Chris Bosh did a Ray Allen by knocking
down a top-of-the-key three to beat the Spurs and keep some distance in the
race for the overall best record in the NBA. Greivis Vasquez, meanwhile, had a
great game leading the Hornets over the Cavs, while Carmelo Anthony and the
Knicks continued to sizzle after blowing out Boston.
Day’s
Best:
- Chris Bosh hit the game-winning three-ball over Tim Duncan in the dying seconds as the Heat won without LeBron and Wade. Yeah, it was a really bad day.
- Greivis Vasquez went 10-of-14 from the field en route to 25 points as the Hornets ended the month strong, winning 4 of their last 6. Vasquez also added 9 assists and 3 steals in an all-around effort.
- Carmelo Anthony, meanwhile, stretched New York’s win streak to eight games after they hosted and beat the hobbling Celtics. This win kept the Knicks in a tie for the East’s second seed with Indiana. Melo has scored 24 points or more in 5 of his last 7 outings.
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| Chris Bosh and the Heat won despite not having their top two players. (image by Darren Abate/AP) |
Day’s
Worst:
- Boston’s backcourt struggled mightily at MSG. Avery Bradley and Jason Terry paired up for a paltry production – 10 points, 2 rebounds, and 1 assist. Collectively, they shot only 4-of-12 from the field. #TheyMissRondoNow
- The Bulls bounced back from their road loss to Dallas by beating the Pistons, but it was not a pretty win by any stretch of the imagination. Luol Deng and Nate Robinson did combine to score 44 points, but they shot just 14-of-36 to get there. As a team, Thib’s boys connected on under 40% of their shots, while their defense allowed Detroit to convert 50%. Definitely not a good sign heading into the Playoffs.
- DeMar DeRozan seems to be in a wicked funk. He has shot 39% or worse in 6 of Toronto’s last 10 games. Not surprisingly, the Raps lost 4 of those 6 outings. If DeRozan is going to be the future face of this franchise, then he will have to blossom into a more efficient scoring machine next season.
Final
Score: New Orleans 112, Cleveland 92
New Orleans, LA (Sports Network) -
Greivis Vasquez had 25 points and nine assists in the New Orleans Hornets'
112-92 rout of the Cleveland Cavaliers. Ryan Anderson nailed five 3-pointers en
route to 23 points, while Anthony Davis added 17 points and 13 rebounds for the
Hornets, who had dropped six of their previous nine contests. Kyrie Irving
returned following and eight-game absence due to a left shoulder strain and
tallied 31 points and six assists for Cleveland, which has dropped eight
consecutive tilts. Tristan Thomas provided 12 points and 10 boards in defeat.
Final
Score: Washington 109, Toronto 92
Washington, DC (Sports Network) -
Bradley Beal scored 24 points off the bench and led the Washington Wizards to a
109-92 win over the Toronto Raptors on Sunday. Beal shot 8-of-14 from the
field, including 6-of-9 from behind the arc for the Wizards, who stopped a
two-game skid. Emeka Okafor had 19 points and 10 rebounds while John Wall
scored 18 points and dished out 10 assists in the victory. Joan Valanciunas
registered 18 points and 10 rebounds for the Raptors, who have lost six of
their last seven games. Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan scored 15 points apiece in
the setback.
Final
Score: Chicago 95, Detroit 94
Chicago, IL (Sports Network) - Luol
Deng scored 28 points, including 14 in the fourth quarter, and grabbed nine
boards, as the Chicago Bulls held off the Detroit Pistons, 95-94, on Sunday.
Jimmy Butler and Nate Robinson scored 16 points apiece, with Butler recording
five steals for the Bulls, who have won four of their last five games. Rodney
Stuckey had a team-high 25 points off the bench for the Pistons, who are on a
three-game losing streak and have lost 10 of their last 14 games. Greg Monroe
had 18 points and 10 rebounds and Charlie Villanueva tallied 14 points in the setback.
Final
Score: Miami 88, San Antonio 86
San Antonio, TX (Sports Network) - The
Miami Heat and San Antonio Spurs reversed roles. With home-court advantage
possibly on the line throughout the NBA playoffs, Heat head coach Erik
Spoelstra sat his two superstars LeBron James and Dwyane Wade due to nagging
injuries. But the sometimes forgotten of the "Big Three," Chris Bosh,
showed that he's still a superstar too. Bosh nailed a go-ahead 3-pointer with
1.1 seconds left to lift the Heat to an 88-86 win over the Spurs. Bosh, who
finished with 23 points and nine rebounds, was 9-of-15 from the floor for
Miami, which has won back-to-back games since having its 27-game winning streak
snapped against the Chicago Bulls on Wednesday. James played through a right hamstring
strain suffered during the first half of Friday's game against the New Orleans
Hornets, but sat out the final frame with the Heat comfortably in front. Wade
hurt his right ankle during Wednesday's loss against the Chicago Bulls, but
played Friday. In a game against Miami early in November, Spurs head coach
Gregg Popovich sent guards Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili, along with forwards
Tim Duncan and Danny Green home prior to the contest. The NBA fined the
organization $250,000 for the move. The Heat won that tilt, 105-100.
Final
Score: New York 108, Boston 89
New York, NY (Sports Network) - Carmelo
Anthony scored 24 points and grabbed 10 rebounds and Chris Copeland had 22
points and nailed three 3-pointers as the New York Knicks downed the Boston
Celtics, 108-89, to win the season series for the first time since 2003-04.
J.R. Smith, who recently became the first player to have three straight
30-point performances off the bench since Milwaukee's Ricky Pierce (1990),
finished with 15 points and 12 boards for the Knicks, who have won eight
straight following a four-game losing skid. Raymond Felton chipped in 18
points, while Iman Shumpert and Steve Novak each netted 10 in the victory. Paul
Pierce had 27 points to go along with 15 rebounds for the Celtics, who had a
two-game winning streak come to an end and have lost six of their last eight
games overall. Jeff Green led all players with 27 points in defeat
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| The Knicks rolled to their eight straight win after beating Boston. (image by Elsa/Getty Images) |
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