National Basketball Association Game Capsules
Philadelphia, PA (SportsNetwork.com) – Rejoice, Philadelphia! Rejoice! At least breathe a sigh of relief. The 76ers used a hot-shooting performance and all-around team effort to avoid setting the record for longest losing streak in major American professional sports. Thaddeus Young and Michael Carter-Williams each scored 21 points to help the Sixers to a 123-98 rout of the Detroit Pistons on Saturday night, snapping their NBA record-tying 26- game losing streak. It was their first win in 59 days since edging Boston on a buzzer-beater 95-94 on Jan. 29. The Sixers also snapped a franchise-record 18-game losing home streak at the Well Fargo Center, where they last won Jan. 15 against Charlotte. The Cleveland Cavaliers set the NBA record with 26 straight losses in 2010-11 — the last coming to the Pistons. It’s tied for the longest losing streak in the four major sports. The NFL’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers also lost 26 straight from Sept. 12, 1976-Dec. 4, 1977. Henry Sims posted 16 points with seven rebounds and Hollis Thompson added 14 points on 4-of-4 shooting from beyond the arc in the win. Greg Monroe deposited a 20- point, 10-rebound double-double in Detroit’s 18th loss in its last 22 contests. Rodney Stuckey tallied 17 points and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope scored 16 in the setback.
Final Score: LA Clippers 118, Houston 107
Houston, TX (SportsNetwork.com) – Chris Paul and DeAndre Jordan both had big nights and the Los Angeles Clippers continued to have the Houston Rockets’ number in a marquee matchup that wound up losing some of its star power. Paul tallied 30 points and 12 assists and Jordan racked up 20 points, 12 rebounds and six blocks in the Clippers’ 118-107 verdict at the Toyota Center, enabling Los Angeles to complete a season sweep of the Rockets despite having All-Star forward Blake Griffin exit midway through the first quarter with back spasms. Reserve forward Glen Davis also wasn’t around by the conclusion of the contest, having been escorted to the locker room in the first half following a confrontation with Clippers head coach Doc Rivers. Jamal Crawford helped offset those losses by dropping in 22 points off the bench, with Matt Barnes contributing 15 points and 10 boards to Los Angeles’ 15th victory in 17 games. Houston was playing rather shorthanded as well, with star center Dwight Howard and starting point guard Patrick Beverley both unavailable due to a sprained ankle and knee injury, respectively. James Harden scored 32 points and Chandler Parsons netted 28 along with nine rebounds, but the Rockets still had a five-game win streak halted and fell two behind the Pacific Division-leading Clippers for third place in the West.
Final Score: Washington 101, Atlanta 97
Washington, DC (SportsNetwork.com) – John Wall poured in 25 points, grabbed seven rebounds and dished out six assists to lead the Washington Wizards to a 101-97 victory over the Atlanta Hawks. Drew Gooden scored 16 points, with the biggest two coming in the final 10 seconds as he nailed a pair from the line to stake the Wizards to a four-point lead which they rode to the finish. Bradley Beal tallied 14 points, six boards and five assists for the Wizards, who won the season series against the Hawks for the first time since the 2006-07 season. Trevor Ariza and Marcin Gortat scored 13 and 12 points, respectively, with Gortat adding 11 rebounds. Andre Miller chipped in 10 points off the bench. Jeff Teague netted 19 points and Paul Millsap added 17 and five assists for the Hawks, who have lost six straight and fell to 1 1/2 games ahead of the New York Knicks for the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference. Cartier Martin and Pero Antic added 13 points apiece, while Louis Williams put through 12 points off the bench in defeat.
Final Score: Dallas 103, Sacramento 100
Dallas, TX (SportsNetwork.com) – Dirk Nowitzki had 19 points, seven rebounds and seven assists to lead the Dallas Mavericks to a 103-100 win over the Sacramento Kings. Monta Ellis added 17 points, Samuel Dalembert scored 15 and Shawn Marion finished with 14 for the Mavericks, winners in two of their last three games. With the win, Dallas is tied with the Memphis Grizzlies for the final playoff spot in the Western Conference. The Grizzlies, however, have 10 games remaining, while the Mavs have just eight. Rudy Gay poured in a game-high 30 points and DeMarcus Cousins added 17 points, seven rebounds and five assists for the Kings, losers in three straight. Reggie Evans scored six points and pulled down 18 rebounds in the setback.
Final Score: Miami 88, Milwaukee 67
Milwaukee, WI (SportsNetwork.com) – Chris Bosh had 14 points, LeBron James scored 13 and the Miami Heat — shorthanded again — rolled to an 88-67 win over the Milwaukee Bucks on Saturday night. Toney Douglas and Rashard Lewis also scored 13 for the Heat, who have won back-to-back games to end a three- game road trip after falling to Indiana on Wednesday. They moved within 1 1/2 games of the idle Pacers for the best record in the Eastern Conference despite playing without Dwyane Wade (hamstring), Mario Chalmers (bruised quad), Greg Oden (back spasms) and Ray Allen (flu) for the second game in a row. Ramon Sessions scored 15 to lead the Bucks, who were coming off a win over the Lakers on Thursday to snap an eight-game losing streak.
Final Score: San Antonio 96, New Orleans 80
San Antonio, TX (SportsNetwork.com) – Marco Belinelli scored 18 points on 4- of-5 shooting from beyond the arc and the San Antonio Spurs won their 17th consecutive game with a 96-80 decision over the New Orleans Pelicans on Saturday. The franchise also won 17 games in a row from Feb. 29-March 31, 1996. Manu Ginobili and Kawhi Leonard each scored 15 points with five rebounds for San Antonio, while Austin Daye added 13 points in the win. Brian Roberts paced New Orleans with 18 points off the bench. Austin Rivers recorded 16 points in a reserve role and Tyreke Evans added 11 points for the Pelicans, who had their five-game winning streak snapped.
Categorized in: NBA