Things continue to heat up in the
battle for Playoff qualification and seeding. Both LAL and UTA won today, which
means things will continue to go down-the-wire moving into the final week or so
of the regular season. Also, Carmelo Anthony racks up another 40+ game and
Tristan Thompson buried the Cs.
Today’s
Best:
- Melo has scored 131 points in his last three games. That’s an average of almost 44 points per game!!! I just hope he saves some of that scoring punch in case NYK meets the MIA in the postseason.
- Tristan Thompson has no business dropping 29 points and 17 rebounds on any NBA squad, much less the Celtics, who have now lost 7 of their last 10 and are in danger of maybe slipping all the way to eight seed.
- Kobe Bryant led the Lakers over Memphis, while Gordon Hayward and Paul Millsap paired up for 43 points to spearhead the Jazz over the Hornets. Both teams won, which means things continue to get exciting for us fans. We’re the real winners!!!
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| Tristan Thompson manhandled the Celtics down low. (image by Charles Krupa/AP) |
Today’s
Worst:
- Ryan Anderson isn’t exactly known for his D, so he earns his keep by scoring. After ending up with just 4 points on 0-of-10 FG shooting, however, it’s safe to say he didn’t earn it tonight.
- Wesley Matthews is supposed to be one of the most dangerous shooters around, but against the Rockets he was dangerous only to his own team. Matthews missed all but one of his 11 attempts from rainbow country as the Blazers lost badly at home.
- Luol Deng had a great finish for the Bulls, but I hope this is the last time he shoots this badly overall – just 5-of-18 from the floor.
Final
Score: Philadelphia 101, Atlanta 90
Atlanta, GA (Sports Network) - Evan
Turner, Thaddeus Young and Spencer Hawes each turned in double-doubles as the
Philadelphia 76ers cruised past the Atlanta Hawks, 101-90, at Philips Arena.
Turner finished with 24 points and 11 rebounds, Hawes scored 19 and pulled down
12 boards and Young netted 14 to go with 13 rebounds for the 76ers, who kept
their slim playoff hopes alive. Philadelphia trails the Milwaukee Bucks by five
games for the final spot in the Eastern Conference playoffs. The Bucks lost on
the road to the New York Knicks Friday night. Josh Smith led five Atlanta
players in double figures with 19 points and Al Horford added 18 points and 10
rebounds for the Hawks, who hold a 2 1/2- game lead over the Boston Celtics for
sixth place in the East. Boston lost at home to the Cleveland Cavaliers Friday.
Final
Score: Cleveland 97, Boston 91
Boston, MA (Sports Network) - Tristan
Thompson posted career-highs of 29 points and 17 rebounds, and the Cleveland
Cavaliers broke a 10-game losing streak with a 97-91 win over the Boston
Celtics at TD Garden. Alonzo Gee added 16 points and 10 boards for the
Cavaliers, who won for the first time since March 12 against Washington. The
Cavs won despite a woeful shooting performance from Kyrie Irving. He went
4-of-20 from the floor and had 11 points and eight assists. Boston, which got
23 points and nine rebounds from Jeff Green, is 2 1/2 games ahead of Milwaukee
for seventh place in the Eastern Conference. Shavlik Randolph tallied 16 points
before fouling out for the Celtics, who have lost eight of their last 11 games.
The Celtics played without forward Paul Pierce, who sat out due to a sore left
ankle. Kevin Garnett also missed his eighth consecutive game for Boston because
of inflammation in his left ankle.
Final
Score: New York 101, Milwaukee 83
New York, NY (Sports Network) - Carmelo
Anthony recorded his third straight game of 40 or more points, and the New York
Knicks earned their 11th consecutive victory by putting forth a huge second
half to register a 101-83 win over the Milwaukee Bucks at Madison Square
Garden. After racking up 50 points at Miami on Tuesday and 40 in a triumph at
Atlanta the following night, Anthony put up 41 on a sizzling 17-of-28 shooting
and added a game- high 14 rebounds. Eighteen of Anthony's points came during a
third quarter in which the Knicks shot 79 percent from the field and outscored
the Bucks by a whopping 42-21 margin. J.R. Smith had a huge night as well for
New York, which hasn't lost since a 93-80 setback at the Los Angeles Clippers
on March 17. The Knicks' sixth man came through with 30 points while grabbing
10 rebounds to help his team overcome an early 10-point deficit. Brandon
Jennings led the slumping Bucks, losers in seven of their last nine outings,
with 25 points. J.J. Redick netted 18 points in the setback, with Larry Sanders
scoring nine to go along with 12 rebounds.
Final
Score: Miami 89, Charlotte 79
Charlotte, NC (Sports Network) - With
LeBron James and Dwyane Wade sitting once again, Mike Miller stepped up with a
season-high 26 points and the Miami Heat took an 89-79 victory over the
Charlotte Bobcats on Friday. The bulk of Miller's points came on 3-pointers,
converting 7-of-11 from beyond the arc. Chris Bosh had a well-rounded game with
18 points, eight rebounds and six assists for Miami, which was without James
and Wade for the third straight game. Ray Allen also missed the contest for the
Heat with a sprained ankle. Rashard Lewis posted 14 points in the triumph. The
Bobcats, losers in four of their last five, were led by Michael Kidd-
Gilchrist's 18 points and 14 rebounds. Kemba Walker and Gerald Henderson scored
12 and 11 points, respectively, in the setback.
Final
Score: Chicago 87, Orlando 86
Chicago, IL (Sports Network) - Nate
Robinson scored 12 of his 19 points in the fourth quarter to lead a late rally
that propelled the Chicago Bulls to an 87-86 win over the Orlando Magic at the
United Center. Luol Deng also had 19 points for Chicago, which trailed by five
with 10 minutes to play before embarking on an 18-4 run to take an 87-78 lead
with 3:51 remaining. The victory, Chicago's sixth in its last eight games,
moved the Bulls within one game of Brooklyn for the fourth playoff seed in the
Eastern Conference. Chicago now owns sole possession of the No. 5 spot as well
after Atlanta lost to Philadelphia on Friday. Beno Udrih poured in a
season-high 27 points for Orlando, which scored the game's final eight points
and had a chance to go ahead in the closing seconds before eventually being
dealt a fourth straight defeat and 12th setback in 13 outings. Nikola Vucevic
finished with 16 points and 15 rebounds for the Magic, with Tobias Harris also
recording a double-double of 12 points and 11 boards.
Final
Score: Oklahoma City 97, Indiana 75
Indianapolis, IN (Sports Network) - It
was too much Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook Friday, and the Oklahoma City
Thunder moved into a tie with San Antonio atop the Western Conference. The duo
combined for 58 points in the Thunder's 97-75 rout of the Indiana Pacers.
Durant netted 32 of his 34 points over the final three quarters, while
Westbrook added 24 points and nine assists for the Thunder, who downed San
Antonio 100-88 on Thursday. The Thunder dominated the glass and held a 53-31
rebounding margin against the normally-physical Pacers, who lead the NBA in
rebounding. Roy Hibbert tallied 22 points and eight boards for Indiana, which
failed in its attempt to clinch its first Central Division title in nine years.
The Pacers, who had their five-game winning streak snapped, are 1 1/2 games
behind the New York Knicks for the second seed in the East.
Final
Score: Toronto 95, Minnesota 93
Minneapolis, MN (Sports Network) - Rudy
Gay poured in a game-high 26 points and DeMar DeRozan added 25 as the Toronto
Raptors held on for a 95-93 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday. The
Raptors trailed 90-89 with 2:35 left, but DeRozan's 3-point play at the 2:13
mark gave Toronto a two-point edge. Ricky Rubio then split a pair of free
throws, and Gay buried a turnaround jumper to put the visitors up 94-91 with
just over 1 1/2 minutes to go. Rubio bricked a trey, but Andrei Kirilenko
stripped Gay and was quickly fouled. Kirilenko missed the first try, but
knocked down the second to make it a two-point game with less than a minute
remaining. Kyle Lowry missed a short jumper, but Landry Fields grabbed the
rebound and the Raptors called a quick timeout. Gay dribbled the clock down to
five seconds, but missed a tough turnaround. Dante Cunningham grabbed the
rebound and quickly passed it to Rubio, who drove the length of the court
before he was fouled attempting a layup with 1.7 seconds to play. Rubio knocked
down the first free throw, but his second attempt rimmed out and the Wolves
were forced to foul Amir Johnson with 0.1 seconds showing. Johnson made the
first free throw to put Toronto ahead 95-93, but missed his second attempt.
Nikola Pekovic led Minnesota with 24 points and eight rebounds and Kirilenko
scored 20 in the setback.
Final
Score: Utah 95, New Orleans 83
Salt Lake City, UT (Sports Network) -
Gordon Hayward scored 23 and Paul Millsap posted 20 points and 10 rebounds, and
the Utah Jazz continued to push for a playoff spot with a 95-83 victory over
the New Orleans Hornets. Al Jefferson totaled 14 points for the Jazz, who have
won six of their last seven games. They are a half-game behind the Los Angeles
Lakers for the No. 8 seed in the Western Conference. The Lakers edged Memphis
Friday night. Derrick Favors played a strong physical role with 10 points, 10 boards
and six blocks. Anthony Davis had 24 points and 12 rebounds for the Hornets,
who lost their second in a row overall and eighth straight on the road. New
Orleans hasn't posted an away victory since Feb. 11 against Detroit. Greivis
Vasquez had 21 points and nine assists.
Final
Score: Golden State 111, Phoenix 107
Phoenix, AZ (Sports Network) - Klay
Thompson had 25 points in the Golden State Warriors' 111-107 win over the
Phoenix Suns. David Lee added 22 points and 14 rebounds for the Warriors, who
have won five of their last six and are 1 1/2 games ahead of the Houston
Rockets for the sixth seed in the Western Conference. The Rockets are currently
playing in Portland against the Trail Blazers. Golden State swept the season
series against Phoenix for the first time since the 1976-77 campaign. Goran
Dragic netted 32 points to lead the reeling Suns, who have dropped their last
eight contests.
Final
Score: Dallas 117, Sacramento 108
Sacramento, CA (Sports Network) - Shawn
Marion scored a team-high 25 points and pulled down 12 rebounds to lead the
Dallas Mavericks to a 117-108 win over the Sacramento Kings on Friday. Brandan
Wright and Darren Collison added 20 and 18 points off the bench, respectively,
and Dirk Nowitzki scored 16 for the Mavericks, who stayed within three games of
the Los Angeles Lakers for the final spot in the Western Conference playoffs.
Isaiah Thomas poured in a game-high 29 points and Tyreke Evans added 26 points,
nine rebounds and six assists for the Kings, who got 16 points and 16 rebounds
from Jason Thompson.
Final
Score: LA Lakers 86, Memphis 84
Los Angeles, CA (Sports Network) - Kobe
Bryant scored 24 points and had nine assists, and the Los Angeles Lakers
continued their push for a playoff spot with an 86-84 win over the Memphis Grizzlies.
Dwight Howard had nine points and 10 rebounds, but he went 1-of-2 at the foul
line with 4.1 seconds left to give the Grizzlies a chance to tie or win. Mike
Conley, who missed a jumper prior to Memphis fouling Howard, then drove into
the lane. Howard made contact, but no foul was called and the shot was off the
mark as time expired. The result kept the Lakers a half-game ahead of Utah for
the No. 8 seed in the Western Conference. Utah won at home over New Orleans
earlier Friday. The Lakers play the Clippers Sunday afternoon. Pau Gasol
contributed 19 points and nine rebounds for the Lakers, who have won three in a
row. They had lost three straight to the Grizzlies, including both meetings
this season. The Grizzlies, who continue to occupy the fifth spot in the West,
got 21 points from Conley. Zach Randolph scored 15 and Jerryd Bayless had 14
for the Grizzlies, who had their four-game winning streak snapped.
Final
Score: Houston 116, Portland 98
Portland, OR (Sports Network) - James
Harden racked up 33 points with seven rebounds and six assists as the Houston
Rockets won their fourth game in a row with a 116-98 decision over the Portland
Trail Blazers on Friday. Jeremy Lin chipped in 22 points with eight assists and
Greg Smith scored 19 for Houston, which has its longest winning streak since a
five-game run from Dec.31-Jan.8. Francisco Garcia added 11 points to fill in
for Chandler Parsons, who sat with a calf injury. Houston remains one game out
of sixth place in the Western Conference behind Golden State, which defeated
the Phoenix Suns on Friday. LaMarcus Aldridge's 32-point, 13-rebound
performance in his return from a four-game absence with an ankle injury wasn't
enough to keep the sputtering Trail Blazers from dropping a seventh straight
game. Wesley Matthews scored 18 and Damian Lillard had 11 points with seven
assists in the setback.
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| James Harden gets acquainted with some Portland media. (image by Don Ryan/AP) |
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