National Basketball Association Game Capsules
Indianapolis, IN (SportsNetwork.com) – Paul George had a triple-double with 10 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists and the Indiana Pacers defeated the Chicago Bulls, 91-79, on Friday night. Roy Hibbert supplied 12 points and 11 boards, while Lance Stephenson added 15 points for Indiana, which has won five of its last six games. D.J. Augustin and Jimmy Butler netted 17 points apiece and Joakim Noah provided 12 points, 13 rebounds, six assists and four steals for the Bulls, who have dropped two of their last three.
Final Score: New York 93, Philadelphia 92
Philadelphia, PA (SportsNetwork.com) – Armed with a 15-point lead with just over four minutes remaining against a team that’s lost 22 straight games, Knicks coach Mike Woodson pulled his starters. It nearly cost New York the game. The result though was the Knicks won their eighth straight contest and sent Philadelphia to its 23rd consecutive defeat, 93-92, at Wells Fargo Center. Amare Stoudemire scored 22 points and pulled down 10 rebounds, and Carmelo Anthony tallied 21 points for the Knicks. Michael Carter-Williams had 22 points, 13 rebounds and nine assists for the Sixers, who nearly tied the game in the final seconds. Anthony went 1-of-2 from the foul line with 7.3 seconds left. Carter-Williams raced up the court, but his shot from the top of the arc caromed off the backboard and rim. Thaddeus Young was credited for the putback hoop at the buzzer, but the Sixers extended their franchise-record skid and fell for the 18th straight time at home. The Sixers are now three games shy of the NBA record skid of 26, held by the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2010-11 season. Philadelphia faces Chicago, San Antonio and Houston, all on the road, in its next three contests before returning home for a March 29 game against Detroit, when the Sixers could possibly break the league mark for futility.
Final Score: Oklahoma City 119, Toronto 118 (2-OT)
Toronto, ON (SportsNetwork.com) – Kevin Durant poured in 51 points, including the game-winning 3-pointer with 1.7 seconds left, to lift the Oklahoma City Thunder past the Toronto Raptors, 119-118, in double-overtime. Durant took an inbounds pass and nearly lost control of the ball but recovered, took two dribbles and buried the go-ahead basket. DeMar DeRozan’s heave at the buzzer didn’t draw iron and the Thunder held on for their fifth win in six tries. Durant finished 7-of-12 from 3-point range and also had 12 rebounds and seven assists. Reggie Jackson added 25 points and 12 rebounds and Serge Ibaka had 13 points in the win.
Final Score: New Orleans 111, Atlanta 105
Atlanta, GA (SportsNetwork.com) – Anthony Davis returned from a one-game absence to score 34 points with 11 rebounds and lead the New Orleans Pelicans to a 111-105 win over the Atlanta Hawks. Davis missed Wednesday’s loss at home to the Toronto Raptors with an upper respiratory infection but returned on Friday to help the Pelicans to their sixth win in the last eight against Atlanta. Tyreke Evans tallied 21 points with four steals and four assists, Brian Roberts contributed 16 points and Luke Babbitt added 11 points in the win. Jeff Teague scored 26 points to go along with eight assists for the Hawks, who had their five-game winning streak snapped. Paul Millsap deposited 20 points, Shelvin Mack had 18 and Pero Antic added 14 in the setback.
Final Score: Brooklyn 114, Boston 98
Brooklyn, NY (SportsNetwork.com) – Joe Johnson scored 27 points and Mason Plumlee added 18 to lead the Brooklyn Nets to a 114-98 win over the Boston Celtics. Paul Pierce added 14 points against his former club, while Andray Blatche and Jorge Gutierrez added 10 points apiece for the Nets, who have won 11 straight games at home. It is Brooklyn’s longest home winning streak since 2005-06. Nets center Brook Lopez underwent successful left ankle surgery on March 3, general manager Billy King announced on Friday. The procedure, performed by Nets’ foot and ankle specialist Dr. Martin O’Malley, included tightening the lateral ankle ligaments, as well as repairing a torn tendon. Avery Bradley scored a game-high 28 points and Jeff Green added 16 for the Celtics, losers in six of their last seven.
Final Score: Miami 91, Memphis 86
Miami, FL (SportsNetwork.com) – LeBron James had 15 points, seven assists and six rebounds and the Miami Heat defeated the Memphis Grizzlies, 91-86, on Friday night. The Heat closed the game on a 14-2 run. James, who sat out Wednesday’s loss to the Boston Celtics due to back spasms, finished 7-of-14 from the field. Ray Allen netted 18 points off the bench, while Dwyane Wade netted eight of his 14 in the final frame for Miami, which has won three of its last four but are still just 4-6 over its last 10. Zach Randolph tallied 25 points and 14 rebounds to lead the Grizzlies, who had won six of their last seven contests coming in.
Final Score: Dallas 122, Denver 106
Dallas, TX (SportsNetwork.com) – Monta Ellis scored 14 of his 26 points in the final quarter and dished out seven assists, and the Dallas Mavericks used a late burst to pull away for a 122-106 win over the Denver Nuggets. Ellis went 6-for-6 from the field in the fourth quarter, as Dallas, which shot 14-of-19 in the period, beat Denver for the first time in four meetings this season. Dirk Nowitzki tallied 21 points for the Mavericks, who are in a fight with Memphis and Phoenix for the final two playoff spots in the West. Dallas is seventh in the conference, a game in front of the Grizzlies. Shawn Marion scored 14, while Vince Carter and Brandan Wright each added 13 for the winners. Jae Crowder scored 12 for the Mavs, who have won four of their last five games. Ty Lawson had 17 points and nine assists, but also committed seven of Denver’s 16 turnovers. J.J. Hickson scored 18 to pace the Nuggets, who had won four of their previous five contests.
Final Score: Phoenix 98, Detroit 92
Phoenix, AZ (SportsNetwork.com) – Eric Bledsoe scored 23 points and Goran Dragic dropped in 20 in the Phoenix Suns’ 98-92 victory over the Detroit Pistons at US Airways Center. The backcourt duo combined to shoot 14-of-28 from the field and added five assists each in the Suns’ fourth win in five outings, which moved Phoenix within a half-game of Memphis for the eighth playoff seed in the Western Conference. Detroit, meanwhile, dropped its fourth straight contest and 12th in a row on the road, the franchise’s longest skid since a 12-game drought from Jan. 5-Mar. 5, 1993. Rodney Stuckey put up 23 points for the Pistons, with Josh Smith and Andre Drummond each posting double-doubles in defeat. Smith finished with 15 points and 10 rebounds, while Drummond pulled down 16 boards along with 13 points.
Final Score: San Antonio 99, Sacramento 79
Sacramento, CA (SportsNetwork.com) – Marco Belinelli scored 17 points as the San Antonio Spurs extended their winning streak to 12 games with a 99-79 victory over the Sacramento Kings. The 12-game winning streak is the first by San Antonio since Nov. 1-24, 2010. The Spurs also pushed their winning streak over the Kings to nine games overall and 11 straight in Sacramento. They have won 30 of the last 33 in the series. Kawhi Leonard tallied 15 points, Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker each notched 14 points and Tiago Splitter contributed an 11-point, 11-rebound double-double in the win. Tim Duncan added 10 points with nine rebounds and six assists for the Spurs. Isaiah Thomas paced the Kings with 18 points despite shooting 7-of-17 from the field. DeMarcus Cousins registered 15 points with 13 boards and Rudy Gay chipped in 14 points in the setback, Sacramento’s sixth in its last eight games.
Final Score: Washington 117, LA Lakers 107
Los Angeles, CA (SportsNetwork.com) – John Wall led seven Washington scorers in double figures with 28 points and added 14 assists, as the Washington Wizards downed the Los Angeles Lakers, 117-107, on Friday at Staples Center. Bradley Beal scored 18, Marcin Gortat tallied 13 points and 13 rebounds, and Drew Gooden gave 11 points and 11 boards for the Wizards, who snapped a two- game slide. Al Harrington registered 15 points, Trevor Ariza added 12 points and Trevor Booker recorded 10 points in the triumph. Nick Young returned from an 11-game absence and matched Jodie Meeks with a team-high 21 points, while Pau Gasol supplied 14 points and 14 rebounds for the Lakers, who also saw star point guard Steve Nash return to the lineup. Nash, who had been sidelined since Feb. 11, finished with five points and 11 assists in the setback, LA’s fourth in a row and seventh in its last eight games.
Categorized in: NBA