National Basketball Association Game Capsules

Charlotte, NC (SportsNetwork.com) – Wesley Matthews had 28 points and the red- hot Portland Trail Blazers used a strong second half to beat the struggling Charlotte Hornets, 105-97, on Wednesday. Damian Lillard added 22 points and seven assists for the Blazers, who have won nine in a row. Robin Lopez tallied 15 points, 10 rebounds and three blocks. Brian Roberts ended with a career- high 24 points off the bench for the Hornets, who have lost seven straight. Al Jefferson donated 21 points and 14 boards. Kemba Walker and Gerald Henderson each had 15 points for Charlotte, which lost forward Marvin Williams to a left shoulder strain.

Final Score: Cleveland 113, Washington 87

Cleveland, OH (SportsNetwork.com) – LeBron James’ third straight double-double helped the Cleveland Cavaliers to a 113-87 win over the Washington Wizards at Quicken Loans Arena. James, who scored 22 points on just 38 percent shooting in Cleveland’s 91-78 loss to the Wizards last Friday, poured in 29 points on 7-of-14 shooting with 10 rebounds, eight assists and three steals in the Cavs’ second straight win. Kevin Love netted 21 points on an efficient 7- of-10 shooting and Kyrie Irving dropped in 18 with five assists for Cleveland, which committed 19 turnovers in the loss to the Wizards compared to just 10 on Wednesday. Rasual Butler led the Wizards with 23 points off the bench, while Paul Pierce supplied 15 and Marcin Gortat added 12 in the setback, Washington’s second straight.

Final Score: Golden State 111, Orlando 96

Orlando, FL (SportsNetwork.com) – Stephen Curry scored 25 of his game-high 28 points in the first half, and Golden State dominated the Orlando Magic, 111-96, in the Warriors’ seventh consecutive victory. Harrison Barnes had 16 points and Shaun Livingston scored 15 off the bench for the Warriors, who at 12-2 are continuing their best start in the franchise’s 69-year history. Additionally, Golden State’s 7-1 road mark is its best ever at this juncture of a season. Curry, who had 14 points in the opening quarter, finished the game 9-of-13 from the field, including 6-of-8 from 3-point range. Tobias Harris, who missed the previous two games due to a strained right calf, scored 16 and pulled down 10 rebounds for the Magic, losers of three straight. Nikola Vucevic had 11 points and 13 boards, while Elfrid Payton and Ben Gordon both scored 13 in defeat.

Final Score: Brooklyn 99, Philadelphia 91

Philadelphia, PA (SportsNetwork.com) – The Philadelphia 76ers had a fourth- quarter lead but walked off the court with another loss to match the worst start in franchise history. Kevin Garnett and the Brooklyn Nets did just enough to escape with the win. Garnett scored three key points in the final minutes of the game and the Nets held on for a 99-91 victory on Wednesday night, dropping the Sixers to 0-15. That matches the 1972-73 Philadelphia team for the most losses to start a season without a win. Those Sixers ended 9-73, the worst record for an NBA team in an 82-game season. The Sixers are three losses from matching the 2009-10 Nets for the worst start to an NBA season.

Final Score: Toronto 126, Atlanta 115

Atlanta, GA (SportsNetwork.com) – DeMar DeRozan scored 27 points and Kyle Lowry deposited 14 with 13 assists as the Toronto Raptors rallied past the Atlanta Hawks, 126-115, to win their sixth straight game. Lou Williams and Greivis Vasquez scored 22 and 21 points, respectively, in another dominant bench effort for the Raptors. Toronto’s reserves outscored their counterparts, 52-27. All five starters also reached double figures for the Raptors, who own the best record in the NBA at 13-2 and have won six in a row for the first time since March 22 – April 4, 2009. Terrence Ross scored 12, Jonas Valanciunas had 11 with seven rebounds and Amir Johnson added 10 points.

Final Score: Dallas 109, New York 102 (OT)

Dallas, TX (SportsNetwork.com) – Tyson Chandler pulled down an NBA season-high 25 rebounds to go with 17 points and the Dallas Mavericks defeated the Carmelo Anthony-less New York Knicks 109-102 in overtime on Wednesday night. Dallas used a 9-0 run and forced six Knicks turnovers to pull away in the extra session. Monta Ellis stripped Samuel Dalembert from behind and fed Chandler for a dunk for a 101-99 lead with 1:37 in overtime. After a Dallas miss a trip down the floor later, Chandler Parsons forced turnover to give the Mavericks an extra possession. Dirk Nowitzki then hit a fallaway from the foul line with 43.5 seconds left and another Knicks turnover put the game away, with Ellis swiping a pass from Jose Calderon. New York’s J.R. Smith hit a jumper with less than a second remaining in regulation to force overtime. Nowitzki posted his first 30-point game of the season, netting 30 on the number to go with six boards for the Mavericks, who snapped a brief two-game slide. They’ve won seven of their last nine games overall. Calderon tallied 21 points, 10 boards and four assists for New York, which has dropped four of its last five games. Anthony missed the game due to back spasms.

Final Score: Houston 102, Sacramento 89

Houston, TX (SportsNetwork.com) – Isaiah Canaan nailed six 3-pointers and scored a career-high 24 points as the Houston Rockets defeated the Sacramento Kings, 102-89, on Wednesday night. James Harden netted 26 points, but was just 10-of-31 from the field. He added eight assists and seven rebounds. Donatas Motiejunas provided 21 points and six boards for the Rockets, who have won three in a row and six of their last eight games. DeMarcus Cousins posted 29 points, 17 rebounds and six assists for Sacramento, which had a three-game winning streak snapped.

Final Score: LA Clippers 104, Detroit 98

Auburn Hills, MI (SportsNetwork.com) – Jamal Crawford scored 25 points in the Los Angeles Clippers’ 104-98 victory over the Detroit Pistons on Wednesday. Chris Paul added 23 points and seven assists for the Clippers, who improved to 4-1 on a seven-game road trip. Blake Griffin tallied 15 points, seven rebounds and seven assists. D.J. Augustin ended with 19 points and six assists for the Pistons, who have lost six in a row. Josh Smith, Andre Drummond and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope each had 17 points, with Drummond also pulling down 13 boards.

Final Score: Milwaukee 103, Minnesota 86

Minneapolis, MN (SportsNetwork.com) – In a matchup of the top two picks in the 2014 NBA Draft, Jabari Parker’s Milwaukee Bucks took care of Andrew Wiggins’ Minnesota Timberwolves, 103-86, courtesy of a big fourth-quarter run on Wednesday. Parker, the No. 2 selection out of Duke, had 11 points with seven rebounds, while the top pick Wiggins went for 14 points and eight boards. Wiggins was acquired by the Timberwolves from Cleveland in an offseason trade that sent Kevin Love to the Cavs. Brandon Knight scored 13 of his 15 points during the fourth-quarter run that turned a one-point game into a comfortable win. Larry Sanders also netted 15 with seven rebounds and five blocks for the Bucks, who have won two straight. Corey Brewer paced the Timberwolves with 19 points in their third straight loss. It was the first time in NBA history that four teenagers played in the same game, with Minnesota’s Wiggins and Zach LaVine both starting against Milwaukee’s Parker and Giannis Antetokounmpo.

Final Score: Oklahoma City 97, Utah 82

Oklahoma City, OK (SportsNetwork.com) – Reggie Jackson poured in 22 points and Jeremy Lamb scored 21 off the bench in Oklahoma City’s 97-82 rout of the Utah Jazz Wednesday night. Serge Ibaka registered 20 points, eight rebounds and four blocks for the Thunder, who snapped a six-game losing streak and gained just their fourth win in 16 tries this season. The Jazz, losers of four in a row, were led by Gordon Hayward’s 24 points, but he committed eight of his team’s 19 turnovers.

Final Score: San Antonio 106, Indiana 100

San Antonio, TX (SportsNetwork.com) – Manu Ginobili scored 28 points off the bench and without coach Gregg Popovich on the bench, the San Antonio Spurs beat the Indiana Pacers 106-100 on Wednesday. Two-time Euroleague coach of the year Ettore Messina, who is a first-year assistant with San Antonio, coached in place of Popovich, who underwent a minor medical procedure prior to the game. Popovich will miss an undisclosed amount of time. Tony Parker and Kawhi Leonard both deposited 21 points for the Spurs, winners of five straight. Leonard also pulled down a game-high 13 rebounds, and Tim Duncan went for 17 points with six boards. Rodney Stuckey netted 22 points to pace the undermanned Pacers, who were without center Roy Hibbert for the second straight game. Hibbert left Saturday’s loss to Phoenix with a sprained left ankle.

Final Score: Phoenix 120, Denver 112

Phoenix, AZ (SportsNetwork.com) – Gerald Green scored 24 points off the bench and the Phoenix Suns defeated the Denver Nuggets, 120-112, on Wednesday. Eric Bledsoe deposited 21 points with 10 assists, Goran Dragic scored 20 and Markieff Morris totaled 15 points with 10 rebounds and seven assists for the Suns, who have won five of their last six. Wilson Chandler led the Nuggets with 19 points, while Timofey Mozgov and Arron Afflalo each contributed 18 points, with Mozgov pulling down 13 rebounds in the setback. Denver had its five-game winning streak snapped.

Final Score: Memphis 99, LA Lakers 93

Los Angeles, CA (SportsNetwork.com) – Marc Gasol had 19 points and 11 rebounds as the Memphis Grizzlies defeated the Los Angeles Lakers 99-93 on Wednesday night. Mike Conley posted 19 points and seven assists for the Grizzlies, who have won seven of their last eight games. Kobe Bryant netted 22 points for Los Angeles, which has dropped three in a row and seven of its last nine games.

Categorized in: NBA