The NBA Roundup: November 12-13, 2013

D-Rose left Chicago’s win over Cleveland with a hamstring injury, Kevin Love unloaded another huge outing, Miami blasted Milwaukee, and the underappreciated Spurs are now quietly the second-best team in the league at 7-1.

Not good. D-Rose limps of the court again.
(image from ESPN)

The Best:

• Kevin Love continued to prove he’s an all-world forwards, scoring 23 points, getting 19 rebounds, handing out 7 assists, and hitting 4 triples, but Minnesota still lost to a polished LA Clippers squad, 107-109. Love’s rival, Blake Griffin, had 25 points, 10 rebounds, and 5 assists to lead the Clips.
• Danny Green hit 5 threes and finished with 18 markers as the Spurs continued to march through their schedule, reeling in win #7 in their first 8 games. The Spurs are first in the West, and they won this one even without Tim Duncan.
• LBJ dominated for Miami in the Heat’s big W over the Bucks, who continued to play without Larry Sanders. LeBron hit 13/21 shots from the field and scored 33 points. Miami is running second in the East at 5-3. Look for the Heat to go on a win streak after James let out his frustration after their previous loss to Boston.

The Worst:

• Richard Jefferson shot 2/10 from the floor as the Jazz continued wallowing in futility. Utah lost to Denver, 81-100. Jefferson missed all his threes, hit just 50% from the line and finished with a paltry 6 points in 25 minutes of action.
• Kyrie Irving was pretty awful against the Bulls. Irving hit just 5 of his 19 FG attempts, turned the ball over thrice, and scored just 4 points through the first three periods. This was Irving’s first match-up with Derrick Rose, and he pretty much ended up on the losing end.
• Derrick Rose going down with another injury. This time it’s the hamstring. Here’s to more what-could-have-beens.

November 12, 2013

Final Score: Atlanta 103, Charlotte 94

Charlotte, NC (SportsNetwork.com) - Al Horford and Cartier Martin led two separate third quarter runs in leading the Atlanta Hawks to a 103-94 win over the Charlotte Bobcats at Time Warner Cable Arena. Horford finished with 24 points while Martin scored 16 points off the bench for Atlanta, which has beaten the Bobcats nine consecutive times including five straight in Charlotte. Jeff Teague recorded his fourth straight double-double with 14 points and 12 assists for the Hawks. Josh McRoberts had a team-high 19 points on 5-of-8 shooting from beyond the arc for Charlotte. Michael Kidd- Gilchrist added 16 points in the loss. Al Jefferson, Charlotte's prized offseason signing, returned to the lineup after missing the last five games with an ankle sprain and scored 10 points in 27 minutes.

Final Score: Indiana 95, Memphis 79

Indianapolis, IN (SportsNetwork.com) - Lance Stephenson recorded his first career triple-double, Paul George came through with another big night and the Indiana Pacers extended the best start in franchise history with a 95-79 drubbing of the Memphis Grizzlies at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Stephenson tallied 13 points, matched a career high with 11 rebounds and dished out a personal-best 12 assists in a superb all-around effort that catapulted the Pacers to 8-0 on the young season. George, named the Eastern Conference Player of the Week earlier Monday, justified that selection by racking up a game-high 23 points along with seven boards. Four other Indiana players scored in double figures, and the Pacers outrebounded the Grizzlies by a 45-32 overall margin while pulling away in the second half. Marc Gasol paced Memphis, which has alternated losses and wins in each of their first seven outings, with 15 points. Zach Randolph finished with 12 in the setback.

Final Score: San Antonio 109, Philadelphia 85

Philadelphia, PA (SportsNetwork.com) - Danny Green shot 5-of-7 from 3-point range en route to a team-high 18 points as the short-handed San Antonio Spurs cruised past the Philadelphia 76ers, 109-85, from Wells Fargo Center. Tony Parker added 14 points and nine assists as the Spurs won the second of a road back-to-back without star big man Tim Duncan, who sat out to rest. San Antonio routed the Knicks on Sunday. Kawhi Leonard went for 13 points and eight rebounds while Marco Belinelli and Patty Mills chipped in 12 and 10 points, respectively, off the bench. The Spurs have won five in a row overall and three in a row on the road. Evan Turner led Philadelphia with 20 points. Spencer Hawes' torrid start to the season continued with a 17-point, 13-rebound effort and Tony Wroten led the bench unit with 13 points.

Tony Parker slices and dices the Philly D.
(image by Matt Slocum/AP)

Final Score: Boston 120, Orlando 105

Boston, MA (SportsNetwork.com) - Avery Bradley led seven Celtics in double figures with 24 points as Boston defeated Orlando, 120-105, for their second victory over the Magic in four days. In between their win in Orlando last Friday, the Celtics stunned the two-time defending champion Miami Heat on Jeff Green's last-second 3-pointer. Late heroics were not needed Monday, as Boston shot a staggering 60 percent from the floor and got contributions throughout its lineup in the club's fourth straight victory following an 0-4 start. Jordan Crawford played mistake-free and totaled 16 points and 10 assists, Kelly Olynyk added 16 points on 7-of-9 shooting and reserves Jared Sullinger and Courtney Lee chipped in 14 and 12 points, respectively. Arron Afflalo netted 18 points while Nikola Vucevic added 15 with 10 rebounds to lead the Magic, who have dropped three in a row on the heels of a three- game winning streak. Orlando has also lost 10 straight to Boston and is mired in a 16-game road skid dating back to last season.

Final Score: Chicago 96, Cleveland 81

Chicago, IL (SportsNetwork.com) - Mike Dunleavy fueled a late-game rally to propel the Chicago Bulls to a 96-81 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Monday. Chicago led by just three with less than five minutes remaining when Dunleavy caught a feed from Derrick Rose and drilled a deep 3-pointer for an 81-75 advantage. Carlos Boozer then rebounded a Kyrie Irving missed floater and quickly gave it up to Rose, who went coast-to-coast for a layup to force a Cleveland timeout. Dunleavy then hit a pair of free throws and another jumper during the Bulls' 18-6 surge and came up with a steal and assist to Luol Deng in transition to put the game away. Boozer and Rose netted 17 and 16 points, respectively, to lead Chicago while Dunleavy poured in 15 off the bench. Irving's early-season shooting slump continued as he scored just 16 points on 5-of-19 from the field. Andrew Bynum scored 11 in his first start since May, 2012, and Tristan Thompson registered a double-double with 14 points and 13 rebounds.

Final Score: Houston 110, Toronto 104 (2-OT)

Houston, TX (SportsNetwork.com) - Jeremy Lin poured in 31 points and James Harden scored 10 of his 25 points after regulation as the Houston Rockets outlasted the Toronto Raptors in a 110-104 double-overtime thriller at the Toyota Center. Lin finished 10-of-17 from the field and netted nine of his points in the two overtimes to help Houston bounce back from two straight home losses. The Rockets were nearly dealt a third after Toronto rallied from a 17-point third-quarter deficit to force extra time. Dwight Howard and Chandler Parsons each had 18 points in the win, with Howard pulling down 24 rebounds and blocking five shots. Rudy Gay put up 29 points and 10 rebounds for the Raptors before fouling out in the final stages. DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry had 22 and 16 points, respectively, in the loss, with Jonas Valanciunas notching a double-double of 10 points and 13 rebounds.

Final Score: Denver 100, Utah 81

Salt Lake City, UT (SportsNetwork.com) - Chalk up another loss for the Utah Jazz. Ty Lawson and Kenneth Faried each recorded double-doubles as the Denver Nuggets kept the Jazz winless on the season with a 100-81 victory at EnergySolutions Arena. The Jazz actually led by one point early in the fourth quarter before going ice-cold down the stretch. Their 0-8 start is their worst since dropping the first 11 games of their inaugural 1974-75 campaign in New Orleans. Lawson totaled 17 points and 10 assists and Faried added 15 points and 13 rebounds for the Nuggets, who scored 30 points in the final frame and limited the Jazz to 13 to win their second game of the season. Gordon Hayward scored a game-high 22 points but had just four after halftime for Utah, which got a 21-point, 13-rebound effort out of Derrick Favors.

Final Score: Portland 109, Detroit 103

Portland, OR (SportsNetwork.com) - Damian Lillard scored 25 points while LaMarcus Aldridge and Robin Lopez each posted double-doubles in the Portland Trail Blazers' 109-103 win over the Detroit Pistons. Aldridge logged 18 points and 12 rebounds and Lopez added 17 and 10 for the Blazers, who shot 51 percent from the field en route to their third straight win. Mo Williams came off the bench and donated 17 points to the winning cause. Brandon Jennings fueled a late comeback and led all scorers with 28 points, but it wasn't enough as Detroit dropped its third in a row. Andre Drummond chipped in 16 points and 16 rebounds and Greg Monroe netted 19 with eight boards in defeat.

Final Score: LA Clippers 109, Minnesota 107

Los Angeles, CA (SportsNetwork.com) - Blake Griffin scored 25 points and pulled down 10 rebounds in the Los Angeles Clippers' 109-107 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves. Griffin made two free throws with 44.8 seconds remaining to give the Clippers a 109-105 lead. Nikola Pekovic responded with a layup at the other end to cut the gap to two. Griffin then missed a layup and Kevin Love grabbed the defensive rebound with 6.9 seconds left. Following a timeout, the Timberwolves had three chances to go in front. Kevin Martin missed a 16-foot jumper and Pekovic and Love were off the mark from in close. Chris Paul had 21 points and 11 assists for the Clippers, who improved to 3-0 at home this season. Jamal Crawford tallied 18 points.

November 13, 2013

Final Score: Miami 118, Milwaukee 95

Miami, FL (SportsNetwork.com) - LeBron James took the reins Tuesday and poured in 33 points as the Miami Heat pummeled the overmatched Bucks, 118-95. Perhaps spurred by Saturday's late collapse against the Celtics, James looked for his shot more often and connected on 13-of-21 from the floor. James, who did not play in the fourth quarter with Miami firmly in control, made four of the Heat's 12 3-pointers and was followed on the scoring sheet by Michael Beasley (19 points) and Mario Chalmers (15). Miami shot a scorching 58 percent from the field and limited Milwaukee to 42 percent shooting while forcing 18 turnovers. Gary Neal and John Henson scored 18 points apiece to pace the Bucks, whose starters combined for just 35 points.

LeBron James is bent on piloting the Heat
to a win streak.
(image by Lynne Sladky/AP)

Final Score: Dallas 105, Washington 95

Dallas, TX (SportsNetwork.com) - Dirk Nowitzki scored 19 points on a night he passed an NBA legend on the all-time scoring list, and the Dallas Mavericks downed the Washington Wizards, 105-95, at American Airlines Center. Nowitzki leapt over the great Jerry West for 16th place among the league's top scorers and is 82 points shy of Reggie Miller's 25,279-point total. The German sharpshooter had some help from his teammates in keeping the Mavs unbeaten in four games at home. Monta Ellis added 19 points and seven assists, Vince Carter scored 16 off the bench and Samuel Dalembert netted 15. Trevor Ariza drained five 3-pointers en route to a game-high 27 points, but the Wizards still suffered their seventh straight loss to Dallas.

Final Score: Golden State 113, Detroit 95

Oakland, CA (SportsNetwork.com) - Stephen Curry poured in 25 points and handed out eight assists, as the Golden State Warriors pounded the Detroit Pistons, 113-95, on Tuesday at Oracle Arena. David Lee and Jermaine O'Neal donated 17 points apiece, while Klay Thompson tallied 14 points for the Warriors, who snapped a two-game slide. Andre Drummond led Detroit with a 16-point, 14- rebound double-double and Greg Monroe chipped in 15 points for the Pistons, who have lost four straight.

Final Score: LA Lakers 116, New Orleans 95

Los Angeles, CA (SportsNetwork.com) - Jordan Hill scored a career-high 21 points and pulled down 11 rebounds to lead the Los Angeles Lakers in a 116-95 blowout of the New Orleans Pelicans. Nick Young donated 17 points off the bench, Pau Gasol chipped in 14 with eight rebounds and Xavier Henry and Jodie Meeks each scored 15 for the Lakers, who bounced back nicely from a humbling loss to Minnesota on Sunday. Los Angeles shot 56 percent from the field, held a commanding 53-31 rebounding advantage and led by as many as 28 to win going away. Eric Gordon paced New Orleans with 17 points and Anthony Davis checked in with 15 points despite battling foul trouble. The Pelicans have dropped the first two tests on their three-game road trip, which ends Wednesday in Utah.

Today's Highlights:

Kevin Love vs Blake Griffin:

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