National Basketball Association Game Capsules

Charlotte, NC (SportsNetwork.com) – Blake Griffin amassed 22 points in a near triple-double, and five other Los Angeles players scored in double figures as the Clippers pulled away for a 113-92 win over the Charlotte Hornets. Griffin grabbed 16 rebounds and added nine assists to lead a Clippers’ attack that shot 52.4 percent in the second half. Chris Paul turned in a monster game as well for Los Angeles, with the North Carolina native tallying 22 points along with 15 assists. Jamal Crawford chipped in 21 points off the bench and JJ Redick recorded 17 points for the Clippers, with DeAndre Jordan contributing a double-double of 11 points and 12 rebounds in the victory. Cody Zeller finished with a career-high 17 points in the loss, the sixth in a row and eighth in nine games for the struggling Hornets.

Final Score: Cleveland 106, Orlando 74

Cleveland, OH (SportsNetwork.com) – LeBron James had 29 points and 11 assists playing just three quarters and the Cleveland Cavaliers rolled to a 106-74 win over the Orlando Magic on Monday night to snap a four-game losing streak. James had 22 points in the first half to help the Cavaliers take an 18-point lead into the break and they went up by as many as 33 in the fourth quarter. Anderson Varejao added 14 points and Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving each scored 12 for Cleveland, which also snapped a three-game home losing streak. Victor Oladipo had 22 points and Nikola Vucevic scored 18 with 13 rebounds to lead the Magic, who have dropped eight in a row to the Cavs and four of their last six games overall. It was a season low in points for the Magic.

Final Score: Portland 114, Philadelphia 104

Philadelphia, PA (SportsNetwork.com) – LaMarcus Aldridge had 33 points and 11 rebounds to help the red-hot Portland Trail Blazers beat the winless Philadelphia 76ers 114-104 on Monday. Wesley Matthews added 17 points for the Blazers, who have won eight in a row. Damian Lillard tallied 16 points. Michael Carter-Williams ended with 24 points and seven rebounds for the Sixers (0-14), who are now four losses away from matching the NBA record for the worst start to a season, which was set by the Nets in 2009-10. Henry Sims and Tony Wroten had 22 and 20 points, respectively.

Final Score: Toronto 104, Phoenix 100

Toronto, ON (SportsNetwork.com) – Jonas Valanciunas had 27 points and 11 rebounds, DeMar DeRozan scored 23 and the Toronto Raptors survived for a 104-100 win over the Phoenix Suns on Monday night. The Raptors led by as many as 17 early in the fourth quarter before Isaiah Thomas made three consecutive 3-pointers to punctuate a quick 14-0 run by the Suns, who later took their first lead since the first quarter on two Eric Bledsoe free throws with 3:04 remaining. But Phoenix scored just five more points and DeRozan made four straight free throws in the last 14.7 seconds to put Toronto over the top. Lou Williams was named Eastern Conference Player of the Week on Monday and scored 17 points off the bench for the Raptors, who have won five in a row. The Eastern Conference leaders ran their record to 4-0 this season against Western Conference teams. Bledsoe scored 25 points to lead the Suns, who had a four- game losing streak stopped and finished 4-2 on a six-game road trip. Markieff Morris added 17 points in the loss.

Final Score: Houston 91, New York 86

Houston, TX (SportsNetwork.com) – James Harden scored Houston’s final 12 points of the game, leading the Rockets to a 91-86 victory over the New York Knicks. Harden went 7-of-12 from beyond the arc and ended with 36 points, six rebounds, six assists and three steals for the Rockets, who have won 10 straight against the Knicks. Donatas Motiejunas added 13 points and eight boards for Houston, which has won two in a row overall. Trevor Ariza tallied 10 points and three steals. New York forward Carmelo Anthony had 14 points and seven rebounds before leaving in the second quarter with back spasms. He did not return to the game.

Final Score: Indiana 111, Dallas 100

Dallas, TX (SportsNetwork.com) – Donald Sloan scored 29 points and the Indiana Pacers never trailed in the second half on the way to a 111-100 win over the Dallas Mavericks on Monday night. The already banged-up Pacers played without center Roy Hibbert, who sprained his left ankle in Saturday’s loss to Phoenix. They made half of their 3-point attempts and took the lead for good on Sloan’s 3 with 1:44 remaining in the second quarter. Luis Scola added 14 points in the win and Solomon Hill, Rodney Stuckey, Chris Copeland, Damjan Rudez and Ian Mahinmi all scored at least 10. Monta Ellis had 24 points and Dirk Nowitzki scored 22 with 11 rebounds for the Mavericks, who have dropped two in a row following a six-game winning streak.

Final Score: Chicago 97, Utah 95

Salt Lake City, UT (SportsNetwork.com) – Two key players returned to the Chicago starting lineup Monday night, but the Bulls had to hold on for a 97-95 win over the Utah Jazz. Derrick Rose was back after missing four games with a strained left hamstring and scored 18 points. Pau Gasol totaled 23 points, nine rebounds, four assists and three steals after missing three games with a strained left calf. Gasol was fouled after Chicago won a jump ball and made 1- of-2 free throws to give the Bulls a two-point lead with 3.2 seconds remaining. The Bulls, who led by as many as 21, escaped EnergySolutions Arena with a win when Gordon Hayward missed a 3-pointer from the top of the key at the buzzer. Jimmy butler scored 25 points to lead the Bulls, who snapped a two-game skid and improved to 2-2 on their seven-game road trip. Derrick Favors had 21 points and a season-high 15 rebounds for Utah, which has dropped three games in a row. Trey Burke also posted a double-double with 18 points and 10 assists.

Categorized in: NBA