National Basketball Association Game Capsules

Charlotte, NC (Sports Network) – Joe Johnson scored 22 points and led the Brooklyn Nets to a 99-78 win over the Charlotte Bobcats on Wednesday. Johnson shot 8-of-14 from the field, including 5-of-8 from behind the arc, for the Nets, who came into the game off a loss at Chicago on Saturday. Deron Williams had 20 points and eight assists and Brook Lopez added 16 points. Michael Kidd-Gilchrist scored a team-high 17 points for the Bobcats, who are on an eight-game losing streak. Ben Gordon added 16 points off the bench and Kemba Walker recorded 10 points and eight assists.

Final Score: Cleveland 104, Utah 101

Cleveland, OH (Sports Network) – Kyrie Irving scored 11 of his team-high 20 points in the fourth quarter as the Cleveland Cavaliers edged the Utah Jazz, 104-101, at Quicken Loans Arena. Irving, who also had 10 assists and seven rebounds, came up with a pivotal steal that led to Wayne Ellington’s go-ahead slam with 56.4 seconds left. Ellington finished with 16 points and six rebounds and rookie Tristan Thompson chipped in with 16 points and 12 boards for the Cavs, who have won five of their last eight games. Gordon Hayward poured in a game-high 25 points off the bench for the Jazz, who got 17 points and seven rebounds from Enes Kanter. Paul Millsap scored 16 points and pulled down eight boards in the setback.

Final Score: Boston 83, Indiana 81

Indianapolis, IN (Sports Network) – Jeff Green laid in the game-winning basket with a half-second remaining as the Boston Celtics stole an 83-81 decision over the Indiana Pacers at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. The Celtics trailed by nine with 4 1/2 minutes left in regulation and scored the final 11 points to capture their fourth straight victory. Kevin Garnett finished with 18 points and 10 rebounds and assisted on the deciding bucket, while Paul Pierce and Avery Bradley chipped in 13 points apiece for the victors. All five Pacers starters scored in double digits, but Indiana was held to 13 points in the fourth quarter. Paul George had a team-high 16 points, and David West totaled 11 points and 16 rebounds in the loss, the club’s second in its last nine games. If the playoffs had started before the game, these teams would have squared off in the first round with the Pacers as the No. 2 seed and the Celtics coming in at No. 7 in the Eastern Conference.

Final Score: Atlanta 107, Philadelphia 96

Atlanta, GA (Sports Network) – Jeff Teague had 27 points and 11 assists in the Atlanta Hawks’ 107-96 win over the Philadelphia 76ers. Al Horford added 21 points, 12 rebounds and six assists for Atlanta, which snapped a three-game slide. Anthony Tolliver netted 21 points off the bench in the triumph. Jrue Holiday tallied 11 points and 12 assists for the slumping Sixers, who have dropped 11 of their last 13 tilts. Damien Wilkins recorded 21 points off the bench in defeat. Philly lost its 11th straight road game, the longest such streak since a 20-game slide from Dec. 28, 1987-March 4, 1988.

Final Score: Miami 97, Orlando 96

Miami, FL (Sports Network) – LeBron James just wouldn’t let Miami’s winning streak end, even after the Heat blew a 20-point lead against one of the worst teams in the Eastern Conference. James knifed through the lane for a left- handed layup with 3.2 seconds left to boost the Heat to a 97-96 victory over the Orlando Magic. The reigning league MVP had 26 points, as the Heat extended a franchise-record with their 16th consecutive win. Dwyane Wade tallied 24 points, but the Heat had to overcome a great game from Nikola Vucevic. The second-year forward had 25 points and 21 rebounds, but the Magic faltered for the 21st time in their last 24 games. The Heat won despite shooting 4-of-17 from the field in the fourth quarter. That included an 0-of-8 showing from beyon the arc. James’ layup was the only bucket for the Heat in the final seven minutes.

Final Score: Memphis 91, Portland 85

Memphis, TN (Sports Network) – Marc Gasol scored 23 points and pulled down 12 rebounds to lead the Memphis Grizzlies to a 91-85 win over the Portland Trail Blazers on Wednesday. Mike Conley added 20 points and six assists and Jerryd Bayless had 13 points off the bench for the Grizzlies, who have won 10 of their last 11 games. Damian Lillard scored 20 points and J.J. Hickson had 12 points and 13 rebounds for the Blazers, who had won three of their last four entering the contest. LaMarcus Aldridge scored 10 points and pulled down 10 boards in the setback.

Final Score: Minnesota 87, Washington 82

Minneapolis, MN (Sports Network) – Derrick Williams had 16 points and eight rebounds to lead the Minnesota Timberwolves to an 87-82 win over the Washington Wizards on Wednesday. Ricky Rubio recorded a double-double with 15 points and 11 assists for the Timberwolves, who snapped a six-game losing streak. Luke Ridnour also scored 15 points, while J.J. Barea and Dante Cunningham had 12 and 11 points, respectively, off the bench. John Wall had a game-high 19 points and dished out seven assists for the Wizards, who had won four of their last six games entering the contest. Trevor Ariza registered 16 points, seven rebounds and six assists and Emeka Okafor had a double-double with 10 points and 14 rebounds.

Final Score: LA Lakers 108, New Orleans 102

New Orleans, LA (Sports Network) – Kobe Bryant and Jodie Meeks carried Los Angeles to a stunning fourth-quarter comeback, as the Lakers escaped New Orleans with a miraculous 108-102 triumph over the Hornets. Bryant and Meeks combined for 30 points in the fourth quarter, which began with New Orleans leading by 18. Despite playing with a sore elbow, Bryant netted 42 points, 18 coming over a final 12 minutes that saw the Lakers outscore a stunned Hornets club, 33-9. Bryant also dished out 12 assists, while Dwight Howard finished with 20 points, 15 rebounds and four blocks, including a pivotal rejection of Robin Lopez down the stretch. Meeks scored 19 points for LA, which was in a daze from its double-digit loss at Oklahoma City on Tuesday before rallying. New Orleans led by as many as 25 in the first half, but did not score in the final 6:47 to drop its 10th straight meeting with the Lakers. Seven Hornets scored in double figures, led by Eric Gordon’s 18 points.

Final Score: Dallas 112, Houston 108

Dallas, TX (Sports Network) – Dirk Nowitzki and Shawn Marion netted 22 points apiece in the Dallas Mavericks’ 112-108 win over the Houston Rockets. O.J. Mayo added 13 points, a career-high 12 assists and six rebounds for Dallas, which had dropped four of its last five contests coming in. The Mavericks have won six in a row against Houston in Big D and improved to 23-2 when Nowitzki scores at least 15 points. James Harden was 16-of-16 from the line and finished with 28 points for the Rockets, who had won four of their past six tilts prior to the opening tip.

Final Score: Toronto 98, Phoenix 71

Phoenix, AZ (Sports Network) – DeMar DeRozan and Amir Johnson scored 15 and 14 points, respectively, as the Toronto Raptors defeated the Phoenix Suns, 98-71, on Wednesday. Sebastian Telfair had 13 points, seven assists and four steals while Jonas Valanciunas, Alan Anderson and Terrence Ross scored 10 points apiece for the Raptors, who snapped a five-game losing streak. Marcus Morris scored 12 points off the bench for the Suns, who had won three straight coming into the game. No other Phoenix player finished in double figures.

Final Score: San Antonio 101, Chicago 83

San Antonio, TX (Sports Network) – Tim Duncan filled the stat sheet with 18 points, 10 rebounds and five blocks, as the San Antonio Spurs used a strong second half to beat the Chicago Bulls, 101-83, on Wednesday. Manu Ginobili added 18 points and nine assists for the Spurs, who have won three in a row. Kawhi Leonard tallied 14 points and seven boards. Tiago Splitter donated 13 points and 10 rebounds for San Antonio, which outscored Chicago by a 54-31 margin in the second half. Patty Mills also had 13 points. Marco Belinelli ended with 21 points and seven assists for the Bulls, who went 0-2 against the Spurs this season. Luol Deng added 19 points and seven rebounds.

Categorized in: NBA