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The Indiana Pacers (28 - 24) defeated the Los Angeles Lakers (11 - 43) 89 - 87 on Monday. A feisty Lakers squad kept the pressure on the Pacers for the majority of the contest, but Paul George and Indiana's efficiency down low helped to seal the hard - fought victory. George scored seven of his team - leading 21 points in the last 1:10 of the game, accounting for all but two of Indiana's final nine points. The home team was also a force on the glass and around the basket throughout all four quarters against one of the more vulnerable frontcourts in the league that was also playing without starting center Roy Hibbert. They hauled in 53 rebounds, while also doubling up Los Angeles in the paint, 44 - 22. Conversely, neither team was able to muster anything of note from the perimeter, with the Lakers and Pacers posting respective 23 and 15 percent tallies from behind the arc. The Lakers were spearheaded by Kobe Bryant's 19 points, which he supplemented with five rebounds. As has been the case for a good portion of the season, Bryant's poor accuracy necessitated a voluminous amount of shot attempts, 25 in this particular contest, to allow him to hit his scoring total. Julius Randle was right behind him with a momentous 15 - point, 19 - rebound double - double which he supplemented with three assists. Lou Williams tallied 13 points, three rebounds, an assist and a pair of steals. Jordan Clarkson contributed 10 points, three rebounds, two assists and a pair of steals as the fourth starter with double - digit scoring. 2015 first - rounder D'Angelo Russell outperformed Clarkson off the bench, pacing the reserves with a stat - sheet - stuffing performance consisting of 16 points, five rebounds, five assists, four steals and a block. The Lakers remain in last place in the Western Conference's Pacific Division. They now head to Cleveland to face off against the Cavaliers on Wednesday. George added nine rebounds, two assists, a steal and two blocks to his team - leading point total. George Hill was next in line with 15 points, six assists, a rebound and three steals. Myles Turner waged an entertaining one - on - one battle down low with Randle, recording his own double - double with 14 points, 13 rebounds and an assist. Ian Mahinmi pitched in with 11 points, five rebounds, an assist and a block, while Jordan Hill had a near double - double against his former squad, supplying nine points, nine rebounds, an assist and a block. With the victory, the Pacers moved into second place in the Eastern Conference's Central Division. They remain home to face the Hornets on Wednesday.

["TeamStat(G,'Pacers') has 15 Percentage of 3 points ,has 24 Losses ,has 89 Total points ,has 23 Points in 1st quarter ,has 23 Points in 2nd quarter ,has 28 Wins ." "TeamStat(G,'Lakers') has 23 Percentage of 3 points ,has 43 Losses ,has 87 Total points ,has 11 Points in 1st quarter ." "PlayerStat(G,'Kobe Bryant') has 25 Assists ,has 19 Blocks ,has 5 Defensive rebounds ." "PlayerStat(G,'Julius Randle') has 3 Assists ,has 1 Blocks ,has 15 Defensive rebounds ,has 19 3-pointers made ." "PlayerStat(G,'Lou Williams') has 1 Assists ,has 13 Blocks ,has 3 Defensive rebounds ,has 2 3-pointers made ." "PlayerStat(G,'Jordan Clarkson') has 2 Assists ,has 10 Blocks ,has 3 Defensive rebounds ,has 2 3-pointers made ." "PlayerStat(G,'D'Angelo Russell') has 5 Assists ,has 1 Blocks ,has 16 Defensive rebounds ,has 5 3-pointers made ,has 4 Field goals attempted ." "PlayerStat(G,'Paul George') has 2 Assists ,has 2 Blocks ,has 2 Defensive rebounds ,has 7 3-pointers made ,has 21 Field goals attempted ,has 9 Free throws made ,has 1 Offensive rebounds ." "PlayerStat(G,'Myles Turner') has 1 Assists ,has 1 Blocks ,has 14 Defensive rebounds ,has 13 3-pointers made ." "PlayerStat(G,'Ian Mahinmi') has 1 Assists ,has 1 Blocks ,has 11 Defensive rebounds ,has 5 3-pointers made ." "PlayerStat(G,'George Hill') has 6 Assists ,has 1 Blocks ,has 1 Defensive rebounds ,has 15 3-pointers made ,has 1 Field goals attempted ,has 3 Free throws made ." "PlayerStat(G,'Jordan Hill') has 1 Assists ,has 1 Blocks ,has 9 Defensive rebounds ,has 9 3-pointers made ."]

The Los Angeles Clippers (34 - 19) beat the Dallas Mavericks (35 - 19), 115 - 98, on Monday. The Clippers were in their second game without Blake Griffin, who had surgery Monday to remove a staff infection. They had lost four straight coming into Monday's tilt against the Mavs. DeAndre Jordan dominated the Dallas interior after Tyson Chandler left with an ankle injury in the second minute of the game and did n't return. While he had 22 points, 27 rebounds and three blocks, he miraculously hit 6 - of - 9 free throws in 39 minutes. The performance marked his second game of at least 20 points and 20 rebounds in February, which he had n't done that all season until this month. Chris Paul stepped up his scoring in an attempt to help make up for the loss of Griffin, putting up 25 points to go along with six assists and 13 rebounds. Meanwhile, J.J. Reddick (back) made his return to the starting lineup after missing three straight games, posting 15 points in 31 minutes. The Dallas Mavericks had a tough time keeping their starters healthy against the Clippers. In addition to Chandler leaving after playing just over one minute, Monta Ellis suffered a hip injury and did not return after the first four minutes. The Mavs were already without Rajon Rondo (face), who is out until after the All-Star break. However, Dallas did get a bump in production from Charlie Villanueva, who had a game - high 26 points in 23 minutes off the bench. The Clippers will take on the Houston Rockets on Wednesday, and the Mavericks will play the Utah Jazz on Wednesday.

["TeamStat(G,'Mavericks') has 19 Losses ,has 98 Total points ,has 35 Wins ." "TeamStat(G,'Clippers') has 19 Losses ,has 115 Total points ,has 34 Wins ." "PlayerStat(G,'DeAndre Jordan') has 3 Blocks ,has 9 3-pointers attempted ,has 6 Free throws attempted ,has 39 Free throws made ,has 3 Minutes played ,has 22 Personal fouls ,has 27 Points ." "PlayerStat(G,'Chris Paul') has 3 Blocks ,has 3 3-pointers attempted ,has 25 Free throws attempted ,has 3 Free throws made ." "PlayerStat(G,'Tyson Chandler') has 1 Blocks ." "PlayerStat(G,'Monta Ellis') has 4 Blocks ." "PlayerStat(G,'J.J. Barea') has 3 Blocks ,has 15 3-pointers attempted ." "PlayerStat(G,'Charlie Villanueva') has 23 Blocks ,has 26 3-pointers attempted ."]

Washington had to overcome a 15 - point halftime deficit to eventually win by five points in an impressive comeback effort. The Nets' carelessness ended up proving costly, as they committed 21 turnovers and forced just nine from the Wizards. Washington actually recorded a season - high 17 steals, with four starters grabbing at least three apiece. Both offenses shot over 48 percent from the field, with the two teams combining for 51 assists in the game. John Wall was the Wizards' best player, tallying 25 points, 13 assists and three steals in the win. Bradley Beal and Otto Porter both finished with 18 points and four rebounds. Brook Lopez did all he could for the Nets, accruing 25 points, six rebounds, five assists and three blocks in the defeat. Trevor Booker recorded another double - double, totaling 14 points and 14 rebounds in his return from a one - game absence.

["TeamStat(G,'Nets') has 21 Turnovers ." "PlayerStat(G,'Otto Porter') has 18 Assists ,has 4 Blocks ,has 1 3-pointers attempted ." "PlayerStat(G,'Bradley Beal') has 1 Assists ,has 1 Blocks ,has 18 3-pointers attempted ,has 4 Free throws made ,has 1 Offensive rebounds ." "PlayerStat(G,'John Wall') has 13 Assists ,has 25 Blocks ,has 3 3-pointers attempted ." "PlayerStat(G,'Trevor Booker') has 1 Assists ,has 1 Blocks ,has 1 3-pointers attempted ,has 1 Free throws made ,has 14 Offensive rebounds ." "PlayerStat(G,'Brook Lopez') has 5 Assists ,has 25 Blocks ,has 6 3-pointers attempted ,has 1 Free throws made ."]

The Orlando Magic defeated the host New York Knicks, 115 - 103, at Madison Square Garden on Monday. These are two teams who will battle to sneak into the playoffs, but the Magic looked like the far superior team in this game. They nearly pulled out a wire - to - wire win, as the Knicks never led by more than one and failed to tie or recapture the lead after the first quarter. The assist - to - turnover differential was the decisive statistic, as the Magic recorded 35 assists to just 12 turnovers, while New York committed 18 turnovers to match their 18 assists. Three-point shooting was a big factor as well, with the Magic going 15 - of - 31, to the Knicks, 8 - of - 21. The Magic (16 - 20) have been playing much better on the offensive end recently and this performance only adds to those numbers. Serge Ibaka continued his good form, as he tallied 22 points and six rebounds in the win. Aaron Gordon had a nice all - around game too, collecting 22 points, six rebounds and six assists. Jodie Meeks had one of his best games of the season, as he led the team with 23 points on 7 - of - 9 shooting. Nikola Vucevic recorded a double - double off the bench, totaling 14 points, 13 rebounds and five assists. Elfrid Payton also came off the bench to score 13 points and hand out 14 assists. Orlando will look to build off this win on Wednesday against the Atlanta Hawks. The Knicks (16 - 18) have now lost five - straight games, as they continue to fall down the standings. Carmelo Anthony did play despite being ruled questionable with a knee injury and led the team with 19 points, seven rebounds and three assists on 6 - of - 17 shooting. Derrick Rose was second on the team, as he accrued 18 points, three rebounds and four assists. Brandon Jennings was the only bench player in double figures, as he accumulated 12 points, three rebounds and four assists. The Knicks had to play this game without Kristaps Porzingis, who continues to nurse an Achilles' injury. New York will host the Milwaukee Bucks on Wednesday for their next game.

["TeamStat(G,'Knicks') has 18 Number of team assists ,has 18 Losses ,has 103 Total points ,has 18 Turnovers ,has 16 Wins ." "TeamStat(G,'Magic') has 35 Number of team assists ,has 20 Losses ,has 115 Total points ,has 12 Turnovers ,has 16 Wins ." "PlayerStat(G,'Aaron Gordon') has 6 Assists ,has 1 Blocks ,has 22 Field goals attempted ,has 6 Field goals made ,has 1 Personal fouls ." "PlayerStat(G,'Serge Ibaka') has 22 Assists ,has 6 Blocks ." "PlayerStat(G,'Jodie Meeks') has 1 Assists ,has 9 Blocks ,has 7 Field goals attempted ,has 1 Field goals made ,has 23 Personal fouls ." "PlayerStat(G,'Elfrid Payton') has 14 Assists ,has 13 Blocks ." "PlayerStat(G,'Nikola Vucevic') has 5 Assists ,has 14 Blocks ,has 13 Field goals attempted ." "PlayerStat(G,'Carmelo Anthony') has 3 Assists ,has 17 Blocks ,has 6 Field goals attempted ,has 19 Field goals made ,has 7 Personal fouls ." "PlayerStat(G,'Derrick Rose') has 4 Assists ,has 18 Blocks ,has 3 Field goals attempted ." "PlayerStat(G,'Brandon Jennings') has 4 Assists ,has 12 Blocks ,has 3 Field goals attempted ."]

The Indiana Pacers (25 - 22) defeated the Denver Nuggets (18 - 30) 109 - 105 in overtime on Saturday. A terrific back - and - forth Saturday night shootout ended in a hard - fought victory for the Pacers, whose aggressiveness on offense was a key to withstanding a feisty Nugggets squad. Indiana put up a robust 100 shot attempts on the night, including a team - high 28 from sharpshooting guard Monta Ellis. The veteran drained 13 of those tries on his way to a team - high 32 points. Even though he missed a three - point jumper as time expired in regulation, his driving layup with 20 seconds remaining in overtime helped Indiana extend their lead to 108 - 105. He also drew a shooting foul from Kenneth Faried on the play, and sunk the subsequent free throw for the final margin of victory. Danilo Gallinari led the way for Denver with 23 points, three rebounds, two assists and a steal. Gary Harris was right behind him, tallying 18 points, three assists, a rebound, a steal and a block. Nikola Jokic and Kenneth Faried turned in a pair of 16 - point efforts that were also double - doubles. The former hauled in 11 boards, two assists and recorded an outstanding five steals, while the latter posted 12 rebounds and managed a steal as well. Emmanuel Mudiay rounded out a strong night for the starting five with 11 points, eight assists and five rebounds. The Nuggets remain in fourth place in the Western Conference's Northwest Division. They head home to face the Toronto Raptors on Monday. Ellis supplemented his stellar scoring total with nine rebounds, six assists and three steals. Jordan Hill drew the start in place of Ian Mahinmi (back) and responded with 20 points, seven rebounds, three assists, a steal and a notable six blocks. Paul George was right behind with 19 points, seven assists and three rebounds. Myles Turner turned in a stat - sheet - stuffing effort with eight points, nine rebounds, three assists and four blocks, as he continues to quickly develop into a force in the Pacers frontcourt. Indiana remains in third place in the Eastern Conference's Central Division. They're home again for a date with the Cleveland Cavaliers on Monday night.

["TeamStat(G,'Pacers') has 22 Losses ,has 109 Total points ,has 25 Wins ." "TeamStat(G,'Nuggets') has 30 Losses ,has 105 Total points ,has 18 Wins ." "PlayerStat(G,'Kenneth Faried') has 16 Assists ." "PlayerStat(G,'Danilo Gallinari') has 2 Assists ,has 23 Blocks ,has 3 Defensive rebounds ,has 1 Field goals attempted ." "PlayerStat(G,'Nikola Jokic') has 16 Assists ." "PlayerStat(G,'Gary Harris') has 3 Assists ,has 1 Blocks ,has 18 Defensive rebounds ,has 1 Field goals attempted ,has 1 Field goals made ." "PlayerStat(G,'Emmanuel Mudiay') has 8 Assists ,has 5 Blocks ,has 5 Defensive rebounds ,has 11 Field goals attempted ,has 5 Field goals made ." "PlayerStat(G,'Paul George') has 7 Assists ,has 19 Blocks ,has 3 Defensive rebounds ." "PlayerStat(G,'Myles Turner') has 3 Assists ,has 4 Blocks ,has 8 Defensive rebounds ,has 9 Field goals attempted ." "PlayerStat(G,'Jordan Hill') has 3 Assists ,has 6 Blocks ,has 20 Defensive rebounds ,has 7 Field goals attempted ,has 1 Field goals made ." "PlayerStat(G,'Monta Ellis') has 6 Assists ,has 28 Blocks ,has 13 Defensive rebounds ,has 32 Field goals attempted ,has 9 Field goals made ,has 3 Free throws attempted ."]

The visiting Los Angeles Clippers took down the Phoenix Suns on Wednesday, 124 - 114. The Clippers (31 - 18) have had a rocky couple months after a hot start to the season. Injuries first sidelined star forward Blake Griffin and soon after took out veteran superstar Chris Paul. On Wednesday, Paul (thumb) remained out. In his stead, the recently - returned Griffin led the offense, scoring a team - high 29 points and dishing out five assists. The Clippers, with Griffin at the helm, seemingly could n't miss from inside the arc. The team shot over 52 percent from the field despite a dismal 5 - of - 19 from beyond the three - point line. On the defensive end, center DeAndre Jordan delivered a big game, recording two steals and blocking four shots. The Suns (15 - 34), on the other hand, have struggled for the entire season. Phoenix sits at last place in the Western Conference and 29th in the NBA overall. On Wednesday, point guard Eric Bledsoe kept the team in the game almost single - handedly. Bledsoe recorded his second 41 - point game of the season, shooting a stellar 13 - of - 22 from the field and 13 - of - 15 from the free - throw line. The young star also dished out a team - high eight assists. Ultimately, Bledsoe was one of only a few Suns who managed to get his shots to fall on Wednesday. The team hit just 41 percent of its shots on the night. The Clippers host the Warriors on Thursday, while the Suns visit the Kings on Friday.

["TeamStat(G,'Suns') has 34 Losses ,has 114 Total points ,has 15 Wins ." "TeamStat(G,'Clippers') has 18 Losses ,has 124 Total points ,has 31 Wins ." "PlayerStat(G,'Blake Griffin') has 5 Assists ,has 29 Field goals attempted ." "PlayerStat(G,'DeAndre Jordan') has 4 Assists ,has 2 Field goals attempted ." "PlayerStat(G,'Eric Bledsoe') has 22 Assists ,has 13 Field goals attempted ,has 15 Field goals made ,has 13 Free throws attempted ,has 41 Free throws made ."]

The Jazz saw little in the way of individual dominance in Friday's win, but solid team play pushed them over the top. Rudy Gobert had team highs of only 16 points and 10 rebounds as six members of the team scored in double - digits against Dallas. The team shot over 56 percent from the field and over 36 percent from beyond the arc on Friday. Star forward Gordon Hayward had 13 points, nine rebounds, and four assists, but also committed seven turnovers in what was an unusually sloppy outing. Forward Derrick Favors, who is recovering from a recent knee injury, scored seven points in 14 minutes off the bench. For Dallas, it was a team performance as well, with six Mavericks also scoring in double figures. Forward Harrison Barnes led the way with 21 points. The team knocked down 12 three - pointers on the night but only pulled down 27 rebounds, a weak showing on the glass. Point guard Deron Williams had 18 points and seven assists.

["TeamStat(G,'Mavericks') has 6 Turnovers ,has 6 Wins ." "PlayerStat(G,'Harrison Barnes') has 21 Assists ." "PlayerStat(G,'Deron Williams') has 7 Assists ,has 18 Minutes played ." "PlayerStat(G,'Gordon Hayward') has 4 Assists ,has 13 Minutes played ,has 9 Points ,has 7 Total rebounds ." "PlayerStat(G,'Rudy Gobert') has 16 Assists ,has 10 Minutes played ." "PlayerStat(G,'Derrick Favors') has 14 Assists ,has 7 Minutes played ."]

Despite missing Brook Lopez, Caris LeVert and Trevor Booker, the Nets put up a valiant effort overall, seeing six players put up double - digit scoring, shooting 49 percent from the field and 49 percent from three - point range, and prompting Cleveland into 14 turnovers. Sean Kilpatrick's 18 points led the way for Brooklyn. Bojan Bogdanovic followed with 17 points, while Randy Foye and Isaiah Whitehead supplied matching 16 - point efforts. Justin Hamilton went for 12 points while taking over at center for Lopez, and Spencer Dinwiddie tallied 10. LeBron James paced the Cavs with 31 points, 11 assists and five rebounds. Kyrie Irving posted 28 points, and Kyle Korver totaled a bench - leading 14 points. Kevin Love registered a 13 - point, 14 - rebound double - double, and Tristan Thompson posted a 10 - point, 10 - rebound double - double that also included two assists and a block.

["TeamStat(G,'Cavaliers') has 14 Percentage of 3 points ." "TeamStat(G,'Nets') has 49 Percentage of 3 points ,has 49 Percentage of field goals ." "PlayerStat(G,'Bojan Bogdanovic') has 17 Assists ." "PlayerStat(G,'Justin Hamilton') has 12 Assists ." "PlayerStat(G,'Randy Foye') has 16 Assists ." "PlayerStat(G,'Spencer Dinwiddie') has 10 Assists ." "PlayerStat(G,'Sean Kilpatrick') has 18 Assists ." "PlayerStat(G,'Isaiah Whitehead') has 16 Assists ." "PlayerStat(G,'LeBron James') has 11 Assists ,has 31 Blocks ,has 5 Points ." "PlayerStat(G,'Kevin Love') has 2 Assists ,has 1 Blocks ,has 13 Points ,has 14 Total rebounds ." "PlayerStat(G,'Tristan Thompson') has 2 Assists ,has 1 Blocks ,has 10 Points ,has 10 Total rebounds ." "PlayerStat(G,'Kyrie Irving') has 28 Assists ." "PlayerStat(G,'Kyle Korver') has 14 Assists ."]

The Atlanta Hawks (20 - 12) dominated in the second half to beat the New York Knicks (14 - 17) 117 - 98 on Saturday night. The Knicks had a double - digit lead after a 32 - point first quarter and it was downhill after that. The Hawks outscored them by 22 points over the second and third quarter and ran away with an easy win. The key was the second half defense, as the Hawks allowed just 35 points over the final 24 minutes. Both teams shot well, as they both shot over 48 percent from the field with Atlanta shooting 53 percent. The turnovers were the difference in the game though, as the Knicks committed 22 to the Hawks nine. No Knicks player scored more than 18 points and they were absolutely shut down in the second half. Carmelo Anthony was the only player who showed signs of life, as he recorded a 18 point - 12 rebound double - double. The Knicks are in a rough stretch right now and it's hard to imagine it getting better with this lack of offense. They'll look to play better on Sunday against the Boston Celtics in the back end of a back - to - back. The Hawks were sick of their bad defense in the first half and shut down this weak offense to pull away with an impressive win. The frontcourt was spectacular tonight for Atlanta, as Al Horford, Paul Millsap and Mike Scott all played well. Mike Scott scored 18 points off the bench and Horford and Millsap stuffed the stat sheet. In fact, Millsap and Horford combined for 41 points, 13 rebounds, 14 assists, five steals, and three blocks. When these two are playing like that, this team is hard to stop. The Hawks will look to keep this momentum going against the Indiana Pacers on Monday.

["TeamStat(G,'Hawks') has 53 Percentage of field goals ,has 12 Losses ,has 117 Total points ,has 22 Points in 1st quarter ,has 9 Turnovers ,has 20 Wins ." "TeamStat(G,'Knicks') has 17 Percentage of field goals ,has 98 Losses ,has 32 Total points ,has 22 Points in 1st quarter ,has 14 Turnovers ." "PlayerStat(G,'Carmelo Anthony') has 18 Points ,has 12 Total rebounds ." "PlayerStat(G,'Mike Scott') has 18 Points ."]

The Cleveland Cavaliers (10 - 3) defeated the Atlanta Hawks (9 - 6) 109 - 97 on Saturday. In a rematch of the Eastern Conference Finals from last season, the Cavaliers showed once again who's boss. Cleveland took a 15 - point lead at half and never looked back. The defense was the key for the Cavs on Saturday, as they held Atlanta to 37 percent shooting and outrebounded them 51 - 38. LeBron James, Tristan Thompson and Kevin Love all recorded double - digit rebounds against one of the worst rebounding teams in the league. The Hawks had a very frustrating game on Saturday, as Coach Mike Budenholzer was tossed in the third quarter. The ejection was a bit innocuous, but his frustration clearly boiled over. No Atlanta player scored more than 14 points in the loss and no one could fine their stroke against this vaunted Cleveland defense. The Hawks were led by another strong outing from Paul Millsap, who collected 14 points, 12 rebounds, five assists, four steals and two blocks in the defeat. Millsap is proving to be one of the best stat - stuffers in the NBA right now and arguably one of the best power forwards in the association. Jeff Teague did return for this game, but came off the bench to ease him in from his ankle injury. The Hawks will look to play better om Tuesday when they host the surging Boston Celtics. Cleveland played their first game without center Timofey Mozgov and they didn’t miss a beat. Tristan Thompson filled - in for him and had a spectacular game, tallying nine points, 16 rebounds and five assists in the win. There wasn’t much bench depth for the Cavs in this game, but all four players who played at least two minutes off the bench scored at least six points. LeBron James didn’t have great numbers at the half, but he finished strong by totaling 19 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists in the victory. Kevin Love also provided 25 points and 11 rebounds in what's proving to be a bounce - back season for the All-Star. This defense has been truly impressive this season for Cleveland and that was exemplified on Saturday against a potent Hawks offense. The Cavaliers will look to continue their wining ways against the Orlando Magic on Monday.

["TeamStat(G,'Cavaliers') has 3 Percentage of field goals ,has 109 Losses ,has 51 Total points ,has 10 Rebounds ." "TeamStat(G,'Hawks') has 37 Percentage of field goals ,has 6 Losses ,has 97 Total points ,has 38 Rebounds ,has 9 Wins ." "PlayerStat(G,'Paul Millsap') has 5 Assists ,has 2 Blocks ,has 14 3-pointers made ,has 4 Free throws made ." "PlayerStat(G,'LeBron James') has 8 Assists ,has 1 Blocks ,has 1 3-pointers made ,has 19 Free throws made ,has 11 Personal fouls ." "PlayerStat(G,'Kevin Love') has 1 Assists ,has 25 Blocks ,has 11 3-pointers made ,has 1 Free throws made ." "PlayerStat(G,'Tristan Thompson') has 5 Assists ,has 1 Blocks ,has 9 3-pointers made ,has 16 Free throws made ."]

The Atlanta Hawks (10 - 6) defeated the Boston Celtics (7 - 7) 121 - 97 on Tuesday. Even in losing efforts, Avery Bradley’s drastic offensive improvement is evident. The Celtics guard has been shooting well all season, but has taken his game up a notch over his last three contests, all starts. Bradley has posted three consecutive performances of 21 points or greater, shooting an outstanding 58 percent from the field over that span. Wednesday, he collected 25 points on 10 - for - 17 shooting, including four buckets from beyond the arc. The three - pointers give Bradley 11 combined over his last two games. Unfortunately for Boston, the rest of their starters couldn’t provide their scorching shooting guard much support. Isaiah Thomas shook off two early turnovers in the first quarter to tally 14 points, a pair of assists, and three steals, but was the only other member of the starting five to post double - digit scoring. Jared Sullinger (seven points) and Jae Crowder (six points) mustered single - digit points for the second consecutive game, while Amir Johnson managed four points and seven rebounds. Encouragingly, rookie hopeful R.J. Hunter paced the Boston bench with a career - high 12 points, while David Lee also pitched in 10 points, six rebounds, three assists and a pair of steals. Given their respective recent performances, Lee may soon find himself back in the starting rotation in Johnson’s stead. The Celtics fell to 7 - 7 and currently reside in third place in the Eastern Conference’s Atlantic Division. They head home for a Wednesday tilt versus the Sixers. The Hawks are known as one of the most balanced offensive teams in the league, and the performance of their starting five Tuesday was a testament to that reputation. All of Atlanta’s starters tallied double - digit scoring performances, with Paul Millsap spearheading the effort with a 25 - point, nine - rebound, three - assist night. Jeff Teague complemented Millsap with an efficient performance in his second game back from an ankle injury, collecting 16 points and nine assists. Thabo Sefolosha acquitted himself very well in his spot start with 15 points, a total matched by guard Kyle Korver. Al Horford pitched in 11 points, four rebounds, and four assists in a game that his frontcourt mate largely took over. Mike Scott paced the Atlanta bench with 15 points of his own, a season high. Atlanta also notably shot an outstanding 50 percent from beyond the three - point line, led by Korver’s trio of long - range buckets. The Hawks improved to 10 - 6 and currently reside in second place in the Eastern Conference’s Southeast Division, a half - game behind the Heat. They head to Minnesota for a Wednesday showdown versus the Timberwolves.

["TeamStat(G,'Hawks') has 50 Percentage of 3 points ,has 6 Losses ,has 121 Total points ,has 10 Wins ." "TeamStat(G,'Celtics') has 7 Percentage of 3 points ,has 97 Losses ,has 7 Total points ." "PlayerStat(G,'Jae Crowder') has 6 Assists ." "PlayerStat(G,'Amir Johnson') has 4 Assists ,has 7 3-pointers attempted ." "PlayerStat(G,'Jared Sullinger') has 7 Assists ." "PlayerStat(G,'Avery Bradley') has 2 Assists ,has 4 3-pointers attempted ,has 17 3-pointers made ,has 10 Field goals attempted ,has 2 Field goals made ,has 2 Free throws attempted ,has 25 Personal fouls ,has 3 Points ,has 2 Total rebounds ." "PlayerStat(G,'Isaiah Thomas') has 2 Assists ,has 5 3-pointers attempted ,has 2 3-pointers made ,has 14 Field goals attempted ,has 3 Field goals made ,has 5 Free throws attempted ." "PlayerStat(G,'David Lee') has 3 Assists ,has 10 3-pointers attempted ,has 6 3-pointers made ,has 2 Field goals attempted ." "PlayerStat(G,'RJ Hunter') has 12 Assists ,has 2 3-pointers attempted ." "PlayerStat(G,'Thabo Sefolosha') has 15 Assists ." "PlayerStat(G,'Paul Millsap') has 3 Assists ,has 25 3-pointers attempted ,has 9 3-pointers made ." "PlayerStat(G,'Al Horford') has 4 Assists ,has 11 3-pointers attempted ,has 4 3-pointers made ." "PlayerStat(G,'Kyle Korver') has 15 Assists ." "PlayerStat(G,'Jeff Teague') has 9 Assists ,has 16 3-pointers attempted ." "PlayerStat(G,'Mike Scott') has 15 Assists ."]

The Charlotte Hornets defeated the Sacramento Kings, 99 - 85, at Golden 1 Center on Saturday afternoon. The Hornets (25 - 33) have been playing without the services of starting center Cody Zeller since late January due to his calf injury, but his absence has come with a silver lining. Second-year big man Frank Kaminsky III had taken the opportunity afforded him and parlayed it into a string of impressive performances, with the most recent having come in Saturday's contest against the new - look Kings (25 - 34). Kaminsky posted a 23 - point, 13 - rebound double - double that also included three assists and two steals to lead the way for Charlotte, his fifth straight double - digit scoring effort and third double - double in the last seven contests. His efforts on the glass spearheaded a 50 - 41 rebounding advantage for the visitors as they dominated a Sacramento team that clearly misses the departed DeMarcus Cousins on the glass. Marvin Williams followed Kaminsky with 16 points, six rebounds, two steals and one block. Nicolas Batum was next with 15 points, six boards, three assists, one steal and one block. Marco Belinelli paced the bench with 13 points, six assists, two rebounds and one steal. Kemba Walker provided 12 points, six assists, three rebounds and one steal in a supporting role that was somewhat uncharacteristic. Michael Kidd-Gilchrist could n't muster much on the scoreboard with only six points but made up for it by hauling in 12 boards. With Cousins now in New Orleans, it could well be a different player taking the offensive lead every night in Sacramento. Saturday was Ben McLemore's turn, as the two - guard led the way with 18 points, two rebounds and one steal. Newly-acquired Buddy Hield had his second strong effort in as many games in a Kings uniform, posting a bench - leading 15 points, as well as two assists and one rebound. Anthony Tolliver and Tyreke Evans produced matching 11 - point efforts, with the latter making his debut in the starting five. Tolliver added four boards and one assist, while Evans supplemented his scoring with five rebounds, five assists and a pair of blocks. Darren Collison was quiet by his standards, offering a modest 10 points, along with five assists, two rebounds and one steal. Promising rookie Skal Labissiere, now part of the rotation in the wake of Cousins' departure, supplied eight points, 13 rebounds, one assist and one steal in 23 minutes off the bench. The Hornets continue their trip through California with a visit to Los Angeles for a Sunday night date with the Clippers, while the Kings tangle with the Minnesota Timberwolves at home on Monday evening.

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The Brooklyn Nets defeated the Los Angeles Lakers, 107 - 97, Wednesday at Barclays Center. The Nets (7 - 17) came into Wednesday's matchup as losers of five of their last six games, but were able to pull out a victory thanks to a pair of great performances from their starting wings. Bojan Bogdanovic scored a team - high 23 points, while Sean Kilpatrick added 22 points of his own. And while neither shot particularly well from the field, as they combined for a 11 - of - 26 shooting performance, they did excel at the free throw line, hitting 17 - of - 20 from the stripe. In fact, as a team, the Nets really struggled from the field overall, shooting just 38 percent overall. But again, they got to the line and hit their free throws, shooting 30 - of - 40 from the charity stripe, and it was those free shots that ultimately led them to victory. The Lakers (10 - 18), on the other hand, managed to have an even worse night shooting than Brooklyn en route to their eighth straight loss, as Los Angeles shot 38 percent from the field themselves and a sorry 22 percent from behind the arc. On top of that, they shot just 68 percent from the free throw line. No Laker in particular stood out Wednesday, as Lou Williams led the team in scoring with just 16 points off the bench, while Timofey Mozgov posted a double - double of 12 points and 13 rebounds. The Lakers just failed to be on the same page throughout Wednesday's contest, managing just 11 total assists to their 10 turnovers. Up next, the Nets will travel to Orlando on Friday to take on the Magic, while the Lakers will head to Philadelphia on Friday to play the 76ers.

["TeamStat(G,'Nets') has 38 Number of team assists ,has 17 Percentage of 3 points ,has 107 Percentage of field goals ,has 7 Losses ." "TeamStat(G,'Lakers') has 11 Number of team assists ,has 22 Percentage of 3 points ,has 18 Percentage of field goals ,has 97 Losses ,has 10 Total points ,has 10 Turnovers ." "PlayerStat(G,'Timofey Mozgov') has 12 Points ,has 13 Total rebounds ." "PlayerStat(G,'Lou Williams') has 16 Points ." "PlayerStat(G,'Bojan Bogdanovic') has 23 Points ." "PlayerStat(G,'Sean Kilpatrick') has 22 Points ."]

The visiting Los Angeles Clippers took down the Miami Heat on Friday, 102 - 98. The Clippers (20 - 7) took a 14 - point lead by the end of the first half, but saw a scare as the Heat launched a comeback effort coming out of halftime. Los Angeles' saw strong play from its stars, however, en route to the victory. Forward Blake Griffin led the team with 20 points to go along with nine rebounds and four assists. Meanwhile, center DeAndre Jordan pulled down a ridiculous 19 rebounds in addition to 12 points scored. Chris Paul dished out only six assists, well below his average, but scored 17 points. The team shot only 43 percent and made just seven three - pointers, but was still able to score enough to win the game. The win was the team's fourth straight. Miami (9 - 18) saw its struggles continue despite a valiant second - half effort on Friday. The team protected the ball exceptionally well, committing just four turnovers on the night. Despite being able to retain possession of the ball, the Heat had trouble putting it in the hoop consistently. Miami shot just 40 percent and hit only six three - pointers in the contest. Top performers for Miami were guard Goran Dragic, who scored 21 points and had an impressive 11 assists, and center Hassan Whiteside, who pulled down 17 rebounds. The Clippers will visit Washington on Sunday, while the Heat will host the Celtics.

["TeamStat(G,'Heat') has 18 Losses ,has 98 Total points ,has 9 Wins ." "TeamStat(G,'Clippers') has 7 Losses ,has 102 Total points ,has 20 Wins ." "PlayerStat(G,'Blake Griffin') has 4 Assists ,has 20 Points ." "PlayerStat(G,'DeAndre Jordan') has 12 Assists ,has 19 Points ." "PlayerStat(G,'Chris Paul') has 6 Assists ,has 17 Points ." "PlayerStat(G,'Hassan Whiteside') has 17 Assists ." "PlayerStat(G,'Goran Dragic') has 11 Assists ,has 21 Points ."]

The New Orleans Pelicans (36 - 29) defeated the Brooklyn Nets (25 - 37) 111 - 91 on Tuesday at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn. Using a big second quarter, where they outscored the Nets 32 - 19, the Pelicans were able to pick up a large enough lead by halftime that they could coast to an easy 20 - point victory on the road in Brooklyn. They shot extremely well in this game, going 52 percent from the field and 57 percent from the three - point line, while the Nets shot 42 percent from the floor and 38 percent from deep. This was another big win for the Pelicans, who have now pulled themselves even with the Oklahoma City Thunder for the final projected playoff seed in the Western Conference standings. Despite securing the win, the Pelicans received a scare in the fourth quarter, as superstar Anthony Davis went to the locker room with an apparent injury to his head or face. While it may be concerning he never returned to the game, the Pelicans did have a substantial lead at that time, so they could have just been resting him. We should find out more during the after hours of this game. Before leaving, he finished with 15 points (5 - 16 FG, 5 - 6 FT), six rebounds and three blocked shots. Norris Cole entered the starting lineup Tuesday, with Tyreke Evans sitting out due to an ankle injury. Cole took advantage of the start and posted 16 points (6 - 11 FG, 4 - 6 3Pt), four assists and three steals in 29 minutes. Since joining the Pelicans 11 games ago, he's averaged 11 points, 2 rebounds and 4 assists per game. Quincy Pondexter had another positive showing and scored 17 points (6 - 9 FG, 5 - 6 3Pt), to go along with four assists. He had failed to reach double - digit points in six straight games, so it was good to see him get back on track offensively Tuesday. The Pelicans also got a boost from their bench, as Alexis Ajinca finished with 17 points (7 - 14 FG, 3 - 3 FT), five rebounds and four assists in just 23 minutes. Continuing to run with the starters, Brook Lopez recorded 15 points (7 - 14 FG, 1 - 4 FT), nine rebounds and three blocked shots in 25 minutes. He came just shy of posting his third double - double in a row, as he's averaging 18 points and 11 rebounds over his last three games. Also doing his best to keep the Nets in this game was Jarrett Jack, who came off the bench for 15 points (5 - 9 FG, 1 - 3 3Pt, 4 - 5 FT) and three assists. He looked to be the more effective guard for the Nets tonight, as Deron Williams (3 - 10 FG, 0 - 2 3Pt 4 - 4 FT) struggled to just 10 points. Also struggling offensively was Thaddeus Young, who finished with 10 points (4 - 14 FG, 1 - 2 3Pt, 1 - 2 FT) and six rebounds in 27 minutes. He had shot over 50 percent in nine out of his last ten games prior to Tuesday, but has now shot under 40 percent in two out of his last three. Also off the bench, Bojan Bogdanovic added 12 points (5 - 7 FG, 2 - 3 3Pt) and an assist in just 17 minutes. The Pelicans' next game will be at home against the Denver Nuggets on Sunday, while the Nets will travel to Miami to play the Heat on Wednesday.

["TeamStat(G,'Nets') has 38 Percentage of 3 points ,has 42 Percentage of field goals ,has 37 Losses ,has 91 Total points ,has 19 Points in 2nd quarter ,has 15 Points in 3rd quarter ,has 25 Wins ." "TeamStat(G,'Pelicans') has 57 Percentage of 3 points ,has 52 Percentage of field goals ,has 29 Losses ,has 111 Total points ,has 32 Points in 2nd quarter ,has 36 Points in 3rd quarter ." "PlayerStat(G,'Quincy Pondexter') has 4 Assists ,has 6 Blocks ,has 5 Defensive rebounds ,has 9 3-pointers attempted ,has 6 3-pointers made ,has 17 3-pointer percentage ." "PlayerStat(G,'Norris Cole') has 4 Assists ,has 6 Blocks ,has 4 Defensive rebounds ,has 11 3-pointers attempted ,has 6 3-pointers made ,has 29 3-pointer percentage ,has 16 Field goals attempted ,has 3 Field goals made ." "PlayerStat(G,'Alexis Ajinca') has 4 Assists ,has 14 Blocks ,has 7 Defensive rebounds ,has 3 3-pointers attempted ,has 3 3-pointers made ,has 23 3-pointer percentage ,has 17 Field goals attempted ,has 5 Field goals made ." "PlayerStat(G,'Thaddeus Young') has 2 Assists ,has 2 Blocks ,has 1 Defensive rebounds ,has 50 3-pointers attempted ,has 14 3-pointers made ,has 4 3-pointer percentage ,has 2 Field goals attempted ,has 1 Field goals made ,has 50 Free throws attempted ,has 27 Free throws made ,has 2 Free throw percentage ,has 10 Minutes played ,has 6 Personal fouls ." "PlayerStat(G,'Brook Lopez') has 3 Assists ,has 3 Blocks ,has 14 Defensive rebounds ,has 7 3-pointers attempted ,has 4 3-pointers made ,has 1 3-pointer percentage ,has 25 Field goals attempted ,has 15 Field goals made ,has 9 Free throws attempted ." "PlayerStat(G,'Deron Williams') has 2 Assists ,has 0 Blocks ,has 10 Defensive rebounds ,has 3 3-pointers attempted ,has 4 3-pointers made ,has 4 3-pointer percentage ,has 10 Field goals attempted ." "PlayerStat(G,'Bojan Bogdanovic') has 1 Assists ,has 3 Blocks ,has 2 Defensive rebounds ,has 7 3-pointers attempted ,has 5 3-pointers made ,has 17 3-pointer percentage ,has 12 Field goals attempted ." "PlayerStat(G,'Jarrett Jack') has 3 Assists ,has 3 Blocks ,has 1 Defensive rebounds ,has 9 3-pointers attempted ,has 5 3-pointers made ,has 5 3-pointer percentage ,has 4 Field goals attempted ,has 15 Field goals made ."]

The San Antonio Spurs (32 - 6) advanced to 220 at home on the season with a 100 - 99 win over the New York Knicks (18 - 20). Rising superstar Kawhi Leonard continued his dominance, posting a team - high 19 points and 12 rebounds while playing lockdown defense on Knicks star Carmelo Anthony. Offseason addition LaMarcus Aldridge complimented Leonard's strong performance with one of his own, delivering 16 points and nine rebounds. The narrow win marked perhaps the team's biggest scare at home on the season, but ultimately they were able to defeat the middling Knicks. The story of the game for New York was rookie sensation Kristaps Porzingis, who impressed with a game - high 28 points and 11 rebounds. The Latvian forward has silenced critics and established himself as a Rookie of the Year contender early this season, posting averages of 13 points, 8 rebounds, and 2 blocks per game. Superstar Carmelo Anthony, meanwhlie, struggled against reigning Defensive Player of the Year Kawhi Leonard, shooting just 5 - for - 15 on the night. New York is now two games below .500 and sits at fourth in the Atlantic Division. New York will hope to bounce back as they take on the Milwaukee Bucks on Sunday. The Spurs, meanwhile, will take on the struggling Nets in Brooklyn on Monday.

["TeamStat(G,'Spurs') has 6 Losses ,has 100 Total points ,has 32 Points in 2nd quarter ." "TeamStat(G,'Knicks') has 20 Losses ,has 99 Total points ,has 19 Points in 2nd quarter ,has 18 Wins ." "PlayerStat(G,'Carmelo Anthony') has 15 Field goals attempted ,has 5 Field goals made ,has 12 Personal fouls ." "PlayerStat(G,'Kristaps Porzingis') has 28 Field goals attempted ,has 11 Field goals made ." "PlayerStat(G,'Kawhi Leonard') has 1 Field goals attempted ,has 19 Field goals made ,has 12 Personal fouls ,has 1 Points ." "PlayerStat(G,'LaMarcus Aldridge') has 1 Field goals attempted ,has 16 Field goals made ,has 9 Personal fouls ."]

The Kings used a strong fourth quarter to pull away from the Clippers en route to a 98 - 92 victory at the Staples Center on Sunday. The game, which tipped off around 12:30 P.M. local time, featured a pair of division foes, as well as two of the best young big men in the league in Blake Griffin and DeMarcus Cousins. Cousins got the best of Griffin, leading all players with 34 points and 17 rebounds (six offensive) to go with five assists and three blocks. After a 40 - point effort Friday against Portland, Rudy Gay added 25 points, seven rebounds and six assists. Darren Collison chipped in 14 points, and Omri Casspi added six points and six boards in 16 minutes off the bench. The Clippers had easily their worst offensive output of the season two days after scoring 118 points against the Lakers on Friday. They shot just 38 percent from the field and 29 percent (9 - of - 31) from three, while Sacramento connected on half (34 - of - 68) of its field goals. Griffin led the way with 17 points and eight rebounds, but he connected on only 6 - of - 20 shot attempts. Chris Paul posted 16 points and 11 rebounds, while J.J. Redick added 12 points, including a pair of three - pointers. The Kings jumped out to an early 25 - 19 first quarter lead but found themselves trailing 51 - 45 at halftime. Sacramento slowly chipped away at the Los Angeles lead throughout the second half, finally breaking through in the fourth quarter. A Carl Landry free throw put the Kings up 83 - 82 with 7:26 to play, and the lead would never be relinquished. Looking ahead, Sacramento travels to Denver to face the 1 - 1 Nuggets on Monday night. The Clippers host the 1 - 2 Jazz on Monday in their fourth game in five nights.

["TeamStat(G,'Clippers') has 29 Percentage of 3 points ,has 38 Percentage of field goals ,has 92 Total points ,has 19 Points in 1st quarter ,has 2 Wins ." "TeamStat(G,'Kings') has 98 Percentage of 3 points ,has 25 Percentage of field goals ." "PlayerStat(G,'Rudy Gay') has 6 Assists ,has 25 Blocks ,has 7 3-pointers made ." "PlayerStat(G,'DeMarcus Cousins') has 5 Assists ,has 3 Blocks ,has 6 3-pointers made ,has 34 Field goals attempted ,has 17 Field goals made ." "PlayerStat(G,'Darren Collison') has 14 Assists ." "PlayerStat(G,'Omri Casspi') has 16 Assists ,has 6 Blocks ,has 6 3-pointers made ." "PlayerStat(G,'Blake Griffin') has 20 Assists ,has 6 Blocks ,has 17 3-pointers made ,has 8 Field goals attempted ,has 2 Field goals made ." "PlayerStat(G,'JJ Redick') has 2 Assists ,has 12 Blocks ." "PlayerStat(G,'Chris Paul') has 2 Assists ,has 16 Blocks ."]

The Toronto Raptors (16 - 9) defeated the Philadelphia 76ers (1 - 24) 96 - 76 on Sunday. This game was much closer than the final score would indicate, as the Raptors had just a six - point lead with about eight minutes left. They pulled away late and made it look like the dominating victory that most anticipated. What had plagued this Philly team all year were turnovers and shooting, which was the key on Sunday. The Sixers shot just 33 percent and committed 22 turnovers to the Raptors eight. Philadelphia came into this game as huge underdogs and they played much better than the final score would indicate. The 20 - point loss was due to some poor late execution and ugly turnovers down the stretch. The shooting was just atrocious as they shot 24 - for - 84 from the field. They did grab an impressive 52 rebounds in the loss though. Jahlil Okafor carried the team with 23 points and 14 rebounds and continues to be a candidate for Rookie of the Year. The Sixers will look to grab that second elusive win when they take on the Chicago Bulls on Monday as huge underdogs. The Raptors stifled this Sixers team, by holding them to just 52 points in the final three quarters. This was a great team effort, as three starters scored at least 16 points. DeMar DeRozan led the team with 25 points and eight rebounds, while Luis Scola provided a surprising 22 points and five boards. This was a game that the Raptors were expected to win by double - digits and while they didn’t play their best, they still accomplished that goal. They'll take their third ranked defense into Indiana on Monday to take on the Pacers in their next game.

["TeamStat(G,'Raptors') has 9 Losses ,has 96 Total points ,has 8 Turnovers ,has 16 Wins ." "TeamStat(G,'76ers') has 24 Losses ,has 76 Total points ,has 1 Turnovers ." "PlayerStat(G,'Jahlil Okafor') has 23 Points ,has 14 Total rebounds ." "PlayerStat(G,'Luis Scola') has 22 Points ,has 5 Total rebounds ." "PlayerStat(G,'DeMar DeRozan') has 25 Points ,has 8 Total rebounds ."]

Russell Westbrook's career - high 58 points, which he partly accomplished through a spectacular 21 - for - 39 tally from the field, was n't enough against a balanced Portland squad that saw seven players hit double digits in the scoring column. The Blazers' second unit was particularly key, combining for 49 points. Reserve Allen Crabbe's 23 points over 28 minutes paced Portland. Damian Lillard followed with 22 points, while C.J. McCollum poured in 21. Jusuf Nurkic contributed 17 points and eight boards, and Al-Farouq Aminu provided 12 points, seven rebounds, three blocks and one steal. Meyers Leonard matched Aminu's point total and Noah Vonleh chipped in with 11. Victor Oladipo was a distant second on OKC with 16 points. Enes Kanter, the only other player in double digits, posted 11. Andre Roberson managed nine points, while Domantas Sabonis tallied eight.

["PlayerStat(G,'Noah Vonleh') has 11 Blocks ." "PlayerStat(G,'Jusuf Nurkic') has 17 Blocks ,has 1 Field goals attempted ." "PlayerStat(G,'CJ McCollum') has 21 Blocks ." "PlayerStat(G,'Damian Lillard') has 22 Blocks ." "PlayerStat(G,'Allen Crabbe') has 28 Blocks ,has 23 Field goals attempted ." "PlayerStat(G,'Al-Farouq Aminu') has 3 Blocks ,has 12 Field goals attempted ,has 7 Field goals made ,has 1 Minutes played ." "PlayerStat(G,'Andre Roberson') has 9 Blocks ." "PlayerStat(G,'Domantas Sabonis') has 8 Blocks ." "PlayerStat(G,'Victor Oladipo') has 16 Blocks ." "PlayerStat(G,'Russell Westbrook') has 39 Blocks ,has 21 Field goals attempted ,has 58 Field goals made ." "PlayerStat(G,'Enes Kanter') has 11 Blocks ."]

The biggest standout from Wednesday's box score was the shooting display put on by Amir Johnson. Typically seen as someone who does most of his damage inside the arc, Johnson hit all four of his 3 - point attempts en route to scoring a team - high 23 points on the night. Johnson hit just 10 total shots from behind the arc in all 79 of his court appearances last season. He also never scored 23 points in each of those 79 appearances. For the Bulls, Dwyane Wade continues to struggle after his 22 - point heroic performance in the team's first game of the season. Since then, Wade has shot just 14 - of - 33 from the field (42 percent) and 1 - of - 6 from behind the arc. Coming off a season where he shot the lowest field goal percentage of his career — 46 percent — Wade looks to be trending in the wrong direction, shooting just 41 percent out the gates in 2016.

["PlayerStat(G,'Amir Johnson') has 4 3-pointers attempted ,has 4 3-pointers made ,has 23 Points ."]

The Houston Rockets defeated the Los Angeles Clippers 122 - 103 Wednesday at Staples Center. After a high - scoring, competitive first quarter, the Rockets (43 - 19) wasted no time opening up the game in the second period and building their lead up to 12 points before entering the locker room. From there, Houston continued to pour it on from there and reached a lead as large as 30 points as the two teams entered the fourth quarter. James Harden led the way scoring four the Rockets with a game - high 26 points to go along with nine assists in 36 minutes, while Ryan Andersen was hitting on all cylinders Wednesday night, hitting 6 - of - 11 shots from behind the arc en route to scoring 23 points in 30 minutes. His shooting was contagious, as the entire Houston team hit 20 threes, proving to have too much firepower for their opponent. Their opponent, the Clippers (36 - 24), proved to be overmatched once again by a Western Conference foe and have now lost three of their last four games after entering the All-Star break on a four - game winning streak. As a result of the loss, the Clippers are now just a half - game ahead of the sixth - place Grizzlies and one game ahead of the Thunder at the No. 7 spot. Blake Griffin led the way scoring for Los Angeles, but had just 17 points, four rebounds and five assists in 35 minutes. Chris Paul had a double - double of 16 points and 11 assists, but he shot a disappointing 5 - of - 13 from the field. As a team, the Clippers managed to shoot just 44 percent from the field in the embarrassing defeat. Up next, the Rockets will head home Saturday to take on the Grizzlies, while the Clippers will look to get back on the right track in Milwaukee on Friday.

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The Toronto Raptors defeated the Miami Heat 101 - 84 Thursday at AmericanAirlines Arena. The Heat (35 - 37) got off to a strong start on both sides of the ball, as they opened up a 10 - point lead in the first quarter. From that point, however, it was all Raptors (43 - 29). Over the course of the next three quarters, Toronto outscored Miami by 27 points thanks in large part to the tremendous play of All-Star DeMar DeRozan, who scored a game - high 40 points on 14 - of - 25 shooting from the field. DeRozan was the only starter to score in double figures for the Raptors, but the team's bench managed to come up with an important 36 points, led by 14 points from Norman Powell and 13 from Delon Wright. As for the Heat, six different players managed to score in double figures, but they failed to get a standout performance to counter that of DeRozan's in some way. Hassan Whiteside ended up leading the way with a team - high 16 points and 14 rebounds, but no other Miami player scored more than 13 points. The poor offensive play was contagious across the board, as the team shot just 39 percent from the field and 26 percent from behind the arc in Thursday's contest. It was a crucial loss for the Heat, as they now hold just a one - game advantage over both the Bulls and Pistons for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.

["TeamStat(G,'Heat') has 37 Losses ,has 84 Total points ,has 16 Points in 4th quarter ,has 35 Wins ." "TeamStat(G,'Raptors') has 29 Losses ,has 101 Total points ,has 43 Points in 4th quarter ." "PlayerStat(G,'DeMar DeRozan') has 3 Assists ,has 25 Field goals attempted ,has 14 Field goals made ,has 13 Free throws attempted ,has 40 Points ,has 6 Total rebounds ." "PlayerStat(G,'Norman Powell') has 14 Assists ." "PlayerStat(G,'Delon Wright') has 13 Assists ." "PlayerStat(G,'Hassan Whiteside') has 16 Assists ,has 14 Field goals attempted ."]

After building a 57 - 46 halftime lead, the Cavs outscored their visitors by a 57 - 38 margin in the second half. The Big Three of Kevin Love, LeBron James and Kyrie Irving impressively combined to go 32 - of - 55 from the field and were led by Love, whose back injury rendered him a game - time decision. He posted a 28 - point, 15 - rebound double - double, while James went for 27 against his former squad. Irving also supplied 23 points. Collectively, the Cavs had the hot hand, shooting 55 percent overall. Goran Dragic's 15 points led the Heat's starting five, while Wayne Ellington supplied 10 points. Hassan Whiteside could only pour in eight points, but hauled in 12 rebounds. The second unit was highly productive, as Derrick Williams (17 points) Tyler Johnson (12 points), and Willie Reed (10 points, 11 rebounds) made impressive contributions.

["TeamStat(G,'Heat') has 15 Points in 4th quarter ." "PlayerStat(G,'Hassan Whiteside') has 8 Free throws made ,has 12 Points ." "PlayerStat(G,'Wayne Ellington') has 10 Free throws made ." "PlayerStat(G,'Goran Dragic') has 5 Free throws made ,has 15 Points ." "PlayerStat(G,'Tyler Johnson') has 12 Free throws made ." "PlayerStat(G,'Derrick Williams') has 17 Free throws made ." "PlayerStat(G,'Willie Reed') has 10 Free throws made ,has 11 Points ." "PlayerStat(G,'LeBron James') has 27 Free throws made ." "PlayerStat(G,'Kevin Love') has 28 Free throws made ,has 15 Points ." "PlayerStat(G,'Kyrie Irving') has 23 Free throws made ."]

The Charlotte Hornets spread the ball around in impressive fashion, with almost every one of their players in the rotation getting a fair share of minutes and shots on Monday. Nine players finished in double figures, led by Kemba Walker's all - around impressive performance. Walker finished with 24 points, 10 assists, two rebounds, two steals and one block on 7 - of - 11 shooting. The UConn product was also lethal from behind the arc, as he buried 5 - of - 6 shots from three - point territory, helping extend the Hornets' double - digit lead in the second half. While many of the Hornets players had standout performances alongside Walker, Spencer Hawes' 13 points and 13 rebounds in 22 minutes off the bench was most noteworthy, especially with Michael Kidd-Gilchrist exiting the game twice with back soreness. Before exiting, Kidd-Gilchrist pitched in 13 points on a perfect 4 - of - 4 shooting.

["TeamStat(G,'Hornets') has 1 Losses ." "PlayerStat(G,'Michael Kidd-Gilchrist') has 4 Assists ,has 4 Blocks ,has 13 3-pointers attempted ." "PlayerStat(G,'Kemba Walker') has 10 Assists ,has 1 Blocks ,has 6 3-pointers attempted ,has 5 3-pointers made ,has 11 Field goals attempted ,has 7 Field goals made ,has 6 Free throws attempted ,has 5 Free throws made ,has 24 Minutes played ,has 2 Points ,has 2 Total rebounds ." "PlayerStat(G,'Spencer Hawes') has 22 Assists ,has 13 Blocks ,has 13 3-pointers attempted ."]

The Rockets (51 - 24) defeated the Kings (26 - 48) 115 - 111 at the Toyota Center on Wednesday. Wednesday night was the James Harden Show. He had 51 points. The Rockets had an 11 - point lead going into the fourth quarter, but the Kings battled to within two points with six and a half minutes remaining. Harden came off the bench and put the game away, scoring 10 of Houston's next 11 points. Harden went 16 - of - 25 from the field and 8 - for - 9 from three - point range. He had eight rebounds, six assists and three steals in 38 minutes. Trevor Ariza had 22 points (8 - 16 FG, 6 - 14 3Pt), three rebounds, two assists and three steals in 38 minutes. Terrence Jones (ribs) returned to the starting lineup after a six - game absence. He contributed 16 points (6 - 10 FG, 2 - 3 3Pt), seven rebounds, three assists, one steal and seven blocks in 32 minutes. Jason Terry (neck) had 7 points (3 - 10 FG, 1 - 7 3Pt). Corey Brewer, who has been battling an oblique injury, shot poorly on Wednesday, going 1 - for - 10 from the field and 0 - for - 2 from beyond the arc. DeMarcus Cousins' triple - double kept the Kings in the game. He had 24 points (11 - 25 FG), 21 rebounds, 10 assists, three steals and six blocks in 39 minutes. Omri Casspi had 18 points (8 - 17 FG, 0 - 2 3Pt), seven rebounds, four assists and three steals in 38 minutes. Ben McLemore contributed 14 points (6 - 10 FG, 2 - 3 3Pt), four rebounds, two assists, one steal and one block in 31 minutes. The Rockets are currently third in the Western Conference. They've clinched a playoff spot. The Kings are thirteenth in the West and have been eliminated from playoff contention. The Rockets have completed the season series sweep of the Kings, 30.

["TeamStat(G,'Rockets') has 24 Number of team assists ,has 115 Losses ,has 51 Total points ." "TeamStat(G,'Kings') has 30 Number of team assists ,has 48 Losses ,has 111 Total points ,has 30 Points in 2nd quarter ,has 26 Wins ." "PlayerStat(G,'Omri Casspi') has 4 Assists ,has 2 Blocks ,has 0 3-pointers attempted ,has 17 3-pointers made ,has 8 Field goals attempted ,has 38 Field goals made ,has 18 Free throws attempted ,has 7 Minutes played ,has 3 Points ." "PlayerStat(G,'DeMarcus Cousins') has 10 Assists ,has 6 Blocks ,has 25 3-pointers attempted ,has 11 3-pointers made ,has 39 Field goals attempted ,has 24 Field goals made ,has 21 Free throws attempted ,has 3 Minutes played ." "PlayerStat(G,'Ben McLemore') has 2 Assists ,has 1 Blocks ,has 3 3-pointers attempted ,has 2 3-pointers made ,has 10 Field goals attempted ,has 6 Field goals made ,has 31 Free throws attempted ,has 14 Minutes played ,has 4 Points ,has 1 Total rebounds ." "PlayerStat(G,'Trevor Ariza') has 2 Assists ,has 14 Blocks ,has 6 3-pointers attempted ,has 16 3-pointers made ,has 8 Field goals attempted ,has 38 Field goals made ,has 22 Free throws attempted ,has 3 Minutes played ,has 3 Points ." "PlayerStat(G,'Terrence Jones') has 3 Assists ,has 7 Blocks ,has 3 3-pointers attempted ,has 2 3-pointers made ,has 10 Field goals attempted ,has 6 Field goals made ,has 6 Free throws attempted ,has 32 Minutes played ,has 16 Points ,has 7 Total rebounds ,has 1 Steals ." "PlayerStat(G,'James Harden') has 6 Assists ,has 9 Blocks ,has 8 3-pointers attempted ,has 25 3-pointers made ,has 16 Field goals attempted ,has 38 Field goals made ,has 51 Free throws attempted ,has 8 Minutes played ,has 3 Points ." "PlayerStat(G,'Jason Terry') has 7 Assists ,has 1 Blocks ,has 10 3-pointers attempted ,has 3 3-pointers made ,has 7 Field goals attempted ." "PlayerStat(G,'Corey Brewer') has 2 Assists ,has 0 Blocks ,has 10 3-pointers attempted ,has 1 3-pointers made ."]

The Charlotte Hornets (20 - 27) defeated the Denver Nuggets (19 - 29) 104 - 86 on Saturday at the Pepsi Center. Charlotte was coming off two days rest and was able to easily defeat a Denver club that had lost eight of its last nine games coming into Saturday. The Hornets held the Nuggets to just 15 first quarter points as they jumped out to a 30 - 15 lead. Charlotte's Michael Kidd-Gilchrist had a double - double with 17 points and 13 rebounds. The Hornets are 7 - 3 in their last ten games and have pulled to just a half game behind the Heat for the seventh seed in the East. Charlotte was missing Bismack Biyombo and Marvin Williams, but that did n't matter as it made quick work of Denver. The Hornets begin a home - and - home set with the Wizards on Monday. Denver's struggles continued Saturday as its playoff hopes continue to dwindle after sitting at 18 - 20 with a chance at the eighth seed earlier this month. Danilo Gallinari joined the starting lineup after Kenneth Faried and Darrell Arthur were both sidelined. Gallinari finished with 15 points and four rebounds in 23 minutes. Denver will return to action Tuesday in Philadelphia.

["TeamStat(G,'Nuggets') has 29 Losses ,has 86 Total points ,has 15 Points in 1st quarter ,has 15 Points in 2nd quarter ,has 19 Turnovers ." "TeamStat(G,'Hornets') has 27 Losses ,has 104 Total points ,has 30 Points in 1st quarter ,has 10 Points in 2nd quarter ,has 20 Turnovers ." "PlayerStat(G,'Michael Kidd-Gilchrist') has 17 Points ,has 13 Total rebounds ." "PlayerStat(G,'Danilo Gallinari') has 15 Points ,has 4 Total rebounds ."]

The Clippers took the lead for the first time with seven minutes left in the fourth quarter since leading 4 - 2. They managed to erase a 19 - point deficit in the second quarter, coming within five points of the Bulls heading into the fourth and finishing the job with a 30 - 18 final quarter. The Clippers out - scored the Bulls 79 - 62 in the final three quarters. Dwyane Wade was hot from long range, hitting 5 - of - 9, he also led the Bulls in scoring with 28 points, in 36 minutes. Jimmy Butler tallied 22 points but struggled in the process, shooting only 5 - of - 18 from the field. Meanwhile, Blake Griffin was on a mission, finishing with 26 points on 8 - of - 15 shooting, along with 13 rebounds, five assists and one steal, in 39 minutes. Marreese Speights provided a huge boost off the bench for the Clippers, hitting 4 - of - 5 of his three point attempts and scoring 11 points in the fourth quarter alone.

["TeamStat(G,'Clippers') has 30 Points in 2nd quarter ." "TeamStat(G,'Bulls') has 19 Points in 2nd quarter ,has 18 Points in 4th quarter ." "PlayerStat(G,'Jimmy Butler') has 18 Assists ,has 5 3-pointers attempted ,has 22 3-pointers made ." "PlayerStat(G,'Dwyane Wade') has 9 Assists ,has 5 3-pointers attempted ,has 36 3-pointers made ,has 28 Field goals attempted ." "PlayerStat(G,'Blake Griffin') has 5 Assists ,has 15 3-pointers attempted ,has 8 3-pointers made ,has 39 Field goals attempted ,has 26 Field goals made ,has 13 Minutes played ,has 1 Points ."]

The Minnesota Timberwolves (5 - 16) defeated the Portland Trail Blazers (17 - 5) 90 - 82 on Wednesday. Minnesota put a basic lid on their six - game losing streak with the win. They remain without several of their key players as Ricky Rubio (ankle), Kevin Martin (wrist) and Nikola Pekovic (wrist) are all expected to be out for at least a few more weeks. Andrew Wiggins has struggled to find consistency in his first 21 games as a rookie, but he came up big with his second straight 20 - point game Wednesday, finishing with a double - double of 23 points and 10 rebounds in 44 minutes. Coach Flip Saunders wanted to compete for a playoff spot this season, but the team's injuries and place in the standings has caused him to consider the possibility of changing the team's focus toward the development of their younger players. That could mean the team looks at moving some of their veteran players later this season. The Timberwolves will have another great test Friday when they host the Oklahoma City Thunder. Portland had their five - game win streak snapped with the loss. Playing on the second night of a back - to - back, the Trail Blazers did n't seem to have enough spring left in their legs, as they shot just 39 percent from the field and were out - rebounded 56 - 38, giving up 20 offensive rebounds to the Timberwolves. Portland has two games left on their road trip, with their next matchup coming against the Chicago Bulls on Friday.

["TeamStat(G,'Timberwolves') has 16 Number of team assists ,has 90 Percentage of field goals ,has 20 Losses ,has 56 Total points ,has 5 Points in 1st quarter ." "TeamStat(G,'Trail Blazers') has 20 Number of team assists ,has 39 Percentage of field goals ,has 5 Losses ,has 82 Total points ,has 20 Points in 1st quarter ,has 38 Points in 2nd quarter ,has 20 Rebounds ,has 17 Turnovers ." "PlayerStat(G,'Andrew Wiggins') has 44 Minutes played ,has 23 Points ,has 10 Total rebounds ."]

Bradley Beal's season - high 41 points on 13 - of - 23 shooting led the way for Washington, which shot 53 percent from the field and 53 percent from three - point range in the high - scoring affair. Markieff Morris was second with 23 points, 12 of which came in the fourth quarter, while John Wall registered an 18 - point, 11 - assist double - double. Otto Porter and Marcin Gortat had nine points apiece. The Wizards finished the game on a 22 - 8 run to key the comeback victory at home. Blake Griffin's 26 points paced the Clippers, while J.J. Redick checked in a rather distant second with 17 points. Chris Paul and DeAndre Jordan both tallied double - doubles, with the former also dishing out 12 assists and the latter hauling in 17 boards. Marreese Speights and Austin Rivers were highly productive off the bench, turning in 14 and 13 points, respectively.

["TeamStat(G,'Wizards') has 53 Percentage of 3 points ,has 53 Percentage of field goals ." "PlayerStat(G,'Blake Griffin') has 26 Assists ." "PlayerStat(G,'DeAndre Jordan') has 17 Assists ." "PlayerStat(G,'JJ Redick') has 17 Assists ." "PlayerStat(G,'Chris Paul') has 12 Assists ." "PlayerStat(G,'Austin Rivers') has 13 Assists ." "PlayerStat(G,'Marreese Speights') has 14 Assists ." "PlayerStat(G,'Markieff Morris') has 23 Assists ." "PlayerStat(G,'Marcin Gortat') has 9 Assists ." "PlayerStat(G,'Bradley Beal') has 23 Assists ,has 13 Field goals attempted ,has 41 Field goals made ." "PlayerStat(G,'John Wall') has 11 Assists ,has 18 Field goals attempted ."]

The San Antonio Spurs defeated the host Sacramento Kings, 102 - 94, at the opening of Golden One Center on Thursday. In a game that was tight throughout, the Spurs used elite defense to pull away in the second half. In fact, San Antonio held Sacramento to 37 points on 10 - for - 35 shooting over the final 24 minutes. The Spurs outshot the Kings from the free - throw line, three - point range and from the field while also winning the turnover battle 15 - 9. Rim protection was huge as well, with San Antonio recording eight blocks and Sacramento failing to swat away a single shot. The Spurs (20) have handed over the reins to Kawhi Leonard and it was evident in this game. Leonard finished with 30 points, five assists, three rebounds and five steals in the victory. At one point, he recorded three steals and 10 points in a span where the Spurs were able to create a double - digit lead spanning between the third and fourth quarters. LaMarcus Aldridge was second on the team, as he scored 16 points to go along with his five boards. Dewayne Dedmon and David Lee came off the bench to score 12 a piece. Sacramento (1 - 1) had a tough task in the opening of their new home arena and they nearly pulled out an upset win. DeMarcus Cousins carried the load, as he totaled 37 points and 16 rebounds, while going 14 - for - 16 from the free - throw line. Rudy Gay was the only other starter in double figures, as he tallied 17 points and seven rebounds. Ty Lawson posted a seven - point, nine - assist, four - rebound line, while filling in for the suspended Darren Collison. Both teams are in action again Saturday, as the Kings play host to the Minnesota Timberwolves and the Spurs face the visiting New Orleans Pelicans.

["TeamStat(G,'Kings') has 1 Losses ,has 94 Total points ,has 15 Turnovers ,has 1 Wins ." "TeamStat(G,'Spurs') has 102 Losses ,has 9 Total points ." "PlayerStat(G,'Kawhi Leonard') has 5 Assists ,has 20 3-pointer percentage ,has 30 Free throws attempted ,has 3 Free throws made ,has 5 Points ." "PlayerStat(G,'LaMarcus Aldridge') has 16 Assists ,has 5 3-pointer percentage ." "PlayerStat(G,'Dewayne Dedmon') has 12 Assists ." "PlayerStat(G,'David Lee') has 12 Assists ." "PlayerStat(G,'Rudy Gay') has 17 Assists ,has 7 3-pointer percentage ." "PlayerStat(G,'DeMarcus Cousins') has 16 Assists ,has 14 3-pointer percentage ,has 37 Free throws attempted ,has 16 Free throws made ." "PlayerStat(G,'Ty Lawson') has 9 Assists ,has 7 3-pointer percentage ,has 4 Free throws attempted ."]

The host Denver Nuggets blew out the Los Angeles Clippers on Thursday, 129 - 114. Denver (33 - 35) saw strong play on the back of phenomenal sophomore center Nikola Jokic. Jokic posted a triple - double, recording 17 points, 14 rebounds, and 11 assists. While Jokic stuffed the stat sheet out of the low post, wing Will Barton dominated the perimeter. Barton scored a game - high 35 points including seven made three - pointers. It was an up - tempo and dominant game for the Nuggets' offense, as the team sank over 53 percent of its shots including 15 three - pointers. The team also went a stellar 22 - of - 26 from beyond the arc. Denver dished out 31 team assists and turned the ball over only 10 times on the night. Los Angeles (40 - 28) has dropped three straight games and sits amid a tight playoff race at the middle of the Western Conference. On Thursday, superstar Chris Paul bounced back from a disaster of a night on Wednesday to record 18 points and 14 assists. However, fellow All-Stars Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan sat the game out for rest. The Clippers' offense was hardly stagnant in the duo's absence, however, as the team shot over 50 percent from the field and hit 16 three - pointers. Their defense, though, failed to keep up with the ridiculous pace of the Nuggets' high - powered offense. Los Angeles will host the Cleveland Cavaliers on Saturday, while Denver will host the Houston Rockets.

["TeamStat(G,'Nuggets') has 31 Number of team assists ,has 35 Percentage of 3 points ,has 129 Losses ,has 10 Total points ,has 33 Turnovers ." "TeamStat(G,'Clippers') has 50 Number of team assists ,has 114 Percentage of 3 points ." "PlayerStat(G,'Chris Paul') has 14 Assists ,has 18 3-pointers made ." "PlayerStat(G,'Nikola Jokic') has 17 Assists ,has 14 3-pointers made ." "PlayerStat(G,'Will Barton') has 7 Assists ,has 35 3-pointers made ."]

The Oklahoma City Thunder (25 - 24) defeated the New Orleans Pelicans (26 - 23) 102 - 91 on Wednesday at the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans. The Thunder shot much better than the Pelicans in this game, going 53 percent from the field and 33 percent from the three - point line, while the Pelicans went just 39 percent from the floor and a meager 28 percent from beyond the arc. While the Thunder were down 57 - 51 at half, they had a huge second half where they out - scored the Pelicans 51 - 34, allowing them to steal a victory over the Pelicans. It was a big win, as they will be fighting against the Pelicans to secure one of the last spots in the Western Conference playoffs moving forward. With Kevin Durant still sitting out with a toe injury, Russell Westbrook again took it on himself to do the bulk of the work offensively for the Thunder. Westbrook went 18 - for - 31 from the field and 2 - for - 6 from the three - point line to score a game - high of 45 points, while also adding six rebounds and six assists. It was his second 40 - point outing in his last four games, a stretch where he's averaging 31 points, 7 rebounds and 7 assists per game. Serge Ibaka had a big game defensively, as he posted seven blocks, to go along with 13 points (6 - 9 FG, 1 - 2 3Pt) and six rebounds. Over his last two games, he's combined for 29 points, 14 rebounds and 10 blocks. Dion Waiters was in the starting lineup again with Durant out. He finished with 12 points (6 - 14 FG, 0 - 2 3Pt, 0 - 2 FT), six rebounds and two steals in 33 minutes. The only other Thunder player to reach double figures was Anthony Morrow, who had 14 points (6 - 11 FG, 2 - 4 3Pt) and four rebounds off the bench. The Pelicans got most of their production from Anthony Davis, who posted 23 points (9 - 21 FG, 5 - 6 FT) and eight rebounds in 39 minutes. He's continued to stay dominant over his last four games, averaging 27 points, 11 rebounds and 2 blocks over that stretch. Giving Davis the most help was Ryan Anderson, who came off the bench to score 19 points (7 - 17 FG, 3 - 8 3Pt, 2 - 2 FT), to go along with five rebounds and two steals in 28 minutes. He's been the most reliable player off the bench for the Pelicans this season, so it was good to see him have another positive showing Wednesday. Despite shooting quite poorly, Tyreke Evans came close to a triple - double, finishing with 11 points (5 - 20 FG, 1 - 5 3Pt), seven rebounds and seven assists. Quincy Pondexter reached double figures as well and posted 10 points (4 - 8 FG, 2 - 5 3Pt) and seven rebounds off the bench. These two teams will play each other again on Friday in Oklahoma.

["TeamStat(G,'Pelicans') has 28 Percentage of 3 points ,has 23 Percentage of field goals ,has 91 Losses ,has 26 Total points ." "TeamStat(G,'Thunder') has 33 Percentage of 3 points ,has 53 Percentage of field goals ,has 24 Losses ,has 102 Total points ,has 25 Wins ." "PlayerStat(G,'Dion Waiters') has 2 Assists ,has 0 Blocks ,has 14 3-pointers attempted ,has 6 3-pointers made ,has 2 Field goals attempted ,has 0 Field goals made ,has 33 Free throws attempted ,has 12 Free throws made ,has 6 Minutes played ,has 2 Offensive rebounds ." "PlayerStat(G,'Serge Ibaka') has 7 Assists ,has 2 Blocks ,has 1 3-pointers attempted ,has 9 3-pointers made ,has 6 Field goals attempted ,has 2 Field goals made ,has 13 Free throws attempted ,has 6 Free throws made ." "PlayerStat(G,'Russell Westbrook') has 6 Assists ,has 6 Blocks ,has 2 3-pointers attempted ,has 31 3-pointers made ,has 18 Field goals attempted ,has 2 Field goals made ,has 45 Free throws attempted ,has 6 Free throws made ." "PlayerStat(G,'Anthony Morrow') has 4 Assists ,has 2 Blocks ,has 11 3-pointers attempted ,has 6 3-pointers made ,has 14 Field goals attempted ,has 4 Field goals made ." "PlayerStat(G,'Anthony Davis') has 21 Assists ,has 9 Blocks ,has 6 3-pointers attempted ,has 5 3-pointers made ,has 39 Field goals attempted ,has 23 Field goals made ." "PlayerStat(G,'Tyreke Evans') has 7 Assists ,has 5 Blocks ,has 1 3-pointers attempted ,has 20 3-pointers made ,has 5 Field goals attempted ,has 11 Field goals made ,has 7 Free throws attempted ." "PlayerStat(G,'Quincy Pondexter') has 5 Assists ,has 2 Blocks ,has 8 3-pointers attempted ,has 4 3-pointers made ,has 10 Field goals attempted ,has 7 Field goals made ." "PlayerStat(G,'Ryan Anderson') has 8 Assists ,has 3 Blocks ,has 17 3-pointers attempted ,has 7 3-pointers made ,has 2 Field goals attempted ,has 2 Field goals made ,has 19 Free throws attempted ,has 5 Free throws made ,has 2 Minutes played ."]

The host Orlando Magic defeated the Brooklyn Nets, 118 - 111, at Amway Center on Friday. While these teams have struggled throughout the season, they left it all on the floor in this close fought battle. In fact, there were 15 lead changes and 15 ties, with no team leading by more than nine points. Orlando took advantage of their opportunities, as they took 14 more shots than Brooklyn. The reason for that were turnovers and offensive rebounding, as they won the turnover battle, 17 - 7, and the offensive rebounding, 13 - 6. Free-throws were also huge for Orlando, as they went 33 - of - 42 from the charity stripe, with Brooklyn committing 32 fouls. Brooklyn (7 - 18) has really struggled on the defensive end this season and a 118 - point outing to the 29th ranked offense shows just that. Brook Lopez once again led the team in scoring, as he tallied 22 points, six rebounds and five blocks before fouling out in the final seconds. Jeremy Lin was second on the team, as he accrued 17 points, three rebounds and three assists off the bench. While Trevor Booker did snatch down nine boards, he went 0 - of - 5 from the field to score just two points. On deck for the Nets is a road matchup with the Philadelphia 76ers on Sunday. Orlando (12 - 16) had lost six - straight home games coming into this matchup, so to say this win was needed would be a drastic understatement. Nikola Vucevic made his return from a back injury to drop 21 points, 10 rebounds, four assists and three blocks off the bench. Evan Fournier also scored 21 points, adding four rebounds to his tally. Serge Ibaka may have been the most valuable player though, as he accumulated 18 points, 10 rebounds and five blocks in the victory. D.J. Augustin recorded 17 points, six rebounds and four assists as the starting point guard. Orlando will host the Toronto Raptors on Sunday for their next game.

["TeamStat(G,'Magic') has 16 Losses ,has 118 Total points ,has 7 Turnovers ,has 12 Wins ." "TeamStat(G,'Nets') has 18 Losses ,has 111 Total points ,has 17 Turnovers ,has 7 Wins ." "PlayerStat(G,'Trevor Booker') has 5 Assists ,has 0 Blocks ,has 2 Field goals attempted ,has 9 Field goals made ." "PlayerStat(G,'Brook Lopez') has 5 Assists ,has 22 Blocks ,has 6 Field goals attempted ." "PlayerStat(G,'Jeremy Lin') has 3 Assists ,has 17 Blocks ,has 3 Field goals attempted ." "PlayerStat(G,'Serge Ibaka') has 5 Assists ,has 18 Blocks ." "PlayerStat(G,'Evan Fournier') has 21 Assists ,has 4 Blocks ." "PlayerStat(G,'D.J. Augustin') has 4 Assists ,has 17 Blocks ." "PlayerStat(G,'Nikola Vucevic') has 4 Assists ,has 3 Blocks ,has 21 Field goals attempted ,has 10 Field goals made ."]

Houston's 16 turnovers per game is one of the highest marks in the NBA this year, but they have been so effective with their ball movement and assist numbers that it has n't really mattered. Wednesday's team performance was the perfect example. As a team, the Rockets had 16 turnovers against Sacramento, a number that lines up with their 16 per game average. However, they also managed an unbelievable 40 assists as a team, a mark that is 15 points over their average of 25 per game and an entire nine assists higher than the Warrior's league - leading 31 per game. So, while Houston does have the fifth highest turnovers per game in the NBA this season, they happen to be ranked 15th in the assist to turnover ratio, making their fast - paced play and mistakes that come along with it completely worth it.

["TeamStat(G,'Rockets') has 40 Number of team assists ,has 16 Losses ." "TeamStat(G,'Kings') has 16 Number of team assists ,has 25 Losses ,has 31 Points in 1st quarter ."]

The Boston Celtics defeated the Miami Heat, 117 - 114, at TD Garden on Friday. Boston were expected to win this game rather easily, but the Heat gave them a run for their money. There were 12 ties and 18 lead changes in total, as neither squad led by more than eight points. Both offenses were impressive, as Boston shot 51 percent, while Miami shot 53 percent. It was three - point shooting and free - throw shooting that decided the game, with the Celtics going 83 percent (24 - of - 29) from the free - throw line and 53 percent (17 - of - 32) from long distance. The Heat went just 70 percent (7 - of - 10) from the charity stripe and 39 percent from three (11 - of - 28) on their end. Miami (10 - 24) have made a habit of losing close games throughout the season, as this marks their 22nd loss by 12 points or less. Josh Richardson stepped up in the absence of Goran Dragic though, as he led the starters with 19 points, six rebounds, eight assists and four steals. The bench is what kept the Heat hanging around, as Wayne Ellington, James Johnson and Tyler Johnson all scored at least 14 points. Tyler Johnson finished the game with 19 points, four rebounds and six assists, while James Johnson led the team with 22 points, three rebounds and six assists. Justise Winslow accumulated 11 points, nine rebounds and six assists of his own. Hassan Whiteside's recent struggles continued, as he totaled just 11 points, eight rebounds and one block in the loss. Miami will return to action on Sunday versus the Detroit Pistons. Boston (20 - 14) have gotten a career year out of Isaiah Thomas this season and they got a career night out of him in this win. Thomas dropped a career - high 52 points, with 27 of those coming in the fourth quarter. Strangely, he failed to provide an assist, but he went 15 - of - 26 from the field and 9 - of - 13 from three - point range in his historic night. Al Horford was the only other player in double figures, as he accrued 21 points, six rebounds and four assists on 8 - of - 12 shooting. No other player on the roster had more than nine points, five rebounds or five assists. The Celtics will be off until Tuesday, when they play the Utah Jazz for their next game.

["TeamStat(G,'Celtics') has 53 Percentage of 3 points ,has 51 Percentage of field goals ,has 14 Losses ,has 117 Total points ,has 20 Wins ." "TeamStat(G,'Heat') has 39 Percentage of 3 points ,has 53 Percentage of field goals ,has 24 Losses ,has 114 Total points ,has 10 Wins ." "PlayerStat(G,'Justise Winslow') has 6 Assists ,has 1 Blocks ,has 11 3-pointers attempted ,has 9 3-pointers made ." "PlayerStat(G,'Hassan Whiteside') has 1 Assists ,has 11 Blocks ,has 8 3-pointers attempted ." "PlayerStat(G,'Josh Richardson') has 8 Assists ,has 19 Blocks ,has 6 3-pointers attempted ,has 4 3-pointers made ." "PlayerStat(G,'Tyler Johnson') has 6 Assists ,has 1 Blocks ,has 19 3-pointers attempted ,has 4 3-pointers made ." "PlayerStat(G,'James Johnson') has 6 Assists ,has 22 Blocks ,has 3 3-pointers attempted ." "PlayerStat(G,'Wayne Ellington') has 14 Assists ." "PlayerStat(G,'Al Horford') has 4 Assists ,has 12 Blocks ,has 8 3-pointers attempted ,has 21 3-pointers made ,has 6 Field goals attempted ." "PlayerStat(G,'Isaiah Thomas') has 13 Assists ,has 9 Blocks ,has 26 3-pointers attempted ,has 15 3-pointers made ,has 52 Field goals attempted ."]

The Bulls (46 - 32) defeated the Heat (35 - 44) 89 - 78 at the AmericanAirlines Arena on Thursday. The Heat were firing on all cylinders in the second quarter, outscoring the Bulls 33 - 12. They went into halftime with a 19 - point lead. But the Bulls turned the tables in the third quarter, outscoring the Heat 33 - 8. The Bulls entered the fourth quarter up six points and maintained a comfortable lead for the rest of the game. Pau Gasol was Chicago’s leading scorer with 16 points (8 - 17 FG), to go with 15 rebounds, one assist and one block in 34 minutes. In his second game back and under a minutes restriction, Derrick Rose had 12 points (5 - 15 FG, 0 - 3 3Pt), four rebounds and two assists in 20 minutes. Tony Snell filled in for Jimmy Butler (calf) and scored seven points (2 - 8 FG, 1 - 3 3Pt), to go with five rebounds and one assist in 38 minutes. Hassan Whiteside led the Heat in scoring with 19 points (9 - 15 FG), to go with 16 rebounds and one block in 38 minutes. Goran Dragic had 15 points (7 - 16 FG, 1 - 4 3Pt), two rebounds, one assist and one block in 33 minutes. Michael Beasley contributed 13 points (5 - 8 FG, 3 - 4 3Pt), two rebounds, one assist and one block in 19 minutes off the bench. This is a particularly painful loss for the Heat, one they probably ca n't afford with only three games remaining on their schedule. They’re 2 games behind the eighth place Nets in the Eastern Conference. The Bulls are sitting pretty at third in the East, trying to maintain home - court advantage. The Bulls have won the season series with the Heat 2 - 1.

["TeamStat(G,'Heat') has 44 Losses ,has 78 Total points ,has 33 Points in 2nd quarter ,has 8 Points in 3rd quarter ,has 19 Points in 4th quarter ,has 35 Wins ." "TeamStat(G,'Bulls') has 89 Losses ,has 12 Total points ,has 33 Points in 2nd quarter ." "PlayerStat(G,'Pau Gasol') has 1 Assists ,has 1 Blocks ,has 17 3-pointers attempted ,has 8 3-pointers made ,has 34 Field goals attempted ,has 16 Field goals made ,has 15 Minutes played ." "PlayerStat(G,'Tony Snell') has 1 Assists ,has 3 Blocks ,has 1 3-pointers attempted ,has 8 3-pointers made ,has 2 Field goals attempted ,has 38 Field goals made ,has 7 Minutes played ,has 5 Points ." "PlayerStat(G,'Derrick Rose') has 2 Assists ,has 3 Blocks ,has 0 3-pointers attempted ,has 15 3-pointers made ,has 5 Field goals attempted ,has 20 Field goals made ,has 12 Minutes played ,has 4 Points ." "PlayerStat(G,'Hassan Whiteside') has 1 Assists ,has 15 Blocks ,has 9 3-pointers attempted ,has 38 3-pointers made ,has 19 Field goals attempted ,has 16 Field goals made ." "PlayerStat(G,'Goran Dragic') has 1 Assists ,has 1 Blocks ,has 4 3-pointers attempted ,has 1 3-pointers made ,has 16 Field goals attempted ,has 7 Field goals made ,has 33 Minutes played ,has 15 Points ,has 2 Total rebounds ." "PlayerStat(G,'Michael Beasley') has 1 Assists ,has 1 Blocks ,has 4 3-pointers attempted ,has 3 3-pointers made ,has 8 Field goals attempted ,has 5 Field goals made ,has 19 Minutes played ,has 13 Points ,has 2 Total rebounds ."]

The Charlotte Hornets (10 - 7) defeated the Milwaukee Bucks (6 - 11) 87 - 82 on Sunday. This was a sloppier game than expected, as the two team's combined to shoot under 40 percent from the field. The second quarter was when the tide turned, as the Hornets outscored the Bucks 23 - 9 in that 12 - minute stretch. Charlotte is now 8 - 2 at home and Milwaukee is now 2 - 7 on the road and these are two teams going in opposite directions right now. The Bucks have been playing poorly lately and that continued on Sunday. The team shot just 57 percent from the free - throw line and the bench amassed just 15 total points. Milwaukee has now lost eight of their last 10 and they are starting to look like a bad team. The good news is that the defense has been the problem all year and that really wasn’t the issue today. The Bucks will look to bounce - back against the Denver Nuggets on Monday. The Hornets are one of the hottest teams in the NBA and they showed why on Sunday. They didn’t play well, but knuckled down defensively to pick up an impressive win. The team was led by Kemba Walker, who tallied 22 points and three assists in the victory. After losing their first three games, Charlotte has now won 10 of their last 14 games and are steadily moving up the Eastern Conference standings. They'll have their biggest test of the season in their next game, when they take on the undefeated Golden State Warriors on Wednesday.

["TeamStat(G,'Hornets') has 7 Losses ,has 87 Total points ,has 23 Points in 2nd quarter ,has 10 Wins ." "TeamStat(G,'Bucks') has 11 Losses ,has 82 Total points ,has 9 Points in 2nd quarter ,has 6 Wins ." "PlayerStat(G,'Kemba Walker') has 3 Assists ,has 22 Points ."]

The Houston Rockets (8 - 1) took down the Philadelphia 76ers (0 - 9) 88 - 87 at the Toyota Center on Friday night. Close, but no cigar for the Philadelphia 76ers. The Sixers were looking to grab their first win of the season, and nearly did so, losing by one to the Rockets. Philadelphia got a big game from Tony Wroten with 19 points (7 - 16 FG, 2 - 6 3Pt, 3 - 6 FT) to go with eight assists, four rebounds and one steal. The key for Philadelphia on Friday was simply being balanced across the board though, as 10 players scored. They rebounded the ball well and everyone did their part. Unfortunately, they could n't overcome a fourth quarter run by the Rockets, as they were outscored 25 - 19 in the final quarter. Philadelphia will get the rest of the weekend off before heading to San Antonio to take on the Spurs. The Rockets got a huge game from James Harden, as he scored 35 points (10 - 24 FG, 1 - 5 3Pt, 14 - 16 FT) to go with seven assists, six rebounds, three steals and one block. He literally did everything for this team, and the Rockets only saw three players score in double figures on Friday. Dwight Howard had a nice game as well, posting a double - double with 21 points (9 - 14 FG, 3 - 12 FT) and 16 rebounds. Houston has been very impressive this year, and they look like a serious contender. The Rockets will get Saturday off, and they head to Oklahoma City to take on the Thunder on Sunday.

["TeamStat(G,'Rockets') has 1 Losses ,has 88 Total points ,has 25 Points in 2nd quarter ,has 8 Points in 4th quarter ." "TeamStat(G,'76ers') has 9 Losses ,has 87 Total points ,has 19 Points in 2nd quarter ,has 19 Points in 4th quarter ,has 0 Wins ." "PlayerStat(G,'Tony Wroten') has 8 Assists ,has 6 Blocks ,has 2 3-pointers attempted ,has 16 3-pointers made ,has 7 Field goals attempted ,has 6 Field goals made ,has 3 Free throws attempted ,has 19 Free throws made ,has 4 Points ,has 1 Total rebounds ." "PlayerStat(G,'Dwight Howard') has 14 Assists ,has 9 Blocks ,has 12 3-pointers attempted ,has 3 3-pointers made ,has 21 Field goals attempted ,has 16 Field goals made ." "PlayerStat(G,'James Harden') has 7 Assists ,has 1 Blocks ,has 5 3-pointers attempted ,has 1 3-pointers made ,has 24 Field goals attempted ,has 10 Field goals made ,has 16 Free throws attempted ,has 14 Free throws made ,has 35 Points ,has 6 Total rebounds ,has 3 Steals ."]

The Rockets gave up 25 turnovers, which translated into 35 points for the Hawks. They were also heavily out - scored in the paint, 62 - 46. Houston was limited to only 13 free throw attempts, seven of them by James Harden. Harden continued his solid point guard play, with another near - triple - double, consisting of 30 points, 12 assists, and nine rebounds, in 37 minutes. Houston's next highest scorer was K.J. McDaniels, who finished with 13 points, on 5 - of - 6 shooting, in 19 minutes off the bench. The Hawks were led by Dwight Howard, who was huge against his old team. Howard finished with 20 points and 14 rebounds. Two other players scored at least 20 points for the Hawks, including Paul Millsap, who double - doubled with 23 points and 11 rebounds and Kent Bazemore, who added 20 points on 7 - of - 12 shooting. The Hawks bench only contributed 22 points.

["TeamStat(G,'Hawks') has 35 Points in 2nd quarter ." "PlayerStat(G,'James Harden') has 7 Field goals attempted ,has 37 Field goals made ,has 30 Free throws attempted ,has 9 Minutes played ." "PlayerStat(G,'KJ McDaniels') has 6 Field goals attempted ,has 5 Field goals made ,has 19 Free throws attempted ,has 13 Minutes played ." "PlayerStat(G,'Kent Bazemore') has 12 Field goals attempted ,has 7 Field goals made ,has 20 Free throws attempted ." "PlayerStat(G,'Paul Millsap') has 23 Field goals attempted ,has 11 Field goals made ." "PlayerStat(G,'Dwight Howard') has 20 Field goals attempted ."]

Anthony Davis hit a contested three - pointer as time expired, and the Pelicans knocked off the Thunder 116 - 113 in Oklahoma City on Friday. With the Thunder trailing by one with nine seconds to play, Kevin Durant missed a pull - up jumper and Tyreke Evans came down with the board. In an effort to run time off the clock, Evans attempted to throw the ball into the backcourt, but Durant picked off the heave. He’d miss a floater in the lane, and Davis brought down the rebound and went to the free throw line with less than three second remaining. Davis hit both free throws, putting New Orleans up 113 - 110. On the ensuing Thunder possession, Russell Westbrook caught the inbounds pass and was fouled on a three - point attempt by Quincy Pondexter. Westbrook hit all three free throws, tying the game with 2 seconds remaining. The Pelicans called timeout to advance the ball, and inbounded to Davis, who double - clutched at the top of the key and drilled a three with two defenders in the vicinity. Davis finished with 41 points, 10 rebounds and two blocks, helping the Pelicans avenge Wednesday’s loss to Oklahoma City. Evans added 22 points for New Orleans, while Ryan Anderson had 17 off the bench. Pondexter finished with 15 points, including three three - pointers. Westbrook led the way for Oklahoma City, going for 48 points, 11 assists and nine rebounds in 40 minutes. Westbrook, who had 45 points in Wednesday’s win, made all 15 of his free throws and committed only three turnovers. Kevin Durant struggled mightily in his return from a toe sprain, scoring 27 points on 9 - of - 26 shooting (3 - 10 3Pt). Serge Ibaka and Steven Adams each added 10 points for the Thunder, who now trail the Pelicans by two games in the Western Conference standings.

["TeamStat(G,'Thunder') has 113 Total points ." "TeamStat(G,'Pelicans') has 116 Total points ,has 17 Turnovers ." "PlayerStat(G,'Anthony Davis') has 3 Assists ,has 2 Blocks ,has 3 Defensive rebounds ,has 2 3-pointers attempted ,has 41 3-pointers made ,has 10 Field goals attempted ,has 3 Field goals made ." "PlayerStat(G,'Tyreke Evans') has 1 Assists ,has 9 Blocks ,has 17 Defensive rebounds ,has 1 3-pointers attempted ,has 22 3-pointers made ,has 1 Field goals attempted ." "PlayerStat(G,'Ryan Anderson') has 17 Assists ." "PlayerStat(G,'Quincy Pondexter') has 3 Assists ,has 15 Blocks ." "PlayerStat(G,'Kevin Durant') has 1 Assists ,has 10 Blocks ,has 3 Defensive rebounds ,has 26 3-pointers attempted ,has 9 3-pointers made ,has 27 Field goals attempted ." "PlayerStat(G,'Serge Ibaka') has 2 Assists ,has 10 Blocks ." "PlayerStat(G,'Steven Adams') has 2 Assists ,has 10 Blocks ,has 2 Defensive rebounds ." "PlayerStat(G,'Russell Westbrook') has 11 Assists ,has 15 Blocks ,has 15 Defensive rebounds ,has 15 3-pointers attempted ,has 40 3-pointers made ,has 48 Field goals attempted ,has 9 Field goals made ,has 3 Free throws attempted ."]

Despite the Kings leading for nearly 45 minutes of this game, the Jazz were able to prevail in overtime. Rudy Gobert was the hero, as he tipped in an air - ball at the buzzer to win by one. Utah made their presence felt down low, as they won the rebounding differential, 46 - 37 and outscored them in the paint, 46 - 38. Gobert was a monster all night, as he accrued 16 points, 24 rebounds, three assists and three blocks. Gordon Hayward finished second on the team with 23 points, five rebounds and five assists. Rodney Hood led the team in scoring by dropping 28 points, as George Hill provided 15 points, five rebounds and eight assists. Ty Lawson led Sacramento, as he accumulated 19 points, four rebounds and five assists. Darren Collison finished with 18 points, three rebounds and five assists. Kosta Koufos recorded a 12 - point, 10 - rebound double - double.

["PlayerStat(G,'Gordon Hayward') has 5 Assists ,has 23 Blocks ." "PlayerStat(G,'Rudy Gobert') has 3 Assists ,has 3 Blocks ,has 16 Points ,has 1 Total rebounds ." "PlayerStat(G,'Rodney Hood') has 28 Assists ,has 4 Blocks ." "PlayerStat(G,'George Hill') has 8 Assists ,has 15 Blocks ,has 5 Points ." "PlayerStat(G,'Kosta Koufos') has 12 Assists ,has 10 Blocks ." "PlayerStat(G,'Ty Lawson') has 5 Assists ,has 19 Blocks ,has 4 Points ." "PlayerStat(G,'Darren Collison') has 5 Assists ,has 18 Blocks ,has 3 Points ."]

The Utah Jazz (27 - 27) defeated the visiting Boston Celtics (32 - 24) 111 - 93, Friday night at Vivint Smart Home Arena. Despite the Celtics averaging almost 110 points in their last 19 games, the Jazz held the high - octane Boston offense to only 93 points. Utah's recent resurgence has been in large part thanks to their defense and that is exactly what got them the win in this one. The Jazz have now won eight of their last 10 games and sit just outside of the top - eight in the West. This game featured eight lead changes in the first quarter, before Utah took the lead for good. The Jazz won every quarter, as they quieted every Boston counter. All five starters scored in double digits for the Jazz. Derrick Favors led the way in scoring for the Jazz and tallied a double - double, with 23 points (9 - 14 FG, 5 - 5 FT) and 10 rebounds, along with six assists and three blocked shots. Gordon Hayward struggled shooting but still tallied 22 points (6 - 16 FG, 1 - 6 3Pt, 9 - 15 FG), along with four assists and three rebounds. Rudy Gobert double - doubled with 11 points and a monstrous 15 rebounds, and also tallied four blocks, in 33 minutes. As a team the Jazz shot 54 percent from the field, 43 percent from deep and were plus - 17 on the glass. All-star Isaiah Thomas led the Celtics in scoring as he tallied a game - high 25 points (7 - 19 FG, 2 - 6 3Pt, 9 - 10 FT), along with six assists and two rebounds. Jae Crowder chipped in 17 points, while Avery Bradley chipped in 12. The only other player to reach double digits in the scoring column for Boston was Evan Turner with 10. The Celtics were missing Kelly Olynyk's contribution off the bench as he sat out with a strained shoulder. They also fouled a lot, leading to 44 free throw attempts for Utah. With this loss Boston's position at third in the East becomes vulnerable, as they came in only 2 games ahead of fourth and fifth. The Celtics will now head to Denver to face the Nuggets on Sunday. The Jazz will be in Portland on Sunday to face off against the Trail Blazers.

["TeamStat(G,'Jazz') has 54 Percentage of field goals ,has 27 Losses ,has 111 Total points ,has 27 Points in 2nd quarter ." "TeamStat(G,'Celtics') has 24 Percentage of field goals ,has 93 Losses ,has 25 Total points ,has 32 Points in 2nd quarter ." "PlayerStat(G,'Jae Crowder') has 17 Assists ." "PlayerStat(G,'Avery Bradley') has 12 Assists ,has 12 Blocks ." "PlayerStat(G,'Isaiah Thomas') has 6 Assists ,has 6 Blocks ,has 2 3-pointers attempted ,has 19 3-pointers made ,has 7 Field goals attempted ,has 10 Field goals made ,has 9 Free throws attempted ,has 25 Free throws made ,has 2 Minutes played ." "PlayerStat(G,'Evan Turner') has 10 Assists ." "PlayerStat(G,'Gordon Hayward') has 4 Assists ,has 6 Blocks ,has 1 3-pointers attempted ,has 16 3-pointers made ,has 6 Field goals attempted ,has 22 Field goals made ,has 3 Free throws attempted ." "PlayerStat(G,'Derrick Favors') has 6 Assists ,has 3 Blocks ,has 14 3-pointers attempted ,has 9 3-pointers made ,has 5 Field goals attempted ,has 5 Field goals made ,has 23 Free throws attempted ,has 10 Free throws made ." "PlayerStat(G,'Rudy Gobert') has 4 Assists ,has 33 Blocks ,has 11 3-pointers attempted ,has 15 3-pointers made ."]

Heads were turned when Tyler Johnson signed four - year, $50 million contract this offseason, but so far this year, he has lived up to that payday, and his performance Thursday night was yet another example. On a night where the Heat starters were struggling to produce, Johnson came off the bench to score 23 points on 7 - of - 13 shooting from the field, which included hitting both of his 3 - point attempts. Thursday was Johnson's second 23 - point performance in January and his 15th straight game with double - digit scoring - - a streak that started with an incredible 32 - point performance against Orlando back in December. And while Johnson did shoot 54 percent from the field against Dallas, he has not been as consistent in that regard, as he is shooting just 43 percent from the field overall so far this season.

["PlayerStat(G,'Tyler Johnson') has 13 Field goals attempted ,has 7 Field goals made ,has 54 Field goal percentage ,has 23 Points ."]

The Houston Rockets (12 - 3) defeated the Sacramento Kings (9 - 6) 102 - 89 on Wednesday at the Toyota Center in Houston. At the end of the third quarter, this was a tight game as the Rockets led by only four points. The Rockets were able to go on a run in the fourth quarter though, as they out - scored the Kings 25 - 16 to seal the victory at home. The Kings also were forced into a brutal 21 turnovers compared to only four from the Rockets, so that very well could have been the difference in this one. The Rockets were again led by their superstar James Harden. Harden was able to shoot 10 - for - 31 from the field and 2 - for - 9 from the three - point line to score 26 points, while also grabbing seven rebounds and handing out eight assists. With Patrick Beverley still sitting out with an injury, Isaiah Canaan took advantage of the start. He finished with 24 points, as he shot 9 - for - 16 from the field and 6 - for - 10 from the three - point line. Donatas Motiejunas was also in the starting lineup as an injury fill - in, with Terrence Jones sitting out. Motiejunas played well and was the third Rocket to reach the 20 - point mark as he sored 21 points (10 - 15 FG, 1 - 2 3Pt) and pulled in six rebounds. Despite the victory, the Rockets' bench did n't offer much help Wednesday, considering they only contributed 16 of the 102 points. DeMarcus Cousins continued his spectacular season Wednesday. He finished the game with 29 points and 17 rebounds. It was his eigth straight double - double and and twelth on the year. With Rudy Gay still out with an Achilles injury, Omri Casspi filled in again and socred 14 points, while also contributing seven rebounds. Ben McLemore was the only other King in double figures for scoring, as he shot 6 - for - 17 from the field and 2 - for - 9 from beyond he arc to score 14 points of his own. Ramon Sessions started in place of Darren Collison at the point, but did n't contributed much as he finished with only eight points and five turnovers. The Rockets' next game will be at home against the Los Angeles Clippers on Friday, while the Kings will travel to San Antonio to play the Spurs on Friday.

["TeamStat(G,'Rockets') has 3 Losses ,has 102 Total points ,has 25 Points in 4th quarter ,has 4 Turnovers ,has 12 Wins ." "TeamStat(G,'Kings') has 6 Losses ,has 89 Total points ,has 16 Points in 4th quarter ,has 9 Turnovers ." "PlayerStat(G,'Omri Casspi') has 14 Assists ,has 7 3-pointers attempted ." "PlayerStat(G,'DeMarcus Cousins') has 29 Assists ,has 17 3-pointers attempted ." "PlayerStat(G,'Ben McLemore') has 9 Assists ,has 2 3-pointers attempted ,has 17 3-pointers made ,has 6 Field goals attempted ,has 14 Field goals made ." "PlayerStat(G,'Ramon Sessions') has 8 Assists ,has 5 3-pointers attempted ." "PlayerStat(G,'Donatas Motiejunas') has 2 Assists ,has 1 3-pointers attempted ,has 15 3-pointers made ,has 10 Field goals attempted ,has 21 Field goals made ,has 6 Points ." "PlayerStat(G,'James Harden') has 8 Assists ,has 9 3-pointers attempted ,has 2 3-pointers made ,has 31 Field goals attempted ,has 10 Field goals made ,has 26 Points ,has 7 Total rebounds ." "PlayerStat(G,'Isaiah Canaan') has 10 Assists ,has 6 3-pointers attempted ,has 16 3-pointers made ,has 9 Field goals attempted ,has 24 Field goals made ."]

The Memphis Grizzlies defeated the host Detroit Pistons, 98 - 86, at Palace of Auburn Hills on Wednesday. These are two defensive - minded teams and that showed with both of these offense struggling mightily in this matchup. Detroit was especially bad, as they shot 36 percent from the field and 26 percent from three - point range. The key for Memphis was the assist - to - turnover ratio, as they recorded 25 assists to just eight turnovers, while the Pistons committed 17 turnovers to just 17 assists. This was a near wire - to - wire win for the Grizzlies, as the Pistons never tied or led after the first quarter. Memphis (18 - 13) came into this game losing four of their last five, so a road win is just what the doctor ordered. Marc Gasol was easily the player of the game, as he tallied 38 points, five rebounds, four assists, two steals and two blocks on 14 - of - 17 shooting. In fact, Gasol was the only Memphis player to score more than 10 points, as they had eight players score between five and 10 points. JaMychal Green was the only other player in double figures, as he amassed 10 points and nine rebounds in the win. Andrew Harrison and Mike Conley played all the point guard minutes and combined for 18 points, nine rebounds and 10 assists. On deck for Memphis is a home matchup against the Houston Rockets on Friday. Detroit (14 - 17) is in the midst of their worst stretch of the season and this marks their fourth - straight loss by at least 12 points. Reggie Jackson left in the first three minutes due to a leg injury, but returned to drop a team - high 18 points and seven assists in the defeat. Jon Leuer matched that 18 - point total, as he added six rebounds off the bench. Andre Drummond recorded a double - double, totaling 13 points and 19 rebounds. Marcus Morris did score 12 points and grab five rebounds, but went just 1 - of - 11 from the field. Detroit will look to get out of this slide on Friday in a tough matchup against the Golden State Warriors.

["TeamStat(G,'Pistons') has 17 Number of team assists ,has 26 Percentage of 3 points ,has 36 Percentage of field goals ,has 17 Losses ,has 86 Total points ,has 17 Turnovers ,has 14 Wins ." "TeamStat(G,'Grizzlies') has 25 Number of team assists ,has 98 Percentage of 3 points ,has 8 Percentage of field goals ." "PlayerStat(G,'JaMychal Green') has 10 Assists ,has 9 Blocks ." "PlayerStat(G,'Marc Gasol') has 4 Assists ,has 2 Blocks ,has 5 Defensive rebounds ,has 17 Field goals attempted ,has 14 Field goals made ,has 8 Free throws made ,has 38 Points ,has 5 Total rebounds ,has 2 Steals ." "PlayerStat(G,'Marcus Morris') has 11 Assists ,has 1 Blocks ,has 12 Defensive rebounds ,has 5 Field goals attempted ." "PlayerStat(G,'Andre Drummond') has 13 Assists ,has 19 Blocks ." "PlayerStat(G,'Reggie Jackson') has 7 Assists ,has 18 Blocks ." "PlayerStat(G,'Jon Leuer') has 18 Assists ."]

The Portland Trail Blazers (13 - 20) defeated the Sacramento Kings (12 - 18) 98 - 94 on Sunday. Damian LIllard (foot) sat out a fourth consecutive game, but the all star point guard was not needed, as the Blazers won the second game of a difficult back - to - back. Coming off a blowout performance against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Saturday, Portland turned to C.J. McCollum to carry the weight at Sleep Train Arena. McCollum fell one assist shy of a triple - double and rounded out the box score to the tune of 35 points, 11 rebounds, nine assists and four steals on 14 - of - 28 shooting. Allen Crabbe started in the backcourt alongside McCollum and added 10 points and five rebounds. The Portland bench made up for a weak starting frontcourt, with Meyers Leonard pitching in 16 points and 11 rebounds (his first double - double of the season) and Maurice Harkless adding 13 points in 33 minutes. Portland will look to make it three straight wins when they host the Denver Nuggets (12 - 19) on Wednesday. DeMarcus Cousins led all scorers with 36 points, to go along with six rebounds and two assists on 12 - of - 26 shooting. Cousins committed five turnovers in the losing effort, while point guard Rajon Rondo added eight turnovers of his own. The turnovers proved detrimental to the Kings, especially out of their two star players, as they slipped up midway through the fourth quarter, sparking the Blazers to take the lead. Rondo added nine points and 15 assists. Omri Casspi and Darren Collison were the only other Kings’ to finish in double figures, with 14 points and 10 points, respectively. Sacramento will take the short trip to visit the Golden State Warriors (28 - 1) on Monday.

["TeamStat(G,'Kings') has 18 Losses ,has 94 Total points ,has 12 Wins ." "TeamStat(G,'Trail Blazers') has 20 Losses ,has 98 Total points ,has 13 Wins ." "PlayerStat(G,'Allen Crabbe') has 10 Assists ,has 5 Field goals attempted ." "PlayerStat(G,'CJ McCollum') has 9 Assists ,has 28 Field goals attempted ,has 14 Field goals made ,has 35 Minutes played ,has 11 Points ,has 4 Total rebounds ." "PlayerStat(G,'Meyers Leonard') has 16 Assists ,has 11 Field goals attempted ." "PlayerStat(G,'Maurice Harkless') has 33 Assists ,has 13 Field goals attempted ." "PlayerStat(G,'Omri Casspi') has 14 Assists ." "PlayerStat(G,'DeMarcus Cousins') has 2 Assists ,has 26 Field goals attempted ,has 12 Field goals made ,has 36 Minutes played ,has 6 Points ,has 5 Total rebounds ." "PlayerStat(G,'Rajon Rondo') has 15 Assists ,has 9 Field goals attempted ,has 8 Field goals made ." "PlayerStat(G,'Darren Collison') has 10 Assists ."]

Sophomore big man Nikola Jokic has showed no sign of slowing down for the Denver Nuggets. Fresh off a career - high 30 points against Orlando, Jokic scored 29 to go with 15 rebounds and three blocks on Tuesday in Los Angeles. Denver's offense was in top form on Tuesday, shooting a whopping 57 percent from the field and dishing out 29 assists. Eight of the assists came from versatile wing Will Barton, who stepped into the starting lineup in place of an injured Gary Harris. Barton added 26 points while shooting a perfect 5 - of - 5 on three - point attempts. For the Lakers, it was a big night for the bench. Four bench players scored in double digits, including 24 points from sixth man Lou Williams. Guard Jordan Clarkson added 19 points despite being questionable to play in the game due to an ankle injury. However, the starting five struggled. Forward Julius Randle shot only 2 - of - 8 and committed five turnovers, while point guard D'Angelo Russell had only 5 points and three assists while shooting 2 - of - 9.

["TeamStat(G,'Lakers') has 30 Number of team assists ." "TeamStat(G,'Nuggets') has 29 Number of team assists ,has 57 Percentage of field goals ." "PlayerStat(G,'Nikola Jokic') has 3 Assists ,has 29 Blocks ,has 15 3-pointers attempted ." "PlayerStat(G,'Will Barton') has 5 Assists ,has 5 Blocks ,has 26 3-pointers attempted ." "PlayerStat(G,'Julius Randle') has 8 Assists ,has 2 Blocks ,has 5 3-pointers attempted ." "PlayerStat(G,'D'Angelo Russell') has 3 Assists ,has 9 Blocks ,has 2 3-pointers attempted ,has 5 3-pointers made ." "PlayerStat(G,'Jordan Clarkson') has 19 Assists ." "PlayerStat(G,'Lou Williams') has 24 Assists ."]

The Chicago Bulls defeated the host Cleveland Cavaliers, 106 - 94, at Quicken Loans Arena on Wednesday. This marks Cleveland's third home loss of the season, as they did n't have enough in the arsenal to pull out a win. They really struggled late, as they made just one shot over the final six - plus minutes. Defense carried Chicago all night long, as they held Cleveland to 41 percent from the field and 32 percent from three - point range. The assist - to - turnover ratio was decisive as well, with the Bulls recording 10 more assists than the Cavaliers, while committing two less turnovers. The Bulls (18 - 18) have been playing terribly recently, but a road win against the Cavaliers is just what they need to get going. Jimmy Butler struggled through the first three quarters, but finished the game with 20 points, six rebounds and eight assists, with 14 of those points coming in the fourth quarter. Taj Gibson went 9 - of - 10 from the field to collect 18 points and seven rebounds. Doug McDermott and Nikola Mirotic came off the bench to combine for 33 points and 10 rebounds. Chicago will host the Toronto Bulls for their next game on Saturday. The Cavaliers (26 - 8) had to play this game without Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving, as they simply did n't have enough in the tank to beat a hungry Bulls team. LeBron James had to carry the load, as he led the team with 31 points, eight rebounds and seven assists. Jordan McRae got the start for Irving and accrued 21 points, three rebounds, two assists and two blocks in the loss. Channing Frye was the only other starter with more than two points, as he amassed 15 points and five rebounds. Cleveland should fair better in their next game, as they take on the struggling Brooklyn Nets on Friday.

["TeamStat(G,'Cavaliers') has 32 Percentage of 3 points ,has 41 Percentage of field goals ,has 8 Losses ,has 94 Total points ,has 26 Wins ." "TeamStat(G,'Bulls') has 18 Percentage of 3 points ,has 106 Percentage of field goals ,has 18 Losses ." "PlayerStat(G,'Jimmy Butler') has 8 Assists ,has 3 Blocks ,has 3 Defensive rebounds ,has 3 3-pointers made ,has 3 Field goals attempted ,has 20 Field goals made ,has 6 Free throws made ." "PlayerStat(G,'Taj Gibson') has 10 Assists ,has 9 Blocks ,has 18 Defensive rebounds ,has 7 3-pointers made ." "PlayerStat(G,'LeBron James') has 7 Assists ,has 31 Blocks ,has 8 Defensive rebounds ." "PlayerStat(G,'Channing Frye') has 15 Assists ,has 5 Blocks ." "PlayerStat(G,'Jordan McRae') has 2 Assists ,has 2 Blocks ,has 21 Defensive rebounds ,has 3 3-pointers made ."]

The Los Angeles Clippers (3 - 3) held on to defeat the San Antonio Spurs (3 - 3), 102 - 96, in Game 6 on Thursday at the AT & T Center. With their season on the line, the Clippers were able to hold off the Spurs on the road to force Game 7 on Saturday. Offensive basket interference helped seal the win for the Spurs in Game 5, but that same infraction helped the Clippers finish with the victory Thursday. Boris Diaw interfered on a three - point attempt from Marco Belinelli that would have cut San Antonio's deficit to one point with one second remaining, all but extinguishing its chances to complete the comeback. The Clippers were led once again by Chris Paul and Blake Griffin. Paul finished with 19 points and 15 rebounds while Griffin had 26 points and 12 rebounds. Game 7 will take place Saturday at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. Los Angeles faced elimination in Game 6 after taking a tough four - point loss at home Tuesday, but managed to extend the series to a definitive Game 7. In addition to Paul and Griffin's big outings, DeAndre Jordan posted a double - double with 15 points and 14 rebounds. The Clippers' bench took a potential hit, however, as Glen Davis exited the game with a left ankle sprain and did not return. If he is unable to go for Game 7, Blake Griffin will have to log heavy minutes once again after playing 41 minutes Thursday. San Antonio committed 13 turnovers and no starter scored more than 12 points. Rising star Kawhi Leonard had a tough night shooting, going 3 - for - 15 from the floor and finished with 12 points. Marco Belinelli helped keep the Spurs' chances alive with 23 points. Belinelli hit seven of his 11 attempts from three point range, which helped prevent the Clippers from pulling away down the stretch. The Spurs will have to win on the road in Game 7 in order to advance, but have won two of their three road games in this series.

["TeamStat(G,'Spurs') has 3 Losses ,has 96 Total points ,has 13 Turnovers ,has 3 Wins ." "TeamStat(G,'Clippers') has 3 Losses ,has 102 Total points ,has 3 Turnovers ." "PlayerStat(G,'Blake Griffin') has 41 Assists ,has 26 3-pointers attempted ,has 12 3-pointers made ." "PlayerStat(G,'DeAndre Jordan') has 15 Assists ,has 14 3-pointers attempted ." "PlayerStat(G,'Chris Paul') has 19 Assists ." "PlayerStat(G,'Kawhi Leonard') has 15 Assists ,has 3 3-pointers attempted ,has 12 3-pointers made ." "PlayerStat(G,'Boris Diaw') has 1 Assists ,has 1 3-pointers attempted ." "PlayerStat(G,'Marco Belinelli') has 1 Assists ,has 11 3-pointers attempted ,has 7 3-pointers made ,has 7 Field goals attempted ,has 23 Field goals made ,has 1 Minutes played ."]

The Denver Nuggets (30 - 50) defeated the Sacramento Kings (27 - 53) 122 - 111 on Sunday at the Pepsi Center in Denver. The Nuggets finished as the superior shooters in this game, going 56 percent from the field and 36 percent from the three - point line, while the Kings went 51 percent from the floor and just 28 percent from deep. The Nuggets also came out with the advantage on the boards, out - rebounding the Kings 43 - 32. While it was a high scoring game, both teams were quite sloppy with the ball, as the Nuggets recorded 18 turnovers and the Kings finished with 20. Kenneth Faried had another excellent showing as the Nuggets continued to use their small lineup with him at the center position. Faried went an impressive 12 - for - 14 from the field and 6 - for - 8 from the free throw line to score a game - high of 30 points, while also chipping in with seven rebounds and three steals. He's really picked up his play of late and is averaging 24 points and 6 rebounds over his last three games. Wilson Chandler also did his part in the win as well and finished with 21 points (8 - 15 FG, 3 - 6 3Pt, 2 - 2 FT), nine rebounds and three steals. He's put in two solid performances in a row now, combining for 41 points and 20 rebounds during that stretch. He's now averaging 14 points and 6 rebounds on the year. Despite struggling with his shot, Randy Foye still posted 16 points (3 - 11 FG, 3 - 9 3Pt, 7 - 8 FT) and two steals over 29 minutes. He has shot below 40 percent from the field in three of his last four games, so he'll look to build on those percentages with the regular season winding down. With scoring leaders DeMarcus Cousins and Rudy Gay still sitting out, it was Ben McLemore and Omri Casspi who did the bulk of the work offensively. Casspi nearly triple - doubled with 22 points (8 - 13 FG, 1 - 3 3Pt, 5 - 8 FT), seven rebounds and seven assists, while McLemore finished with 20 points (6 - 12 FG, 2 - 5 3Pt, 6 - 8 FT), seven assists and four steals. Casspi has taken it on himself to make up for the Kings' injury issues of late, as he's now averaging 21 points and 6 rebounds over his last four games. McLemore has struggled with his consistency all season long, so it's also a very positive sign for the Kings that he's recorded three solid performances in a row. Ray McCallum shot the ball well Sunday, going 6 - for - 10 from the field and 1 - for - 2 from the three - point line to score 14 points, while also adding three assists. He's been on fire the last two games, combining to go 14 - for - 21 from from the field and 2 - for - 4 from deep during that span. The Nuggets' next game will be on the road against the Los Angeles Clippers on Monday, while the Kings will be at home against the Los Angeles Lakers on Monday.

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The Memphis Grizzlies (27 - 20) earned an emphatic 103 - 83 victory over the visiting Milwaukee Bucks (20 - 28) at FedEx Forum on Thursday. The Grizzlies have sat comfortably at fifth in the Western Conference for the majority of the season, and Thursday's win only solidifies the team's spot in the rankings. Memphis's reputation as a grind - it - out defensive team came to fruition against the Bucks, as they held Milwaukee to a platry 37 percent from the field. On offense, however, Memphis shot a respectable 48 percent. Sixth man Jeff Green delivered a 21 - point spark off the bench, while center Marc Gasol notched 15 points, eight rebounds, and four assists. Milwaukee's loss puts the team even further outside the playoff picture in the Eastern Conference. While center Greg Monroe posted a much - needed 21 points, the rest of the Bucks simply could not find the basket: Giannis Antetokounmpo went just 2 of 10 from the field, while Khris Middleton shot 6 for 18 on the night. The team's scoring troubles were compounded by their inability to hit from deep; Milwaukee hit just one three - pointer on the night. The Bucks face the second half of a back - to - back on Friday, as they return home to host the Miami Heat. Memphis, meanwhile, sees action Sunday against the surging Sacramento Kings.

["TeamStat(G,'Grizzlies') has 48 Percentage of field goals ,has 20 Losses ,has 103 Total points ,has 27 Points in 3rd quarter ." "TeamStat(G,'Bucks') has 37 Percentage of field goals ,has 28 Losses ,has 83 Total points ,has 21 Points in 3rd quarter ,has 21 Points in 4th quarter ,has 20 Wins ." "PlayerStat(G,'Giannis Antetokounmpo') has 10 Assists ,has 2 Field goals attempted ." "PlayerStat(G,'Greg Monroe') has 21 Assists ." "PlayerStat(G,'Khris Middleton') has 18 Assists ,has 6 Field goals attempted ." "PlayerStat(G,'Marc Gasol') has 4 Assists ,has 15 Field goals attempted ,has 8 Field goals made ." "PlayerStat(G,'Jeff Green') has 21 Assists ."]

Thaddeus Young, Paul George and Jeff Teague all scored a team - high 19 points, but the Pacers needed something more, as they fell short in Utah. Young added nine rebounds and three assists; Teague added seven assists, four rebounds and three steals; and George added four rebounds and two assists. Monta Ellis chipped in 15 points on 6 - of - 10 shooting, in 33 minutes off the bench, while the only other player to score in double digits was Myles Turner, who chipped in 13 points. Meanwhile, a few big performances lifted the Jazz in this one, including a game - high 30 points from George Hill, to go along with six rebounds and five assists, in 34 minutes. Gordon Hayward followed up with 27 points on 8 - of - 13 shooting, while Rudy Gobert did his job, with 19 points and 11 rebounds.

["PlayerStat(G,'Paul George') has 2 Assists ,has 19 Field goals attempted ,has 4 Field goals made ." "PlayerStat(G,'Thaddeus Young') has 3 Assists ,has 19 Field goals attempted ,has 9 Field goals made ." "PlayerStat(G,'Myles Turner') has 33 Assists ,has 13 Field goals attempted ." "PlayerStat(G,'Jeff Teague') has 7 Assists ,has 19 Field goals attempted ,has 4 Field goals made ,has 3 Minutes played ." "PlayerStat(G,'Monta Ellis') has 10 Assists ,has 6 Field goals attempted ,has 33 Field goals made ,has 15 Minutes played ." "PlayerStat(G,'Gordon Hayward') has 13 Assists ,has 8 Field goals attempted ,has 27 Field goals made ." "PlayerStat(G,'Rudy Gobert') has 19 Assists ,has 11 Field goals attempted ." "PlayerStat(G,'George Hill') has 5 Assists ,has 34 Field goals attempted ,has 1 Field goals made ,has 30 Minutes played ,has 6 Offensive rebounds ,has 1 Points ,has 1 Total rebounds ."]

The Denver Nuggets annihilated the host Boston Celtics on their home court, 123 - 107. Denver (3 - 3) came out strong, finishing the first quarter with a 42 - 23 lead. Sophomore point guard Emmanuel Mudiay, who had been struggling, scored 24 points in the first quarter alone, while shooting 9 - of - 10 from the field. Mudiay finished with a career - high 30 points, also grabbing eight rebounds. Denver entered the game with the highest rebounding differential of any team (12), and continued the trend, holding a 47 - 39 advantage on the boards. Guard Gary Harris also returned to the starting lineup, scoring 12 points on 5 - of - 10 shooting. Boston (3 - 3), meanwhile, has been dealing with the injury bug early in the season. Free agent acquisition Al Horford, as well as starter Jae Crowder and backup center Kelly Olynyk, were sidelined in Sunday's contest. All-Star guard Isaiah Thomas stepped it up in his teammates' absence, scoring 30 points on the night. However, the rest of the team struggled, particularly on the defensive end. Denver was able to convert on 52 percent of its shots from the field on Sunday. The Nuggets will visit Memphis on Tuesday, while the Celtics will see Washington on Wednesday.

["TeamStat(G,'Celtics') has 3 Percentage of field goals ,has 107 Losses ,has 23 Total points ,has 39 Points in 1st quarter ,has 3 Rebounds ." "TeamStat(G,'Nuggets') has 52 Percentage of field goals ,has 3 Losses ,has 123 Total points ,has 42 Points in 1st quarter ,has 47 Rebounds ,has 3 Wins ." "PlayerStat(G,'Gary Harris') has 10 Field goals attempted ,has 5 Field goals made ,has 12 Points ." "PlayerStat(G,'Emmanuel Mudiay') has 30 Field goals attempted ,has 8 Field goals made ." "PlayerStat(G,'Isaiah Thomas') has 30 Field goals attempted ."]

The host Spurs forced 16 turnovers from the visiting Nets and held them to 41 percent and 26 percent success rates from the field and three - point range, respectively. Kawhi Leonard went off for 30 points, six rebounds, three assists, a steal and a block to lead the way. Pau Gasol was second on the squad with 15 points and six boards. LaMarcus Aldridge and Tony Parker contributed a pair of 12 - point efforts, and Patty Mills paced the second unit with 16 points over 16 minutes. Bojan Bogdanovic's 20 points led Brooklyn, and Brook Lopez was next with a 14 - point, five - rebound performance. That was it for double - digit scoring from the first unit, as Trevor Booker (nine points), Isaiah Whitehead (seven points) and Sean Kilpatrick (four points) underwhelmed. Luis Scola led the bench with a 15 - point contribution.

["TeamStat(G,'Nets') has 26 Percentage of 3 points ,has 41 Percentage of field goals ,has 16 Turnovers ." "PlayerStat(G,'Bojan Bogdanovic') has 20 Assists ." "PlayerStat(G,'Trevor Booker') has 9 Assists ." "PlayerStat(G,'Brook Lopez') has 14 Assists ,has 5 Blocks ." "PlayerStat(G,'Isaiah Whitehead') has 7 Assists ." "PlayerStat(G,'Luis Scola') has 15 Assists ." "PlayerStat(G,'Kawhi Leonard') has 3 Assists ,has 1 Blocks ,has 30 Minutes played ,has 1 Points ." "PlayerStat(G,'LaMarcus Aldridge') has 12 Assists ." "PlayerStat(G,'Pau Gasol') has 15 Assists ." "PlayerStat(G,'Tony Parker') has 12 Assists ." "PlayerStat(G,'Patty Mills') has 16 Assists ,has 16 Blocks ."]

The Milwaukee Bucks (37 - 38) took down the Chicago Bulls (45 - 30) 95 - 91 on Wednesday. Michael Carter-Williams finally broke out of his shooting slump with a 9 - for - 19 performance from the field. He scored 21 points to go along with 10 rebounds, both of which were team - highs. Khris Middleton struggled early, missing his first six shots, but came on strong late as he was finished with 14 points on 5 - for - 15 shooting. Jared Dudley returned to the Milwaukee rotation after missing Monday's contest against the Hawks, a 101 - 88 loss in Atlanta. Dudley has missed seven of the past 10 games with a back injury. He had two steals, three assists and three rebounds in 17 minutes. The Bucks got a nice spark from John Henson off the bench. He played just 19 minutes but had 11 points, five rebounds and three blocked shots. The Bucks currently own the sixth best record in the Eastern Conference with the Nets and Heat behind them with records of 34 - 40. Jimmy Butler returned to the Bradley Center where he played his college ball at Marquette. He led his team with game - highs of 25 points and three steals. Aaron Brooks also recorded three steals in his 37 minutes of action. Kirk Hinrich left Wednesday's games with a knee injury after he recorded three points and a steal in 10 minutes, he did not return. The Bucks found a way to cool down rookie Nikola Mirotic. Mirotic had an insane month of March where he averaged more than 20 points and eight rebounds a contest. He had just six points on 3 - for - 10 shooting to go along with six rebounds in 23 minutes in Milwaukee. The Bulls have already clinched a playoff spot but would like to gain home - court advantage for the at least the first round. As long as they keep the Washington Wizards behind them, they will do just that. The Bulls will host Reggie Jackson and the Detroit Pistons on Friday, as the Bucks will head to Boston to face - off with the Celtics.

["TeamStat(G,'Bucks') has 38 Losses ,has 95 Total points ,has 37 Wins ." "TeamStat(G,'Bulls') has 30 Losses ,has 91 Total points ,has 45 Wins ." "PlayerStat(G,'Jimmy Butler') has 25 Assists ,has 3 Blocks ." "PlayerStat(G,'Aaron Brooks') has 37 Assists ,has 3 Blocks ." "PlayerStat(G,'Nikola Mirotic') has 10 Assists ,has 3 Blocks ,has 23 Defensive rebounds ,has 6 3-pointers attempted ,has 6 Field goals attempted ." "PlayerStat(G,'Kirk Hinrich') has 10 Assists ,has 3 Blocks ,has 1 Defensive rebounds ." "PlayerStat(G,'Khris Middleton') has 6 Assists ,has 15 Blocks ,has 5 Defensive rebounds ,has 14 3-pointers attempted ." "PlayerStat(G,'Michael Carter-Williams') has 6 Assists ,has 19 Blocks ,has 9 Defensive rebounds ,has 21 3-pointers attempted ,has 10 Field goals attempted ." "PlayerStat(G,'John Henson') has 3 Assists ,has 19 Blocks ,has 11 Defensive rebounds ,has 5 3-pointers attempted ." "PlayerStat(G,'Jared Dudley') has 3 Assists ,has 17 Blocks ,has 3 Defensive rebounds ,has 2 3-pointers attempted ."]

The Charlotte Hornets defeated the host Minnesota Timberwolves, 115 - 108, at Target Center on Tuesday. In a game full of swings, the Hornets made the final and most decisive one. A 21 - 4 run in the third quarter gave Charlotte a lead after trailing by double - digits in the first half. In fact, the Timberwolves won the second quarter 28 - 15, while the Hornets responded with a 36 - 17 third quarter of their own. The Hornets were lights out with their jumpers, as they shot 53 percent from the field and 46 percent from three - point range. Charlotte also dominated in the lane, scoring 50 paint points to the Timberwolves' 28. There were nine ties and 16 lead changes in total. The Hornets (7 - 3) have been one of the surprises of the season and a comeback road win here just adds to their impressive resume '. Kemba Walker continued his great play, as he tallied 30 points, five rebounds, six assists and five steals in the win. Frank Kaminsky was second on the team, as he totaled 20 points, four rebounds and five assists off the bench. Nicolas Batum provided 16 points, five rebounds, seven assists and three steals of his own. Cody Zeller fell a rebound shy of a double - double, finishing with 16 points and nine rebounds. Charlotte will be off until Friday, when they host the Atlanta Hawks for their next game. The Timberwolves (3 - 7) continue to disappoint and falling apart in the third quarter has become all too common of a trend. They were being outscored by eight points a game in the third coming into this matchup and a 19 - point third quarter deficit Tuesday only worsens those numbers. Andrew Wiggins led the team in scoring, as he dropped 29 points on 10 - of - 24 shooting. Karl-Anthony Towns was second on the team, with his 21 points, eight rebounds and four assists. Ricky Rubio flirted with a triple - double, accumulating 11 points, eight rebounds and eight assists in the loss. Zach LaVine made his return from a one - game absence to score 21 points on 7 - of - 16 shooting. Minnesota will look to play better on Thursday in a favorable home matchup against the Philadelphia 76ers.

["TeamStat(G,'Timberwolves') has 7 Percentage of 3 points ,has 108 Losses ,has 28 Total points ,has 17 Points in 2nd quarter ,has 3 Points in 3rd quarter ." "TeamStat(G,'Hornets') has 46 Percentage of 3 points ,has 3 Losses ,has 115 Total points ,has 15 Points in 2nd quarter ,has 36 Points in 3rd quarter ,has 7 Wins ." "PlayerStat(G,'Cody Zeller') has 9 Assists ." "PlayerStat(G,'Nicolas Batum') has 7 Assists ,has 16 Field goals attempted ,has 5 Field goals made ,has 3 Points ." "PlayerStat(G,'Kemba Walker') has 6 Assists ,has 30 Field goals attempted ,has 5 Field goals made ,has 5 Points ." "PlayerStat(G,'Frank Kaminsky') has 5 Assists ,has 20 Field goals attempted ,has 4 Field goals made ." "PlayerStat(G,'Andrew Wiggins') has 24 Assists ,has 10 Field goals attempted ,has 29 Field goals made ." "PlayerStat(G,'Karl-Anthony Towns') has 4 Assists ,has 21 Field goals attempted ,has 8 Field goals made ." "PlayerStat(G,'Zach LaVine') has 16 Assists ,has 7 Field goals attempted ." "PlayerStat(G,'Ricky Rubio') has 8 Assists ,has 11 Field goals attempted ,has 8 Field goals made ."]

The Portland Trail Blazers defeated the Los Angeles Clippers, 106 - 103, to clinch the Western Conference first - round playoffs at the Moda Center on Friday. Postseason-ending injuries to Chris Paul and Blake Griffin clearly turned the tide of this series, despite the fact that the Clippers had some experienced and able replacements for them. Austin Rivers and Jamal Crawford were both highly productive Friday, with the latter actually leading all scorers with 32 points, along with an assist and three steals. However, the Blazers saw their All-Star point guard Damian Lillard bounce back from a pair of modest efforts over the last two games. He paced the Portland attack with 28 points, seven assists, five rebounds and a steal, and they needed every one of his points by game's end. The Clippers tied matters up at 103 after two free throws by Crawford with 32 seconds left. However, Mason Plumlee was able to draw a loose ball foul from Jeff Green, and sank the two subsequent free throws with 14 seconds remaining to give Portland a lead they would n't surrender. Crawford added an assist and three steals to his team - high point total. Rivers followed with 21 points, eight assists, six rebounds and a steal. DeAndre Jordan contributed a 15 - point, 20 - rebound double - double with an assist and two steals. J.J. Redick was next with 15 points, a rebound and an assist. Green tallied 11 points, five rebounds, two assists and a steal. After not seeing any time at all in Game 5, Luc Mbah a Moute was back in the starting lineup, but only played 14 minutes. He netted three points and a pair of rebounds. McCollum followed Lillard's team - high point total with 20 of his own, and he complemented the scoring with four assists, two rebounds and a steal. Maurice Harkless collected 14 points, three rebounds, an assist and a steal. Al-Farouq Aminu tallied 10 points, six rebounds and two assists. Allen Crabbe paced the second unit with 13 points, five rebounds and an assist. Portland moves on to face the Golden State Warriors in the second round, beginning with a road tilt at Oracle Arena on Sunday afternoon.

["TeamStat(G,'Trail Blazers') has 2 Losses ,has 106 Total points ." "TeamStat(G,'Clippers') has 103 Losses ,has 2 Total points ." "PlayerStat(G,'Luc Mbah a Moute') has 14 Assists ,has 3 Blocks ,has 2 Free throws attempted ." "PlayerStat(G,'Jeff Green') has 2 Assists ,has 2 Blocks ,has 11 Free throws attempted ,has 5 Minutes played ,has 1 Offensive rebounds ." "PlayerStat(G,'DeAndre Jordan') has 1 Assists ,has 15 Blocks ,has 20 Free throws attempted ,has 2 Minutes played ." "PlayerStat(G,'JJ Redick') has 1 Assists ,has 15 Blocks ,has 1 Free throws attempted ." "PlayerStat(G,'Austin Rivers') has 8 Assists ,has 21 Blocks ,has 6 Free throws attempted ,has 1 Minutes played ." "PlayerStat(G,'Jamal Crawford') has 1 Assists ,has 32 Blocks ,has 3 Free throws attempted ." "PlayerStat(G,'Al-Farouq Aminu') has 2 Assists ,has 10 Blocks ,has 6 Free throws attempted ." "PlayerStat(G,'Maurice Harkless') has 1 Assists ,has 14 Blocks ,has 3 Free throws attempted ,has 1 Minutes played ." "PlayerStat(G,'Mason Plumlee') has 2 Assists ,has 14 Blocks ,has 2 Free throws attempted ." "PlayerStat(G,'CJ McCollum') has 4 Assists ,has 20 Blocks ,has 2 Free throws attempted ,has 1 Minutes played ." "PlayerStat(G,'Damian Lillard') has 7 Assists ,has 2 Blocks ,has 2 Free throws attempted ,has 28 Minutes played ,has 5 Offensive rebounds ,has 1 Personal fouls ,has 1 Points ." "PlayerStat(G,'Allen Crabbe') has 1 Assists ,has 13 Blocks ,has 5 Free throws attempted ."]

The Detroit Pistons (4 - 1) defeated the Phoenix Suns (3 - 3) 100 - 92 on Friday. In a battle of the Morris twins, Detroit and Marcus Morris ended up the victor, though brother Markieff performed admirably for Phoenix. Usually the better free - throw shooting team comes away with the win, but Detroit somehow prevailed while shooting just 50 percent from the charity stripe, lowlighted by a 2 - for - 11 effort from big man Andre Drummond. It very well may have been a case of how many times each team got to the free - throw line, as Detroit took 36 free - throws compared to Phoenix's 13 attempts. The Pistons continued their fantastic form Friday and look like a major threat to make the playoffs for the first time since 2008 - 9. The success this season has to be attributed to Andre Drummond and Reggie Jackson. Drummond put together a 12 - point, 17 - rebound performance in the win, which actually brought down his season average to around 19 rebounds a game. Reggie Jackson put together an all - around fantastic line as well, as he tallied 22 points, seven assists and six rebounds in the victory. Marcus Morris tallied 18 points and six rebounds. If these three continue to play at this level, they are a serious threat in the Eastern Conference this season. Detroit's next game comes on Sunday in Portland against the surprising Trail Blazers. The Suns fell down by seven in a 14 - point first quarter, and they simply couldn’t bounce back after that. Phoenix was once again led by its guards, Eric Bledsoe and Brandon Knight, who totaled a combined 44 points, seven assists, and four steals in the loss. Markieff Morris matched his brother's scoring total by amassing 18 points and four rebounds in the defeat. The last two losses for Phoenix have been against the Los Angeles Clippers and Detroit Pistons, and that may be due to the fact that those teams have two of the best rim protectors in the NBA. Phoenix will be in for another tough game on Sunday when they have to travel to Oklahoma City to take on the Thunder and their own dominant shot blocker in Serge Ibaka.

["TeamStat(G,'Suns') has 3 Percentage of 3 points ,has 92 Percentage of field goals ,has 14 Losses ,has 3 Total points ." "TeamStat(G,'Pistons') has 36 Percentage of 3 points ,has 50 Percentage of field goals ,has 1 Losses ,has 100 Total points ,has 4 Points in 1st quarter ." "PlayerStat(G,'Marcus Morris') has 6 Assists ." "PlayerStat(G,'Andre Drummond') has 12 Assists ,has 17 Points ." "PlayerStat(G,'Reggie Jackson') has 7 Assists ,has 6 Points ." "PlayerStat(G,'Markieff Morris') has 18 Assists ,has 4 Points ."]

The Memphis Grizzlies (26 - 11) defeated the Phoenix Suns (22 - 18) 122 - 110 on Monday at Fed Ex Forum Arena in Memphis. After finishing the third quarter down 75 - 66, the Suns made a fourth quarter run, out - scoring the Grizzlies 35 - 26 to tie the game at 101 with five seconds left in the game, eventually pushing it to overtime. After Eric Bledsoe missed a game - winner in the first overtime, it went to a second, where the Suns went ice cold from the field and were out - scored 14 - 2 to close out the game. The Grizzlies were able to out - rebound the Suns 54 - 46, giving them a slight advantage in this one. In his second game back from a nine - game absence, Zach Randolph went off, going 11 - for - 16 from the field and 5 - for - 6 from the free throw line to score 27 points, while also adding 17 rebounds and two blocked shots. It was a season - high in points for Randolph, who also posted his second double - double in as many games. Mike Conley was n't too far behind him though, nearly recording a triple - double with 25 points (9 - 18 FG, 4 - 7 3Pt, 3 - 3 FT), seven rebounds and eight assists. He's had a strong couple of games in row, combining for 44 points and 15 assists over the last two. Courtney Lee put in a strong performance as well. He went 7 - for - 13 from the field and 2 - for - 5 from beyond the arc to score 18 points. After struggling with his shot on Friday, it was a nice bounce back game for him. Both Tony Allen and Marc Gasol reached double figures in points with 12 points apiece. The Suns received their biggest contribution off the bench, as Isaiah Thomas scored 20 points (7 - 16 FG, 2 - 7 3Pt, 4 - 4 FT). He's continued to be a reliable option off the bench as he's averaged 17 points per game over his last five outings. Markieff Morris recorded the most points of the starters. He contributed 17 points (7 - 15 FG, 1 - 4 3Pt, 2 - 2 FT), six rebounds and three steals before fouling out in the second overtime. He had an extremely poor outing on Friday where he went 1 - for - 13 from the floor, so it was good to see his confidence restored despite the loss. Alex Len finished with his second consecutive double - digit rebounding performance. It was his fourth double - double of the season with 14 points and 13 rebounds. Both P.J. Tucker and Eric Bledsoe had 11 points each. The Grizzlies' next game will be on the road against the Brooklyn Nets on Wednesday, while the Suns will be at home against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Tuesday.

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The Hawks (51 - 14) held on to defeat the Lakers (17 - 47) 91 - 86 at the Staples Center on Sunday. Atlanta was able to come away with the victory despite being severely short - handed. Starters Jeff Teague, DeMarre Carroll and Paul Millsap sat out to rest, while Kyle Korver left the game early in the second quarter with a broken nose. The Lakers cut a 15 - point fourth quarter deficit down to a single basket with 30 seconds left on the clock. But they could n't hold off the Hawks when it counted, as Dennis Schroder extended the lead for Atlanta to four points with 13 seconds remaining. Schroder had a great game, scoring 24 points (7 - 16 FG, 1 - 5 3Pt) to go with three rebounds, 10 assists and one steal in 38 minutes as a starter. Al Horford contributed 21 points (10 - 21 FG, 0 - 1 3Pt), five rebounds, three assists, five steals and one block in 35 minutes. The Lakers did not take care of the basketball, turning it over 21 times. Carlos Boozer and Ryan Kelly led the team in scoring with 13 apiece. Boozer also led the team in turnovers with four. The Hawks are currently the top team in the Eastern Conference, 10 games ahead of the Cavaliers. They've won nine of their last 11 games. With only 17 games left on their schedule, the Lakers have been eliminated from playoff contention. The Hawks and Lakers split the season series 1 - 1. The Hawks' next game will be on the road against the Sacramento Kings on Monday, while the Lakers will travel to Oakland to play the Golden State Warriors on Monday.

["TeamStat(G,'Lakers') has 21 Number of team assists ,has 86 Total points ,has 21 Turnovers ,has 17 Wins ." "TeamStat(G,'Hawks') has 91 Number of team assists ,has 10 Total points ." "PlayerStat(G,'Al Horford') has 3 Assists ,has 1 Blocks ,has 1 3-pointers attempted ,has 0 3-pointers made ,has 21 Field goals attempted ,has 10 Field goals made ,has 35 Free throws attempted ,has 21 Minutes played ,has 5 Points ,has 5 Total rebounds ." "PlayerStat(G,'Dennis Schroder') has 10 Assists ,has 5 Blocks ,has 1 3-pointers attempted ,has 16 3-pointers made ,has 7 Field goals attempted ,has 38 Field goals made ,has 24 Free throws attempted ,has 3 Minutes played ,has 1 Points ." "PlayerStat(G,'Carlos Boozer') has 4 Assists ,has 13 Blocks ." "PlayerStat(G,'Ryan Kelly') has 13 Assists ."]

Thursday night's showdown between the Denver Nuggets and the Minnesota Timberwolves featured some of the league's premier young talent, as upwards of six lottery picks from the past three drafts took the floor at Target Center. It was an evening of highs and lows, however, as the young players saw a wide range of performances. For Minnesota's duo of Rookie of the Year winners, it was a strong showing. Towns, the reigning recipient and first overall pick in 2015, dominated the game with 32 points and 14 rebounds. Andrew Wiggins, the previous year's first overall pick and Rookie of the Year, scored 25. Strong play was also on display for Zach LaVine (14 points, five rebounds) and Denver's Jusuf Nurkic, who scored 18 points while recording two blocks and two steals. Some players were less fortunate, however. 2016's fifth overall pick Kris Dunn did dish out nine assists, but recorded four turnovers and just three points while shooting 1 - of - 6. Big man Gorgui Dieng posted essentially the same stat line minus the high assists total. Dieng went 1 - for - 6 with four turnovers and just two points. Denver's backcourt of rookie guard Jamal Murray, 2016's seventh overall pick, and sophomore Emmanuel Mudiay, the seventh pick in 2015, had an even bleaker night, combining for just 4 - of - 26 shooting, seven turnovers, and 0 - of - 8 from three - point range.

["TeamStat(G,'Timberwolves') has 3 Losses ." "TeamStat(G,'Nuggets') has 14 Losses ." "PlayerStat(G,'Jusuf Nurkic') has 18 Assists ,has 5 Field goals attempted ,has 2 Field goals made ." "PlayerStat(G,'Jamal Murray') has 8 Assists ,has 0 Field goals attempted ." "PlayerStat(G,'Andrew Wiggins') has 25 Assists ." "PlayerStat(G,'Gorgui Dieng') has 6 Assists ,has 1 Field goals attempted ,has 2 Field goals made ,has 4 Points ." "PlayerStat(G,'Karl-Anthony Towns') has 32 Assists ,has 14 Field goals attempted ." "PlayerStat(G,'Zach LaVine') has 14 Assists ,has 5 Field goals attempted ." "PlayerStat(G,'Kris Dunn') has 9 Assists ,has 6 Field goals attempted ,has 1 Field goals made ,has 3 Points ,has 4 Total rebounds ."]

The Indiana Pacers (43 - 37) blew out the Brooklyn Nets (21 - 59) on Sunday, 129 - 105. A win here would have guaranteed a a playoff spot for the Pacers and they made sure there was no doubt that would happen. The game was well out of hand early, as they led 39 - 19 after the first quarter, won the second quarter 30 - 22 and won the third quarter 35 to 31. The 28 - point halftime lead was the Pacers high of the season and it shows how much motivation they had coming into this game. The defense was key, as they held the Nets to 39 percent shooting and forced them to commit 15 turnovers. The Indiana offense wasn’t shabby either, as they shot a cool 56 percent from the field and 41 percent from three - point range. This game meant very little for the Nets and they clearly didn’t show up. Thomas Robinson has been the teams best player over recent weeks, but he left early due to a knee injury. Markel Brown stepped up off the bench though, as he amassed 18 points, 11 rebounds, four assists, six steals and three blocks. Donald Sloan contributed 19 points, three rebounds and five assists of his own off the bench as well. Sean Kilpatrick led the team with 26 points, as he also came off the bench. Up next for the Nets is a matchup with the Washington Wizards on Monday. Indiana wanted to make sure they'd secure a spot in the postseason, as they put it on the Nets in this lopsided game. Myles Turner was the player of the game, as he tallied 28 points and 10 rebounds off the bench. George Hill led the starters with 18 points, while also providing five rebounds and four assists. Ty Lawson had one of his best games in a Pacer uniform, as he accumulated seven points, six rebounds and nine assists. On deck for the Pacers is a matchup with the New York Knicks on Tuesday.

["TeamStat(G,'Pacers') has 41 Percentage of 3 points ,has 56 Percentage of field goals ,has 37 Losses ,has 129 Total points ,has 39 Points in 1st quarter ,has 30 Points in 2nd quarter ,has 35 Points in 3rd quarter ,has 43 Turnovers ." "TeamStat(G,'Nets') has 39 Percentage of 3 points ,has 59 Percentage of field goals ,has 105 Losses ,has 19 Total points ,has 22 Points in 1st quarter ,has 31 Points in 2nd quarter ,has 15 Points in 3rd quarter ,has 21 Turnovers ." "PlayerStat(G,'Markel Brown') has 4 Assists ,has 3 Blocks ,has 18 Free throws made ,has 11 Points ,has 6 Total rebounds ." "PlayerStat(G,'Sean Kilpatrick') has 26 Assists ." "PlayerStat(G,'Donald Sloan') has 5 Assists ,has 19 Blocks ,has 3 Free throws made ." "PlayerStat(G,'George Hill') has 4 Assists ,has 18 Blocks ,has 5 Free throws made ,has 1 Points ." "PlayerStat(G,'Ty Lawson') has 9 Assists ,has 1 Blocks ,has 7 Free throws made ,has 6 Points ,has 1 Total rebounds ,has 1 Steals ." "PlayerStat(G,'Myles Turner') has 28 Assists ,has 10 Blocks ."]

The Charlotte Hornets (11 - 24) had revenge on the mind after losing the previous two contests against the Orlando Magic (13 - 24). They used a 220 first - half run to propel them to a 98 - 90 victory and end a five - game losing streak. Channing Frye did n't play the second half due to a strained right elbow. The Hornets jumped out to a 52 - 29 halftime lead, limiting the Magic to nine points in the second quarter and their season low in points scored for a half. The Magic stayed competitive by not committing a turnover in the second half and outscoring the Hornets 50 - 34 in the paint. Kemba Walker contributed 30 points, seven rebounds, six assists, two steals, one block, and four three - pointers in 39 minutes without the services of Al Jefferson (groin) and Lance Stephenson (pelvis). Michael Kidd-Gilchrist recorded his fourth double - double of the season, 17 points and 12 rebounds in 36 minutes, as the only other Hornet to play more than 30 minutes. Jefferson's replacement, Bismack Biyombo, was held scoreless in 17 minutes. The Magic shot 38 percent from the field and are now mired in a three - game losing streak. Nikola Vucevic recorded his 18th double - double, tallying 20 points (8 - 16 FG, 4 - 4 FT), 10 rebounds, two assists, one steal, and two blocks in 35 minutes. Rookie Elfrid Payton was unable to follow his near triple - double from Friday with a similar performance, providing seven points, seven assists, three rebounds, and two steals in 35 minutes. The Magic rest for three days before starting a four - game road trip in Denver on Wednesday. The Hornets travel to Boston to take on the Celtics this Monday.

["TeamStat(G,'Magic') has 38 Percentage of field goals ,has 24 Losses ,has 90 Total points ,has 9 Points in 2nd quarter ,has 13 Wins ." "TeamStat(G,'Hornets') has 24 Percentage of field goals ,has 98 Losses ,has 11 Total points ." "PlayerStat(G,'Michael Kidd-Gilchrist') has 36 Assists ,has 17 Blocks ,has 12 3-pointers made ." "PlayerStat(G,'Bismack Biyombo') has 17 Assists ." "PlayerStat(G,'Kemba Walker') has 6 Assists ,has 1 Blocks ,has 4 3-pointers made ,has 39 Field goals attempted ,has 30 Field goals made ,has 7 Free throws attempted ,has 2 Free throws made ." "PlayerStat(G,'Nikola Vucevic') has 2 Assists ,has 2 Blocks ,has 16 3-pointers made ,has 8 Field goals attempted ,has 4 Field goals made ,has 4 Free throws attempted ,has 35 Free throws made ,has 20 Minutes played ,has 10 Points ,has 1 Total rebounds ." "PlayerStat(G,'Elfrid Payton') has 7 Assists ,has 35 Blocks ,has 7 3-pointers made ,has 3 Field goals attempted ,has 2 Field goals made ."]

The Atlanta Hawks (8 - 2) defeated the New Orleans Pelicans (1 - 7) 106 - 98 on Wednesday at Philips Arena in Atlanta. The Hawks got off to a slow start in this one, falling behind nine points by the end of the first half. They had some fight left in them, though, exploding out in the second half, where they out - scored the Pelicans 59 - 42 the rest of the game to seal the eight - point victory in front of their home crowd. Despite shooting lower percentages from the field, the Hawks made up for it on the defensive side of the ball, forcing the Pelicans into 19 turnovers as a team. The Hawks' frontcourt duo of Al Horford and Paul Millsap did the majority of the damage to the injury - plagued Pelicans. Without Anthony Davis defending in the post, they were able to take the advantage down low. Horford was the main beneficiary and went an efficient 11 - for - 15 from the field and 4 - for - 6 from the three - point line for a game - high of 26 points, while also adding eight rebounds and three blocked shots. Horford shot below 40 percent in each of his last two games, so Wednesday's showing was a nice bounce - back effort for the center. Millsap, on the other hand, posted an impressive 19 - point (6 - 14 FG, 0 - 2 3Pt, 7 - 8 FT), 16 - rebound double - double of his own. It marked his fourth double - double of the season, pushing his season averages to 17 points and 9 rebounds per game. Jeff Teague chipped in with 14 points (6 - 16 FG, 1 - 2 3Pt, 1 - 2 FT) and 10 assists as well. Davis (hip), Jrue Holiday (lower leg) and Tyreke Evans (knee) all remained sidelined Wednesday. Without Davis' normal production, both Ish Smith and Eric Gordon took it on themselves to make up for his absence. Gordon went 10 - for - 20 from the field and 4 - for - 6 from the three - point line for 26 points in 31 minutes. The points were a new season - high for the seventh - year guard out of Indiana, who's now surpassed the 20 - point plateau in four of his last five games. Smith finished with 18 points (8 - 17 FG, 2 - 4 3Pt) and 10 assists over 39 minutes. He had 16 of those 18 points in the first half, but really cooled down in the second, letting Gordon take over for the most part. Filling in for Davis at power forward, Ryan Andersen added a productive 17 points (7 - 16 FG, 2 - 5 3Pt, 1 - 1 FT) and 11 rebounds. The Pelicans' next game will be on the road against the Toronto Raptors on Friday, while the Hawks will travel to Boston to take on the Celtics on Friday.

["TeamStat(G,'Hawks') has 2 Losses ,has 106 Total points ,has 8 Turnovers ." "TeamStat(G,'Pelicans') has 7 Losses ,has 98 Total points ,has 19 Turnovers ,has 1 Wins ." "PlayerStat(G,'Ryan Anderson') has 5 Assists ,has 2 Blocks ,has 16 3-pointers attempted ,has 7 3-pointers made ,has 1 Field goals attempted ,has 1 Field goals made ,has 17 Free throws attempted ,has 11 Free throws made ." "PlayerStat(G,'Eric Gordon') has 6 Assists ,has 4 Blocks ,has 20 3-pointers attempted ,has 10 3-pointers made ,has 4 Field goals attempted ,has 26 Field goals made ." "PlayerStat(G,'Ish Smith') has 10 Assists ,has 4 Blocks ,has 2 3-pointers attempted ,has 17 3-pointers made ,has 8 Field goals attempted ,has 39 Field goals made ,has 18 Free throws attempted ." "PlayerStat(G,'Paul Millsap') has 2 Assists ,has 0 Blocks ,has 14 3-pointers attempted ,has 6 3-pointers made ,has 8 Field goals attempted ,has 7 Field goals made ,has 19 Free throws attempted ,has 16 Free throws made ." "PlayerStat(G,'Al Horford') has 3 Assists ,has 6 Blocks ,has 4 3-pointers attempted ,has 15 3-pointers made ,has 11 Field goals attempted ,has 26 Field goals made ,has 8 Free throws attempted ,has 2 Free throws made ." "PlayerStat(G,'Jeff Teague') has 10 Assists ,has 2 Blocks ,has 1 3-pointers attempted ,has 16 3-pointers made ,has 6 Field goals attempted ,has 2 Field goals made ,has 1 Free throws attempted ,has 14 Free throws made ."]

The Houston Rockets (17 - 19) defeated the Utah Jazz (15 - 18) 93 - 91 on Monday. The Rockets looked like two entirely different teams during the first and second halves while visiting Utah. Down 58 - 48 at halftime and surrendering 37 second quarter points, the defensive breakdowns and sloppy fouls began to bury the Rockets early on. James Harden provided a major spark to the offense during the second half, combined with Montrezl Harrell's boost on defense, and the result was a Rockets win. Harden finished with 30 points, five rebounds and seven assists on 9 - of - 25 shooting. Dwight Howard added 16 points and 13 rebounds, while Harrell's defensive prowess was only highlighted statistically by his plus/minus of nine. The Rockets were dealing with an onslaught of injuries heading into the game. Ty Lawson (ankle), Donatas Motiejunas (back) and Marcus Thornton (personal reasons) were unavailable for Houston in the win. The Jazz were unable to execute their second half game plan down the stretch, and once James Harden got going, there was not much any defense can do to stop the current second best scorer in the league. Injuries also riddled Utah heading into Monday, as Derrick Favors (back) was sidelined. The bright side to Favors' injury is the playing time that Trey Lyles has been seeing in his absence. The Kentucky product and No. 12 pick in the draft, Lyles finished with 13 points in 20 minutes on 6 - of - 10 shooting. Utah continued to find Rodney Hood around the perimeter and the starting guard turned in 23 points on 5 - of - 6 3 - point shooting. Gordon Hayward continues to regress in 2015 - 2016, as the max contract forward added 20 points on 39 percent shooting, to go along with seven rebounds and three assists. The Jazz and Rockets will meet again on Thursday in Houston.

["TeamStat(G,'Jazz') has 18 Losses ,has 91 Total points ,has 15 Wins ." "TeamStat(G,'Rockets') has 19 Losses ,has 93 Total points ,has 17 Wins ." "PlayerStat(G,'Dwight Howard') has 16 Assists ,has 13 3-pointers attempted ." "PlayerStat(G,'James Harden') has 7 Assists ,has 25 3-pointers attempted ,has 9 3-pointers made ,has 9 Field goals attempted ,has 30 Field goals made ,has 5 Field goal percentage ." "PlayerStat(G,'Gordon Hayward') has 3 Assists ,has 39 3-pointers attempted ,has 20 3-pointers made ,has 7 Field goals attempted ." "PlayerStat(G,'Trey Lyles') has 10 Assists ,has 6 3-pointers attempted ,has 13 3-pointers made ." "PlayerStat(G,'Rodney Hood') has 6 Assists ,has 5 3-pointers attempted ,has 23 3-pointers made ."]

The lopsided scoreline is unfair to Phoenix, as there were five ties and 10 lead changes in the first three quarters. They really fell apart in the second half though, allowing Memphis to outscore them, 75 - 56. The Grizzlies offense was on point, as they shot 56 percent from the field and 48 percent from long distance. Memphis also outrebounded Phoenix, 39 - 33. Eric Bledsoe led the way for Phoenix, as he accrued 20 points, five rebounds and eight assists. T.J. Warren went 8 - of - 13 from the field to accumulate 17 points and six rebounds. Mike Conley led Memphis in scoring, collecting 29 points, three rebounds and eight assists. Marc Gasol was just as good, amassing 28 points, seven rebounds and five assists. Zach Randolph was a beast off the bench, providing 23 points and eight rebounds on 10 - of - 15 shooting.

["TeamStat(G,'Grizzlies') has 48 Percentage of 3 points ,has 56 Percentage of field goals ." "PlayerStat(G,'TJ Warren') has 13 Assists ,has 8 Field goals attempted ,has 17 Field goals made ,has 6 Points ." "PlayerStat(G,'Eric Bledsoe') has 8 Assists ,has 20 Field goals attempted ." "PlayerStat(G,'Marc Gasol') has 5 Assists ,has 28 Field goals attempted ,has 7 Field goals made ." "PlayerStat(G,'Mike Conley') has 8 Assists ,has 29 Field goals attempted ,has 3 Field goals made ." "PlayerStat(G,'Zach Randolph') has 15 Assists ,has 10 Field goals attempted ,has 23 Field goals made ,has 8 Points ."]

The Atlanta Hawks (39 - 29) won a shootout over the Detroit Pistons (34 - 34) Wednesday night at the Palace of Auburn Hills, 118 - 114. This one was explosive from the start, as each team scored at least 30 points in both the first and second quarters, with the Pistons taking a narrow 62 - 61 lead into halftime. The Pistons built their largest lead of the game in the third quarter at 82 - 71, but an Al Horford three - pointer kickstarted a 13 - 2 Hawks run to tie the game. The game remained tight until the final minutes, but the Pistons could n't buy a bucket late in the fourth quarter, as they went without a field goal from 4:34 to 1:18 remaining in the game. Over that span, Atlanta turned a 103 - 103 tie into a 113 - 104 lead, a lead they would n't relinquish. Jeff Teague led the Hawks with 22 points and nine assists, as he did the majority of his scoring at the free throw line (12 - 13 FT). Al Horford posted one of three Hawks double - doubles with 21 points (9 - 15 FG) and 11 rebounds; he was joined by Kent Bazemore (15 points, 10 rebounds) and Paul Millsap (13 points, 10 rebounds). The Hawks shot just 44 percent from the floor but nailed 12 three - pointers and made 28 of their 34 free - throw attempts (82 percent). Kentavius Caldwell-Pope scored a game - high 24 points (7 - 15 FG, 3 - 8 3PT, 7 - 9 FT). Andre Drummond scored 18 and grabbed 18 rebounds but missed nine free throws (8 - 17, 47 percent). Tobias Harris (19 points, 11 rebounds) and Reggie Jackson (17 points, 10 assists) also recorded double - doubles. The Pistons had their offense working inside, as they shot 53 percent from inside and earned 39 trips to the free throw line, but because of their inability to connect from deep (8 - 32 3PT, 32 percent) they could n't keep up with the Hawks attack. The Hawks host the Nuggets on Thursday. The Pistons return home for a Friday matchup against the Kings.

["TeamStat(G,'Pistons') has 32 Percentage of 3 points ,has 34 Percentage of field goals ,has 114 Losses ,has 30 Total points ,has 34 Points in 2nd quarter ." "TeamStat(G,'Hawks') has 44 Percentage of 3 points ,has 29 Percentage of field goals ,has 118 Losses ,has 39 Total points ." "PlayerStat(G,'Kent Bazemore') has 15 Assists ,has 10 3-pointers attempted ." "PlayerStat(G,'Paul Millsap') has 3 Assists ,has 1 3-pointers attempted ,has 13 3-pointers made ,has 10 Field goals attempted ." "PlayerStat(G,'Al Horford') has 15 Assists ,has 9 3-pointers attempted ,has 21 3-pointers made ,has 11 Field goals attempted ." "PlayerStat(G,'Jeff Teague') has 9 Assists ,has 13 3-pointers attempted ,has 12 3-pointers made ,has 22 Field goals attempted ." "PlayerStat(G,'Tobias Harris') has 19 Assists ,has 11 3-pointers attempted ." "PlayerStat(G,'Andre Drummond') has 47 Assists ,has 18 3-pointers attempted ,has 18 3-pointers made ." "PlayerStat(G,'Kentavious Caldwell-Pope') has 8 Assists ,has 3 3-pointers attempted ,has 15 3-pointers made ,has 7 Field goals attempted ,has 9 Field goals made ,has 7 Free throws attempted ,has 24 Free throws made ." "PlayerStat(G,'Reggie Jackson') has 10 Assists ,has 17 3-pointers attempted ."]

The Los Angeles Lakers (4 - 13) defeated the Toronto Raptors (13 - 4) 129 - 122 in overtime on Sunday. Los Angeles broke their four - game losing streak with this win. Seven players finished in double digits for the Lakers. Kobe Bryant led the way with a triple - double of 31 points, 11 rebounds and 12 assists in 42 minutes. Nick Young put up 20 points in 31 minutes off the bench. The Lakers will embark on a three - game road trip that begins Tuesday against the Pistons. Toronto was playing their first game without DeMar DeRozan this season. DeRozan suffered a torn left aductor longus tendon in Friday's 106 - 102 loss to the Dallas Mavericks on Friday. Greivis Vasquez stepped into the starting shooting guard spot in DeRozan's absence and put up 19 points and five assists in 34 minutes. Kyle Lowry picked up some of the slack left behind by DeRozan, scoring a team - high 29 points in 41 minutes. They've dropped consecutive games for the first time this season, and it'll be interesting to see how they keep things together with DeRozan expected to be out at least four weeks. The Raptors will continue their road trip in Sacramento on Tuesday against the Kings.

["TeamStat(G,'Lakers') has 13 Losses ,has 129 Total points ,has 4 Wins ." "TeamStat(G,'Raptors') has 4 Losses ,has 122 Total points ,has 13 Wins ." "PlayerStat(G,'Greivis Vasquez') has 5 Assists ,has 34 Minutes played ,has 19 Points ." "PlayerStat(G,'Kyle Lowry') has 41 Assists ,has 29 Minutes played ." "PlayerStat(G,'Kobe Bryant') has 12 Assists ,has 42 Minutes played ,has 31 Points ,has 11 Total rebounds ." "PlayerStat(G,'Nick Young') has 31 Assists ,has 20 Minutes played ."]

The Miami Heat (16 - 10) defeated the Portland Trail Blazers (11 - 18) 116 - 109 on Sunday. The Trail Blazers' frontcourt defense has been an Achilles' heel all season long, and the Heat were able to exploit the glaring weakness on the way to a high - scoring victory on Sunday. Miami rode a pair of double - doubles from their two big men to victory, with Chris Bosh (29 points, six rebounds, four assists and two steals) and Hassan Whiteside (22 points, 11 rebounds, one assist, five blocks and two steals) both posting their best all - around performances in over a month. The home team also clamped down on defense in the second half, allowing only 47 points following intermission after surrendering 62 in the first half. The visitors were unsurprisingly led by Damian Lillard, who tallied 32 points, nine assists, two rebounds and a steal. Lillard's success rate from the field (56 percent) was his best since a 56 percent figure on Nov. 2 against the Timberwolves. Backcourt mate C.J. McCollum pitched in with 20 points, six assists and three rebounds, while Al-Farouq Aminu (16 points, four rebounds, two assists, three steals) and Miles Plumlee (11 points, seven rebounds, two assists) were the other two members of the starting five with notable contributions. Meyers Leonard and Allen Crabbe paced the Portland bench with a pair of eight - point efforts. The Trail Blazers fell to 11 - 18 and currently reside in last place in the Western Conference's Northwest Division. They head to Atlanta to face off against the Hawks on Monday. Dwyane Wade (18 points, seven assists, two rebounds, two steals) and Luol Deng (17 points, two rebounds and an assist) supported the outstanding efforts of Whiteside and Bosh. The point total for Deng largely consisted of the season - high five three - pointers that he drained on the afternoon. The Heat also received excellent production off the bench from Gerald Green, who poured in 17 points and helped make up for some of the offensive shortfall that resulted from the ejection of point guard Goran Dragic early in the fourth quarter for arguing calls with the referees. Miami improved to 16 - 10 and remains in first place in the Eastern Conference's Southeast Division. They face off against the Pistons at American Airlines Arena on Tuesday.

["TeamStat(G,'Heat') has 10 Losses ,has 116 Total points ,has 29 Points in 2nd quarter ,has 16 Wins ." "TeamStat(G,'Trail Blazers') has 18 Losses ,has 109 Total points ,has 11 Points in 2nd quarter ." "PlayerStat(G,'Al-Farouq Aminu') has 2 Assists ,has 16 Blocks ,has 4 3-pointers made ,has 3 Field goal percentage ,has 2 Free throws made ." "PlayerStat(G,'CJ McCollum') has 6 Assists ,has 20 Blocks ,has 3 3-pointers made ,has 2 Field goal percentage ." "PlayerStat(G,'Damian Lillard') has 9 Assists ,has 56 Blocks ,has 32 3-pointers made ,has 2 Field goal percentage ,has 1 Free throws made ." "PlayerStat(G,'Meyers Leonard') has 8 Assists ." "PlayerStat(G,'Allen Crabbe') has 8 Assists ." "PlayerStat(G,'Luol Deng') has 1 Assists ,has 5 Blocks ,has 17 3-pointers made ,has 2 Field goal percentage ." "PlayerStat(G,'Chris Bosh') has 4 Assists ,has 2 Blocks ,has 29 3-pointers made ,has 6 Field goal percentage ,has 2 Free throws made ." "PlayerStat(G,'Hassan Whiteside') has 1 Assists ,has 5 Blocks ,has 2 3-pointers made ,has 22 Field goal percentage ,has 11 Free throws made ,has 2 Personal fouls ,has 2 Points ." "PlayerStat(G,'Dwyane Wade') has 7 Assists ,has 18 Blocks ,has 2 3-pointers made ,has 2 Field goal percentage ." "PlayerStat(G,'Gerald Green') has 17 Assists ."]

Midway through March, Jae Crowder went through a tough stretch where he failed to score in double figures for five straight games. That's far behind him now, however, as following his performance in Monday's victory over the Wizards, Crowder has put together one of his better three - game stretches of the season. Against Washington, Crowder scored 16 points and grabbed nine rebounds in 38 minutes. Over his last three games, the swingman is now averaging 18 points and 9 rebounds per game. And while Crowder's scoring is a bonus for this team, his rebounding is what is most important for their success moving forward. In Boston's last 13 games, Crowder has grabbed at least nine rebounds seven times, and they are 6 - 1 in those contests. In the six games where he failed to reach nine, the Celtics are just 2 - 4.

["TeamStat(G,'Celtics') has 13 Turnovers ." "PlayerStat(G,'Jae Crowder') has 1 Assists ,has 1 Blocks ,has 5 Defensive rebounds ,has 3 3-pointers made ,has 5 Field goals made ,has 3 Free throws made ,has 38 Minutes played ,has 3 Offensive rebounds ,has 16 Points ,has 3 Steals ,has 1 Turnovers ."]

Three players went for 30 - plus points in the Golden State Warriors 125 - 117 win over the Portland Trail Blazers on Wednesday. C.J. McCollum looked like he was going to be the ninth player this season to go for 50 points in a game after he scored 26 points in the first half, to go along with six rebounds, three assists and two blocks, but a defensive switch that saw Klay Thompson guard McCollum in the second half slowed down the shooting guards momentum very quickly. McCollum went on to finish with 35 points, nine rebounds and five assists on 13 - of - 31 shooting in 38 minutes. Stephen Curry matched McCollum with 35 points of his own and buried five shots from behind the arc. Kevin Durant was third player to break the 30 - point plane when he scored exactly 30 points, which included the dagger and - 1 with a few minutes left in the fourth quarter.

["TeamStat(G,'Warriors') has 125 Total points ,has 30 Points in 3rd quarter ." "TeamStat(G,'Trail Blazers') has 117 Total points ." "PlayerStat(G,'CJ McCollum') has 5 Assists ,has 2 Blocks ,has 31 3-pointers made ,has 13 Field goals attempted ,has 5 Field goals made ,has 5 Free throws attempted ,has 38 Free throws made ,has 35 Minutes played ,has 9 Offensive rebounds ,has 5 Personal fouls ." "PlayerStat(G,'Kevin Durant') has 30 Assists ." "PlayerStat(G,'Klay Thompson') has 2 Assists ." "PlayerStat(G,'Stephen Curry') has 5 Assists ,has 5 Blocks ,has 1 3-pointers made ,has 1 Field goals attempted ,has 35 Field goals made ,has 1 Free throws attempted ,has 5 Free throws made ."]

The Utah Jazz (32 - 35) defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers (47 - 19) 94 - 85 at Vivint Smart Home Arena on Monday. Channing Frye and Trey Lyles were both ejected with four minutes remaining in the fourth quarter after Lyles appeared to elbow Frye below the belt. The frustration was beginning to overcome Cleveland, although the timing could not have been worse seeing as they just ripped off seven straight points to bring the Jazz lead within striking distance. Kyrie Irving shot his team out of many opportunities, but the poor shot selection was not entirely on the point guard, as the Cavs shot just under 40 percent as a unit. Irving finished with 15 points on 7 - of - 23 shooting, to go along with four rebounds and three assists. LeBron James rounded out the box score, and did provide a dunk of the year candidate after finishing a lob pass from J.R. Smith. James finished with 23 points, 12 rebounds and three assists on 10 - of - 20 shooting. The Jazz were unable to stop the Cavs from getting decent looks at the basket, but just the right amount of defense was in play to give them the edge late in the game. The Utah backcourt was out to impress against the Eastern Conference’s best team, as Rodney Hood and Shelvin Mack both provided some of their best games of the season. Mack almost completed a triple - double after scoring 17 points, to go along with seven rebounds and 10 assists on 7 - of - 14 shooting. Rodney Hood matched Mack’s efficient game with a game high 28 points including four buckets from behind the arc. Before his ejection, Trey Lyles added double figures off the bench. The win came without the Jazz’s best player in Gordon Hayward (foot), who is likely to miss out on a few more games with the nagging injury. The Cavs will host the Dallas Mavericks (34 - 33) on Wednesday, while the Jazz welcome the Phoenix Suns (17 - 49) on Thursday.

["TeamStat(G,'Jazz') has 35 Losses ,has 94 Total points ,has 32 Wins ." "TeamStat(G,'Cavaliers') has 19 Losses ,has 85 Total points ,has 47 Wins ." "PlayerStat(G,'LeBron James') has 3 Assists ,has 20 3-pointers made ,has 10 Field goals attempted ,has 23 Field goals made ,has 12 Points ." "PlayerStat(G,'Kyrie Irving') has 3 Assists ,has 23 3-pointers made ,has 7 Field goals attempted ,has 15 Field goals made ,has 4 Points ." "PlayerStat(G,'Rodney Hood') has 4 Assists ,has 28 3-pointers made ." "PlayerStat(G,'Shelvin Mack') has 10 Assists ,has 14 3-pointers made ,has 7 Field goals attempted ,has 17 Field goals made ,has 7 Points ."]

The Wizards put together a complete performance, shooting 54 and 40 percent from the field and three - point range, respectively, and also limiting Charlotte to 39 and 25 percent figures in those categories. John Wall and Markieff Morris combined for 47 points and 52 percent shooting. Wall's 24 points led the way, and Morris followed with 23. Bradley Beal registered 18 points, while Otto Porter, Jr. contributed a 14 - point, 13 - rebound double - double. Marcin Gortat registered a modest eight points and seven boards, and Kelly Oubre, Jr. (10 points) lead the bench. Kemba Walker's 21 points paced Charlotte. Marco Belinelli tallied a second unit - leading 18 points. Cody Zeller and Marvin Williams supplied matching 13 - point efforts. Michael Kidd-Gilchrist totaled eight points, while Nicolas Batum had a quiet game by his standards, posting four points, six assists and seven rebounds.

["TeamStat(G,'Hornets') has 25 Percentage of 3 points ,has 39 Percentage of field goals ." "TeamStat(G,'Wizards') has 40 Percentage of 3 points ,has 54 Percentage of field goals ." "PlayerStat(G,'Markieff Morris') has 23 Assists ." "PlayerStat(G,'Marcin Gortat') has 8 Assists ,has 7 Points ." "PlayerStat(G,'Bradley Beal') has 18 Assists ." "PlayerStat(G,'John Wall') has 24 Assists ." "PlayerStat(G,'Kelly Oubre Jr.') has 10 Assists ." "PlayerStat(G,'Michael Kidd-Gilchrist') has 8 Assists ,has 7 Points ." "PlayerStat(G,'Marvin Williams') has 13 Assists ." "PlayerStat(G,'Cody Zeller') has 13 Assists ." "PlayerStat(G,'Nicolas Batum') has 6 Assists ,has 4 Points ,has 7 Total rebounds ." "PlayerStat(G,'Kemba Walker') has 21 Assists ." "PlayerStat(G,'Marco Belinelli') has 18 Assists ."]

The Cleveland Cavaliers (26 - 20) defeated the Detroit Pistons (17 - 29) 103 - 95 on Tuesday at the Palace of Auburn Hills. Despite securing the victory, the Cavliers were out - shot in this matchup. The Pistons went 42 percent from the field and 33 percent from the three - point line, while the Cavaliers went 42 percent from the field and just 27 percent from beyond the arc. The Cavaliers were also out - rebounded 51 - 47 by the Pistons. Where the Cavaliers gained the advantage though was in turnovers, as they forced the Pistons into 18 turnovers, while committing only nine of their own. It was just enough of an advantage, that it may have been the difference that pushed them to a win. Kyrie Irving and LeBron James were unstoppable Tuesday, combining for 70 of the Cavaliers' 103 total points. Irving led the team with 38 points (13 - 23 FG, 6 - 10 3Pt, 6 - 6 FT), while also adding six assists and three steals. He's now combined for 59 points over his last two games, as he's been a big part in the Cavaliers' seven - game win streak. James on the other hand finished with 32 points (11 - 24 FG, 0 - 4 3Pt, 10 - 11 FT), six rebounds and seven assists. He's been on an absolute tear lately, averaging 30 points during their last seven wins. While James and Irving had huge outings, the third member of the big three, Kevin Love, did n't have his best game. He struggled with his shot, scoring only seven points (3 - 11 FG, 1 - 8 3Pt), but did at least add eight rebounds as well. Starting at point guard, D.J. Augustin was the a big reason the Pistons were able to keep this game close. Augustin nearly double - doubled, finishing with 19 points (8 - 15 FG, 3 - 6 3Pt), nine assists and two steals. In the two games since Brandon Jennings went down with a season - ending injury, Augustin has combined for 54 points and 17 assists. Both Greg Monroe and Andre Drummond had strong showings as well, with each notching a double - double of their own. Monroe had 17 points (7 - 15 FG, 3 - 3 FT) and 12 rebounds, while Drummond had 12 points (6 - 17 FG, 0 - 4 FT), 17 rebounds and six blocked shots. The six blocks were a new season - high for Drummond, as he dominated the paint Tuesday. Coming off the bench, Anthony Tolliver shot really well, scoring 16 points (4 - 5 FG, 3 - 4 3Pt, 5 - 5 FT) in 29 minutes. He's now reached double figures in scoring during two out of his last three games, despite averaging only 5 points per game this season. The Cavaliers' next game will be at home against the Portland Trail Blazers on Wednesday, while the Pistons will travel to Philadelphia to play the 76ers on Wednesday.

["TeamStat(G,'Pistons') has 33 Percentage of 3 points ,has 42 Percentage of field goals ,has 29 Losses ,has 95 Total points ,has 51 Rebounds ,has 18 Turnovers ,has 17 Wins ." "TeamStat(G,'Cavaliers') has 27 Percentage of 3 points ,has 42 Percentage of field goals ,has 20 Losses ,has 103 Total points ,has 47 Rebounds ,has 9 Turnovers ,has 26 Wins ." "PlayerStat(G,'LeBron James') has 7 Assists ,has 4 Blocks ,has 0 Defensive rebounds ,has 24 3-pointers attempted ,has 11 3-pointers made ,has 11 Field goals attempted ,has 10 Field goals made ,has 3 Free throws attempted ,has 32 Free throws made ,has 6 Personal fouls ." "PlayerStat(G,'Kevin Love') has 8 Assists ,has 1 Blocks ,has 11 Defensive rebounds ,has 3 3-pointers attempted ,has 7 3-pointers made ,has 8 Field goals attempted ." "PlayerStat(G,'Kyrie Irving') has 6 Assists ,has 2 Blocks ,has 10 Defensive rebounds ,has 6 3-pointers attempted ,has 23 3-pointers made ,has 13 Field goals attempted ,has 6 Field goals made ,has 6 Free throws attempted ,has 2 Free throws made ,has 38 Personal fouls ,has 3 Points ,has 3 Total rebounds ,has 3 Steals ." "PlayerStat(G,'Greg Monroe') has 15 Assists ,has 7 Blocks ,has 3 Defensive rebounds ,has 3 3-pointers attempted ,has 17 3-pointers made ,has 12 Field goals attempted ." "PlayerStat(G,'Andre Drummond') has 6 Assists ,has 17 Blocks ,has 6 Defensive rebounds ,has 4 3-pointers attempted ,has 0 3-pointers made ,has 12 Field goals attempted ,has 17 Field goals made ." "PlayerStat(G,'D.J. Augustin') has 9 Assists ,has 6 Blocks ,has 3 Defensive rebounds ,has 15 3-pointers attempted ,has 8 3-pointers made ,has 19 Field goals attempted ,has 2 Field goals made ." "PlayerStat(G,'Anthony Tolliver') has 2 Assists ,has 3 Blocks ,has 4 Defensive rebounds ,has 3 3-pointers attempted ,has 5 3-pointers made ,has 4 Field goals attempted ,has 5 Field goals made ,has 5 Free throws attempted ,has 16 Free throws made ,has 3 Personal fouls ."]

The Atlanta Hawks (10 - 6) defeated the Boston Celtics (4 - 11) 109 - 105 Tuesday at Philips Arena in Atlanta. The Celtics had a big first half, out - scoring the Hawks 66 - 50, but were unable to keep their momentum going into the third quarter, and allowed the Hawks to come all the way back and take the victory. Despite being out - rebounded 42 - 31, the Hawks were still able to force the Celtics into 23 turnovers, giving them enough of an advantage to grab a four - point victory. Kyle Korver was almost impossible to stop in this one. He shot a ridiculous 8 - for - 9 from the floor and 6 - for - 7 from beyond the arc to finish with a team - high of 24 points. Considering he's averaging 13 points on the year, it was a nice surprise for the Hawks to get some extra offensive production out of Korver. Paul Millsap played a big role in the win as well, as he recorded 19 points, six rebounds and seven assists. The seven assists were a season - high for Millsap, as he came into this game averaging just 3. Al Horford was the other starter for the Hawks to reach double - digit points. He finished with 16 points and six rebounds. Horford's scoring average is way down from the last two seasons, but this game offered a step in the right direction, and will hopefully give him some confidence for the future. Despite the loss, Jeff Green had a solid offensive outing. He shot 10 - for - 16 from the field and 1 - for - 3 from the three - point line to score 25 points in 35 minutes. Green has really struggled from the three - point line in the past two weeks, but has still been able to keep his season scoring average at 18 points per game. Jared Sullinger had an efficient game. He scored 22 points (9 - 16 FG, 4 - 7 3Pt) and grabbed nine rebounds in 29 minutes. After struggling against the Spurs on Sunday, it was a nice confidence builder for Sullinger. Rajon Rondo struggled with his shot all night and finished with only two points. He did all of the other things right though and contributed a ridiculous 19 assists and 12 rebounds. The 19 assists and 12 rebounds were both season - highs for Rondo. The Celtics' next game will at home against the Detroit Pistons on Wednesday, while the Hawks will travel to Miami to play the Heat on Wednesday.

["TeamStat(G,'Hawks') has 6 Losses ,has 109 Total points ,has 31 Rebounds ,has 10 Wins ." "TeamStat(G,'Celtics') has 11 Losses ,has 105 Total points ,has 42 Rebounds ,has 4 Wins ." "PlayerStat(G,'Jeff Green') has 3 Assists ,has 1 Blocks ,has 16 3-pointers attempted ,has 10 3-pointers made ,has 25 Field goals attempted ,has 2 Field goals made ." "PlayerStat(G,'Jared Sullinger') has 7 Assists ,has 4 Blocks ,has 16 3-pointers attempted ,has 9 3-pointers made ,has 22 Field goals attempted ,has 9 Field goals made ." "PlayerStat(G,'Rajon Rondo') has 19 Assists ,has 2 Blocks ,has 12 3-pointers attempted ." "PlayerStat(G,'Paul Millsap') has 7 Assists ,has 3 Blocks ,has 19 3-pointers attempted ,has 6 3-pointers made ,has 3 Field goals attempted ." "PlayerStat(G,'Al Horford') has 2 Assists ,has 16 Blocks ,has 6 3-pointers attempted ." "PlayerStat(G,'Kyle Korver') has 1 Assists ,has 7 Blocks ,has 6 3-pointers attempted ,has 9 3-pointers made ,has 8 Field goals attempted ,has 1 Field goals made ,has 24 Offensive rebounds ,has 6 Points ,has 1 Total rebounds ."]

Eric Bledsoe poured in a career - high 41 points, on 12 - of - 27 shooting, to go along with eight assists, six rebounds and two steals, in 45 minutes. Devin Booker followed up with 23 points on 8 - of - 16 shooting, while Tyson Chandler was solid with 15 points and 13 rebounds, in 40 minutes of action. P.J. Tucker chipped in 12 points off the bench for Phoenix. The Nuggets were able to rack up a ridiculous 42 free throw attempts and took advantage by hitting 37 of them, in comparison to the Suns, who went 24 - of - 32 from the foul line. Danilo Gallinari led the way with 32 points for Denver, while Kenneth Faried followed up with 21 points and 13 rebounds. Jameer Nelson was solid at the point, with 17 points and six assists, while Jamal Murray chipped in 18 points, on 7 - of - 10 shooting, in 23 minutes off the bench.

["TeamStat(G,'Nuggets') has 21 Points in 1st quarter ." "PlayerStat(G,'Danilo Gallinari') has 32 Assists ." "PlayerStat(G,'Kenneth Faried') has 21 Assists ." "PlayerStat(G,'Jameer Nelson') has 6 Assists ,has 17 Field goals attempted ." "PlayerStat(G,'Jamal Murray') has 10 Assists ,has 7 Field goals attempted ,has 23 Field goals made ,has 18 Minutes played ." "PlayerStat(G,'Tyson Chandler') has 40 Assists ,has 15 Field goals attempted ." "PlayerStat(G,'Devin Booker') has 16 Assists ,has 8 Field goals attempted ,has 23 Field goals made ." "PlayerStat(G,'Eric Bledsoe') has 27 Assists ,has 12 Field goals attempted ,has 45 Field goals made ,has 41 Minutes played ,has 6 Points ,has 2 Total rebounds ." "PlayerStat(G,'PJ Tucker') has 12 Assists ."]

The Spurs shot 52 percent from the field and 48 percent from three - point range, while also eliciting 18 turnovers from their over - matched hosts. Kawhi Leonard's 25 points led the Spurs. LaMarcus Aldridge followed with a near double - double of 16 points and nine rebounds, while Pau Gasol came off the bench to tally 15 points. Dewayne Dedmon supplied 11 points and nine boards. Tony Parker supplied eight points and nine assists. Patty Mills and Kyle Anderson led the second unit with matching nine - point efforts. Brandon Ingram's career - high 22 points paced the Lakers. Jordan Clarkson generated a bench - leading 19 points. D'Angelo Russell was right behind him with 18 points, and Julius Randle totaled just six points but also hauled in 12 rebounds. Thomas Robinson turned in strong work off the bench with nine points and eight rebounds.

["TeamStat(G,'Spurs') has 48 Percentage of 3 points ,has 52 Percentage of field goals ,has 25 Points in 2nd quarter ." "PlayerStat(G,'Kawhi Leonard') has 25 Assists ." "PlayerStat(G,'LaMarcus Aldridge') has 16 Assists ,has 9 Points ." "PlayerStat(G,'Dewayne Dedmon') has 11 Assists ,has 9 Points ." "PlayerStat(G,'Tony Parker') has 9 Assists ,has 8 Points ." "PlayerStat(G,'Patty Mills') has 9 Assists ." "PlayerStat(G,'Pau Gasol') has 15 Assists ." "PlayerStat(G,'Kyle Anderson') has 9 Assists ." "PlayerStat(G,'Brandon Ingram') has 22 Assists ." "PlayerStat(G,'Julius Randle') has 6 Assists ,has 12 Points ." "PlayerStat(G,'D'Angelo Russell') has 18 Assists ." "PlayerStat(G,'Jordan Clarkson') has 19 Assists ." "PlayerStat(G,'Thomas Robinson') has 9 Assists ,has 8 Points ."]

Led by Kentavious Caldwell-Pope's 25 points on 10 - of - 17 shooting, the Pistons posted a 55 percent success rate from the floor and 45 percent mark from three - point range. Three other members of the first unit also scored at least 20 points, including Tobias Harris who posted his third straight 20 - plus - point performance with 21 points overall. Andre Drummond and Marcus Morris turned in respective 20 - point efforts, with the former also hauling in 17 rebounds. Meanwhile, Ish Smith filled out the stat sheet with 19 points, eight rebounds and eight assists. Jon Leuer's 12 - point effort led the bench. Isaiah Thomas' 27 points paced the Celtics and Jae Crowder and Avery Bradley had a pair of 14 - point contributions. However, Amir Johnson and Al Horford combined for just 20 points. Kelly Olynyk led the second unit with 19 points.

["TeamStat(G,'Pistons') has 45 Percentage of 3 points ,has 55 Percentage of field goals ." "PlayerStat(G,'Tobias Harris') has 20 Assists ,has 21 Field goals attempted ." "PlayerStat(G,'Marcus Morris') has 20 Assists ." "PlayerStat(G,'Andre Drummond') has 20 Assists ,has 17 Field goals attempted ." "PlayerStat(G,'Kentavious Caldwell-Pope') has 17 Assists ,has 10 Field goals attempted ,has 25 Field goals made ." "PlayerStat(G,'Ish Smith') has 8 Assists ,has 19 Field goals attempted ,has 8 Field goals made ." "PlayerStat(G,'Jon Leuer') has 12 Assists ." "PlayerStat(G,'Jae Crowder') has 14 Assists ." "PlayerStat(G,'Avery Bradley') has 14 Assists ." "PlayerStat(G,'Isaiah Thomas') has 27 Assists ." "PlayerStat(G,'Kelly Olynyk') has 19 Assists ."]

The Knicks (5 - 20) snapped a 10 - game losing streak, knocking off the Celtics (7 - 14) Friday in Boston. Carmelo Anthony led New York with 22 points on 9 - of - 20 shooting to go with five rebounds and three assists. Amar’e Stoudemire added 20 points and seven rebounds, and Tim Hardaway, Jr. had 16 points off the bench. Jason Smith added 12 points and five rebounds. The Knicks were without J.R. Smith, who sat out due to a heel injury. The Celtics, who shot 44 percent from the floor, got 28 points from Jeff Green (4 - 8 3Pt). Tyler Zeller added 19, and Evan Turner had 13 points and five turnovers. Rajon Rondo turned in a vintage Rondo line, finishing with two points, 10 assists and seven rebounds. Marcus Thornton chipped in 13 points off the bench, and Kelly Olynyk had 11 in 21 minutes. Up next, New York returns home to host the East-leading Raptors on Sunday. The Celtics are off until Monday, when they travel to Philadelphia to take on the Sixers.

["TeamStat(G,'Celtics') has 44 Percentage of field goals ,has 14 Losses ,has 7 Wins ." "TeamStat(G,'Knicks') has 20 Percentage of field goals ,has 5 Losses ." "PlayerStat(G,'Carmelo Anthony') has 3 Assists ,has 20 3-pointers attempted ,has 9 3-pointers made ,has 22 Field goals attempted ,has 5 Field goals made ." "PlayerStat(G,'Amar'e Stoudemire') has 20 Assists ,has 7 3-pointers attempted ." "PlayerStat(G,'Tim Hardaway Jr.') has 16 Assists ." "PlayerStat(G,'Jason Smith') has 12 Assists ,has 5 3-pointers attempted ." "PlayerStat(G,'Jeff Green') has 8 Assists ,has 4 3-pointers attempted ,has 28 3-pointers made ." "PlayerStat(G,'Tyler Zeller') has 19 Assists ." "PlayerStat(G,'Evan Turner') has 13 Assists ,has 5 3-pointers attempted ." "PlayerStat(G,'Rajon Rondo') has 10 Assists ,has 2 3-pointers attempted ,has 7 3-pointers made ." "PlayerStat(G,'Kelly Olynyk') has 21 Assists ,has 11 3-pointers attempted ." "PlayerStat(G,'Marcus Thornton') has 13 Assists ."]

Klay Thompson has become an x - factor for this Warriors team, as while his up - and - down start to the regular season has n't really had a huge impact on the team's overall performance, when he's hitting his shots, the team is nearly unbeatable. As of late, Thompson's shot has really come together, as he has now, after Monday's 25 - point performance, led the team in scoring in two of their last three games. They've also won those games by a combined 53 points. The Pacers, on the other hand, are going in a much different direction, as they are now 7 - 8 on the season. It's been due in large part to their lack of bench production, as they currently rank in the bottom 10 of the NBA. The return of Rodney Stuckey, however, may be able to turn that around. The 24 minutes he played Monday night was his highest of the season and it went along with a season - high 21 points. If Stuckey can stay healthy, the Pacers may have a legitimate sixth man that can lead to successful bench production.

["TeamStat(G,'Pacers') has 8 Losses ,has 7 Wins ." "TeamStat(G,'Warriors') has 2 Losses ." "PlayerStat(G,'Klay Thompson') has 2 Free throws attempted ,has 3 Minutes played ,has 25 Personal fouls ,has 2 Points ,has 2 Steals ." "PlayerStat(G,'Rodney Stuckey') has 24 Free throws attempted ,has 21 Minutes played ."]

Wire-to-wire wins are quite the accomplishment in the NBA and it feels even better against a division rival. Indiana did just that, as this game was out of hand early. All five starters played well for the Pacers, as they all had at least one assist and one steal en route to a double - digit plus - minus margin. Myles Turner continues to shine, as he tallied 16 points, four rebounds, two steals and four blocks in the win, Monta Ellis scored just two points, but provided seven rebounds and eight assists in an efficient night. Paul George was ejected for kicking the ball into the stands and he may face a suspension considering it hit a fan in the face after he scored 13 points in 28 minutes. Dwyane Wade has been surprising spectators with his ability to shoot from long distance this season, but his 1 - of - 9 performance here is one to forget. He actually recorded just one rebound and no assists aside from that, as he looked tired in the second half of a back - to - back set. Indiana still dominated this game, despite scoring just two fastbreak points.

["PlayerStat(G,'Dwyane Wade') has 1 Assists ,has 9 Blocks ,has 1 Defensive rebounds ,has 1 3-pointers attempted ,has 1 Field goals attempted ." "PlayerStat(G,'Paul George') has 13 Assists ,has 1 Blocks ." "PlayerStat(G,'Myles Turner') has 1 Assists ,has 4 Blocks ,has 1 Defensive rebounds ,has 28 3-pointers attempted ,has 1 Field goals attempted ,has 16 Field goals made ,has 2 Minutes played ,has 1 Offensive rebounds ." "PlayerStat(G,'Monta Ellis') has 8 Assists ,has 1 Blocks ,has 1 Defensive rebounds ,has 1 3-pointers attempted ,has 2 Field goals attempted ,has 7 Field goals made ,has 2 Minutes played ,has 1 Offensive rebounds ."]

The Los Angeles Lakers (7 - 16) defeated the San Antonio Spurs (16 - 7) 112 - 110 in overtime on Friday. Los Angeles has won two straight games and four of their last seven. Nick Young paced all scorers with a season - high 29 points off the bench. Kobe Bryant followed close behind with 22 points and also dealt out nine assists. The recently benched Jeremy Lin and Carlos Boozer had productive games off the bench as they work to earn their starting spots back or at least assure themselves lots of minutes off the bench. Lin had 14 points and eight assists in 30 minutes, and Boozer finished with a double - double of 14 points and 13 rebounds in 31 minutes. The Lakers will have a chance to extend their win streak on the road against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Sunday. San Antonio has dropped two of their last three games. Kawhi Leonard's (hand) absence meant a drop - off in defense for the Spurs on Friday, but they also welcomed back Tony Parker (hamstring), Tim Duncan (rest) and Manu Ginobili (rest) to the active roster. The Spurs coughed up an uncharacteristic 19 turnovers in the game, giving up 25 easy points off the loss of possessions. Tiago Splitter (calf) played in a second straight game, earning a season - high 15 minutes of run off the bench. Duncan kept the Spurs alive with a huge double - double of 19 points and 18 rebounds in 40 minutes, but it was n't enough to get them the win. San Antonio will go on the road to play the Denver Nuggets on Saturday.

["TeamStat(G,'Spurs') has 7 Losses ,has 110 Total points ,has 25 Points in 1st quarter ,has 25 Points in 2nd quarter ,has 25 Points in 3rd quarter ,has 19 Turnovers ,has 16 Wins ." "TeamStat(G,'Lakers') has 16 Losses ,has 112 Total points ,has 7 Points in 1st quarter ." "PlayerStat(G,'Kobe Bryant') has 9 Assists ,has 22 Minutes played ." "PlayerStat(G,'Jeremy Lin') has 8 Assists ,has 30 Minutes played ,has 14 Points ." "PlayerStat(G,'Carlos Boozer') has 31 Assists ,has 14 Minutes played ,has 13 Points ." "PlayerStat(G,'Nick Young') has 29 Assists ." "PlayerStat(G,'Tim Duncan') has 40 Assists ,has 19 Minutes played ,has 18 Points ." "PlayerStat(G,'Tiago Splitter') has 15 Assists ."]

The Oklahoma City Thunder (4 - 3) defeated the Phoenix Suns (3 - 4) 124 - 103 on Sunday. The Thunder were letting the Suns hang around in the first half, but pulled away after that, out - scoring the Suns 64 - 49 in the second half. This was a domination in every fashion for the Thunder, as they recorded more assists, rebounds, steals and blocks than the Suns in the victory. The Suns bit themselves in the foot as well, committing 23 turnovers in the defeat. The Thunder did what they do best as they led by double - doubles from superstars Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook on Sunday. Durant tallied 32 points and 11 rebounds, while Westbrook totaled 21 points and 13 assists. They also combined for seven steals and it's clear that this is the best tandem in the NBA at this point. Oklahoma City also got some nice production off the bench, as Enes Kanter and Dion Waiters both scored 19 points in the victory. The 4 - 3 record doesn’t look too great, but it sounds much better when you look deeper and see that the losses came to the Toronto Raptors, Chicago Bulls and Houston Rockets, who are all top - notch contenders this season. The Thunder play the Washington Wizards on Tuesday in their next game in a homecoming for Durant. The Suns got a brilliant performance from Eric Bledsoe on Sunday, but got very little aside from that. Bledsoe tallied 28 points and 11 assists in the loss and he is looking like one of the best guards in the NBA at this point. One positive that the Suns can take out of the loss is a 17 - point performance from T. J. Warren from off the bench, as he continues to develop as a great sixth man. With the recent struggles of starter P.J. Tucker, Phoenix very well may opt to switch to Warren in an effort to boost the offense. The Suns have a few days off until they host the Los Angeles Clippers on Thursday in their next matchup.

["TeamStat(G,'Thunder') has 3 Losses ,has 124 Total points ,has 4 Turnovers ." "TeamStat(G,'Suns') has 4 Losses ,has 103 Total points ,has 23 Turnovers ,has 3 Wins ." "PlayerStat(G,'Eric Bledsoe') has 11 Assists ,has 1 Defensive rebounds ,has 1 Offensive rebounds ,has 28 Points ." "PlayerStat(G,'TJ Warren') has 17 Assists ." "PlayerStat(G,'Kevin Durant') has 32 Assists ,has 11 Defensive rebounds ." "PlayerStat(G,'Russell Westbrook') has 13 Assists ,has 21 Defensive rebounds ." "PlayerStat(G,'Dion Waiters') has 19 Assists ."]

The host Boston Celtics hung on to beat the Miami Heat on Sunday, 112 - 108. Boston (48 - 26) is now in a tie with the Cavaliers for the first seed in the Eastern Conference. Sunday's game marked a huge win for the Celtics, as the team not only earned its fourth straight victory, but moved into first place for the first time all season. Strong ball movement and shooting helped propel the Celtics to victory, as Miami was characteristically tenacious on the glass. The Cs shot over 53 percent from the field and dished out 32 team assists. Two Boston starters, star point guard Isaiah Thomas and forward Jae Crowder, led the team's offensive charge. Thomas, the league's second - leading scorer, dropped 30 points on the night. Crowder, meanwhile, had a season - high 25 points including three huge three - pointers. Crowder was also immensely impactful on the defensive end, coming away with two blocks and two steals. Miami (35 - 38), meanwhile, has been surging lately, pushing their way to the playoff picture after a dismal 13 - 30 start to the season. On Sunday, the Heat showed the intensity that led them to their playoff push, out - rebounding the Celtics by seven and coming away with 16 forced turnovers. Center Hassan Whiteside was at the heart of the win, scoring 19 points to go along with 15 rebounds. The Heat also enjoyed bench production in droves, with sixth man Tyler Johnson coming away with a team - high 24 points off the bench. Boston will host the Bucks on Wednesday, while the Heat will visit Detroit on Tuesday.

["TeamStat(G,'Celtics') has 26 Losses ,has 112 Total points ,has 16 Turnovers ,has 48 Wins ." "TeamStat(G,'Heat') has 38 Losses ,has 108 Total points ,has 35 Turnovers ." "PlayerStat(G,'Hassan Whiteside') has 19 Blocks ,has 15 3-pointers made ." "PlayerStat(G,'Tyler Johnson') has 24 Blocks ." "PlayerStat(G,'Jae Crowder') has 2 Blocks ,has 3 3-pointers made ,has 25 Points ,has 2 Total rebounds ,has 3 Steals ." "PlayerStat(G,'Isaiah Thomas') has 30 Blocks ."]

The Toronto Raptors (20 - 6) knocked off the Brooklyn Nets (10 - 14) 105 - 89 on Wednesday. The Nets were once again without Brook Lopez (back), giving Mason Plumlee another start at center. Lopez is expected to be out until at least Sunday. Kevin Garnett was also held out to rest his foot injury on the second night of a back - to - back, which sent Mirza Teletovic into the starting lineup. Both Plumlee and Teletovic got plenty of work, and both produced nicely. Plumlee played 37 minutes, scoring 23 points (9 - 13 FG, 0 - 1 3Pt, 5 - 11 FT) to go with eight rebounds, two assists and two blocks, while Teletovic scored 14 points (5 - 10 FG, 4 - 8 3Pt) to go with three rebounds and two assists in 21 minutes. Joe Johnson had a solid night as well, scoring 17 points (8 - 17 FG, 1 - 4 3Pt, 0 - 3 FT) to go with eight rebounds, three assists and one steal in 38 minutes. The Raptors rallied in the fourth, outscoring the Nets 29 - 16 to run away with the game. They were led by a big night from Kyle Lowry, who had 20 points (7 - 13 FG, 2 - 3 3Pt, 4 - 4 FT) to go with 12 assists, three rebounds and two steals in 32 minutes. Jonas Valanciunas also posted a double - double, posting 16 points (6 - 7 FG, 4 - 4 FT) and 10 rebounds in 28 minutes. It was a well - rounded effort for the Raptors, as six players scored in double figures, with three of those players coming off the bench (Patrick Patterson, Greivis Vasquez and Louis Williams). The win streak is now up to four in a row for Toronto, and they'll look to keep it going against the Detroit Pistons on Friday night.

["TeamStat(G,'Raptors') has 6 Losses ,has 105 Total points ,has 29 Points in 4th quarter ,has 20 Wins ." "TeamStat(G,'Nets') has 14 Losses ,has 89 Total points ,has 16 Points in 4th quarter ,has 10 Wins ." "PlayerStat(G,'Joe Johnson') has 3 Assists ,has 4 Blocks ,has 1 Defensive rebounds ,has 17 3-pointers attempted ,has 8 3-pointers made ,has 3 Field goals attempted ,has 0 Field goals made ,has 38 Free throws attempted ,has 17 Free throws made ,has 8 Minutes played ,has 1 Offensive rebounds ." "PlayerStat(G,'Mirza Teletovic') has 2 Assists ,has 8 Blocks ,has 4 Defensive rebounds ,has 10 3-pointers attempted ,has 5 3-pointers made ,has 21 Field goals attempted ,has 14 Field goals made ,has 3 Free throws attempted ." "PlayerStat(G,'Mason Plumlee') has 2 Assists ,has 2 Blocks ,has 1 Defensive rebounds ,has 0 3-pointers attempted ,has 13 3-pointers made ,has 9 Field goals attempted ,has 11 Field goals made ,has 5 Free throws attempted ,has 37 Free throws made ,has 23 Minutes played ,has 8 Offensive rebounds ." "PlayerStat(G,'Deron Williams') has 3 Assists ,has 3 Blocks ,has 3 Defensive rebounds ." "PlayerStat(G,'Jonas Valanciunas') has 7 Assists ,has 6 Blocks ,has 4 Defensive rebounds ,has 4 3-pointers attempted ,has 28 3-pointers made ,has 16 Field goals attempted ,has 10 Field goals made ." "PlayerStat(G,'Kyle Lowry') has 12 Assists ,has 3 Blocks ,has 2 Defensive rebounds ,has 13 3-pointers attempted ,has 7 3-pointers made ,has 4 Field goals attempted ,has 4 Field goals made ,has 32 Free throws attempted ,has 20 Free throws made ,has 3 Minutes played ,has 2 Offensive rebounds ." "PlayerStat(G,'Patrick Patterson') has 3 Assists ,has 3 Blocks ." "PlayerStat(G,'Greivis Vasquez') has 3 Assists ,has 3 Blocks ,has 3 Defensive rebounds ,has 6 3-pointers attempted ,has 3 3-pointers made ."]

The Golden State Warriors (11 - 2) defeated the Miami Heat (8 - 7) 114 - 97 on Tuesday at American Airlines Arena in Miami. With the score at 91 - 86 in favor of the Warriors going into the fourth quarter, it looked like a close finish was destined to be on its way. Instead, the Warriors were able to out - score the Heat 23 - 11 in the fourth quarter, giving them their sixth victory in a row. They were also able to shoot 57 percent from the field in this game, while the Heat struggled and shot only 39 percent from the floor. Steph Curry and Klay Thompson were a big reason the Warriors shot so well Tuesday. Curry went 12 - for - 19 from the field and 8 - for - 11 from the three - point line in a dominating performance. He finished with a season - high 40 points, while also recording seven assists and six rebounds. Klay Thompson on the other hand shot 10 - for - 19 from the field and 3 - for - 7 from beyond the arc to score 24 points. The duo has now pushed Golden State into the second spot in the Western Conference standings. The other two players to reach double figures in points for the Warriors were Harrison Barnes and Draymond Green, who scored 12 and 11 points apiece. The bench really was n't a factor, as only one bench player recorded over 15 minutes. With Dwyane Wade still sidelined with a hamstring injury, Chris Bosh continued to take it on himself to do the scoring for this Heat team. Bosh shot 10 - for - 19 from the field and 2 - for - 3 from beyond the arc to score 26 points, while also recording nine rebounds. Bosh has now scored 20 points or more in the past four games and is averaging 21 points on the year. Luol Deng also shot well, going 6 - for - 11 from the field and 2 - for - 3 from the three - point line, scoring 16 points in 31 minutes. Mario Chalmers was n't as successful with his shot, but still scored 14 points (4 - 17 FG, 2 - 6 3Pt, 4 - 5 FT) as a starter. The Heat just could n't find an answer for the Warriors dominant backcourt. The Warriors' next game will be on the road against the Orlando Magic on Wednesday, while the Heat will travel to New York to play the Knicks on Sunday.

["TeamStat(G,'Heat') has 39 Percentage of field goals ,has 7 Losses ,has 97 Total points ,has 11 Points in 4th quarter ,has 8 Wins ." "TeamStat(G,'Warriors') has 57 Percentage of field goals ,has 2 Losses ,has 114 Total points ,has 23 Points in 4th quarter ,has 11 Wins ." "PlayerStat(G,'Harrison Barnes') has 2 Assists ,has 2 Blocks ,has 2 3-pointers attempted ,has 2 3-pointers made ,has 12 Field goals attempted ." "PlayerStat(G,'Draymond Green') has 2 Assists ,has 11 Blocks ,has 2 3-pointers attempted ." "PlayerStat(G,'Klay Thompson') has 7 Assists ,has 3 Blocks ,has 19 3-pointers attempted ,has 10 3-pointers made ,has 24 Field goals attempted ." "PlayerStat(G,'Stephen Curry') has 7 Assists ,has 11 Blocks ,has 8 3-pointers attempted ,has 19 3-pointers made ,has 12 Field goals attempted ,has 40 Field goals made ,has 6 Free throws attempted ." "PlayerStat(G,'Luol Deng') has 3 Assists ,has 2 Blocks ,has 11 3-pointers attempted ,has 6 3-pointers made ,has 3 Field goals attempted ,has 2 Field goals made ,has 16 Free throws attempted ." "PlayerStat(G,'Chris Bosh') has 3 Assists ,has 2 Blocks ,has 19 3-pointers attempted ,has 10 3-pointers made ,has 4 Field goals attempted ,has 26 Field goals made ,has 9 Free throws attempted ." "PlayerStat(G,'Mario Chalmers') has 6 Assists ,has 2 Blocks ,has 17 3-pointers attempted ,has 4 3-pointers made ,has 5 Field goals attempted ,has 4 Field goals made ,has 14 Free throws attempted ."]

The Oklahoma City Thunder (30) won their third game in a row to start the season, defeating the Denver Nuggets (1 - 2) by a score of 117 - 93. This game was all but over after the third quarter, during which the Thunder outscored the Nuggets 37 - 20 and pushed their lead to 25 heading into the fourth. The difference in this game was the Thunder shooting a great 52 percent from the field, including 52 percent from three. The Thunder had seven players score in double digits, and dished out an impressive 32 assists on 45 made field goals. Kevin Durant led his team in scoring with 25 points on 8 - for - 11 shooting, including a 3 - for - 5 mark from deep. Russell Westbrook flirted with a triple - double with 15 points, eight assists and nine rebounds, and Serge Ibaka imposed his will on the game with five blocks, not to mention 18 points, seven rebounds and four assists. Also worth noting was the performance of Enes Kanter, who tallied a double - double in only 17 minutes off the bench with 12 points and 10 rebounds. The Nuggets could n't take advantage of their opportunities and shot 38 percent from the field. Denver had seven players play over 20 minutes, but no one scored over 20 points. Will Barton had a solid game in 24 minutes off the bench, scoring 15 points on 6 - for - 12 shooting. Danilo Gallinari also scored 15 points, but on poor 3 - for - 13 shooting. He did go 7 - of - 8 from the foul line though. Jameer Nelson also had a solid game off the bench with 13 points and seven assists. The Nuggets were missing Wilson Chandler due to a hip injury and lacked production from “The Manimal” Kenneth Faried, so maybe on another night, this would have been a closer game. Next up for the Nuggets is a match with the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday. The Thunder will be visiting Houston to face James Harden and the Rockets in their next game.

["TeamStat(G,'Thunder') has 32 Number of team assists ,has 52 Percentage of 3 points ,has 52 Percentage of field goals ,has 117 Losses ,has 37 Total points ,has 3 Points in 3rd quarter ." "TeamStat(G,'Nuggets') has 38 Number of team assists ,has 2 Percentage of 3 points ,has 93 Percentage of field goals ,has 20 Losses ,has 1 Total points ." "PlayerStat(G,'Danilo Gallinari') has 13 Assists ,has 3 Blocks ,has 8 3-pointers attempted ,has 7 3-pointers made ,has 15 Field goals attempted ." "PlayerStat(G,'Jameer Nelson') has 7 Assists ,has 13 Blocks ." "PlayerStat(G,'Will Barton') has 12 Assists ,has 6 Blocks ,has 24 3-pointers attempted ,has 15 3-pointers made ." "PlayerStat(G,'Kevin Durant') has 5 Assists ,has 3 Blocks ,has 11 3-pointers attempted ,has 8 3-pointers made ,has 25 Field goals attempted ." "PlayerStat(G,'Serge Ibaka') has 4 Assists ,has 5 Blocks ,has 18 3-pointers attempted ,has 7 3-pointers made ." "PlayerStat(G,'Russell Westbrook') has 8 Assists ,has 15 Blocks ,has 9 3-pointers attempted ." "PlayerStat(G,'Enes Kanter') has 12 Assists ,has 10 Blocks ."]

The Houston Rockets (30 - 31) defeated the New Orleans Pelicans (23 - 36) 100 - 95 on Wednesday. Most would have anticipated a much higher - scoring game, but the shooting was dreadful between both teams. Houston actually had one of the worst shooting nights of the season in the NBA, as they went 3 - for - 34 from three - point range in the win. Both teams also shot under 70 percent from the free - throw line as well. The key for the Rockets was a 13 - 2 run to end the game that was led by James Harden. Another key was the rebounding, as they snatched down 51 rebounds to the Pelicans 43 boards. New Orleans got back Anthony Davis after a two - game absence, but it didn’t help much. Davis finished the game with just 12 points and eight rebounds, while going just 5 - for - 13 from the field. Norris Cole led the team with 21 points and also added four rebounds and eight assists in a great performance. Six players scored in double - digits for the Pelicans, but the other four players combined for just four points. On deck for New Orleans is a matchup against the San Antonio Spurs on Thursday. James Harden wasn’t going to let his team lose tonight and he put it all on the line. Harden accumulated 39 points, 12 rebounds, seven assists and four steals in an MVP-type performance. Patrick Beverley also played with a chip on his shoulder, as he tallied 15 points and nine rebounds in the victory. The only other player in double figures was Dwight Howard, as he totaled 16 points, nine rebounds, two steals and three blocks in the win. Houston wo n't play again until Saturday, when they take on the reeling Chicago Bulls.

["TeamStat(G,'Rockets') has 31 Losses ,has 100 Total points ,has 51 Rebounds ,has 30 Wins ." "TeamStat(G,'Pelicans') has 36 Losses ,has 95 Total points ,has 43 Rebounds ,has 23 Wins ." "PlayerStat(G,'Anthony Davis') has 2 Assists ,has 13 Blocks ,has 5 3-pointers attempted ,has 2 Field goals attempted ,has 12 Field goals made ,has 8 Free throws attempted ,has 2 Points ." "PlayerStat(G,'Norris Cole') has 8 Assists ,has 21 Blocks ,has 4 3-pointers attempted ." "PlayerStat(G,'Dwight Howard') has 3 Assists ,has 16 Blocks ,has 9 3-pointers attempted ,has 2 Field goals attempted ." "PlayerStat(G,'James Harden') has 7 Assists ,has 39 Blocks ,has 12 3-pointers attempted ,has 4 Field goals attempted ." "PlayerStat(G,'Patrick Beverley') has 15 Assists ,has 9 Blocks ."]

The Los Angeles Clippers (44 - 25) defeated the Sacramento Kings (22 - 45) 116 - 105 on Wednesday in Sacramento. Chris Paul was outstanding in the victory, as he played one of his better games of the season. Paul scored a game - high 30 points on 13 - of - 20 shooting and dished out 11 assists in 39 minutes. The All-Star point guard has now had 20 - plus points and five - plus assists in each of his last three games. J.J. Redick also had a very impressive outing, scoring 27 points on 9 - of - 16 shooting from the field and 7 - of - 12 from the three - point line. Blake Griffin also continues to be solid since returning from his extended absence due to an elbow injury. He recorded 19 points Wednesday on 7 - of - 16 shooting, 10 rebounds and five assists, giving him three double - doubles in his last three games since the injury. Matt Barnes sat out Wednesday's game with a hamstring injury, while Hedo Turkoglu was thrust into the starting lineup in his place. Turkoglu played well, scoring 19 points on 7 - of - 12 shooting in 33 minutes. DeAndre Jordan only scored six points, but had 15 rebounds and four blocks on the night. The win moves the Clippers up to fifth place in the Western Conference, as they are holding a tiebreaker over the Mavericks for that position. Los Angeles also is just one and a half games behind the Trail Blazers for fourth place. The Kings were without All-Star center DeMarcus Cousins, who was out with a calf injury, and his absence hurt the team as they were unable to close down the stretch. Rudy Gay, however, after missing two games with a knee injury, did play and led the team in scoring with 23 points on 6 - of - 19 shooting, to go along with six rebounds, four assists and three steals. Jason Thompson was the only other Sacramento starter in double figures, recording 12 points on 5 - of - 10 shooting and eight rebounds in 34 minutes. Andre Miller contributed a solid 16 points on 8 - of - 11 shooting, four assists and three rebounds in 25 minutes off the bench, while Nik Stauskas scored 13 points on 4 - of - 6 shooting in 23 minutes off the bench. Ben McLemore played beyond poorly, shooting 0 - for - 5 from the field and scoring zero points. Up next, the Clippers will head home to take on the Wizards on Friday, while the Kings will go up against the Hornets on Friday in Sacramento.

["TeamStat(G,'Kings') has 45 Losses ,has 105 Total points ,has 22 Wins ." "TeamStat(G,'Clippers') has 25 Losses ,has 116 Total points ,has 44 Wins ." "PlayerStat(G,'Hedo Turkoglu') has 12 Assists ,has 7 Blocks ,has 33 Defensive rebounds ,has 19 3-pointers attempted ." "PlayerStat(G,'Blake Griffin') has 5 Assists ,has 16 Blocks ,has 7 Defensive rebounds ,has 3 3-pointers attempted ,has 3 3-pointers made ,has 19 Field goals attempted ,has 10 Field goals made ." "PlayerStat(G,'DeAndre Jordan') has 4 Assists ,has 6 Blocks ,has 15 Defensive rebounds ." "PlayerStat(G,'JJ Redick') has 12 Assists ,has 7 Blocks ,has 16 Defensive rebounds ,has 9 3-pointers attempted ,has 27 3-pointers made ." "PlayerStat(G,'Chris Paul') has 11 Assists ,has 3 Blocks ,has 20 Defensive rebounds ,has 13 3-pointers attempted ,has 39 3-pointers made ,has 30 Field goals attempted ,has 3 Field goals made ,has 1 Minutes played ." "PlayerStat(G,'Rudy Gay') has 4 Assists ,has 19 Blocks ,has 6 Defensive rebounds ,has 23 3-pointers attempted ,has 6 3-pointers made ,has 3 Field goals attempted ,has 2 Field goals made ." "PlayerStat(G,'Jason Thompson') has 10 Assists ,has 5 Blocks ,has 34 Defensive rebounds ,has 12 3-pointers attempted ,has 8 3-pointers made ." "PlayerStat(G,'Ben McLemore') has 5 Assists ,has 0 Blocks ." "PlayerStat(G,'Nik Stauskas') has 6 Assists ,has 4 Blocks ,has 23 Defensive rebounds ,has 13 3-pointers attempted ,has 3 3-pointers made ." "PlayerStat(G,'Andre Miller') has 4 Assists ,has 11 Blocks ,has 8 Defensive rebounds ,has 25 3-pointers attempted ,has 16 3-pointers made ,has 3 Field goals attempted ."]

The Oklahoma City Thunder defeated the host Miami Heat, 106 - 94, at America Airlines Arena on Tuesday. While Miami got out to an early lead, that was the only one they'd have all game. In fact, the Thunder led for the final 40 - plus minutes, as they pulled out a near wire - to - wire win. Rebounding was the biggest factor to the Thunder's success, as they won that battle, 46 - 32. Fastbreak points and points in the paint were also decisive, as Oklahoma City outscored Miami, 58 - 32 in the paint and 16 - 4 in fastbreak points. The Thunder finished the game shooting 51 percent from the field, while holding the Heat to just 44 percent. Oklahoma City (20 - 12) have riden the back of Russell Westbrook all season and he carried the load once again here. Westbrook notched his 15th triple - double of the season, as he accumulated 29 points, 17 rebounds and 11 assists in the win. Steven Adams was the only other starter in double figures, as he totaled 15 points and eight rebounds. Enes Kanter was a nice spark off the bench, providing 19 points and eight rebounds. On deck for the Thunder is a road matchup against the Memphis Grizzlies on Thursday. Miami (10 - 22) had to play this game without Goran Dragic and it clearly hampered them in this loss. Josh Richardson had been struggling this season, but he was a nice bright spot in this loss, tallying a career - high 22 points, five rebounds and three assists. The Johnson's once again led the bench in scoring, as Josh Johnson accrued 16 points and five rebounds, while Tyler Johnson dropped 15 points, two rebounds and two assists. Hassan Whiteside really struggled, as he went 4 - of - 11 from the field and committed four turnovers en route to a 12 - point and eight - rebound dud. The Heat will look to play better on Thursday in a road matchup against the Charlotte Hornets.

["TeamStat(G,'Heat') has 44 Percentage of field goals ,has 22 Losses ,has 94 Total points ,has 10 Wins ." "TeamStat(G,'Thunder') has 51 Percentage of field goals ,has 12 Losses ,has 106 Total points ,has 20 Wins ." "PlayerStat(G,'Steven Adams') has 15 Assists ." "PlayerStat(G,'Russell Westbrook') has 11 Assists ,has 29 Field goals attempted ,has 17 Field goals made ." "PlayerStat(G,'Enes Kanter') has 19 Assists ,has 8 Field goals attempted ." "PlayerStat(G,'Hassan Whiteside') has 11 Assists ,has 4 Field goals attempted ,has 12 Field goals made ,has 8 Points ,has 4 Total rebounds ." "PlayerStat(G,'Josh Richardson') has 3 Assists ,has 22 Field goals attempted ,has 5 Field goals made ." "PlayerStat(G,'James Johnson') has 2 Assists ,has 16 Field goals attempted ,has 5 Field goals made ." "PlayerStat(G,'Tyler Johnson') has 2 Assists ,has 15 Field goals attempted ,has 2 Field goals made ."]

The Boston Celtics (24 - 21) defeated the Chicago Bulls (24 - 19) 110 - 101 on Friday. The contest turned out to be closer than would have appeared at halftime, when the Celtics held a 64 - 49 lead. Spearheaded by strong performances from their top players, the Bulls mounted an offensive charge, particularly in the third period. Chicago's guard duo of Derrick Rose and Jimmy Butler impressively found success against one of the stingier backcourt defenses in the league, with the pair tallying 27 and 28 points, respectively. However, the home team benefited from balanced production from their starters, and timely offense from their bench, to pull away late and secure the victory. Butler supplemented his game - high scoring total with 14 rebounds, three assists and a pair of steals. Rose added seven rebounds and three assists to his stat line. Pau Gasol bounced back from a one - point effort against the Warriors on Wednesday to post a double - double, totaling 18 points, 11 rebounds and three assists. Tony Snell (two points) and Taj Gibson (nine points) were n't able to lend much support on the scoreboard, and rookie Bobby Portis led the reserves with eight points, three rebounds, a steal and a block. Despite the loss, the Bulls remain in second place in the Eastern Conference's Central Division. They head to Cleveland for a Saturday night showdown with the Cavaliers. Boston was led by Isaiah Thomas' 22 points, five assists, three rebounds and a steal. Avery Bradley was right behind him, putting together a complete effort on both sides of the ball. The Celtics' two - guard tallied 21 points, four assists, a rebound and four steals. Jared Sullinger got the starting call at power forward with Amir Johnson out for personal reasons, and posted a stat - sheet - stuffing double - double. He collected 18 points, hauled in 12 boards, dished out five assists, and recorded three thefts and a block. Kelly Olynyk pitched in with 12 points, nine rebounds, two assists and a block. Evan Turner led the Boston bench with 10 points, five rebounds, five assists and a steal, while Marcus Smart (eight points) and Tyler Zeller (seven points, five of which came in the final period) also made important contributions. With the win, the Celtics hold on to second place in the Eastern Conference's Atlantic Division. They are scheduled to take on the Sixers in Philadelphia on Sunday evening, after the game was rescheduled due to the winter storm affecting the Northeast.

["TeamStat(G,'Celtics') has 110 Total points ." "TeamStat(G,'Bulls') has 101 Total points ." "PlayerStat(G,'Tony Snell') has 2 Assists ,has 1 Blocks ." "PlayerStat(G,'Taj Gibson') has 9 Assists ." "PlayerStat(G,'Pau Gasol') has 3 Assists ,has 18 Blocks ,has 11 3-pointers attempted ." "PlayerStat(G,'Jimmy Butler') has 3 Assists ,has 28 Blocks ,has 14 3-pointers attempted ,has 2 Points ." "PlayerStat(G,'Derrick Rose') has 3 Assists ,has 27 Blocks ,has 7 3-pointers attempted ." "PlayerStat(G,'Bobby Portis') has 1 Assists ,has 8 Blocks ,has 3 3-pointers attempted ,has 1 Points ." "PlayerStat(G,'Kelly Olynyk') has 2 Assists ,has 1 Blocks ,has 12 3-pointers attempted ,has 9 Points ." "PlayerStat(G,'Jared Sullinger') has 5 Assists ,has 1 Blocks ,has 18 3-pointers attempted ,has 12 Points ,has 3 Total rebounds ." "PlayerStat(G,'Isaiah Thomas') has 5 Assists ,has 22 Blocks ,has 3 3-pointers attempted ,has 1 Points ." "PlayerStat(G,'Marcus Smart') has 5 Assists ,has 8 Blocks ,has 5 3-pointers attempted ,has 1 Points ." "PlayerStat(G,'Evan Turner') has 5 Assists ,has 10 Blocks ,has 5 3-pointers attempted ,has 1 Points ,has 5 Total rebounds ." "PlayerStat(G,'Tyler Zeller') has 7 Assists ,has 1 Blocks ."]

The Boston Celtics (26 - 36) defeated the Miami Heat (28 - 35) 100 - 90 in Miami on Monday. Isaiah Thomas carried the Celtics down the stretch of the fourth quarter and scored a team - high 25 points on 7 - of - 17 shooting and went a perfect 8 - for - 8 from the free throw line in 31 minutes. Brandon Bass put in his second solid performance in a row, recording 14 points on 7 - of - 14 shooting and nine rebounds in 33 minutes. In his last two games, Bass has logged 33 points and 26 rebounds in 71 minutes. Luigi Datome (13) and Kelly Olynyk round out the Celtics players in double figures. The win brings Boston within two games of the eighth - place Charlotte Hornets in the Eastern Conference playoff hunt. Dwyane Wade led the way in Miami's losing effort, scoring a game - high 34 points on 13 - of - 23 shooting in 35 minutes. Michael Beasley played 32 minutes off the bench and scored 14 points on 6 - of - 16 shooting. Mario Chalmers (12) and Luol Deng (11) round out the Heat players in double figures. Hassan Whiteside was ejected from the game after forcefully shoving Boston's Kelly Olynyk in the back of the neck. He had seven points and nine rebounds in 22 minutes prior to his ejection. Goran Dragic (back) was held out for the second straight game. The loss drops the Heat to a half - game behind the Hornets for the final playoff spot in the East. Up next, Boston will head home Wednesday and go up against the Grizzlies, while Miami will stay home to take on the Nets on Wednesday.

["TeamStat(G,'Heat') has 35 Losses ,has 90 Total points ,has 28 Wins ." "TeamStat(G,'Celtics') has 36 Losses ,has 100 Total points ,has 26 Wins ." "PlayerStat(G,'Brandon Bass') has 14 Field goals attempted ,has 7 Field goals made ,has 33 Free throws attempted ,has 14 Free throws made ,has 9 Minutes played ." "PlayerStat(G,'Isaiah Thomas') has 17 Field goals attempted ,has 7 Field goals made ,has 8 Free throws attempted ,has 8 Free throws made ,has 31 Minutes played ,has 2 Personal fouls ,has 25 Points ." "PlayerStat(G,'Gigi Datome') has 13 Field goals attempted ." "PlayerStat(G,'Luol Deng') has 11 Field goals attempted ." "PlayerStat(G,'Hassan Whiteside') has 22 Field goals attempted ,has 7 Field goals made ,has 9 Free throws attempted ." "PlayerStat(G,'Dwyane Wade') has 23 Field goals attempted ,has 13 Field goals made ,has 35 Free throws attempted ,has 34 Free throws made ." "PlayerStat(G,'Mario Chalmers') has 12 Field goals attempted ." "PlayerStat(G,'Michael Beasley') has 16 Field goals attempted ,has 6 Field goals made ,has 32 Free throws attempted ,has 14 Free throws made ."]

Utah dominated this game from start to finish, as they led by at least eight points for the final 32 minutes. The Jazz took care of business down low, as they won the rebounding battle, 42 - 35 and the points in the paint differential, 52 - 34. The Jazz ended up shooting 50 percent from the field, while holding the Bucks to 43 percent. Gordon Hayward was the player of the game, as he tallied 29 points, three rebounds and four assists. Derrick Favors finished with 19 points, seven rebounds and two blocks. Rudy Gobert recorded a 15 - point, 16 - rebound double - double, while adding four blocks to his tally. George Hill provided 19 points and four steals. Giannis Antetokounmpo put in a valiant effort, accumulating 33 points, 12 rebounds and five steals to lead Milwaukee in the defeat. Michael Beasley was the only other Buck in double figures, as he collected 22 points and six rebounds.

["TeamStat(G,'Bucks') has 43 Percentage of field goals ." "TeamStat(G,'Jazz') has 50 Percentage of field goals ." "PlayerStat(G,'Gordon Hayward') has 4 Assists ,has 29 Blocks ,has 3 Points ." "PlayerStat(G,'Derrick Favors') has 2 Assists ,has 19 Blocks ,has 7 Points ." "PlayerStat(G,'Rudy Gobert') has 15 Assists ,has 16 Blocks ." "PlayerStat(G,'George Hill') has 19 Assists ,has 4 Blocks ." "PlayerStat(G,'Giannis Antetokounmpo') has 33 Assists ,has 12 Blocks ." "PlayerStat(G,'Michael Beasley') has 22 Assists ,has 6 Blocks ."]

The New Orleans Pelicans (38 - 34) kept their playoff hopes alive with a 102 - 88 win over the Sacramento Kings (26 - 46). They’re three games behind the Oklahoma City Thunder for the eighth spot in the Western Conference. Conventional wisdom says Anthony Davis has to make the playoffs in order to become an MVP candidate. He did his best against the Kings, tallying 24 points, nine rebounds, six blocks, two assists, and one steal in 41 minutes. It’s the seventh time he’s registered at least 24 points, nine boards, and six blocks in a game this season; no other players has even done it once. Former King Tyreke Evans added team - highs of 25 points and 10 assists in 33 minutes. Omer Asik corralled 12 rebounds but only attempted two shots in 36 minutes. Eric Gordon was limited to 20 minutes and four points, failing to grab a rebound or hit a three - pointer for the second consecutive game. DeMarcus Cousins picked up his 12th technical foul. He also accounted for 44 percent of the Kings points and 54 percent of their rebounds, accumulating 39 points, 20 rebounds, three blocks, two assists, and one steal in 41 minutes. It’s his 44th double - double this season, second only to Pau Gasol of the Chicago Bulls. Sophomores Ray McCallum and Ben McLemore combined for nine points on 3 - of - 13 shooting in 64 minutes. Rudy Gay and Omri Casspi joined Cousins as the only other players to reach double - digit scoring, providing 18 and 10 respectively. The Pelicans conclude a three - game homestand Sunday against the Minnesota Timberwolves. The Kings play their third straight road game then they face the Memphis Grizzlies on Monday.

["TeamStat(G,'Pelicans') has 34 Percentage of field goals ,has 102 Losses ,has 38 Total points ." "TeamStat(G,'Kings') has 44 Percentage of field goals ,has 46 Losses ,has 88 Total points ,has 24 Points in 3rd quarter ,has 26 Wins ." "PlayerStat(G,'Omri Casspi') has 10 Assists ." "PlayerStat(G,'Rudy Gay') has 18 Assists ,has 18 Blocks ." "PlayerStat(G,'DeMarcus Cousins') has 2 Assists ,has 3 Blocks ,has 41 Field goals attempted ,has 39 Free throws made ,has 20 Minutes played ,has 1 Points ." "PlayerStat(G,'Anthony Davis') has 2 Assists ,has 6 Blocks ,has 41 Field goals attempted ,has 24 Free throws made ,has 9 Minutes played ,has 1 Points ." "PlayerStat(G,'Omer Asik') has 2 Assists ,has 2 Blocks ,has 36 Field goals attempted ,has 12 Free throws made ,has 2 Minutes played ." "PlayerStat(G,'Eric Gordon') has 20 Assists ,has 4 Blocks ." "PlayerStat(G,'Tyreke Evans') has 10 Assists ,has 33 Blocks ,has 25 Field goals attempted ."]

The Washington Wizards (11 - 14) defeated the Charlotte Hornets 109 - 101 on Saturday. Ever since Bradley Beal was diagnosed with the initial stages of a stress fracture in his lower right fibula on December 12, the Wizards have been even more reliant than usual on All-Star point guard John Wall. The 25 - year - old has responded well with 20 - and - 26 - point efforts in two of the three games since, but his own health was in question heading into Saturday's contest. Wall had sprained an ankle in Friday's practice, and there had been some doubt shortly thereafter as to whether he'd be healthy enough to take the court. With Otto Porter already ruled out for the game with a thigh bruise, the Wizards were facing the grim possibility of taking on a talented Hornets squad without three starters. However, Wall answered the bell and shook off the ankle tweak to post his fifth straight double - double performance. He amassed 27 points, 12 assists, four rebounds, three steals and a block over 42 outstanding minutes to lead Washington to an important Eastern Conference victory. Charlotte received a balance offensive effort from their starters, with Kemba Walker leading the way with 18 points, three rebounds, two assists and three steals. Nicolas Batum, who'd missed Charlotte's last game with an illness, came back to contribute across the stat sheet, tallying 14 points, eight assists, six rebounds, three steals and a block. Cody Zeller and P.J. Hairston were the other two starters in double digits, with 11 and 10 points, respectively. Marvin Williams was the only Hornets starter to score under ten points, but still came within a point and an assist of a double - double. Jeremy Lin followed up his stellar 35 - point effort as a starter in Batum's stead on Thursday with a 15 - point outing that paced the Hornets bench. The Hornets fell to 15 - 11 and are now in a second - place tie with the Orlando Magic in the Eastern Conference's Southeast Division. They travel to Houston to face the Rockets on Monday. In addition to Wall's memorable performance, the Wizards also got quality play from the fill - ins for their two injured starters. Kelly Oubre, Jr. did a solid job replacing Otto Porter for the evening, managing eight points, five rebounds and a block over 22 minutes. Meanwhile, Garrett Temple, who'd turned in sub - par efforts in Bradley Beal's stead in the first three games as his replacement, exploded for a season - high 21 points (on a season - best 78 shooting percentage from the field), five rebounds, three assists and two blocks. Jared Dudley (19 points, nine rebounds, four assists, two steals) and Marcin Gortat (18 points, six rebounds, an assist, a steal and four blocks) rounded out what was an outstanding night for the Washington starters. With such productive outings from their front - line players, the Wizards only needed 16 points from their bench in the victory. Washington improved to 11 - 14 but remains in last place in the Eastern Conference's Southeast Division. They face off against the Sacramento Kings at home on Monday.

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The Memphis Grizzlies (35 - 24) defeated the Denver Nuggets (23 - 37) 103 - 96 on Monday. The statistics would indicate a win for the Nuggets, but that simply wasn’t the case. Denver shot 53 percent from the field, while holding Memphis to 48 percent shooting. The Grizzlies had a nightmare game from three - point range, as they went just 3 - for - 20. The Nuggets also outrebounded the Grizzlies 40 - 27. The reason Memphis hung around and won was the turnover battle, as they committed just eight turnovers to the Nuggets 19 and scored 30 points off those turnovers. While the Grizzlies were dominated in the stat sheet, they did a great job of hanging around and pulling out a big road win. Zach Randolph was the catalyst for the offense, as he tallied a game - high 22 points, four rebounds and six assists in the victory. Matt Barnes also had a nice game, as he amassed 16 points, five rebounds and five assists. The bench was key too, with Lance Stephenson and Mario Chalmers combining for 29 points, five rebounds, five assists and three steals. Up next for the Grizzlies is a matchup against the Sacramento Kings on Wednesday. This was Denver’s first game without Danilo Gallinari and it really hurt them down the stretch. Kenneth Faried played well though, as he accumulated a team - high 16 points with 11 rebounds and four assists in the defeat. The bench did a good job as well with D.J. Augustin, Joffrey Lauvergne, Darrell Arthur and Will Barton combining for 40 points, 14 rebounds and 11 assists. Those were the only four players to come off the bench, as this Nuggets team is extremely shorthanded. On deck is a winnable game against the Los Angeles Lakers on Wednesday.

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The Sacramento Kings defeated the Philadelphia 76ers, 102 - 100, at Golden 1 Center on Monday. The two clubs nearly matched each other point for point in the first half, with the Kings (14 - 17) holding a slim 51 - 47 edge at halftime. However, the Sixers (7 - 23) stormed out of intermission to take the third quarter by a 30 - 19 margin, leaving them with a seven - point lead heading into the final period. Sacramento then turned the tables in the fourth, and DeMarcus Cousins made sure the visitors did n't prevail. First, the mercurial big man sunk a 26 - foot three - point jumper with 20 seconds left to give the Kings a 99 - 97 lead. He subsequently netted one of two free throws with five seconds remaining to extend the advantage to three, and then stuffed a 25 - foot shot attempt by the Sixers' Joel Embiid with three ticks on the clock. Embiid managed to get his hands on the ball again in time to hoist a 28 - footer a second later, but the home team was assured the win when that shot failed to find the net. Despite the failed heroics, Philadelphia's emerging big man did pace them with 25 points, eight rebounds, an assist, two steals and two blocks. Sergio Rodriguez followed with 18 points, five assists, three rebounds and a trio of steals. The remaining three members of the first unit failed to hit double digits in the scoring column, however, as Jahlil Okafor (six points, two rebounds, two assists and a steal), Gerald Henderson (six points, two rebounds and an assist) and Robert Covington (five points, six rebounds, an assist, two steals and two blocks) under - performed on offense. However, the scoring void was partly made up by two big men off the bench, as Ersan Ilyasova and Dario Saric went for 17 and 12 points, respectively. Cousins led the way for the home squad with 30 points, seven rebounds, five assists, three steals and two blocks. Rudy Gay went for a near double - double with 17 points, nine boards, two assists and a block. Ty Lawson compiled 12 points off the bench, a total he supplemented with four rebounds, four assists and two steals. Darren Collison produced nine points, four assists, a rebound and a steal, but Ben McLemore and Kosta Koufos could only supply a combined 10 points. The Sixers next visit the Utah Jazz on Thursday evening, while the Kings travel to Portland to face off with the Blazers on Wednesday night.

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The Dallas Mavericks defeated the visiting Brooklyn Nets, 105 - 96, at American Airlines Center on Friday evening. The Nets (11 - 53) led 26 - 23 after the first quarter and maintained the three - point lead going into halftime. The Mavericks dominated the second half though, out - scoring the Nets 59 - 47, to take their fourth straight win and get one step closer to that coveted eighth spot in the West. Harrison Barnes led the way for the Mavs with 21 points on 7 - of - 15 shooting, along with seven rebounds, in 37 minutes. Seth Curry followed up with 18 points, five rebounds and four assists, while Yogi Ferrell added 17 points. Seven players came off the bench for Dallas, including J.J. Barea, who made his return after missing 20 games with a calf injury. Barea finished with nine points, three assists and one rebound, in 14 minutes. The Mavs face the second night of a back - to - back as they face off against the Suns, in Phoenix on Saturday. Meanwhile, Isaiah Whitehead led the Nets with a game - high 24 points on 8 - of - 12 shooting, in only 25 minutes off the bench. Jeremy Lin followed up with 18 points, to go along with five rebounds, three assists and two steals, in 27 minutes. Quincy Acy added 12 points, while the only other player to hit double digits for the Nets was Trevor Booker, who added 15 off the bench. The Nets go on to host the Knicks on Sunday.

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The San Antonio Spurs defeated the Atlanta Hawks 107 - 99 Monday at AT & T Center. Monday's contest marked the return of superstar Kawhi Leonard, who had been out with a concussion, for the Spurs (52 - 14), and his impact was felt immediately. San Antonio opened up a early lead and managed to hang on throughout the contest, and it was thanks in large part to yet another great performance from Leonard. Leonard finished with a game - high 31 points in 10 - of - 24 shooting to go along with five rebounds and four assists in 39 minutes. And it was Leonard and the other four starters that managed to carry the team, as those five ended up scoring 78 of the team's 107 points. In the end, it was the Spurs' hot shooting from outside that won them Monday's contest, as they shot a scorching 47 percent as a team from behind the arc. For the Hawks (37 - 30), the loss ended a three - game winning streak, and they did not have the same sort of success from three. The team finished shooting just 27 percent from behind the arc, with the starting five going just 1 - of - 9 from deep. Atlanta was equally unsuccessful from the free throw line Monday, where they shot 19 - of - 30 (63 percent) from the charity stripe. Dennis Schroeder led the way for the Hawks on the offensive end, scoring a team - high 22 points and dishing out a game - high 10 assists. Up next, the Spurs will remain home Wednesday to take on the Trail Blazers, while the Hawks will have until Thursday before they play the Grizzlies at home.

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The New Orleans Pelicans (2 - 11) defeated the San Antonio Spurs (9 - 3) 104 - 90 on Friday. The Pelicans pulled off what would easily be considered the season’s biggest upset to date, with forwards Anthony Davis and Ryan Anderson accounting for nearly half of New Orleans’ points. Davis made a strong return from his recent shoulder injury by posting his fifth double - double of the campaign, while Anderson managed a second consecutive 30 - point performance in just 33 minutes. The Spurs looked poised to dominate as expected in the early going, opening up the game with a quick 80 lead. LaMarcus Aldridge and Kawhi Leonard lead the way with 20 and 22 points, respectively, but no other San Antonio starter managed much of an impact. Tim Duncan notably struggled against a New Orleans defense that had generally been vulnerable against centers, collecting only six points, two assists, and a steal over 19 minutes. San Antonio fell to 9 - 3 but remains in first place in the Western Conference’s Southwest Division. They head home for a showdown versus the Grizzlies on Saturday. For the home team, Davis tallied 20 points and 18 rebounds in an intriguing matchup against LaMarcus Aldridge. Eric Gordon had less of an offensive role with Davis in the lineup, but still pitched in with 11 points, two assists, a rebound, and a pair of steals. In addition to Anderson’s outstanding efforts, Ish Smith also represented the Pelicans bench extremely well, tallying 17 points and 13 assists in 33 minutes. It marked the point guard’s third consecutive double - digit scoring night, as he continues to receive a considerable allotment of playing time even when Jrue Holiday is active due to the latter’s minutes cap. The Pelicans improved to 2 - 11 but remain in last place in the Western Conference’s Southwest Division. They remain home for a matchup versus Phoenix on Sunday.

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