It was
perhaps one of the most memorable last days of any NBA regular season in recent
memory. I actually don’t know which was the biggest story today – Steph Curry
shattering Ray Allen’s record, the Lakers actually clinching 7th
spot, the Bulls moving up to 5th seed, the Jazz losing the race for
eighth, the West’s top two seeds losing, or no-namer Chris Copeland scoring 33
to lead the Knicks to victory. Watchutink?!
Today’s Best:
- Oh I know! How about much-maligned big guy Pau Gasol unleashing a triple-double to beat Houston in OT and put the Lakers in a first round showdown with injury-ridden San Antonio?! 17 points, 11 assists, and TWENTY rebounds?! C’mon!!!
- Chris Paul. Chris Paul. Man he was big tonight, scoring 25 points and dishing out 11 assists as the Clippers beat Sacramento to ensure home court advantage in the first round. BIG.
- Yes, he shot just 5-of-16 from the field, but four of those five were threes, and he was able to break Ray Allen’s record, so I’m giving Curry a spot here. Sorry for the run-on sentence.
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| Pau Gasol and the Lakers managed to sneak into seventh spot in the Western Conference! (image by Noah Graham/Getty Images) |
Today’s Worst:
- Jeremy Lamb took 21 shots in an NBA game for the first time ever. He made just six. Gonna be a looooong time before he takes that many again.
- Maurice Harkless played 43 minutes, had just 1 assist, made only 5 of his 14 FG attempts, and turned the ball over 4 times. Go figure.
- The real Steve Novak shot 1-of-8 from the field in 41 minutes tonight. Gimme the NBA 2K13 Novak anytime.
Final Score: Brooklyn 103, Detroit 99
Brooklyn, NY
(Sports Network) - Brook Lopez scored 20 points and grabbed nine rebounds,
while Andray Blatche chipped in 15 points on 6-of-9 shooting from the floor as
the Brooklyn Nets downed the Detroit Pistons, 103-99, on Wednesday at Barclays
Center. Kris Humphries and Joe Johnson scored 11 and 10 points, respectively,
for the Nets (49-33), the fourth seed in the Eastern Conference and winners of
six of seven heading into the playoffs, where they will face the fifth-seeded
Chicago Bulls in the quarterfinals beginning Saturday. Will Bynum scored 23
points and Greg Monroe turned in a double-double with 12 points and 12 boards
for the Pistons (29-53), who came in tying a season-high with four straight
wins. Brooklyn also swept Detroit for the first time in their 36-year history.
Andre Drummond supplied 13 points, three steals and three blocks, while Rodney
Stuckey had 11 points in defeat.
Final Score: Charlotte 105, Cleveland 98
Charlotte,
NC (Sports Network) - Kemba Walker had 24 points and seven assists, and the
Charlotte Bobcats closed their season with a 105-98 triumph over the Cleveland
Cavaliers. Josh McRoberts chipped in 20 points and eight rebounds for the
Bobcats (21-61), who finished the campaign with the second-worst mark in the
NBA, a game ahead of Orlando. Charlotte won its final three games, all at home
to avoid finishing with the worst mark in the NBA for a second straight season.
Gerald Henderson added 15 points and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist scored 11 for
Charlotte, which snapped a six-game skid versus the Cavaliers. Kyrie Irving had
24 points and 10 assists for Cleveland (24-58), which lost its final six
contests.
Final Score: Chicago 95, Washington 92
Chicago, IL
(Sports Network) - Carlos Boozer compiled 19 points and 15 rebounds to lead the
way for the Chicago Bulls, who tuned up for the upcoming playoffs by coming
through with a 95-92 decision over the Washington Wizards in the regular season
finale for both teams. Kirk Hinrich scored 18 points and Nazr Mohammed added 18
for Chicago (45-37), which wrapped up the No. 5 seed in the Eastern Conference
and set up a matchup with fourth-seeded Brooklyn in the quarterfinal round. The
best-of-seven series will begin Saturday at the Barclay Center. The Wizards
(29-53) finish out the season with their highest victory total since 2007-08,
but conclude the campaign on a six-game losing skid despite battling back from
an early 21-point deficit to forge an 85-85 tie with under 3 1/2 minutes left.
A.J. Price paced Washington with 24 points off the bench and John Wall finished
with 23 in the setback.
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| John Wall and the Wiz lost out to the Bulls in the last day of the 2012-2013 regular season. (image by Nam Y. Huh/AP) |
Final Score: Dallas 99, New Orleans 87
Dallas, TX
(Sports Network) - Darren Collison poured in 25 points off the bench as the
Dallas Mavericks ended the season on a high note with a 99-87 victory over the
New Orleans Hornets at American Airlines Center. Collison got 10-of-15 shots to
fall through in the contest for Dallas, which finished an even 41-41 on the
season but will miss out on the playoffs for the first time since the 1999-00
campaign. Dirk Nowitzki added 16 points and nine rebounds and Shawn Marion
tallied 15 points and seven boards as well for the Mavericks. All five starters
scored in double figures for New Orleans who ended their final season as the
Hornets at just 27-55. It was announced in January that after this season they
would no longer be know as the Hornets but as the Pelicans.
Final Score: Denver 118, Phoenix 98
Denver, CO
(Sports Network) - Wilson Chandler scored 21 points and Andre Iguodala added 20
as the Denver Nuggets clinched the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference with an
easy 118-98 victory over the lowly Phoenix Suns in the regular season finale
for both teams. Ty Lawson checked in with 14 points and seven assists for the
Nuggets, whose 57-25 record is the third best mark in franchise history and
topped all of their previous NBA win totals. They also won their final 23 games
at Pepsi Center and finished with an NBA- best 38-3 record at home Denver will
play Golden State in the first round of the playoffs starting Saturday.
Phoenix, which was led by Luis Scola's 17 points and 11 rebounds, closed out
its second worst season (25-57) at the bottom of the West standings.
Final Score: Philadelphia 105, Indiana 95
Indianapolis,
IN (Sports Network) - Dorell Wright led six Philadelphia players in double
figures with 23 points, as the 76ers wrapped up their disappointing season on a
high note with a 105-95 triumph over the playoff-bound Indiana Pacers on
Wednesday at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Evan Turner followed with 16 points,
Damien Wilkins added 15 points and Arnett Moultrie supplied 14 points with 12
rebounds for the Sixers, who won three of their final four games to finish with
a 34-48 mark. The late season surge may not be enough to save the job of
Sixers' head coach Doug Collins, as the team has already scheduled morning news
conferences with the managing owner and Collins. Lavoy Allen donated a
double-double with 11 points and 11 boards, while Thaddeus Young finished with
10 points in the victory. Four of Indiana's usual starters -- George Hill, Paul
George, David West and Roy Hibbert -- sat out the contest as the Pacers (49-32)
had already secured the No. 3 seed. Indiana learned after the game it will meet
Atlanta in the first round of the playoffs. Gerald Green made the most of the
extended playing time, as he posted a career-high 34 points and six boards in
the setback, Indiana's third in a row and fifth in its last six tries.
Final Score: Memphis 86, Utah 70
Memphis, TN
(Sports Network) - Utah was held to its lowest point total of the season. Unfortunately
for the Jazz, it happened in their last game in a chance to stay alive in the
playoff hunt. Now, the Jazz will sit at home and watch the postseason on
television for the second time in the last three years. Zach Randolph had 25
points and 19 rebounds, and the Memphis Grizzlies beat Utah, 86-70, to
eliminate the Jazz from playoff contention. Utah's loss allowed the Los Angeles
Lakers to clinch the final playoff spot in the Western Conference. The Jazz
needed a win over the Grizzlies plus a Lakers loss at home against Houston to
make it into the postseason. Instead, it's the Lakers going into the playoffs
minus perennial All-Star Kobe Bryant, who will need 6- to-9 months to recover
from a torn Achilles tendon in his left leg. The Grizzlies will go into the
playoffs as the No. 5 seed and will open on the road against the Pacific
Division champion Los Angeles Clippers. It will be a rematch of last year's
first-round series, won by the Clippers in seven games. Mike Conley added 14
points for Memphis (56-26), which set a franchise record for most victories in
a season in what will be its third straight trip to the playoffs. The Grizzlies
also set a franchise mark for the most home wins in a season of 32, eclipsing
the record of 31 set by the 2003-04 team. Al Jefferson totaled 22 points and 16
boards for Utah (43-39), which had won nine of its previous 11 games going into
the season finale. The Jazz shot 32.1 percent from the field.
Final Score: Miami 105, Orlando 93
Miami, FL
(Sports Network) - Dwyane Wade scored 21 points and dished out 10 assists as
the Miami Heat cruised to a 105-93 win over the Orlando Magic in the season
finale for both teams. Mike Miller added 21 points and Rashard Lewis scored 16
points to go with eight rebounds for the Heat, who will have the top seed in
the upcoming Eastern Conference Playoffs. Miami, which owns the league's best
record (66-16), will face the Milwaukee Bucks in the first round. Reigning
league MVP LeBron James sat the contest out to rest a sore hamstring. Nikola Vucevic
posted his 46th double-double of the season with 20 points and 13 rebounds for
the Magic, who finished an NBA- worst 20-62. With the loss, and Charlotte
Bobcats victory, Orlando secured the best opportunity at landing the top pick
in the NBA Lottery.
Final Score: New York 98, Atlanta 92
New York, NY
(Sports Network) - In a contest between two playoff-bound teams with little to
play for, Chris Copeland scored a career-high 33 points and the New York Knicks
wrapped up their regular season with a 98-92 victory over the Atlanta Hawks at
Madison Square Garden. Already locked into the No. 2 seed in the East, the
Knicks (54-28) rested most of their starters, including 2013 scoring title
champ Carmelo Anthony, and will carry a 10-game home winning streak into their
first round showdown with the division rival Boston Celtics, which will begin
on Saturday. The Hawks (44-38), only able to move up with a win and a Chicago
loss, chose to rest starters Al Horford, Josh Smith and Jeff Teague among
others. Officially locked into the sixth seed, Atlanta will face third- seeded
Indiana and begin its series on Sunday. Earl Barron, signed off the street
earlier Wednesday after Rasheed Wallace announced his retirement, tallied 11
points and a game-high 18 rebounds for the Knicks. James White added 20 points
and Iman Shumpert finished with 18, eight assists and seven rebounds. Mike
Scott totaled 23 points and 14 rebounds and John Jenkins scored 20 in the
setback for Atlanta.
Final Score: Milwaukee 95, Oklahoma City 89
Oklahoma City,
OK (Sports Network) - John Henson posted 28 points and 16 rebounds as the
Milwaukee Bucks took a 95-89 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder in the
final game of the regular season. Brandon Jennings added 17 points and Mike
Dunleavy scored 14 for the Bucks (38-44), who snapped a five-game losing streak
and as the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference, will face the task of taking
on the Miami Heat in the first round of the playoffs starting on Sunday.
Oklahoma City (60-22) came into the game as the top seed in the Western
Conference and will face the Houston Rockets, who lost to the Los Angeles
Lakers in overtime on Wednesday. That series is set to start on Sunday. Reggie
Jackson had 23 points, six rebounds and five assists for the Thunder, who had won
seven of eight coming into the game. Perry Jones had 14 points.
Final Score: Minnesota 108, San Antonio 95
San Antonio,
TX (Sports Network) - Derrick Williams paced six Minnesota players in double
figures with 21 points as the Timberwolves took down the San Antonio Spurs,
108-95 in the regular season finale at AT&T Center. Chase Budinger dropped
15 points off the bench for Minnesota (31-51), which finished the season having
won two of three. Greg Stiemsma and Ricky Rubio each added 12 points while Stiemsma
also grabbed nine rebounds to go with a career-best five steals. Tim Duncan
scored 17 points and grabbed 14 rebounds and Gary Neal also added 17 points in
the loss. Tony Parker connected on all nine of his free throw attempts en route
to 15 points and eight assists as the Spurs (58-24) finished second in the
Western Conference and will face the Los Angeles Lakers in the opening round of
the postseason. Despite the loss, the Spurs shot a perfect 22-of-22 from the
foul line, 20 of which came in the first half.
Final Score: Toronto 114, Boston 90
Toronto, ON
(Sports Network) - DeMar DeRozan totaled a game-high 24 points as Toronto
whipped playoff-bound Boston, 114-90, in the season finale for both teams at
Air Canada Centre. Rudy Gay added 19 points and nine rebounds for the Raptors
(34-48), who will miss out on the postseason for the fifth straight season.
Jonas Valanciunas had 18 points and seven boards, while Alan Anderson added 16
points for the hosts. Jordan Crawford poured in 16 points, six rebounds and five
assists for the Celtics (41-40), who will begin the postseason as the seventh
seed in the East and will take on the New York Knicks. Terrence Williams
totaled 12 points, with Paul Pierce and Avery Bradley contributing 11 points,
respectively. Boston took the floor missing both Kevin Garnett and Jason Terry,
sitting by coach's decision.
Final Score: LA Lakers 99, Houston 95 (OT)
Los Angeles,
CA (Sports Network) - It sure wasn't the "Big Three" the Los Angeles
Lakers had hoped for at the start of the season. The Lakers knew of their
postseason fate before they took the floor Wednesday, but that didn't stop
Steve Blake from again making the most out of his opportunity. And Dwight
Howard and Pau Gasol's size and power inside were too much for the Houston Rockets
to handle. With Kobe Bryant resting comfortably at his home, his Lakers picked
up a 99-95 overtime win over the Rockets to earn the seventh seed in the
Western Conference playoffs. The Utah Jazz's loss to the Memphis Grizzlies
earlier Wednesday assured the Lakers of a postseason bid. Gasol tallied a
triple-double with 17 points, 20 rebounds and 11 assists, Blake led the Lakers
in scoring for a second straight contest with a season-high 24 points, and
Howard added 16 points and 18 boards for Los Angeles (45-37), which has won
five straight to close the regular season and will play the San Antonio Spurs
in the first round of the playoffs. It was the second game the Lakers played
without Bryant after he tore his Achilles tendon in Friday's win over the Golden
State Warriors. Chandler Parsons, who had 23 points, sent the game into
overtime with a 3-pointer from the L of the Lakers' midcourt logo. James Harden
netted 30 points the Rockets (45-37), who will clash with the top-seeded
Oklahoma City Thunder in the first round.
Final Score: Golden State 99, Portland 88
Portland, OR
(Sports Network) - Stephen Curry knocked down his second 3- pointer of the
night with 6:49 left in the second quarter to pass Ray Allen for the most
3-point field goals in a season as the Golden State Warriors finished the
regular season on a high note with a 99-88 win over the Portland Trail Blazers
at Rose Garden. Curry began the game 1-for-7 before finding space on the right
wing midway through the second stanza for his record- breaking triple. He
finished the night with 15 points and five assists. Klay Thompson paced the
Warriors (47-35) with 24 points while David Lee registered his league-leading
56th double-double of the season with 20 points and 10 rebounds. Golden State
has clinched the sixth seed in the Western Conference and will face the Denver
Nuggets on Saturday in the opening round of the NBA playoffs. LaMarcus Aldridge
did everything he could for Portland (33-49), which concluded the campaign
losers of 13 straight. Aldridge tallied 30 points and 21 boards and rookies
Damian Lillard and Will Barton contributed 21 and 15 points, respectively.
Barton logged 48 minutes.
Final Score: LA Clippers 112, Sacramento 108
Sacramento,
CA (Sports Network) - Chris Paul had a double-double and Jamal Crawford dropped
in 24 points off the bench as the Los Angeles Clippers earned homecourt
advantage in the first round of the playoffs with a 112-108 victory over the
Sacramento Kings at Sleep Train Arena. Crawford connected on 6-of-8 shots from beyond
the arc in the contest and Paul had a team-high 25 points and 11 assists for
the Clippers (56-26) who as the fourth seed in the Western Conference will take
on the fifth-seed Memphis Grizzlies in the first round. Chauncey Billups added
17 points, Matt Barnes had 12 off the bench and Caron Butler chipped in 11
points while DeAndre Jordan pulled in 10 rebounds. Demarcus Cousins closed the
regular season well with 36 points and a career-high 22 rebounds for the Kings
(28-54) who might have been playing their last game in Sacramento. On Wednesday
the NBA Board of Governors met to begin discussions on the sale and proposed
relocation of the Kings by a Seattle group. Marcus Thornton hit five shots from
beyond the arc and finished with 21 points as well for the Kings while Isaiah
Thomas had a double-double (15 points, 10 assists) and Travis Outlaw dropped in
a season-high 17 points off the bench.
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