National Basketball Association Game Capsules

Charlotte, NC (SportsNetwork.com) – Elfrid Payton scored 16 points and was at the center of a remarkable fourth-quarter comeback that gave the Orlando Magic a 105-100 win over the reeling Charlotte Hornets. Orlando trailed by 23 points midway through the third quarter and was down 83-65 with under 11 minutes left, then outscored the Hornets 40-17 the rest of the way to send Charlotte to a fourth consecutive defeat. Payton had eight points down the stretch and fellow reserves Willie Green and Ben Gordon netted nine each in the final quarter. The Magic also received 21 overall points from Evan Fournier and a 17-point, 16-rebound double-double out of Tobias Harris. Al Jefferson racked up 24 points and 11 rebounds in the Hornets’ latest stinging setback. Gary Neal finished with 17 points off the bench and Kemba Walker grabbed a team-high 12 rebounds and dished out eight assists in addition to recording 15 points.

Final Score: Phoenix 122, Philadelphia 96

Philadelphia, PA (SportsNetwork.com) – Isaiah Thomas posted 23 points and eight assists off the bench as the Phoenix Suns pummeled the Philadelphia 76ers, 122-96. Thomas was one of eight Suns to reach double figures, as they improved to 3-1 on a six-game road trip. One of those players was Eric Bledsoe, who backed up his controversial comments from earlier this week with a 13-point, 7-assist performance. Bledsoe said in a radio interview leading up to the game that the 76ers would lose a seven-game series to his alma mater and current No. 1 team in college basketball, Kentucky. The comments sparked endless debates on social media and prompted a number of media outlets to weigh in on the subject. One Las Vegas sportsbook set the spread for the hypothetical game with Philadelphia as 17-point favorites. Regardless, the Sixers failed to make Bledsoe eat his words and fell to 0-12 after yet another embarrassing loss. Three more losses and they’ll match the franchise and NBA record for worst start to a season, set in 1972-73.

Final Score: Atlanta 99, Detroit 89

Atlanta, GA (SportsNetwork.com) – Jeff Teague had 28 points and six assists as the Atlanta Hawks grabbed a 99-89 win over the Detroit Pistons on Friday. Paul Millsap had 15 points and 12 rebounds while Al Horford scored 14 points for the Hawks, who had lost their previous two coming in. Josh Smith scored 16 points with eight rebounds and five assists while D.J. Augustin gave 14 points and five boards for the Pistons, who have lost their past four.

Final Score: Toronto 124, Milwaukee 83

Toronto, ON (SportsNetwork.com) – Lou Williams scored 22 points off the bench to lead the Toronto Raptors in a 124-83 rout of the Milwaukee Bucks on Friday. Kyle Lowry supplied 20 points with nine rebounds and five assists and Jonas Valanciunas deposited 18 points with 12 rebounds for the Raptors, who closed their franchise-record seven-game homestand with three straight wins and a 6-1 record. Toronto also won its fifth straight game over Milwaukee, which had its three-game winning streak snapped with the setback. It was playing its third game in four nights. The Bucks were led by Jabari Parker’s 15 points, while Ersan Ilyasova netted 14 off the bench and Brandon Knight added 11.

Final Score: Memphis 117, Boston 100

Memphis, TN (SportsNetwork.com) – The Memphis Grizzlies had enough healthy bodies after all for Thursday’s game against the Boston Celtics. That spelled bad news for Boston, as the Grizzlies never trailed en route to a 117-100 win, their 21st straight at FedExForum in the regular season. Marc Gasol led the way with 32 points, Zach Randolph donated 16 points and 16 rebounds, and Jon Leuer poured in 19 points off the bench in the victory. Leuer was one of seven Grizzlies listed as questionable because of a stomach virus ravaging the team, but only Tony Allen and Quincy Pondexter sat out due to the illness. Kelly Olynyk paced Boston with 18 points, while Jared Sullinger and Jeff Green netted 13 and 12 points, respectively.

Final Score: San Antonio 121, Minnesota 92

Minneapolis, MN (SportsNetwork.com) – Tony Parker had 28 points and five assists as the San Antonio Spurs routed the Minnesota Timberwolves 121-92 on Friday night. Danny Green knocked down four 3-pointers and finished with 18 points, while Kawhi Leonard added 14 for the Spurs, who have won six of their last seven games. Anthony Bennett supplied 20 points off the bench for Minnesota, which has dropped six of its last seven contests.

Final Score: Brooklyn 94, Oklahoma City 92

Oklahoma City, OK (SportsNetwork.com) – Reggie Jackson’s last-second 3-pointer rimmed out, and the Brooklyn Nets survived with a 94-92 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder. Brooklyn trailed by 10 late in the third quarter, but a 12-0 run that extended into the fourth made it a 76-74 game. A 10-0 run later in the fourth gave the Nets a seven-point lead, but Jackson and the Thunder mounted a final rally. Jackson scored six of Oklahoma City’s last nine points, with Anthony Morrow supplying the other three on a triple with just under two minutes to play. Jackson’s layup with 5.5 seconds left made it 93-92, and Joe Johnson split a pair of free throws at the other end. Out of a timeout, Jackson isolated at the top of the key and pulled the trigger, only to have his potential game-winner fall out. Kevin Garnett secured the rebound, and the game.

Final Score: Washington 91, Cleveland 78

Washington, DC (SportsNetwork.com) – John Wall and the Washington Wizards made yet another early-season statement, with the standout point guard dropping in 28 points to lead the way in a 91-78 triumph over the struggling Cleveland Cavaliers. Wall outshined Cleveland’s star-studded starting unit by hitting 12-of-20 shots and dishing out seven assists to go along with four steals and six rebounds. His terrific performance, coupled with a strong defensive effort by his Washington teammates, improved the rising Wizards to 8-3 on the young season. The Cavaliers, meanwhile, are still searching for answers after dropping a third straight game to fall under .500 (5-6). Though LeBron James and Kyrie Irving each deposited 22 points, Cleveland shot a subpar 36 percent as a team and committed 19 turnovers that led to 24 Washington points.

Final Score: Dallas 140, LA Lakers 106

Dallas, TX (SportsNetwork.com) – Dirk Nowitzki scored 23 points and Monta Ellis contributed a double-double as the Dallas Mavericks dismantled the Los Angeles Lakers, 140-106, on Friday. Ellis netted 20 points on an efficient 7-of-10 shooting to go along with a season-high 10 assists and help the Mavs score more than 100 points for the sixth straight game. Dallas, the NBA’s top-scoring team, went up against the worst defense in the league and it showed, as the Mavs put up their highest point total of the season on 51-of-82 (62.2 percent) shooting — including a blistering 18-of-35 (51.4 percent) clip from beyond the arc. Chandler Parsons deposited 21 points and J.J. Barea added 16 points off the bench for the Mavs, who have won six straight overall and four straight over LA. The Lakers shot a decent 44- for-85 (51.8 percent) from the floor, but they were no match, with Jeremy Lin’s 18 points leading the way. Kobe Bryant dropped in 17 points on 6- of-22 shooting as Los Angeles had its two-game winning streak snapped.

Final Score: Denver 117, New Orleans 97

Denver, CO (SportsNetwork.com) – Kenneth Faried had 19 points and eight rebounds as the Denver Nuggets routed the New Orleans Pelicans 117-97 on Friday night. Arron Afflolo netted 19 points, while Wilson Chandler added 18 points and five boards for the Nuggets, who have won three straight games on the heels of a 2-7 start. Anthony Davis tallied 18 points and nine rebounds for New Orleans, which had won five of its last seven games coming in.

Final Score: Golden State 101, Utah 88

Oakland, CA (SportsNetwork.com) – Andre Iguodala scored 17 points, Harrison Barnes recorded a double-double of 14 points and 11 rebounds and the Golden State Warriors crushed the Utah Jazz, 101-88, on Friday. Even with Stephen Curry netting only eight points, the Warriors led by as many as 30 in the wire-to-wire victory. Curry was more the facilitator than the shot maker, doling out 10 assists for Golden State’s balanced attack. Klay Thompson finished with 14 points, Andrew Bogut scored 12 and Draymond Green filled the box score with 11 points, nine boards and five assists. The Warriors have won four in a row since losses to Phoenix and San Antonio and improved to 9-2 for the first time since the 1972-73 season.

Final Score: Portland 105, Chicago 87

Portland, OR (SportsNetwork.com) – Damian Lillard had 21 points and nine assists in three quarters of work as the Portland Trail Blazers thrashed the Chicago Bulls 105-87 on Friday night. LaMarcus Aldridge added 16 points and nine rebounds for the Blazers, who won their sixth straight game. Nikola Mirotic supplied 24 points and 11 boards for Chicago, which was without point guard Derrick Rose and power forward Pau Gasol again. Rose missed his fourth consecutive game with a hamstring injury, while Gasol didn’t play for a third time in a row due to a left calf strain. The Bulls lost forward Taj Gibson in the third quarter of this one with a left ankle sprain.

Categorized in: NBA