic scored 19 points with 14 rebounds.
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Los Angeles Clippers | 120 | (42-23) |
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Oklahoma City Thunder | 108 | (35-29) |
| Final | |||
The Thunder don’t lose often at home. The Clippers didn’t seem to mind. Los Angeles handed OKC its ninth home defeat Chris Paul led the way with 33 points. Though 12 of the 13 Clippers made an appearance in the game, only seven players scored. J.J. Redick added 25 points, sinking all 10 of his free throws, and DeAndre Jordan had 18 points and 17 rebounds. Matt Barnes drilled six 3-pointers and finished with 22 points. As a team, Los Angeles shot 50-percent from behind-the-arc. Russell Westbrook was denied a double-double and triple-double, finishing with 24 points, nine rebounds and seven steals. Anthony Morrow led the Thunder with 26 points.
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Atlanta Hawks | 102 | (50-14) |
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Denver Nuggets | 115 | (24-41) |
| Final | |||
The Nuggets held off the Hawks’ 31-point outburst in the fourth quarter. A 38-point performance in the third quarter helped Denver’s cause for its eighth-straight home victory. Danilo Gallinari scored 23 points, Will Barton added 16 and Kenneth Faried scored 14. The Hawks scored 22 points off Nuggets turnovers. Kyle Korver led Atlanta with 18 points, sinking five 3-pointers. Korver now has 1,697 3-pointers in his career. That mark surpassed Kobe Bryant for 12th all-time.
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Minnesota Timberwolves | 97 | (14-49) |
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Phoenix Suns | 106 | (34-32) |
| Final | |||
The Timberwolves sunk to 5-25 on the road. Markieff Morris led the Suns with 24 points and Eric Bledsoe added 18. Phoenix held a 45-34 rebounding advantage, with Marcus Morris and Brandon Wright each grabbing nine. Kevin Martin scored 16 points for Minnesota and Justin Hamilton added 15 points, including the team’s only 3-pointer.
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Detroit Pistons | 98 | (23-41) |
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Golden State Warriors | 105 | (51-12) |
| Final | |||
Klay Thompson drilled a pair of 3-pointers in the final two minutes to finish with 27 points, which brought him up to the 5,000-point mark for his career. The victory gave Golden State 51 on the year, which matches last year’s total. Draymond Green and Andre Iguodola each scored 13 points. Detroit held a 51-42 rebounding advantage with Andre Drummond grabbing 27 boards. He also led the team with 22 points.
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Houston Rockets | 100 | (43-21) |
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Portland Trail Blazers | 105 | (42-20) |
| Final | |||
The Rockets overcame a double-digit fourth quarter deficit, but the Trail Blazers held on. The teams are now both tied for third place in the Western Conference. Portland limited Houston star James Harden to just 18 points. To aid in the Houston comeback, Corey Brewer scored 17 of his 23 points in the fourth quarter. Still, this one belonged to the home team. LeMarcus Aldridge and Robin Lopez each had a double-double with Aldridge scoring 26 points with 14 rebounds and Lopez scoring 16 points with 10 rebounds. Portland held a 60-40 rebounding advantage, while Houston held a 20-11 positive advantage in the turnover battle.