The Bulls dealt the Pacers their first
loss of the season, while Kyrie Irving dropped 41 as the Cavs beat the Wiz.
Also, Miami extended its win streak to three games after defeating Charlotte in
today’s NBA action.
Uncle Drew torched the Washington Wizards fo 41 points. (image by Ned Dishman/Getty Images) |
The
Best:
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Uncle Drew
stroked the chains for 41 big ones as his Cavaliers notched their fourth win in
eleven games at the expense of the Washington Wizards. Kyrie hit 4 triples and
all 9 of his free throws in a scintillating shooting display. He also added 5 assists,
4 rebounds, and 2 steals.
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LeBron James
seems to be humming right now, dropping 30 on the hapless Cats after he sank 39
against the Mavs and 33 against the Bucks. James also handed out 7 dimes,
grabbed 4 boards, and shot 13/18 from the field. Miami is running second out
East right behind the Pacers.
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Speaking of the
Pacers, they tasted their first loss of the season at the hands of another
strong East squad – the Chicago Bulls. Luol Deng continued to impress for the
Bulls, scoring 23 points, grabbing 7 rebounds, and shooting 8/14 from the
floor, while Derrick Rose returned from sick bay to hit 6 triples on his way to
scoring a season-high 20 points.
The
Worst:
-
JR Smith contributed
heavily to New York’s loss at the hands of the Hawks. Smith connected on just 3
of his 18 field goals to finish with only 7 points in 36 minutes of play. It
was just raining bricks for the former Nugget.
-
Milwaukee really
needs to plug its big donut hole. Incumbent starter Zaza Pachulia is a
serviceable big man, but he’s just not star material. Against OKC, Zaza shot
3/13 from the floor to finish with just 7 points. He did grab 13 boards, but he
had zero blocks and 3 turnovers. That just won’t cut it.
-
It looks like
the guard spots will be troublesome for Jason Kidd. Against the Clippers, two
of his main backcourt guys, Joe Johnson and Shaun Livingston, combined to shoot
just 9/31 and 5 turnovers. In contrast, Doc Rivers’s starting backcourt – Chris
Paul and JJ Redick – paired up for 38 points on 12/26 FG shooting. CP3 and
Redick hit a combined 7 triples and had just 2 turnovers total.
Final
Score: Miami 97, Charlotte 81
Charlotte, NC (SportsNetwork.com) -
LeBron James poured in 30 points in just 32 minutes to lead the way in the
Miami Heat's near wire-to-wire 97-81 victory over the Charlotte Bobcats at Time
Warner Cable Arena. James knocked down 13-of-18 shot attempts and added seven
assists in his efficient outing, with Michael Beasley contributing 15 points
off the bench to Miami's third straight win and sixth in seven games following
a 1-2 start. Charlotte returned home off impressive road decisions over Boston
and Cleveland, but was dealt a 13th consecutive defeat to the reigning world
champions despite Kemba Walker's 22 points. Jeff Taylor scored 14 points in the
loss, while Gerald Henderson posted 13 along with seven rebounds.
Final
Score: Dallas 108, Orlando 100
Orlando, FL (SportsNetwork.com) - Monta
Ellis scored a team-high 19 points with eight assists while Dirk Nowitzki added
18 points and the Dallas Mavericks defeated the Orlando Magic, 108-100, at
Amway Center. Dallas led 100-91 with 3:11 remaining in the game after Jose
Calderon drove the near sideline and whipped it back to Nowitzki, who buried a
triple from the wing to give the Mavericks enough cushion to hold off the
Magic. Arron Afflalo continued his hot shooting for Orlando, leading all
scorers with 25 points going 13-of-14 from the charity stripe. Nikola Vucevic
added 16 points and eight rebounds in the loss. Calderon finished with 11
points and nine helpers while DeJuan Blair netted 18 points off the bench for
Dallas, who will head home to begin a three-game home stand on Monday against
the Philadelphia 76ers.
Final
Score: Cleveland 103, Washington 96 (OT)
Washington, DC (SportsNetwork.com) -
Kyrie Irving tied a career-high with 41 points as the Cleveland Cavaliers held
off the Washington Wizards, 103-96, in overtime. Irving, who scored 18 of his
points in the fourth quarter and overtime, was 14-for-28 from the field with
four rebounds and five assists. Tristan Thompson added 15 points and 12
rebounds and Jarrett Jack added 13 points off the bench for the Cavaliers, who
had dropped five of their last six games entering the contest. Bradley Beal
scored 28 points, Nene added 24 and Marcin Gortat finished with 12 points and
11 rebounds for the Wizards, losers in four straight. John Wall dished out 12
assists, but finished with just nine points on 3-of-13 shooting.
Final
Score: Atlanta 110, New York 90
New York, NY (SportsNetwork.com) - Jeff
Teague was one of eight Hawks in double figures with 16 points as Atlanta
routed the New York Knicks, 110-90, on Saturday night. Kyle Korver netted 15
points, Paul Millsap had 14 points and 13 rebounds, Al Horford and Shelvin Mack
each poured in 12, Mike Scott chipped in 11 and DeMarre Carroll and Gutavo Ayon
eached added 10 for Atlanta, which has won four of its last five games. Carmelo
Anthony registered 23 points and 12 boards for the Knicks, who have dropped six
of their last eight tilts.
Final
Score: Chicago 110, Indiana 94
Chicago, IL (SportsNetwork.com) - Luol
Deng led seven Chicago players in double figures with 23 points, and the Bulls
handed the Indiana Pacers their first loss of the season with an impressive
110-94 verdict at the United Center. Indiana hadn't allowed less than 91 points
in getting off to a 9-0 start, but the Bulls shot 50.6 percent from the field
and went a scorching 11-of-19 from 3-point range en route to their fourth
consecutive victory following a 1-3 beginning to the campaign. Derrick Rose,
back from a mild hamstring injury that kept him out of Friday's clash with
Toronto, knocked down 6-of-11 attempts from beyond the arc as part of a 20-point
effort. The Bulls also received 15 and 13 points, respectively, from reserves
Taj Gibson and Kirk Hinrich while dominating the Pacers from virtually
start-to-finish. The Bulls also held Indiana star Paul George to a season-low
12 points on 3- of-14 shooting and led by as many as 33 points in the rout. Roy
Hibbert topped the Pacers with 14 points and 10 rebounds, with David West and
Chris Copeland finishing with 13 points in the loss.
Derrick Rose drained 6 triples as Chicago handed Indiana loss #1. (image by Kamil Krzaczynski/Getty Images) |
Final
Score: Houston 122, Denver 111
Houston, TX (SportsNetwork.com) -
Dwight Howard led seven Houston players in double figures with 25 points to
boost the Rockets to a 122-111 wire-to-wire win over the Denver Nuggets on
Saturday. Chandler Parsons added 20 points, James Harden scored 17 and Terrence
Jones finished with 14 points and 12 rebounds for the Rockets, winners in three
of their last four games. Jeremy Lin scored 16 points while Donatas Motiejunas
and Patrick Beverley finished with 12 and 11 points, respectively, in the win.
Ty Lawson posted game-highs of 28 points and 17 assists, but it wasn't enough
for the Nuggets, who had won three straight entering the contest.
Final
Score: Minnesota 106, Boston 88
Minneapolis, MN (SportsNetwork.com) -
Kevin Love and Nikola Pekovic each posted double-doubles to power the Minnesota
Timberwolves to a 106-88 rout of the Boston Celtics. Love had 23 points and
Pekovic 20 with each player pulling down 12 boards. Kevin Martin contributed 20
points for the Timberwolves, who beat the Celtics for the second straight time
after 11 straight defeats to Boston. Avery Bradley scored 27 and Vitor Faverani
had nine points and 14 rebounds for the Celtics, losers of three in a row.
Final
Score: New Orleans 135, Philadelphia 98
New Orleans, LA (SportsNetwork.com) -
Ryan Anderson had a game-high 26 points on 6-of-10 shooting from beyond the arc
in his season debut as the New Orleans Pelicans routed the Philadelphia 76ers,
135-98, at New Orleans Arena Anthony Davis had a near triple-double with 13
points, nine rebounds and eight blocks, while former Sixer Jrue Holiday netted
14 points with 12 assists. New Orleans ended the first quarter on a 20-7 run,
spurred by Anderson, who had 10 straight points in a 2 1/2 minute span toward
the end of the frame. Anderson missed the Pelicans' first nine games due to a
broken toe in his right foot. Darius Morris led the Sixers with 20 points and
Tony Wroten, who started in place of injured rookie Michael Carter-Williams for
the third straight game, added 19 points. Carter-Williams is nursing a bruised
arch in his left foot.
Final
Score: Oklahoma City 92, Milwaukee 79
Milwaukee, WI (SportsNetwork.com) -
Russell Westbrook had 26 points and Kevin Durant added 24 as the Oklahoma City
Thunder defeated the Milwaukee Bucks, 92-79, on Saturday night. Serge Ibaka
tallied 15 points and 20 rebounds for the Thunder, who snapped a brief two-game
slide on the heels of a four-game winning streak. O.J. Mayo netted 22 points to
lead Milwaukee, which has dropped five in a row.
Final
Score: Golden State 102, Utah 88
Oakland, CA (SportsNetwork.com) - Klay
Thompson led six Golden State players in double figures with 25 points as the
Warriors cruised to a 102-88 win over the Utah Jazz on Saturday. Andre Iguodala
added 16 points, Stephen Curry had 15 points and 11 assists and Andrew Bogut
scored 12 points and pulled down 11 rebounds for the Warriors, winners in three
straight. David Lee and Harrison Barnes finished with 13 and 11 points,
respectively, in the win. Derrick Favors had 17 points and seven rebounds while
Gordon Hayward and Marvin Williams finished with 14 points apiece for the Jazz,
who fell to an NBA-worst 1-10.
Final
Score: LA Clippers 110, Brooklyn 103
Los Angeles, CA (SportsNetwork.com) -
Blake Griffin had 30 points and 12 rebounds, and the Los Angeles Clippers
topped a depleted Brooklyn Nets squad, 110-103 at Staples Center. JJ Redick
added 26 points, and Chris Paul contributed 12 points, 13 assists and seven
rebounds. DeAndre Jordan had 16 rebounds, nine points and five blocks for the
Clippers, who won their fourth in a row. Saturday night was supposed to mark a
reunion for Nets starters Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett, along with current
Clippers coach Doc Rivers. Rivers was the Boston Celtics head coach from
2004-13, coaching Pierce for all nine seasons Rivers was with the franchise and
Garnett for six seasons. The trio helped lead the Celtics to the 2008 NBA
title. Pierce and Garnett didn't play the finale of Brooklyn's three-game road
trip, a night after an overtime win at Phoenix. Pierce is nursing a sore left
groin. The Nets were also without starters Deron Williams and Brook Lopez due
to sprained left ankles, but nearly pulled out a win. The downfall was 11
turnovers, leading to 25 Los Angeles points. Andray Blatche and Mason Plumlee
each scored 19 for the Nets, who lost for the fourth time in five games.
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