National Basketball Association Game Capsules

Cleveland, OH (SportsNetwork.com) – The Cleveland Cavaliers were led by seven players scoring in double figures as they cruised to a 122-100 rout of the Detroit Pistons at Quicken Loans Arena. Dion Waiters tallied 22 points and eight assists and Spencer Hawes had 15 points and eight rebounds for the Cavaliers, who have won six of nine. Luol Deng and Tristan Thompson scored 13 and 10, respectively, with Deng adding seven assists. Coming off the bench, Tyler Zeller scored 18, Matthew Dellavedova netted 14 and had a career-high 12 assists and Anderson Varejao added 11 points and 12 boards. Brandon Jennings and Jonas Jerebko had 17 points apiece, with Jennings adding seven helpers for the Pistons, who have lost three of five. Rodney Stuckey and Greg Monroe contributed 15 points apiece and Andre Drummond added 11 points and 14 rebounds in defeat.

Final Score: Orlando 115, Brooklyn 111

Orlando, FL (SportsNetwork.com) – Arron Afflalo scored 25, Kyle O’Quinn came up with a big block on Joe Johnson and the Orlando Magic held on to beat the Brooklyn Nets 115-111 on Wednesday night. The Magic led by as many as 16 in the game but were clinging to a 112-109 lead when O’Quinn stepped out on Johnson to block his 3-point attempt on the high left side. After Afflalo made 1-of-2 from the foul line at the other end with 9.2 seconds left, Maurice Harkless fouled Mirza Teletovic on a 3-point try to give him three free throws. But Teletovic made only two, cutting Brooklyn’s deficit to 113-111, and Jameer Nelson knocked down a pair for Orlando to seal the win. E’Twaun Moore scored 17 points off the bench for Orlando, including 14 in a row in the second quarter to ignite a 21-3 run that gave Orlando its 16-point lead. Tobias Harris added 16 points and Nelson and O’Quinn scored 14 and 13 in that order as the Magic won their second straight game after knocking off Minnesota on Saturday. They are 4-3 since a nine-game losing streak. Johnson scored 31 to lead the Nets, who had a three-game losing streak snapped on the heels of Tuesday’s 88-87 win over Miami to sweep the four-game season series from the Heat. The Nets, currently seeded No. 5 in the Eastern Conference, have won six of their last eight. They will face the Magic again on Sunday in Brooklyn, where the Nets have won a team-record 15 straight games. The streak will be put to the test first on Friday against Atlanta.

Final Score: Toronto 125, Philadelphia 114

Toronto, ON (SportsNetwork.com) – Jonas Valanciunas scored a career-high 26 points to go along with 12 rebounds and the Toronto Raptors swept the season series against the Philadelphia 76ers with a 125-114 decision on Wednesday. Kyle Lowry, who missed Toronto’s last three games with a bruised knee, registered 29 points with eight assists in his return to the lineup. DeMar DeRozan and Patrick Patterson added 17 points apiece in the win, the Raptors’ fourth straight and seventh in their last eight games. Toronto now leads Brooklyn by three games in its quest to win the Atlantic Divison for just the second time in franchise history. Henry Sims paced the Sixers with 22 points and Michael Carter-Williams flirted with a triple-double in the setback, tallying 19 points with nine rebounds and eight assists. James Anderson dropped in 17 points and Thaddeus Young netted 16 points in Philadelphia’s second straight loss and fourth in its last five games.

Final Score: Charlotte 94, Washington 88 (OT)

Washington, DC (SportsNetwork.com) – Al Jefferson and the Charlotte Bobcats coughed up a 20-point first half lead but turned up the defensive intensity in overtime and took down the Washington Wizards, 94-88, in an Eastern Conference battle between two playoff-bound foes. Jefferson finished with 20 points and 18 rebounds and Kemba Walker tallied 17 points and 12 assists for Charlotte, which has won five straight games for the first time since 2010 to climb to 40-38 and jump into sixth place in the East. The Bobcats, who own the same record as the Wizards, have the tiebreaker after taking 3-of-4 regular season meetings. Gary Neal netted 16 points off the bench while Gerald Henderson and Josh McRoberts scored 13 and 12 points, respectively. McRoberts had missed the previous three games with a sprained ankle. John Wall posted his third career triple-double in the setback with 14 points, 12 rebounds and 11 assists. Marcin Gortat also stuffed the stat sheet, contributing 27 points with 14 boards as Washington suffered its second straight loss.

Final Score: Atlanta 105, Boston 97

Atlanta, GA (SportsNetwork.com) – Kyle Korver connected on a pair of 3- pointers during a late Atlanta surge, as the Hawks strengthened their hold on a playoff spot with a 105-97 triumph over the Boston Celtics on Wednesday at Phillips Arena. Boston led 89-80 with 5:44 to play before Elton Brand threw down a dunk to spark a 10-0 Atlanta run, which Korver capped with a triple to give the Hawks a 90-89 edge. Jared Sullinger responded with a trey at the other end to put Boston back in front, but Korver countered with another 3- pointer, igniting a 9-0 burst that provided the home team with a 99-92 lead with 1:13 remaining. Atlanta sealed the outcome by going 6-for-6 from the free-throw line down the stretch, as the Hawks extended their lead to two games over the idle New York Knicks for the eighth spot in the Eastern Conference standings. Jeff Teague totaled 19 points and eight assists, while Paul Millsap and Brand each donated a double-double. Millsap supplied 14 points and 14 rebounds, while Brand netted 13 points and grabbed 13 boards in Atlanta’s third win in four tries. Avery Bradley returned from a three-game absence and paced Boston with 24 points, while Rajon Rondo registered 19 points and 12 assists for the Celtics, who have lost 13 straight road games, their most in a single season since 1979.

Final Score: Memphis 107, Miami 102

Memphis, TN (SportsNetwork.com) – Mike Conley scored 26 points and keyed a pivotal late run that propelled the Memphis Grizzlies to a crucial 107-102 win over the Miami Heat in a key late-season clash from FedEx Forum. Conley knocked down a pair of huge 3-pointers during a 12-2 surge that snapped a 91-91 tie and vaulted the Grizzlies to their 12th consecutive home victory. The win also kept Memphis within one game of Phoenix for the eighth and final playoff seed in the Western Conference. Both the Grizzlies and Suns have four games left in the regular season, with the teams to square off in Phoenix this coming Monday. Eighteen of Conley’s points came after halftime, while Zach Randolph delivered 25 points on 12-of-15 shooting and pulled down 11 rebounds and Marc Gasol posted a double-double of his own, finishing with 20 points and 14 boards. LeBron James racked up 37 points in a potentially costly defeat for the defending NBA champion Heat, who fell a half-game behind Indiana for first place in the East heading into Friday’s colossal showdown between the clubs in Miami. Rashard Lewis added 17 points in the loss, the Heat’s third in four games.

Final Score: Indiana 104, Milwaukee 102

Milwaukee, WI (SportsNetwork.com) – The Indiana Pacers’ starters will be well rested for Friday’s upcoming showdown against the Miami Heat. First things first. Chris Copeland’s go-ahead floater with 1.2 seconds remaining lifted the Pacers to a 104-102 win over the Milwaukee Bucks on Wednesday night. Head coach Frank Vogel announced during Wednesday’s shootaround that he would sit his entire starting five against the NBA-worst Bucks. Indiana had dropped eight of its last 11 coming in. Milwaukee’s Khris Middleton was fouled while attempting a potentially game- tying 3-pointer with 4.9 seconds left and sunk all three bonus shots to knot the game at 102-102. Following a timeout, Copeland got the ball at the top of the arc, drove down the right side of the lane and got his floater to drop to put Indiana in front.

Final Score: Chicago 102, Minnesota 87

Minneapolis, MN (SportsNetwork.com) – Joakim Noah’s triple-double led the Chicago Bulls to a 102-87 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves at Target Center on Wednesday. Noah tallied 15 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists and D.J. Augustin added a game-high 21 points off the bench for the Bulls, who have won six straight. Kirk Hinrich scored 16 points, Mike Dunleavy notched 15 and Jimmy Butler added 14 points and seven assists. Kevin Love totaled 17 points and 10 rebounds and Ricky Rubio scored 15 with six assists for the Timberwolves, who have lost two of three. Ronny Turiaf contributed 11 points and five boards off the bench.

Final Score: Phoenix 94, New Orleans 88

New Orleans, LA (SportsNetwork.com) – Eric Bledsoe put in the go-ahead basket with under two minutes to go, and the Phoenix Suns held on for a much-needed 94-88 road victory over the New Orleans Pelicans on Wednesday. The Suns, who came in with a one-game lead over the Memphis Grizzlies for the eighth and final seed in the Western Conference, scored the game’s final seven points to avoid a sour start to a critical three-game road trip. Gerald Green made four 3-pointers and logged a game-high 21 points for Phoenix, which has surged down the stretch with nine wins over its last 11 games. Goran Dragic totaled 20 points and nine assists and Bledsoe checked in with 16 points, six assists and six rebounds. Anthony Davis did not play in New Orleans’ sixth straight loss due to back spasms. Jeff Withey played more minutes in his absence and led the club with 17 points. Darius Miller and Anthony Morrow each netted 14 in the setback.

Final Score: Denver 123, Houston 116

Denver, CO (SportsNetwork.com) – Randy Foye scored 22 of his 30 points in the third quarter to go along with 15 assists, helping the Denver Nuggets to a 123-116 win over the Houston Rockets on Wednesday. Kenneth Faried netted 23 points with nine rebounds and Timofey Mozgov had 22 points in the win. Jeremy Lin paced Houston with 18 points, Chandler Parsons tallied 16 and Omer Asik recorded 12 points with 12 rebounds in the setback. The Rockets had their three-game winning streak snapped.

Final Score: Portland 100, Sacramento 99

Portland, OR (SportsNetwork.com) – Dorell Wright nailed a go-ahead 3-pointer with 7.6 seconds remaining and the Portland Trail Blazers edged the Sacramento Kings, 100-99, on Wednesday night. After DeMarcus Cousins capped an 10-4 run with a right elbow jumper to give Sacramento its first lead, 97-95, with 1:31 left, Robin Lopez drew a loose ball foul and sunk two free throws to tie it with 42.3 ticks to play. Ray McCallum stripped the ball away from Damian Lillard on Portland’s next trip down the floor and Cousins was fouled in transition. He hit two free throws with 14.8 seconds remaining to give Sacramento a 99-97 advantage. Lillard then drove the right wing and found a wide open Wright in the left corner and he swished the triple to give the Blazers the lead. McCallum missed a step-back jumper from the top of the key at the horn.

Final Score: Oklahoma City 107, LA Clippers 101

Los Angeles, CA (SportsNetwork.com) – Russell Westbrook filled the stat sheet with 30 points, 10 rebounds and six assists to carry the Oklahoma City Thunder to a 107-101 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers in an entertaining battle between Western Conference playoff teams. Westbrook came away with a pair of key offensive rebounds down the stretch after the Clippers had trimmed a once 17-point deficit down to one. The win capped a split of a tough four-game road swing for the Thunder and moved them 2 1/2 games clear of the Clippers for the No. 2 seed in the West. Kevin Durant, after having his streak of 25-plus points stopped in a win over the Kings on Monday, needed 26 shots to score 27 points in the tight win. Blake Griffin led the Clippers with 30 points and 12 rebounds while Chris Paul added 25 points and eight assists as the club fell to 1-2 on its five-game homestand.

Categorized in: NBA