National Basketball Association Game Capsules
Boston, MA (SportsNetwork.com) – LaMarcus Aldridge scored 20 points and pulled down 14 rebounds as Portland edged the Celtics 94-88 on Sunday. The Trail Blazers were behind at the half but got hot from the field later in the game and finally erased a Boston lead that persisted through the entire first half. Portland got great contributions from its bench, led by veterans Chris Kaman and Steve Blake. Kaman scored 16 points and grabbed eight boards in 17 minutes, and Blake chipped in 11 on 5-of-8 shooting from the floor. Jared Sullinger and Jeff Green tied for the Celtics lead with 19 points apiece. Rajon Rondo ran the Boston offensive effectively with 13 points on nine shots and a game-high eight assists. Avery Bradley also scored 13 despite shooting just 1-of-8 from beyond the arc. Damian Lillard scored 12 points and finished with a career-high nine rebounds.
Final Score: Memphis 107, LA Clippers 91
Memphis, TN (SportsNetwork.com) – The Memphis Grizzlies are fully recovered from a stomach virus that plagued nearly half the team earlier in the week. Too bad for the Los Angeles Clippers. Marc Gasol had 30 points and 12 rebounds and the Grizzlies dominated the paint en route to a 107-91 victory over the Clippers for their 22nd straight home win. Los Angeles had been shooting 65 percent inside of five feet coming in — among the top five in the NBA — and outscored Miami and Orlando a combined 82-58 in the lane during the first two games of its road trip. It was a different story on Wednesday, as the Grizzlies held a commanding 52-32 advantage in the paint. Zach Randolph tallied 10 points and eight rebounds, while Courtney Lee netted 13 points for Memphis, which has won six of its last seven games. Chris Paul posted 22 points, five rebounds, five assists and four steals for the Clippers, who had won three of their last four games heading in.
Final Score: Miami 94, Charlotte 93
Miami, FL (SportsNetwork.com) – Chris Bosh’s baseline jumper with 31 seconds left was the difference, as the Miami Heat survived a scare from the Charlotte Hornets, 94-93, in a see-saw affair at American Airlines Arena. Miami trailed by one when Bosh channeled his inner Olajuwon, shaking free from Cody Zeller on a post up and hitting a turn-around 12-footer. Kemba Walker missed a runner at the other end six seconds later. Mario Chalmers, who scored 12 of his 20 points in the fourth, was then pressured near midcourt by Walker, and Lance Stephenson came up with the loose ball with 14.9 to play. Out of a timeout, Walker missed a pull-up jumper and Al Jefferson’s tip-in rimmed out. The buzzer sounded as Jefferson attempted to get another tip off his own miss. Deng paced Miami with 26 points and eight rebounds and Bosh scored 20 with 10 boards. Chalmers also added 10 assists, giving him his second double-double this month. In six previous NBA seasons, Chalmers had just two double- doubles.
Final Score: Golden State 91, Oklahoma City 86
Oklahoma City, OK (SportsNetwork.com) – Marreese Speights had 28 points and seven rebounds off the bench as the Golden State Warriors defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder 91-86 on Sunday. Klay Thompson posted 20 points, eight rebounds and five assists, while Stephen Curry added 15 points, six boards and six helpers for the Warriors, who have won five in a row on the heels of a two-game slide. Reggie Jackson tallied 22 points, 11 boards and eight assists for Oklahoma City, which has dropped six consecutive games. Anthony Morrow provided 16 points and 12 rebounds in defeat.
Final Score: Denver 101, LA Lakers 94 (OT)
Los Angeles, CA (SportsNetwork.com) – Ty Lawson totaled 18 points and a season-high 16 assists and the Denver Nuggets held off the Los Angeles Lakers in overtime on Sunday, 101-94. Both teams held two-point leads in overtime before a four-point possession by Danilo Gallinari gave Denver the edge. Gallinari split a pair of free throws at 1:49 but Timofey Mozgov tipped out the rebound to keep the ball in Denver’s possession. Gallinari canned a 3 near the end of the shot clock to make it 94-90. Kobe Bryant hit a short turnaround at the other end, but Lawson countered with a short jumper of his own. Arron Afflalo was pure with two free throws, and Bryant’s desperation 3- pointer was off the mark as the Nuggets held on to win their fourth straight game. Wilson Chandler paced Denver with 19 points, while Mozgov finished with 13 points and 13 boards. Bryant scored a game-high 27 points, Jeremy Lin had 17 and Jordan Hill grabbed a game-high 14 boards for Los Angeles.
Categorized in: NBA