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The Cleveland Cavaliers (28 - 10) embarrassed the Houston Rockets (21 - 20) in a 91 - 77 win on Friday. It's not too often that an offense like the Rockets gets completely shut down, but that happened on Friday. They were held to just 35 percent shooting and shot just 6 - for - 25 from three - point range. Houston was held to just 51 points through three quarters while shooting under 30 percent as well and there was simply no juice in the building for the Rockets to build off of. The 77 points was a season - low for Houston and they were lucky to get to that total with the result out of hand very early. This was just one of those ugly NBA blowouts that's hard to watch and that's a frustrating sign for Houston with the recent success they have had. Cleveland was clearly frustrated by losing on Thursday to the San Antonio Spurs and put it to the Rockets here. What makes this so impressive is that this was the back end of a back - to - back after playing one of the most defensively aggressive teams the night before. All of the “big three” played great for Cleveland here, as LeBron James, Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love all put up great lines. James finished with 19 points, seven rebounds and seven assists. Irving finished with 23 points on 9 - for - 17 shooting and Love recorded an 11 point - 13 rebound double - double. The bench really struggled, but when these three are playing like this, it really doesn’t matter. Up next for the Cavaliers is one of the showcase games of the year, as they host the Golden State Warriors on Martin Luther King Day. This was one of Houston's worst offensive games in years and it's no surprise it came against a stout defense like the Cavaliers. The bench was downright bad on Friday, as the six regular bench players combined for 24 points on 5 - for - 26 shooting, which included some garbage time scoring. It wasn’t just the bench though, as no player scored more than 14 points. That player was James Harden, who shot 2 - for - 10 while committing seven turnovers in a nightmare game. The one bright spot would be a double - double from Dwight Howard, who has been playing his best ball of the year over recent weeks. This snapped a five - game wining streak for the Rockets and it doesn’t get much easier on Monday, when they play the scorching hot Los Angeles Clippers.

["TeamStat(G,'Rockets') has 35 Percentage of field goals ,has 20 Losses ,has 77 Total points ,has 21 Wins ." "TeamStat(G,'Cavaliers') has 10 Percentage of field goals ,has 91 Losses ,has 28 Total points ."]

The Utah Jazz (6 - 5) defeated the Toronto Raptors (7 - 6) Wednesday 93 - 89 at the Vivint Smart Home Arena in Salt Lake City. While it was the Raptors that entered the final quarter with a five - point lead, a Jazz run ultimately put them ahead. Toronto couldn’t climb out of the hole and Utah ultimately walked away with a win that put them back over .500. It was a balanced offensive attack from the Jazz, who had five players finish in double figures. Derrick Favors led the way, recording a double - double of 18 points and 11 rebounds in 32 minutes, with Gordon Hayward not too far behind, recording 17 points and seven rebounds in 35 minutes. Rodney Hood (16) was the only other starter to reach double figures, while Alex Burks and Trey Burke scored 13 and 10 points respectively off the bench. Luis Scola led the way for Toronto in the losing effort, recording 22 points (10 - 15 FG) and five rebounds in 30 minutes. Kyle Lowry was close behind, scoring 20 points and recording six assists and three steals in 37 minutes. It was the starters carrying the load for the Raptors, as their bench managed to score just 15 total points. Up next, the Jazz will travel to Dallas to go up against the Mavericks Friday, while the Raptors will head to Los Angeles Friday and play the Lakers.

["TeamStat(G,'Jazz') has 5 Losses ,has 93 Total points ,has 6 Wins ." "TeamStat(G,'Raptors') has 6 Losses ,has 89 Total points ,has 7 Wins ."]

The Sacramento Kings (10 - 9) outlasted the Indiana Pacers (7 - 13) 102 - 101 in overtime at Sleep Train Arena on Friday. The Kings held the lead for the majority of the contest, only to cede control to the Pacers in the final minute of overtime, needing a Carl Landry offensive rebound and put - back of a Rudy Gay miss with 1 seconds left on the clock to get the victory and snap a four game losing streak. Ryan Hollins started again in place of DeMarcus Cousins (illness), scoring eight points in 21 minutes. It was Rudy Gay and Darren Collison that led the Kings though, scoring 27 and 20 points respectively. Collison also added six rebounds, six assists and four steals. Jason Thompson played a season - high 38 minutes before fouling out, grabbing 10 rebounds in the process. The Kings now take on the Magic on Saturday and hope to continue this winning form. Rodney Stuckey played his second straight game as the starting point guard, tallying 14 points with three assists and four steals. C.J. Watson played the majority of the remaining backcourt minutes off the bench, scoring 14 points in 36 minutes, despite coming off the bench. For the second straight game, after starting at the point for the first 18 games of the season, Donald Sloan failed to get into the game. Ian Mahinmi was forced to leave the game in the first half with left foot soreness and will continue to be monitored. Indiana faces the red - hot Hawks on Monday.

["TeamStat(G,'Kings') has 9 Losses ,has 102 Total points ,has 10 Wins ." "TeamStat(G,'Pacers') has 13 Losses ,has 101 Total points ,has 7 Wins ."]

The Oklahoma City Thunder defeated the visiting Dallas Mavericks, 108 - 70, in Game 1 of the Western Conference first - round playoffs at Chesapeake Energy Arena on Saturday. While Oklahoma City had little trouble creating shots and finding open lanes for ball movement, it was their defense that showed up big. As a team, the Thunder held the Mavericks to an atrocious 28 percent from the field. Frustration hit its boiling point for Rick Carlisle midway through the third quarter and he received a technical foul for arguing, but the game was long lost at that point. The trouble continued for Oklahoma City after JJ Barea (groin) reaggravated a strain. He is considered day - to - day according to the most recent reports. The Thunder’s one - two punch that boasts Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook picked up right where they left off in the regular season and contributed 24 points and 23 points, respectively. Westbrook went on to add 11 assists and five rebounds on 7 - of - 15 shooting, while Durant contributed five assists and five boards. Serge Ibaka shot lights out from the floor and pitched in 17 points, nine boards and three blocked shots on 7 - of - 8 shooting in 27 minutes. The bench was led by Enes Kanter, as he helped the starters with a double - double to the tune of 16 points and 13 rebounds. Dirk Nowitzki was the only Mavericks player who was able to get any sort of offense going throughout the entirety of the game and finished with 18 points on 7 - of - 15 shooting, but the rest of the starters combined to shot 12 - of - 40 in the game. Carlisle turned to Raymond Felton after Barea went down and the veteran point guard was able to get some ball movement going, but failed to find any shots for himself. Game 2 will be held at Chesapeake Energy Arena and will take place on Monday at 5:0 EST.

["TeamStat(G,'Thunder') has 108 Losses ,has 1 Total points ." "TeamStat(G,'Mavericks') has 1 Losses ,has 70 Total points ,has 18 Points in 3rd quarter ."]

The Los Angeles Clippers (35 - 19) defeated the Houston Rockets (36 - 17) 110 - 95 Wednesday at the Staples Center The Clippers were without Blake Griffin for the third game in a row, but that did n't stop them from notching their second straight victory. Los Angeles held James Harden, the league's leading scorer who was coming off of back - to - back 40 - point games, to just nine points. Houston tried to close the gap in the fourth by sending DeAndre Jordan to the line as many times as possible, but Jordan was able make enough free throw attempts to help ice the game. Jordan finished 12 - 26 from the line. While the free - throw shooting was far from stellar, Jordan still finished with 24 points and 20 rebounds. The Clippers have taken the first two meetings with the Rockets this season. They will meet again on Feb. 25. Houston was playing the second game of a back - to - back Wednesday after Tuesday's 127 - 118 track meet in Phoenix. The Rockets relied heavily on their three - point shooting, but to no avail as they shot just 9 - 44 from beyond the arc. The Rockets enter the break with the same record as the Trail Blazers at 36 - 17. Los Angeles came into the week looking like a team that was nearing panic - mode. The Clippers lost four in a row last week and lost Blake Griffin for at least three weeks with a staph infection in his elbow. However, the Clippers responded this week with impressive wins over the Mavericks and Rockets to head into the break. The Clippers will resume play on Feb. 19 against the Spurs.

["TeamStat(G,'Clippers') has 25 Number of team assists ,has 19 Losses ,has 110 Total points ,has 35 Wins ." "TeamStat(G,'Rockets') has 17 Number of team assists ,has 95 Losses ,has 36 Total points ."]

The Detroit Pistons (13 - 11) defeated the Philadelphia 76ers (1 - 22) 107 - 95 on Friday. The Pistons came into the night trying to avoid a fifth straight road defeat, and were facing an ideal opponent to help them break that streak in the 76ers. Detroit was able to accomplish their goal, but did so through a see - saw game that saw each team seemingly forget how to play defense in alternating quarters. The visitors ambushed the Sixers early, building a 35 - 14 lead by the end of the first period. Philadelphia closed the deficit to 57 - 46 by halftime on the strength of a second quarter where they outscored Detroit by a score of 32 - 23. Coming out of intermission, it was the Pistons' turn to reestablish their dominance, and they managed to build their lead back up to 22 by outscoring the home team 31 - 20 during the period. Entering the fourth quarter, the one - win Sixers consequently found themselves down 88 - 66, and were able to only gain modest ground by winning the final 12 minutes, 29 - 18. The end result was a 107 - 95 final score, and Philadelphia's 22nd loss in 23 games. Detroit secured the victory on the strength of impressively productive and balanced nights from each of their starting five. They were led by stalwarts Reggie Jackson and Marcus Morris, who each managed 21 points. The former added five rebounds and four assists, while the latter pitched in with eight rebounds, four assists, a steal and a block. Andre Drummond posted a second consecutive 18 - point performance and double - double, adding 16 rebounds, four blocks and a pair of steals. The Pistons' superstar center has now hauled in 35 boards over the last two games alone. Ersan Ilyasova and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, who have proven to be inconsistent at times this season, also made significant contributions. Ilyasova filled out the stat sheet with a second 15 - point effort in the last three contests, and eight rebounds, a pair of assists, a pair of blocks and a pair of steals. Meanwhile, Caldwell-Pope collected 13 points, two assists, two rebounds and three steals. The Pistons improved to 13 - 11 and remain in fourth place in the Eatern Conference's Central Division. They head home to face the Pacers on Saturday night. The Sixers encouragingly received another strong performance from first - rounder Jahlil Okafor, who has now put together back - to - back impressive outings after a sub - par return from his suspension last Monday against the Spurs. Friday, Okafor tallied 22 points and added six boards. Joining him in posting double - digit scoring were Nerlens Noel (10 points) and the dependable Robert Covington (18 points), who also came a rebound short of a double - double. Isaiah Canaan had a third straight poor outing, managing only seven points, two assists and a rebound over 23 minutes. Kendall Marshall made his season debut after knee surgery, and poured in five points over 16 minutes. Jerami Grant led the Sixers reserves with eight points. Philadelphia fell to 1 - 22 and remains in last place in the Eastern Conference's Atlantic Division. They head to Toronto to face the Raptors on Sunday afternoon.

["TeamStat(G,'76ers') has 22 Number of team assists ,has 23 Losses ,has 95 Total points ,has 32 Points in 2nd quarter ,has 20 Points in 3rd quarter ." "TeamStat(G,'Pistons') has 11 Number of team assists ,has 107 Losses ,has 23 Total points ,has 31 Points in 2nd quarter ,has 13 Points in 3rd quarter ."]

The Charlotte Hornets (24 - 33) defeated the Orlando Magic (19 - 42) 98 - 83 on Sunday. Charlotte has won two of their last three games as they've started to find a groove with interim starting point guard Mo Williams. He scored 23 points and dished out 11 assists in 38 minutes against the Magic to record his second double - double since joining the Hornets five games ago. Williams has played well, but the Hornets are looking forward to getting Kemba Walker back in the fold. Walker underwent surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his left knee on Jan. 28 and was given a 4 - 6 week timetable to return. He'll be evaluated Wednesday by the Hornets, and if all goes well, a more definitive return date could be revealed to get Walker back in the lineup. Big man Bismack Biyombo returned to action Sunday after being out with a knee injury since Jan. 24. Biyombo put up three rebounds and one block in 14 minutes off the bench. The Hornets are tied with the Brooklyn Nets for the eighth and final playoff spot in the East, but they also have the Pacers, Celtics and Pistons within two games of them, fighting for the final playoff spot. Orlando is seven games behind the Hornet and Nets, putting them all - but out of the playoff conversation this late in the season. They've lost three straight, and while the team has played great defense recently, holding nine straight opponents to under 100 points scored, their struggles on offense have kept them out of the win column most nights. Victor Oladipo was the lone bright spot in the starting lineup Sunday, scoring a team - high 21 points and five assists in 38 minutes. The Magic won the first two games of their season series with the Hornets, but Charlotte tied everything up with Sunday's win to close up the season series in a 2 - 2 tie. Charlotte will return home to host the Lakers on Tuesday, and Orlando will host the Suns on Wednesday.

["TeamStat(G,'Magic') has 42 Losses ,has 83 Total points ,has 23 Points in 4th quarter ,has 19 Wins ." "TeamStat(G,'Hornets') has 33 Losses ,has 98 Total points ,has 24 Points in 4th quarter ."]

The Sacramento Kings (33 - 48) defeated the Phoenix Suns (22 - 59) 105 - 101 at Talking Stick Arena on Monday. With the season winding down and only a handful of games across the league left to play, the Kings came away with a road win without DeMarcus Cousins and Rajon Rondo. Cousins was shut down for the season and Rondo was written down for rest, although it is unlikely he plays the final game on the schedule. Sacramento had little trouble getting out to a lead before halftime, but poor foul shooting down the stretch and a lowly 18 point fourth quarter gave Phoenix some daylight to catch up. The Suns were also shorthanded, as Tyson Chandler (concussion) was sidelined alongside Brandon Knight and Archie Goodwin (ankle). Seth Curry had a career night and flashed some of his older brothers range and passing ability which had the commentators regularly saying “we have seen the before! ”. Curry finished with 20 points, which led all Kings scorers, and added 15 assists and three rebounds. Ben Mclemore joined Curry in the backcourt and contributed 14 points and seven rebounds, while Rudy Gay pitched in some highlight reel dunks on his way to 15 points, six rebounds and two steals. Quincy Acy was able to knock down the two needed free throws to prevent a last second chance for the Suns in the waning seconds of the fourth quarter and finished with nine points off the bench. The Phoenix starters mostly finished in double figures and that included three players who eclipsed 10 rebounds, but it was Mirza Teletovic who shined in 34 minutes off the bench. Teletovic added 26 points on 10 - of - 20 shooting, to go along with three rebounds, one assist and two steals. The undrafted 30 - year old forward has strung together an impressive five game stretch, where he has averaged 22 points on 47 percent shooting and proved to be a bright spot on the Suns underwhelming roster. Alex Len, Jon Leuer and P.J. Tucker finished with double - doubles in the points and rebounds department, and as a unit, Phoenix dominated the rebounding battle 51 - 40, but their 41 percent shooting kept them out of the game. Both teams play their final games of the season on Wednesday, as the Kings will visit the Houston Rockets (40 - 41) in a win or go home game for James Harden’s crew, while the Suns host the playoff bound Los Angeles Clippers (52 - 28).

["TeamStat(G,'Suns') has 41 Percentage of field goals ,has 59 Losses ,has 101 Total points ,has 22 Points in 1st quarter ,has 51 Points in 4th quarter ,has 22 Rebounds ." "TeamStat(G,'Kings') has 48 Percentage of field goals ,has 105 Losses ,has 18 Total points ,has 40 Points in 1st quarter ,has 33 Points in 4th quarter ."]

The Miami Heat (22 - 29) defeated the New York Knicks (10 - 42), 109 - 95, on Monday. Chris Bosh filled the cup on Monday night, finishing with 32 points and six assists. He also hit 4 - of - 6 from the three - point line. Hassan Whiteside has been slowed down by an ankle injury of late. While he played just 19 minutes, he had seven points, nine rebounds and two blocks. The Heat were down by 14 points in the first half, but quickly erased the deficit and eventually gained a 14 - point lead on the Knicks. After missing the team's previous game Saturday against the Warriors as part of his schedule to rest during the second game of back - to - backs, Carmelo Anthony left Monday's contest with a knee injury. He had 26 points, four assists and four rebounds in 32 minutes before his departure. R egardless, Anthony is highly unlikely to play Wednesday against the Magic and now will take it easy during the All-Star break. On Wednesday, the Knicks will head to Orlando to face the Magic, while the Heat will play the Cleveland Cavaliers at Quicken Loans Arena.

["TeamStat(G,'Heat') has 29 Losses ,has 109 Total points ,has 22 Wins ." "TeamStat(G,'Knicks') has 42 Losses ,has 95 Total points ,has 10 Wins ."]

The Miami Heat (42 - 30) defeated the Orlando Magic (29 - 43) 108 - 97 on Friday. A short - handed Magic squad surprised the Heat in the first half, mounting a 57 - 54 lead by intermission despite missing Nikola Vucevic (groin) and the sharpshooting Victor Oladipo, who sat out the game with a wrist injury. However, the tenor of the contest significantly changed in a crucial third quarter, which Miami won going away, 31 - 12. As has often been the case during Chris Bosh's extended absence due to blood clots, the duo of Goran Dragic and Hassan Whiteside stepped up significantly on offense. Both players eclipsed the 20 - point mark, and filled out the other areas of the stat sheet as well against the undermanned Orlando defense. The Magic were led by a strong effort from Evan Fournier, who supplied 20 points, seven rebounds and two assists. Andrew Nicholson was suprisingly right behind him, tallying a bench - leading 19 points, and also contributing six rebounds and an assist. Elfrid Payton followed up his triple - double in Orlando's last contest versus the Pistons by putting together a 14 - point, seven - rebound, seven - assist stat line. Dewayne Dedmon received another start at center in Vucevic's absence, and collected 10 points, six rebounds, an assist and a steal. Orlando remains in last place in the Eastern Conference's Southeast Division. They're home against the Chicago Bulls on Saturday night. The Heat's attack was spearheaded by Whiteside, who posted 26 points, 12 rebounds, a steal and five blocks off the bench. Dragic followed closely behind with 22 points, eight assists and four steals. Josh Richardson also made strong contributions in a reserve role, managing 14 points, two rebounds and two assists. Amar'e Stoudemire tallied 13 points, five rebounds and a steal. Luol Deng, who started the day with a questionable designation due to a thigh injury, posted 10 points, 13 boards, five assists, a steal and a block. Miami remains in second place in the Eastern Conference's Southeast Division, and has a hold of the fifth seed in the conference as well. They're home again on Monday versus the Brooklyn Nets.

["TeamStat(G,'Heat') has 30 Losses ,has 108 Total points ,has 26 Points in 2nd quarter ,has 31 Points in 3rd quarter ,has 42 Wins ." "TeamStat(G,'Magic') has 43 Losses ,has 97 Total points ,has 12 Points in 2nd quarter ,has 29 Points in 3rd quarter ."]

The New Orleans Pelicans (6 - 16) defeated the Washington Wizards (9 - 12) 107 - 105 in a nail - biter on Friday. This was an exciting game that ultimately came down to the final shot. Gary Neal took the last shot at the buzzer to tie the game, but could n't quite come through for the Wizards. Both teams shot well, as they were both right around the 50 percent mark. The Pelicans outrebounded the Wizards 41 - 33 and that very well may have been the difference in the game The Wizards had to play this game with a multitude of injuries and that's a bad recipe to win on the road. Drew Gooden, Nene Hilario and Kris Humphries all were ruled out well before the game, but the big surprise was the late scratch of Bradley Beal. He was inactive due to some leg soreness and that's a major worry for Washington fans, as that's the same leg he had a stress fracture on just last season. That means John Wall had to step up and he did just that. Wall tallied 26 points, 12 assists and seven rebounds in a tough loss. This 9 - 12 record is not what Wizards fans hoped for and they need to get healthy first if they want to get any better. They'll travel to Dallas on Saturday to take on the Mavericks in the second half of a back - to - back. The Pelicans got a much needed win here, as the season has been slipping away since day one. This Pelicans roster was depleted just as much as Washington's just last week, but most of those guys are back now. Most notably, Tyreke Evans is back and playing brilliantly. Evans contributed 27 points, seven rebounds, four assists and two steals to carry his team to a victory. Jrue Holiday, Anthony Davis, Eric Gordon and Evans carried the load, as they combined for 79 points in the win. The struggling defense still allowed 105 points, but that actually lowered their season average, amazingly. New Orleans will look to keep this momentum going on Saturday, when they take on the Chicago Bulls in the second half of a back - to - back set.

["TeamStat(G,'Pelicans') has 16 Percentage of field goals ,has 107 Losses ,has 41 Total points ,has 6 Rebounds ." "TeamStat(G,'Wizards') has 50 Percentage of field goals ,has 12 Losses ,has 105 Total points ,has 33 Rebounds ,has 9 Wins ."]

The New Orleans Pelicans (24 - 38) defeated the Sacramento Kings (25 - 37) 115 - 112, Monday night at Smoothie King Center. This was a hard - fought battle between two floundering western squads. Sacramento started out strong but New Orleans battled back from a 17 - point deficit in the third quarter to eventually tie the game at 89 with 8:40 left in the fourth. New Orleans then continued the comeback with a 15 - 4 run in the last four minutes, capped off with a three by Dante Cunningham and clutch foul - line jumper from Jrue Holiday. The 17 - point difference that the Pelicans overcame to snap their four - game losing streak was the largest comeback they have completed all season. New Orleans has now won its last five contests against the Kings. Anthony Davis had his hands full doing battle against DeMarcus Cousins, but still found time to drop 31 points (13 - 21 FG, 1 - 3 3Pt, 4 - 9 FT), along with 10 rebounds and three steals, in 38 minutes on the floor. In the absence of Eric Gordon who is out with a broken finger, Jrue Holiday got the start at point guard. Holiday finished with an impressive 20 points and 10 assists, as well as four rebounds, four steals and one blocked shot, in 35 minutes, while Norris Cole chipped in 23 points, along with seven rebounds, six assists and three steals, in 40 minutes. In spite of the loss, DeMarcus Cousins put up a monstrous 40 points (16 - 29 FG, 0 - 3 3Pt, 8 - 9 FT) and 16 rebounds, as well as four assists and four steals, in 41 minutes. Rudy Gay and Rajon Rondo each contributed their own double - double; Rondo with 18 points and 10 assists and Gay with 18 points and 10 rebounds. The Kings shot a solid 49 percent from the field but it was not enough to compensate for their 24 turnovers, as the Pelicans sent them packing. Next, the Kings will host the Cavaliers on Wednesday. The Pelicans begin a five - game road trip in Charlotte on Wednesday.

["TeamStat(G,'Pelicans') has 38 Percentage of field goals ,has 115 Losses ,has 17 Total points ,has 24 Points in 2nd quarter ." "TeamStat(G,'Kings') has 49 Percentage of field goals ,has 37 Losses ,has 112 Total points ,has 25 Points in 2nd quarter ."]

The Sacramento Kings (11 - 16) defeated the Toronto Raptors (17 - 12) 104 - 94 on Sunday. Sacramento darted out to a strong start and led Toronto by more than 20 points in the first quarter, but the lead never stretched to blow out pace, as the Raptors were able to keep the game close through the second half. After picking up a second technical foul for arguing with the ref, point guard Kyle Lowry was ejected from the game in the 3rd quarter. Lowry had scored 13 points and dished out four assists before his early departure. DeMar DeRozan handled most of the workload and was instrumental in keeping the Raptors in the game, as he finished with 28 points, seven rebounds and an assist on 10 - of - 24 shooting. James Johnson chipped in 14 points and six rebounds, while starting center Bismack Biyombo crashed the offensive and defensive glass to the tune of 13 boards. The Raptors slow start resulted in a poor shooting performance, as the team finished 37 percent from the floor and 28 percent from deep. The Kings were unable to keep the momentum after the explosive start, but did close out the game on a 12 - 4 run during the last five minutes. As a unit, the Kings shot 53 percent from the floor and six of the eight total players finished in double figures. Rajon Rondo scored 19 points, to go along with 13 assists, while Rudy Gay matched the point guards work in the scoring department and added nine rebounds. Rondo came into the game leading the league with 11 assists per game. DeMarcus Cousins continues to round out the stat sheet and contributed an all around dominant performance, with 15 points, nine rebounds, five assists, two steals and four blocks. Forward Omri Casspi utilized the long ball to extend the Kings lead on multiple occurrences, completing 3 - of - 4 from deep, alongside an efficient 6 - of - 8 from the floor, totalling 15 points in the win. The Kings will look to work their way back into the Western Conference playoff picture when they visit the Washington Wizards (11 - 14) on Monday, while the Raptors host the Dallas Mavericks (15 - 12) on Tuesday.

["TeamStat(G,'Raptors') has 28 Percentage of 3 points ,has 37 Percentage of field goals ,has 12 Losses ,has 94 Total points ,has 17 Wins ." "TeamStat(G,'Kings') has 53 Percentage of 3 points ,has 16 Percentage of field goals ,has 104 Losses ,has 11 Total points ."]

The Sacramento Kings (4 - 1) defeated the Denver Nuggets (1 - 3) 131 - 109 on Wednesday at the Sleep Train Arena in Sacramento. After getting the Kings secured the victory in the first game of these teams' back - to - back, home - and - home series on Monday, they looked even more impressive Wednesday, shooting 55 percent from the field and 40 percent from beyond the three - point line. In comparison, the Nuggets shot 45 percent from the field and 32 percent from beyond the arc. Led by DeMarcus Cousins, the Kings also out - rebounded the Nuggets 40 to 32. The Kings are quickly becoming the surprise of the Western Conference. Despite dropping their home - opener to the Warriors, they've now won three straight games and are gaining steam. Cousins continued his dominance in this one. After posting 19 points and five rebounds on the Nuggets on Monday, he exploded for 30 points and 11 rebounds Wednesday to give him his third double - double of the year. Rudy Gay was n't far behind and added 29 points of his own, shooting an outstanding 9 - for - 12 from the field and 3 - for - 3 from three - point land. Coming off the bench, Carl Landry had his second productive game in a row for the Kings, producing 18 points and four rebounds. Ben McLemore has struggled for much of the year but played well Wednesday. He shot 3 - for - 7 from the field and 2 - for - 5 from beyond the arc to score 10 points. The Nuggets could n't establish their defense in the two games against the Kings, as they gave up a combined 241 points over the two games. A lot of their production came from the bench in this one. Randy Foye had 19 points and two assists, as he went 7 - for - 11 from the field and 3 - for - 5 from three - point land in 27 minutes. Darrell Arthur and Nate Robinson were the other two bench players to hit double - digit scoring as they combined for 21 points. Ty Lawson started at point guard and came one assist shy of a double - double. He totaled 13 points and nine assists and did n't seem to have any trouble with his ankle that had been sore early in the week. The Kings' next game will be on the road against the Phoenix Suns on Friday, while the Nuggets will be at home against LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday.

["TeamStat(G,'Kings') has 40 Percentage of 3 points ,has 55 Percentage of field goals ,has 1 Losses ,has 131 Total points ,has 40 Points in 1st quarter ,has 40 Rebounds ,has 4 Wins ." "TeamStat(G,'Nuggets') has 32 Percentage of 3 points ,has 45 Percentage of field goals ,has 3 Losses ,has 109 Total points ,has 19 Points in 1st quarter ,has 32 Rebounds ,has 1 Wins ."]

The Heat pulled away from the short - handed Cavs with a 32 - 16 second quarter and never looked back. Goran Dragic and Hassan Whiteside led the way for Miami with a combined 43 points, and the Heat reserves totaled 53 points while getting extra run in the blowout win. Dragic led the Heat with 23 points, while Whiteside tallied a 20 - point, 13 - rebound double - double. Tyler Johnson was next with a second unit - leading 17 points. Wayne Ellington chipped in 12 points. No other Miami player managed double - digit scoring, with Luke Babbitt (nine points) coming the closest. Channing Frye posted a team - high 21 points for the Cavs. Kyle Korver paced the starting five with 15 points, while Richard Jefferson provided 11 points as a reserve. Deron Williams, Tristan Thompson and Derrick Williams supplied a trio of 10 - point efforts.

["TeamStat(G,'Heat') has 32 Points in 2nd quarter ." "TeamStat(G,'Cavaliers') has 16 Points in 2nd quarter ."]

The Los Angeles Clippers (32 - 14) defeated the Utah Jazz (16 - 30) 94 - 89 on Wednesday at Energy Solutions Arena in Salt Lake City. While both teams shot very similar percentages from the field, the Clippers took the upper had from behind the three - point line, going 35 percent from deep, while the Jazz went just 21 percent from beyond the arc. Coming out of the third quarter, the Clippers were actually down 72 - 68, but they got hot in the fourth quarter, out - scoring the Jazz 26 - 17 to secure the five - point victory. With J.J. Redick sitting this game out with back spasms, Jamal Crawford jumped into the starting shooting guard position, matching a team - high in points with 21 (5 - 14 FG, 4 - 7 3Pt, 7 - 7 FT), while also adding two steals in 39 minutes. It was his second game in a row passing the 20 - point plateau, as he's combined for 44 points in those two matchups. Chris Paul was the other player to score 21 points (8 - 16 FG, 1 - 6 3Pt, 4 - 5 FT), while he also had five rebounds and six assists. Over his last three games he's averaged 20 points and 9 rebounds, as he's had the hot hand for the Clippers. Coming just shy of a double - double, Blake Griffin had 17 points (7 - 17 FG, 0 - 1 3Pt, 3 - 6 FT) and seven rebounds. He's now averaging 23 points and 8 rebounds on the season. Austin Rivers was the only player to score off the bench, posting 12 points (5 - 8 FG, 2 - 4 3Pt) in 22 minutes. The Jazz saw most of their production from their front court. Enes Kanter had another strong showing, scoring 21 points (8 - 16 FG, 0 - 1 3Pt, 5 - 7 FT) and grabbing 11 rebounds. He's turned it on offensively of late, scoring 20 or more points in four out of his last five games. Derrick Favors nearly recorded a double - double of his own with 18 points (8 - 13 FG, 2 - 4 FT), nine rebounds and two blocked shots. He's been playing good defense around the rim in his last three games, posting at least two blocks in each matchup. Trey Burke continued to come off the bench, with Dante Exum in as the starting point guard. Burke played more minutes though, notching 11 points (4 - 15 FG, 2 - 7 3Pt, 1 - 1 FT) and four rebounds in 30 minutes. Exum struggled to a meager three points, as he shot just 1 - of - 6 from the field and 1 - for - 5 from the three - point line in 26 minutes, so the Jazz will need better guard play if they want to have a better showing in their next game. The Clippers' next game will be on the road against the New Orleans Pelicans on Friday, while the Jazz will be at home against the Golden State Warriors on Friday.

["TeamStat(G,'Jazz') has 21 Percentage of 3 points ,has 30 Losses ,has 89 Total points ,has 17 Points in 4th quarter ,has 16 Wins ." "TeamStat(G,'Clippers') has 35 Percentage of 3 points ,has 14 Losses ,has 94 Total points ,has 26 Points in 4th quarter ,has 32 Wins ."]

The San Antonio Spurs (11 - 4) defeated the Sacramento Kings (9 - 7) 112 - 104 on Friday. San Antonio has won six straight games. Tony Parker scored a game - high 27 points in 38 minutes. The Spurs shot 51 percent from the field and 50 percent from beyond the arc. They were out - rebounded by the Kings 46 - 33, but they were able to overcome their deficiencies on the boards to grab the win. The Spurs begin a four - game road trip in Boston on Sunday against the Celtics. Sacramento has dropped two straight but have won four of their last seven games. DeMarcus Cousins sat out Friday's game with an illness. Rudy Gay (Achilles) and Darren Collison (quad) were able to return to action after sitting out the Kings' previous two games. Gay scored a a team - high 23 points and also collected eight rebounds and eight assists in 35 minutes. The Kings shot 51 percent from the field and 60 percent from beyond the arc, but they gave up 20 points on 14 turnovers to give away the game. They'll return home to host the Memphis Grizzlies on Sunday.

["TeamStat(G,'Spurs') has 50 Percentage of 3 points ,has 51 Percentage of field goals ,has 4 Losses ,has 112 Total points ,has 33 Rebounds ,has 6 Turnovers ,has 11 Wins ." "TeamStat(G,'Kings') has 60 Percentage of 3 points ,has 51 Percentage of field goals ,has 7 Losses ,has 104 Total points ,has 46 Rebounds ,has 14 Turnovers ,has 9 Wins ."]

The visiting Indiana Pacers took down the Houston Rockets on Monday, 117 - 108. Indiana (31 - 29) squeaked out the win over a tough Houston team. The Pacers currently sit amidst a wide - open Eastern Conference playoff race, and Monday's win will certainly help them as they jockey for positioning. It was a surprisingly lackluster night for star forward Paul George, who had just 15 points on 5 - of - 16 shooting. However, point guard Jeff Teague dominated the game, scoring 25 points to go with eight rebounds and six assists. The Pacers held a massive edge on the glass, out - rebounding Houston 55 - 39. Indiana also shot a stellar 45 percent while holding the Rockets to just 36 percent. Houston (42 - 19) had a lackluster night on the offensive end, shooting just 36 percent from the field on the night. Superstar James Harden went just 5 - of - 17 from the field, contributing to the Rockets' sub - par shooting night. It was still a fair night for Harden, who scored 25 points and dished out 12 assists. Harden also scored his 13,0th career point during the game. Lou Williams, a new addition to the Rockets' roster, scored a team - high 28 points off the bench. On Wednesday, the Pacers will visit San Antonio, while the Rockets will visit the LA Clippers.

["TeamStat(G,'Rockets') has 36 Percentage of field goals ,has 19 Losses ,has 108 Total points ,has 28 Points in 4th quarter ,has 39 Rebounds ,has 42 Wins ." "TeamStat(G,'Pacers') has 45 Percentage of field goals ,has 29 Losses ,has 117 Total points ,has 55 Points in 4th quarter ,has 31 Rebounds ."]

The Indiana Pacers (2 - 6) snapped a six - game winning streak, knocking off the Utah Jazz 97 - 86 on Monday night. The Pacers are currently without four starters, but it was the only starter who's left that led the charge Monday. Roy Hibbert put up 29 points (11 - 21 FG, 7 - 7 FT) with five rebounds, one assist, one block and one steal in 33 minutes. Indiana badly needed to find a way to get the win, as dropping to 1 - 7 would have been a difficult hole to climb out of. The Pacers got an impressive contribution from newly - signed A.J. Price, who scored 22 points (8 - 12 FG, 3 - 4 3Pt, 3 - 4 FT) in 25 minutes off the bench. Starting point guard Donald Sloan, filling in for George Hill (knee) struggled mightily, contributing just two points on 1 - of - 9 shooting. For the Jazz, it's a disappointing double - digit loss to a vastly depleted team. Utah got an impressive performance from Gordon Hayward, who finished with 30 points (11 - 15 FG, 2 - 3 3Pt, 6 - 6 FT) and added eight rebounds and five assists. While Hayward, Derrick Favors and Enes Kanter all scored in double figures, no other player on the team was able to do so, and the bench unit shot just 3 - of - 13 from the field. Next up, Utah remains on the road, heading to Atlanta to take on the Hawks on Wednesday night. The Pacers travel to Miami to take on the new - look Heat in a rematch of last season's Eastern Conference Finals.

["TeamStat(G,'Pacers') has 6 Losses ,has 97 Total points ,has 2 Wins ." "TeamStat(G,'Jazz') has 86 Losses ."]

The New Orleans Pelicans defeated the New York Knicks, 104 - 92, at Smoothie King Center on Friday. The Pelicans came out with some fire early on, as they would n't allow the Knicks to comeback in this game. In fact, New Orleans took a 31 - 21 lead after the first quarter, as the Knicks only had one lead after that, which lasted less than two minutes. Defense was key for the Pelicans, as the Knicks shot 38 percent from the field and 30 percent from three - point range. In addition, New Orleans won the assisting and turnover battles, en route to their 12 - point win. New York (16 - 16) got down early in this game and they simply could n't recover after that. Their "big three" did all they could though, as they each scored at least 20 points in the defeat. Carmelo Anthony led the team, as he tallied 26 points, 13 rebounds and three assists. Kristaps Porzingis also double - doubled, as he totaled 21 points, 12 rebounds and three assists. Derrick Rose dropped 20 points to go along with his three steals. Justin Holiday was the only player with more than five points, as he collected eight points, seven rebounds and four assists off the bench. On deck for the Knicks is a road matchup with the Houston Rockets on Saturday. New Orleans (14 - 21) has now won five of their last six games, as they continue to get healthy. Anthony Davis went off once again, as he led the team with 23 points and 18 rebounds. Tyreke Evans was second on the team, as he provided 16 points, five rebounds and four assists off the bench. Jrue Holiday recorded a double - double, as he accrued 12 points, four rebounds and 11 assists in the win. E'Twaun Moore and Buddy Hield scored 12 points a piece. The Pelicans will look to keep rolling on Tuesday against the Cleveland Cavaliers.

["TeamStat(G,'Pelicans') has 21 Percentage of 3 points ,has 104 Percentage of field goals ,has 31 Losses ,has 14 Total points ." "TeamStat(G,'Knicks') has 30 Percentage of 3 points ,has 38 Percentage of field goals ,has 16 Losses ,has 92 Total points ,has 21 Points in 1st quarter ,has 16 Wins ."]

The Bulls (5 - 1) extended their winning streak to four games with Friday’s 118 - 116 win over the 76ers (0 - 6). Playing without Derrick Rose (ankles), Jimmy Butler led the way for Chicago. The Marquette product had 15 points in the first half, finishing with 23 to go with seven rebounds and five assists. It was Mike Dunleavy, however, who led in scoring, pouring in 27 points on 9 - of - 15 shooting, including 5 - of - 8 from three - point range. Kirk Heinrich added 13 points and seven assists, while Taj Gibson chipped in 11 points off the bench. Pau Gasol had a 17 - point, 12 - rebound double - double. Philadelphia, which shot over 47 percent from the field, trailed by 16 entering the final period. Chicago maintained the lead throughout the fourth but the Sixers would mount a furious comeback late. Down nine with 36 seconds remaining, Philadelphia got hot from beyond the arc, as Chris Johnson and Hollis Thompson combined to hit three consecutive three - pointers, cutting the Chicago lead to just one with five seconds to play. Kirk Hinrich hit a pair of free throws to extend it to three with two seconds remaining, and a K.J. McDaniels heave at the buzzer fell well short of the rim. The Sixers, whose last two losses have come by a combined five points, were paced by another strong performance by Tony Wroten. Filling in as the starting point guard for Michael Carter-Williams (shoulder), Wroten finished with 31 points but shot just 11 - of - 27 from the field. Thompson chipped in 21 points, while Henry Sims added 16 and eight rebounds. Nerlens Noel did not play after injuring his ankle against Orlando on Wednesday. Up next, the Sixers head to Toronto to take on the Raptors on Sunday evening. Chicago, meanwhile, travels back home to host the Celtics on Saturday.

["TeamStat(G,'76ers') has 47 Percentage of field goals ,has 6 Losses ,has 0 Wins ." "TeamStat(G,'Bulls') has 1 Percentage of field goals ,has 5 Losses ."]

The Utah Jazz (11 - 14) held down the Denver Nuggets (11 - 15) in a 97 - 88 win on Friday, The Jazz are known as one of the best defensive teams in the league and that carried them on Friday. They held the Nuggets to just 15 points in the fourth quarter and to 6 - for - 28 shooting from three - point range in the game. Utah went on a 70 run in the middle of the fourth quarter and that really set the teams apart to give the Jazz the win. That snapped a four - game losing streak for Utah and a hot six - game stretch for Denver Denver came into this game winning five of their last six and played well enough to win here. They just could n't hit jumpers, as they shot below 25 percent on shots outside of the key. Will Barton led the team with 16 points scored off the bench and continues to show his versatility and growth. Joffrey Lauvergne also played well, as he recorded a 12 points - 13 rebound double - double in the loss. This team has been playing better lately and this is a tough task playing in Utah against a hungry Jazz team. The Nuggets will look to bounce - back when they host the New Orleans Pelicans on Sunday. Utah had lost four - straight coming into this, so it was a much needed win. Gordon Hayward was the star in the game, as he tallied 26 points, five rebounds and four assists in the win. No other player scored more than 13 points, but they did have nine players score at least five points. The offense has really been struggling this season, but they'll hope a 47 percent shooting night will get the team going. Utah will look to keep this momentum going on Monday against the Phoenix Suns, another poor defensive team.

["TeamStat(G,'Jazz') has 14 Losses ,has 97 Total points ,has 11 Points in 4th quarter ." "TeamStat(G,'Nuggets') has 15 Losses ,has 88 Total points ,has 15 Points in 4th quarter ,has 11 Wins ."]

The Portland Trail Blazers (42 - 37) defeated the Sacramento Kings (31 - 47) at Sleep Train Arena on Tuesday, 115 - 107. The Kings entered the contest winning four of their last six games, but narrowly fell to the Blazers, even with DeMarcus Cousins and Rajon Rondo in the lineup. The inconsistent Sacramento squad has been in the headlines over the past few weeks with Cousins being the center of attention after the strange strategy of sitting him during away games came up. Combine that with George Karl’s decision to rest most of his team without having a shot at the Western Conference playoffs, and one might think the circus is in town. Even with the two superstars in the starting five, the Kings were shorthanded, as Rudy Gay (rest), Kosta Koufos (rest), Darren Collison (rest) and Marco Belinelli (foot) were all sidelined. Regardless of who was available, the Blazers are not a great road team. DeMarcus Cousins was able to bully his matchups with Maurice Harkless and Mason Plumlee. The big man scored 30 points and grabbed nine rebounds on 11 - of - 21 shooting. Rajon Rondo packed the box score on his way to a triple - double with 27 points, 10 rebounds and 12 assists. The Blazers looked sloppy in the first half, but C.J. McCollum’s ability to change pace and cut corners on a dime kept the game close enough to take advantage of the shorthanded Kings in the second half. McCollum matched Cousins’ 30 points and added three rebounds, three assists and five three pointers in the contest. Damian Lillard took a few quarters to heat up, but the second half, particularly the fourth quarter, is named “Lillard Time” for a reason. Portland’s point guard scored 22 points, dished out eight assists and did damage from the free throw line where he knocked down 7 - of - 8 shots. Harkless was not exactly superb on the defensive end, but his willingness on the offensive end of the floor led to one of his best performances of the season, as he pitched in 20 points and 16 rebounds (seven of which on the offense) on 50 percent shooting. Neither team's bench shined in the game, but Portland heavily outrebounded Sacramento 49 - 34, while also forcing 19 turnovers. The Blazers will host the Oklahoma City Thunder (54 - 24) as part of the second game of a back - to - back on Wednesday, while the Kings welcome the Minnesota Timberwolves (25 - 52) on Wednesday.

["TeamStat(G,'Kings') has 47 Losses ,has 107 Total points ,has 34 Rebounds ,has 19 Turnovers ,has 31 Wins ." "TeamStat(G,'Trail Blazers') has 37 Losses ,has 115 Total points ,has 49 Rebounds ,has 42 Turnovers ."]

The Los Angeles Clippers (56 - 26) defeated the Phoenix Suns (39 - 43) 112 - 101 on Tuesday at the US Airways Center and are now guaranteed finish no lower than the third seed in the Western Conference playoffs. The Clippers led by as many as 30 points in this contest, but their reserves allowed the Suns to cut the lead down to 11 late in the fourth quarter. Still, the lead proved to be insurmountable as the Clippers notched a franchise - record eighth consecutive road win. Chris Paul finished with 22 points and six assists over 29 minutes of action and DeAndre Jordan had another double - double with 13 points and 14 rebounds. Paul played in all 82 games this season for the first time in his career. Los Angeles finished the regular season winning 14 of its final 15 games and seven in a row. While the Clippers starting lineup is loaded with star power, questions remain about their bench corps being an Achilles heel in the post season. The Rockets and Spurs, both sitting at 55 - 26, will finish their respective seasons Wednesday. Those games have major implications on the West's final standings, but the Clippers will be slotted no lower than third. Phoenix's disappointing second half came to an end Tuesday. The Suns had a legitimate chance at winning the eighth seed in the West when they moved to 38 - 33 in late March, but a 1 - 9 finish down the stretch eliminated them from contention. Phoenix started the year with a crowded back court that featured Goran Dragic, Isaiah Thomas, and Eric Bledsoe, but a flurry of trade deadline moves jettisoned Dragic and Thomas to the Eastern Conference and brought Brandon Knight to the Suns. Knight was hampered by an ankle injury for much of the second half of the season, causing him to miss all but one game after March 9. The Suns have narrowly missed the playoffs two years in a row, but players like Markieff Morris and Eric Bledsoe should keep them a competitive team next season.

["TeamStat(G,'Suns') has 43 Losses ,has 101 Total points ,has 39 Wins ." "TeamStat(G,'Clippers') has 26 Losses ,has 112 Total points ,has 56 Wins ."]

Indiana rallied for a 106 - 100 victory at Sacramento behind Paul George's 24 points and Jeff Teague's 22 points, 11 assists and seven rebounds. The Pacers could n't buy a basket in the first half, shooting 41 percent from the field and getting outrebounded 24 - 11. They turned it around in the second half, though, finishing at 52 percent shooting and gaining a 21 - 12 advantage on the boards in the final two quarters. The Pacers trailed by as many as 22 points in the first half, but outscored the Kings 65 - 40 in the second half. DeMarcus Cousins posted his fifth career triple - double, finishing with 25 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists to lead the Kings. Rudy Gay scored 21 points but left late in the third quarter with an Achilles' tendon injury. The Kings led 79 - 69 at that point but were outscored, 37 - 21, the rest of the way.

["TeamStat(G,'Kings') has 100 Percentage of field goals ." "TeamStat(G,'Pacers') has 52 Percentage of field goals ,has 106 Total points ."]

The Memphis Grizzlies (34 - 23) blew out the host Los Angeles Lakers (11 - 48) 112 - 95 on Friday. There were times when this game was close, but certainly not late. The Grizzlies carried a 17 - point lead into halftime and got into garbage time before the fourth quarter began. Every statistic was extremely uneven, as Memphis dominated in every facet. The Grizzlies outrebounded the Lakers 47 - 38, outshot them 51 percent to 41 percent and outassisted them 24 - 14. The Grizzlies actually would have outscored the Lakers in every quarter as well if the Lakers didn’t bury a meaningless three with seconds left. Memphis has been playing great ball as of late and they didn’t let down here. P.J. Hariston led the team with 21 points, while playing 30 minutes in the victory Vince Carter played a bunch of garbage time and scored 19 points in a renaissance performance. Zach Randolph played just 25 minutes, but totaled 15 points, 10 rebounds and five assists in the win. Lance Stephenson continued to thrive for his new team, as he accumulated 14 points and seven rebounds off the bench. Up next for Memphis is another favorable matchup against the Phoenix Suns on Saturday. Garbage time has become far too common for this Lakers team, but it does allow the youngsters to play more and develop. D'Angelo Russell continued to start and put up a team - high 22 points in the loss. Julius Randle was the only other player who played well, as he totaled 17 points and seven rebounds in the defeat. Only one other player scored in double figures, as the Lakers had to play this game without Kobe Bryant who is recovering from a shoulder injury. Los Angeles gets a few days off until their next game, when it plays host to the Brooklyn Nets on Tuesday.

["TeamStat(G,'Lakers') has 14 Number of team assists ,has 41 Percentage of 3 points ,has 95 Percentage of field goals ,has 38 Losses ." "TeamStat(G,'Grizzlies') has 24 Number of team assists ,has 41 Percentage of 3 points ,has 51 Percentage of field goals ,has 23 Losses ,has 112 Total points ,has 47 Rebounds ,has 34 Wins ."]

The Pistons (22 - 33) held off the Bulls (34 - 21) 100 - 91 in Detroit on Friday night. Playing without new acquisition Reggie Jackson, Detroit started Spencer Dinwiddie at point guard. The rookie out of Colorado scored 12 points and had nine assists in 31 minutes. Andre Drummond led the way with 18 points and 20 rebounds while helping to limit Joakim Noah to 10 points. Greg Monroe and Caron Butler each chipped in 20 points, and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope finished with 12 points on 5 - of - 11 shooting. Detroit shot 45 percent from the field and committed only 10 turnovers, compared to Chicago’s 20. The Bulls, who shot 42 percent from the field, were led by 30 points and five assists from Jimmy Butler. Pau Gasol added 12 points and eight rebounds, while Taj Gibson added 15 points and nine rebounds off the bench. Derrick Rose was limited to only eight points, with six turnovers, in 31 minutes. Chicago won the rebounding battle 43 - 42 but surrendered 13 offensive rebounds, nine of which came courtesy of Drummond. Next up, Detroit plays host to Washington on Sunday afternoon. Chicago returns home to face the new - look Suns on Saturday night.

["TeamStat(G,'Pistons') has 45 Percentage of field goals ,has 33 Losses ,has 100 Total points ,has 42 Points in 2nd quarter ,has 10 Rebounds ,has 22 Turnovers ." "TeamStat(G,'Bulls') has 42 Percentage of field goals ,has 21 Losses ,has 91 Total points ,has 30 Points in 2nd quarter ,has 43 Rebounds ,has 34 Turnovers ."]

The Portland Trail Blazers (45 - 25) defeated the Utah Jazz (31 - 40) 92 - 89 on Wednesday. Iron man Damian Lillard led Portland with 23 points, 12 assists to go along with eight rebounds. He stepped it up as his team was without French swingman Nicolas Batum, who was out with a back injury. LaMarcus Aldridge has been dealing with hand and finger injuries all season but still manages to make the lineup on most nights. He sat out Tuesday night against the Golden State Warriors but was able to give it a go against the Jazz. He had 19 points and nine rebounds in 36 minutes. He and his fellow superstar teammate Lillard, were determined to end their losing streak at five games and scored 13 straight points to end the game. Despite their losing streak, that was snapped on Wednesday, they still hold a top five record in the Western Conference. The Jazz were without their leader Gordon Hayward for the second straight game, as he's dealing with a collarbone injury. Elijah Millsap was chosen to to start at small forward in his place. Millsap did a nice job; he scored nine points to go along with eight rebounds, three steals and two assists. Utah held a 10 - point advantage heading into the fourth quarter but could n't hold off the duo of Lillard and Aldridge. The Denver Nuggets will host the Jazz on Friday, and the Trail Blazers will head to Phoenix to take on the Suns.

["TeamStat(G,'Jazz') has 40 Losses ,has 89 Total points ,has 31 Wins ." "TeamStat(G,'Trail Blazers') has 25 Losses ,has 92 Total points ,has 45 Wins ."]

On Friday, the Cavaliers saw each member of their big three succeed in different areas of the game. While LeBron James scored only 16 points, well below his season average, he dished out a whopping 15 assists. Kyrie Irving led the team in scoring with 26 points. Kevin Love, meanwhile, dominated in the paint with a 15 - point, 18 - rebound double - double. Veteran sharpshooter Kyle Korver had the best of his three games thus far as a Cavalier, scoring 18 points off the bench. The Kings, meanwhile, saw strong play once again from center DeMarcus Cousins. Cousins scored a team - high 26 points to go along with 11 assists and eight rebounds. The Kings shot an impressive 52 percent from the field as a team and held a slight edge in rebounding, but struggled with turnovers, committing 21 on the night.

["TeamStat(G,'Kings') has 21 Turnovers ."]

The Boston Celtics (28 - 22) defeated the New York Knicks (23 - 28) 97 - 89 on Tuesday. Boston came into Tuesday's contest off a difficult road loss to the Magic on Sunday, in which they gave up an uncharacteristic 119 points. Jae Crowder also entered the night nursing a bruised shin suffered in that contest, a particularly concerning development given that he would be charged with defending Carmelo Anthony. However, Crowder gutted it out and Isaiah Thomas rose to the occasion alongside him, as both players were the only starters with double - digit points. The paltry production from the rest of the first unit was offset by a prolific night from the reserves, who notably scored 47 points and had three players reach double figures in scoring. The Celtics were also highly efficient near the basket in securing the win, outscoring the Knicks in the paint by the sizable margin of 58 - 28. The visitors were led by Thomas' 20 points, which he supplemented with eight assists, five rebounds and a steal. Crowder was right behind him with 16 points, five rebounds and a steal. Tyler Zeller was the surprise of the evening off the bench, posting his first double - double in over a year. He tallied 16 points as well, along with 10 rebounds and a steal. Seven of the boards came on the offensive glass, giving Boston some key second - chance possessions. Evan Turner was a bit overshadowed by Zeller's rare feat, but he put together his own 14 - point, 10 - rebound double - double that also included four assists and a trio of steals. Not to be outdone, Kelly Olynyk supplied 13 points, five rebounds, an assist and a block in what was a remarkable outing for Boston's back - up centers. The Celtics remain in second place in the Eastern Conference's Atlantic Division. They're back home on Wednesday to take on the Pistons. The Knicks received particularly productive efforts from three members of the starting five, beginning with Arron Afflalo, who amassed 18 points, three assists, two rebounds and a steal. Robin Lopez was outstanding down low against a vulnerable Celtics frontcourt, tallying 17 points, 13 rebounds (equaling a season high), two assists and three blocks. Anthony was a force throughout the contest, collecting 16 points, hauling in 14 boards and dishing out four assists. Kristaps Porzingis could not exactly duplicate the considerable success he'd enjoyed in his first two career meetings with Boston, but did contribute 10 points, five rebounds, a steal and a block. Even Langston Galloway, who received another start in place of the ailing Jose Calderon and could only pitch in a single point, managed to haul in nine rebounds and dish out a pair of assists. Veteran sharpshooter Sasha Vujacic paced the New York reserves with his third double - digit scoring effort in the last four contests, totaling 13 points, three rebounds, an assist and a steal. The Knicks remain in third place in the Eastern Conference's Atlantic Division. They head to Detroit for a Thursday showdown against the Pistons.

["TeamStat(G,'Knicks') has 28 Losses ,has 89 Total points ,has 18 Points in 3rd quarter ,has 23 Wins ." "TeamStat(G,'Celtics') has 22 Losses ,has 97 Total points ,has 28 Points in 3rd quarter ."]

The Golden State Warriors (30 - 2) held off the Houston Rockets (16 - 18) to win 114 - 110 on Thursday night. This was a good old fashion Western Conference game with a ton of scoring and competitive play. Both teams offenses looked as efficient as ever, as they both were hovering around 50 percent from the field and over 40 percent from three - point range. No team really got a big lead in this game and it was nip - and - tuck throughout. The ball movement was the big difference for the Warriors, as they recorded 35 assists to the Rockets 21. That's no surprise with Golden State ranking first in the NBA in assists. Golden state looked like a shell of themselves in their last game without Steph Curry, but looked like the Warriors we all know and love here. The team was moving the ball around like they have been all season and playing the great team - ball they are known for. Draymond Green played distributor tonight en route to his fifth triple - double, as he dished out 16 assists to go with 11 points and 10 rebounds. Klay Thompson was great as well, as he recorded 38 points and seven rebounds. This small break without Curry may be just what this team needs to continue their historic run at that elusive 72 - win mark. The Warriors will take on the Denver Nuggets in their next game on Saturday. The Rockets played extremely well here, but fell just short against a better team. The combination of James Harden and Dwight Howard were the stars on Thursday and they need them to continue to play at this level all season. Harden tallied 30 points, five rebounds and five assists while Howard collected 21 points, 13 rebounds, five assists, three blocks and two steals. Those two playing at that type of level has been a rare sight this season and if they want to make another deep run, this form will need to carry over. Houston will have another tough task on Saturday, as they have to take on the San Antonio Spurs in a building where they haven’t lost in this season. Not to mention that that's a revenge game with the Rockets beating the Spurs on Christmas.

["TeamStat(G,'Rockets') has 21 Number of team assists ,has 18 Losses ,has 110 Total points ,has 16 Wins ." "TeamStat(G,'Warriors') has 35 Number of team assists ,has 2 Losses ,has 114 Total points ,has 30 Wins ."]

The Los Angeles Lakers (20 - 53) beat the Philadelphia 76ers (18 - 57) 113 - 111 in overtime on Monday. Jordan Clarkson not only led the Lakers with 26 points and 11 assists, but he also led them to victory with a game winning layup with less than a second remaining in overtime. Wayne Ellington assisted on Clarkson's layup and also scored seven points of his own in the extra period. Jabari Brown came off the bench and scored 22 points to help the Lakers achieve their 20th win of the season. Nerlens Noel had another nice game to help his bid for rookie of the year. He had 19 points, 14 rebounds, four assists, one steal, one block and scored the final six points for Philadelphia. However, it was n't enough to squeak by the Lakers, as these two teams compile ping pong balls for the NBA Draft Lottery in hopes of a bright future. The 76ers will play the Washington Wizards on Wednesday, as the Lakers will bring in the New Orleans Pelicans.

["TeamStat(G,'76ers') has 57 Losses ,has 111 Total points ,has 18 Points in 4th quarter ." "TeamStat(G,'Lakers') has 53 Losses ,has 113 Total points ,has 26 Points in 4th quarter ,has 20 Wins ."]

The host Sacramento Kings stunned the Atlanta Hawks on Friday, coming back from down 22 to win, 108 - 107. Sacramento (22 - 32) had not led until the game's final minute, when the team finally pulled ahead by a single point. A back - and - forth battle in the final minutes culminated in a game - winner for Kings point guard Darren Collison. Collison, who was integral to Sacramento's home win against Boston on Thursday, scored 22 points and also dished out four assists. Young shooting guard Ben McLemore was another key piece of the win, as his 22 points helped spark Sacramento's comeback. Ultimately, however, it was the play of recently - suspended superstar DeMarcus Cousins that put the team over the top. Cousins wowed with 22 points, 11 rebounds, and seven assists on the night. Sacramento's two big wins this week over tough opponents have helped them stay in the mix for the eighth seed in the Western Conference playoff race. Atlanta (31 - 23) is one of many Eastern Conference teams grappling for position in the tight playoff standings. Friday's blown lead, however, did not help the team's case. While the Hawks saw solid offense coming from multiple starters, a shoddy second - half effort cost the team the game. The team shot over 50 percent on the night and had three 20 - point scorers, but allowed a barrage of three - pointers to fuel a comeback for Sacramento. The Kings finished with 18 threes made on the night. The Hawks will visit Portland on Monday, while the Kings will host the Pelicans on Sunday.

["TeamStat(G,'Kings') has 50 Percentage of 3 points ,has 32 Losses ,has 108 Total points ,has 18 Turnovers ,has 22 Wins ." "TeamStat(G,'Hawks') has 23 Percentage of 3 points ,has 107 Losses ,has 31 Total points ."]

The Charlotte Hornets (12 - 8) defeated the Detroit Pistons (12 - 10) 104 - 84 on Monday. Pistons center Andre Drummond has undeniably been one of the NBA's most improved and productive players of the 2015 - 16 campaign, having impressively tallied double - digit scoring in every game, as well as double - doubles in all but one contest. Meanwhile, a Charlotte defense that was ranked in the bottom 10 of the league in points and rebounds surrendered to opposing centers had recently been weakened even further by the loss of center Al Jefferson to a multi - week calf injury. However, the Hornets somehow managed to get Drummond into foul trouble Monday, limiting him to 24 minutes and prompting his first single - digit scoring night of the year. The home team surprisingly dominated overall down low, outscoring the Pistons 46 to 34 in the paint and outrebounding them 57 to 41. The unexpected success led Charlotte to post their third victory with a margin of 20 or more points this season. For Detroit, veteran power forward Ersan Ilyasova stepped up during Drummond's extended stint on the bench, totaling 15 points, 13 rebounds, an assist, a steal and a block for his first double - double of the season. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (16 points, four rebounds, an assist and a steal) and Marcus Morris (11 points, three rebounds, an assist and a block) joined Ilyasova as double - digit scorers, while Reggie Jackson and Drummond amazingly posted season - lows of four and nine points, respectively. Steve Blake paced the Pistons' bench with a second consecutive nine - point performance. Detroit dropped to 12 - 10 and currently resides in fourth place in the Eastern Conference's Central Division. They head to Memphis for a matchup versus the Grizzlies on Wednesday. The Hornets were lead by a second straight strong effort from Cody Zeller in Jefferson's stead, as he tallied a season - high 20 points and added six rebounds, an assist and a pair of steals. The outing comes on the heels of a 17 - point, eight - rebound performance by the third - year pro versus the Bulls. Marvin Williams supported Zeller in the frontcourt with a 14 - point, 12 - rebound double - double. Kemba Walker, questionable before the game with an illness, came within a rebound of his own double - double, totaling 14 points, nine boards, a pair of assists, a steal and a block. Nicolas Batum stuffed the stat sheet once again, amassing 13 points, eight assists, seven rebounds and a pair of steals. Jeremy Lin paced the Charlotte reserves with an efficient 13 - point, four - assist, three - rebound effort, while also adding a pair of steals. The Hornets improved to 12 - 8 and currently reside in second place in the Eastern Conference's Southeast Division. They remain home for a showdown with the Miami Heat on Wednesday.

["TeamStat(G,'Hornets') has 8 Losses ,has 104 Total points ,has 34 Points in 1st quarter ,has 57 Points in 2nd quarter ,has 12 Rebounds ." "TeamStat(G,'Pistons') has 10 Losses ,has 84 Total points ,has 20 Points in 1st quarter ,has 41 Points in 2nd quarter ,has 12 Rebounds ."]

The Washington Wizards (34 - 27) beat an injury - depleted Miami Heat (27 - 33) lineup 99 - 97 on Friday. Marcin Gortat led the way for the Wizards with a double - double of 14 points and 17 rebounds, tying the season - high 17 rebounds mark he set last Saturday against the Pistons. Washington lost their first five games coming out of the All-Star break but have turned things around with wins in two of their last three games. They got a leg up on the Heat by scoring 20 easy points off of 17 Miami turnovers, while the Heat scored just 10 points off of 15 Washington turnovers. Miami had to use a patchwork lineup to get through Friday's matchup, as the team seemed more focused on the second game of their back - to - back set Saturday when they'll return home to host a Sacramento Kings team that will afford them a good chance to secure a win. Tyler Johnson, who was signed out of the D-League on Jan. 11, started at shooting guard in place of Dwyane Wade. Wade sat out the game with a sore right hip. They also had Luol Deng sitting out the game with a right thigh contusion, which led to Henry Walker starting at small forward. To triple - down on injuries for the evening, starting point guard Goran Dragic was forced to leave the game in the third quarter with a lower back contusion and could not return. It is unclear what any of their statuses will be for Saturday's game. In the nine games they've played since the end of the All-Star break, the Heat have won five games. After losing the first game of their season series on Opening Night, the Wizards took down the Heat in each of their final three matchups this season to win the season series 3 - 1. With the loss, Miami fell into a tie for eighth place in the Eastern Conference playoff standings, and with several teams hovering around the final playoff spot in the East, every game will be big for the Heat the rest of the way. The Wizards will begin a two - game road trip in Milwaukee on Saturday.

["TeamStat(G,'Wizards') has 99 Total points ,has 15 Turnovers ." "TeamStat(G,'Heat') has 97 Total points ."]

The Toronto Raptors (41 - 20) killed some of the surging Atlanta Hawks' (36 - 29) momentum with a 104 - 96 win on Thursday night. The high - performing Raptors continued to dominate on Thursday while taking on one of the Eastern Conference's tougher teams. The red - hot Raptors are on pace for the first 50 - win season in franchise history, now needing to go just 9 - 12 to round out the season to accomplish the feat. Toronto is a viable contender for the top spot in the Eastern Conference, sitting just two games back from the Cleveland Cavaliers. Thursday was a testimate to Toronto's strong team play, as six Raptors scored in double digits while the team shot 46 percent from the field. All-Star guard DeMar DeRozan took the reigns for the Raps, contributing a game - high 30 points on 11 - for - 20 shooting. DeRozan was the clear focal point for Toronto's offense, while fellow All-Star Kyle Lowry took on distribution, doling out seven dimes. Lowry also pitched in 19 points. He and DeRozan have joined Steph Curry and Klay Thompson and Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum as one of just three backcourt duos in the association in which both players are averaging at least 20 points per game. The Hawks, meanwhile, had come into Thursday's matchup with five wins in their last six. No Hawk scored more than 20, as the team shot just 43 percent from the field. Al Horford led the team in scoring while fellow All-Stars Jeff Teague, Paul Millsap, and Kyle Korver all struggled to find their shooting stroke. Atlanta's loss furthers the down - to - the - wire battle that the Southeast Division has become, as the Heat, Hornets, and Hawks are all separated by just 2 games. The Hawks will host the Grizzlies on Saturday, while the Raptors will host the Heat.

["TeamStat(G,'Raptors') has 46 Percentage of field goals ,has 104 Losses ." "TeamStat(G,'Hawks') has 29 Percentage of field goals ,has 96 Losses ,has 36 Total points ."]

Mike Conley was the man for Memphis as he finished with 27 points on 10 - of - 19 shooting, along with 12 assists, four rebounds and one steal, in 41 minutes. Zach Randolph also finished with 27 points, while contributing 11 rebounds and six assists, in 35 minutes off the bench. Marc Gasol added 23 points, five rebounds, three assists and one steal, while Tony Allen was came up with some huge hustle plays and finished with 11 points, 12 rebounds, six steals and three assists, in 48 minutes. The Grizzlies outscored the Warriors 49 - 21 over the fourth quarter and overtime period to earn the impressive comeback win. Stephen Curry poured in 40 points on 15 - of - 27 shooting, along with six assists and four rebounds, in 42 minutes. Kevin Durant added 27 points, 13 rebounds, four assists and three blocks, while Klay Thompson chipped in 17 points.

["TeamStat(G,'Grizzlies') has 27 Points in 1st quarter ."]

The Portland Trail Blazers (30 - 8) defeated the Los Angeles Lakers (12 - 26) 106 - 94 on Sunday. Portland is riding a four - game winning streak, and Damian Lillard led the way for them Sunday with a game - high 34 points and seven assists. Chris Kaman was given a fourth straight start at center with Joel Freeland (shoulder) and Robin Lopez (hand) out for the near future. Meyers Leonard did some damage off the bench, putting up 12 points and 12 rebounds in 19 minutes, aptly filling Kaman's bench role. The Blazers won the game almost despite themselves. As a team, they shot just under 40 percent from the field. Los Angeles did n't fare much better, shooting just 42 percent of their shots from the field as they collected their third loss in the last four games. Kobe Bryant was rested for the second straight game and the third time in the last four games. Bryant has missed six of the Lakers' last 11 games getting extra rest, but the purpose of the rest has been unclear. He's been rested on more than just back - to - back sets and has been rested more often at home than on the road. Wesley Johnson returned to action after missing the previous three games with a hip injury. He led the team in scoring with 17 points in 31 minutes. The Trail Blazers will return home to host the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday, while the Lakers will stay home to host the Miami Heat on Tuesday.

["TeamStat(G,'Lakers') has 26 Percentage of 3 points ,has 94 Losses ,has 12 Total points ." "TeamStat(G,'Trail Blazers') has 42 Percentage of 3 points ,has 8 Losses ,has 106 Total points ,has 34 Points in 4th quarter ,has 30 Wins ."]

The Cleveland Cavaliers defeated the Memphis Grizzlies, 103 - 86, at Quicken Loans Arena on Tuesday. The two teams square off again Wednesday night in Memphis in the second game of a home - and - home series, so the Grizzlies (17 - 9) opted to rest Marc Gasol on Tuesday. That left them even more short - handed than usual, given that star point guard Mike Conley is also out for the foreseeable future. That played right into the Cavs' hands, as they were able to put together a relatively comfortable home win despite sitting Kyrie Irving for rest purposes themselves. LeBron James and Kevin Love turned in their typical quality of performance, but the story was J.R. Smith, who'd essentially been mired in a month - long slump. The veteran guard posted a season - high 23 points on 8 - of - 17 shooting, including a stellar 6 - of - 10 tally from beyond the arc. Cleveland (18 - 5) shot 46 percent from the field overall, which helped them overcome 17 turnovers. The Grizzlies were led by Zach Randolph, who started at center for Gasol. He posted 18 points, five rebounds, two assists, two steals and a block. Troy Williams and Andrew Harrison turned in a pair of 13 - point efforts, with the former adding six rebounds and an assist, and the latter posting four assists, three rebounds, three blocks and a steal. Tony Allen contributed eight points, a rebound, an assist and three steals, while JaMychal Green only poured in two points but brought down eight boards. Jarell Martin supplied eight points, 10 rebounds and an assist. Love led the way for Cleveland with 29 points, 13 rebounds, three assists and two steals. James registered 23 points, eight assists, six rebounds and three steals. DeAndre Liggins compiled three points, five rebounds, four assists, two steals and a block while drawing the start for Irving, while Channing Frye led the second unit with eight points, a rebound and an assist. The Grizzlies and Cavs meet again on Wednesday evening at FedEx Forum in Memphis.

["TeamStat(G,'Cavaliers') has 46 Percentage of field goals ,has 5 Losses ,has 103 Total points ,has 17 Turnovers ,has 18 Wins ." "TeamStat(G,'Grizzlies') has 9 Percentage of field goals ,has 86 Losses ,has 17 Total points ."]

The Washington Wizards (33 - 20) defeated the Orlando Magic (16 - 39) 96 - 80 on Monday at the Verizon Center in Washington. The Wizards came out and got a quick start in this one, out - scoring the Magic 24 - 16 right away in the first quarter. Along with the fast start, the Wizards also shot better than the Magic, going 43 percent from the field and 28 percent from the three - point line, while the Magic went 40 percent from the floor and a meager 18 percent from beyond the arc. To put the icing on the cake, the Wizards also secured a 53 - 33 rebounding advantage. The Wizards had a balanced attack against the Magic, with the bench adding some valuable contributions. Leading the team in points was Rasual Butler, who posted 15 points (4 - 14 FG, 3 - 9 3Pt, 4 - 5 FT) and three rebounds in 27 minutes off the bench. It was his second straight 15 - point game in a row, as he's been a big reason the Wizards have won each of their last two games. Marcin Gortat had a strong showing and finished with 14 points (5 - 6 FG, 4 - 4 FT) and 14 rebounds. He was a force on the boards and was a big help in securing such an impressive advantage in the rebounding category. Coming just shy of a triple - double, John Wall recorded nine points (3 - 10 FG, 1 - 5 3Pt, 2 - 3 FT), 10 rebounds and 10 assists. It was the first time he failed to reach double figures in points since December fifth, although he made up for it with a new season - high in rebounds. Nene added 14 points (6 - 10 FG, 2 - 2 FT) and three rebounds as well. Like the Wizards, the Magic's highest scorer was off the bench Tuesday, as Evan Fournier finished as the team leader in points. He went 7 - for - 14 from the field and 2 - for - 5 from the three - point line to score 18 points, while also adding two assists in 33 minutes. He continues to provide the Magic solid guard depth off the bench, as he's now pushed his season averages to 12 points and 2 assists per game. Nikola Vucevic came close to recording a double - double, finishing with 14 points (6 - 10 FG, 2 - 2 FT) and eight rebounds. After posting fourteen games in a row with at least 16 points, he's now posted less than that in two straight games, as his shot attempts were noticeably down during that stretch. Also reaching double - digit points was Victor Oladipo, who recorded 13 points (6 - 18 FG, 0 - 6 3Pt, 1 - 1 FT), four rebounds and five assists. Rookie Elfrid Payton contributed 11 points and a season - high of six steals, as he stepped it up defensively for the Magic. The Wizards' next game will be on the road against the Toronto Raptors on Wednesday, while the Magic will be at home against the New York Knicks on Wednesday.

["TeamStat(G,'Wizards') has 28 Percentage of 3 points ,has 43 Percentage of field goals ,has 20 Losses ,has 96 Total points ,has 24 Points in 1st quarter ,has 53 Rebounds ,has 33 Wins ." "TeamStat(G,'Magic') has 18 Percentage of 3 points ,has 40 Percentage of field goals ,has 39 Losses ,has 80 Total points ,has 16 Points in 1st quarter ,has 33 Rebounds ,has 16 Wins ."]

The Los Angeles Clippers (48 - 25) defeated the Philadelphia 76ers (18 - 55) 119 - 98 on Friday. The Clippers were led by DeAndre Jordan, who put up another stellar performance, he finished with 17 points, 20 rebounds and two blocks. He's been the leading rebounder in every Los Angeles game dating back to Feb. 21. His play has helped lead them to six straight victories, three of which were on the road. Austin Rivers has seen an increase in minutes recently, most likely because the Clippers have been on the winning end of a couple blowouts, but it never hurts to be the coach's son. He played 24 minutes against Philadelphia and scored 13 points to go along with five rebounds and three assists. Nerlens Noel continued his streak of improved play as of late. He went for 30 points and 14 rebounds against a tough Clipper's interior defense. Over his past five games he's averaging 18 points, 12 rebounds, 3 blocks and 2 steals. Much better than his season averages of 10 points, 8 rebounds, 2 blocks and 2 steals. Ish Smith seems to have found a home in the Philly starting lineup, for the time being. He had 18 point and 9 assists against Los Angeles. The Sixers will look to tie their season high for wins in a month when they take on the Cleveland Cavaliers on Sunday, but are much more likely to take a victory against the Lakers on Monday. Doc Rivers will bring his team to Boston to take on his former team the Celtics on Sunday.

["TeamStat(G,'76ers') has 55 Losses ,has 98 Total points ,has 18 Wins ." "TeamStat(G,'Clippers') has 25 Losses ,has 119 Total points ,has 48 Wins ."]

The Memphis Grizzlies (34 - 12) trounced the Denver Nuggets (19 - 28) 99 - 69 on Thursday at the FedEx Forum. This game can be summed up by a single possession halfway through the third quarter where Memphis' Zach Randolph missed three shots, but pulled down three offensive rebounds and drew a foul. He made both foul shots to give Memphis a 67 - 47 lead. This possession was indicative of the overall dominance of the Grizzlies in this game coupled with the overall ineptitude displayed by the Nuggets. Randolph finished the night with 15 points and 17 rebounds in just 30 minutes on the floor. Denver stopped the bleeding of a seven - game losing streak Wednesday night by beating New Orleans 93 - 85 in New Orleans. However, the Nuggets came out flat and were routed by one of the best teams in the West. They shot a paltry 2 - for - 26 from beyond the arc, which is good enough for 8 percent. On the injury front, JaVale McGee returned to the floor in a bench role Thursday and had two points and five rebounds in 15 minutes on the floor. Denver will host Charlotte on Saturday before playing six of its next seven on the road. Memphis is clearly cognizant of the teams breathing down its neck for the second seed in the West and certainly played like it Thursday with a dominant performance. Even without Mike Conley, who is battling a wrist injury, Memphis was able to build a big lead in the early goings. Vince Carter exited the game with a left foot injury and did not return, but the severity of his injury is unclear at this point. Memphis will look to extend its winning streak to six games Saturday when Oklahoma City comes to town.

["TeamStat(G,'Grizzlies') has 12 Percentage of 3 points ,has 99 Losses ,has 34 Total points ." "TeamStat(G,'Nuggets') has 8 Percentage of 3 points ,has 28 Losses ,has 69 Total points ,has 19 Wins ."]

Recent results would indicate a Clippers blowout win against a depleted Pacers squad, but that simply was n't the case. Indiana turned the tables on the elite Los Angeles defense, as they held them to 31 percent from the field and 18 percent from three - point range. In addition, the Pacers forced 20 turnovers in their win and assisted on 26 of their 40 made baskets. Those 26 assists look especially impressive, considering the Clippers made just 22 shots in the game. Chris Paul, J.J. Redick and Blake Griffin all struggled, as they combined to go 10 - of - 33 from the field. Myles Turner was the best player for the Pacers, scoring 17 points and grabbing 12 rebounds. Glenn Robinson III started for the injured Paul George, scoring 17 points in a game - high 38 minutes. Rodney Stuckey and Al Jefferson were huge off the bench, totaling 28 points and 13 rebounds between the two.

["TeamStat(G,'Pacers') has 26 Number of team assists ,has 26 Percentage of 3 points ,has 26 Percentage of field goals ." "TeamStat(G,'Clippers') has 31 Number of team assists ,has 40 Percentage of 3 points ,has 20 Percentage of field goals ."]

The Golden State Warriors defeated the Charlotte Hornets 126 - 111 at Oracle Arena on Wednesday. The Splash Brothers, Steph Curry and Klay Thompson, took care of business leading the Warriors (42 - 7) in a rout over the Hornets (23 - 27) at home. Golden State scored 77 points in the first half, and the Curry-Thompson combination each scored 26 points. Curry went on to knock down 11 three pointers, while Thompson added six of his own. The Hornets had no answer for the hot shooting back court, granted, getting into a shootout with the Warriors when they are on fire is never something that has worked out for opponents in Oracle Arena. Frank Kaminsky put together the best performance for the Hornets in his bench role, as he scored 24 points on 9 - of - 14 shooting, while Kemba Walker was silenced to just seven points in 25 minutes. Nicolas Batum was also held to a lowly 13 points, however, he did hit 3 - of - 4 from behind the arc. Curry went on to finish with a game high 39 points on 11 - of - 15 shooting from behind the arc. The reigning MVP added eight assists and five rebounds. Thompson scored 29 points and cooled off in the second half. Kevin Durant scored 18 points on 17 shots, but added eight assists and eight boards. Next up, the Warriors play the second game of a back - to - back when they visit the Los Angeles Clippers on Thursday, while the Hornets visit the Jazz on Saturday.

["TeamStat(G,'Warriors') has 7 Losses ,has 126 Total points ,has 42 Wins ." "TeamStat(G,'Hornets') has 27 Losses ,has 111 Total points ,has 23 Wins ."]

The Philadelphia 76ers defeated the Charlotte Hornets, 105 - 99, at Spectrum Center on Monday evening. The Sixers (21 - 34) are clearly an improved team this season, and Monday's game was a tangible example of such. In past seasons, even a Philadelphia squad at full strength would have found a win on the road a near impossibility. Take out two key players and a 30 - to - 40 - point defeat was a very real possibility. However, this season's unit is playing with a very different level of confidence, and that intangible was pivotal to the Sixers notching a hard - fought victory despite the absences of Joel Embiid (knee) and Jahlil Okafor (coach's decision). Six players managed double digits in the scoring column, and Philadelphia shot 48 percent from the field overall. They played strong defense as well, limiting the Hornets (24 - 31) to a 44 percent success rate from the field and 36 percent from three - point range. Dario Saric led the visitors overall with 18 points off the bench, which he supplemented with 11 boards, three assists and one block. Robert Covington tallied 17 points, five rebounds, two assists, three steals and one block. T.J. McConnell supplied 14 points, seven assists, four rebounds and one steal. Gerald Henderson and Nerlens Noel provided matching 12 - point efforts, with the former adding four boards and one assist, and the latter registering seven boards, one assist, three steals and two blocks. Nik Stauskas generated 11 points, six rebounds, two assists and one steal. Kemba Walker paced the Hornets with a game - high 29 points, which he supplemented with seven rebounds, three assists and two steals. Nicolas Batum compiled 16 points, four assists, one rebound and two steals. Frank Kaminsky III posted a 12 - point, 11 - rebound double - double that also included two assists, three blocks and one steal. Jeremy Lamb led the second unit with 12 points and one steal. Marco Belinelli and Brian Roberts were productive as well with matching eight - point efforts. The Sixers travel to Beantown for a Wednesday night date with the Boston Celtics, while the Hornets travel north of the border to tangle with the Toronto Raptors on Wednesday evening as well.

["TeamStat(G,'Hornets') has 36 Percentage of 3 points ,has 44 Percentage of field goals ,has 31 Losses ,has 99 Total points ,has 24 Wins ." "TeamStat(G,'76ers') has 36 Percentage of 3 points ,has 48 Percentage of field goals ,has 105 Losses ."]

The Boston Celtics (19 - 15) defeated the Brooklyn Nets (10 - 24) 103 - 94 on Monday. After back - to - back losses to two inferior teams in the Lakers and this same Nets squad, the Celtics got back to playing fundamental team basketball Monday. They took outstanding care of the ball, only suffering seven turnovers on the evening, and received a highly balanced effort from their starting five. Boston needed one more point from Kelly Olynyk to have all five starters post double - digit scoring, and they received a double - double effort off the bench from Jared Sullinger. The visitors were also impressive near the basket, outscoring Brooklyn 54 - 40 in the paint. Jae Crowder furthered his case as one of the most improved offensive players in the league with 25 points, six rebounds, an assist, three steals and a block. The Celtics' small forward has now rattled off double - digit scoring efforts in 18 of his last 19 contests. Isaiah Thomas was next in line with 19 points, seven assists, three rebounds and a steal. Evan Turner, subbing for the injured Avery Bradley (hip), and Amir Johnson pitched in with a pair of 12 - point efforts. Turner made it a double - double by bringing in 11 rebounds, and he also added a trio of assists. Johnson managed four boards, three assists, a steal and a pair of blocks. Sullinger was highly efficient off the bench with 12 points, 10 rebounds, two assists and three steals in just 18 minutes. The Celtics improved to 19 - 15 and remain in second place in the Eastern Conference's Atlantic Division. They head to Detroit for a Wednesday showdown versus the Pistons. As they have all season, Brook Lopez and Thaddeus Young did their part to try to insure a Nets victory. The latter led the way with a mammoth 23 - point, 15 - rebound double - double, while the former poured in 19 points and added five boards, an assist and a block. The seemingly ageless Joe Johnson continued to torment the Celtics, tallying 21 points, six rebounds and four assists after having hung 20 points on them Saturday. Meanwhile, Bojan Bogdanovic suprised with his first career double - double, which came on a 12 - point, 12 - rebound effort. The Nets fell to 10 - 24 and currently reside in fourth place in the Eastern Conference's Atlantic Division. They remain home and await the Toronto Raptors for a Wednesday showdown.

["TeamStat(G,'Nets') has 24 Losses ,has 94 Total points ,has 10 Points in 2nd quarter ." "TeamStat(G,'Celtics') has 15 Losses ,has 103 Total points ,has 19 Points in 2nd quarter ,has 7 Turnovers ,has 19 Wins ."]

The Portland Trail Blazers (46 - 25) defeated the Phoenix Suns (38 - 35) 87 - 81 on Friday. LaMarcus Aldridge was able to give it a go on Friday despite a finger injury that's been bothering him for much of the season. His production was uncompromised as he was able to pour in 27 points to go along with nine boards, one assist and one block. The other fist of the one - two punch that makes up the Blazers attack is Damian Lillard. He did n't play his best basketball putting up 11 points, four rebounds and four assists. It helped to have French swingman Nicolas Batum back in the fold after missing some time with a back injury. Batum recorded five points, nine rebounds and five assists in 32 minutes in his return. The Suns were once again without Brandon Knight who sat out his seventh straight game with an ankle injury. The Suns were 5 - 2 without Knight until Friday's tilt with the Trail Blazers. Marcus Morris got the start in Knight's place and recorded 15 points and nine rebounds. His twin brother Markieff had 19 points and 12 rebounds. Eric Bledsoe had an illness that jeopardized his playing status but he was able to suit up and play. He finished with 13 points and seven assists in 38 minutes of action. The Suns will host the Oklahoma City Thunder on Sunday, as the Trail Blazers will welcome the Denver Nuggets to Portland on Saturday.

["TeamStat(G,'Suns') has 35 Losses ,has 81 Total points ,has 38 Wins ." "TeamStat(G,'Trail Blazers') has 25 Losses ,has 87 Total points ,has 46 Wins ."]

Marreese Speights is proving to be one of the needed bench players to extend the Los Angeles Clippers depth, one in which they did not have last year after injuries decimated their lineup during the playoffs. Speights added 15 points on 4 - of - 8 shooting in 18 minutes off the bench in Saturday’s win over the San Antonio Spurs, which will raise the averages he came into the game with through five contests this season. The ex - Warriors player is averaging 10 points and 4 rebounds in 15 minutes per game, and this includes just over one three pointer made per game as well. The efficient shooting will bring his average of 43 percent up and is a bright sign for Los Angeles going forward. Jamal Crawford picked up his third Sixth Man of the Year award last season with the Clippers, but was used almost as much as the starters in the rotation, and the thin bench did not extend too much past that last year.

["TeamStat(G,'Spurs') has 5 Losses ." "TeamStat(G,'Clippers') has 1 Losses ."]

The Milwaukee Bucks (15 - 15) defeated the Atlanta Hawks (21 - 8) 107 - 77 on Friday at Philips Arena in Atlanta. The Bucks shot very well in this one, going 51 percent from the field and 42 percent from the three - point line. They were able to use a strong defensive presence in the second half to hold the Hawks to only 16 in the third quarter and 19 in the fourth. The Bucks were also able to force the Hawks into 23 turnovers, even furthering their advantage in a 30 - point blow out win. The Bucks' bench played a key role in this one, with Jared Dudley ending as the star of the game. Dudley came off the bench and went a perfect 10 - for - 10 from the field and 4 - for - 4 from beyond the arc to score 24 points. Averaging only 6 points per game so far this season, it was a nice surprise for the Bucks, as the Hawks could n't find anyone who could slow him down from on the defensive side of the ball. Brandon Knight also continued with his strong play. He finished the game with 16 points (5 - 11 FG, 2 - 6 3Pt, 4 - 4 FT) and five rebounds. Knight is now averaging 25 points in his last two outings, as he's really found his shooting stroke lately. Getting the start at center with Larry Sanders sitting out, Zaza Puchulia posted an efficient 14 points (6 - 9 FG, 2 - 2 FT) and eight rebounds in 26 minutes. The 14 points matched a season - high for him. Despite not playing the toughest defense, the Hawks also struggled offensively. After contributuing solid numbers all year, DeMarre Carroll and Kyle Korver really struggled in this one. They went a combined 1 - for - 14 from the field and 1 - for - 10 from the three - point line to score three points. Paul Millsap had the most success out of anyone. He finished with 22 points and 11 rebounds, marking his seventh double - double of the year. The only other Hawks to reach double figures in points were Al Horford and Jeff Teague, who scored 13 and 12 points respectively. The Bucks and Hawks will square off again on Saturday in their second of back - to - back games.

["TeamStat(G,'Hawks') has 8 Percentage of 3 points ,has 77 Percentage of field goals ,has 16 Losses ,has 19 Total points ,has 21 Points in 3rd quarter ." "TeamStat(G,'Bucks') has 42 Percentage of 3 points ,has 51 Percentage of field goals ,has 15 Losses ,has 107 Total points ,has 15 Points in 3rd quarter ."]

Klay Thompson scored 37 points and Draymond Green recorded a triple - double as the Golden State Warriors defeated the visiting Portland Trail Blazers, 118 - 106, on Sunday at Oracle Arena to take a 10 lead in the Western Conference semifinals. Although reigning MVP Stephen Curry remained sidelined with an MCL sprain, the Warriors had no trouble starting the series strong. After outscoring the Blazers 37 - 17 in the first, little doubt remained that the Warriors would take the lead to start the series. A big 37 - point performance from shooting guard Klay Thompson helped pave the way for the Golden State victory. Thompson dropped in seven three - pointers en route to the big scoring night, while also notching five rebounds and five assists. Rebounding was a major focal point in the Warriors' game plan, as the team crashed the boards 55 times while holding Portland to just 40 rebounds on the night. 13 of these rebounds came from Draymond Green, who also notched an impressive 23 points, 11 assists, and two blocks. All in all it was an emphatic victory for the 73 - win Warriors. Portland, meanwhile, is fresh off a six - game defeat of the injury - riddled Clippers. After a surprisingly strong regular season, Portland managed to back it up with solid play to kick off the playoffs. Things went a different direction on Sunday, however, as team star Damian Lillard shot just 8 - for - 26 and the team was outscored by 20 in the first quarter. Shooting was also a struggle for big man Mason Plumlee, who had 13 rebounds and six assists but missed all seven of his field goal attempts on the night. Game 2 will once again see a Curry-less Warriors take on the Blazers at Oracle Arena.

["TeamStat(G,'Warriors') has 118 Total points ,has 37 Points in 1st quarter ,has 55 Rebounds ." "TeamStat(G,'Trail Blazers') has 106 Total points ,has 17 Points in 1st quarter ,has 40 Rebounds ."]

The Houston Rockets (46 - 22) defeated the Denver Nuggets (26 - 43) 118 - 108 on Thursday at the Toyota Center. James Harden reminded everyone why he's an MVP candidate Thursday with his seventh outing of 40 or more points, setting a new career - high with 50 points. Fittingly, he hit two free throws to eclipse his previous career - high. Overall, he was 22 - of - 25 from the line against the Nuggets. For comparison's sake, the Nuggets were 11 - of - 19 from the charity stripe in this contest. With Thursday's win, the Rockets completed the season sweep of the Nuggets. Denver had its full complement of players available for this game after resting Ty Lawson, Danilo Gallinari, and Kenneth Faried on Monday. Faried recorded a double - double with 19 points and 12 rebounds and Lawson had a double - double of his own with 12 points and 10 assists. The Nuggets have two games remaining on their five - game road trip, which continues Friday in Miami. Houston has now won three in a row and five of its last seven. Patrick Beverley was able to play through elbow soreness and finished with 10 points and seven assists over 37 minutes. In addition to his 50 points, Harden also pulled down 10 rebounds to notch the double - double. Terrence Jones moved back into the starting lineup for this game, but exited with a rib injury after just nine minutes on the floor and did not return. The Rockets will be idle Friday before hosting the Suns on Saturday.

["TeamStat(G,'Rockets') has 22 Losses ,has 118 Total points ,has 46 Wins ." "TeamStat(G,'Nuggets') has 43 Losses ,has 108 Total points ,has 26 Wins ."]

The Atlanta Hawks fell just short of a road win against the Phoenix Suns, even with one of Dennis Schroder's best games of the season. The Hawks point guard scored 31 points on 13 - of - 23 shooting, to go along with four rebounds, nine assists and one block. Kent Bazemore and Dwight Howard joined Schroder in double figures, as Bazemore finished with 22 points and Howard had 17 points and 14 rebounds to complete the double - double. Both teams got great games from a bench player. Brandon Knight of the Suns pitched in 23 points, five rebounds, two assists and two steals, while Tim Hardaway Jr added 21 points on 9 - of - 17 shooting. Phoenix was able to stave off the Hawks late runs with efficient three point shooting, as evidenced by the 48 percent shooting from behind the arc.

["TeamStat(G,'Suns') has 48 Percentage of 3 points ."]

The Atlanta Hawks (39 - 8) passed one of the toughest tests they've gotten during their remarkable 18 - game winning streak, fending off the Portland Trail Blazers (32 - 15) 105 - 99 Friday at the Philips Arena. When it appeared that Portland was storming back, Atlanta got a huge contribution from an unlikely source. Up by just one point with momentum swinging in Portland's direction, Mike Scott buried a three - pointer to give Atlanta a four point lead. From that point on, Atlanta allowed just eight points in the last 4:11 of the fourth quarter to capture its 12th straight win over a Western Conference opponent. Portland has now dropped the first two games of a quick Eastern Conference road trip after coming up short Friday in Atlanta. LaMarcus Aldridge nearly willed his team to victory with his 37 point, 11 rebound performance against the Hawks. Portland's shooting faltered down the stretch, however, and the Trail Blazers were unable to close the gap. The Trail Blazers will try salvage their road - trip Saturday in Milwaukee. Atlanta entered the game without its usual starting forward, DeMarre Carroll, who was sidelined with soreness. His replacement, Thabo Sefolosha, had to leave the game in the first quarter with a calf strain and did not return. Kent Bazemore was then called into action, where he contributed 12 points and five rebounds in a team - high 40 minutes on the floor. Atlanta will have a quick turnaround as well, finishing off its back - to - back set on Saturday against Philadelphia.

["TeamStat(G,'Hawks') has 8 Losses ,has 105 Total points ,has 39 Wins ." "TeamStat(G,'Trail Blazers') has 15 Losses ,has 99 Total points ,has 32 Wins ."]

The Chicago Bulls (19 - 12) defeated the New York Knicks (15 - 19) 108 - 81 on Friday night. The Knicks rolled over the Bulls in their most recent matchup, but Chicago was having none of that here. They started off the game on a 23 - 6 run and ended it with a 31 - 8 fourth quarter. It actually got down to a two - point game in the third, but Chicago dominated in the fourth quarter for a runaway result. In fact, they outscored the Knicks 65 - 26 in the first and fourth quarters. The Bulls were scorching from long distance as well, as they went 10 - for - 16 in the win. The Knicks have lost four of their last five coming into this game and things just keep rolling downhill. They did a good job of competing, but they simply allowed the Bulls to go on too many lopsided runs. In fact, they allowed Chicago to start off three quarters in this game on a 60 run or larger. Carmelo Anthony was the teams best player, as he scored a team - high 20 points to go along with seven boards. Jose Calderon also had a nice game, as he tallied 18 points, four rebounds and four assists. Kristaps Porzingis shot continued to struggle here, as he went just 4 - for - 14 for just nine points in the loss. This once promising Knicks team is regressing hard right now and it may be tough for them to make the playoffs if they continue to play like this. New York will look to bounce - back on Sunday when they host the Atlanta Hawks. Chicago played this game without Derrick Rose and played well once again. This team is so used to playing without their star point guard that they don’t miss a beat when he does miss time. Jimmy Butler stepped up in his absence, as he tallied 23 points, six assists and four rebounds in the win. Bobby Portis continues to breakout as well, as he dropped 16 points and 10 rebounds off the bench. Nikola Mirotic has been struggling recently, but he had one of his best games of the season here, amassing 17 points, seven assists, five rebounds, two steals and two blocks in the victory. The depth of this team is simply amazing and they should be fine even with the injury bug biting them hard. Chicago will take on the Toronto Raptors in their next game on Sunday.

["TeamStat(G,'Bulls') has 12 Losses ,has 108 Total points ,has 31 Points in 4th quarter ,has 19 Wins ." "TeamStat(G,'Knicks') has 19 Losses ,has 81 Total points ,has 8 Points in 4th quarter ,has 15 Wins ."]

The Milwaukee Bucks (1 - 3) defeated the Brooklyn Nets (0 - 4) on Monday by a score of 103 - 96 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn. Both teams were playing for their first win of the season, and the Bucks were able to pull away late in the fourth quarter behind a tremendous performance from Jerryd Bayless, who got the start in the backcourt as the Bucks continue to shuffle their lineup around. Bayless finished with a game - high 27 points after playing nearly the entire game at 47 minutes. Greg Monroe continues to be a force down low, as he recorded his second double - double of the season of 23 points (10 - 14 FG) and 13 rebounds in 39 minutes. Giannis Antetokounmpo added 21 points and eight rebounds of his own, while Khris Middleton scored 17 points. The Bucks starters dominating the playing time and the scoring, collecting 93 of the team’s 103 points. Brook Lopez led the way in the losing effort for the Nets, recording 18 points and nine rebounds in 34 minutes. Bojan Bogdanovic was solid off the bench for the second straight game, scoring 14 points in 25 minutes, and he has now scored 33 total points in his last two contests. However, while seven Brooklyn players managed to reach double figures in points, the team’s 18 turnovers to just 21 assists ultimately cost them. Up next, the Bucks will head home to take on the 76ers on Wednesday, while the Nets will travel to Atlanta on Wednesday and go up against the Hawks.

["TeamStat(G,'Nets') has 21 Number of team assists ,has 4 Losses ,has 96 Total points ,has 18 Turnovers ,has 0 Wins ." "TeamStat(G,'Bucks') has 3 Number of team assists ,has 103 Losses ,has 1 Total points ."]

The Cleveland Cavaliers defeated the Miami Heat, 114 - 84, at Quicken Loans Arena on Friday. With a roster still missing James Johnson, Justise Winslow, Dion Waiters and Josh Richardson, the Heat (7 - 16) came in to Friday's matchup against NBA champs already behind the eight - ball. Miami fought valiantly in the first half, however, and the Cavs (16 - 5) only held a relatively modest 57 - 46 lead at halftime. However, they pulled away in the second half, outscoring the visitors by a 57 - 38 margin over the third and fourth quarters. Kevin Love, who had been a game - time decision with a back injury, led the way with a 28 - point, 15 - rebound double - double that also included three assists, a steal and a block. The Cavs had the hot hand as a team, posting a stellar 55 percent success rate from the field. The Heat's first unit was led by Goran Dragic, who collected 15 points, four assists, three rebounds and a block. Wayne Ellington supplied 10 points, two assists and a rebound. Hassan Whiteside could only pour in eight points, but he did haul in 12 rebounds. Rodney McGruder and Josh McRoberts were only able to muster a pair of six - point efforts, with the former filling out the stat sheet with eight rebounds, five assists and two steals, and the latter registering four boards and four assists. The second unit was highly productive for Miami, with Derrick Williams pacing them with a team - high 17 points. Tyler Johnson pitched in with 12 points, five rebounds, two assists and two steals in 38 minutes off the bench, while Willie Reed totaled 10 points and 11 boards in a reserve role as well. LeBron James checked in second behind Love against his former squad, posting 27 points, eight rebounds, eight assists and three steals. Kyrie Irving came through with 23 points, three assists and a rebound. Iman Shumpert led the second unit with 10 points, four rebounds, an assist and a steal. Overall, the Big Three of Love, James and Irving impressively combined to go 32 - of - 55 from the field on the night. The Heat next head to Chicago for a Saturday night date with the Bulls, while the Cavs await the Charlotte Hornets for a Saturday night showdown of their own.

["TeamStat(G,'Cavaliers') has 114 Losses ." "TeamStat(G,'Heat') has 16 Losses ,has 84 Total points ,has 15 Points in 4th quarter ,has 7 Wins ."]

The Philadelphia 76ers defeated the Los Angeles Clippers, 121 - 110, at Wells Fargo Center on Tuesday. With many important pieces missing this game for both teams, there were numerous swings that ultimately led to a Sixers win. It was a tale of two halves, with the Clippers leading by nine after the first half and the Sixers outscoring Los Angeles by 20 in the second half. The assist - to - turnover ratio was the decisive statistic, with the Sixers recording 35 assists to five turnovers, while the Clippers matched their assists and turnovers at 17 a piece. Scoring in the paint was extremely lopsided as well, with Philadelphia winning that battle, 66 - 20. Free-throw shooting also killed Los Angeles, as they went 26 - of - 41, while Philly went 21 - of - 22. The Clippers (30 - 17) got Blake Griffin back for this game, but it still was n't enough to beat a hungry Philly team. Griffin recorded a double - double in his return, totaling 12 points, 11 rebounds and five assists. Jamal Crawford was the teams best player, dropping 27 points on 9 - of - 14 shooting off the bench. J.J, Redick finished with with 22 points, while Austin Rivers tallied 20 points, two rebounds and three assists. DeAndre Jordan did collect 10 points, 20 rebounds and three assists, but went 4 - of - 12 from the free - throw line. The Sixers (16 - 27) played this game without Joel Embiid (knee) and Jahlil Okafor (knee), but they put in a valiant effort and pulled out an upset win. Nerlens Noel starter for Embiid and accumulated 19 points, eight rebounds, five assists, two steals and three blocks in his best game of the season. Robert Covington contributed 14 points, eight rebounds, three steals and two blocks. Richaun Holmes was second on the team in scoring, dropping 18 points off the bench. Dario Saric was also huge off the bench, amassing 16 points and eight rebounds. Sergio Rodriguez and T.J. McConnell played all the point guard minutes and combined for 18 points and 17 assists.

["TeamStat(G,'76ers') has 121 Number of team assists ." "TeamStat(G,'Clippers') has 17 Number of team assists ,has 17 Losses ,has 110 Total points ,has 17 Turnovers ,has 30 Wins ."]

The Portland Trail Blazers (12 - 20) defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers (19 - 9) 105 - 76 on Saturday. Cleveland dropped their second straight, as part of a four game road trip that started at the Warriors on Christmas Day. The Cavs looked exhausted, and were without point guard Kyrie Irving (rest), who just returned from a knee injury stemming back to the NBA Finals. LeBron James struggled with his jump shot all night and finished with 12 points, four rebounds and five assists on 4 - of - 13 shooting. The all star forward also failed to contribute a 3 - pointer after misfiring three attempts. The loss is not entirely on James, as the team struggled as a whole. Kevin Love scored 13 points, to go along with five rebounds, while Matthew Dellavedova added 10 points on 2 - of - 4 3 - point shooting. Richard Jefferson provided 10 points off the bench, which rounded out the only players in double figures for the Cavs. Cleveland shot 36 from the floor and committed 17 turnovers (compared to the Blazers 9 turnovers) in the losing effort. Cleveland will look to bounce back when they visit the Phoenix Suns (12 - 19) on Monday. Portland was without Damian Lillard (foot), who missed only his third career game, but received an all around strong shooting performance from the starters in his absence. Allen Crabbe led all scorers with 26 points on 8 - of - 15 shooting, and C.J. McCollum pitched in a volume effort that resulted in 16 points, four rebounds and six assists. Meyers Leonard, Mason Plumlee and Al-Farouq Aminu finished in double figures to aid the Lillard-less Blazers. Portland took care of the ball, spaced the floor and took advantage of a tired Cavs team. The bench was not entirely efficient, but the Blazers shot 46 percent from the floor and continued to push the pace to keep a double digit lead for three quarters of play. Portland will visit the Sacramento Kings (12 - 17) on Sunday.

["TeamStat(G,'Trail Blazers') has 46 Percentage of 3 points ,has 20 Percentage of field goals ,has 105 Losses ,has 12 Total points ." "TeamStat(G,'Cavaliers') has 36 Percentage of 3 points ,has 36 Percentage of field goals ,has 9 Losses ,has 76 Total points ,has 17 Turnovers ,has 19 Wins ."]

The San Antonio Spurs (1 - 1) used a big third - quarter run to turn Friday’s game against the Brooklyn Nets (0 - 2) into a laugher, claiming a 105 - 78 victory over the visitors. San Antonio trailed by five after an uninspired first half, but the team came out of the break with some fire. Tony Parker was instrumental in turning the game into a runaway, scoring the first eight points of the third quarter to spark a 28 - 11 run that flipped a five - point deficit into a 12 - point lead heading into the fourth. The Spurs would continue their dominance over the final 12 minutes to easily dispatch the Nets, relying on a rather balanced scoring attack to accomplish that feat. All five starters had between eight and 16 points, while coach Gregg Popovich used eight bench players, who combined for an impressive 43 points. What began as an encouraging start for the Nets resulted in a second consecutive 15 - point loss, putting the team in an early hole to begin the season. Brook Lopez led the team with 17 points on a respectable 6 - for - 11 from the field, but his inability to make an impact on the glass (three rebounds) was true for the rest of his teammates. The Spurs outrebounded the Nets by a 56 - 32 count. On a more fortunate note for Brooklyn, starting point guard Jarrett Jack was able to return to the court after missing the season opener with a hamstring injury. He turned in a solid showing, scoring 12 points to go along with seven assists and six rebounds over 27 minutes. The Nets will continue their road trip with a visit to Memphis on Saturday, while the Spurs will get a day off before squaring off with the Celtics in Boston on Sunday.

["TeamStat(G,'Spurs') has 1 Losses ,has 56 Rebounds ,has 1 Wins ." "TeamStat(G,'Nets') has 2 Losses ,has 32 Rebounds ,has 0 Wins ."]

The Detroit Pistons (12 - 23) defeated the Dallas Mavericks (26 - 11) 108 - 95 on Wednesday at the American Airlines Center in Dallas. With a 74 - 68 lead at the end of the third quarter, the Pistons remained in control. They went on to out - score the Mavericks 34 - 27 in the fourth quarter, allowing them to end the Mavericks six - game winning streak and push their own to seven in a row. The Pistons were able to out - rebound the Mavericks 60 - 43, giving them an even greater advantage in the victory. Greg Monroe continued his stretch of impressive games. He went 11 - for - 16 from the field and 5 - for - 5 from the free throw line to score 27 points, while also chipping in with 18 rebounds and six assists. The double - double marked his fourth in a row, as he's averaging 18 points and 13 rebounds over that stretch of games. In another surprise performance off the bench, D.J. Augustin went 9 - for - 16 from the floor and 4 - for - 5 from beyond the arc to score 26 points. After scoring 19 points against the Spurs on Tuesday, he continued to sport the hot hand in the Pistons' second unit. Andre Drummond did n't have a big night offensively, but was again a hound on the boards with 19 rebounds in 30 minutes. He's now had at least 10 rebounds in 13 out of his last 14 games. Brandon Jennings reached double figures as well with 14 points (7 - 18 FG, 0 - 2 3Pt), while adding four rebounds and six assists. The Mavericks saw a big game from Dirk Nowitzki, who finished with 19 points (8 - 19 FG, 0 - 3 3Pt, 3 - 4 FT) and five rebounds. It was right on par with his season average of 18 points per game. Monta Ellis had 16 points (6 - 17 FG, 0 - 4 3Pt, 4 - 6 FT) of his own, along with five rebounds and four assists. It was n't his best shooting outing of the year, but he still was able to put some points on the board. In a nice performance off the bench, Devin Harris went 5 - for - 8 from the field and 2 - for - 3 from the three - point line to score 14 points in 21 minutes. It was his best offensive showing since back in early December, so he'll hope to keep that momentum going. The only other Maverick to reach double figures in points was Chandler Parsons, who finished with 15 points (5 - 13 FG, 2 - 5 3Pt, 3 - 3 FT) in 35 minutes. The Pistons' next game will be at home against the Atlanta Hawks on Friday, while the Mavericks will travel to Los Angeles to play the Clippers on Saturday.

["TeamStat(G,'Mavericks') has 11 Losses ,has 95 Total points ,has 19 Points in 3rd quarter ,has 27 Points in 4th quarter ,has 43 Rebounds ,has 26 Wins ." "TeamStat(G,'Pistons') has 23 Losses ,has 108 Total points ,has 34 Points in 3rd quarter ,has 60 Points in 4th quarter ,has 12 Rebounds ."]

The Raptors outscored the Knicks by a 69 - 38 margin over the second and third quarters, keying the double - digit home win. The Raptors shot an impressive 49 percent from the field, while seeing three players eclipse the 20 - point mark. DeMar DeRozan paced the Raptors with 23 points, five rebounds and five assists. Norman Powell posted 21 points over 24 minutes off the bench. DeMarre Carroll went for 20, while Jonas Valanciunas posted a 12 - point, 16 - rebound double - double. Terrence Ross tallied 12 points in 23 minutes. Carmelo Anthony's 18 points led the Knicks, and Justin Holiday was the second - leading scorer with 17 points over 26 minutes. Derrick Rose was next with 16 points, and Joakim Noah notably contributed just one point but did haul in eight boards. Mindaugas Kuzminskas provided nine points in 23 minutes in a reserve role.

["TeamStat(G,'Raptors') has 49 Percentage of field goals ,has 20 Points in 4th quarter ."]

Six Hornets players hit double digits in the scoring column and Charlotte shot 48 percent from the field and 47 percent from three - point range. They put their stamp on the game in the first quarter by jumping out to a 38 - 18 lead. Kemba Walker's 31 points led the Hornets. Marvin Williams managed 21 points, while Nicolas Batum pitched in with an 18 - point, 10 - assist double - double. Cody Zeller totaled 16 points, and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist rounded out the starting five's productive afternoon with 14. Frank Kaminsky III paced the bench with 10 points. Devin Booker followed up his 70 - point effort from Friday with a team - leading 23 points. T.J. Warren followed with a 21 - point, 10 - rebound double - double.Tyler Ulis provided 16 points and Marquese Chriss tallied 13. Jared Dudley led the bench with 12 points. Alan Williams supplied an 11 - point, 11 - rebound double - double.

["TeamStat(G,'Hornets') has 47 Percentage of 3 points ,has 48 Percentage of field goals ,has 38 Points in 1st quarter ,has 31 Points in 2nd quarter ." "TeamStat(G,'Suns') has 18 Percentage of 3 points ."]

The Golden State Warriors (13 - 2) defeated the Charlotte Hornets (4 - 13) 106 - 101 on Friday. Golden State has won eight straight games. They were paced by Marreese Speights against the Hornets. He scored a game - high 27 points in 24 minutes off the bench. Leandro Barbosa (knee) and David Lee (hamstring) remained out Friday. The Warriors will wrap up their current five - game road trip against the Detroit Pistons on Sunday. Charlotte will be without Marvin Williams (shoulder) until next Wednesday. Cody Zeller stepped into the starting lineup at power forward Friday and put up 15 points and 14 rebounds in 33 minutes. P.J. Hairston played though his sprained thumb. Michael Kidd Gilchrist (foot) and Gary Neal (shoulder) sat out. Brian Roberts scored a team - high 20 points off the bench in 30 minutes. The Hornets have lost eight straight games. They'll travel to take on the Atlanta Hawks on Saturday.

["TeamStat(G,'Hornets') has 13 Losses ,has 101 Total points ,has 4 Wins ." "TeamStat(G,'Warriors') has 2 Losses ,has 106 Total points ,has 13 Wins ."]

The Chicago Bulls (10 - 6) defeated the Boston Celtics (4 - 9) 109 - 102 on Friday. Chicago's footing came a little loose recently, as they've won just three of their last seven games, including this win over Boston. Taj Gibson (ankle) sat out a third straight game and will remain sidelined until his ankle has time to fully heal. Derrick Rose (hamstring) left Tuesday's loss to the Denver Nuggets as a precaution, but he was available Friday and put up 21 points in 28 minutes. Joakim Noah (eye) also returned to action. He had missed Tuesday's game as well. Noah played 35 minutes and finished with a double - double of 15 points and 14 rebounds while also collecting six assists and six blocks Friday. The Bulls will wrap up their current seven - game road trip with an afternoon game against the Broonlyn Nets on Sunday. Boston stole a win from the Bulls on Nov. 8, but they could n't muster the magic again. They've lost three straight games and six of their last seven. Jared Sullinger scored a game - high 23 points and pulled down 10 rebounds for a double - double. Kelly Olynyk got into foul trouble, giving Brandon Bass 27 minutes of run of the bench. Bass put up 16 points and nine rebounds in his extended minutes. Marcus Smart (ankle) is close to returning but sat out again Friday. The Celtics will host the San Antonio Spurs in a matinee matchup Sunday.

["TeamStat(G,'Celtics') has 9 Losses ,has 102 Total points ,has 4 Wins ." "TeamStat(G,'Bulls') has 6 Losses ,has 109 Total points ,has 10 Wins ."]

The Sacramento Kings (18 - 23) defeated the Los Angeles Lakers (9 - 35) 112 - 93 at Staples Center on Wednesday. The Kings improved to 6 - 4 over their last 10 games, as DeMarcus Cousins and Rajon Rondo continue to mesh in coach George Karl’s system. While the Kings are still five games under .500 on the season, they are still in playoff contention and trail the Trail Blazers by two games for the 8 - seed in the Western Conference. DeMarcus Cousins was an unstoppable force in the win, as the Lakers had no way of matching up against him. Cousins finished with 36 points, 16 rebounds and five assists on 13 - of - 22 shooting. Many of Cousins buckets came off of Rajon Rondo’s supreme court vision, in which the point guard dished out a whopping 17 assists. The Kentucky product is back on form halfway through the season after a mishap in Dallas last year, and over his last 10 games, Rondo is averaging 12 assists. Sacramento was efficient from the midrange and in the restricted area as shown by their 48 percent shooting as a unit. The Kings will host the Atlanta Hawks (26 - 17) on Thursday. The Lakers woes continued as they fell short of grabbing their 10th win of the season and are now owners of a four game losing streak. While they were able to improve upon their shot selection, the shots simply did not fall in their favor. Roy Hibbert was ineffective as a rim protector when matched up against Cousins, but he is not the only Lakers player to blame, considering Cousins trucked everybody in his path. Kobe Bryant (achilles) played 31 minutes in front of the hometown crowd, and as we are inching closer and closer to a Kobe-less Lakers, the precious moments of a truly great player become a little more heartwarming, or sickening, depending on how you look at it. Bryant scored 15 points on 4 - of - 13 shooting, while the backcourt duo of Jordan Clarkson and D’Angelo Russell combined for 28 points and six assists. It was rewarding to see D’Angelo Russell run the offense for most of the 3rd quarter, and maybe Byron Scott will lean towards developing the youth more and focusing on Kobe a little less. Brandon Bass had one of his better games of the season and contributed 18 points and seven rebounds off the bench. The Lakers will look to bust out of their slump when they host the San Antonio Spurs (36 - 6) on Friday.

["TeamStat(G,'Lakers') has 35 Percentage of field goals ,has 93 Losses ,has 9 Total points ." "TeamStat(G,'Kings') has 48 Percentage of field goals ,has 23 Losses ,has 112 Total points ,has 18 Wins ."]

The Bucks jumped out to a 72 - 50 halftime lead and their stellar 62 percent shooting helped them stave off a second - half comeback. Charlotte outscored Milwaukee by a 58 - 46 margin over the third and fourth quarters and only turned the ball over twice, but the Bucks countered by winning the rebounding battle, 42 - 31. Tony Snell's 26 points led the Bucks. Giannis Antetokounmpo provided 20 points and eight boards, while Malcolm Brogdon posted a 14 - point, 10 - assist double - double. Khris Middleton matched Brogdon's scoring total and added five rebounds and an assist. Greg Monroe led the second unit with 13 points. Kemba Walker's 26 points led the Hornets. Michael Kidd-Gilchrist managed 12 points and Cody Zeller chipped in eight. Frank Kaminsky III led the bench with 20 points and Jeremy Lamb was also productive as a reserve with 16 points.

["TeamStat(G,'Hornets') has 26 Percentage of field goals ,has 26 Points in 2nd quarter ,has 31 Points in 3rd quarter ." "TeamStat(G,'Bucks') has 62 Percentage of field goals ,has 42 Points in 2nd quarter ."]

The Portland Trail Blazers (38 - 36) defeated the Philadelphia 76ers (9 - 64) 108 - 105 on Saturday. Portland simply could n't put away a feisty Sixers squad that's made an occasional habit of giving playoff - caliber teams all they can handle this season. Even with Nerlens Noel missing a second straight game with a knee injury, Philadelphia found more than enough production from across their roster to keep them competitive. Four-fifths of their starting unit managed double - digit scoring, and the Sixers actually overtook the Blazers late in the fourth on the strength of back - to - back three - pointers by Hollis Thompson that gave them a 100 - 97 lead with 3:15 left. However, a subsequent 70 run by Portland, keyed by C.J. McCollum and Damian Lillard, gave the home team some short - lived breathing room. The Sixers managed to knot things up one more time, tying the Blazers at 105 with 23 seconds remaining on an Ish Smith jumper. A C.J. McCollum driving layup and subsequent free throw off a shooting foul on the play by Robert Covington then put Portland ahead for good with seven seconds remaining. The Sixers were led by a trio of 17 points efforts, two coming from members of their starting five. Smith added 14 rebounds, nine assists and a steal to his scoring haul, while Thompson also hauled in seven boards, dished out a pair of assists, and recorded a steal and a block. Covington contributed his scoring total off the bench over 30 minutes, and supplemented it with 11 rebounds and two steals. Jerami Grant was next with 13 points, seven rebounds, three assists and four blocks. Carl Landry, subbing for Noel on the night, pitched in with 12 points, two rebounds and an assist. Philadephia remains in last place in the Eastern Conference's Atlantic Division with the worst record in the league. They head to Oakland to take on the Golden State Warriors on Easter Sunday. The Trail Blazers' attack was fronted by McCollum, who totaled 25 points, five assists, two rebounds, five steals and a block. Al-Farouq Aminu followed with 20 points, eight rebounds and two assists. Lillard and Maurice Harkless were next with a pair of 16 - point efforts. Lillard also registered seven assists and five rebounds, while Harkless complemented his scoring with eight boards, an assist, a steal and a block. Gerald Henderson paced the reserves with 11 points, three rebounds, an assist, a steal and a block. Portland remains in second place in the Western Conference's Northwest Division, and are currently slotted in the sixth seed as well. They're home again on Monday night to take on the Sacramento Kings.

["TeamStat(G,'Trail Blazers') has 36 Losses ,has 108 Total points ,has 38 Wins ." "TeamStat(G,'76ers') has 64 Losses ,has 105 Total points ,has 9 Wins ."]

The Memphis Grizzlies (17 - 4) defeated the Dallas Mavericks (16 - 7) 114 - 105 on Tuesday at Fed Ex Forum Arena in Memphis. Despite being out - scored 62 - 56 in the first half, the Grizzlies came out hot in the third quarter and scored 19 more points than the Mavericks, setting them up for the victory in front of their home crowd. Memphis was able to use their superior shooting to give them the advantage, which was just enough to secure the win. The Grizzlies were led by the duo of Marc Gasol and Mike Conley. Gasol had a game - high of 30 points (9 - 14 FG), while also contributing six assists and five rebounds. He was able to get to the free throw line a wopping 13 times, and converted on 12 out of those attempts. Conley on the other hand shot 9 - for - 13 from the field and 2 - for - 4 from the three - point line to score 22 points. He continued to shoot well after not missing a shot on Sunday against the Miami Heat. He's now averaging 17 points and 6 assists per game. Zach Randolph also had a big impact and scored 17 points (6 - 18 FG, 5 - 6 FT), to go along with 13 rebounds. It marked his twelth double - double of the year. Both Tayshaun Prince and Beno Udrih reached double figures off the bench with 11 and 10 points respectively. Chandler Parsons continued his hot shooting for the Mavericks. He went 10 - for - 18 from the field and 6 - for - 10 from beyond the arc to score a team - high of 30 points, while also grabbing seven rebounds. He's now combined for 58 points and 12 rebounds in the last two games, as he continued with his offensive momentum. Jameer Nelson also had a nice game from the floor, shooting 6 - for - 9 from the field and 4 - for - 6 from the three - point line to score 18 points. Nelson had scored a combined seven points over his last two outings, so he was due for a breakout game. Monta Ellis had been on fire over the last week or so, but really struggled with his shot against the Grizzlies and finished with only two points (1 - 11 FG, 0 - 3 3Pt). Both Jae Crowder and Jose Barea had decent games off the bench with 13 and 17 points apiece. The Grizzlies' next game will be at home against the Charlotte Hornets on Friday, while the Mavericks will be at home against the New Orleans Pelicans on Wednesday.

["TeamStat(G,'Grizzlies') has 4 Number of team assists ,has 114 Losses ,has 17 Total points ." "TeamStat(G,'Mavericks') has 19 Number of team assists ,has 7 Losses ,has 105 Total points ,has 16 Wins ."]

The Warriors were expected to win this game easily, but this was no walk in the park. The 17 - point final margin is unfair, as the Nets never trailed by more than 19 and kept it a single - digit margin for much of the fourth quarter. The assist - to - turnover ratio was decisive, as the Warriors recorded five more assists than the Nets, while committing five less turnovers. Rondae Holiis-Jefferson was the Nets best player, as he tallied 16 points and 10 rebounds. Sean Kilpatrick and Trevor Booker each recorded double - doubles off the bench, as Kilpatrick totaled 15 points and 10 rebounds, while Booker provided 12 points and 10 boards. Stephen Curry accumulated 27 points, five rebounds and five assists to lead the Warriors. Klay Thompson finished with 24 points, four rebounds and four assists. No one else on the roster reached double figures in scoring, as the team shot just 42 percent from the field.

["TeamStat(G,'Nets') has 19 Points in 4th quarter ."]

The Orlando Magic (7 - 12) defeated the Phoenix Suns (10 - 8) 93 - 90 on Sunday at the US Airways Center in Phoenix. After falling behind for the first three quarters, the Suns looked to be in trouble. In the fourth quarter they came out firing though and were able to out - score the Magic 32 - 24, coming up just three points short of completing their comeback. Orlando was able to shoot 46 percent from the field, while Phoenix shot 40 percent, giving the Magic just enough of an advantage to sneak out a victory on the road. Nikola Vucevic continued his extremely strong start to the season. He finished with 18 points and eight rebounds, giving him season averages of 19 points and 12 rebounds on the year. Tobias Harris was another big reason the Magic were able to get the win. He scored a team - high of 21 points, as he shot 8 - for - 18 from the field and 1 - for - 2 from the three - point line. Victor Oladipo and Evan Fournier were the other two Magic players to reach double - figures. Oladipo scored 12 points (6 - 11 FG, 0 - 1 3Pt) and handed out four assists, while Fournier scored 15 points (5 - 8 FG, 2 - 5 3Pt, 3 - 4 FT) and grabbed five rebounds. With the vicotry, the Magic were able to snap a four - game losing streak and will hope to gain some confidence for the future. The Suns had a chance, but just did n't seem to get enough bench production to keep them in it. Goran Dragic led all scorers with 22 points (7 - 15 FG, 3 - 6 3Pt, 5 - 5 FT), while also grabbing eight rebounds and recording four assists. It was a solid bounce back game for Dragic after scoring only seven points in Denver on Sunday. Markieff Morris also did everything he could to keep the Suns close. He scored 18 points and contributed 10 rebounds and seven assists, giving him his fourth double - double on the year. Eric Bledsoe did n't have his most impressive night in this one, as he committed a game - high six turnovers and five fouls. He was still able to score 13 points though, while handing out six assists in the process. Gerald Green was the lone player on the bench to reach double - digit points, as he recorded 11 points in 26 minutes. The Magic's next game will be on the road against the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday, while the Suns will be at home against the Indiana Pacers on Tuesday.

["TeamStat(G,'Suns') has 40 Percentage of field goals ,has 8 Losses ,has 90 Total points ,has 32 Points in 4th quarter ,has 10 Wins ." "TeamStat(G,'Magic') has 46 Percentage of field goals ,has 12 Losses ,has 93 Total points ,has 24 Points in 4th quarter ,has 7 Wins ."]

The Los Angeles Clippers (23 - 13) defeated the Portland Trail Blazers (15 - 23) 109 - 98 at Moda Center on Wednesday. The Los Angeles Clippers extended their winning streak to seven games, as Chris Paul commanded the floor to the tune of 21 points and 19 assists, as part of a mostly easy victory over the Trail Blazers. Paul’s court vision and ability to set up DeAndre Jordan underneath the rim, while also finding sniper J.J. Reddick, was instrumental in the road victory. The Clippers had to stave off a late comeback attempt, but Paul Pierce nailed five 3 - pointers on his way to 17 points, to go along with four rebounds and one assist, to hold off the late Blazers surge. DeAndre Jordan added 14 points and 14 rebounds, while Reddick contributed 20 points on 8 - of - 13 shooting. Austin Rivers is developing into a more efficient scorer, especially when the ball handling responsibilities are put more on Pablo Prigioni when Paul is off the floor. Rivers finished with 16 points on 7 - of - 10 shooting in 25 minutes. The Clippers shot 51 percent as a unit and are climbing their way towards the top of the Western Conference, as they are just one game behind the Thunder for the third spot. The Clippers will look to continue their winning streak when they host the Charlotte Hornets (17 - 17) on Saturday. Damian Lillard started his second game back from injury, but still struggled to find his shot, as the all star point guard scored 20 points on 25 shots, in addition to seven rebounds and nine points. In a strange clerical error, the Blazers were without backcourt partner C.J. McCollum, as they mistakenly submitted a roster with him on the inactive list, instead of teammate Luis Montero. Allen Crabbe started in favor of McCollum and contributed 11 points, while Mason Plumlee scored 19 points, including some late buckets to trim the Clippers game long lead in the 4th quarter. Ed Davis and Meyers Leonard were beneficial off the bench, adding 12 points and 10 points, respectively, in the losing effort. The Trail Blazers will welcome the reigning MVP, Stephen Curry, and the Golden State Warriors (33 - 2) on Friday.

["TeamStat(G,'Trail Blazers') has 23 Percentage of field goals ,has 98 Losses ,has 15 Total points ." "TeamStat(G,'Clippers') has 51 Percentage of field goals ,has 13 Losses ,has 109 Total points ,has 23 Wins ."]

It was an efficient night for the high - powered San Antonio offense in Friday's blowout win. The Spurs shot 50 percent from the field, 60 percent from three - point range, and 95 percent from the free - throw line en route to a 20 - point victory. Last year's MVP runner - up, forward Kawhi Leonard, delivered 33 points on 9 - of - 15 shooting with five three - pointers and perfect 10 - of - 10 shooting at the free - throw line. Forward LaMarcus Aldridge, meanwhile, dominated in big man Pau Gasol's absence, recording 18 points, 14 rebounds, and six assists. Sixth man Patty Mills added 23 points off the bench. Portland, meanwhile, struggled on both ends of the ball. Star guards Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum scored just 16 each and the team shot only 44 percent while allowing half its opponents shots to fall. The team also had issues on the glass, as the Spurs held a 45 - 33 rebounding advantage.

["TeamStat(G,'Trail Blazers') has 33 Percentage of 3 points ." "TeamStat(G,'Spurs') has 60 Percentage of 3 points ,has 50 Percentage of field goals ,has 45 Rebounds ."]

The Sacramento Kings (14 - 20) came up with the 116 - 104 win against the host Oklahoma City Thunder (24 - 11) on Monday night. This was the Kings' first ever win in Chesapeake Energy Arena. Since the Supersonics franchise was relocated to Oklahoma before the 2008 - 9 season, the Kings had not been able to find a road win in OKC, until this one. The Kings also put an end to the Thunder's four - game winning streak After a back and forth first quarter the Thunder were up two but throughout the final three quarters the Kings outscored the Thunder 85 - 71, to achieve the upset victory. DeMarcus Cousins had a monster game, which was an impressive feat against the tough interior of the Thunder. Cousins finished with 33 points (11 - 27 FG, 2 - 4 3Pt, 9 - 10 FT) and 19 rebounds, in 37 minutes. Rajon Rondo was wheeling and dealing on his way to 13 points, a very generous 19 assists, nine rebounds and five steals, in 42 minutes. Marco Belinelli chipped in 21 points (6 - 13 FG, 2 - 5 3Pt, 7 - 8 FT) and two rebounds, in 34 minutes off the bench. Quincy Acy started in place of Omri Casspi, who sat this one out with a sore back, however he only logged five minutes and did not score. The Thunder were missing their top scorer Kevin Durant, who had to sit this one out with a sprained toe. In Durant's absence five players scored in double digits, which can be seen as a bright spot in this loss for OKC. Serge Ibaka led the way in scoring for the Thunder, finishing with 25 points (10 - 17 FG, 3 - 5 3Pt, 2 - 4 FT), along with seven rebounds and five blocked shots. Russell Westbrook shot only 6 - 23 from the field but still tallied an impressive 17 points, 15 assists and eight rebounds. Anthony Morrow started in place of KD and finished with 20 points, in 33 minutes. Steven Adams put up a solid 15 points and 10 rebounds, in only 26 minutes. Next the Thunder will host the Grizzlies on Wednesday. Meanwhile, the Kings will be in Dallas on Tuesday for the second of back - to - back road games. Another win could put the Kings at the threshold of the top eight in the West.

["TeamStat(G,'Thunder') has 11 Losses ,has 104 Total points ,has 24 Wins ." "TeamStat(G,'Kings') has 20 Losses ,has 116 Total points ,has 14 Wins ."]

The Portland Trail Blazers defeated the Brooklyn Nets, 130 - 116, at Moda Center on Saturday. Portland were expected to win this game easily and they left no doubt with this near wire - to - wire win. In fact, the Nets only lead came in the first two minutes, as the Blazers held the lead for the rest of the game. Portland's offense was unstoppable, as they hit 57 percent of their shots from the field and 64 percent from three - point range. Brooklyn were n't far behind, as they shot 52 percent from the field and 47 percent from long distance on their end. The Trail Blazers barely edged out many of the statistics, winning the shooting, rebounding, assisting, steals and turnover differentials. The Nets (10 - 51) have now lost 19 of their last 20 games, as they continue to slide down the standings. Brook Lopez led the way for Brooklyn, as he tallied 26 points, five rebounds and two blocks. Jeremy Lin finished second among starters, accruing 18 points, three rebounds and two assists. Rondae Hollis-Jefferson was the only other starter in double figures, accumulating 12 points, eight rebounds and five assists. Sean Kilpatrick provided 20 points and five assists to lead the bench on 6 - of - 7 from three - point range. On deck for Brooklyn is a road matchup against the Memphis Grizzlies on Monday. The Blazers (26 - 35) are battling for the eight - seed in the west and this win was much needed against some poor competition. C.J. McCollum led Portland with 31 points, five rebounds and five assists. Damian Lillard finished second among starters, collecting 19 points, five rebounds and 11 assists. Maurice Harkless amassed 18 points, three assists and three blocks. Jusuf Nurkic started at center and produced 17 points, six rebounds and five assists Al-Farouq Aminu led all bench players with 23 points and six rebounds. Portland's next game is crucial, as they play the Minnesota Timberwolves on the road Monday night.

["TeamStat(G,'Trail Blazers') has 64 Percentage of 3 points ,has 57 Percentage of field goals ,has 35 Losses ,has 130 Total points ,has 26 Wins ." "TeamStat(G,'Nets') has 47 Percentage of 3 points ,has 52 Percentage of field goals ,has 51 Losses ,has 116 Total points ,has 10 Wins ."]

The Golden State Warriors (44 - 4) destroyed the New York Knicks (23 - 27) on their own home court on Sunday, winning 116 - 95. For the Warriors, the win comes in the second half of a back - to - back following a near loss to the Philadelphia 76ers on Saturday. Coach Steve Kerr criticized the team heavily after the game, saying that he felt they were "fooling around" in the third quarter. All-Star forward Draymond Green accepted the blame for the team's season - low 35 points in the second half, admitting that he was chasing a triple - double. Ironically, Draymond secured his league - leading ninth triple - double of the season in the emphatic win over the Knicks. Green finished with 20 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists while shooting a perfect 9 - for - 9 from the field. Golden State pulled away in the second quarter and never looked back, going on to outscore the Knicks 61 - 46 in the second half. The win is the Warriors' seventh in a row, and puts the team even closer to the 1995 - 96 Bulls' record of 72 wins. Reigning MVP Steph Curry, meanwhile, had an uncharacteristic poor shooting night. The point guard went just 5 - for - 17 from the field, while also hitting just 3 of 11 shots from behind the three - point arc. Curry also finished below his season averages in rebounds and assists, notching just four of each. Fellow "splash brother" Klay Thompson, however, took the reigns of the offense, leading the team with 34 points on 14 - for - 18 shooting and 5 - for - 6 from three - point territory. On the Knicks' end, however, shots simply could not fall. While superstar Carmelo Anthony poured in 24 points and shot a respectable 8 - for - 18, no other player scored more than 14 and the team shot just 37 percent on the night. Defensively, New York was able to force 18 turnovers; however, the team simply could not contest Golden State's red - hot perimeter shooters, as they allowed 58 percent of their opponents' shots to fall. The Knicks saw a 16 - 6 disadvantage in terms of three - pointers made, and shot 22 percent worse than their opponents from deep. The Knicks will visit the TD Garden on Tuesday night to take on their divisional rival, the Boston Celtics. Meanwhile, the Warriors visit the Washington Wizards on Wednesday before a marquee matchup against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Saturday.

["TeamStat(G,'Knicks') has 27 Losses ,has 95 Total points ,has 23 Turnovers ." "TeamStat(G,'Warriors') has 4 Losses ,has 116 Total points ,has 18 Turnovers ,has 44 Wins ."]

The Golden State Warriors (45 - 4) defeated the Washington Wizards (21 - 26) in a fast - paced, high - scoring contest Wednesday at Verizon Center, 134 - 121. Stephen Curry caught fire from beyond the arc, as he tied a career high with 11 made three - pointers on 16 attempts and scored 51 points to lead all scorers. It overshadowed a fantastic performance from John Wall who scored 41 points (17 - 25 FG, 3 - 3 3PT) and dished 10 assists, but it was n't enough to defeat the first place Warriors, who sunk 20 three - pointers as a team. Curry was backed up by another triple - double from Draymond Green (12 points, 12 assists, and 10 rebounds to go with five blocks), his NBA-leading 11th of the season. Klay Thompson unleashed his own three - point barrage, as he sunk six of his 13 attempts and scored 24 points. The Warriors' ball movement was on sharp display, as Golden State assisted on 35 of their 49 made field goals (71 percent). Wall was the only one of Washington's starters to reach double - digits, but Bradley Beal scored 18 points in 29 minutes off the bench, and Nene dropped an efficient 12 points and seven rebounds in just 19 minutes. Ramon Sessions added 12 points on 5 - 6 shooting. The Wizards made a respectable 8 of 23 three - pointers (34 percent), but that left them with a 24 - point deficit at the three - point line against Golden State, too much to make up. The Warriors have won eight straight and return home for a matchup against Oklahoma City on Saturday. The Wizards will take on the 76ers Friday in Washington.

["TeamStat(G,'Wizards') has 26 Number of team assists ,has 121 Percentage of 3 points ,has 21 Losses ." "TeamStat(G,'Warriors') has 35 Number of team assists ,has 49 Percentage of 3 points ,has 4 Losses ,has 134 Total points ,has 49 Rebounds ,has 45 Wins ."]

The Minnesota Timberwolves defeated the visiting Brooklyn Nets, 129 - 109 at Target Center on Saturday evening. Karl-Anthony Towns imposed his will on this one, as he poured in a game - high 37 points to help the Timberwolves dominate, as they won every quarter on their way to the 20 - point win over the struggling Nets. The Timberwolves (18 - 29) shot 51 percent from the field, as all five starters scored in double digits to lead the way. Karl-Anthony Towns grabbed 13 rebounds and recorded four blocked shots, to go along with his game - high 37 points. Andrew Wiggins followed up with 23 points, while Zach LaVine chipped in 20. Shabazz Muhammad came up big off the bench for Minnesota, as he finished with 18 points and seven rebounds. The Timberwolves will look to keep rolling, as they play host to the Magic on Monday. The Nets (9 - 38) outscored the T-Wolves 58 - 48 in the paint and 23 - 12 in fast - break points but were not able to compete as efficiently, as they shot 48 percent from the field, and 33 percent from deep, compared to the 45 percent the T-Wolves hit from deep. Brook Lopez was the high - point man for the Nets, with 25 points, to go along with seven rebounds. Three other players scored in double digits for Brooklyn, including Sean Kilpatrick, who added 14 points, in 25 minutes off the bench. The Nets will look to bounce back, as they visit Miami on Monday.

["TeamStat(G,'Timberwolves') has 45 Percentage of 3 points ,has 51 Percentage of field goals ,has 29 Losses ,has 129 Total points ,has 37 Points in 4th quarter ,has 18 Wins ." "TeamStat(G,'Nets') has 33 Percentage of 3 points ,has 48 Percentage of field goals ,has 38 Losses ,has 109 Total points ,has 9 Points in 4th quarter ."]

The two teams combined for a whopping 42 turnovers. The Hawks were guilty of 22, but overcame their mistakes with 56 percent shooting overall, including 48 percent from three - point range. All five members of Atlanta's first unit shot 50 percent or better, and four of them posted double digits in the scoring column. Harrison Barnes' 25 points led the Mavericks. Seth Curry followed with 21, while Dirk Nowitzki and Yogi Ferrell put together matching 11 - point efforts. The former also hauled in 10 boards, while the latter dished out nine assists. Paul Millsap had a near triple - double of 18 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds. Dennis Schroder was next with 17 points, while Kent Bazemore tallied 15. Dwight Howard chipped in with a 14 - point, 12 - rebound double - double. Ersan Ilyasova led the second unit with 18 points.

["TeamStat(G,'Hawks') has 48 Percentage of 3 points ,has 56 Percentage of field goals ,has 22 Turnovers ."]

The Golden State Warriors defeated the Atlanta Hawks, 119 - 111, at Phillips Arena on Monday evening. The Warriors (52 - 11) are continuing to find their way without Kevin Durant (knee), and they may be starting to hit their stride. After a rough first full game without their All-Star last Thursday against the Bulls, Golden State bounced back with a much better effort in a Sunday victory against the Knicks. They had a much tougher test in front of them Monday in the form of the Hawks (34 - 29), but managed a second straight win on the strength of matching 24 - point efforts from Stephen Curry and Andre Iguodala, as well a 19 - turnover tally on Atlanta's part. Curry added nine assists and four rebounds. Iguodala also supplied five rebounds, four assists, three steals and one block in 35 minutes on the second unit. Klay Thompson contributed 13 points, three assists and one block. Draymond Green filled out the stat sheet with 12 points, eight rebounds, six assists and four steals. David West and Ian Clark each poured in 10 points off the bench, while Matt Barnes contributed five points, seven rebounds, three assists and one block over 18 minutes in his third game in a Warriors uniform. Dennis Schroder paced the Hawks with 23 points, four rebounds, three assists and one steal. Paul Millsap posted a 20 - point, 10 - rebound double - double that also included four assists and one block. Tim Hardaway, Jr. led the bench with 19 points, five assists, four rebounds and two steals. Kent Bazemore managed 18 points, one rebound and one block. Ersan Ilyasova was productive off the bench as well with 15 points, two rebounds, three steals and one block over 27 minutes. Dwight Howard pitched in with a modest eight points but hauled in a whopping 19 rebounds and recorded one block. The Warriors head back home and await the Boston Celtics on Wednesday night, while the Hawks remain home to tangle with the Brooklyn Nets on Wednesday evening as well.

["TeamStat(G,'Hawks') has 29 Losses ,has 111 Total points ,has 24 Points in 2nd quarter ,has 24 Points in 3rd quarter ,has 19 Turnovers ,has 34 Wins ." "TeamStat(G,'Warriors') has 11 Losses ,has 119 Total points ,has 52 Points in 2nd quarter ."]

The Toronto Raptors (30 - 15) defeated the Washington Wizards (20 - 23) 106 - 89 on Tuesday for their ninth consecutive victory. The Raptors used the same recipe they always do, as they relied on their backcourt and defense to carry them. Outside of a 32 - point second quarter, the Wizards could only amass 57 points in the other three quarters and never scored more than 20 in any individual one. The second half was especially tough, as Washington scored only 39 point while shooting just 32 percent from the field. The rebounding was huge for Toronto as well, as they snatched down 48 rebounds to the Wizards 35. Washington has now had two dud performances in a row, which is quite concerning considering they appeared to be turning things around just last week. They had to play this game without Bradley Beal again, as he recovers from a facial injury and potential concussion. John Wall did all he could here, as he scored 18 points and dished out 14 assists in a great game. Otto Porter also had a good game, as he tallied 15 points, eight rebounds and four steals in an effort - filled outing. Up next for the Wizards is the Denver Nuggets on Thursday at Verizon Center. Kyle Lowry led the Raptors with 29 points, four rebounds and four assists, but left the game late in the fourth quarter, while throbbing in pain with what appeared to be a wrist injury. DeMar DeRozan totaled 17 points, four rebounds and four assists. Toronto will look to get its winning streak to double - digits on Thursday when it plays host to the New York Knicks in what's usually a competitive matchup.

["TeamStat(G,'Raptors') has 15 Number of team assists ,has 106 Losses ,has 29 Total points ,has 29 Points in 2nd quarter ,has 48 Points in 3rd quarter ,has 30 Points in 4th quarter ." "TeamStat(G,'Wizards') has 20 Number of team assists ,has 23 Losses ,has 89 Total points ,has 32 Points in 2nd quarter ,has 20 Points in 3rd quarter ,has 35 Points in 4th quarter ,has 20 Rebounds ."]

The recent form of these teams would indicate a Golden State blowout, but this was one of the tightest games of the season. In fact, there were 10 ties and 18 lead changes, as neither team led by more than eight points. Golden State was efficient as ever, as they recorded 35 assists and shot 56 percent from the field. Free-throw shooting killed Detroit, as they hit 61 percent of their free - throws to Golden State's 92 percent. Kevin Durant continued his amazing efficiency, as he scored a game - high 33 points on 13 - of - 18 shooting. Draymond Green went just 1 - of - 8 from the field, but still provided 10 rebounds and 12 assists. Stephen Curry scored 25 points, while Klay Thompson dropped 17 of his own. Tobias Harris shifted to the bench for this game and led the Pistons with 26 points and seven rebounds. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope led the Detroit starters in scoring, as he dropped 25 points on 9 - of - 18 shooting.

["TeamStat(G,'Pistons') has 25 Number of team assists ." "TeamStat(G,'Warriors') has 35 Number of team assists ,has 56 Percentage of field goals ."]

The Charlotte Hornets defeated the host Toronto Raptors, 110 - 106, at Air Canada Center on Wednesday. This was a must win for Charlotte and it marked one of their biggest road victories of the season. Three-point shooting really carried the Hornets, as they went 16 - of - 32 from long distance, while the Raptors went just 11 - of - 31. Charlotte also did a much better job of taking care of the ball, as they committed just nine turnovers, while forcing 14 from Toronto. Despite there being just five ties and five lead changes in total, neither team was able to lead by more than 11 points in this close - fought battle. The Hornets bench was huge as well, as they outscored the Raptors bench, 52 - 28. It took a late run from the Hornets to cap off their win, as they outscored the Raptors, 44 - 32, in the fourth quarter. The Hornets (34 - 41) are within two games of the eight - seed in the east, as this win shows how dangerous they can be. Kemba Walker led the starters in scoring, as he tallied 19 points, four rebounds and two assists. Nicolas Batum accumulated 15 points, four rebounds and three assists. Marvin Williams amassed 18 points and 12 rebounds en route to a double - double. Marco Belinelli led the team in scoring off the bench, as he dropped 21 points on 7 - of - 11 shooting. Frank Kaminsky also played well off the bench, providing 13 points, four rebounds and two assists. On deck for Charlotte is a home matchup versus the Denver Nuggets on Friday. The Raptors (45 - 30) had won six - straight headed into this game, but playing against someone who has their lives on the line is a completely different animal. DeMar DeRozan once again led the way for Toronto, as he collected 28 points, six rebounds and eight assists. Cory Joseph accrued 18 points, seven rebounds and five assists. Serge Ibaka totaled 15 points, two rebounds and two assists. Jonas Valanciunas recorded another double - double, amassing 14 points, 15 rebounds and three blocks on 5 - of - 6 shooting. Toronto will look to start a new winning streak on Friday in a home matchup against the Indiana Pacers.

["TeamStat(G,'Raptors') has 30 Losses ,has 106 Total points ,has 28 Points in 2nd quarter ,has 32 Points in 4th quarter ,has 45 Turnovers ." "TeamStat(G,'Hornets') has 41 Losses ,has 110 Total points ,has 44 Points in 2nd quarter ,has 8 Points in 4th quarter ,has 34 Turnovers ."]

The Los Angeles Clippers (42 - 23) defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder (35 - 29) 120 - 108 on Wednesday at Chesapeake Energy Arena in Oklahoma City. The Clippers were able to come out and have a good start to this game, out - scoring the Thunder 36 - 30 in the first quarter, while grabbing a 65 - 57 lead by half. They came into the third quarter playing just as well and were able to use that momentum to coast to the 12 - point victory on the road in Oklahoma City. The Clippers were the superior shooters, going 46 percent from the field and 50 percent from the three - point line, while the Thunder finished at 43 percent from the floor and 48 percent from deep. What ultimately may have made the difference was turnovers though, as the Clippers forced the Thunder into 20, while committing just 14 of their own. Despite coming into this game questionable with a knee injury, Chris Paul showed no signs of being slowed down and recorded a game - high of 33 points (11 - 19 FG, 5 - 8 3Pt, 6 - 7 FT), to go along with nine assists and two steals. He struggled to just two points on 1 - of - 6 shooting during Monday's game against the Timberwolves, so it was good to see him return to form and have a ton of success on the offensive side of the ball. J.J. Redick continued to stay hot as well, finishing with 25 points (6 - 14 FG, 3 - 6 3Pt, 10 - 10 FT), seven assists and three steals in 35 minutes. He's really stepped up his game in the absence of Jamal Crawford, as Redick is averaging 23 points and 1 steals over his last five games. He's pushed his season scoring average to 15 points per game. Matt Barnes was dialed in as well, going 6 - for - 7 from the three - point line for 22 points, while also adding three steals and two blocked shots. It marked just the third time he's surpassed the 20 - point mark so far this season. Adding another double - double to his season totals, DeAndre Jordan posted 18 points (3 - 7 FG, 12 - 22 FT) and 17 rebounds, despite missing 10 free throws over the course of the game. Coming quite close to recording another triple - double, Russell Westbrook finished with 24 points (5 - 14 FG, 3 - 6 3Pt, 11 - 13 FT), nine rebounds and seven assists in 36 minutes. He did have 10 turnovers though, which may have overshawdowed his performance a bit. He's still one of the hottest players in the country right now and is averaging 35 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists over his last seven games, a stretch that includes an unheard of five triple - doubles. He's pushed his season averages to 27 points, 7 rebounds and 8 assists on the year. Doing his best to help keep the Thunder alive as well, Anthony Morrow added a team - high of 26 points (8 - 12 FG, 6 - 9 3Pt, 4 - 4 FT) in 36 minutes off the bench, to go along with three rebounds and three steals. It was the first time he's surpassed the 20 - point mark this season, giving himself a new season - high in points. Both Enes Kanter and Serge Ibaka reached double figures in points as well. Kanter finished with 18 points (6 - 12 FG, 6 - 9 FT) and five rebounds, while Ibaka posted 15 points (6 - 13 FG, 1 - 2 3Pt, 2 - 2 FT) and three rebounds. The Clippers' next game will be on the road against the Dallas Mavericks on Friday, while the Thunder will be at home against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday.

["TeamStat(G,'Thunder') has 48 Percentage of 3 points ,has 43 Percentage of field goals ,has 29 Losses ,has 108 Total points ,has 30 Points in 1st quarter ,has 20 Points in 4th quarter ,has 35 Turnovers ." "TeamStat(G,'Clippers') has 50 Percentage of 3 points ,has 46 Percentage of field goals ,has 23 Losses ,has 120 Total points ,has 36 Points in 1st quarter ,has 20 Points in 4th quarter ,has 42 Turnovers ."]

The Phoenix Suns (16 - 14) defeated the Dallas Mavericks (20 - 10) 124 - 115 on Tuesday at the US Airways Center in Phoenix. Despite a 41 - point fourth quarter, the Mavericks were n't able to buckle down defensively Tuesday and let the Suns score 124 points, giving them the nine - point victory. Despite shooting better from the field and out - rebounding the Suns 49 - 44, the Mavericks committed 20 turnovers, giving the Suns enough of an advantage to secure the victory at home. The Suns found production from all over the court. Goran Dragic led all scorers, going 10 - for - 17 from the floor and 2 - for - 6 from the three - point line to score 25 points. He's now averaging 16 points per game on the season. Despite struggling with his shot, Eric Bledsoe had a huge game, scoring 16 points (6 - 19 FG, 1 - 7 3Pt, 3 - 3 FT), while recording 11 assists and 10 rebounds, giving him his second triple - double of the season. He was getting everything he wanted in this one, and was a big reason for the Suns' victory. Alex Len also was big as he finished with 17 points (6 - 9 FG, 5 - 7 FT) and seven rebounds before fouling out. The bench had a strong showing from Gerald Green and Isaiah Thomas. Green totaled 22 points, while Thomas finished with 12. The Mavericks were led by the duo of Tyson Chandler and Dirk Nowitzki. Chandler was a force, scoring 22 points (6 - 8 FG, 10 - 12 FT) and grabbing 14 rebounds. It was his thirteenth double - double of the season and third straight game with at least 14 rebounds. Nowitzki shot 7 - for - 12 from the field and 2 - for - 3 from deep to score 22 points, while also grabbing five rebounds. It was the most points he's had in the last four games. In Rondo's third game with the team, he finished with 13 points (6 - 14 FG, 1 - 1 3Pt), six rebounds and eight assists, as he did a little bit of everything Tuesday. Also, coming off the bench, Charlie Villanueva had a strong showing, going 7 - for - 13 from the field and 4 - for - 9 from beyond the arc to score 18 points. The Suns' next game will be on the road against the Sacramento Kings on Friday, while the Mavericks will be at home against the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday.

["TeamStat(G,'Suns') has 14 Losses ,has 124 Total points ,has 44 Points in 4th quarter ,has 16 Rebounds ." "TeamStat(G,'Mavericks') has 10 Losses ,has 115 Total points ,has 41 Points in 4th quarter ,has 49 Rebounds ,has 20 Turnovers ,has 20 Wins ."]

The Clippers are the far superior team and they showed the Pelicans why they're better. The starting units were the big difference, with Los Angeles' starters outscoring New Orleans starters, 77 - 48. The Clippers actually led for the entirety of the second half, as they led by 20 points at times in their win. Blake Griffin and Chris Paul carried the load for Los Angeles, as they combined for 44 points, 18 rebounds and 17 assists. Jamal Crawford was huge off the bench, as he dropped 21 points on 9 - of - 15 shooting. Anthony Davis was the only Pelicans starter in double figures, as he accrued 21 points, six rebounds and four assists. E'Twaun Moore and Terrence Jones played well off the bench for New Orleans, with Jones totaling 12 points and nine rebounds, while Moore scored 15 points.

["TeamStat(G,'Pelicans') has 20 Points in 4th quarter ."]

The Sacramento Kings (26 - 41) defeated the Los Angeles Lakers (14 - 54) 106 - 98 at Staples Center on Tuesday. The Kings snapped a five game losing streak with a relatively easy win in Los Angeles behind DeMarcus Cousins, Rudy Gay and Darren Collison. Cousins was responsible for the dagger three pointer with just over four minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, after the Lakers trimmed an almost game long double figure lead to seven points. It was Cousins’ only attempt from behind the arc, but he made every bit of it count to put the game away. The Kentucky product finished with 22 points, eight rebounds, three assists and a beastly four blocks. Gay and Collison combined for 42 points on 19 - of - 30 shooting, proving that when the Kings shooters are efficient, or simply in a rhythm, they can close out games. Rajon Rondo dished out 12 assists, while Omri Casspi led the bench in scoring with 11 points, but failed to make a three pointer. The Kings will play the second game of a back - to - back when they return home to host the New Orleans Pelicans (24 - 42) on Wednesday. The Lakers were without Kobe Bryant (shoulder) and Brandon Bass (eye), but the missing two pieces were not entirely to blame for the lopsided game early on. Los Angeles was unable to get into any sort of rhythm out the gate, and fell behind in the first quarter 32 - 15 and only registered four points through the first six minutes of action. The young Lakers trio seemed to have cooled down after stringing together an improved set of games. D’Angelo Russell scored 14 points, to go along with three rebounds, three assists and four steals, while Jordan Clarkson added 12 points on 5 - of - 16 shooting. Julius Randle went for his 29th double - double of the season after scoring 14 points and grabbing 11 rebounds. Lou Williams and Larry Nance Jr were spark plugs off the bench and combined for 29 points while trying to make up for the brutal first half. The Lakers will look to bounce back when they host the Phoenix Suns (18 - 49) on Friday.

["TeamStat(G,'Lakers') has 54 Losses ,has 98 Total points ,has 15 Points in 1st quarter ,has 14 Wins ." "TeamStat(G,'Kings') has 106 Losses ,has 32 Total points ."]

The Oklahoma City Thunder (40 - 14) earned a home win Thursday at Chesapeake Energy Arena over the New Orleans Pelicans (20 - 33), 121 - 95. The Pelicans scored the game’s first six points but lost the lead for good by the end of the first quarter. The Thunder were aggressive from the three - point line, launching 32 attempts from deep and making 12 (38 percent). The Pelicans made just three of their 16 attempts, and the 27 - point advantage Oklahoma City enjoyed from outside was the story of the game. Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook notched 23 points apiece to lead the Thunder. Westbrook dished 10 assists and finished one rebound away from what would have been his fourth double - double in the past six games. Durant made 10 of his 17 field goal attempts and added six assists and three rebounds. Serge Ibaka scored 18 points and added three blocks. Anthony Davis (8 - 14 FG, 7 - 12 FT) and Jrue Holiday (11 - 20 FG) joined the four - way tie for the game high in points with 23. Davis added three rebounds, two steals and two assists, and Holiday dished six assists, nabbed five steals and pulled down four rebounds in his 31 minutes off the bench. But the Pelicans just couldn’t get their shots going, as they made just 36 of their 88 field goal attempts (43 percent). The Pelicans return from the break next Friday at home against the 76ers. The Thunder welcome the Pacers next Friday in Oklahoma City.

["TeamStat(G,'Thunder') has 38 Percentage of 3 points ,has 14 Percentage of field goals ,has 121 Losses ,has 40 Total points ." "TeamStat(G,'Pelicans') has 43 Percentage of 3 points ,has 33 Percentage of field goals ,has 95 Losses ,has 20 Total points ."]

The Miami Heat defeated the host Cleveland Cavaliers, 106 - 98, at Quicken Loans Arena on Monday. Miami is one of the hottest teams in the league right now and they showed Cleveland just that in this surprising win. The assist - to - turnover ratio was the decisive statistic, with the Heat recording 23 assists to seven turnovers, while the Cavaliers committed 17 turnovers to just 15 assists. Three-point shooting was a big key as well, with Miami hitting 16 - of - 35 from long distance, while Cleveland went just 9 - of - 27. The Cavaliers did dominate the rebounding though, winning that battle, 52 - 38. It was a near wire - to - wire win for Miami, as they led for the final 40 - plus minutes. The Heat (30 - 34) continue to be one of the hottest teams in the league, as this marks their 19th win in 23 games. Dion Waiters was the star, as he led the team with 29 points and five assists. Goran Dragic was n't far behind, totaling 21 points and six assists. Hassan Whiteside recorded a double - double, amassing 13 points, 11 rebounds and two blocks. Wayne Ellington was huge off the bench, providing 18 points, four rebounds and four assists. On deck for Miami is a home matchup against the Charlotte Hornets on Wednesday. The Cavaliers (42 - 20) have now lost four of their last six games, with this loss being one of the worst of that stretch. LeBron James and Kyrie Irving carried the load, as they combined for 62 points, 24 rebounds and nine assists. Irving led the team, accumulating 32 points, seven rebounds and three assists. James finished with 30 points, 17 rebounds and six assists. Andrew Bogut made his debut with the Cavs, but broke his leg in one minute of action. Cleveland will be off until Thursday, when they play the Detroit Pistons on the road.

["TeamStat(G,'Cavaliers') has 15 Number of team assists ,has 20 Losses ,has 98 Total points ,has 52 Rebounds ,has 17 Turnovers ,has 42 Wins ." "TeamStat(G,'Heat') has 23 Number of team assists ,has 34 Losses ,has 106 Total points ,has 38 Rebounds ,has 7 Turnovers ,has 30 Wins ."]

The Washington Wizards defeated the Orlando Magic, 115 - 114, at Verizon Center on Sunday. These two teams have now split their season series and there was very little to separate them in this game as well. Despite the Magic leading for over 44 minutes of this fixture, the Wizards took the most important lead at the buzzer. In fact, Washington's largest lead was just two points, as there were seven ties and seven lead changes in total. Washington ended up outscoring Orlando by 17 points in the second half to pull out the comeback win. Shooting was key for the Wizards, as they hit 54 percent of their three's and 92 percent of their free - throws. Orlando hit just 40 percent of their three - pointers and 63 percent of their free - throws. The Wizards also outasissted the Magic, 26 - 16. The Magic (23 - 40) have been in a rough stretch for seemingly months now and this tough loss only adds to those struggles. Terrence Ross led the way, as he tallied 20 points, four rebounds, two steals and two blocks. Aaron Gordon recorded a double - double, totaling 15 points, 11 rebounds and three assists. Bismack Biyombo got the start and contributed 14 points, and 15 rebounds. Evan Fournier finished second on the team with 18 points, while Elfrid Payton managed 15 points, five rebounds and three assists on 7 - of - 8 shooting. The Magic will host the New York Knicks on Monday for their next game. The Wizards (37 - 24) are one of the best home teams in the league and comeback wins like this show just why. Bradley Beal was the player of the game, as he accumulated 32 points, three rebounds, four assists and two steals. Bojan Bogdanovic came off the bench to provide 27 points, going 8 - of - 10 from three - point range. John Wall finished with 19 points, six rebounds and 10 assists. On deck for the Wizards is a road matchup against the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday.

["TeamStat(G,'Wizards') has 54 Percentage of 3 points ,has 24 Losses ,has 115 Total points ,has 37 Wins ." "TeamStat(G,'Magic') has 40 Percentage of 3 points ,has 40 Losses ,has 114 Total points ,has 23 Wins ."]

The Milwaukee Bucks blew out the Sacramento Kings to the tune of a 117 - 91 scoreline on Saturday at BMO Harris Bradley Center. Milwaukee took care of business against the Kings here, as they pulled out the rare wire - to - wire win. The first and third quarters is when they made their mark. In fact, the Bucks led by 10 after the first quarter and started the third quarter on a 21 - 3 run to really open things up. Milwaukee dominated with their defense, as they forced Sacramento to shoot 39 percent from the field. In addition to that, the Bucks recorded 10 blocks and 12 steals in the win, scoring 29 points off turnovers. Fastbreak points were a huge difference as well, with Milwaukee scoring 26 fastbreak points to the Kings one. Sacramento (2 - 5) has been playing better defense this season, but this was a dud of a performance. Without Rudy Gay in the lineup, there was no help for DeMarcus Cousins, as he was double teamed all night long. Cousins still finished with 15 points and four rebounds, but went just 5 - of - 12 from the field. Garrett Temple led the team in scoring, as he amassed 19 points, three rebounds, four assists and three steals off the bench. No other player scored in double figures, with 13 players featuring for Sacramento in their blowout loss. Milwaukee (4 - 2) continues to surprise folks, as this was their best defensive performance of the season. Giannis Antetokonmpo flirted with a triple - double, accumulating 19 points, eight rebounds, eight assists and four steals in the win. Jabari Parker played great too, totaling 19 points, six rebounds and four steals of his own. Mirza Teletovic was unconscious off the bench, hitting seven three - pointers en route to a 22 - point performance, with five of them coming in a row in the first half. Sacramento has the unfortunate task of playing again on Sunday, as they to travel to Canada to play the Toronto Raptors. As for the Bucks, they also have to travel on Sunday to play the Dallas Mavericks.

["TeamStat(G,'Bucks') has 2 Percentage of field goals ,has 117 Losses ,has 29 Total points ,has 4 Points in 3rd quarter ." "TeamStat(G,'Kings') has 39 Percentage of field goals ,has 5 Losses ,has 91 Total points ,has 2 Points in 3rd quarter ."]

The Boston Celtics defeated the Brooklyn Nets, 111 - 92, at Barclays Center on Wednesday. The Celtics (9 - 6) received a pair of strong efforts from their dynamic backcourt duo of Isaiah Thomas and Avery Bradley to comfortably ride to their third straight win, and fifth road victory overall. The guard combo combined for 45 points on 43 shot attempts between them, a tally that included a 5 - of - 9 effort for Thomas from long range. Six Boston players managed double - digit scoring overall, while the defense held the Nets (4 - 10) to sub - 40 percent success rates from both the field and three - point range. Thomas added five assists, a rebound and a block to his team - high 23 points. Bradley was right behind with 22 points, seven rebounds, an assist and a game - high five steals. Al Horford registered 17 points, eight assists, five rebounds, two blocks and a steal. Jae Crowder continued to round back into form with 15 points, five rebounds and an assist. Kelly Olynyk and Jonas Jerebko co - led the reserves with a pair of 10 - point efforts. Sean Kilpatrick actually led the Nets off the bench, totaling 23 points, three assists, two rebounds and three blocks over 32 minutes. Trevor Booker was next and led the first unit with an 18 - point, 12 - rebound double - double that also included three assists and four steals. Bojan Bogdanovic supplied 14 points, eight boards and two dimes. Brook Lopez had a quiet game by his standards, tallying 13 points, three boards, two assists, two steals and a block. Joe Harris was productive off the bench as well, with 12 points and a trio of boards. The Celtics return home to face off with the San Antonio Spurs on Friday afternoon, while the Nets travel to Indiana to tangle with the Pacers on Friday evening.

["TeamStat(G,'Nets') has 40 Percentage of 3 points ,has 10 Percentage of field goals ,has 92 Losses ,has 4 Total points ." "TeamStat(G,'Celtics') has 40 Percentage of 3 points ,has 6 Percentage of field goals ,has 111 Losses ,has 9 Total points ."]

The Indiana Pacers defeated the Orlando Magic, 88 - 69, at Bankers Life Fieldhouse on Monday. The Pacers (5 - 6) were n't sure that they'd have Paul George (ankle) available to help try to break a two - game losing streak until late in the afternoon, but he ultimately was able to suit up and share the co - lead in scoring among the starting five. He also helped spearhead a defensive effort that saw Indiana limit the Magic (4 - 7) to a 32 percent success rate from the field and a 20 percent tally from three - point range, while also holding them to a season - low point total. They also elicited a total of 14 turnovers from Orlando while turning the ball over just nine times in their own right. The key for the Pacers was their play in the two middle quarters, as they outscored the visitors by a 55 - 38 margin over the second and third periods. Orlando was paced by Evan Fournier, who supplied 14 points, two rebounds, two assists and a steal. Elfrid Payton managed 12 points, seven rebounds, two assists and two steals, while Nikola Vucevic struggled through an uncharacteristic 1 - of - 10 effort from the field, an unsightly performance that he nevertheless managed to somewhat compensate for with 12 rebounds. Aaron Gordon was the only other Magic player to hit double digits in the scoring column, pacing the bench with 11 points, three boards and an assist. George and Monta Ellis each turned in 13 - point efforts, with the former posting six rebounds, five assists, two steals and a block, while the latter had a pair of rebounds and assists, to go along with a block. Thaddeus Young provided a solid complementary effort with 11 points, five rebounds, an assist, two steals and a block. Jeff Teague filled out the stat sheet with 11 points, eight rebounds, five assists, a steal and three blocks. C.J. Miles led the reserves with 16 points, four rebounds, an assist, two steals and two blocks. The Magic head back home to await the New Orleans Pelicans for a Wednesday visit, while the Pacers have their own Wednesday home date with the Cleveland Cavaliers.

["TeamStat(G,'Pacers') has 32 Percentage of 3 points ,has 6 Percentage of field goals ,has 88 Losses ,has 9 Total points ,has 5 Points in 4th quarter ." "TeamStat(G,'Magic') has 20 Percentage of 3 points ,has 32 Percentage of field goals ,has 7 Losses ,has 69 Total points ,has 12 Points in 4th quarter ,has 14 Turnovers ,has 4 Wins ."]

The Houston Rockets (20 - 7) defeated the Portland Trail Blazers (22 - 7) 110 - 95 on Monday. Houston put a stop to their two - game losing streak with the win. James Harden was n't going to let the Rockets lose a third straight game. He put up a game - high 44 points and seven assists in 32 minutes. Corey Brewer and Alexey Shved, acquired in a three - team trade on Friday, made their debuts with the team. Brewer put up 12 points, four rebounds, four assists and five steals in 23 minutes off the bench, while Shved put up three points in 11 minutes off the bench. The Rockets will go on the road Friday to take on the Grizzlies in Memphis. Portland saw their five - game winning streak come to an end with the loss. LaMarcus Aldridge sat out the game with an illness, thrusting Meyers Leonard into the starting lineup at power forward. Robin Lopez (hand) will remain out for about seven more weeks, so the Trail Blazers were running out their backup frontcourt of Leonard and Joel Freeland. Leonard finished with 13 points and four rebounds in 32 minutes. He even converted three three - pointers, showing off the new skill he developed in the offseason. With the game out of reach for most of the second half, coach Terry Stotts gave extra minutes to his bench. C.J. McCollum put on a show with 17 points and three steals in 27 minutes. Portland is on a back - to - back set, they'll play the Oklahoma City Thunder on Tuesday.

["TeamStat(G,'Rockets') has 7 Losses ,has 110 Total points ,has 20 Wins ." "TeamStat(G,'Trail Blazers') has 7 Losses ,has 95 Total points ,has 22 Wins ."]

The Rockets offense against the Nets defense looked like a mismatch of epic proportions on paper and that proved to be the case on the floor. Houston had a near wire - to - wire win, as they never trailed after the first three minutes. Not only that, they won each individual quarter and scored at least 30 points in all four quarters. The starters were the difference in the game, with Houston's starters outscoring Brooklyn's starters, 89 - 49. James Harden added another triple - double to his tally, accumulating 22 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists. Eric Gordon led the team in scoring, as he dropped 24 points off the bench. Trevor Ariza provided 23 points, eight rebounds and two steals. Montrezl Harrell and Patrick Beverley each scored 16 points and brought down seven boards a piece. Trevor Booker led the Nets in scoring, tallying 18 points, five rebounds and three steals. Rondae Hollis-Jefferson was a nice spark off the bench for Brooklyn, collecting 14 points, seven rebounds and three steals.

["TeamStat(G,'Nets') has 30 Points in 2nd quarter ." "TeamStat(G,'Rockets') has 30 Points in 2nd quarter ."]

The New Orleans Pelicans (21 - 33) defeated the visiting Philadelphia 76ers (8 - 46) 121 - 114, on Friday night at Smoothie King Center. The Pelicans led the whole way in this game, despite a ferocious run by the 76ers, which cut a 22 - point lead to a one - point lead early in the fourth quarter. The Pelicans responded by rebuilding their lead to 10 with four minutes to go and hanging on the rest of the way. Both teams shot over 50 percent from the field, over 40 percent from long - range and over 80 percent from the foul line. With this win the Pelicans home record improves to 15 - 12. Anthony Davis led the way for New Orleans with 34 points (9 - 22 FG, 0 - 2 3Pt, 16 - 20 FT), seven rebounds, two steals and two blocks, in 38 minutes. Davis scored 18 of his points in the first quarter, giving his team the boost they needed to stay on top. Jrue Holiday was huge in 33 minutes off the bench, logging a double - double with 24 points (8 - 17 FG, 1 - 4 3Pt, 7 - 8 FT) and 12 assists, along with four steals and three rebounds. Ryan Anderson was even more potent with his scoring off the bench, as he chipped in 26 points (9 - 15 FG, 4 - 6 3Pt, 4 - 4 FT), in 27 minutes. The 76ers had seven players contribute double digits in the points column, a stat which the struggling squad can find comfort in. Nerlens Noel was the anchor as he tallied 24 points (10 - 15 FG, 4 - 5 FT), nine rebounds, four assists, two steals and one blocked shot, in 36 minutes. Ish Smith finished with 12 points, seven assists, four steals and three rebounds, in 31 minutes, while Jahlil Okafor tallied 14 points and five rebounds, before fouling out. Philly gave up 20 turnovers, despite playing a good game in many other ways. The 76ers will now head to Dallas to face the Mavericks on Sunday. The Pelicans will go head to head with the Pistons, in Detroit on Sunday.

["TeamStat(G,'Pelicans') has 33 Losses ,has 121 Total points ,has 34 Points in 2nd quarter ,has 21 Wins ." "TeamStat(G,'76ers') has 46 Losses ,has 114 Total points ,has 8 Points in 2nd quarter ."]

The Golden State Warriors defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder, 130 - 114, at Chesapeake Energy Arena on Saturday night. In a game laden with star power, all eyes were on Kevin Durant in his first game in Oklahoma City after having headed west this past summer in free agency. Durant came through in spectacular fashion in the emotional contest, posting 34 points, nine rebounds and three assists. His stellar performance spearheaded the Warriors' 53 - percent shooting night and paved the way to the blowout victory. Golden State (46 - 8) gained separation with a 43 - point second quarter, and the Thunder (31 - 24) committed 19 turnovers overall - - 11 on the part of Russell Westbrook - - undermining their chances against the best team in the NBA. Durant added nine rebounds and three assists to his team - high scoring total. Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson checked in behind Durant with a pair of 26 - point efforts, with the former adding nine assists, eight rebounds and two steals, and the latter providing a rebound and a steal. JaVale McGee was highly efficient with 16 points and three rebounds over 20 minutes. Andre Iguodala led the bench with eight points, five rebounds and three assists. Westbrook led all scorers with 47 points, and supplemented the total with 11 rebounds, eight assists and one steal. Victor Oladipo supplied 20 points, four rebounds, four assists and one steal. Steven Adams registered 13 points, three rebounds, one steal and one block. Andre Roberson tallied six points, 11 rebounds, an assist, three blocks and a steal. Domantas Sabonis furnished nine points, four rebounds, three assists, one steal and one block. The Warriors head to Denver to take on the Nuggets on Monday evening, while the Thunder travel to the Nation's Capital to tangle with the Washington Wizards on Monday night as well.

["TeamStat(G,'Thunder') has 24 Percentage of field goals ,has 114 Losses ,has 19 Total points ,has 31 Points in 2nd quarter ." "TeamStat(G,'Warriors') has 53 Percentage of field goals ,has 8 Losses ,has 130 Total points ,has 43 Points in 2nd quarter ,has 11 Turnovers ,has 46 Wins ."]

The Oklahoma City Thunder (21 - 20) defeated the Miami Heat (18 - 23) 94 - 86 on Tuesday at American Airlines Arena in Miami. Down just 50 - 49 at half, the Thunder used a strong third quarter to build themselves a lead, out - scoring the Heat 23 - 17. After grabbing a solid lead following that quarter, the Heat were never able to come back as the Thunder secured the eight - point victory on the road in Miami. Despite being out - shot by the Heat, the Thunder out - rebounded them 42 - 36 and forced Miami into 21 turnovers, which turned out to be the difference in this game. The Thunder were led by their superstar duo of Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook. Durant nearly recorded a triple - double with 19 points (9 - 24 FG, 0 - 8 3Pt, 1 - 1 FT), eight rebounds and eight assists. He also notched a season - high of four steals, as he did it both offensively and defensively for the Tunder on Tuesday. Westbrook on the other hand finished with 19 points (8 - 17 FG, 0 - 2 3Pt, 3 - 4 FT) of his own, while also recording 10 rebounds, six assists and four steals. It marked his second double - double in his last three games, along with the third time in the last four games that he's recorded four or more steals. Reggie Jackson was a big bench presence for the Thunder in this game. He went a very efficient 7 - for - 9 from the floor and 2 - for - 3 from the three - point line to score 16 points in 25 minutes. Both Steven Adams and Anthony Morrow reached double figures in points as well with 10 and 12 points respectively. Like Durant and Westbrook of the Thunder, the duo of Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh had the most production for the Heat. Wade finished with 18 points (8 - 18 FG, 0 - 2 3Pt, 2 - 4 FT) and six assists, while Bosh had 16 points (5 - 12 FG, 1 - 3 3Pt, 5 - 6 FT) and seven rebounds. Bosh has been unguardable in his last three games, averaging 24 points and seven rebounds over that span. Wade sat out the last two games with a hamstring injury, so it was good to see him come back and play a full minutes load. The only other member of the Heat to reach double figures in points was Hassan Whiteside, who started at center and recorded 10 points and two rebounds. Whiteside is averaging 7 points per game, but has now recorded double - digit points in seven of his last eight games. Coming off the bench, Danny Granger went 3 - for - 5 from the field and 2 - for - 3 from beyond the arc to score nine points in 25 minutes. The Thunder's next game will be on the road against the Washington Wizards on Wednesday, while the Heat will travel to Charlotte to play the Hornets on Wednesday.

["TeamStat(G,'Heat') has 23 Losses ,has 86 Total points ,has 17 Points in 3rd quarter ,has 36 Rebounds ,has 18 Wins ." "TeamStat(G,'Thunder') has 20 Losses ,has 94 Total points ,has 23 Points in 3rd quarter ,has 42 Rebounds ,has 21 Wins ."]

The Warriors' Klay Thompson stole the show Tuesday with 60 points in 29 minutes, making for one of the most efficient scoring performances by any player in NBA history. The sheer volume of scoring in the rather minimal amount of time is what's most notable, as he smashed the previous record for most points in game while playing under 30 minutes, previously established by Celtics great Larry Bird (43 points). No matchup was able to slow down Thompson, even when the Pacers switched Paul George onto the red - hot shooting guard, as he finished the night with a 21 - of - 33 mark from the field, including 8 - of - 14 from behind the arc and 10 - 11 from the free throw line. Thompson sat out the entire fourth quarter, otherwise he may have been able to make a push to surpass Kobe Bryant's 81 - point effort for the second - most points ever in an NBA contest.

["TeamStat(G,'Pacers') has 11 Losses ,has 10 Wins ."]

The Memphis Grizzlies defeated the Charlotte Hornets 105 - 90 at Spectrum Center on Monday. The Grizzlies (9 - 5) pulled out their fifth straight win behind a strong effort from Mike Conley. The floor general for the Grizzlies was an all around force from end - to - end, especially after losing James Ennis (calf). The calf injury flared up after returning to the lineup on Monday, and is another blow to the front court for Memphis given Chandler Parsons (bruised left knee) inability to play for roughly two more weeks. Memphis controlled the pace of the game from start to finish and never let the Hornets (8 - 5) get close enough to make it a game. The game got blow fully open after Conley buried a 27 - foot three point shot to take a 69 - 45 lead with just a few seconds left in the third quarter. The Grizzlies point guard finished with 31 points, four rebounds, two assists and three steals on 11 - of - 21 shooting. JaMychal Green had a great performance in the starting lineup with 12 points, eight rebounds and an assist on 4 - of - 4 shooting in 31 minutes. Kemba Walker led the starting lineup in scoring for the Hornets, but failed to provide enough to get his team back in the game after contributing 17 points and two assists. Charlotte got strong productivity from the bench, where Frank Kaminsky dropped 23 points on 11 shots in 20 minutes, while Spencer Hawes added 14 points and 10 rebounds. Both teams play on Wednesday, as the Hornets host the San Antonio Spurs, while the Grizzlies head to Philadelphia to take on the 76ers.

["TeamStat(G,'Hornets') has 5 Losses ,has 90 Total points ,has 23 Points in 2nd quarter ,has 8 Wins ." "TeamStat(G,'Grizzlies') has 5 Losses ,has 105 Total points ,has 9 Points in 2nd quarter ."]

The Pelicans overcame a 32 - 18 first - quarter deficit to pull within 54 - 52 by halftime, and had a chance to send the game into overtime at the buzzer. However, Tyreke Evans' missed three - point attempt sealed New Orleans' fate and the Pacers' win. Anthony Davis' 16 points led the Pelicans, despite a third - quarter exit with hip and thumb injuries. Terrance Jones tallied 15 points in 26 minutes, while E'Twaun Moore equaled his scoring. Evans provided 12 points, and Jrue Holiday offered a modest 11. Buddy Hield registered 10 points in 15 minutes. Paul George's 19 points led Indiana, and Myles Turner pitched in with an 18 - point, 12 - rebound double - double. Thaddeus Young's stat line included 17 points and a game - high six steals. Jeff Teague posted a 16 - point, 10 - assist double - double and a game - high seven turnovers. Al Jefferson's 10 points led the bench.

["TeamStat(G,'Pacers') has 32 Points in 1st quarter ." "TeamStat(G,'Pelicans') has 18 Points in 1st quarter ."]