National Basketball Association Game Capsules
Washington, DC (SportsNetwork.com) – John Wall tallied 16 points and 13 assists as the Washington Wizards cruised past the Orlando Magic, 98-80, to reach .500 for the first time this season. Trevor Ariza scored a game-high 24 points for Washington, which has won seven of nine after dropping four straight tilts in mid-November. Ariza shot 8-of-9 from the floor and drained all four triples he attempted. Nene added 14 points in the victory and Marcin Gortat had 13. Arron Afflalo’s 21 points paced the Magic as they fell by 18 points for the second straight game. Maurice Harkless came off the bench and contributed 16 points in the setback while Nikola Vucevic went for 10 points and eight rebounds.
Final Score: San Antonio 102, Atlanta 100
San Antonio, TX (SportsNetwork.com) – The normally even-keeled and stoic Tim Duncan isn’t much for facial expressions. Monday was an exception. Duncan’s go-ahead jumper with 0.4 seconds remaining lifted the San Antonio Spurs to a 102-100 win over the Atlanta Hawks. Jeff Teague tied the game with a tough step-back 3-pointer over the outstretched arms of Kawhi Leonard with 4.7 seconds left. Following a timeout, Manu Ginobili got the ball at the top of the key. Duncan came off a Marco Belinelli pindown screen from the lower right block, received Ginobili’s pass near the right elbow and swished in the go- ahead shot. The ordinarily expressionless Duncan, who had 23 points and 21 rebounds, displayed his emotions. He emphatically slapped Ginobili’s hand as he strutted to halfcourt following the make. Paul Millsap’s potential game- tying shot from the left baseline at the buzzer ricocheted off the side of the backboard.
Final Score: New Orleans 131, Chicago 128 (3-OT)
Chicago, IL (SportsNetwork.com) – Jrue Holiday’s 3-point play with 2.6 seconds remaining in triple overtime capped a wild thriller in which the New Orleans Pelicans outlasted the Chicago Bulls, 131-128, at United Center. Playing their first game without leading scorer and rebounder Anthony Davis, who fractured his left hand Sunday in New York, the Pelicans overcame the loss of the 2012 No. 1 overall pick behind big efforts from Holiday, Ryan Anderson and several others to finish off a perfect three-game road trip. Anderson poured in a career-best 36 points and Eric Gordon added 23 for New Orleans. Holiday, who sent the game into OT with a clutch jumper with 3.9 seconds left in regulation, finished with 19 points and 12 assists. Chicago was dealt its first home loss of the season and sixth in its last seven outings overall despite a 37-point, eight-rebound and seven-assist effort from Luol Deng. Taj Gibson delivered 26 points and 14 boards in defeat, with Mike Dunleavy recording 23 points for the Bulls.
Final Score: Utah 109, Houston 103
Salt Lake City, UT (SportsNetwork.com) – Gordon Hayward netted 29 points and Marvin Williams helped put the game away with five crucial points late as the Utah Jazz shocked the Houston Rockets, 109-103, on Monday. With the Jazz in front by three, Williams picked off James Harden’s nonchalant pass with just over two minutes remaining and coasted in for a breakaway slam. Both teams traded buckets out of a timeout and after Aaron Brooks missed a short hook- shot, Williams put the game away with a 3 from Hayward. Trey Burke recorded a career-high for the second straight tilt with 21 points for Utah, which won back-to-back games for the first time this season and three of four overall. Alec Burks added 21 as well off the bench on 7-of-11 from the field. Harden led the way for Houston with 37 points and eight assists despite the loss. Dwight Howard had 15 points with nine rebounds and Francisco Garcia, Omri Casspi and Brooks all deposited 13. Houston forward Chandler Parsons missed his first game of the year with back spasms.
Final Score: Portland 106, Indiana 102
Portland, OR (SportsNetwork.com) – Portland took Paul George’s best shot, but the Trail Blazers proved they have a closer of their own. Damian Lillard scored 14 of his 26 points in the fourth quarter and the Portland Trail Blazers defeated the Indiana Pacers, 106-102, on Monday night. Lillard was just 4-of-12 shooting through three quarters before coming alive in the fourth. George netted 17 of his career-high 43 points in the final frame. George nailed a pair of treys to whittle the Pacers deficit to 98-96 with 1:37 on the clock, but the cold-blooded Lillard answered with a three at the other end and Indiana didn’t cut the gap below three the rest of the way. George hit his fifth 3-pointer of the quarter with 10.4 seconds left to trim the bulge to 105-102, but Nicolas Batum split a pair of foul shots to seal the outcome. LaMarcus Aldridge added 28 points and 10 boards for Portland, which has won 13 of its last 14 tilts. Roy Hibbert chipped in 16 points and 14 rebounds for the Pacers, who had their seven-game winning streak snapped. They dropped just their second game of the year.
Categorized in: NBA