National Basketball Association Game Capsules

Cleveland, OH (SportsNetwork.com) – Dion Waiters made the tying layup with under a second left in regulation and Anderson Varejao scored the last six points of overtime, leading the shorthanded Cleveland Cavaliers to an 87-81 win over the Orlando Magic on Thursday. The Cavaliers, playing without point guard Kyrie Irving, trailed by 10 points with 1:34 left in regulation and used an 11-1 run to tie it. Waiters scored six during the run, including the last four, and Jarrett Jack made all three free throws after Jameer Nelson fouled him on a 3-point attempt. On the tying play, Waiters dribbled past Arron Afflalo on the left side and scored the layup with his right hand with 0.6 ticks left on the clock to make it 79-79. Nelson missed a desperation 3 at the buzzer and the Magic only made one shot in overtime. Varejao scored six after that and the Cavs snapped their season-long six-game losing streak with their fifth win in a row over the Magic.

Final Score: Golden State 123, Miami 114

Miami, FL (SportsNetwork.com) – Steph Curry and David Lee combined for 68 points in the Golden State Warriors’ 123-114 win over the Miami Heat from American Airlines Arena. Curry poured in a game-high 36 points with 12 assists while Lee totaled 32 points and 14 rebounds as the Warriors improved to 3-0 on their season-long seven-game road swing. They went 6-1 on a seven-game road trip last season. Klay Thompson added 16 points and Harrison Barnes provided 15 points off the bench for Golden State, which has won seven in a row overall. All five Miami starters reached double figures, with LeBron James leading the way with 26 on 10-of-16 from the floor. Dwyane Wade chipped in 22, Chris Bosh had 19 and Mario Chalmers scored 17 with a team-high seven rebounds. Shane Battier made 3-of-4 from behind the arc for 11 points.

Final Score: Chicago 94, Boston 82

Chicago, IL (SportsNetwork.com) – Joakim Noah fell just shy of a triple-double but nonetheless helped the Chicago Bulls to a thorough 94-82 victory over the Boston Celtics on Thursday. Noah totaled 17 points, 11 rebounds and nine assists while Carlos Boozer and Luol Deng chipped in with 16 and 14 points, respectively, for Chicago, which never trailed in the second half and picked up its fourth win in the last six games. Boston fell for the fifth time in six games despite Jordan Crawford pouring in a game-high 22 points and handing out seven assists. Jared Sullinger added 11 points and 11 boards in the setback.

Final Score: Brooklyn 95, Oklahoma City 93

Oklahoma City, OK (SportsNetwork.com) – Joe Johnson dribbled behind his back and knocked down the game-winner. His Brooklyn Nets teammates were on the court to celebrate. Johnson’s buzzer-beater lifted the Nets to a 95-93 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Thursday after they had trailed by as many as 16 points. The win came two days after the Nets were embarrassed two ways in a loss to San Antonio. They were blown out 113-92 and coach Jason Kidd was forced to call a timeout with 0.2 seconds left because his players had left the court already, thinking the game was over. Everyone stuck around to see Johnson, guarded by Thunder big man Serge Ibaka on the high left side, make some room for himself with his behind-the-back dribble and knock down the shot from the top of the key. Deron Williams led Brooklyn with 29 points and Paul Pierce scored 18. Both players keyed a 14-0 run near the end of the game that pulled the Nets out of a 10-point hole late and led them to only their second win in eight games. The Thunder, who had won seven of the last eight meetings between the teams, coughed up a 16-point lead for the second time in a row. They led big against Portland on New Year’s Eve and lost 98-94.

Final Score: New York 105, San Antonio 101

San Antonio, TX (SportsNetwork.com) – Iman Shumpert’s go-ahead tip-in with 23.4 seconds left lifted the New York Knicks to a 105-101 victory over the San Antonio Spurs on Thursday night. The game was tied at 101-101 when Carmelo Anthony missed a left corner three, but the rebound ricocheted high up into the air. Shumpert leapt high to bank in the tip-in and give the Knicks a 103-101 lead. Marco Belinelli was off the mark on a triple from the top of the arc for San Antonio and Anthony hit a pair of free throws to seal the outcome. Shumpert had 27 points and six rebounds, while Anthony added 27 points and 12 boards for New York, which snapped a three-game losing streak. Belinelli nailed six 3-pointers and finished with 32 points for the Spurs, who had a three-game winning streak come to an end.

Final Score: Memphis 99, Phoenix 91

Phoenix, AZ (SportsNetwork.com) – Zach Randolph led six Grizzlies in double figures with 20 points and 15 rebounds and guided Memphis to a 99-91 win over the short-handed Phoenix Suns from U.S. Airways Center. The Grizzlies got a major boost from their reserves, with Jerryd Bayless scoring 17 points and Ed Davis totaling 16 points with 11 boards off the bench. Mike Miller also started the game on the pine and contributed 11 points, seven boards and four assists, while starters Mike Conley and Kosta Koufos added 11 and 10 points, respectively. Phoenix was without second-leading scorer Eric Bledsoe, who sprained his right knee in a 107-88 rout of the Clippers on Monday. The Suns had won five of six entering Thursday’s clash. Goran Dragic made 13-of-22 shots for a career-high 33 points in the setback, while Channing Frye netted 14 and Miles Plumlee pulled down a team-high 12 rebounds.

Final Score: Utah 96, Milwaukee 87

Salt Lake City, UT (SportsNetwork.com) – Derrick Favors had 21 points and 11 rebounds as the Utah Jazz defeated the Milwaukee Bucks 96-87 on Thursday night. Gordon Hayward added 22 points for Utah, which has won three of its last four games. Larry Sanders tallied 16 points and eight rebounds for the Bucks, who have dropped nine of their last 11 tilts.

Final Score: Portland 134, Charlotte 104

Portland, OR (SportsNetwork.com) – The Portland Trail Blazers tied the franchise single-game 3-point mark they set less than a month ago in a 134-104 dismantling of the Charlotte Bobcats on Thursday. Damian Lillard shot 6-of-6 from behind the arc and Wesley Matthews added five from long range as the Blazers matched the 21 triples they made against Philadelphia on Dec. 14. Lillard finished with 24 points and seven assists, Matthews netted 25 points and LaMarcus Aldridge donated 10 points and 15 rebounds in the club’s second straight win. Chris Douglas-Roberts had a team-high 20 points for the Bobcats, losers of five straight.

Final Score: Philadelphia 113, Sacramento 104

Sacramento, CA (SportsNetwork.com) – Thaddeus Young had 28 points, six steals, seven rebounds and four assists as the Philadelphia 76ers defeated the Sacramento Kings 113-104 on Thursday night. Evan Turner finished with 24 points, 10 rebounds and six assists, while Tony Wroten netted 21 points for the Sixers, who have won three straight away from home on the heels of a 13- game road losing streak. DeMarcus Cousins tallied 33 points and 14 boards for Sacramento, which has alternated wins and losses over its last seven contests.

Categorized in: NBA