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The Memphis Grizzlies (36 - 24) defeated the Sacramento Kings (24 - 35) 104 - 98 on Wednesday. The statistics would indicate a Sacramento win, but they simply couldn’t do enough to pull out a big road victory. The Kings outshot the Grizzlies 48 percent to 44 percent and outrebounded them 44 to 37. Sacramento also dominated the assisting numbers, as they dished out 31 assists to Memphis' 20. The key for the Grizzlies was their free - throw shooting, as they went 29 - for - 33, with the Kings going just 11 - for - 20. Despite trailing by 16 at the half, the Kings made a valiant effort in a close game. DeMarcus Cousins struggled with his shot, but still finished with 18 points, 16 rebounds, six assists, three steals and two blocks in the loss. The bench was solid as well, with Marco Belinelli and Darren Collison combining for 33 points. Rajon Rondo did a great job of setting up the offense, as he handed out 17 assists to add to his league - leading total. Sacramento has a quick turnaround, as they play the Dallas Mavericks on Thursday in their next game. Memphis didn’t play their best game here, but they continued their winning ways. Mike Conley was huge, as he tallied 24 points, five assists and three steals in the win. Zach Randolph also played well, as he amassed 19 points and eight rebounds. JaMychal Green and Mario Chalmers gave the team a nice spark off the bench, as they each scored 15 points and snatched three steals a price. Up next for Memphis is a matchup against the Utah Jazz on Friday.

["TeamStat(G,'Grizzlies') has 20 Number of team assists ,has 44 Percentage of field goals ,has 24 Losses ,has 104 Total points ,has 24 Points in 3rd quarter ,has 37 Points in 4th quarter ,has 36 Rebounds ." "TeamStat(G,'Kings') has 31 Number of team assists ,has 48 Percentage of field goals ,has 35 Losses ,has 98 Total points ,has 35 Points in 3rd quarter ,has 20 Points in 4th quarter ,has 44 Rebounds ,has 24 Wins ."]

The Oklahoma City Thunder defeated the New York Knicks 112 - 103 Monday at Madison Square Garden. The Thunder (10 - 8) managed to hand the Knicks (8 - 8) just their second loss at home this season behind the play of, as always, Russell Westbrook. With 27 points, 18 rebounds and 14 assists, Westbrook notched his third straight triple - double and his eighth of the season. Additionally, his 18 rebounds pushed him over 10 per game for the year, giving him a triple - double average for the second time this season. It was n't a one - man show, however, as Enes Kanter came off the bench to notch a double - double of 27 points and 10 rebounds in just 28 minutes. Starting center Steven Adams also managed to notch a double - double of his own, posting 14 points and 10 boards. As a team, Oklahoma put together one of their better shooting nights of the season, shooting 51 percent overall from the field. The same could not be said for New York, however, as the Knicks failed to shoot over 40 percent from the field as a team. Despite that, Derrick Rose managed to put together his best performance of the season, scoring a game - high 30 points on 10 - of - 20 shooting on top of seven rebounds and four assists. Kristaps Porzingis added 21 points of his own, while Carmelo Anthony struggled mightily, shooting just 4 - of - 19 from the field en route to 18 points in 34 minutes. Ultimately, while the New York starters played solid, they got little - to - no help from their bench, as the six reserves combined to score just 19 points. Up next, the Thunder will head home Wednesday to take on the Wizards, while the Knicks will travel to Minnesota on Wednesday and play the Timberwolves.

["TeamStat(G,'Knicks') has 40 Percentage of field goals ,has 103 Total points ." "TeamStat(G,'Thunder') has 112 Percentage of field goals ."]

The Charlotte Hornets (38 - 29) defeated the Orlando Magic (29 - 38) on Wednesday, 107 - 99. The Hornets have now won eight of their last nine games, quickly rising up the Eastern Conference standings. A large part of Charlotte's push has been due to the play of point guard Kemba Walker, who is averaging 26 points and 7 assists over the team's last 10 contests. Walker made another big contribution on Wednesday, scoring 16 and pulling down a surprising eight rebounds. He was upstaged, however, by forwards Marvin Williams and Nic Batum, who posted 26 points apiece. Batum also facilitated the offense nicely, dishing out a team - high nine assists. For the Magic, meanwhile, any playoff hopes are beginning to slip away, as the team now sits nine games below .500. Guard Victor Oladipo scored 25 points in one of his stronger outings of the season. The scoring was needed, however, as the frontcourt combo of Aaron Gordon and Dewayne Dedmon combined for just one point on the night. The team struggled from the field as a whole, shooting just 42 percent. The Magic will host the Cavaliers on Friday, while the Hornets will visit Miami on Thursday.

["TeamStat(G,'Hornets') has 29 Losses ,has 107 Total points ,has 26 Points in 1st quarter ,has 8 Turnovers ,has 38 Wins ." "TeamStat(G,'Magic') has 38 Losses ,has 99 Total points ,has 8 Points in 1st quarter ,has 29 Turnovers ."]

The Denver Nuggets defeated the Chicago Bulls, 125 - 107, at United Center on Tuesday evening. The surprising victory may have well have been one of the best road victories for the Nuggets (27 - 33) this season, considering the environment and quality of opponent. Denver accomplished the rather improbable feat with a stellar offensive effort that saw seven players post double - digit scoring and the team collectively shoot an outstanding 56 percent from the floor and 43 percent from three - point range. Chicago's cause was significantly undermined by an atypically poor shooting night from Jimmy Butler, who posted only eight points on a 3 - of - 13 tally from the floor. Danilo Gallinari led the Nuggets with 22 points, three rebounds and one steal. Wilson Chandler followed with 20 points, three rebounds, one assist and one block. Nikola Jokic bounced back after some recent modest games by his lofty standards, exploding for a 19 - point, 16 - rebound, 10 - assist triple - double that also included one block. Gary Harris went for 15 points, four rebounds, three assists and two steals. Will Barton matched Harris' point total while leading the second unit and added eight boards, three assists, two steals and one block. Jameer Nelson managed 12 points, two rebounds and one assist. Jamal Murray tallied 14 points, three assists and two rebounds over 18 efficient minutes off the bench. Dwyane Wade and Rajon Rondo paced the Bulls (30 - 30) with matching 19 - point efforts, with the latter achieving his scoring in 24 minutes off the bench. Wade added six assists and four rebounds, while Rondo dished out five assists, hauled in four boards and recorded three steals. Bobby Portis stepped up with 12 points, six rebounds, one assist and three steals. Robin Lopez supplied 10 points, four assists, three boards and two blocks. Butler supplemented his aforementioned scoring total with four rebounds, three assists and three steals. The Nuggets continue their trek through the Midwest with a Wednesday night showdown against the Milwaukee Bucks, while the Bulls remain home and await the Golden State Warriors on Thursday evening.

["TeamStat(G,'Bulls') has 30 Percentage of 3 points ,has 107 Percentage of field goals ,has 30 Losses ." "TeamStat(G,'Nuggets') has 43 Percentage of 3 points ,has 56 Percentage of field goals ,has 33 Losses ,has 125 Total points ,has 22 Points in 1st quarter ,has 27 Wins ."]

The Portland Trail Blazers (43 - 37) defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder (54 - 25) 120 - 115 at Moda Center on Wednesday. Billy Donovan opted to rest most of his starters, as Russell Westbrook, Kevin Durant and Serge Ibaka were all sidelined with the playoffs around the corner. The matchup worked in favor of the Blazers, as they now are in a deadlock with the Memphis Grizzlies for the 5 - seed in the Western Conference. Portland had little trouble handling the Enes Kanter led Oklahoma squad until the fourth quarter. Kanter flashed his brilliant offensive play in his matchup, and led all scorers with 33 points, in addition to a whopping 20 rebounds, on 13 - of - 18 shooting. His defense has always been in question, but when the bench forward steps up that strong in the scoring and rebound department, it’s tough to worry about his one sided game. Dion Waiters was given the green light with all stars Westbrook and Durant on the sideline, and turned in a 25 point performance on 10 - of - 19 shooting. Anthony Morrow drew the start as well, and added 19 points and three assists. Portland, who has surprised many this season after eclipsing their expected win total by 10 wins at this point in the season, rallied behind C.J. McCollum and Al-Farouq Aminu. The back court duo of McCollum and Lillard is dangerous to deal with at all points, but it was Lehigh shooting guard who turned in the bulk of the Blazers offense, as he finished with 26 points, three rebounds and three assists. Lillard struggled to find his stroke from the field and scored just 11 points on 13 shots, but he added nine assists and kept the ball movement in tact. Aminu has been a bright spot for Portland in the second half of the season, and contributed another strong performance with 27 points, six rebounds, five assists, three steals and one blocked shot in 37 minutes of action. Both teams play on Saturday, as the Blazers host the Minnesota Timberwolves (26 - 52), while the Thunder head south to take on the Sacramento Kings (31 - 47).

["TeamStat(G,'Trail Blazers') has 37 Losses ,has 120 Total points ,has 27 Points in 3rd quarter ,has 43 Wins ." "TeamStat(G,'Thunder') has 25 Losses ,has 115 Total points ,has 54 Points in 3rd quarter ."]

The Dallas Mavericks evened their Western Conference first - round playoff series against the host Oklahoma City Thunder on Monday with an 85 - 84 win in Game 2 at Chesapeake Arena. It looked like the Thunder had this one won on a Steven Adams tip - in at the buzzer, but the shot was waved off after replay showed the ball clearly in his hands after time expired, handing the Mavericks a narrow victory. After a brutal 38 - point blowout for Oklahoma City in Game 1, neither team held a lead larger than seven points at any point in Game 2, and with 10 ties and 17 lead changes - - not counting the final replay review - - this one was dramatic from opening tip to final buzzer despite both teams' struggles from the floor (38 field goal percentage combined). Raymond Felton stepped in for the injured J.J. Barea (groin) and was fantastic, as he scored a game - high 21 points (8 - 16 FG) for the Mavericks and pulled down 11 rebounds. Dirk Nowitzki added 17 points and Salah Mejri added a key 12 points (5 - 7 FG) off the bench. The Mavericks shot a brutal 5 - 19 (26 percent) from three and 10 - 19 (53 percent) from the free throw line, but they were able to hold Oklahoma City's superstar duo of Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook to just 27 percent shooting, and it was that defense that evened this series for Dallas. Durant matched Felton's 21 points but shot a brutal 7 - 33 from the field and committed seven turnovers. Westbrook scored 19, added 14 rebounds and dished si assists but shot just 8 - 22 from the floor and 1 - 6 from three - point range. Serge Ibaka was the only other Thunder player to reach double figures with 12 points (4 - 7 FG, 2 - 4 3PT, 2 - 2 FG). The Thunder's lack of offensive options beyond Durant and Westbrook loomed large, as Oklahoma City's offense went completely cold - - the Thunder shot 34 percent from the field and commmitted more turnovers (15) than they recorded assists (11). The series moves to Dallas for Game 3, scheduled for Thursday night at 7:0 PM Eastern Time.

["TeamStat(G,'Thunder') has 11 Number of team assists ,has 34 Percentage of 3 points ,has 1 Percentage of field goals ,has 84 Losses ,has 15 Total points ,has 1 Points in 2nd quarter ." "TeamStat(G,'Mavericks') has 26 Number of team assists ,has 1 Percentage of 3 points ,has 85 Percentage of field goals ,has 21 Losses ,has 1 Total points ."]

The Brooklyn Nets (3 - 11) defeated the Boston Celtics (7 - 6) 111 - 101 on Sunday. The Celtics learned before the game that they will be without guard Marcus Smart for up to two weeks due to a lower leg injury he suffered in their Friday victory over this same Nets squad. Smart's absence opens up a starting spot for Avery Bradley, who continued his outstanding play Sunday with a 27 - point, four - rebound effort that also included an assist, a block and a pair of steals. Bradley had averaged 18 points per game over the previous four outings, all in which he came off the bench. The 24 - year - old also drained a season - high seven three - pointers on 50 percent shooting overall from beyond the arc, leading a furious second - half comeback by the Celtics that ultimately fell short. Boston also received a matching 27 - point effort from Isaiah Thomas, which equaled his season high. However, the rest of the Celtics starters could only muster relatively meager contributions, a pivotal factor in the 59 - 42 deficit they faced at halftime. Starting forwards Amir Johnson and Jae Crowder only totaled seven points between them, while Jared Sullinger contributed nine points, 10 rebounds, and three assists. Evan Turner paced the Boston bench with 13 points, his second consecutive outing with double - digit scoring. The Celtics fell to 7 - 6 and currently reside in third place in the Eastern Conference's Atlantic Division. They head to Atlanta for a Tuesday tilt versus the Hawks. The Nets avenged the 120 - 95 drubbing by the Celtics on Friday with the help of solid production from their starting five. Brook Lopez, as he often does, led the way for Brooklyn with a double - double. Lopez tallied 23 points, 10 rebounds, and a steal for his sixth double - double in November. Jarret Jack was outstanding with 22 points of his own on a season - best 64 percent shooting, and added four rebounds, four assists, and a steal over 33 minutes. Thad Young posted his fourth double - double in five contests (11 points, 12 rebounds), while the ageless Joe Johnson pitched in with a 17 - point effort, his second - highest scoring total of the season. Andrea Bargnani reached double - figures in points for the first time since the opener to pace the Nets' bench. Brooklyn improved to 3 - 11 and remain in fourth place in the Eastern Conference's Atlantic Division. They next head to Oklahoma City for a showdown with the Thunder on Wednesday.

["TeamStat(G,'Nets') has 11 Losses ,has 111 Total points ,has 3 Wins ." "TeamStat(G,'Celtics') has 6 Losses ,has 101 Total points ,has 7 Wins ."]

The Los Angeles Clippers defeated the New Orleans Pelicans 133 - 105 at Staples Center on Saturday. Both teams were shorthanded in the contest, however. The Pelicans (7 - 17) were without Anthony Davis (rest), Jrue Holiday (toe) and E'Twaun Moore (toe), making the game very one sided from the gate. The New Orleans reserves played physical basketball and found scoring lanes in the first half, falling just six points short of the Clippers (17 - 7) at the end of the second quarter. The second half was a different story, as Los Angeles outscored the Pelicans by 12 points in the third quarter and 10 points in the fourth quarter. Chris Paul dropped one of the biggest double - doubles of the season, racking up 20 points and 20 assists, with 18 of those assists coming in the first three quarters of action. Paul added five rebounds and three steals on 8 - of - 16 shooting in 30 minutes of action, which was even more helpful given Blake Griffin's (knee) absence. DeAndre Jordan worked the pick and roll with Paul to perfection, and with no Anthony Davis clogging the lane on the other end, Jordan found his way to 19 points and nine rebounds rather easily. Jamal Crawford and Marreese Speights added scoring help from the bench, as they finished with 22 points and 17 points, respectively. Tim Frazier led the Pelicans on the other end, scoring 20 points and adding 11 assists on 6 - of - 13 shooting. Buddy Hield drew 36 minutes and contributed 15 points on 2 - of - 5 shooting from behind the arc. Next up, the Pelicans play the second game of a back - to - back when they visit the Phoenix Suns, while the Clippers host the Portland Trail Blazers on Monday.

["TeamStat(G,'Clippers') has 7 Losses ,has 133 Total points ,has 17 Wins ." "TeamStat(G,'Pelicans') has 17 Losses ,has 105 Total points ,has 7 Wins ."]

The Dallas Mavericks (35 - 18) pulled off a huge comeback to defeat the Portland Trail Blazers (34 - 17) 111 - 101 Saturday at the American Airlines Center. Portland held a 16 - point lead early in the fourth, but Dallas took advantage of the Trail Blazers' second unit and began to chip away at the deficit. The Trail Blazers could n't close out the Mavericks despite having plenty of chances to do so as they were doubled up in the fourth 26 - 13. Dirk Nowitzki canned an open three to tie it up with twenty seconds remaining in the fourth. Chandler Parsons was a huge difference maker in overtime, scoring 10 points and also securing a key offensive rebound that he then kicked out to Monta Ellis for a three - pointer. Dallas ended the game on a 28 - 7 run. The Trail Blazers appeared to be well on their way to a third straight win to help minimize the impact of their 3 - 8 stretch to end January, but let a huge lead slip away en route to their first overtime loss of the season. Chris Kaman returned to the rotation after sitting out Thursday, but only contributed four points and five rebounds in 16 minutes. Portland will finish its back - to - back set in Texas on Sunday with a matchup in Houston. Dallas' comeback victory puts the Mavericks one game ahead of the Trail Blazers in the win column. Dirk Nowitzki, who sat out of Thursday's contest against Sacramento, returned to action and turned in a clutch performance. He finished with 25 points on 11 - of - 19 shooting. Devin Harris and J.J Barea provided solid production at the point guard spot in Rajon Rondo's absence, combining for 23 points, 13 rebounds, and nine assists. Dallas remains undefeated in overtime games this season with a 50 record. The Mavericks will host the Clippers on Monday.

["TeamStat(G,'Mavericks') has 18 Losses ,has 111 Total points ,has 26 Points in 4th quarter ,has 35 Wins ." "TeamStat(G,'Trail Blazers') has 17 Losses ,has 101 Total points ,has 13 Points in 4th quarter ,has 34 Wins ."]

The Memphis Grizzlies (29 - 20) defeated the host New Orleans Pelicans (18 - 29) 110 - 95, on Monday at Smoothie King Center in New Orleans. This was a tight game between two streaking teams that featured 14 lead changes and 11 ties. The Pelicans led 86 - 84 with seven minutes remaining in the fourth quarter but the Grizzlies turned it up at that point, out - scoring the Pelicans 24 - 11 the rest of the way. Vince Carter was a big part of that late surge by Memphis as he exploded for 11 of his 13 points in the final five minutes. With this win the Grizzlies are 8 - 1 in their last nine games and have won four straight, while the Pelicans finished their seven - game home stand with a 5 - 2 record. The Grizzlies' bench contributed 48 points to the winning cause. Jeff Green led the team in scoring, with 24 points (8 - 13 FG, 3 - 4 3Pt, 5 - 5 FT), along with seven rebounds, in 33 minutes off the bench. Zach Randolph tallied a double - double with 22 points (10 - 15 FG, 2 - 3 FT) and 12 rebounds, in 32 minutes. Mike Conley also notched a double - double, with 17 points (5 - 7 FG, 1 - 2 3Pt, 6 - 6 FT) and 10 assists, along with four rebounds, in 28 minutes. The Grizzlies shot 60 percent from the field and 56 percent from long range, including 5 - 6 from deep in the fourth quarter to run away with this one. The Pelicans were missing Tyreke Evans (knee) for the third straight game. Norris Cole did a good job starting in Evans' place, as he finished with 23 points (9 - 15 FG, 3 - 3 3Pt, 2 - 2 FT), six assists and three rebounds, in 37 minutes. Anthony Davis tallied 23 points (10 - 20 FG, 1 - 2 3Pt, 2 - 3 FT) in 37 minutes as well. He also chipped in nine rebounds, three assists, one steal and one block. No one else scored in double digits for the Pelicans as they saw their win streak stopped short at two games. Next the Pelicans will visit San Antonio for a Wednesday night contest. The Grizzlies will have a few days off before visiting New York to face the Knicks on Friday

["TeamStat(G,'Pelicans') has 29 Percentage of 3 points ,has 95 Losses ,has 9 Total points ,has 18 Turnovers ." "TeamStat(G,'Grizzlies') has 56 Percentage of 3 points ,has 20 Losses ,has 110 Total points ,has 29 Turnovers ."]

The Chicago Bulls (4 - 2) routed the Milwaukee Bulls (2 - 4), 120 - 66, Thursday at the BMO Harris Bradley Center in Game 6 of their series to advance to the Eastern Conference Semifinals. After Milwaukee had gotten back into the series with consecutive victories, Chicago closed out the series on the road Thursday. The Bulls got off to a big lead and never looked back, taking a 65 - 33 lead into halftime. Tensions ran high at points during Thursday's game, highlighted by Giannis Antetokounmpo's flagrant foul on Mike Dunleavy which resulted in an ejection for Antetokounmpo. The Bulls will face the Cavaliers in the Conference Semifinals starting Monday in Cleveland. Chicago played an impressive all - around game that resulted in a convincing victory to close out its Opening Round series. The 54 - point margin of victory is a franchise - high for a playoff game. Chicago now advances to the next round of the postseason with momentum on its side and will face a Cavaliers team that is missing J.R Smith for two games and Kevin Love. Milwaukee battled hard to stave off elimination on its home court in Game 4, but simply did n't have the fire power to force a Game 7 on Thursday. The Bucks shot 33% from the field for the entire game and only managed 20 points in the paint. Their leading scorer was center Zaza Pachulia, who posted eight points in 18 minutes on the floor. Despite Thursday's tough loss, the Bucks possess a talented young nucleus and are positioned to compete again in the 2015 - 16 season.

["TeamStat(G,'Bucks') has 33 Percentage of field goals ,has 4 Losses ,has 66 Total points ,has 2 Wins ." "TeamStat(G,'Bulls') has 2 Percentage of field goals ,has 120 Losses ,has 4 Total points ."]

Houston's James Harden has been phenomenal as the Rockets have surged to third in the Western Conference, and the All-Star guard does not seem to be letting up. On Monday, Harden scored 36 points to go along with eight rebounds and 11 assists. The 36 points were despite his shooting just 8 - of - 12 from the line on the night, a sub - standard mark for the career 85 percent free - throw shooter. It was an off night for the team as a whole, as Houston hit just 58 percent of its free - throw attempts. Sixth man Eric Gordon, meanwhile, continued to shoot three - pointers at a historic rate. Gordon had 24 points and knocked down 6 - of - 10 attempts from beyond the arc. For Brooklyn, point guard Jeremy Lin came off the bench to score 10 points and had seven assists in his first game back from a hamstring injury. Brooklyn shot a whopping 52 percent as a team but hit only seven three - pointers and had 19 turnovers. Big man Brook Lopez led the team with 26 points.

["TeamStat(G,'Nets') has 19 Turnovers ."]

The Golden State Warriors (42 - 9) beat the San Antonio Spurs (34 - 20) 110 - 99 on Friday. Steph Curry followed up his Three-Point Shootout championship with 25 points, including 4 - of - 8 from beyond the arc to go along with 11 assists and four steals. His fellow splash brother, Klay Thompson, also competed in the three - point contest, finished with 20 points going 3 - of - 7 for three in Friday's contest. Golden State currently holds the best record in the NBA this season. The Spurs went into halftime down by seven and then the Warriors poured it on the third quarter, outscoring San Antonio by a score of 27 - 13. Kawhi Leonard and Aron Baynes led San Antonio in scoring with 12 points. Seven of the eight Spurs' reserves scored at least seven points and played 11 or more minutes. The Warriors will come out and play the Indiana Pacers at Bankers Life Fieldhouse on Sunday. The Spurs will head to Utah to face the Jazz on Monday.

["TeamStat(G,'Warriors') has 110 Total points ,has 27 Points in 3rd quarter ." "TeamStat(G,'Spurs') has 99 Total points ,has 13 Points in 3rd quarter ."]

The San Antonio Spurs (3 - 2) defeated the Los Angeles Clippers (2 - 3) 111 - 107 on Tuesday at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. In a game five thriller, the veteran Spurs were able to pull off the victory and steal home court advantage as they head back to San Antonio. The Clippers were on the brink of taking the lead with just under four seconds left in the game, but a DeAndre Jordan tip - in was called off and ruled as goaltending. The floater from Blake Griffin looked like it was going to fall, but Jordan accidently touched it before it was able to go through the hoop. The Spurs finished this game shooting 44 percent from the field and 48 percent from the three - point line, while the Clippers went 47 percent from the floor and an awful seven percent from deep. The Spurs' bench also out - scored the Clippers' bench 48 - 17. The ageless wonder, Tim Duncan, again worked his magic for the Spurs. Duncan finished with a team - high of 21 points (8 - 13 FG, 5 - 6 FT), to go along with 11 rebounds and three steals. He constantly made big plays both offensively and defensively and even went as far as blocking Griffin two straight times during one point in the fourth quarter. Duncan continues to show no signs of slowing down this postseason, averaging 17 points and 11 rebounds while recording four double - doubles. Kawhi Leonard played a big factor in the win as well though as he recorded 18 points (5 - 16 FG, 0 - 3 3Pt, 8 - 10 FT) and nine rebounds over 36 minutes. While he did n't shoot the ball all that efficiently, he still got to the line enough to post a solid line in the end. The Spurs did see a very nice contribution from their bench, as Boris Diaw, Patty Mills and Manu Ginobili all reached double figures. Ginobili finished with 14 points (3 - 8 FG, 2 - 4 3Pt, 6 - 6 FT) and six assists, while Mills added 13 points (4 - 5 FG, 4 - 4 3Pt, 1 - 1 FT) while nearly going perfect from the field. Keeping the Clippers close in this game was Blake Griffin, who finished with a game - high of 30 points (10 - 25 FG, 0 - 1 3Pt, 10 - 14 FT), while also adding 14 rebounds, seven assists and four steals. Griffin scored 21 of those points in the first half and he seemed to struggle during the fourth quarter, but he was still huge for this team as he did a little bit of everything despite the loss. Chris Paul had some very impressive plays, multiple times making defenders nearly fall over because of his crafty dribbling. Paul went 7 - for - 14 from the field but missed both of his three - point attempts to score 19 points, to go along with 10 assists over 41 minutes. Continuing his domination of the boards, DeAndre Jordan posted 21 points (7 - 9 FG, 7 - 16 FT), 14 rebounds and two blocked shots. He was fouled over and over again and sent to the line because the Spurs knew he has n't shot free throws well all year. It really payed off for them as Jordan made just 7 - of - 16 free throw attempts. The Clippers shot just 1 - for - 14 from the three - point line, which will always make it very tough to win. These two teams will take the court again on Thursday in San Antonio for game six.

["TeamStat(G,'Clippers') has 7 Percentage of 3 points ,has 47 Percentage of field goals ,has 3 Losses ,has 107 Total points ,has 2 Wins ." "TeamStat(G,'Spurs') has 48 Percentage of 3 points ,has 44 Percentage of field goals ,has 2 Losses ,has 111 Total points ,has 3 Wins ."]

The Philadelphia 76ers (5 - 37) blew out the Portland Trail Blazers (18 - 25) on Saturday, 114 - 89. This was easily the Sixers best performance of the season, as they took care of business against a hot Portland team. The game got our of hand early, as Philadelphia carried a 25 - point lead into halftime. Almost everything was clicking tonight for Philly, as the Sixers outshot the Blazers by 17 percent while also outrebounding, outassisting, and tying in the turnover battle. It's games likes these that give Sixers fans some hope for the future and this looks like a completely different team with Ish Smith in the fold. Portland was playing in the second half of a back - to - back here and it was clearly evident through their poor play. Damian Lillard and C.J McCollum have been carrying this team all year, but the two combined to shoot 10 - for - 36 from the field while accumulating just 27 points, four rebounds and four assists. No player on this team had more than 14 points, seven rebounds or five assists and that's a bad sign for success. The Blazers shot just 39 percent from the field and this will be one of those games they'd just like to get on the plane and forget forever. Portland will look to play better on Monday against the Washington Wizards in their next fixture. This Philadelphia team has been playing much better since the acquisition of Ish Smith and this performance emphasizes that fact. This Sixers team at the beginning of the season would have had no chance to beat a team by 25 points and this is a great sign going forward. Five different players scored at least 14 points tonight for Philly with all five combining to shoot over 50 percent from the field in the win. Jahlil Okafor was their best player tonight though, as he finished with 25 points and 10 rebounds. Nerlens Noel's four - point, eight - rebound line doesn’t look great, but his four blocks and four steals were a huge game changer tonight. Richaun Holmes also had a nice game off the bench in garbage time, as he tallied 14 points and six rebounds. The 76ers will look to build off this dominating win when they take on the New York Knicks on Monday.

["TeamStat(G,'76ers') has 37 Percentage of 3 points ,has 114 Percentage of field goals ,has 5 Losses ." "TeamStat(G,'Trail Blazers') has 17 Percentage of 3 points ,has 39 Percentage of field goals ,has 25 Losses ,has 89 Total points ,has 18 Wins ."]

The Atlanta Hawks defeated the host Dallas Mavericks 97 - 82, at American Airlines Center on Saturday evening. The Hawks used a strong second half, where they outscored the Mavericks 52 - 40, in order to pull away and earn their sixth straight win. Tim Hardaway Jr. was the high - point man for Atlanta (21 - 16), finishing with 22 points on 7 - of - 13 shooting, in 31 minutes off the bench. Four other players scored in double digits for the Hawks, including Dennis Schroder, who added 20 points, three rebounds, three assists and one steal, in 29 minutes. Dwight Howard had a big game on the glass, as he hauled in 20 rebounds, to go along with 15 points, in 31 minutes. The Hawks shot 40 percent from the field but were efficient from long range, going 11 - of - 22. The Hawks are now 11 - 9 on the road, as they move on to the fourth and final game of their current road trip, when they take on the Nets in Brooklyn on Tuesday. Meanwhile, the Mavericks (11 - 26) have now dropped two straight and fall to 7 - 11 at home, as they finished up a three - game home stand with a 1 - 2 record. Harrison Barnes was the high - point man for Dallas in the contest, with 21 points on 9 - of - 15 shooing, while Dirk Nowitzki and Devin Harris were the only other players to score in double digits, as they added 11 points each. The Mavs shot 39 percent from the field and only 9 - of - 36 from long range. They now look ahead to their next contest, which takes place in Minnesota on Tuesday, when they take on the likewise struggling Timberwolves.

["TeamStat(G,'Mavericks') has 26 Losses ,has 82 Total points ,has 11 Points in 1st quarter ." "TeamStat(G,'Hawks') has 16 Losses ,has 97 Total points ,has 22 Points in 1st quarter ,has 21 Points in 3rd quarter ,has 21 Wins ."]

The Atlanta Hawks (33 - 8) defeated the Chicago Bulls (27 - 16) 107 - 99 on Saturday at the United Center. The Hawks continued their winning ways on the road and have not dropped a road contest since Nov. 15. Atlanta had a comfortable 12 - point lead mid way through the fourth quarter, but Chicago stormed back with a 10 - 3 run to stay in contention. However, Chicago was unable to get stops down the stretch as Atlanta took advantage of several open mid - range looks. The Hawks continued to show why they're the best team in the Eastern Conference and have now won 12 games in a row. More impressively, Atlanta improved to 14 - 5 against opponents with records of .500 or better. Kyle Korver was lights out from beyond the arc, shooting 7 - for - 9 from three en route to scoring 24 points on the night. On the injury front, Shelvin Mack left the game with a strained calf. The Hawks will return home on Monday to host the Pistons. Chicago has now dropped three out of its last four games, but remains securely fourth place in the East. The Bulls were without Joakim Noah, who has now missed two games in a row with a right ankle injury. Derrick Rose managed to play 37 minutes after logging 33 minutes on the floor on Friday. He led the Bulls in scoring with 23 points, but took 22 shots to reach that mark. The Bulls will take on a Cleveland Cavaliers team that appears to be rounding into form on Monday in Cleveland.

["TeamStat(G,'Bulls') has 15 Losses ,has 99 Total points ,has 23 Points in 2nd quarter ." "TeamStat(G,'Hawks') has 8 Losses ,has 107 Total points ,has 33 Points in 2nd quarter ."]

Carmelo Anthony bounced back from recent shooting struggles with 29 points, including two key free throws with six seconds remaining. Derrick Rose posted 24 points, while Kyle O'Quinn aptly replaced Joakim Noah with a 20 - point, 13 - rebound double - double. Justin Holiday compiled 13 points. Kristaps Porzingis came back down to earth with 11 points. All five members of New York's first unit managed double - digit scoring and the Knicks shot 48 percent as a team. Zach LaVine's 23 - point effort paced Minnesota. Karl Anthony-Towns and Andrew Wiggins combined for another 39 points, but Gorgui Dieng and Ricky Rubio were only able to total a scant five points. The bench did pitch in 47 points overall, with Nemanja Bjelica (17 points) and Shabazz Muhammad (14 points) led the second unit, while Cole Aldrich contributed a 10 - point, 12 - rebound double - double.

["TeamStat(G,'Knicks') has 48 Percentage of field goals ."]

The Miami Heat (4 - 3) defeated the Toronto Raptors (5 - 2) 96 - 76 on Sunday. The Raptors have gotten off to a fantastic start this season by playing clean basketball, but they simply made too many mistakes on Sunday against the Heat. Toronto committed 16 turnovers in the loss while shooting under 16 percent from long distance and under 40 percent from the field. The Heat won with their defense, as they out - rebounded the Raptors 48 - 38 and recorded 16 combined steals and blocks in the victory. The bench production was a key difference in the matchup as well, as the Heat's bench outscored the Raptors bench 33 - 14. The Heat played their best game of the season on Sunday and that can be attributed to a spectacular performance from Hassan Whiteside. The center tallied 20 points, 11 rebounds and six blocks in the dominating victory. Chris Bosh also put together a nice game, totaling 23 points and eight rebounds in the win. Miami has to be a bit concerned with point guard Goran Dragic though, as he continued to struggle in this matchup. He amassed just two points, two rebounds and three assists on Sunday and he is now averaging 11 points, four assists and three boards over his first seven games of the season. The Heat will look to keep this momentum going against the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday. The frontcourt for Toronto is undoubtedly their weakness and that proved to be the case yet again on Sunday. Hassan Whiteside and Chris Bosh owned Luis Scola and Jonas Valanciunas down low and that could be a problem all season long. Small forward DeMarre Carroll missed this matchup with a foot injury and veteran James Johnson stepped in for him here. Toronto was led by All-Star Kyle Lowry who put together an all - around impressive line, tallying 15 points, eight assists and six rebounds in the loss. They'll look to bounce back in their next game against the New York Knicks on Tuesday.

["TeamStat(G,'Heat') has 3 Percentage of 3 points ,has 96 Losses ,has 48 Total points ,has 4 Points in 3rd quarter ." "TeamStat(G,'Raptors') has 16 Percentage of 3 points ,has 2 Losses ,has 76 Total points ,has 16 Points in 3rd quarter ,has 38 Rebounds ,has 16 Turnovers ,has 5 Wins ."]

The New Orleans Pelicans (44 - 37) beat the Minnesota Timberwolves (16 - 65) 100 - 88 on Monday. Anthony Davis had a special game, in which he led his team in all five major statistical categories. He had 24 points, 11 rebounds, five assists, six blocks and two steals in a do - it - all performance. His play brought his team to the winner's circle with a much needed victory to keep his team ahead of the Oklahoma City Thunder in the Western Conference playoff race. The Pelicans have the same record as the Thunder, but hold the tie - breaker and would be admitted into the playoffs if the teams wind up with identical records. The Timberwolves had a rough second quarter and could n't quite climb out of the hole against New Orleans. They went into halftime down by 15 after trailing the Pelicans by two heading into the second. Zach LeVine led Minnesota with 24 points and seven assists to go along with five rebounds for the rookie. Decimated by injuries, the Timberwolve's frontcourt was manned heavily by Justin Hamilton, Adreian Payne and Arinze Onuaku. Those three combined for 18 points and 12 rebounds. Chase Budinger and Robbie Hummel helped pick up the slack. They had 29 points, 18 rebounds and five assists combined. Minnesota needs a win and a New York Knicks loss to avoid being the sole team with the worst record in the NBA this season. Minnesota will end their rebuilding year in Oklahoma City against the Thunder, as the Pelicans will travel to San Antonio to take on the Spurs on Wednesday. Each game has massive playoff implications. The Thunder need a win and a Pelicans loss. If the Pelicans win they secure the eighth seed. However, the Spurs are playing for the second seed in the Western Conference and likely wo n't rest their star players.

["TeamStat(G,'Timberwolves') has 65 Number of team assists ,has 88 Losses ,has 15 Total points ,has 16 Points in 2nd quarter ." "TeamStat(G,'Pelicans') has 15 Number of team assists ,has 37 Losses ,has 100 Total points ,has 44 Points in 2nd quarter ."]

The Miami Heat defeated the Chicago Bulls, 100 - 88, at United Center on Friday evening. The Heat (17 - 30) checked in to Friday with only seven road wins in 24 games away from American Airlines Arena, but with a potential opportunity to steal a victory against a Bulls (23 - 25) squad currently besieged by internal spats between Rajon Rondo and team leaders Jimmy Butler and Dwyane Wade. Chicago head coach Fred Hoiberg had also made the suprising decision to bench the latter two to start the game in favor of Paul Zipser and Doug McDermott, putting the home team at a talent disadvantage to open the contest. Miami was able to capitalize, jumping out to a 33 - 24 lead after one quarter and then hanging on to outscore their hosts 67 - 64 the rest of the way. The temporary demotion seemed to affect Butler in particular, as he shot just 1 - for - 13 from the floor over 33 minutes. The Heat was also able to overcome the absence of Hassan Whiteside (ankle), as Willie Reed stepped up to tally 20 points, five boards, an assist and a steal. Goran Dragic's 26 points paced Miami, a total he supplemented with 11 assists, five rebounds and three steals. Dion Waiters continued his strong play with 19 points, five rebounds, an assist and a steal. Wayne Ellington was next with a bench - leading 14 points, which he supplemented with five boards, two assists, two steals and a block. Rodney McGruder totaled nine points, four boards and a trio of steals. Despite being relegated to the second unit, Wade's 15 points still served as the top score on the Bulls. He added six rebounds, three assists and two steals over 28 minutes. Zipser impressively took advantage of his starting opportunity, posting 14 points, five boards and a steal. Taj Gibson matched Zipser's point total and supplemented it with five rebounds, two assists, four blocks and a steal. Rondo had one of his more productive games, compiling 13 points, seven rebounds, seven assists and three steals. McDermott registered nine points, five boards and two assists. The Heat return home to face the Detroit Pistons on Saturday night, while the Bulls remain home to take on the Philadelphia 76ers on Sunday evening.

["TeamStat(G,'Bulls') has 25 Losses ,has 88 Total points ,has 24 Points in 1st quarter ,has 23 Points in 2nd quarter ." "TeamStat(G,'Heat') has 30 Losses ,has 100 Total points ,has 33 Points in 1st quarter ,has 20 Points in 2nd quarter ,has 24 Points in 3rd quarter ,has 17 Wins ."]

The Miami Heat defeated the Detroit Pistons, 116 - 103, at Palace at American Airlines Arena on Saturday evening. The Heat (18 - 30) checked in to Saturday in the midst of their best stretch of the season, but faced a Pistons (21 - 26) squad that was surging in its own right, albeit a bit more modestly. Although Detroit was hot from the field - - as evidenced by a 57 percent success rate - - Miami countered by going 53 percent from the floor and 50 percent from three - point range. Four Heat players drained multiple threes, and seven players shot 50 percent or better. The spectacular offensive performances allowed the home team to pull away in the fourth quarter after they entered the period with a 91 - 90 deficit. Reggie Jackson paced the Pistons with 24 points, seven boards and three assists. Andre Drummond had his typically spectacular game against the Heat, generating 17 points, 20 rebounds, an assist, three steals and two blocks. Tobias Harris supplied a bench - leading 16 points, which he supplemented with two rebounds and a steal. Marcus Morris provided 14 points, two rebounds, two assists and a steal. Jon Leuer and Ish Smith registered matching eight - point efforts from the first unit and bench, respectively. Goran Dragic led the way for Miami with 23 points, a total he supplemented with four assists, two rebounds and a steal. Wayne Ellington led the bench with 19 points, two assists and a steal. James Johnson continued his strong play with 18 points, eight boards, five assists, two steals and a block. Dion Waiters tallied 17 points, seven assists and three boards. Hassan Whiteside contributed a modest nine points but hauled in 12 boards. The Pistons next head to Boston to face off with the Celtics on Monday evening, while the Heat remain home to tangle with the Nets on Monday night as well.

["TeamStat(G,'Heat') has 50 Percentage of 3 points ,has 53 Percentage of field goals ,has 30 Losses ,has 116 Total points ,has 18 Wins ." "TeamStat(G,'Pistons') has 26 Percentage of 3 points ,has 103 Percentage of field goals ,has 21 Losses ."]

The Denver Nuggets defeated the Boston Celtics, 119 - 99, at Pepsi Center on Friday night. The Nuggets (30 - 35) were buoyed by the somewhat surprising active statuses of Nikola Jokic (illness) and Danilo Gallinari (vertigo), and both players proved pivotal to the win. Each eclipsed the 20 - point mark on the night, leading Denver to a stellar 53 percent success rate from the field. That helped them overcome 18 turnovers, as did their defense, which forced the same amount from the Celtics (41 - 25). The Nuggets also won the rebounding battle handily, outperforming Boston by a 49 - 33 margin down low. The Celtics were paced by Isaiah Thomas, who tallied 21 points, five assists, two rebounds and one steal. Avery Bradley posted 16 points, two rebounds, two assists and three steals. Al Horford generated 15 points, five rebounds, two assists and one steal. Jaylen Brown led the second unit with 14 points, two boards and one assist. Marcus Smart was productive in a reserve role as well, generating a typically full stat line of 13 points, seven rebounds, two assists and one steal. Wilson Chandler led the way for the Nuggets with 23 points, eight rebounds, one assist, one steal and one block. Jokic turned in a 21 - point, 10 - rebound double that also included seven assists, four steals and one block. Gallinari went for 20 points, five boards, one assist and two steals. Gary Harris and Jameer Nelson combined for only 17 points, and Jameer Nelson led the bench with 13 points and three rebounds. The Celtics return home to tangle with the Chicago Bulls on Sunday afternoon, while the Nuggets hit the road and face off with the Sacramento Kings on Saturday night.

["TeamStat(G,'Nuggets') has 53 Percentage of field goals ,has 35 Losses ,has 119 Total points ,has 18 Turnovers ,has 30 Wins ." "TeamStat(G,'Celtics') has 25 Percentage of field goals ,has 99 Losses ,has 18 Total points ,has 41 Turnovers ."]

The Los Angeles Lakers (9 - 19) defeated the Golden State Warriors (23 - 4) 115 - 105 on Tuesday at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. Despite out - scoring the Lakers 32 - 20 in the final quarter, the Lakers were able to hold off the late comeback, and secure a victory in front of their home fans. The Lakers were able to shoot 52 percent from the field and 46 percent from the three - point line, while the Warriors shot 46 percent from the floor and 46 percent from beyond the arc. Even with Kobe Bryant sitting out on a day of rest, the Lakers were still able to pull off the victory, as they had seven players reach double figures in points. Carlos Boozer went 8 - for - 11 from the field to score 18 points, while also grabbing nine rebounds in the process. It was a nice outing for him, as he's averaged only 13 points thus far this season. Nick Young also had a solid contribution off the bench, scoring 15 points (5 - 13 FG, 2 - 6 3Pt, 3 - 3 FT) and pulling down five rebounds. While it was surprising he did n't get off a ridiculous amount of shots without Bryant in the game, he still was able to match his season average in points. Ronnie Price, Wesley Johnson and Ed Davis also were fundamental in the victory. They scored 17, 14 and 14 respectively, with Davis going a perfect 7 - for - 7 from the field. The Warriors were led by their superstar backcourt of Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson. Curry went 10 - for - 14 from the field and 2 - for - 5 from the three - point line to score 22 points, while adding six assists. After an off game on Monday, this was a solid bounce back outing for Curry, although the seven turnovers he recorded was n't acceptable. Thompson on the other hand went 6 - for - 15 from the field and 4 - for - 8 from beyond the arc to score 18 points. While the two guards played well, they did n't receive much help from the rest of the team. David Lee had the most production of everyone else, scoring 12 points and pulling in seven rebounds. Starters Draymond Green and Harrison Barnes struggled to get anything going, scoring two and five points respectively. The Lakers' next game will be on the road against the Chicago Bulls on Thursday, while the Warriors will stay in Los Angeles to play the Clippers on Thursday.

["TeamStat(G,'Lakers') has 46 Percentage of 3 points ,has 52 Percentage of field goals ,has 19 Losses ,has 115 Total points ,has 20 Points in 4th quarter ,has 9 Wins ." "TeamStat(G,'Warriors') has 46 Percentage of 3 points ,has 46 Percentage of field goals ,has 4 Losses ,has 105 Total points ,has 32 Points in 4th quarter ,has 23 Wins ."]

The Phoenix Suns (1 - 1) took care of the Portland Trail Blazers (1 - 1) in a 110 - 92 win in Phoenix on Friday. The Suns and Trail Blazers played the first half of a home - and - home against one another on Friday night, and the Suns looked like the much better squad. Phoenix had four players score 13 or more points in this game and it was a major bounce back after being blown out in their home opener against the Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday. The Blazers were outrebounded 54 - 43 in this game and just couldn’t keep the Suns off the free - throw line. Portland committed 33 fouls and allowed 42 attempts from the charity stripe. The Trail Blazers had four starters score at least 15 points, but got only 21 combined points from the other eight players. They were led by Damian Lillard, who totaled 24 points, six assists, and seven turnovers in the loss. Phenom C.J. McCollum couldn’t quite live up to his 37 - point outing in the opener, as he shot just 7 - for - 22 in his 16 - point game on Friday night. There's a lot on these two guards' shoulders this season, and it remains to be seen if they can hold that much weight for the full 82 - game schedule. This was Portland's first game of a back - to - back set against these same Suns, but the Blazers will be the hosts Saturday. The Suns had a nightmare home opener on Wednesday against the Mavericks as they lost 111 - 95, but they bounced back nicely here in a dominant win. They had major contributions from Eric Bledsoe, Markieff Morris, Tyson Chandler, Brandon Knight, and T.J. Warren in this game, as they all scored at least 13 points. What was most impressive was the defense, as the starters combined for nine steals and five blocks in the blowout victory. After Chandler and Morris combined for just seven points and seven rebounds in the opener, they played with some pride here, putting up 28 points and 21 rebounds between them. Warren collected 17 points and six rebounds in his 22 minutes off the bench and he's looking like a true breakout candidate this season. The Suns will look to duplicate this performance on Saturday when they travel to Portland to conclude this home - and - home set.

["TeamStat(G,'Suns') has 1 Losses ,has 110 Total points ,has 1 Rebounds ." "TeamStat(G,'Trail Blazers') has 1 Losses ,has 92 Total points ,has 42 Rebounds ,has 1 Wins ."]

The Chicago Bulls defeated the host Miami Heat 98 - 95 at American Airlines Arena on Thursday. In a battle between two Eastern Conference mainstays, there was n't a whole lot to separate these two squads. There were actually 14 ties and 19 lead changes in this tightly contested battle, with no team leading by more than eight points. The key for Chicago was the free - throw shooting, as they went 18 - of - 20, while Miami went just 10 - of - 15. Three-point shooting kept the Heat hanging around, as they went 13 - of - 29, with the Bulls hitting just 6 - of - 16. Chicago (5 - 4) came into this losing four of five, but they showed some resiliency in an important road win. Six of the nine players who took the floor for the Bulls scored in double figures. Jimmy Butler led the team, with his 20 points, four rebounds, five assists and three steals. Rajon Rondo had one of his best games in a Chicago uniform, tallying 16 points, 12 rebounds and six assists. Robin Lopez also finished with 16, adding nine boards as well. Dwyane Wade shot just 5 - of - 17 against his former team, but finished with 13 points, seven rebounds and four assists. The Bulls will host the Washington Wizards for their next game on Saturday. Miami (2 - 5) has gotten off to a rough start, but this was a great performance despite the loss. Hassan Whiteside carried the load, as he finished with 20 points and 20 rebounds in a dominating performance. Dion Waiters and Josh Richardson were second on the team, as they scored 16 a piece. Justise Winslow accumulated 15 points, five rebounds, six assists and four steals. Goran Dragic struggled and left early due to an ankle injury, finishing with six points and four assists in just 22 minutes of play. Miami returns to action on Saturday, when they host the Utah Jazz for their next game.

["TeamStat(G,'Heat') has 5 Losses ,has 95 Total points ,has 2 Wins ." "TeamStat(G,'Bulls') has 4 Losses ,has 98 Total points ,has 5 Wins ."]

The Detroit Pistons (12 - 9) destroyed the Los Angeles Lakers (3 - 17) 111 - 91 on Sunday. This game was a blowout from start to finish, as the scoreline was closer than the actual result. The Pistons had a 23 - point lead at the half and didn’t even play most of their starters in the fourth quarter. The big difference in the game was the rebounding, as Detroit grabbed 61 boards to the Lakers 40 rebounds. That should be no surprise though, as the Pistons rank third in the NBA in rebounding. The Lakers played very poorly in this game and the frustration boiled over. Not only did Kobe Bryant leave with a stomach ailment, Nick Young was ejected in the fourth quarter for a shove. Bryant was just 2 - for - 15 from the field before leaving and that just adds to his horrific shooting woes. Julius Randle did record another double - double and he's proving to be one of the few bright spots on this Lakers team. Los Angeles will try to get out of this swoon when they take on the Toronto Raptors on Monday. The Pistons came out hungry and they shut down this beleaguered Lakers team in a hurry. They scored 65 points in the first half and the starters were just fantastic. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope had a team - high 22 points while Reggie Jackson and Andre Drummond scored a combined 38 points. These three are the core of this Detroit team and when they play like this, they are hard to beat. The Pistons will look to build off this win when they play the Charlotte Hornets on Monday.

["TeamStat(G,'Pistons') has 9 Losses ,has 111 Total points ,has 61 Rebounds ,has 12 Wins ." "TeamStat(G,'Lakers') has 17 Losses ,has 91 Total points ,has 3 Rebounds ."]

The Golden State Warriors (38 - 4) routed the Cleveland Cavaliers (28 - 11) Wednesday night at Quicken Loans Arena, 132 - 98. Golden State dominated from the opening tip, as they jumped out to a 12 - 2 lead in the game's first three minutes and enjoyed leads of 34 - 21 after the first quarter and 70 - 44 at halftime. The Warriors just could not be stopped offensively, as they shout a brilliant 54 percent from the floor, including an absurd 19 - 40 (48 percent) from three. Steph Curry paced all scorers with 35 points and added seven three - pointers to increase his league - leading total to 193 for the season. Andre Iguodala came off the bench to pitch in 20 on an ultraefficient 7 - 8 shooting, and Draymond Green notched 16 points and 10 assists and finished just three rebounds away from a triple - double. LeBron James led the Cavaliers with just 16 points on a lukewarm 7 - 16 shooting night, and he added five assists and five rebounds for one of his quieter games this season. J.R. Smith chipped in 14 on 6 - 9 shooting, and Matthew Dellavedova led Cavaliers reserves with 11 points and six assists. It was a mediocre shooting night for Cleveland (48 percent from the floor, 37 percent from three), nowhere near enough to keep pace with Golden State's perpetual motion machine of an offense. The Warriors continue an Eastern Conference road trip Wednesday night in Chicago. The Cavaliers will take to the road for a game Wednesday in Brooklyn.

["TeamStat(G,'Cavaliers') has 37 Percentage of 3 points ,has 48 Percentage of field goals ,has 11 Losses ,has 98 Total points ,has 21 Points in 1st quarter ,has 28 Wins ." "TeamStat(G,'Warriors') has 48 Percentage of 3 points ,has 54 Percentage of field goals ,has 4 Losses ,has 132 Total points ,has 34 Points in 1st quarter ,has 38 Wins ."]

The New York Knicks (5 - 6) defeated the New Orleans Pelicans (1 - 9) 95 - 87 on Sunday. The Pelicans got back superstar forward Anthony Davis after a two - game absence due to a hip injury, and he certainly did not disappoint, Davis posted his second - highest scoring total of the season with 36 points, and added 11 rebounds, an assist, four blocks, and a steal in an impressive double - double. The All-Star forward's valiant effort was for naught however, as his teammates were unable to lend much in the way of offensive support. Eric Gordon was the only other Pelicans starter to tally double - digit scoring with 11 points. Alonzo Gee flopped in a start at small forward with only two points over 26 minutes. Omer Asik was held scoreless in 13 minutes on the court, while Jrue Holiday pitched in seven points, four assists, three rebounds, and a steal in his season - high 25 minutes of playing time. Holiday continues to be brought along slowly in his return from last season's leg injury. The steady Ryan Anderson - - the only other Pelican to have some success offensively - - contributed 16 points and five rebounds off the bench. The Pelicans dropped to 1 - 9 and remain in last place in the Western Conference's Southwest Division. They head home for a date with the Denver Nuggets on Tuesday. Not to be outdone by Davis, Carmelo Anthony led the charge for a resurgent Knicks squad with a double - double of his own. Anthony totaled 29 points,13 rebounds, three assists, and a steal over 39 minutes. The All-Star posted solid 53 percent shooting from the field (11 - for - 21), and both his scoring total and field goal accuracy represented his second - best totals in each category to date in the new season. Rookie Kristaps Porzingis pitched in 10 points and four rebounds in his first encounter with Davis, while Kevin Seraphin (12 points) and Langston Galloway (15 points) had strong efforts off the bench. The Knicks improved to 5 - 6 and reside in third place in the Eastern Conference's Atlantic Division. They remain home for a Tuesday date with the Charlotte Hornets.

["TeamStat(G,'Knicks') has 6 Losses ,has 95 Total points ,has 5 Wins ." "TeamStat(G,'Pelicans') has 9 Losses ,has 87 Total points ,has 1 Wins ."]

The Houston Rockets (23 - 10) defeated the Miami Heat (14 - 20) 115 - 79 on Saturday. Houston got back on track with the big win after trudging through three losses over their previous four games. Josh Smith was in the starting lineup for their recent poor stretch, and coach Kevin McHale moved Smith back to a bench role Saturday, allowing the team to go back to the lineup they had success with before Smith was signed. Donatas Motiejunas reclaimed his starting spot at power forward and put up 12 points and three assists in 27 minutes. Smith finished with 12 points and seven rebounds in 28 minutes off the bench. James Harden scored a game - high 28 points in just 28 minutes. Houston will begin a three - game road trip against the Chicago Bulls on Monday. Miami has lost four straight games, but it's difficult to see why the team is struggling. Chris Bosh has been back in the active lineup for the last three games, though his return has n't helped the team secure more wins in the short term. The Heat gave up 22 points on 22 turnovers, were out - rebounded 46 - 33 and shot just 24 percent from beyond the arc, putting themselves out of contention Saturday. They'll return home to take on the Brooklyn Nets on Sunday.

["TeamStat(G,'Rockets') has 10 Percentage of 3 points ,has 115 Losses ,has 23 Total points ." "TeamStat(G,'Heat') has 24 Percentage of 3 points ,has 20 Losses ,has 79 Total points ,has 22 Points in 2nd quarter ,has 14 Wins ."]

The San Antonio Spurs (8 - 2) defeated the Portland Trail Blazers (4 - 8) by a score of 93 - 80 on Monday night, handing them their sixth loss in a row. Meanwhile, the Spurs have now won five games in a row and are 40 at home. The Spurs had control for most of the game, holding a near 10 point cushion most of the way. Portland had an early lead and got close again in the fourth quarter but could not maintain anything consistent against the San Antonio machine. The Blazers were led by their back court Damian Lillard and C.J. MacCollum, but did not get enough contribution from the rest of the squad to compete with the well rounded Spurs. Lillard had 27 points, six assists and seven rebounds and shot 10 - 21 from the field. MacCollum dropped 15 points on 6 - 14 shooting, he also had two assists, three rebounds and one steal in 33 minutes. The only other Blazer to score in double digits was Al-Farouq Aminu, who had a strong game with 17 points on 7 - 14 shooting, 3 - 5 from deep and four rebounds. The San Antonio Spurs showed a balanced team effort as usual, with six players scoring in double digits. Notably, LaMarcus Aldridge was the only starter not to score in double digits for the Spurs, as he faced his former team. Kawhi Leonard was the high point man for the Spurs with 19, he also added nine rebounds, three assits, two steals and two blocks, in 30 minutes. Tim Duncan had 10 points and nine rebounds in 28 minutes. Manu Ginobili dropped 17 points, along with four rebounds and three assists, in 22 minutes off the bench. Tony Parker went 4 - 9 from the field and finished with 10 points and seven assists. The Spurs will look to stay perfect at home as the Nuggets come to town on Wednesday. Next up for Portland will be a visit to Houston for a match on Wednesday, where they will look to break their current slide.

["TeamStat(G,'Spurs') has 2 Losses ,has 93 Total points ,has 19 Points in 2nd quarter ,has 6 Turnovers ,has 8 Wins ." "TeamStat(G,'Trail Blazers') has 8 Losses ,has 80 Total points ,has 4 Points in 2nd quarter ."]

The Orlando Magic (11 - 20) defeated the Boston Celtics (10 - 16) 100 - 95 on Tuesday. Orlando put a stop to their four - game losing streak with the win. Tobias Harris scored a team - high 19 points, and both Kyle O'Quinn and Nikola Vucevic finished with double - doubles in the frontcourt. O'Quinn put up 18 points, 13 rebounds, two steals and one block. Vucevic posted 18 points, 12 rebounds and three assists. In his second game as the new starter at point guard, Elfrid Payton put up 12 points, seven assists and two steals in 29 minutes. The Magic plan to get a good look at this starting lineup that features O'Quinn and Payton for the foreseeable future, though the presence of Channing Frye and impending return of Aaron Gordon does put O'Quinn at risk of being marginalized again later this season. Orlando will host the Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday. Boston lost a second straight game and are now 1 - 2 in their three games since Rajon Rondo was traded to the Dallas Mavericks last Thursday. Jameer Nelson, who was acquired from the Mavs, started at point guard, pushing Marcus Smart back to a bench role. Nelson put up nine points, 11 assists and four steals in 30 minutes. Jared Sullinger played just nine minutes, and his role appears to be getting reduced as the Celtics' other big men continue to excel. Boston will host the Brooklyn Nets on Friday.

["TeamStat(G,'Magic') has 20 Losses ,has 100 Total points ,has 11 Wins ." "TeamStat(G,'Celtics') has 16 Losses ,has 95 Total points ,has 10 Wins ."]

The Chicago Bulls (20) defeated the Milwaukee Bucks (0 - 2) 91 - 82 on Monday at the United center in Chicago in game two of their first round matchup of the Eastern Conference playoffs. In a chippy game featuring seven technical fouls and an ejection (Zaza Pachulia), the Bulls were able to have a big fourth quarter to pull out the nine - point win and grab a two - game lead in the series. The Bucks had a strong defensive effort in the first half, forcing the Bulls into 11 turnovers before the break, but they were unable to get anything going offensively and the Bulls took a one - point lead into the half. It was the fourth quarter where the Bulls took the advantage though, as they went on a 130 run with six minutes left in the game to put them up 10 fueled by Jimmy Butler, who was nearly unstoppable in this outing. Including that huge final quarter, Butler finished with a game - high of 31 points (10 - 19 FG, 3 - 9 3Pt, 8 - 14 FT), while adding nine rebounds and two assists over 46 minutes. Butler got into a shoving match with OJ Mayo earlier in the second quarter which led to a few technicals, but that really seemed to fuel his intensity and he never looked back. Derrick Rose struggled mightily in the first half, going scoreless on 0 - for - 7 shooting from the field. He clearly made some adjustments at half though and salvaged his performance with 15 points (4 - 14 FG, 2 - 6 3Pt, 5 - 5 FT), seven rebounds and nine assists. Helping to give the Bulls an impressive 64 - 48 rebounding advantage was the duo of Pau Gasol and Joakim Noah, who combined to record 35 of the team's 64 rebounds. Gasol finished with 11 points (4 - 12 FG, 0 - 1 3Pt, 3 - 6 FT), 16 rebounds and four blocked shots, while Noah added six points (3 - 9 FG), 19 rebounds and five assists. After Nikola Mirotic went to the floor and got into a tussle with Zaza Pachulia, he had to leave with a knee injury, but it's unclear how that will affect his status moving forward. Khris Middleton did everything he could to keep the Bucks close. He went into the half leading all scorers with 12 points and then went on to score a team - high of 22 points (8 - 20 FG, 3 - 7 3Pt, 3 - 3 FT), to go along with six rebounds and a steal over 38 minutes. Middleton had 18 points in game one on Saturday as well, but he just has n't gotten enough scoring help to stay even with the Bulls. The only other Buck in double - digit points was Michael Carter-Williams, who posted 12 points (5 - 12 FG, 0 - 1 3Pt, 2 - 3 FT), five rebounds and two assists. Both Giannis Antetokounmpo and Ersan Ilyasova struggled with their shots. They combined to shoot a meager 5 - for - 21 from the field and 0 - for - 3 from the three - point line for 14 points. Antetokounmpo added 11 rebounds, four assists and two blocked shots, but it just was n't enough in the end. Despite forcing the Bulls into 15 total turnovers, while committing just four of their own, the Bucks just could n't establish enough of an offensive presence to keep up in the end. These two teams will now head to Milwaukee for game three of the series on Thursday.

["TeamStat(G,'Bulls') has 91 Losses ,has 20 Total points ,has 64 Points in 4th quarter ,has 2 Rebounds ." "TeamStat(G,'Bucks') has 2 Losses ,has 82 Total points ,has 48 Points in 4th quarter ,has 4 Rebounds ,has 0 Turnovers ."]

No Milwaukee player managed above 11 points as the Bucks (5 - 8) were pulverized by the Indiana Pacers (8 - 5) at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. The Pacers have now won five or their last six, due in large part to the extremely high - caliber play of star small forward Paul George. Despite having an off shooting night (just 6 - for - 17), George contributed positively to the Indiana effort, tallying seven rebounds and seven assists whle playing outstanding perimeter defense. Indiana on the whole shot the lights out, hitting 52 percent of their shots from the field and 50 percent of their three - point attempts. Indiana's team defense also looked beautiful, as the Bucks were held to just 29 percent from beyond the arc and committed 23 turnovers. While things were firing on all cyllinders for Indiana, the same did n't hold true on the Bucks' side of things. 20 - year - old small forward Giannis "The Greek Freak" Antetenkoumpo had a rare inefficient night from the field, tallying just nine points on 3 - for - 8 shooting. Point guard Michael Carter-Williams also struggled, posting just three assists while turning the ball over three times. Saturday marked the Bucks' third straight loss, a trend they will look to combat as they prepare for a home matchup against the Pistons. The Pacers, meanwhile, will look to continue their hot streak as they travel to Washington to take on the Wizards.

["TeamStat(G,'Pacers') has 50 Percentage of 3 points ,has 52 Percentage of field goals ,has 5 Losses ,has 8 Turnovers ." "TeamStat(G,'Bucks') has 29 Percentage of 3 points ,has 8 Percentage of field goals ,has 23 Losses ,has 5 Turnovers ."]

The Memphis Grizzlies (39 - 13) defeated the Brooklyn Nets (21 - 31) 95 - 86 on Tuesday at Fed Ex Forum Arena in Memphis. The Grizzlies got off to a hot start in this matchup, out - scoring the Nets 32 - 15 in the first quarter alone. Along with the quick start, the Grizzlies used their three - point shooting to grab an advantage, going 32 percent from deep, while the Nets went just 25 percent from beyond the arc. The Nets were really sloppy in this game, and were forced into 20 turnovers, which ended up just being too much for them to come back from. In the victory, the Grizzlies saw Zach Randolph play well, finishing with a team - high of 19 points (9 - 17 FG, 1 - 1 3Pt), while also adding eight rebounds and three steals. After scoring 11 points or less in each of his last two games, it was good to see him get things going again on the offensive side of the ball. Courtney Lee was another player who had a successful showing Tuesday. He went 6 - for - 10 from the field and 2 - for - 5 from the three - point line to score 15 points in 26 minutes. He shot only 30 percent (3 - 10 FG) against the Hawks on Sunday, so it was a nice bounce back game for him. Notching a double - double, Marc Gasol posted 14 points (4 - 9 FG, 0 - 1 3Pt, 6 - 8 FT), 11 rebounds and two blocked shots. It marked his second double - double in a row, as he's combined for 30 points and 21 rebounds over those two games. Coming off the bench, both Tony Allen and Beno Udrih reached double figures as well, with 12 and 13 points respectively. The Nets got contributions from all over the court, with six players reaching double figures in points. Mason Plumlee led the team, posting 15 points (6 - 10 FG, 3 - 3 FT), 14 rebounds and three steals. It marked his first double - double since January sixteenth, while the three assists matched a season - high. Alan Anderson recorded 15 points (5 - 9 FG, 2 - 5 3Pt, 3 - 4 FT) of his own, to go along with four rebounds. Considering he's averaging 7 points on the year, it was a nice suprise for the Nets despite the loss. Coming just short of a double - double, Joe Johnson finished with 11 points (5 - 13 FG, 0 - 1 3Pt, 1 - 1 FT), eight rebounds and four assists. He's now averaging 16 points and 5 rebounds per game on the season. The Nets saw some contributions from their bench as well. Brook Lopez had 12 points (5 - 14 FG, 0 - 1 3Pt, 2 - 2 FT) and four rebounds, while Deron Williams posted 10 points (4 - 9 FG, 1 - 3 3Pt, 1 - 2 FT) and four assists. The Grizzlies' next game will be on the road against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Wednesday, while the Nets will travel to Los Angeles to play the Lakers on Friday.

["TeamStat(G,'Grizzlies') has 32 Percentage of 3 points ,has 13 Losses ,has 95 Total points ,has 32 Points in 1st quarter ,has 39 Turnovers ." "TeamStat(G,'Nets') has 25 Percentage of 3 points ,has 31 Losses ,has 86 Total points ,has 15 Points in 1st quarter ,has 20 Turnovers ,has 21 Wins ."]

The Phoenix Suns defeated the host New Orleans Pelicans 112 - 111 in overtime on Friday at Smoothie King Center. In a game between two struggling teams, neither were able to grab a double - digit lead for the entirety of the contest, as it went into overtime. There were actually 12 ties and eight lead changes, with big shots being hit by both teams in regulation and overtime. The Pelicans defense was solid in the loss, as they forced the Suns to shoot 42 percent, while recording 14 blocks in the win. Free-throw shooting is what kept it close, as New Orleans went 15 - of - 28, with the Suns going 24 - of - 28. Rebounding propelled Phoenix, as they snatched down 58, while holding the Pelicans to 45. The Suns (2 - 4) have been to overtime three times this season and that's now a record for the first six games of the year. Devin Booker was the player of the game, scoring a career - high 38 points before fouling out in overtime. T.J. Warren hit the game - winning lay - up with eight seconds left in OT, as he finished with 18 points, six rebounds and four steals. Tyson Chandler double - doubled, totaling 15 points and 18 rebounds. Eric Bledsoe finished with 17 points, seven rebounds and four assists. On deck for Phoenix is a road matchup against the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday. The Pelicans (0 - 6) have now started with six - straight losses for the second - straight season. It was n't for a lack of teamwork though, as seven players scored in double figures in this loss. Anthony Davis led the team, as he tallied 22 points, 11 rebounds and four blocks. Terrence Jones started at power forward, accumulating 19 points, seven rebounds, six assists and four blocks in his best game of the year. Lance Stephenson ran a lot of point guard off the bench, recording 10 points and seven assists in 27 minutes of action. It does n't get any easier for New Orleans, as they travel to Oakland to play the Golden State Warriors on Monday for its next game.

["TeamStat(G,'Pelicans') has 6 Losses ,has 111 Total points ,has 0 Wins ." "TeamStat(G,'Suns') has 4 Losses ,has 112 Total points ,has 2 Wins ."]

The San Antonio Spurs (61 - 11) defeated the Memphis Grizzlies (41 - 32) 110 - 104 on Friday. San Antonio's defense was lacking for the first three quarters, but they really turned it on in the fourth. In fact, they held the Grizzlies to just 20 points on 35 percent shooting over the final 12 minutes. The Spurs offense was incredibly efficient, as they shot 57 percent from the field and recorded 25 assists on 44 made baskets. Memphis played this game extremely shorthanded and nearly pulled out a miraculous win. Zach Randolph, Mike Conley and Marc Gasol all missed this game and that's been the Grizzlies season in a nutshell. JaMychal Green led the team with 20 points, while also providing three assists. Lance Stephenson played well off the bench, as he tallied 17 points, three assists and three steals in the loss. Unfortunately for the Grizzlies, their next game is also against the Spurs on Monday. San Antonio didn’t play their best game, but they are now 370 at their home building. LaMarcus Aldridge was a beast, as he tallied 32 points, 12 rebounds and three blocks in the win. Tim Duncan turned back the clock, as he accumulated 12 points, eight rebounds and seven assists. Kevin Martin got his first start for San Antonio, as he scored 13 points filling in for Danny Green. The Spurs next game will be on Saturday against the Oklahoma City Thunder.

["TeamStat(G,'Spurs') has 25 Number of team assists ,has 57 Percentage of field goals ,has 11 Losses ,has 110 Total points ,has 61 Points in 4th quarter ." "TeamStat(G,'Grizzlies') has 32 Number of team assists ,has 104 Percentage of field goals ,has 20 Losses ,has 41 Total points ."]

The Washington Wizards (14 - 6) defeated the Boston Celtics (7 - 12) 133 - 132 on Monday at the Verizon Center in Washington D.C. The Wizards had a comfortable lead going into the fourth quarter of this game, but were out - scored 34 - 18 in the fourth quarter, leading to not one, but two overtime periods. The Wizards were able to get a running layup from John Wall with just over 40 seconds left, who then hit his free throw to convert on the three - point play after being fouled by Evan Turner on the attempt. Turner then had a shot to win the game with a second left in the game, but missed, giving the Wizards their fourteenth victory of the season. The Wizards had all five of their starters score at least 14 points. Paul Pierce led all scorers as he had an outstanding game shooting, going 9 - for - 12 from the field and 4 - for - 5 from the three - point line to score 28 points. He also was a perfect 6 - for - 6 from the line pushing him to a season - high in points. John Wall really stuffed the stat sheet as well. He scored 26 points (10 - 17 FG, 1 - 3 3Pt, 5 - 8 FT) and recorded a wopping 17 assists, leading to his fourth double - double in the last five games. He did have a season - high of nine turnovers, so he'll look to trim those numbers down. Marcin Gortat had a double - double of his own, scoring 21 points and pulling in 12 rebounds. He's now averaging 14 points and nine rebounds on the year. The other two starters, Kris Humphries and Bradley Beal had 17 and 14 points respectively. Jeff Green led the Celtics with 28 points (8 - 18 FG, 1 - 4 3Pt, 11 - 11 FT), but the bench was just as huge in this one, with four players scoring at least 18 points. Rookie Marcus Smart had easily his best game of his career, as he scored 23 points (7 - 14 FG, 4 - 8 3Pt, 5 - 5 FT), while adding five assists. It was the most minutes he's played all season, and he cashed in on the extra playing time. Brandon Bass and Kelly Olynyk had 19 points each, with Bass chipping in nine rebounds, while Olynyk grabbed 11. Despite missing the game winner, Evan Turner was also successful off the bench, scoring 18 points and contributing eight assists and six rebounds. The bench had 82 of the 132 total points for the Celtics. The Wizards' next game will be on the road against the Orlando Magic on Wednesday, while the Celtics will travel to Charlotte to play the Hornets on Wednesday as well.

["TeamStat(G,'Wizards') has 6 Losses ,has 133 Total points ,has 18 Points in 4th quarter ,has 14 Wins ." "TeamStat(G,'Celtics') has 12 Losses ,has 132 Total points ,has 34 Points in 4th quarter ,has 7 Wins ."]

The Orlando Magic defeated the Washington Wizards, 88 - 86, at Amway Center on Saturday. A strong fourth quarter by Orlando (3 - 3) helped them overcome a sluggish night on offense that saw the Magic shoot just 40 percent from the field. Both teams checked in well below their scoring averages, with the Wizards (1 - 4) managing a 40 percent success rate on their 86 shot attempts, and a total of only five players in the game posting double - digit scoring. A pair of 18 - point efforts served as each team's high score, with Markieff Morris reaching the mark for the visitors and Jeff Green doing it for the Magic off the bench. Morris added eight rebounds, three assists and two blocks to his aforementioned scoring total, but missed a game - winning three - pointer at the buzzer. Bradley Beal supplied 15 points, three rebounds, three assists, a steal and a block. Otto Porter posted a 10 - point, 13 - rebound double - double, while Marcin Gortat complemented his eight - point output with 14 boards, two assists and a steal. Tomas Satoransky, starting at point guard for the resting John Wall, registered eight points, three assists, two rebounds and a steal. Green's season - high 18 points were supplemented by five rebounds, three assists and a block. Evan Fournier tallied 13 points, two rebounds and two assists, but shot only 2 - of - 8 from the field. Serge Ibaka joined him in double digits, amassing 11 points while also hauling in seven rebounds. The normally productive trio of Elfrid Payton, Aaron Gordon and Nicola Vucevic underwhelmed, however, posting a combined 21 points on 8 - of - 21 shooting. The Wizards head back home to take on the Houston Rockets on Monday night, while the Magic hit the road to take on the Bulls in Chicago on Monday evening as well.

["TeamStat(G,'Magic') has 40 Percentage of field goals ,has 3 Losses ,has 88 Total points ,has 3 Wins ." "TeamStat(G,'Wizards') has 40 Percentage of field goals ,has 4 Losses ,has 86 Total points ,has 1 Wins ."]

The Sacramento Kings defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers in overtime, 116 - 112, at Quicken Loans Arena on Wednesday. The Cavs (30 - 14) came in to Wednesday's contest looking to right some of the ills that had plagued them over their previous seven games, a stretch in which they'd suffered five defeats. The Kings (18 - 27) may have initially looked like easy prey, considering their losing record and the fact that they'd recently lost their second - best playmaker, Rudy Gay, for the season with an Achilles injury. However, the old adage of "that's why they play the games" rang particularly true Wednesday, as Sacramento forced the Cavs into an uncharacteristic 18 turnovers and made the shots when it counted most to emerge as surprising victors. DeMarcus Cousins naturally played a pivotal role, posting a near triple - double with a game - high 28 points, 11 rebounds, nine assists, three steals and a block. He made a driving layup with three seconds remaining in regulation to send the game into overtime, and then made another in the extra period to help the Kings come back from a 111 - 106 deficit with 2:30 remaining. Darren Collison followed Cousins with 23 points, five assists, three rebounds, two steals and a block. Arron Afflalo posted 14 points, three assists and two rebounds. Garrett Temple supplied 12 points, four rebounds, two assists and four steals. Malachi Richardson led the second unit with 12 points, three rebounds, an assist and a steal. Willie Cauley-Stein was productive in a reserve role as well, tallying eight points, 10 boards, a steal and a block. LeBron James did his part for Cleveland, supplying a 24 - point, 13 - rebound, 11 - assist triple - double that also included two steals and a block. Kevin Love was next with a 21 - point, 16 - rebound double - double that also included five assists and a steal. Kyrie Irving rounded out the Big Three's night with 20 points, six assists, a rebound, two steals and two blocks. Iman Shumpert provided a nice complementary contribution of 16 points, three rebounds, two assists and two steals. Kyle Korver paced the second unit with 12 points, three assists, a rebound and a block. The Kings head to Indiana to tangle with the Pacers on Friday night, while the Cavs are home against the Brooklyn Nets on Friday evening as well.

["TeamStat(G,'Cavaliers') has 14 Losses ,has 112 Total points ,has 18 Turnovers ,has 30 Wins ." "TeamStat(G,'Kings') has 27 Losses ,has 116 Total points ,has 18 Turnovers ."]

The host Golden State Warriors beat the visiting Miami Heat on Tuesday, 107 - 95, at Oracle Arena. Golden State (33 - 6) was able to pull out a win on Tuesday despite the absence of All-Star guard Klay Thompson (rest). Even with the sharpshooting Thompson out, the Warriors shot a stellar 11 - of - 27 from three - point range. Though Miami kept the score close for the majority of the game, the Warriors were able to hold advantages in shooting and rebounding. Golden State shot 45 percent from the field and had 48 rebounds on the night, despite a monster 20 boards from Miami center Hassan Whiteside. Kevin Durant led the team with 28 points, while reigning MVP Steph Curry scored 24 points to go with eight rebounds and nine assists. Miami (11 - 29) saw superb play from recently - returned center Hassan Whiteside, but still walked away with the loss. In just his second game back after being held out with an eye injury, Whiteside scored 28 points on 13 - of - 17 shooting to go with 20 rebounds and two blocks. The Heat also saw strong play from their bench, with guard Tyler Johnson leading the second unit with 18 points. Forward James Johnson contributed 14, including a monster highlight dunk over the Warriors' Steph Curry. The Heat struggled mightily from beyond the arc, however, shooting just 6 - of - 30 from three - point range. The Warriors will host the Pistons on Thursday, while the Heat will travel to Milwaukee on Friday.

["TeamStat(G,'Warriors') has 45 Percentage of field goals ,has 6 Losses ,has 107 Total points ,has 48 Rebounds ,has 33 Wins ." "TeamStat(G,'Heat') has 29 Percentage of field goals ,has 95 Losses ,has 11 Total points ."]

The Brooklyn Nets (32 - 40) defeated the Los Angeles Lakers (19 - 53), 107 - 99, on Sunday at the Barclays Center. Brooklyn had a comfortable lead for much of the game until Los Angeles made its move in the fourth, cutting the deficit to four with a minute to go. However, Brook Lopez answered with two free throws to put the Nets up six. Lopez finished with 30 points and 11 rebounds, his second 30 point outing in his last three games. Lopez has been key to Brooklyn's playoff hopes, averaging 21 points and 9 rebounds over his last ten games while shooting 58 percent from the floor. The Nets are now percentage points behind the Celtics for the eighth seed in the East, but the Celtics won the season series 3 - 1 over the Nets. Los Angeles has now dropped seven of its last nine games, with the two wins coming over Philadelphia and Minnesota. Jeremy Lin was sidelined for this game with an upper respiratory infection, which allowed Wayne Ellington to move back into the starting lineup. Ellington had 13 points and five rebounds over 30 minutes on the floor. Jordan Hill returned to action for this game and had a huge outing off the bench with 22 points and 26 rebounds. The Lakers will finish out their five game road trip Monday when they take on the 76ers. Brooklyn is continuing to make a playoff push in the crowded Eastern Conference playoff picture. The Nets have won seven of their last nine, but have a tough schedule the rest of the way. Every team they play outside of the Knicks and Magic are either firmly in the playoffs or competing for a spot. Deron Williams (illness) was able to take the floor Sunday and posted 13 points and nine assists over 34 minutes. The Nets will return to action Tuesday against the Pacers.

["TeamStat(G,'Nets') has 40 Losses ,has 107 Total points ,has 32 Wins ." "TeamStat(G,'Lakers') has 53 Losses ,has 99 Total points ,has 19 Wins ."]

The Chicago Bulls (8 - 3) defeated the Phoenix Suns (6 - 5) 103 - 97 thanks to the Butler hitting some big shots. It's rare to see a team lose a turnover battle 19 - 12 and win a game, but that's just what the Bulls did on Wednesday. Chicago shot just shy of 50 percent from the field while Phoenix shot just above 40 percent. The three - point shooting was the big difference though, as the Bulls went 9 - for - 19 while the Suns went 8 - for - 27. Jimmy Butler was the hero in this game though, as he scored 14 points in the final 12 minutes. The Bulls played this game without an ailing Derrick Rose and didn’t miss a beat. They went with a Kirk Hinrich-Aaron Brooks committee and that worked out well for Chicago as they combined for 26 points and 11 assists in the win. Butler was the star of the show though, as he tallied 32 points and six rebounds in the victory while playing a Tom Thibodeau-like 43 minutes. Brooks did end up leaving this game with a hamstring injury and they ca n't afford to lose any more guards at this point. Chicago’s next game should be a fun one, as they travel to Golden State to take on the undefeated Warriors on Friday. The Suns were down big early in this game and showed some perseverance to make it a close game at the end. It was the frontcourt once again that let down Phoenix, as Markieff Morris and Tyson Chandler combined for just 12 points in the loss. This is a trend that is becoming all too common for the Suns and they simply need more from these two, especially against teams like the Bulls. Brandon Knight led the team in scoring with 23 points, while Eric Bledsoe and P.J. Tucker each pitched in 20 - plus points of their own. This snapped a three - game winning streak for the Suns and they'll look to start a new one on Friday against the Denver Nuggets.

["TeamStat(G,'Suns') has 5 Losses ,has 97 Total points ,has 12 Turnovers ,has 6 Wins ." "TeamStat(G,'Bulls') has 3 Losses ,has 103 Total points ,has 19 Turnovers ,has 8 Wins ."]

The San Antonio Spurs defeated the visiting Memphis Grizzlies, 94 - 68, to take a 20 series lead in the Western Conference first - round playoffs Tuesday at AT & T Center. The Spurs continued their home - court dominance, holding the Grizzlies to 68 points on 33 - percent shooting. The San Antonio offense was no slouch, though, as it shot 47 percent from the field, 53 percent from 3 - point range and 82 percent from the free - throw line. The Spurs have won all eight quarters of the series and have not allowed more than 24 points in any quarter. The Grizzlies scored a franchise low, which followed just 74 points in Game 1, as the team has totaled a mere 142 points in two games. Zach Randolph finished with 11 points and 12 rebounds but continued to struggle with double teams and the stifling San Antonio defense. Tony Allen led Memphis with 12 points, as Allen and Randolph were the only two Grizzlies in double figures. Nine players scored at least six points for San Antonio in an all - around team effort. The starting five combined for 38 points, as no starter played more than 26 minutes. Patty Mills led the team with 16 points off the bench. The series moves to Memphis for Game 3 on Friday.

["TeamStat(G,'Spurs') has 53 Percentage of 3 points ,has 47 Percentage of field goals ,has 94 Losses ,has 24 Total points ." "TeamStat(G,'Grizzlies') has 33 Percentage of 3 points ,has 2 Percentage of field goals ,has 68 Losses ."]

The Boston Celtics (35 - 25) defeated the Miami Heat (32 - 26) 101 - 89, Saturday afternoon at TD Garden. This clash of top Eastern teams featured Miami's top - five defense, which holds opponents to an average of 97 points per game versus Boston's top - five offense, which scores an average of 106 points per game, including 118 over their last seven. Boston had the advantage at home, where they have now won 10 in a row and boast a record of 19 - 10. The Heat now sit two games behind the third place Celtics and have gone 3 - 2 in their last five games. The Celtics only hit 40 percent of their shots but supplemented that by hitting 18 - 22 free throws and forcing 20 Miami turnovers. They also moved the ball very well, leading to 26 assists on 39 field goals. Nine players logged 19 or more minutes for Boston and six of them scored in double digits, while adding at least two rebounds or assists. Marcus Smart led the team in scoring with 15 points (5 - 9 FG, 1 - 2 3Pt, 4 - 5 FT), six rebounds and three assists, in 27 minutes off the bench. Jared Sullinger double - doubled with 12 points (5 - 13 FG, 2 - 2 FT) and 12 rebounds, along with four assists, three blocks and two steals, in 24 minutes. Evan Turner also filled the stat line with 14 points (6 - 12 FG, 2 - 3 FT), nine assists, six rebounds and one steal, in 28 minutes. The Heat got out to a quick start but could not hang on. They held the Celtics, who have averaged 118 points over their last seven games, to only 101 in this one by rebounding, blocking and contesting shots and holding the Celtics to 40 percent from the field. However, Miami could not find the offense it needed to win. Goran Dragic led the way in scoring with 21 points (9 - 15 FG, 1 - 4 3Pt, 2 - 2 FT), along with five rebounds and five assists, in 34 minutes. Dwyane Wade chipped in 19 points (7 - 19 FG, 0 - 1 3Pt, 5 - 7 FT), five rebounds and three assists, in 33 minutes, while Hassan Whiteside tallied a double - double in 32 minutes off the bench, with 13 points (5 - 9 FG, 3 - 3 FT) and 15 rebounds, along with an emphatic eight blocks. The Heat will head straight to New York, where they take on the Knicks on Sunday. The Celtics host the Jazz on Monday.

["TeamStat(G,'Celtics') has 26 Number of team assists ,has 25 Losses ,has 101 Total points ,has 35 Points in 4th quarter ." "TeamStat(G,'Heat') has 19 Number of team assists ,has 26 Losses ,has 89 Total points ,has 19 Points in 4th quarter ,has 32 Wins ."]

The Grizzlies and Rockets have been rivals for a few years now and this game had a playoff atmosphere to it. The Rockets took a 13 - point lead headed into the half, but the Grizzlies outscored them by 18 in the second half for a comeback win. Shooting killed Houston, as they hit just 40 percent of their shots and went just 10 - of - 41 from three - point range. Rebounding was a huge factor for the Grizzlies, as they won that battle, 45 - 31. Tony Allen was the player of the game, as he led Memphis with 22 points, four rebounds and three assists on 9 - of - 10 shooting. Mike Conley provided 17 points, six rebounds and nine assists. Marc Gasol collected 14 points, six rebounds and six assists, despite committing six turnovers. Zach Randolph recorded a 16 - point, 12 - rebound double - double. James Harden was the only Houston player with more than 13 points, as he accumulated 27, while also adding three rebounds and nine assists.

["TeamStat(G,'Rockets') has 40 Percentage of field goals ."]

The Los Angeles Lakers (16 - 59) defeated the Miami Heat (43 - 31) in overtime, 102 - 100, at Staples Center on Wednesday. Julius Randle, alongside the Lakers youth, led the charge with an impressive all around performance against the Heat. Kobe Bryant and Dwyane Wade faced off for the last time, and the Staples Center energy was alive and well given the improvement Randle and D’Angelo Russell have shown through the past few week. Wade still has the clutch gene, and with 23 seconds left in overtime, he drove the lane and finished at the rim to tie the game at 100 points a piece, but Randle took what the defense gave him and showed off a filthy crossover - spin move combo, which led to the game winning floater with 2 seconds on the clock. D’Angelo Russell may be dealing with some disturbances in the locker room, but he was instrumental in the overtime period, as he scored on back - to - back possessions, even with the Miami Heat clawing back and finding a way to answer the Lakers surge. Kobe Bryant exited the game before the end of the first half and it was listed as general soreness. Jordan Clarkson led all scorers and provided needed free throws in the fourth quarter. The sophomore guard finished with 26 points, six rebounds and one assist, while Julius Randle added his 33rd double - double of the season with 13 points and 14 rebounds. Wade matched Clarkson’s 26 points, and added 10 rebounds and five assists to round out the box score, but it was Hassan Whiteside’s monstrous 18 points, 17 rebounds and seven blocks that stuck out the most. The Heat were thin in terms of the roster, and Whiteside technically came off the bench even though he registered 38 minutes of action. Luol Deng looked to bust out of his scoring slump, and provided 22 points and 11 rebounds in the loss, although the veteran is averaging his lowest point total since his rookie year. The Heat will head north and face the Sacramento Kings (30 - 45) on Friday, while the Lakers will enjoy a few days off before hosting the Boston Celtics (43 - 31) on Sunday.

["TeamStat(G,'Lakers') has 59 Losses ,has 102 Total points ,has 16 Wins ." "TeamStat(G,'Heat') has 31 Losses ,has 100 Total points ,has 43 Wins ."]

The Oklahoma City Thunder (5 - 3) routed the Washington Wizards (3 - 4) 125 - 101 on Tuesday thanks to a Westbrook triple - double. In the Kevin Durant homecoming game, the Thunder shut down the Wizards despite an injury to Durant. The Washington native left at halftime with a hamstring injury and failed to return for the second half. Washington committed just seven turnovers in the loss, but allowed Oklahoma City to out - rebound and out - assist them in the loss. The Thunder also shot 51 percent from the field in theie victory. The Thunder grabbed a 14 - point lead in the first quarter and never looked back. They were led by another triple - double from Russell Westbrook, as he posted 22 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists in the victory. Durant finished the game with 14 points and 10 rebounds before leaving in just 17 minutes of play. Dion Waiters was the big game - changer off the bench though, as he dropped 25 points on 7 - of - 10 shooting. The Thunder will take on the Philadelphia 76ers in a big mismatch on Friday in their next game. Bradley Beal missed this game with a shoulder injury and it clearly hurt the Wizards here in a blowout loss. The team shot below 40 percent from the field and below 21 percent from three - point range. Washington needed a huge game from John Wall in the absence of Beal and he likely played his worst game of the season, tallying just nine points, five assists and two rebounds. This is not the way Washington wanted to come out in the Durant homecoming game and they should be in a feisty mood for their next matchup against the Orlando Magic on Saturday.

["TeamStat(G,'Wizards') has 4 Percentage of field goals ,has 101 Losses ,has 3 Total points ." "TeamStat(G,'Thunder') has 51 Percentage of field goals ,has 3 Losses ,has 125 Total points ,has 5 Wins ."]

The Chicago Bulls (14 - 8) defeated the Philadelphia 76ers (1 - 25) by the convincing score of 115 - 96, on Monday night in Chicago. The Bulls are now 30, with two games to go on their current five - game home stand. Philadelphia has now lost six in a row. After a booming 37 point second quarter the 76ers had the lead 56 - 51 heading into half time. However, the Bulls responded with a 34 - 12 third quarter and crushed all chance of an upset. Jimmy Butler led Chicago in scoring, finishing with 23 points on 8 - 14 shooting from the field, along with three rebounds, three assists, two steals and one block, in 28 minutes. Tony Snell chipped in a solid double - double with 16 points and 11 rebounds, as well as one assist and two steals, in 36 minutes. Nikola Mirotic added 17 points, while Doug McDermott added 13 points and eight rebounds. Joakim Noah was electric off the bench, as usual, contributing five points, 15 rebounds, eight assists and two blocked shots, in 21 minutes. The 76ers had a strong start but unraveled after half time. Jahlil Okafor had a solid performance with 22 points on 9 - 17 shooting, eight rebounds, one assist, one steal and one block, in 33 minutes. Robert Covington added 15 points but struggled shooting, going 3 - 11 from behind the arc. He also had six rebounds and two blocked shots. Tony Wroten was easing back into things and finished with 12 points on 4 - 11 shooting, but zero assists, in 17 minutes. The 6ers have to hope for a little more from him going forward. Nerlens Noel sat this one out due to a corneal abrasion that he suffered in the previous game. The 76ers are still winless on the road this season and therefore should be glad to be finishing up their current three - game road trip with a match in Atlanta on Wednesday. Chicago will look to stay perfect on their current home stand as they host Memphis on Wednesday.

["TeamStat(G,'Bulls') has 8 Losses ,has 115 Total points ,has 34 Points in 2nd quarter ,has 30 Points in 3rd quarter ,has 14 Points in 4th quarter ." "TeamStat(G,'76ers') has 25 Losses ,has 96 Total points ,has 37 Points in 2nd quarter ,has 12 Points in 3rd quarter ,has 1 Points in 4th quarter ."]

The Portland Trail Blazers (11 - 15) defeated the New Orleans Pelicans (6 - 18) 105 - 101 on Monday night. In a tightly contested game, the Blazers simply made more plays late than the Pelicans to pull out a big win. The teams both shot 44 percent from the field, but the big differences were on the glass and the ball movement. The Trail Blazers outrebounded the Pelicans 50 - 41 and outassisted them 28 to 15. The starting units were also a difference - maker, as Portland’s starters scored 73 points to New Orleans 58 points. The Pelicans have had a rough season and the defense continues to let them down. They still rank dead - last in points allowed and struggle at rebounding as well. They are also 1 - 12 on the road this season, so that doesn’t help their cause much either. Anthony Davis led the team with 28 points, nine rebounds and five blocks in the loss. Tyreke Evans also had another impressive outing, as he tallied 19 points, 12 rebounds, five assists and four steals. The talent is clearly there, but they simply need to play better defense if they want to win some games. New Orleans will play the offensively - challenged Utah Jazz on Wednesday and will look to get their defense going then. The Blazers continue to be led by point guard Damian Lillard and he is single - handedly carrying this team to victories right now. Tonight, he dropped 30 points while making 11 - of - 12 free throws. Mason Plumlee also had a great game, as he tallied 15 points, 13 rebounds, and six assists in the win. This is what they need, as the frontcourt has been subpar all season. This is an exciting team to watch with their guard - play, but it's not the recipe to win NBA games when they have no dominant post presence. Portland will look to build off this win when they play the Oklahoma City Thunder on Wednesday.

["TeamStat(G,'Trail Blazers') has 28 Number of team assists ,has 15 Losses ,has 105 Total points ,has 28 Points in 3rd quarter ,has 50 Rebounds ,has 15 Turnovers ,has 11 Wins ." "TeamStat(G,'Pelicans') has 15 Number of team assists ,has 18 Losses ,has 101 Total points ,has 41 Points in 3rd quarter ,has 6 Rebounds ."]

The Los Angeles Clippers (53 - 28) defeated the Memphis Grizzlies (42 - 39) at Staples Center on Tuesday, 110 - 84. The Clippers shot lights out from the field, spread the ball, limited minutes as a whole and had six members finish in double figures on their way to a relatively easy win to close out their last home game of the regular season. J.J. Redick left the game with a bruised left heel, and it is unlikely that he will play in the Clippers' final game of the season Wednesday, but initial reports suggest it is only a minor setback before the playoffs. Before exiting, Redick added 11 points on three treys in just under 13 minutes. Chris Paul led the way with 12 points and 13 assists in 26 minutes, while Blake Griffin contributed 12 points, seven rebounds and four assists in 23 minutes. Jeff Green and Paul Pierce combined for 24 points off the bench and each saw a share of 20 - plus minutes. The Grizzlies were unable to find shot selection around the perimeter and finished 25 percent as a unit from behind the arc. The loss puts the 5 - seed in the Western Conference in the hands of the Portland Trail Blazers on Wednesday, as a Blazers win locks the series against the Clippers in the first round of the playoffs, while the Grizzlies would be dealt the Oklahoma City Thunder or San Antonio Spurs. It is impressive that the Grizzlies barely moved position, even with the onslaught of injuries to Dave Joerger’s team. Zach Randolph led all Memphis scorers with just 14 points on 7 - of - 15 shooting, and added four rebounds, while the remaining starters were left below double figures. Chris Paul almost out - assisted the entirety of the Grizzlies, as they finished with just 16 as a whole after ball movement seemed stagnant. The Grizzlies need to win on the road against the Golden State Warriors (72 - 9) on Wednesday and receive help from both the Blazers and Mavericks to solidify a stronger seed in the playoffs. The Clippers close out the season on the road against the Phoenix Suns (22 - 59).

["TeamStat(G,'Clippers') has 28 Number of team assists ,has 110 Percentage of 3 points ,has 53 Losses ." "TeamStat(G,'Grizzlies') has 16 Number of team assists ,has 25 Percentage of 3 points ,has 39 Losses ,has 84 Total points ,has 16 Turnovers ,has 42 Wins ."]

The Charlotte Hornets (40 - 30) upset the San Antonio Spurs (59 - 11) 91 - 88 on Monday. Considering the way the game started, Monday night's outcome could well be one of the unlikeliest of the season. San Antonio, riding high after an 87 - 79 suffocation of the Golden State Warriors on Saturday night, thoroughly dominated the Hornets over the first 12 minutes. The Spurs led by the remarkable margin of 28 - 7 after one quarter, holding their hosts to 3 - for - 21 shooting and forcing five turnovers. However, Charlotte mounted a steady comeback throughout the rest of the game with Jeremy Lin, Courtney Lee and Nicolas Batum all playing key roles. Ultimately, the Hornets saw Lin score 15 of his 29 points in the fourth quarter, and they withstood two three - point attempts from Patty Mills and Danny Green at the end of regulation to hold on for the victory. The Spurs were led by Tony Parker's 19 points, which he complemented with seven assists, five rebounds, a steal and two blocks. LaMarcus Aldridge was right behind with 18 points, 12 rebounds, five assists and a block. Tim Duncan was excellent in his return to the starting lineup, posting a 16 - point, 10 - rebound double - double that also included two assists, two steals and four blocks. Kawhi Leonard pitched in with 15 points, six rebounds and two steals. The Spurs remain atop the Western Conference's Southwest Division, and currently hold the second seed in the conference as well. They'll be back home Wednesday to face off against the Miami Heat. Lin added seven rebounds, two assists and a steal to his game - high scoring total, which included four three - pointers. Lee was next with 17 points, two assists, two rebounds and four steals. Batum registered 15 points, six rebounds, three assists, a steal and a block. Cody Zeller could only contribute a modest six points, but did haul in 14 boards and dished out three assists. He also recorded a steal. The Hornets are currently in third place in the Eastern Conference's Southeast Division, and have a hold of the sixth seed in the conference as well. They head to Brooklyn to take on the Nets on Tuesday.

["TeamStat(G,'Hornets') has 30 Losses ,has 91 Total points ,has 7 Points in 1st quarter ,has 29 Points in 2nd quarter ,has 40 Wins ." "TeamStat(G,'Spurs') has 11 Losses ,has 88 Total points ,has 28 Points in 1st quarter ,has 59 Points in 2nd quarter ."]

The Washington Wizards (12 - 14) defeated the Sacramento Kings (11 - 17) 113 - 99 on Monday. John Wall has unsurprisingly been outstanding in the absence of backcourt mate Bradley Beal while the latter is sidelined with a lower leg injury, but it was another Wizards stalwart that stole the show against the Kings. Marcin Gortat exploded for a 27 - point, 16 - rebound double - double in which he made a season - high 19 shot attempts. The scoring total was also a high - water mark on the season for the nine - year veteran, and he's now managed double - doubles in four of the last seven contests. While Wall and Garrett Temple each had notable contributions of their own, the Wizards' big man spearheaded the Washington attack with his best performance of the season. The visitors endured a sub - par night from their starting five, with only DeMarcus Cousins (22 points, eight rebounds, three assists, three steals and a block) and Rudy Gay (16 points, seven rebounds, two steals and a block) managing double - digit scoring efforts. Rajon Rondo struggled through a 1 for 7 shooting performance that netted a season - low two points, and could only contribute nine assists and a steal otherwise. Quality reserves Marco Bellinelli and Darren Collison led the Kings' bench with 15 - and - 13 point outings, respectively. Sacramento could only muster 41 percent shooting from the field, and a 32 percent figure from beyond the arc. The Kings fell to 11 - 17 and remain in fourth place in the Western Conference's Pacific Division. They face off against the Indiana Pacers in a Wednesday road tilt. Wall supplemented Gortat's breakout night with a career - high 19 assists, and added 12 points, a pair of rebounds and four steals. Although he shot particularly poorly (27 percent) for the third time in four games, the All-Star point guard proved his vast worth by setting up his teammates continuously for scoring opportunities. Temple also provided outstanding offensive support, managing his second straight 20 - point performance with a 23 - point, five - rebound, three - assist tally over a robust 42 minutes. Jared Dudley was the fourth Washington starter in double digits with 13 points, while Ramon Sessions and Kris Humphries paced the Wizards bench with a pair of 15 - point efforts. Washington improved to 12 - 14 but remains in last place in the Eastern Conference's Southeast Division. They are home again Wednesday for a showdown with the Memphis Grizzlies.

["TeamStat(G,'Wizards') has 14 Percentage of 3 points ,has 113 Percentage of field goals ,has 12 Losses ." "TeamStat(G,'Kings') has 32 Percentage of 3 points ,has 41 Percentage of field goals ,has 17 Losses ,has 99 Total points ,has 15 Points in 4th quarter ,has 15 Turnovers ,has 11 Wins ."]

The Oklahoma city Thunder (19 - 9) defeated the host Los Angeles Clippers (16 - 13) 100 - 99 at Staples Center on Monday thanks to two clutch plays by Kevin Durant in the waning seconds. Durant hit a 19 - footer with 6 seconds remaining to give the Thunder the lead, then blocked a game - winning attempt by Chris Paul at the buzzer to seal the victory. Paul, who totaled 32 points and 10 assists, gave the Clippers a 99 - 98 lead with 10 seconds left on a driving layup, but he could n't overcome Durant, who finished with 24 points, nine rebounds, seven assists and two steals. Russell Westbrook scored a game - high 33 points to lead the Thunder to their 11th win in 14 games. He added seven assists, five rebounds and three steals. Serge Ibaka totaled 17 points and eight rebounds. J.J. Redick and Blake Griffin both scored 15 for the Clippers, who lost their third straight. The Thunder will play again at Staples Center on Wednesday as they face the Los Angeles Lakers, whom they beat by 40 points Saturday. The Clippers' next game is also against the Lakers, on Christmas.

["TeamStat(G,'Clippers') has 13 Losses ,has 99 Total points ,has 16 Wins ." "TeamStat(G,'Thunder') has 9 Losses ,has 100 Total points ,has 19 Wins ."]

The Milwaukee Bucks (33 - 29) defeated the Washington Wizards (35 - 28) 91 - 85 on Saturday at the BMO Harris Bradley Center in Milwaukee. With the game tied late in the fourth quarter, Khris Middleton came up clutch for the Bucks, and hit a three - pointer with just over 40 seconds left in the game to put them up three. After making a stop on the defensive side of the ball, they went on to hit their free throws, and sealed the six - point victory in front of their home crowd. This game marked a big win for the Bucks, who had lost four games in a row. They've now pulled within a game and a half of the Wizards for the fifth spot in the Eastern Conference standings. Helping secure the win, the Bucks shot 46 percent from the field and 50 percent from the three - point line, while the Wizards finished at 38 percent from the floor and just 32 percent from deep. Including the huge three - pointer in the closing minute of the game, Middleton went 11 - for - 20 from the field and 6 - for - 9 from the three - point line to score a game - high of 30 points, while adding nine rebounds and two steals as well. It was his first 30 - point showing of the season, as it marked a new season - high for the guard. He's averaging 21 points, 7 rebounds and 3 assists over his last three games. Michael Carter-Williams also played a factor in the win, as he finished with 12 points (6 - 11 FG, 0 - 1 3Pt) and nine assists in 27 minutes. Often criticized for his shooting, it was good to see him shoot over 50 percent from the field for the fourth time over his last six games. Jerryd Bayless gave a solid contribution from the bench, recording 13 points (4 - 8 FG, 1 - 1 3Pt, 4 - 4 FT), four rebounds and four assists in 21 minutes. The only other Buck reaching double figures in points was Ersan Ilyasova, who posted 10 points (4 - 7 FG, 2 - 3 3Pt) and five rebounds in 23 minutes as a starter. With Bradley Beal receiving the night off for rest, the Wizards seemed to struggle offensively. Paul Pierce led the team in scoring, finishing with 14 points (4 - 15 FG, 3 - 9 3Pt, 3 - 4 FT), to go along with eight rebounds in 24 minutes. He's now averaging 16 points and 4 rebounds over his last five games. John Wall struggled with his shot and recorded just 11 points (3 - 14 FG, 2 - 6 3Pt, 3 - 5 FT), but he did add nine rebounds, six assists and two steals, as he provided a little bit of everything else. It marked his second consecutive poor shooting performance, considering he's combined to go just 5 - for - 21 from the field and 2 - for - 9 from the three - point line over his last two games. He's still averaging 17 points and 10 assists on the season, so expect him to return to form in the next few games. The only other starter in double figures was Marcin Gortat, who posted 10 points (5 - 7 FG) and nine rebounds. Coming off the bench, Garrett Temple added 11 points (4 - 6 FG, 1 - 2 3Pt, 2 - 4 FT), while Ramon Sessions chipped in with 10 points (4 - 7 FG, 1 - 1 3Pt, 1 - 1 FT) of his own. The Bucks' next game will be at home against the New Orleans Pelicans on Monday, while the Wizards will travel to Charlotte to play the Hornets on Monday.

["TeamStat(G,'Bucks') has 50 Percentage of 3 points ,has 46 Percentage of field goals ,has 29 Losses ,has 91 Total points ,has 33 Wins ." "TeamStat(G,'Wizards') has 32 Percentage of 3 points ,has 38 Percentage of field goals ,has 28 Losses ,has 85 Total points ,has 35 Wins ."]

The Oklahoma City Thunder defeated the Memphis Grizzlies, 103 - 95, at Chesapeake Energy Arena on Wednesday. Wire-to-wire wins in the NBA usually indicate a blowout, but that was far from the case here. In fact, the Thunder never led by more than 12, as this was a single - digit game for well over 40 minutes. Oklahoma City did most of their damage in the first half, as they took an 11 - point lead into the locker room. Memphis struggled with their shots all night, as they went 41 percent from the field, 57 percent from the free - throw line and 29 percent from three - point range. Defensive rebounding was key for Oklahoma City, winning that battle, 42 - 26. The Grizzlies (24 - 17) had a tough task against the Thunder and just could n't quite make a big enough run to grab that elusive lead. Mike Conley led the team, accruing 22 points, four rebounds, six assists and three steals. Chandler Parsons had one of his best games for Memphis, dropping 14 points in 18 minutes. Zach Randolph was huge off the bench, amassing 14 points and nine rebounds. Marc Gasol went just 4 - of - 12 from the field, but finished with nine points, seven rebounds, seven assists, two steals and two blocks. Memphis will be in Houston for their next game on Friday, as they look to slow down a potent Rockets offense. The Thunder (24 - 16) have now won three - straight games, as Russell Westbrook continues to add to his historic numbers. Westbrook recorded another triple - double, accumulating 24 points, 13 rebounds and 12 assists. His efficiency numbers were n't pretty though, as he committed six turnovers and went 6 - of - 19 from the field and 0 - of - 7 from three - point range. Enes Kanter was second on the team, as he totaled 19 points and 13 rebounds off the bench. Steven Adams provided 12 points and eight rebounds, while playing elite defense against Gasol. Victor Oladipo was second among starters, collecting 16 points, three rebounds and two assists. The Thunder start a six - game road trip on Friday against the Minnesota Timberwolves.

["TeamStat(G,'Thunder') has 16 Percentage of 3 points ,has 103 Percentage of field goals ,has 24 Losses ." "TeamStat(G,'Grizzlies') has 29 Percentage of 3 points ,has 41 Percentage of field goals ,has 17 Losses ,has 95 Total points ,has 24 Wins ."]

The Phoenix Suns (18 - 49) defeated the visiting Minnesota Timberwolves (21 - 46) 107 - 104, on Monday at Talking Stick Resort Arena. The Timberwolves came into this game on a high, having defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder in their last contest, but were met by an unrelenting Phoenix team that grinded until the very end of this one; a game that featured 14 lead changes, 15 ties and a wild, last - second finish. The Timberwolves were up by one, with nine seconds left when Zach LaVine attempted to use Minnesota's foul - to - give on Devin Booker. Booker however, managed to throw up a wild shot that dropped, leading to a three - point play that put the Suns up by two. The Timberwolves responded with a set play that had Andrew Wiggins driving to the basket for a lay up, but with 5 seconds on the clock the Suns immediately called timeout. Then off the inbound, Mirza Teletovic hit a fading three - point shot to give the Suns the win. Teletovic had the hot hand all game, as he finished with 21 points (7 - 12 FG, 5 - 9 3Pt, 2 - 2 FT), along with eight rebounds and one steal, in 30 minutes off the bench. Meanwhile, it was P.J. Tucker who led the Suns in scoring and rebounding as he finished with a double - double, including 23 points (9 - 18 FG, 3 - 6 3Pt, 2 - 2 FT), along with 12 rebounds, five assists and two steals, 40 minutes. Tyson Chandler had a solid game, with 14 points, 11 rebounds and two blocked shots, in 30 minutes. The Suns refusal to give up allowed them to overcome the odds, and their 24 turnovers in this one. Zach LaVine had a huge game for the Timberwolves, as he dropped 28 points (10 - 15 FG, 3 - 7 3Pt, 5 - 6 FT), in 32 minutes. Ricky Rubio tied a career and franchise - high for total assists as he dished 17 dimes along with 13 points, four steals and three rebounds, in 36 minutes. Karl Anthony-Towns also had a nice game with 17 points and 10 rebounds, while Andrew Wiggins chipped in 22 points, four rebounds, two assists and two steals. The Timberwolves were heavily out - rebounded, 57 - 36, which really made the difference, especially in the final minutes. Next, the Timberwolves will play in Memphis, on Wednesday. The Suns head to Utah for a contest on Thursday.

["TeamStat(G,'Suns') has 49 Losses ,has 107 Total points ,has 57 Rebounds ,has 18 Wins ." "TeamStat(G,'Timberwolves') has 46 Losses ,has 104 Total points ,has 36 Rebounds ,has 21 Wins ."]

The Washington Wizards (37 - 39) defeated the Phoenix Suns (20 - 56) 106 - 99 on Friday. In a battle between two bad defenses, the offenses really struggled. Especially Phoenix, as they shot 39 percent from the field and 30 percent from three - point range. The fourth quarter is where the Wizards really turned it on, as they outscored the Suns 29 to 20. The Suns actually dominated the rebounding, as they brought down 56 boards to the Wizards 44. Washington has seen its playoff hopes slip in recent weeks, but this win keeps some hope alive. The Wizards are now within three games of the final playoff spot in the East, albeit with only six games left. John Wall was huge in this must win, as he accumulated 22 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds. Markieff Morris made his return to Phoenix and destroyed his team to the tune of 21 points and nine boards. Bradley Beal also provided 21 points in the win. Up next for the Wizards is a matchup with the Los Angeles Clippers on Sunday. The struggles continue for Phoenix and these sort of games have been far too common. Brandon Knight missed yet another game, as he is dealing with a sports hernia. Tyson Chandler stepped up in his absence though, as he amassed 11 points and 15 rebounds. Mirza Teletovic led the team with 24 points off the bench and also snatched down 12 rebounds. P.J. Tucker provided 18 points and 10 rebounds of his own. On deck for the Suns is a matchup with the Utah Jazz on Sunday.

["TeamStat(G,'Suns') has 30 Percentage of 3 points ,has 39 Percentage of field goals ,has 56 Losses ,has 99 Total points ,has 20 Points in 4th quarter ,has 56 Rebounds ,has 20 Wins ." "TeamStat(G,'Wizards') has 44 Percentage of 3 points ,has 39 Percentage of field goals ,has 106 Losses ,has 29 Total points ,has 44 Points in 4th quarter ,has 37 Rebounds ."]

The Milwaukee Bucks (10 - 7) defeated the Detroit Pistons (3 - 13) 104 - 88 on Friday. Milwaukee has won three straight games, and the deeper they get into the season, the more believable the Bucks' turnaround under coach Jason Kidd appears to be a sustainable change. The Bucks gave all five of the bench players they used at least 22 minutes. Ersan Ilyasova paced the team with 22 points in 31 minutes off the bench. Larry Sanders played just 11 minutes as the Bucks opted to use Giannis Antetokounmpo for stretches at center with Zaza Pachulia (personal) and John Henson (foot) unavailable Friday. They'll return home to host the Houston Rockets on Saturday. Detroit has dropped seven straight games. They were again without Brandon Jennings (sprained thumb) for a third straight game. Despite their struggles, the Pistons have watched Andre Drummond pick up his production over the last few games. Drummond posted game - highs of 26 points and 20 rebounds in 38 minutes Friday. The Pistons will stay home and host the Golden State Warriors on Sunday.

["TeamStat(G,'Pistons') has 13 Losses ,has 88 Total points ,has 3 Wins ." "TeamStat(G,'Bucks') has 7 Losses ,has 104 Total points ,has 10 Wins ."]

The Dallas Mavericks (6 - 4) defeated the Houston Rockets (4 - 6) 110 - 98 on Saturday. The Mavericks pulled off an impressive upset over a struggling Rockets team thanks to some depth and good defense. The biggest discrepancy in the game were the bench points, as the Mavericks bench outscored the Rockets bench 44 - 32 in the victory, which was a much more lopsided number until a late hot - streak from Jason Terry. Dallas also shot 48 percent from the field, while Houston could only hit 38 percent of their shots. Both these teams are going in opposite directions right now and this game is indicative of the team's recent forms. The Mavericks played well yet again on Saturday and they appear to be finding their rhythm. This now gives them four wins in their last five games and they have been averaging over 110 points a game in that stretch. The impressive part of this win is that they did it in the absence of Dirk Nowitzki, Chandler Parsons and Wesley Matthews, who were all resting on Saturday. Dallas got some great starts from Charlie Villanueva and Raymond Felton, who totaled 42 points and 11 rebounds in the absence of Nowitzki and Matthews. Most basketball fans wrote off the Mavericks at the beginning of the season, but they are proving to be a force to be reckoned with right now. They'll look to keep up the good form in a game where they'll be favored against the Philadelphia 76ers on Monday The Rockets put in another poor performance once again at home in whats been a disappointing season thus far, The Rockets were led by Terrence Jones who tallied 23 points, six rebounds and three blocks in the loss. James Harden put together another good line, but it was a poor performance from the MVP candidate. In fact, he started with 11 straight misses and ended the game shooting 5 - for - 21 with six turnovers committed in the loss. He did got 14 - for - 14 from the free - throw line to salvage his line, but the Rockets need better shooting out of their superstar. This is not the same Rockets team from last year and they have some major work to do to pull themselves out of this hole they are digging. They'll start that digging against the Boston Celtics on Monday.

["TeamStat(G,'Rockets') has 38 Percentage of field goals ,has 6 Losses ,has 98 Total points ,has 4 Wins ." "TeamStat(G,'Mavericks') has 48 Percentage of field goals ,has 4 Losses ,has 110 Total points ,has 6 Wins ."]

The visiting Memphis Grizzlies snapped the host Los Angeles Clippers' seven - game win streak with a 111 - 107 win on Wednesday. After a historically strong start to the season, the Clippers (10 - 2) took their second loss in heartbreaking fashion. Memphis came out strong in the second quarter, establishing a 15 - point lead by halftime. Los Angeles was able to fight back and hold the lead with under 30 seconds to go in the game. However, a foul and turnover put the Clippers up just one with 14 seconds remaining, at which point Grizzlies' (6 - 5) center Marc Gasol hit a game - winning three - pointer. The Clippers missed their opportunity to tie or win on the final possession, as the ball slipped out of guard J.J. Redick's hands to give Memphis the game. Memphis was able to do what no team had done to Los Angeles yet this season: score in bunches from beyond the three - point line. The Grizzlies hit 15 three - pointers on 57 percent shooting from beyond the arc. 11 of those makes came from point guard Mike Conley, who led the team with 30 points, and Gasol, who had 26 points and the game - winner. Conley was able to shoot 9 - of - 12 from the field while also dishing out eight assists and holding Clippers' All-Star Chris Paul to just nine points. Los Angeles, meanwhile, struggled in large part due to Paul's off night. The All-Star had just nine points on 3 - of - 11 shooting, and recorded only six assists. While Redick, who ultimately fumbled the potential game - winner, had a season - high 29 points, while he accounted for seven of the Clippers' nine three - pointers. All-Star forward Blake Griffin was integral in leading the comeback effort for LA, however, posting 25 points, eight rebounds, and three assists without a turnover. Both teams will take the road on Friday, with the Grizzlies visiting Dallas and the Clippers seeing Sacramento.

["TeamStat(G,'Clippers') has 2 Losses ,has 107 Total points ,has 10 Wins ." "TeamStat(G,'Grizzlies') has 5 Losses ,has 111 Total points ,has 6 Wins ."]

The Cleveland Cavaliers defeated the Los Angeles Lakers 125 - 120 at Staples Center on Sunday. The Cavaliers (46 - 23) and Lakers (20 - 50) provided some showtime moments after LeBron James, Kyrie Irving and D'Angelo Russell put on a show at Staples Center. The competitive back - and - forth affair saw the Lakers up 10 points heading into the fourth quarter, but Irving proved too much to handle in crunch time as the Cavaliers dumped 43 fourth quarter points on Los Angeles. Irving knocked down a pair of free throws before hitting the step - back go ahead three pointer to extend a three point lead for Cleveland. LeBron James aided the close out for Cleveland throughout the leftover 4:0 minutes of action. Irving finished with a game high 46 points, to go with three assists and two rebounds on 15 - of - 21 shooting. James added 34 points, six boards and seven assists, while Kevin Love posted a double - double with 21 points and 15 rebounds. Cleveland opted to go four players deep on the bench, with both Richard Jefferson and J.R. Smith seeing 27 - plus minutes of play. Smith was unable to knock down a three - pointer in the contest where he finished 0 - of - 5 from deep. D'Angelo Russell scored 40 points, which marks a career high, and added six assists and two rebounds. All five Lakers starters finished in double figures scoring, with Jordan Clarkson leading the remainders with 19 points, while Julius Randle pitched in 10 points, seven assists and seven rebounds. Next up, the Lakers host the Los Angeles Clippers on Tuesday, while the Cavaliers visit the Denver Nuggets on Wednesday.

["TeamStat(G,'Lakers') has 50 Losses ,has 120 Total points ,has 5 Points in 3rd quarter ,has 20 Points in 4th quarter ." "TeamStat(G,'Cavaliers') has 23 Losses ,has 125 Total points ,has 27 Points in 3rd quarter ,has 43 Points in 4th quarter ,has 46 Turnovers ."]

The Atlanta Hawks (58 - 19) throttled the Phoenix Suns (39 - 39), 96 - 69, Tuesday at the Philips Arena to set a new franchise record for wins in a season. After looking a little sluggish in late March, the Hawks have opened April with two blowout victories. The Hawks dominated the glass even without Paul Millsap, out - rebounding the Suns by 17. The Suns struggled across the board on offense with a paltry 31.% field goal percentage. All of Phoenix's starters were held to single digit points and the only Phoenix player to score in double figures was Gerald Green with 15 off the bench. Atlanta completed its first season sweep of Phoenix since the 1991 - 92 season. Phoenix's already dim playoff hopes may have been extinguished Tuesday with a blowout loss. The Suns' starters combined for just 38 points, low - lighted by P.J Tucker's five points on 2 - of - 10 shooting. On the injury front, it was reported earlier Tuesday that point guard Brandon Knight would likely miss the remainder of the season as he continues to be hampered by lingering ankle injuries. The Suns will finish off their back - to - back set Wednesday in Dallas. Atlanta looked dominant throughout Tuesday's contest, holding Phoenix to under 20 points in three quarters and just 26 points in the second half. Mike Muscala got the start for Paul Millsap, who was sidelined with a shoulder injury. Muscala took advantage of the added playing time by putting up 16 points, seven rebounds, and four steals and finished with a plus - 28 +/ - rating. Dennis Schroder returned from a two game absence, but he was capped to just 15 minutes on the floor. The Hawks will head to Brooklyn to take on the Nets on Wednesday, their second matchup in under a week.

["TeamStat(G,'Hawks') has 19 Losses ,has 96 Total points ,has 17 Points in 1st quarter ,has 58 Points in 2nd quarter ." "TeamStat(G,'Suns') has 39 Losses ,has 69 Total points ,has 17 Points in 1st quarter ,has 26 Points in 2nd quarter ,has 15 Points in 3rd quarter ,has 39 Turnovers ."]

The Golden State Warriors defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder, 118 - 91, in Game 2 on Wednesday at Oracle Arena to even the Western Conference finals. The Warriors entered in the unfamiliar position of having their backs against the wall in a playoff series, and after only one game to boot. They appeared determined to build a formidable lead early, and boasted a 27 - 20 advantage after the first 12 minutes. Despite the quick deficit, the Thunder battled back in the second period, and knotted the game at 49 with 1:35 left before halftime on a Kevin Durant jumper. However, the Warriors used the final 90 seconds before intermission to go on a game - turning 80 run that featured a "you've got to be kidding" and - one play by Andre Iguodola. Golden State then kept the momentum going in the third quarter, putting plenty of distance between them and the Thunder by outscoring them 31 - 19. The dominating stretch was more than enough to allow for a final period that was markedly more relaxed for the Warriors than that of Monday's Game 1. The Thunder were considerably top - heavy scoring - wise, a major handicap when going up against a team with as diverse an attack as Golden State. Durant led the way with 29 points, and he added six rebounds, an assist and a steal. However, he also committed a game - high eight turnovers. Russell Westbrook tallied a 16 - point, 12 - assist double - double that also included a rebound and two steals. No other starter or reserve was able to achieve double - digit scoring, but Steven Adams did notably compile nine points and 10 rebounds. Among the starting five, Serge Ibaka was only able to pitch in with three points, although he did haul in eight rebounds and record a trio of steals. In contrast, the Warriors saw four of five starters enjoy productive nights, led by Stephen Curry's 28 points. He added three assists, two rebounds, and a steal. Klay Thompson followed with 15 points, four assists, two rebounds and a steal. Harrison Barnes contributed 11 points, six rebounds, and three assists. Draymond Green had a quiet game by his standards, but still filled up the stat sheet by collecting 10 points, eight rebounds, seven assists, two blocks and a steal. The second unit featured an additional three players with double - digit points, led by Iguodola's 14. He added three boards, an assist and three steals. Mareese Speights turned in one of his trademark ultra - efficient performances, supplying 13 points and a pair of rebounds in just nine minutes. Festus Ezeli got in on the fun as well, posting 12 points, five rebounds, an assist and a block. The two teams are now off until Sunday night, when they'll reconvene for Game 3 at Chesapeake Energy Arena in Oklahoma City with the series knotted in a 1 - 1 tie.

["TeamStat(G,'Warriors') has 1 Losses ,has 118 Total points ,has 27 Points in 1st quarter ,has 31 Points in 3rd quarter ,has 1 Wins ." "TeamStat(G,'Thunder') has 1 Losses ,has 91 Total points ,has 20 Points in 1st quarter ,has 19 Points in 3rd quarter ,has 1 Wins ."]

The Houston Rockets (28 - 12) defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder (18 - 20) on Thursday 112 - 10 in a game that was n't nearly as close as the score might indicate. Houston got out to a fast start, taking a commanding 44 - 18 lead by the 11 - minute mark in the second quarter. The Thunder cut the Rockets' lead to 10 early in the fourth, but Houston answered with a 120 run to effectively close out Oklahoma City. Houston ended the game shooting 47% from the floor, but was shooting above 50% for much of the contest. Oklahoma City came out flat after a long rest, having last played on Friday against Utah. Things wo n't get much easier for the Thunder, who host the Warriors on Friday before going on a five - game road trip next week against the likes of the Wizards and Hawks. Oklahoma City is now three and a half games behind Phoenix for the eighth seed in the West. Houston has now won both games against Oklahoma City this season, although Thursday's contest was drastically different than the 69 - 65 game in November where both teams shot under 30% from the floor. Point guard Patrick Beverley, who suffered a knee contusion Wednesday, was able to play 32 minutes and finished with 13 points and five rebounds. James Harden finished one rebound shy of a triple - double as he dropped 31 points, 10 assists, and nine rebounds on the Thunder. Houston will host Golden State on Saturday.

["TeamStat(G,'Rockets') has 12 Losses ,has 28 Wins ." "TeamStat(G,'Thunder') has 20 Losses ,has 18 Wins ."]

The Indiana Pacers (26 - 34) improved to over .500 at home this season with a 105 - 82 rout of the New York Knicks (12 - 48) on Wednesday at the Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Indiana opened up a 24 - point halftime lead and never looked back en route to its third straight win. The Pacers had a season - high 65 points in the first half. George Hill had a big night with a season - high 21 points to go with six assists over 27 minutes. The Pacers have taken both meetings against the Knicks by an average margin of 22 points. New York dropped its second game in as many nights and both losses were ugly. The Knicks were routed by nearly 40 points Tuesday and came out flat again Wednesday. Andrea Bargnani was the lone bright spot for the Knicks, putting up 25 points, four rebounds, and four assists. The Knicks will meet the Pacers again on Saturday at Madison Square Garden. Indiana improved to 5 - 1 since the All-Star break and has won its last two games by a combined 43 points. Roy Hibbert was rested for this game and Ian Mahinmi moved into the starting lineup in his place. Mahinmi finished with 6 points and eight rebounds over 24 minutes. Rodney Stuckey contributed 17 points in 19 minutes off the bench. The Pacers will return to action Friday when they host the banged up Bulls.

["TeamStat(G,'Pacers') has 34 Losses ,has 105 Total points ,has 26 Points in 2nd quarter ." "TeamStat(G,'Knicks') has 48 Losses ,has 82 Total points ,has 22 Points in 2nd quarter ,has 12 Wins ."]

The recent form of these teams would indicate an easy Milwaukee win, but Chicago had other ideas. The Bulls ended up shooting 54 percent from the field and 48 percent from three - point range, while the Bucks shot just 44 percent from the field and 30 percent from long distance. Rebounding was a huge factor as well, with Chicago winning that battle, 49 - 34. Nikola Mirotic led the Bulls in scoring, as he tallied 28 points and eight rebounds on 11 - of - 14 from the field. Jimmy Butler accrued 20 points, six rebounds, 14 assists and three steals. Rajon Rondo flirted with a triple - double, collecting 18 points, nine rebounds and nine assists. Giannis Antetokounmpo led Milwaukee with 22 points, eight rebounds and four assists. Greg Monroe came off the bench to provide 16 points and four rebounds. Malcolm Brogdon and Khris Middleton were the only other Bucks players in double figures, as they scored 14 points a piece.

["TeamStat(G,'Bucks') has 30 Percentage of 3 points ,has 44 Percentage of field goals ." "TeamStat(G,'Bulls') has 48 Percentage of 3 points ,has 54 Percentage of field goals ."]

The Wizards continue to be let down by their defense, as they had no rim protection in this loss. Not only did they allow the Raptors to shoot 56 percent from the field, they also allowed them to accrue 68 points in the paint. The bench production was a huge factor as well, with Toronto's five bench players combining for 34 points, 14 rebounds, 11 assists and seven steals. In contrast, Washington's five bench players finished with just 11 points, four rebounds and four assists combined. The 40 - point outing marks DeRozan's fourth - straight game with at least 32 points and he's the only player in the league to score 30 - plus in every game so far. The 33 points and 11 assists from John Wall make for his best game of the year, but the nine turnovers are a season - worst as well. Wall now has double - digit assists in all three games this season.

["TeamStat(G,'Raptors') has 56 Percentage of field goals ."]

The Portland Trail Blazers held on to defeat the streaking New Orleans Pelicans, 119 - 104, on Friday night at Moda Center. The Trail Blazers (9 - 9) improve to 5 - 3 at home thanks to a much - needed and hard - earned win. Portland came into this game allowing a league - worst 113 points against per game but stepped up their defense by holding the Pelicans who had scored an average of 116 points in their last four games, to 104 points. Damian Lillard led the way with 27 points and 11 assists, while C.J. McCollum added 24 points. Myers Leonard came up with 15 points on 6 - of - 11 shooting, in 22 minutes off the bench. The Blazers shot 47 percent from the field and scored more than 30 points in three quarters as they were able to off a late rally from New Orleans. Portland will see the second game of a four - game home stand as they host the Rockets on Sunday This was the Pelicans (6 - 11) first loss with Jrue Holiday in the lineup, as their four - game win streak came to an end. Holiday finished with 16 points on 6 - of - 13 shooting, along with five assists and four rebounds in 29 minutes off the bench. Anthony Davis led the way for the Pelicans, wit 31 points, along with 13 rebounds, a monstrous five blocks and two assists, in 43 minutes. New Orleans shot a sizzling 13 - of - 23 from long range but struggled from the foul line, going 19 - of - 29. The Pelicans will look to get back on track as they visit Dallas on Sunday.

["TeamStat(G,'Trail Blazers') has 47 Percentage of field goals ,has 9 Losses ,has 119 Total points ,has 9 Wins ." "TeamStat(G,'Pelicans') has 47 Percentage of field goals ,has 11 Losses ,has 104 Total points ,has 6 Wins ."]

The Minnesota Timberwolves (28 - 52) defeated the Portland Trail Blazers (43 - 38) 106 - 105 on Saturday. Minnesota, long eliminated from the playoffs, played as if they had something on the line Saturday. Down 28 - 21 after one quarter, the Timberwolves fought back to take a 53 - 49 lead by halftime. Both teams then played a nip - and - tuck second half, with the outcome of the game coming down to the closing seconds. Damian Lillard's 27 - foot three - pointer and subsequent free throw made it 105 - 104 Portland with three seconds remaining. However, Karl-Anthony Towns' basket off a Ricky Rubio pass with 2 seconds left made it 106 - 105 Minnesota, and when Damian Lillard's desperation 56 - foot three - point shot fell short, the Timberwolves had officially secured the hard - fought victory. The Timberwolves were led by Towns' 27 points, which he supplemented with nine rebounds, two assists and two blocks. Andrew Wiggins followed with 23 points, three rebounds and an assist. Zach Lavine pitched in with 10 points, three rebounds, an assist and a block. Shabazz Muhammad paced the reserves with 12 points, three boards and an assist. Nemanja Bjelica contributed a double - double off the bench, supplying 11 points, 10 rebounds, five assists, a steal and a block. The Timberwolves remain in last place in the Western Conference's Northwest Division. They're home against the Rockets on Monday. Portland was paced by Lillard's 31 points, which were complemented by seven assists, three rebounds and a steal. C.J. McCollum managed 21 points, seven assists and two rebounds. Mason Plumlee contributed a 15 - point, 15 - rebound double - double that also included two assists, two blocks and a steal. Al-Farouq Aminu posted 10 points, three rebounds, an assist and a block. The Trail Blazers remain in second place in the Western Conference's Northwest Division. They're home to close out the season against the Denver Nuggets on Wednesday.

["TeamStat(G,'Trail Blazers') has 38 Losses ,has 105 Total points ,has 28 Points in 1st quarter ,has 43 Wins ." "TeamStat(G,'Timberwolves') has 52 Losses ,has 106 Total points ,has 21 Points in 1st quarter ,has 28 Wins ."]

A suffocating defense keyed the comfortable victory for Cleveland, which held the Pistons to a 31 percent success rate from the field. Only one Detroit player, Jon Leuer, managed double - digit scoring. Irving paced Cleveland with a 25 - point, 11 - assist double - double, while James posted 21 points in his return from a one - game absence due to rest. Love put together a 12 - point, 13 - rebound double - double that also included an assist, and Tristan Thompson brought in 14 boards and recorded four blocks. The Pistons' top scorers were Tobias Harris and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, who each tallied a pair of nine - point efforts in the loss. Andre Drummond supplied a modest eight points, but he was able to haul in 10 rebounds, while Marcus Morris continued his offensive slump with a seven - point output on 3 - of - 11 shooting, making it his third straight game with single - digit scoring.

["TeamStat(G,'Pistons') has 31 Percentage of field goals ."]

The Golden State Warriors (50 - 12) defeated the Phoenix Suns (33 - 32) 98 - 80 on Monday in Phoenix. It looked as if the Warriors were going to pull away in the second quarter, but a late run by the Suns helped them tie the game going into halftime. However, Golden State was able to pull away once again after a big third quarter gave them a 15 - points lead. The Warriors then pulled away for good in the final period with Stephen Curry leading the way. The MVP-candidate recorded a game - high 36 points on 14 - of - 24 shooting, six rebounds, five assists, and four steals. The other splash brother, Klay Thompson, added 25 points on 8 - of - 19 shooting. Draymond Green put together a triple - double of 11 points and 10 rebounds in 34 minutes and was the only other Golden State player to score in double figures. The win gives the Warriors their fourth straight win and extends their lead in the Western Conference over the Grizzlies to 6 games. Eric Bledsoe lead the way for the Suns in the losing effort, scoring 19 points on 6 - of - 11 shooting in 36 minutes. Bledsoe's running - mate in the backcourt, Brandon Knight, had 13 points in 13 minutes before going down with a sprained left ankle and he did not return. The severity of the sprain is currently unknown, but it is unlikely he sees the court in Phoenix's next game. Alex Len recorded a double - double, putting up 10 points and 11 rebounds in 28 minutes, and T.J. Warren played well off the bench, logging 11 points on 5 - of - 9 shooting in 24 minutes. As a team, the Suns recorded just 13 assists to 18 turnovers and the loss puts them three games back from the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference. Up next, the Warriors will head home Wednesday to take on the Detroit Pistons, while the Suns will stay home Wednesday and go up against the Minnesota Timberwolves.

["TeamStat(G,'Suns') has 13 Number of team assists ,has 32 Losses ,has 80 Total points ,has 19 Points in 1st quarter ,has 15 Points in 3rd quarter ,has 19 Points in 4th quarter ,has 18 Turnovers ,has 33 Wins ." "TeamStat(G,'Warriors') has 12 Number of team assists ,has 98 Losses ,has 50 Total points ."]

The San Antonio Spurs (9 - 2) defeated the visiting Denver Nuggets (6 - 6) 109 - 98 on Wednesday at AT & T Center. Tony Parker scored a season - high 25 points and Kawhi Leonard added 20 points as the Spurs won their sixth consecutive game. Parker was 9 of 14 from the field and 7 of 8 from the free - throw line. The Spurs led the throughout, shooting 49 percent from the field with 33 assists in a balanced offensive attack that was missing Manu Ginobili, who was out with bilateral hip tightness. Patty Mills, who was 3 of 6 from three - point range, scored a season - high 17 off the bench, while Tim Duncan (12 points and 11 rebounds) and LaMarcus Aldridge added (11 points and 12 rebounds) posted double - doubles. Duncan also had six blocks. Ginobili is expected to miss Friday's game against the New Orleans Pelicans but could play Saturday against the Memphis Grizzlies. The Nuggets were led by rookie reserve Nikola Jokic, who totaled 23 points on 8 - of - 13 shooting from the field, including his first three - pointer of the season, and 12 rebounds. Kenneth Faried and Gary Harris each scored 15 for the Nuggets, who have lost two of their last three. Denver shot just 39 percent from the field.

["TeamStat(G,'Spurs') has 33 Number of team assists ,has 49 Percentage of field goals ,has 2 Losses ,has 109 Total points ,has 9 Wins ." "TeamStat(G,'Nuggets') has 39 Number of team assists ,has 6 Percentage of field goals ,has 98 Losses ,has 6 Total points ."]

The Memphis Grizzlies (23 - 8) defeated the San Antonio Spurs (19 - 14) 95 - 87 on Tuesday at Fed EX Forum Arena in Memphis. With the victory over the Spurs, the Grizzlies continue to make their case as one of the best teams in the Western Conference. Behind a strong first half, where Memphis out - scored San Antonio 52 - 38, the Grizzlies were able to coast to a victory in front of their home crowd. They also used a solid outing from the three - point line where they went 47 percent compared to the Spurs who went only 23 percent. Mike Conley was huge in this game and was the biggest reason the Grizzlies secured the victory. He went 10 - for - 13 from the field and 4 - for - 5 from the three - point line to finish with 30 points, while also adding seven rebounds and six assists. He's now combined for 54 points in his last two outings, as he's been dialed in with his shot. Marc Gasol also played well and came one rebound shy of a double - double. He finished with 17 points (6 - 12 FG, 5 - 7 FT), nine rebounds and five assists. While he did n't reach his season average of 20 points per game, it was still a very positive all - around effort. They only other player to reach double figures was Tayshaun Prince, who had 12 points (4 - 7 FG, 0 - 1 3Pt, 4 - 4 FT) off the bench. The Spurs just did n't have their strongest offensive game in this one. With Tony Parker sitting out, Cory Joseph got the start at point guard and tied for a team - high of 18 points (9 - 13 FG, 0 - 1 3Pt, 0 - 1 FT). He's combined for 52 points over his last three outings, so he's done well lately. Marco Belinelli matched Joseph, going 7 - for - 13 from the field and 4 - for - 7 from beyond the arc to score 18 points in 35 minutes. It was one of his better games of the season, as he was averaging 10 points per game coming in. The only other player to reach double - figures was Patty Mills, who chipped in 10 points (3 - 10 FG, 0 - 4 3Pt, 4 - 4 FT) off the bench. The Grizzlies' next game will be on the road against the Los Angeles Lakers, while the Spurs will be at home against the New Orleans Pelicans on Wednesday.

["TeamStat(G,'Grizzlies') has 47 Percentage of 3 points ,has 8 Losses ,has 95 Total points ,has 23 Wins ." "TeamStat(G,'Spurs') has 23 Percentage of 3 points ,has 14 Losses ,has 87 Total points ,has 19 Wins ."]

The Cleveland Cavaliers (19 - 20) fell to the Phoenix Suns (23 - 18) on Tuesday, 107 - 100 Cleveland got their star back as Lebron James returned to the lineup after missing the last two weeks with knee and back issues. Phoenix looked poised to spoil James' return, however, as the Suns built a 19 - point lead late in the third quarter. The Cavaliers went on an 18 - 5 run to close out the third quarter and cut the Suns' lead to six entering the final period. In the end, Phoenix and Markieff Morris proved too much for Cleveland. Even with James returning, the Cavaliers were unable to snap their five - game losing streak and are now under.500 for the first time since Nov. 24 when they were 6 - 7. James ended the night with 33 points, seven rebounds, and five assists. J.R Smith remained in the starting lineup and put up an impressive 29 points, but Phoenix held Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love in check. Shawn Marion returned to action after missing Friday's game with a hip injury and posted six points in 22 minutes. Cleveland will continue its Western Conference road trip on Thursday when the Cavaliers take on the Lakers. Phoenix got a huge game from big man Markieff Morris, who had a season - high 35 points Tuesday. The Suns gained some ground on the Spurs on Tuesday as San Antonio dropped their game to the Wizards. Phoenix will look to build Tuesday's win when the Timberwolves come to town on Friday.

["TeamStat(G,'Suns') has 18 Losses ,has 107 Total points ,has 23 Points in 1st quarter ." "TeamStat(G,'Cavaliers') has 20 Losses ,has 100 Total points ,has 24 Points in 1st quarter ,has 19 Wins ."]

The Boston Celtics defeated the New Orleans Pelicans, 117 - 108, at TD Garden on Saturday. The Celtics (23 - 14) learned earlier in the afternoon that they'd play without Avery Bradley, who'd tallied a team - high 26 points on Friday versus the Sixers. Marcus Smart entered the starting five in his stead and did n't disappoint, producing 22 points, six assists, five rebounds, two steals and a block. However, the high - scoring affair was a showcase for two of the game's brightest stars, as Isaiah Thomas (38 points) and Anthony Davis (36 points, 15 rebounds, two assists, two blocks) put on a spectacular show on opposite ends of the court. Ultimately, a 36 - point third quarter by Boston did in the Pelicans (14 - 24), which suffered their 13th road loss in 17 games this season. Langston Galloway was actually the second leading scorer on New Orleans in a bench role, posting 20 points, four rebounds and an assist over 22 minutes. Jrue Holiday was next with 13 points, five assists, two rebounds, two steals and a block. Rookie Buddy Hield totaled nine points, four rebounds and two assists, with all three of his baskets coming from three - point range. Donatas Motiejunas made his season debut and supplied 11 points, five boards, four assists and a steal over 20 minutes. Thomas added three rebounds, two steals and a block to his game - high scoring total, and was also notably 6 - of - 11 from behind the arc. Al Horford and Jae Crowder had matching eight - point efforts, with the former adding eight assists, seven rebounds and a pair of blocks, and the latter providing six rebounds, two assists and a steal. Gerald Green paced the bench with 15 points and three boards, while Kelly Olynyk offered 12 points, four assists and four rebounds in a reserve role as well. The Pelicans continue on their trek through the Northeast with a visit to the New York Knicks on Monday night, while the Celtics tangle with the Toronto Raptors north of the border on Tuesday evening.

["TeamStat(G,'Celtics') has 14 Losses ,has 117 Total points ,has 36 Points in 3rd quarter ,has 23 Wins ." "TeamStat(G,'Pelicans') has 24 Losses ,has 108 Total points ,has 20 Points in 3rd quarter ,has 14 Wins ."]

The Milwaukee Bucks (13 - 21) defeated the Indiana Pacers (18 - 14) 120 - 116 on Thursday. The New Year's Eve showdown between the two Central Division rivals was atypical in a number of ways. To begin with, one of the rarest sights in the NBA this season, a Bucks road victory, came to pass, and against a quality opponent to boot. The Pacers had entered Thursday's contest sporting an impressive 11 - 5 home record and playing quality basketball overall. Meanwhile, Milwaukee had managed a paltry three wins in 18 tries away from the Bradley Center, including consecutive road losses to the Mavericks and Thunder preceding Thursday's game. They'd also struggled offensively the majority of the year, often failing to even reach 100 points over the first 30 games of the season. However, the light has seemingly come on for Milwaukee, and their side of the scoreboard, over their last two outings. After tallying 123 points in the loss to Oklahoma City on Wednesday, the Bucks roared right back with another outstanding night on offense, shooting a stellar 58 percent from the field and 43 percent from beyond the arc. They also managed 35 of their points off 20 Indiana turnovers. As it turned out, they needed every one of those buckets before all was said and done, with the Pacers coming on strong with a 39 - point fourth quarter to make things close until the final seconds. Milwaukee was once again led by standout guard Khris Middleton, who is in the midst of one of the hottest shooting stretches of his four - year career. The Texas A & M product has now shot 63 percent from the field over his last two games, and collected 69 points in the process. Thursday, Middleton managed 33 points, five rebounds, four assists, a block and a pair of steals to lead all scorers, including an impressive 4 - for - 6 performance from three - point range. Greg Monroe pitched in with 23 points and three rebounds of his own, while Jabari Parker and Giannis Antetokounmpo contributed a pair of 14 - point efforts. The former added three rebounds and an assist, while the latter had an outstanding defensive game as well, contributing six rebounds, four blocks and three steals. Michael Carter-Williams closed out a remarkable night for the starters with a stat - sheet - stuffing 11 - point, seven - rebound, eight - assist effort that also included three steals and three blocks. Jerryd Bayless paced the Bucks' reserves with 14 points as well. The Bucks improved to 13 - 21 but remain in last place in the Eastern Conference's Central Division. They now head to Minnesota for a Saturday showdown versus the Timberwolves. Indiana's starting five enjoyed a highly productive night, and were encouragingly led by a resurgent effort from All-Star Paul George, who'd been struggling considerably with his shot in recent games. The small forward exploded for 31 points on the strength of 8 of 13 shooting from the field, including a 5 - for - 9 performance from long distance. After having shot an abysmal 28 percent (23 - for - 83) over the previous five contests, Thursday's result was a particularly welcome sight for George and the Pacers. C.J. Miles shook off an ailing back to support George's effort with 19 points, five rebounds, an assist and a steal. George Hill followed with a 15 - point, six - rebound, three - assist night that also included a block. Lavoy Allen continued to thrive in his starting opportunities in place of the ailing Ian Mahinmi, collecting 14 points and supplementing the scoring with four rebounds, three assists, a steal and a block. Monta Ellis poured in 13 points and dished out seven assists, while Rodney Stuckey and Myles Turner led the reserves with a pair of eight - point efforts. The Pacers fell to 18 - 14 and currently reside in third place in the Eastern Conference's Central Division. They remain home to face the Detroit Pistons on Saturday.

["TeamStat(G,'Pacers') has 14 Number of team assists ,has 116 Percentage of 3 points ,has 39 Percentage of field goals ,has 35 Losses ,has 18 Total points ." "TeamStat(G,'Bucks') has 18 Number of team assists ,has 43 Percentage of 3 points ,has 58 Percentage of field goals ,has 21 Losses ,has 120 Total points ,has 30 Points in 3rd quarter ,has 13 Points in 4th quarter ."]

The Toronto Raptors (49 - 33) defeated the Charlotte Hornets (33 - 49) 92 - 87 on Wednesday at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto. The Raptors came into this matchup as the projected fourth seed for the Eastern Conference playoffs, but were looking to move up into the third seed, where the Chicago Bulls currently sit. The win here puts them in position to take that spot, but only as long as the Bulls lose their matchup against the Atlanta Hawks on Wednesday as well. If the Raptors finish as the fourth seed, they'll play the Washington Wizards, but if they finish as the third seed, they'll take on the Milwaukee Bucks. The Hornets have been eliminated from the playoffs so this loss marks an end to their season. The Raptors were the superior shooters in this game, going 49 percent from the field and 36 percent from the three - point line, while the Hornets went 42 percent from the floor and 36 percent from deep. After struggling with his shot recently, Kyle Lowry finally broke out of his slump and went off for a game - high of 26 points (8 - 15 FG, 6 - 9 3Pt, 4 - 4 FT), to go along with seven assists and three steals. He had combined to go just 13 - for - 46 from the field and 3 - for - 17 from the three - point line over his previous three games, so this was a much needed confidence booster heading into the playoffs. DeMar DeRozan had a solid showing in the win as well, posting 16 points (8 - 13 FG, 0 - 2 3Pt), six assists and two steals. He had to sit out of Tuesday's game due to a groin injury, so it was good to see him come back and get a full games worth of work without any setbacks. Jonas Valanciunas and Terrence Ross were the other two Raptors in double figures. Valanciunas finished with 18 points (9 - 11) and five rebounds, while Ross added 13 points (5 - 15 FG, 3 - 13 3Pt) and three assists. After combining to go just 3 - for - 10 from the field and 0 - for - 5 from the three - point line during Monday's game against the Rockets, Gerald Henderson and Kemba Walker had much better performances this time around. Walker finished with 17 points (6 - 15 FG, 1 - 5 3Pt, 4 - 4 FT), four assists and three steals, while Henderson recorded 15 points (7 - 12 FG, 1 - 1 3Pt) and three rebounds. Neither wanted to end their season as poorly as they played Monday, so they'll be much happier with this performance despite taking the loss. The Hornets saw a nice contribution from their bench as well though, as Troy Daniels finished with a team - high of 24 points (7 - 15 FG, 6 - 13 3Pt, 4 - 4 FT) over 29 minutes. the 24 points were a new season - high for the guard, who has received extra playing time due to the injuries that have taken a toll on this roster here at the end of the season. This marks the final regular season game for both teams.

["TeamStat(G,'Raptors') has 36 Percentage of 3 points ,has 49 Percentage of field goals ,has 33 Losses ,has 92 Total points ,has 49 Points in 2nd quarter ." "TeamStat(G,'Hornets') has 36 Percentage of 3 points ,has 42 Percentage of field goals ,has 49 Losses ,has 87 Total points ,has 24 Points in 2nd quarter ,has 33 Wins ."]

The New Orleans Pelicans (9 - 19) defeated the Portland Trail Blazers (11 - 20) 115 - 89 on Wednesday. The Blazers have now lost four consecutive games, with the last pair of defeats coming with Damian Lillard sidelined with plantar fasciitis. Backcourt mate C.J. McCollum valiantly returned from his own ailment (two sprained ankles) on Wednesday to attempt to provide some offensive punch in the All-Star point guard's absence, but Portland fell woefully short overall, despite facing a Pelicans defense that came in yielding a league - worst 108 points per game. The Blazers have now failed to hit the century mark scoring - wise in both contests that Lillard has missed, underscoring how much the offensively - challenged team misses his 25 points and 7 assists per game. McCollum was able to muster 19 points, seven assists and five rebounds while serving as the point guard for the night in Lillard's stead. Allen Crabbe (12 points) and Al-Farouq Aminu (10 points) joined him in tallying double - digit points but went a combined 8 for 23 from the field. Mason Plumlee managed a modest eight points but did contribute 12 rebounds, the fifth time in the last six games he's hauled in double - digit boards. Meyers Leonard paced the Portland reserves with a productive 15 - point, five - rebound outing over 27 efficient minutes. While Portland did manage to outrebound New Orleans on the offensive glass by the significant margin of 22 to 8, their general inability to do much with their second chances served as a reflection of their current scoring struggles. The Trail Blazers dropped to 11 - 20 and currently reside in the last place in the Western Conference's Northwest Division. They head to Cleveland to take on the Cavs on Saturday. The home team was spearheaded by another monster double - double from All-Star Anthony Davis, who exploited the Trail Blazers' vulnerabilities in the frontcourt. Davis managed 28 points, 12 rebounds, an assist, a steal and three blocks. Meanwhile, Tyreke Evans was right behind him with a performance that was just an assist and a couple of rebounds short of a triple - double, compiling 24 points, nine dimes and eight boards. Eric Gordon was the third starter in double - digits, pouring in 11 points, six assists and four rebounds. Jrue Holiday (19 points) and Ryan Anderson (13 points) supported their efforts with a pair of formidable contributions from the bench. The Pelicans upped their record to 9 - 19 but remain in last place in the Western Conference's Southwest Division. They head to Miami to face the Heat in a Christmas Day showdown.

["TeamStat(G,'Pelicans') has 19 Losses ,has 115 Total points ,has 9 Wins ." "TeamStat(G,'Trail Blazers') has 20 Losses ,has 89 Total points ,has 11 Wins ."]

The Golden State Warriors (63 - 7) defeated the host Minnesota Timberwolves (22 - 48) 109 - 104, Monday at Target Center. The Timberwolves came out to play in this one, as they stayed neck - and - neck with the Warriors right to the wire. The score was 59 - 58 for Golden State at half but Minnesota came out tough in the third quarter, going up by eight after a 100 run, with 1:44 left in the quarter. The Timberwolves then held the lead for much of the fourth quarter until the Warriors took it back for the last time, with 1:47 left in the game, as they went up 103 - 101 on a dunk by Draymond Green. The Warriors avoided what would have been their first back - to - back losses of the season by hanging in there on a night their stars were struggling. Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson shot a combined 11 - 31 from the field, however Klay went 5 - 5 from downtown. Curry finished with 19 points, 11 assists, seven rebounds and three steals, but shot only 2 - 9 from deep. Thompson totaled 17 points, five rebounds and two assists. Draymond Green was the one to pick up the slack, as he chipped in 24 points (10 - 13 FG, 0 - 1 3Pt, 4 - 8 FT), nine rebounds, six assists, three steals and three blocked shots, in 36 minutes. The Warriors gave up an uncharacteristic 17 turnovers, 14 of which came in the second half. Karl-Anthony Towns, Andrew Wiggins and Ricky Rubio each had big performances, as they almost showed - up the reigning champs. Towns posted 24 points (11 - 19 FG, 1 - 1 3Pt, 1 - 2 FT), 11 rebounds, two assists and a block. Ricky Rubio also notched a double - double, finishing with 20 points (5 - 9 FG, 3 - 7 3Pt, 7 - 7 FT), 11 assists, four rebounds and four steals, however he also gave up six turnovers. Wiggins added 25 points (8 - 21 FG, 1 - 3 3Pt, 8 - 11 FT), five rebounds, four assists, one steal and one blocked shot, in 40 minutes. The Timberwolves tallied 26 assists on 36 field goals, while shooting 44 percent from the field. Next, the Warriors will host the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday. The Timberwolves host the Kings on Wednesday.

["TeamStat(G,'Timberwolves') has 26 Number of team assists ,has 44 Percentage of field goals ,has 48 Losses ,has 104 Total points ,has 22 Wins ." "TeamStat(G,'Warriors') has 7 Number of team assists ,has 109 Percentage of field goals ,has 63 Losses ."]

Paul George had a slow second half but still was the high - point man for the Pacers, as he finished with 22 points on 8 - of - 16 shooting, including 3 - of - 4 from long range, along with seven rebounds, in 40 minutes. Myles Turner added 18 points and six rebounds, while C.J. Miles chipped in 18 points on 6 - of - 9 three - point shooting, in 28 minutes off the bench. Wesley Matthews led the way for the Mavericks as he finished with 26 points on 8 - of - 16 shooting, including 5 - of - 10 from long range. Harrison Barnes followed - up with 25 points on 10 - of - 17 shooting, including 3 - of - 3 from long range. Barnes added eight rebounds and two assists as well. Dwight Powell was solid in 21 minutes off the bench, with 14 points and five rebounds. Seth Curry played 25 minutes despite coming off injury, and finished with four points and six assists.

["TeamStat(G,'Mavericks') has 26 Points in 4th quarter ."]

The Washington Wizards defeated the Denver Nuggets, 92 - 85, at Verizon Center on Thursday. In a game between two struggling teams, there was a lot of sloppy play in this game. In fact, there were 48 combined turnovers between the two teams and an NBA-high 29 turnovers committed by the Nuggets. Denver actually took an 11 - point lead after the first quarter, but proceeded to allow Washington to win the other three quarters by at least five points each. Defense was key for the Wizards, as they held the Nuggets to 41 percent shooting and the aforementioned turnover total. Shooting was bad all - around for the Nuggets, as they went 67 percent from the free - throw line and 22 percent from three - point range. There were only two ties and six lead changes in total. Denver (8 - 15) played this game without Emmanuel Mudiay and Kenneth Faried, as the offense really could n't get anything going. Nikola Jokic was the lone bright spot though, leading the team with 17 points and 11 rebounds off the bench. Danilo Gallinari was second on the team, with 13 points and four rebounds on 3 - of - 11 shooting. Jameer Nelson got the start for Mudiay and finished with 10 points, four rebounds and eight assists. Wilson Chandler had a nightmare game, going 2 - of - 16 from the field, en route to five points and eight boards off the bench. The Nuggets will look to play better on Saturday, when they travel to face the Orlando Magic. Washington (8 - 13) have had to lean heavily on their starters all season long and all five players played at least 33 minutes in this tight win. Bradley Beal led the team in scoring, dropping 26 points, three rebounds and five assists. John Wall went just 5 - of - 14 from the field, but still tallied 15 points, seven rebounds, five assists and three steals in the victory. Markieff Morris also scored 15 points, adding three rebounds and four assists. On deck for Washington is a home matchup against the Milwaukee Bucks on Saturday.

["TeamStat(G,'Wizards') has 13 Percentage of 3 points ,has 92 Percentage of field goals ,has 8 Losses ." "TeamStat(G,'Nuggets') has 22 Percentage of 3 points ,has 41 Percentage of field goals ,has 15 Losses ,has 85 Total points ,has 8 Wins ."]

The Detroit Pistons dominated the host Philadelphia 76ers 136 - 106, at Wells Fargo Center on Saturday evening. The Pistons were hot right from the start, jumping out to a 33 - 25 lead after one quarter. They went on to win the remaining three quarters, continually building on their lead on their way to a season - high 136 points. This was a big win for Detroit, as it looks to hang on to the eighth spot in the East. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope was the high point man for the Pistons (30 - 32), with 26 points on hot 9 - of - 11 shooting from the field. Five other players scored in double digits for the Pistons, including Marcus Morris, who finished with 22 points, and Tobias Harris who chipped in 20, in 32 minutes off the bench. Ish Smith came up big with 13 assists and 11 points, in 23 minutes off the bench. The Pistons are now 4 - 2 in their last six games, and have improved to 11 - 20 on the road. They will head back home for their next contest though, as they play host to the Bulls on Monday. Meanwhile, this marks the fourth loss in the last five games for the Sixers (23 - 39). Nik Stauskas was the high - point man for Philly with 24 points on 10 - of - 15 shooting, while Dario Saric followed up with 19 points, a career - high eight assists, and six rebounds, in 29 minutes. T.J. McConnell chipped in 10 points to go along with eight assists, in 23 minutes. The 76ers are now 15 - 18 at home this season and will look to bounce back, as they play host to the Bucks on Monday.

["TeamStat(G,'76ers') has 106 Losses ,has 25 Total points ." "TeamStat(G,'Pistons') has 32 Losses ,has 136 Total points ,has 33 Points in 1st quarter ,has 30 Wins ."]

The Oklahoma City Thunder defeated the host Brooklyn Nets, 122 - 104, at Barclay's Center on Tuesday. Despite the fact that Oklahoma City led for over 40 minutes of this game, it was close throughout the first three quarters. In fact, there were eight ties and 11 lead changes, as the Thunder did n't record a double - digit lead until the final minutes. It took a late run by the Thunder to open things up, as they outscored the Nets, 60 - 42, in the second half. Rebounding was key, with Oklahoma City wining that battle, 44 - 30. They also took care of business shooting the ball, hitting 51 percent of their shots to the Nets 47 percent. Oklahoma City took advantage of the assist - to - turnover ratio as well, recording 10 more assists than Brooklyn, while committing three less turnovers. The Thunder (38 - 29) got their winning streak up to three games with this victory, as Russell Westbrook continues to add triple - doubles under his belt. Westbrook collected 25 points, 12 rebounds and 19 assists, despite going just 6 - of - 18 from the field. Taj Gibson got the start and totaled 19 points and eight rebounds. Victor Oladipo finished with 21 points, three rebounds and four steals. Enes Kanter led the bench with 17 points and five rebounds, while Alex Abrines provided 13 points, three rebounds, three assists and two steals of his own off the bench. On dck for Oklahoma City is a road matchup against the Toronto Raptors on Thursday. The Nets (12 - 54) are really struggling right now, but they fought hard here in this tough loss. Brook Lopez led the way, as he contributed 25 points and six rebounds. Jeremy Lin was n't far behind, accumulating 24 points, two rebounds and five assists. Caris LeVert played just 23 minutes, but still tallied 16 points, five rebounds, two assists and three steals. Brooklyn will look to play better on Thursday in a road matchup versus the New York Knicks.

["TeamStat(G,'Nets') has 47 Percentage of field goals ,has 54 Losses ,has 104 Total points ,has 12 Wins ." "TeamStat(G,'Thunder') has 29 Percentage of field goals ,has 122 Losses ,has 38 Total points ."]

The Spurs' second unit combined for 59 points in the blowout win, led by 20 from Patty Mills over 20 minutes. LaMarcus Aldridge followed with 16 points and nine rebounds. David Lee totaled 15 points off the bench. Kyle Anderson, starting for Kawhi Leonard (hand), registered 14 points. Davis Bertans and Jonathan Simmons contributed matching 11 - point efforts as reserves. Dewayne Dedmon compiled 10 points and eight boards. Danny Green and rookie Dejounte Murray went for nine and four points, respectively. Isaiah Whitehead (19 points) and Sean Kilpatrick (17 points) were the top two Nets scorers, with the latter also hauling in 10 rebounds. Spencer Dinwiddie led the first unit with 13 points, and. Brook Lopez managed a modest 12 points in 21 minutes. Trevor Booker (nine points, four rebounds) was the only other contributor of note.

["TeamStat(G,'Nets') has 17 Points in 4th quarter ."]

The Sacramento Kings (25 - 35) defeated the Dallas Mavericks (33 - 29) 104 - 101 on Thursday. The form of these two teams would have indicated a different result, but the Kings put in a great effort to pick up a needed road win. Defense was key, as the Kings held the Mavericks to 48 percent shooting and a dreadful 7 - for - 29 from three - point range. The second quarter was when Sacramento made their mark, as they outscored Dallas 31 to 21. The Kings came into this game as a heavy underdog and rode 53 percent shooting to a much needed victory. DeMarcus Cousins tallied 22 points, 13 rebounds and five assists to lead the Kings. Rajon Rondo also played great, as he acculturated 18 points, 12 assists, five rebounds and three steals. Marco Belinelli gave the team a nice spark off the bench, as he pitched in 16 points of his own. Up next is another tough matchup, as they play a San Antonio Spurs that hasn’t lost at home all season. This loss snapped a three - game winning streak for the Mavericks, with all three wins coming against poor competition. Chandler Parsons was fantastic in the loss, as he totaled 28 points, nine rebounds and five assists. David Lee double - doubled off the bench, as he amassed 12 points and 11 rebounds. The only other notable stat lines were Deron Williams tallying 15 points, three rebounds and five assists, with Dirk Nowitzki pitching in 16 points, six rebounds and five assists. Dallas will look to bounce back on Sunday in their next game when they play the Denver Nuggets.

["TeamStat(G,'Mavericks') has 48 Percentage of field goals ,has 29 Losses ,has 101 Total points ,has 21 Points in 2nd quarter ,has 33 Points in 4th quarter ." "TeamStat(G,'Kings') has 53 Percentage of field goals ,has 35 Losses ,has 104 Total points ,has 31 Points in 2nd quarter ,has 31 Points in 4th quarter ,has 25 Wins ."]

The Houston Rockets (2 - 3) defeated the Los Angeles Clippers (3 - 2), 124 - 103, in Game 5 of their series Tuesday at the Toyota Center. Houston had its back against the wall and faced elimination Tuesday after back - to - back blowout losses. The Rockets responded with a convincing victory of their own Tuesday to extend the series to a sixth game. Although his scoring output was similar to his previous two outings, James Harden had a much more impactful performance Tuesday to help the Rockets top the Clippers. He notched a triple - double as he tallied 26 points, 11 rebounds, and 10 assists. Harden left the game late in the fourth quarter as he has been battling a cold, but it should not impact his status for Game 6. Los Angeles attempted to make a comeback, but not even the "Hack-A-Rocket" strategy could slow the game enough for the Clippers to threaten Houston's lead. Game 6 will take place Thursday at the Staples Center with the Rockets needing a win to force Game 7. Los Angeles was outplayed in several facets of the game Tuesday and was unable to take advantage of Blake Griffin's stellar outing. Griffin was one of the lone bright spots for the Clippers as he posted 30 points and 16 rebounds. The Clippers were badly out - rebounded, losing the battle on the boards 58 - 39 on the night. Los Angeles also failed to take advantage of Houston's 11 turnovers with just three points on fast breaks. The Clippers will look to bounce back on its home floor on Thursday. Houston had big contributions from several of its players to help extend the series. In addition to Harden's triple - double, Dwight Howard and Trevor Ariza each reached the 20 - point mark and Corey Brewer poured in 15 points off the bench. Josh Smith moved into the starting lineup in place of Terrence Jones. Smith finished with nine points and four assists, but his most impactful play was a three pointer in transition to put the Rockets up by 19 points in the fourth quarter. As a team, the Rockets dished out 29 assists, their highest mark of this postseason. The Rockets will need a similar performance Thursday in Los Angeles if they want to continue their playoff run.

["TeamStat(G,'Rockets') has 29 Number of team assists ,has 3 Losses ,has 124 Total points ,has 58 Rebounds ,has 11 Turnovers ,has 2 Wins ." "TeamStat(G,'Clippers') has 2 Number of team assists ,has 103 Losses ,has 39 Total points ,has 3 Rebounds ."]

The Houston Rockets (47 - 23) defeated the Indiana Pacers (30 - 40) 110 - 100 on Monday at Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. After winning seven games in a row during the start of March and pushing themselves into the seventh seed in the Eastern Conference standings, the Pacers have now turned completely in the opposite direction and have gone on to lose six straight games. The loss does n't take them out of the playoff race though, as they sit just a game back from the Charlotte Hornets for the eighth and final projected playoff seed in the East. The Rockets, on the other hand, were on a poor streak of their own, as they were losers of four straight. The win gets them back on the right track though, as they still hold a two - game lead over the Portland Trail Blazers for the third projected playoff seed in the Western Conference. The Rockets shot fairly well in this game, going 48 percent from the field and 54 percent from the three - point line. James Harden was nearly unstoppable, as he went off for a game - high of 44 points (10 - 21 FG, 3 - 8 3Pt, 21 - 22 FT), to go along with four rebounds, seven assists and two steals. He continues to make his push for the league MVP, as this was the second time in three games that he's posted over 40 points. During that three - game stretch, Harden has averaged an impressive 37 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists. Donatas Motiejunas also played a big factor in the win, going 6 - for - 9 from the field and 1 - for - 2 from the three - point line to score 17 points. It was his third time shooting over 60 percent from the field during the last four games, as his shot is clearly dialed in at the moment. The Rockets also saw some solid contributions from their bench, with both Josh Smith and Corey Brewer reaching double figures in points. Smith finished with 18 points (7 - 14 FG, 4 - 6 3Pt) and five rebounds, while Brewer had 11 points (2 - 6 FG, 1 - 2 3Pt) and two rebounds. Also, Patrick Beverley had to leave the game with a wrist injury after just 20 minutes and was n't able to return, so it's questionable how severe his injury could be. C.J. Watson had a big performance off the bench for the Pacers. He went 7 - for - 10 from the field and 4 - for - 5 from the three - point line to score 23 points, while also adding five assists over 30 minutes. After going 0 - for - 6 from beyond the arc during Saturday's game against the Brooklyn Nets, Watson was able to turn things back around and get pointed in the right direction Monday. George Hill also played well despite suffering the loss. He led the starters with 20 points (9 - 15 FG, 2 - 6 3Pt, 0 - 1 FT), to go along with six rebounds, three assists, three steals and three blocked shots, as he did a little bit of everything for the Pacers. He's shot over 50 percent in each of his last three games, a stretch where he's currently averaging 21 points as the scoring leader for this team. Notching his first double - double in six games was Roy Hibbert, who posted 18 points (8 - 12 FG, 2 - 2 FT) and 10 rebounds in 32 minutes. David West also reached double - digit points with 10 (4 - 13 FG, 2 - 4 FT) of his own, despite struggling from the field. The Rockets' next game will be on the road against the New Orleans Pelicans on Wednesday, while the Pacers will travel to Washington to play the Wizards on Wednesday.

["TeamStat(G,'Pacers') has 40 Percentage of 3 points ,has 100 Percentage of field goals ,has 30 Losses ." "TeamStat(G,'Rockets') has 54 Percentage of 3 points ,has 48 Percentage of field goals ,has 23 Losses ,has 110 Total points ,has 47 Wins ."]

The Chicago Bulls (40 - 26) defeated the Philadelphia 76ers (14 - 50) 104 - 95 on Wednesday at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia. With 43 seconds left in the game, Jerami Grant went to the free throw line and converted on both of his attempts to put the Sixers up by three. Aaron Brooks then went on to hit a three - pointer to tie the game at 92 with just over 30 seconds left in regulation. Luc Mbah A Moute had a shot to win it for the Sixers at the buzzer, but he missed and forced the game into overtime. Once overtime started though, the Bulls did n't look back, as they out - scored the Sixers 12 - 3 and finished the game with a nine - point win on the road in Philadelphia. Including the clutch three - point shot that helped the Bulls extend this game to overtime, Brooks also went on to post a team - high of 31 points (12 - 20 FG, 3 - 7 3PT, 4 - 6 FT), to go along with four rebounds and five assists. He has now shot over 40 percent from the field in three games straight, a stretch where he's averaged 23 points and four assists per game. Also playing a big factor in the win was Pau Gasol. Gasol went 13 - for - 25 from the field for 27 points, while adding a team - high of 16 rebounds in 43 minutes. The double - double marked his six straight, while he's posted 10 or more rebounds in each of his last 10 games as well. On the season, he's pushed his averages to 18 points and 12 rebounds per game. Notching a double - double of his own, Nikola Mirotic finished with 16 points (5 - 13 FG, 2 - 5 3Pt, 4 - 5 FT) and 12 rebounds as a member of the starting lineup. Joakim Noah had to sit out with an injury, forcing Gasol to move center, which opened a spot up for Mirotic at power forward. He's combined for 34 points and 24 rebounds over his last two games. The only other Bull to reach double figures in points was Tony Snell, who recorded 10 points (2 - 9 FG, 1 - 4 3Pt, 5 - 7 FT) and 10 rebounds in 45 minutes. With Isaiah Canaan dealing with an illness, the Sixers decided to bring him off the bench, while inserting Ish Smith as a starter. It was a successful switch for this team, as each scored 20 or more points despite the loss. Smith went off for 23 points (9 - 21 FG, 3 - 7 3Pt, 2 - 2 FT) and six assists in 37 minutes. The points were a new season - high for the guard, as it marked just the fourth time he's reached double - digits in points. Canaan, on the other hand, went 7 - for - 15 from the field and 4 - for - 8 from the three - point line for 20 points in 29 minutes off the bench, as his illness did n't seem to limit him much. While his season averages sit at 8 points and 2 rebounds per game, he's received many more opportunities since joining the Sixers at the trade deadline. Over 10 games with the Sixers, he's averaging 14 points and 4 assists. Nerlens Noel did n't do all too much offensively and posted just eight points, but he did chip in with 15 rebounds, four steals and two blocked shots in 36 minutes. Coming off the bench, Robert Covington added 12 points (5 - 13 FG, 1 - 6 3Pt, 1 - 3 FT) in 21 minutes off the bench. The Sixers' next game will be at home against the Sacramento Kings on Friday, while the Bulls will travel to Charlotte to play the Hornets on Friday.

["TeamStat(G,'76ers') has 50 Losses ,has 95 Total points ,has 14 Wins ." "TeamStat(G,'Bulls') has 26 Losses ,has 104 Total points ,has 40 Wins ."]

The Houston Rockets (36 - 37) defeated the Toronto Raptors (48 - 23) 112 - 109 on Friday. Houston entered the game fighting for a playoff spot and reeling after a heartbreaking, last - minute 89 - 87 loss on Wednesday to the Jazz. The defeat had been their fourth in the last five contests, and their prospects for turning things around Friday did n't look too bright considering a motivated Raptors squad was in town. Despite having clinched a playoff berth via a Bulls loss on Wednesday, Toronto continues to chase Cleveland for the top spot in the Eastern Conference. In a pivotal contest and facing a superior team, the Rockets naturally turned to their linchpin, James Harden. The perennial All-Star tallied an impressive triple - double, collecting 32 points, 13 assists, 11 rebounds, a steal and a block to key the Rockets' attack. The Raptors saw all five starters post double - digit scoring, beginning with DeMar DeRozan, who tallied 18 points, five rebounds, four assists and two steals. Luis Scola and Jonas Valanciunas were next with a pair of 16 - point efforts. The former added five rebounds, an assist and a steal, while the latter hauled in a massive 18 rebounds and added two assists, two steals and a block. A returning Kyle Lowry, who'd rested on Wednesday in a loss to the Celtics, pitched in with 15 points, eight assists, two rebounds, a steal and a block. Norman Powell, getting the start at small forward for the ailing Terrence Ross (hand), totaled 13 points, four rebounds, two assists, a steal and a block. Corey Joseph paced the reserves with 12 points, three rebounds and two assists. Toronto remains atop the Eastern Conference's Atlantic Division, and is now 3 games behind the top - seeded Cleveland Cavaliers. They head to New Orleans for a Saturday night showdown with the Pelicans. Michael Beasley followed Harden's game - high point total with a bench - leading 21 points. He added five rebounds, two blocks and a steal. Patrick Beverley registered 17 points, five assists, four rebounds and two blocks. Donatas Motiejunas was productive in his own right, supplying 11 points, three rebounds and an assist. The Rockets remain in third place in the Western Conference's Southwest Division, and are currently slotted in the seventh seed in the conference as well. They now head to Indiana for an Easter Sunday showdown with the Pacers.

["TeamStat(G,'Rockets') has 37 Losses ,has 112 Total points ,has 36 Wins ." "TeamStat(G,'Raptors') has 23 Losses ,has 109 Total points ,has 48 Wins ."]

The Dallas Mavericks defeated the Sacramento Kings, 99 - 79, at American Airlines Center on Sunday. The Kings (10 - 17) checked in to the contest short - handed, as both Rudy Gay (hip) and Omri Casspi (illness) were sidelined. That put the onus on DeMarcus Cousins even more than usual, and he did respond with a game - high 33 points, along with six rebounds and a block. However, it was far from enough to offset single - digit scoring tallies from the remainder of Sacramento's starting five. Meanwhile, the Mavs (7 - 20) saw six players hit double digits in the scoring column, while shooting a solid 45 percent from the field as a team. Kosta Koufos was the next most productive starter for the Kings, albeit a distant second to Cousins' standout effort. Koufos posted six points, nine rebounds and a pair of steals. Garrett Temple and Ben McLemore posted a pair of five - point efforts, and Darren Collison turned in a disappointing two points, three assists and a rebound on just 1 - of - 8 shooting over 25 minutes. Ty Lawson paced the bench with 10 points, three assists, two rebounds and a steal. Dorian Finney-Smith led the way for Dallas with 17 points, three assists, two rebounds and a steal. Harrison Barnes was just short of a double - double with 15 points, nine boards, two assists, three steals and a block. Deron Williams and Wesley Matthews also had matching 15 - point efforts, while shooting a combined 11 - of - 23. Devin Harris (14 points, seven rebounds, an assist and a steal) and Seth Curry (13 points, five rebounds, four assists, two steals) were highly productive in reserve roles. Sacramento heads back home for a Tuesday evening date with the Trail Blazers, while the Mavericks travel to Denver to take on the Nuggets on Monday night.

["TeamStat(G,'Mavericks') has 99 Losses ." "TeamStat(G,'Kings') has 17 Losses ,has 79 Total points ,has 10 Wins ."]

After a record - setting perfect free - throw night on Tuesday for Utah, the Jazz struggled as a team from the line on Friday against the Lakers. The Jazz shot just 70 percent as a unit from the line, while also converting on only 24 percent of their shots from three - point range. The night was particularly tough for young wing Rodney Hood, who missed nine field goal attempts, six three - point attempts, and went just three - for - five at the free - throw line. Poor shooting seemed to be a theme of the night for both sides, as the Lakers' young stars struggled mightily on the offensive end. D'Angelo Russell went just 3 - of - 14 from the field, including hitting only 20 percent of his three - point attempts. Jordan Clarkson, meanwhile, hit just two of nine field goal attempts. The Lakers will hope to see more consistent shooting from their younger players going forwards.

["TeamStat(G,'Jazz') has 24 Percentage of 3 points ."]

The Toronto Raptors (23 - 7) defeated the Los Angeles Clippers (20 - 11) 110 - 98 on Saturday. Toronto has won seven of their last eight games. Kyle Lowry continues to carry the weight for the Raptors with DeMar DeRozan (adductor) still sidelined. Lowry posted a game - high 25 points to go with seven assists and three steals. Jonas Valanciunas helped him with 22 points of his own, for his second consecutive 20 - point game. Landry Fields (concussion) missed his third straight game, but he appears close to returning, and DeRozan is travelling with the team on their road trip which could mean he is nearing a return. Los Angeles has lost three of their last four as they hit one of the tougher bumps in their schedule. DeAndre Jordan worked the glass for his third 20 - plus rebound game in the last two weeks. The Clippers gave up 20 easy points on 14 turnovers, pointing to their greatest weakness Saturday and the primary reason for their loss. Spencer Hawes missed his ninth straight game with a bone bruise in his knee, and while some reports suggest he's close to returning, if George Hill's bone bruise in his knee was any clue, Hawes could miss considerably more time. Hill, of the Indiana Pacers, missed nearly two months with the injury after initially being projected to only miss about three weeks.

["TeamStat(G,'Clippers') has 11 Losses ,has 98 Total points ,has 20 Points in 4th quarter ,has 14 Turnovers ,has 20 Wins ." "TeamStat(G,'Raptors') has 7 Losses ,has 110 Total points ,has 23 Points in 4th quarter ."]

Mike Conley led the way for the Grizzlies with 27 points on an efficient 8 - of - 12 shooting, including 5 - of - 8 from long range, to go along with nine rebounds, seven assists and one steal, in 36 minutes. Marc Gasol also finished with 27 points but took a few more shots to get there, as he went 10 - of - 21 from the field, to go along with seven assists and six rebounds, in 37 minutes. Tony Allen was the only other player to score in double digits for the Grizzlies, as he finished with 10 points. Meanwhile, the Bulls struggled from the field, shooting 37 percent, with Jimmy Butler and Dwyane Wade combining for 7 - of - 27 from the field. Butler finished with 14 points, while Wade chipped in 11. Rajon Rondo was the high - point man for Chicago with 17, in 35 minutes of action.

["TeamStat(G,'Bulls') has 37 Percentage of field goals ."]

The Memphis Grizzlies (22 - 8) defeated the Miami Heat (14 - 17) 103 - 95 on Saturday. Memphis ended their four - game losing streak with the win. Zach Randolph (knee) was still out, but the Grizzlies used their depth to get out to a comfortable lead early. Six players scored in double figures with Mike Conley scoring a team - high 24 points. Memphis won the game at the foul line, going to the charity stripe 37 times to convert 28 of their free points. The Grizzlies will return home to host the San Antonio Spurs on Tuesday. Miami has lost four of their last six games as they struggle to overcome the absence of Chris Bosh. Bosh has missed the last eight games with a calf strain. He was targeting a return for this game but was not ready to go. Shawne Williams was limited by a foot injury but was able to tough out 17 minutes. Dwyane Wade paced the team with a game - high 25 points and seven assists, but his great play on offense has n't been able to carry the Heat as much as it once did. Miami will host the Orlando Magic on Monday.

["TeamStat(G,'Heat') has 17 Losses ,has 95 Total points ,has 25 Points in 2nd quarter ,has 14 Wins ." "TeamStat(G,'Grizzlies') has 8 Losses ,has 103 Total points ,has 22 Points in 2nd quarter ."]

The Raptors (13 - 9) escaped the Lakers (3 - 18) with a 102 - 93 victory at Air Canada Centre on Monday. Los Angeles trailed by just a point after the third quarter, but Toronto was able to pull away with five minutes remaining in the game to end a two - game losing streak. The Raptors got plenty of contributions in the fourth quarter, but the guy who carried them all game was Terrence Ross, who scored a season - high 22 points (8 - 12 FG, 4 - 6 3Pt, 2 - 2 FT) over 39 minutes while also grabbing six rebounds. Kobe Bryant had a decent night shooting the ball as he continues his farewell tour, scoring 21 points on 8 - of - 16 shooting with eight boards and four assists. Larry Nance Jr. replaced Julius Randle in the starting lineup, but failed to outperform him. Randle scored 15 points (6 - 13 FG, 3 - 3 FT) with 11 rebounds for his fifth double - double in six games. The other youngster moved to the bench was rookie D'Angelo Russell, who was replaced by Louis Williams alongside Jordan Clarkson in the backcourt. Russell played 21 minutes off the bench, scoring nine points on 4 - of - 12 shooting from the field. Nick Young was held out of the lineup again by coach Byron Scott. After suffering two close losses to the Nuggets and Warriors - - each at home - - the Raptors got back on track, albeit barely, against the Lakers. With center Jonas Valanciunas sidelined with a fractured hand, Bismack Biyombo has seen a bump in playing time, and finally made it count Monday. Biyombo finished with a season - high 15 points (4 - 8 FG, 7 - 11 FT) with 13 rebounds and two blocks over 29 minutes. Kyle Lowry was his usual self, scoring a game - high 27 points 9 - 19 FG, 5 - 11 3Pt, 4 - 4 FT) with seven rebounds and six assists. The Raptors will have their hands full Wednesday when the Spurs come to town; the Lakers play the sixth game of an eight - game road trip against the T-Wolves.

["TeamStat(G,'Raptors') has 9 Losses ,has 102 Total points ,has 13 Points in 1st quarter ." "TeamStat(G,'Lakers') has 18 Losses ,has 93 Total points ,has 22 Points in 1st quarter ,has 22 Points in 4th quarter ,has 3 Wins ."]

The New York Knicks (17 - 19) defeated the Altanta Hawks (21 - 15) 107 - 101 on Tuesday. The Knicks have shown considerable signs of improvement so far in the 2015 - 16 campaign, after losing a whopping 65 games last season. A tangible sign of that progress has come over the last two games, when New York managed to get the best of the first - place and playoff - caliber Atlanta Hawks in each team's home arena. Tuesday's victory may have been even more impressive than Sunday's, considering it was accomplished on the road at Philips Arena and that the Knicks were successfully able to withstand a late push from the home team and hang on for the win. The Hawks entered the final period trailing 84 - 71, but closed to within two after Dennis Schroder's free throw made it 103 - 101 with 40 seconds remaining. However, Carmelo Anthony secured the defensive rebound on Schroder's intentional miss of his second attempt from the charity stripe, and then drained two key free throws himself with 13 seconds to extend the lead to the final margin of 107 - 101. Anthony led the way for New York scoring - wise, tallying 23 points, 11 rebounds, seven assists, a steal and a pair of blocks. Arron Afflalo, who decimated the Hawks on Sunday with a 38 - point barrage, put together a solid encore performance by matching Anthony's scoring output and adding seven rebounds, four assists and a steal. Kristaps Porzingis joined Anthony in the double - double department, collecting 17 points and hauling in 11 boards. Derrick Williams paced the Knicks' reserves with an efficient 15 points, four rebounds and an assist over just 16 minutes The Knicks improved to 17 - 19 and remain in third place in the Eastern Conference's Atlantic Division. They head to Miami to take on the Heat on Wednesday. Atlanta received double - digit scoring from all five starters, but it ultimately was n't enough. Paul Millsap spearheaded the attack with 19 points, seven rebounds, two assists and a steal, but missed a 26 - foot three - point running jumper with seven seconds left that would have brought the Hawks within three. Jeff Teague was next in line with 16 points, but could not contribute much else, failing to dish out any assists and only tallying a rebound and a steal otherwise. Kent Bazemore (15 points, five rebounds) and Kyle Korver (12 points, three rebounds) were productive, and Al Horford managed his third double - double in four games with 13 points, 10 rebounds, eight assists and a pair of blocks. The Hawks fell to 21 - 15 and remain in second place in the Eastern Conference's Southeast Division. They head to Philadelphia for a showdown with the Sixers on Thursday.

["TeamStat(G,'Hawks') has 15 Losses ,has 101 Total points ,has 21 Points in 4th quarter ." "TeamStat(G,'Knicks') has 19 Losses ,has 107 Total points ,has 23 Points in 4th quarter ,has 17 Wins ."]

Draymond Green leads the Golden State Warriors in assists per game and the 127 - 119 win against the Denver Nuggets on Monday at Oracle Arena was further proof of how his court vision continues to grow with each year in the league. The Warriors ran most of the plays through Green at the top of the arc, and he was able to find Kevin Durant, Klay Thompson and Stephen Curry in multiple comfortable positions so that all three were able to finish with 20 - plus points. Green finished with 15 points, 13 assists and 10 rebounds in the win. The big three scorers poured in 20 - plus point performances led by Thompson's 25 points, but Durant came away with the most efficient effort after going for 21 points on 10 - of - 19 shooting. Curry buried three shots from behind the arc on his way to 21 points.

["TeamStat(G,'Warriors') has 127 Total points ." "TeamStat(G,'Nuggets') has 119 Total points ."]

The Dallas Mavericks took down the visiting Denver Nuggets on Monday, 112 - 92. Dallas (6 - 18) still remains at the bottom of the NBA, though Monday's win showed some promise for the struggling team. The Mavericks shot 58 percent from the field and 46 percent on three - point attempts. At the helm of this offensive attack was shooting guard Wesley Matthews, who posted a terrific 25 points on 10 - of - 14 shooting with five three - pointers. Forward Harrison Barnes scored 18 points, while point guard Deron Williams had 17 points and eight assists. The team protected the ball respectably, turning it over only nine times on the night. Denver (9 - 16), meanwhile, saw shoddy offensive play in the crushing loss. The team shot just 42 percent from the floor and 28 percent from three - point range. Surprisingly, though, those issues did not stem from notoriously inefficient point guard Emmanuel Mudiay. Mudiay shot 6 - of - 12 and scored 17 points, the most of any Nuggets' starter. Sophomore big man Nikola Jokic also posted an efficient line off the bench, leading the team with a whopping 27 points and 11 rebounds on 10 - of - 12 shooting. Dallas will host the Pistons on Wednesday night, while Denver will host the Trail Blazers on Thursday.

["TeamStat(G,'Mavericks') has 46 Percentage of 3 points ,has 58 Percentage of field goals ,has 18 Losses ,has 112 Total points ,has 6 Wins ." "TeamStat(G,'Nuggets') has 16 Percentage of 3 points ,has 92 Percentage of field goals ,has 9 Losses ."]

The host San Antonio Spurs beat the Memphis Grizzlies on Thursday, 97 - 90. The Spurs (55 - 16) look poised for a second straight 60 - win season as they continue to roll as the season draws to a close. San Antonio remains two games back from first place in the Western Conference, but still has plenty of time to overtake Golden State for the league's top record. On Thursday, All-Star forward LaMarcus Aldridge found his groove and helped lead the Spurs offense past the tough grit - and - grind Grizzlies. Aldridge led the team with 23 points on 10 - of - 16 shooting. Superstar Kawhi Leonard had a bit of an off night despite still pouring in 19 points. Leonard shot under 50 percent from the field and went a sub - par 4 - of - 7 from the free - throw line. Memphis (40 - 32) has now dropped two straight after a four - game win streak earlier in the month. The Grizzlies have fallen to seventh place in the Western Conference, allowing themselves to be eclipsed by the Thunder for sixth. Memphis struggled against the Spurs' top - ranked defense, shooting just 43 percent from the field on the night. Only two Grizzlies scored in double digits, with only Mike Conley eclipsing 20 points. Conley scored 22, while All-Star center Marc Gasol added 13 points and 10 rebounds. San Antonio will host the Knicks on Saturday, while the Grizzlies visit Golden State on Sunday.

["TeamStat(G,'Spurs') has 16 Losses ,has 97 Total points ,has 55 Points in 2nd quarter ." "TeamStat(G,'Grizzlies') has 32 Losses ,has 90 Total points ,has 20 Points in 2nd quarter ,has 40 Wins ."]