National Basketball Association Game Capsules

Atlanta, GA (SportsNetwork.com) – After two straight wins, the playoff-hopeful Atlanta Hawks tripped up and dropped a 102-95 home decision to the short- handed Detroit Pistons on Tuesday. The Hawks, who entered the contest two games up on the idle Knicks for the eighth and final spot in the Eastern Conference playoff race, trailed for most of the contest and lost to the slumping Pistons despite former Atlanta All- Star forward Josh Smith sitting out. Smith missed the tilt with knee tendinitis. Andre Drummond and Greg Monroe recorded double-doubles in Smith’s absence, while Rodney Stuckey took advantage of a rare start and poured in a game-high 29 points. Drummond went for 19 points and 17 rebounds and Monroe had 21 points and 13 boards. The Pistons, who are 20 games below .500, won on the road for just the 12th time this season. Paul Millsap led five Hawks in double figures with 24 points and 12 rebounds. Jeff Teague posted 15 points and nine assists and Kyle Korver hit four 3-pointers, including the 1,500th of his career, en route to 12 points.

Final Score: Miami 88, Brooklyn 87

Miami, FL (SportsNetwork.com) – LeBron James had the ball in his hands, but was unable to muscle past Mason Plumlee at the rim. The rookie forward roared exuberantly, while James watched in disbelief looking for a foul. Plumlee’s game-saving block helped the Brooklyn Nets edge the Miami Heat, 88-87, on Tuesday night to finish off their first season sweep of the two-time defending champs in 11 years. The Nets are the only NBA team the Heat have not beaten this season.

Final Score: Minnesota 110, San Antonio 91

Minneapolis, MN (SportsNetwork.com) – Ricky Rubio netted 23 points with seven assists to help the Minnesota Timberwolves to a 110-91 win over the San Antonio Spurs on Tuesday. Kevin Love finished with 19 points and 12 rebounds, Corey Brewer had 14 points and Gorgui Dieng posted 12 points with 15 rebounds for Minnesota, which has won three of its last four. San Antonio, which was without Tony Parker because of a back injury, was paced by 13 points apiece from Boris Diaw and Corey Joseph. Kawhi Leonard and Tim Duncan scored 11 and 10 points, respectively, for the Spurs, who could have clinched home-court advantage throughout the playoffs with a win and an Oklahoma City loss on Tuesday.

Final Score: Dallas 95, Utah 83

Salt Lake City, UT (SportsNetwork.com) – Dirk Nowitzki tallied 21 points and six rebounds to lead the Dallas Mavericks to a 95-83 win over the Utah Jazz on Tuesday. Nowitzki moved past Oscar Robertson into sole possession of 10th place on the NBA’s all-time scoring list with 27,714 points. Robertson had 26,710. Monta Ellis netted 16 points and Vince Carter added 13 for Dallas, which has won four straight and holds a one-game lead over the Phoenix Suns for the seventh seed in the Western Conference playoff race. Mavericks Shawn Marion, Jose Calderon and Samuel Dalembert chipped in 10 points apiece. Derrick Favors totaled 19 points and seven rebounds and Enes Kanter added 15 points and a season-high 19 rebounds for the Jazz, who have lost seven of eight. Richard Jefferson scored 15 points and Gordon Hayward and Alec Burks contributed 11 and 10, respectively, in defeat.

Final Score: Oklahoma City 107, Sacramento 92

Sacramento, CA (SportsNetwork.com) – Kevin Durant’s historic scoring streak came to an end but his Oklahoma City Thunder easily took care of the Sacramento Kings on Tuesday, 107-92, to snap a two-game losing skid. Durant finished with 23 points as his run of scoring at least 25 points ended at 41 games. He passed Michael Jordan last time out for the most such games in the modern era. The MVP candidate has still scored 20 or more points in 50 consecutive games. Caron Butler made all six of his attempts from 3-point range for 23 points off the Thunder bench and Serge Ibaka donated 19 points in the rout. DaMarcus Cousins matched Chris Webber (2001-02) for most double-doubles in a season in Sacramento franchise history with 50 after his 24-point, 14-rebound effort. Travis Outlaw also had 24 points and Ben McLemore scored 11 in the Kings’ sixth loss in eight games.

Final Score: Houston 145, LA Lakers 130

Los Angeles, CA (SportsNetwork.com) – James Harden and Terrence Jones each poured in 33 points and the playoff-bound Houston Rockets pounded the Los Angeles Lakers, 145-130, on Tuesday at Staples Center. The Rockets blew the game open with a 49-point third stanza, which fell one point shy of a franchise record for any quarter. They shot 57.7 percent from the floor and made 11 3-pointers en route to their best offensive output of the season and moved 2 1/2 games in front of Portland for fourth place in the Western Conference. Dwight Howard was unable to suit up against his former team, missing a sixth straight game due to an ankle injury. Omer Aski donated 10 points and 15 rebounds in his place, while Chandler Parsons and Isaiah Canaan contributed 19 and 15 points, respectively, to the rout. In a lost season for Steve Nash and the Lakers, the two-time former league MVP nonetheless added to his exceptional resume by passing Mark Jackson for third on the NBA’s all-time assists list. Nash’s accomplishment, along with Nick Young’s 32-point effort and Jodie Meeks’ 30, were the few positive takeaways in Los Angeles’ fifth straight loss.

Categorized in: NBA