Chicago kept
Utah winless, Indiana remained undefeated, Anthony Davis had a career game,
Kevin Love and Kevin Durant dropped a huge numbers, and many more happened in
yesterday’s NBA action.
The Best:
- Kevin Love was nothing short of awesome against the Dallas Mavericks. The former Bruin scored 32 points on the strength of 12/21 FG shooting to lead his T-Wolves past the 2011 champs. Love also grabbed 15 rebounds, dished out 8 assists, and hit 3 treys in a near-triple-double performance.
- Kevin Durant also did mightily as the Oklahoma City Thunder reeled in win #4, beating the Detroit Pistons, 119-110. Durant scored a season-high 37 points on top of 8 rebounds, 7 assists, 3 steals, and 1 block. KD also shot 9/15 from the field and 17/19 from the line.
- If one needs any more proof that last season’s top pick will be a future superstar, then he need not look any further than the Pelicans’ game against the Lakers yesterday. Anthony Davis dropped a career-high 32 points on Los Angeles as New Orleans went up to .500. The Unibrow also hauled down 12 rebounds, had 3 assists, got 1 steal, and blocked SIX shots for the second time this season. Davis has blocked at least three shots in each of his first six games this season. #DPOYCandidate
 |
| Kevin Love dominated Dallas's frontline last night. (image by Jim Mone/AP) |
The Worst:
- Jodi Meeks crashed back to earth after he waxed hot in the Lakers’ upset win over the Rockets. This time around, Meeks produced just 11 points in 42 minutes of action as he was shadowed by the Pelicans’ perimeter defense for the entire game.
- Marcus Thornton struggled against the Blazers. Thornton made just 2/11 field goals to finish with 5 points in 40 minutes of play. His Kings are now 1-4 for the season.
- GSW sniper Klay Thompson was caught by the law of averages against San Antonio. Thompson, who has been on fire to start the season up till this point, shot just 5/16 from the floor, including 1/5 from long distance. He finished with 11 points and 3 turnovers in 39 minutes.
Final Score: New York 101, Charlotte 91
Charlotte,
NC (SportsNetwork.com) - It wasn't the head coaching debut Patrick Ewing
envisioned himself being thrust into. Carmelo Anthony had 28 points, eight
rebounds and six assists, while Andrea Bargnani added 25 points and eight
boards as the New York Knicks downed the Charlotte Bobcats, 101-91. Ewing, the
former star center who spent 15 seasons with the Knicks, filled in as
Charlotte's head coach Steve Clifford had two stents placed in his heart during
a procedure Friday after suffering chest pains during a dinner, the team said.
Clifford was admitted to the hospital Thursday night and underwent testing on
Friday morning, leading doctors to conclude he needed the procedure. The
Bobcats said Clifford was "resting comfortably" and would re-join the
team soon. Raymond Felton added 15 points and five assists for the Knicks, who
snapped a three-game slide. Kemba Walker registered 25 points and five assists
for Charlotte, which had won three of its last four tilts coming in.
Final Score: Indiana 91, Toronto 84
Indianapolis,
IN (SportsNetwork.com) - Paul George had 23 points, eight rebounds and six
assists, and the Indiana Pacers started 6-0 for just the second time in
franchise history with a 91-84 win over the Toronto Raptors at Bankers Life
Fieldhouse. Roy Hibbert scored 20 points for the Pacers and George Hill added
14 in his return to the Indiana lineup. Indiana used a 10-0 run coming out of
the break to take an eight-point lead over the Raptors, outscoring them 28-13
in the third quarter. George scored five of those points during the run,
including a 3-pointer that gave Indiana a 54-46 lead. He later hit another trey
at the buzzer to end the third as Indiana held a 72-59 advantage before a
fourth-quarter surge from Toronto made it as close as six in the fourth
quarter. Toronto's Rudy Gay led all scorers with 30 points in the loss.
Final Score: Boston 91, Orlando 89
Orlando, FL
(SportsNetwork.com) - Brandon Bass scored 16 points and the Boston Celtics beat
the Orlando Magic for the ninth straight time with a 91-89 win on Friday night.
Avery Bradley had 14 points and Jordan Crawford and Courtney Lee both scored 13
for the Celtics, who have won back-to-back games after starting the season 0-4.
Arron Afflalo had a game-high 23 points for the Magic, who had a three-game
winning streak snapped -- their longest since Dec. 14-19. Nikola Vucevic had 12
points in the first quarter but scored just two after that. He finished with a
game-best 13 rebounds. Afflalo's foot was on the 3-point line on a jumper he
banked in from the left corner with 4.6 seconds left to get the Magic within
90-89. Bradley missed one of his free throws at the other end, but Orlando's
Victor Oladipo was stopped near midcourt and his desperation shot at the buzzer
hit off the backboard. The Magic's last win against the Celtics came on
Christmas in 2010. They will get their next chance to end the streak soon --
the teams play in Boston on Monday night.
Final Score: Philadelphia 94, Cleveland 79
Philadelphia,
PA (SportsNetwork.com) - Evan Turner scored 22 points to go with 10 rebounds
and five assists to lead the Philadelphia 76ers to a 94-79 win over the
Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday. Tony Wroten contributed a career-high 18 points
off the bench for the Sixers, who snapped a two-game losing skid. Thaddeus
Young had 16 points and James Anderson and Michael Carter-Williams both netted
11 points, with Carter-Williams also going for nine rebounds and six assists.
Tristan Thompson scored 13 points and collected 16 rebounds -- nine offensive
-- for the Cavaliers. Center Andrew Bynum play nearly 18 minutes and scored
four points with five rebounds to a chorus of boos from the Philadelphia crowd.
Bynum sat out the entire 2012-13 season with knee problems after joining the
Sixers in a four-team swap. The 7-footer rehabbed and signed a two-year deal
with Cleveland this past offseason. Dion Waiters paced the Cavs with 18 points,
and Jarrett Jack and C.J. Miles had 13 points apiece.
Final Score: Washington 112, Brooklyn 108 (OT)
Washington,
DC (SportsNetwork.com) - Trevor Ariza made a go-ahead 3-pointer with 40.9
seconds left in overtime, helping the Washington Wizards beat the Brooklyn
Nets, 112-108, on Friday. Ariza ended with five points and three steals for the
Wizards, who have won two in a row after starting the season 0-3. Bradley Beal
had 29 points, Nene tallied 20 points and John Wall donated 17 points and 14
assists. Brook Lopez finished with 23 points for the Nets, who fell to 2-3 on
the young season. Joe Johnson and Deron Williams tallied 16 and 14 points,
respectively. Nene scored 12 of his 20 points in the final 4 1/2 minutes of the
fourth quarter. Trailing 92-81, Nene led the Wizards on an 18-7 run. His
putback with 1.2 seconds to play sent the game to overtime.
Final Score: Oklahoma City 119, Detroit 110
Auburn
Hills, MI (SportsNetwork.com) - Kevin Durant poured in a game-high 37 points to
go with eight rebounds and seven assists in the Oklahoma City Thunder's 119-110
win over the Detroit Pistons at the Palace at Auburn Hills. Russell Westbrook added
20 points despite a dismal 5-for-19 shooting, while rookie Steven Adams notched
his first career double-double with 17 points and 10 rebounds for the Thunder,
winners in three straight. Josh Smith scored 25 points and Greg Monroe finished
with 20 points and 15 rebounds -- 10 of which came off the offensive glass --
for the Pistons, losers in three of their last four games. Brandon Jennings
added 22 points and 11 assists.
Final Score: Chicago 97, Utah 73
Chicago, IL
(SportsNetwork.com) - Luol Deng filled the stat sheet with 19 points, 11
rebounds, nine assists and five steals as the Chicago Bulls routed the Utah
Jazz, 97-73, on Friday. Carlos Boozer added 18 points and 10 boards, while
Derrick Rose chipped in 12 points and five assists for Chicago, which had lost
three of its first four tilts to begin the campaign. Joakim Noah registered 14
points and eight rebounds in the victory. Gordon Hayward tallied 15 points, six
rebounds and five helpers for the Jazz, who are the only remaining winless team
in the NBA. Derrick Favors netted 10 points to go with nine boards in defeat.
The Jazz shot just 29.4 percent (25-of-85) from the floor.
Final Score: Minnesota 116, Dallas 108
Minneapolis,
MN (SportsNetwork.com) - Kevin Love and Kevin Martin both scored 32 points in
leading the Minnesota Timberwolves to a 116-108 win over the Dallas Mavericks
at Target Center. Love flirted with a triple-double, adding 15 rebounds and
eight assists marking the second time this season he has recorded at least 30
points, 15 rebounds, and five assists. Corey Brewer contributed 17 points for
the Timberwolves, who snapped a two-game slide. Monta Ellis scored 23 points on
9-of-24 shooting and Jose Calderon finished with 21 points and seven helpers in
the loss, the Mavs' second in a row.
Final Score: New Orleans 96, LA Lakers 85
New Orleans,
LA (SportsNetwork.com) - Anthony Davis scored a career-high 32 points and the
New Orleans Pelicans stopped an 11-game regular season losing streak to the Los
Angeles Lakers with a 96-85 win on Friday night. Davis scored seven points
during a 12-0 run late in the first quarter that cemented New Orleans' first
win over the Lakers since March 29, 2010. The former No. 1 pick had 12 rebounds
and tied a career-high with six blocks as the Pelicans won their second game in
a row for the first time this season. Eric Gordon chipped in 16 points, Jason
Smith scored 14 and Jrue Holiday had 13 points and 13 assists.
 |
| Anthony Davis's sophomore season is shaping up to be a memorable one. (image by Derick E. Hingle/USA Today) |
Final Score: San Antonio 76, Golden State 74
San Antonio,
TX (SportsNetwork.com) - Tony Parker scored the final seven points for the
Spurs as San Antonio narrowly got past the short-handed Golden State Warriors,
76-74, on Friday. Patty Mills' triple with 8:23 in the fourth put San Antonio
ahead 69-62, but no Spur other than Parker scored the rest of the way. The
veteran point guard knocked down three jumpers over the next 5:09 but made just
1-of-4 from the foul line late to give the Warriors a chance. Klay Thompson hit
a corner three and David Lee rolled to the basket for a layup with 3:57 left to
bring Golden State within two. The lead stayed at two late when Tiago Splitter
grabbed the offensive rebound off Kawhi Leonard's 3-point miss. Splitter got
the ball to Parker, who was fouled immediately, but he missed a pair at the
line with 16.4 seconds remaining. The final inbounds pass went to Andre
Iguodala at the top of the key. Iguodala penetrated and got off a leaner, but
it rimmed out and the Spurs survived. The Warriors were without star point
guard Steph Curry, who missed the contest with a bone bruise in his ankle.
Toney Douglas played nearly 28 minutes in his absence, netting a game-high 21
points on 8-of-14 from the floor and 5-of-9 from behind the arc. Lee added 13
points and 10 rebounds. Parker and Leonard were the lone Spurs in double
figures with 18 and 13 points, respectively.
Final Score: Phoenix 114, Denver 103
Phoenix, AZ
(SportsNetwork.com) - Markieff Morris had 28 points and 10 rebounds as the
Phoenix Suns beat the Denver Nuggets, 114-103, at US Airways Center. Miles
Plumlee added 18 points and 11 boards, while Eric Bledsoe chipped in 17 points
and nine assists for the Suns, who moved to 4-2 on the young season. Ty Lawson
netted 29 points to lead Denver, which fell to 1-4 on the campaign. Jordan
Hamilton tallied 19 points and nine rebounds, while Anthony Randolph scored 14
points off the bench in defeat.
Final Score: Portland 104, Sacramento 91
Portland, OR
(SportsNetwork.com) - Damian Lillard led six Trail Blazers in double figures
and filled the stat sheet with 22 points, eight rebounds and seven assists as
Portland bested the Sacramento Kings, 104-91, on Friday at Moda Center.
LaMarcus Aldridge and Wesley Matthews deposited 20 and 18 points, respectively,
and Nicolas Batum tallied 14 points, seven boards and eight assists. Portland
has won three of its last four on the heels of an opening night loss in
Phoenix. DeMarcus Cousins shot 13-of-25 from the field en route to a
season-high 35 points. He also grabbed nine boards and had four steals in the
losing effort.
Highlights:
0 Comment