SALT LAKE CITY (AP) Closing out games hasn’t been a simple task at times for Utah this season. Losing starting point guard George Hill to a first-quarter injury only complicated matters against Phoenix on Saturday night.
The Jazz turned to their defense, holding the Suns to just two baskets over the final 6:45 of the fourth quarter en route to a 91-86 victory.
Phoenix missed 11 shots during that decisive stretch. The Suns also committed a pair of critical turnovers. It opened the door for Utah to pull away for its third straight win.
”We just got stops,” Jazz forward Gordon Hayward said. ”We started to lock up on the defensive end. We struggled offensively, but because we were able to guard in the fourth there, we had more opportunities and were able to convert some of them.”
Rudy Gobert had 18 points and 13 rebounds, and Hayward added 18 points and nine rebounds to lead Utah. Rodney Hood added 13 points to help the Jazz to improve to 21-13.
Devin Booker scored 18 of his 20 points in the first quarter for Phoenix, and Eric Bledsoe added 19 points, eight rebounds and eight assists. The Suns dropped to 10-24.
The game featured 20 lead changes and eight ties, until Hayward tipped in a missed basket to put Utah ahead for good. Gobert followed with a pair of dunks to give the Jazz an 89-84 lead with 1:46 left.
Phoenix had a chance to force overtime in the final seconds, but Booker missed a 3-pointer with 5.9 seconds remaining. Hayward grabbed the rebound and hit two free throws to seal it.
”It was a battle tonight,” Booker said. ”I have never been to the playoffs, but if there was anything like a playoff atmosphere, I feel like it was tonight. Low scoring game. Not too many people getting crazy numbers. Just hard, grind-out basketball.”
Playing without Hill after a late first-quarter injury, the Jazz turned to their defense in the fourth quarter. Phoenix shot 7 of 22 from the field in the quarter and had 15 points.
Utah charged out to a 63-54 lead early in the third quarter behind back-to-back baskets from Gobert and Shelvin Mack. Phoenix cut the deficit to one after Booker capped an 8-0 run with his first basket since the first quarter. But Hood quickly buried a pair of 3-pointers to stop the spurt.
The Jazz built up a 76-68 lead with 1:41 left in the quarter when Raul Neto drove for a layup and then stole the ball from Tyler Ulis to set up a second layup less than a minute later.
TIP-INS
Suns: Booker scored 18 points on 8-of-10 shooting in the first quarter alone. The Jazz held him to two points on 1-of-9 shooting over the final three quarters. … Phoenix has lost six straight in the series after getting swept 4-0 by Utah a year ago.
Jazz: Gobert had his 23rd double-double of the season. He is the first Jazz player to average a double-double through the first 34 games of a season since Al Jefferson did in 2012-13. Gobert has had 19 straight games with 10-plus rebounds this season. … The Jazz shot 8 of 20 (40 percent) from 3-point range. Joe Ingles led the way with a 3-of-3 effort from distance.
HILL OUT AGAIN
Hill went to the locker room with 0.6 seconds left in the first quarter after being elbowed in the face by Suns center Alex Len. Hill received stitches for a lower lip laceration and underwent concussion testing. He did not return in the second half.
There is no timetable for Hill’s return. He exhibited concussion-like symptoms and now will go through the league mandated concussion protocols before he’s cleared to play.
Hill has appeared in just 13 of 34 possible games because of injuries this season. He missed eight games with a sprained thumb and 13 games with a sprained toe. The veteran guard is averaging a career-best 19.1 points along with 4.2 assists and 3.7 rebounds.
Utah coach Quin Snyder praised his team for responding well in Hill’s absence.
”I thought we held the line and just continued to battle defensively,’ Snyder said. ”It was just a tough contested game really – every pass, every play.”
UP NEXT
Suns: Monday they travel to Los Angeles to face the Clippers. Phoenix has lost six straight and nine of the last 10 on the road in the series.
Jazz: Monday they travel to Brooklyn to face Nets. Utah will face former Jazz forward Trevor Booker for the first time this season after he signed with Brooklyn this summer following two seasons with the Jazz.
Saturday, December 31, 2016
Westbrook leads Thunder past Clippers 114-88
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) Russell Westbrook and Oklahoma City bounced back nicely from an ugly loss at Memphis.
Westbrook had 17 points, 14 assists and 12 rebounds for his NBA-best 16th triple-double of the season, leading the Thunder to a 114-88 victory over the depleted Los Angeles Clippers on Saturday night.
Westbrook played just 28 minutes as Oklahoma City put away Los Angeles with a big first half. Enes Kanter had 23 points and eight rebounds, and Victor Oladipo added 15 points.
The Thunder lost 114-80 to the Grizzlies on Thursday night, with Westbrook going 6 for 19 from the field and committing six turnovers before he was ejected when he was whistled for two technical fouls with 6:41 left in the third.
But they managed to turn it around in a hurry against Los Angeles.
”Obviously tonight they were undermanned and without a few key guys,” Thunder coach Billy Donovan said. ”I thought coming out of the Memphis game there were some things we talked about wanting to do better and I thought we did that tonight.”
Oladipo was 4 for 9 from the field and 5 for 5 at the free-throw line in his return from a right wrist injury.
”It was good. The pace was high,” Westbrook said. ”Vic was wonderful. The opportunity of having another ball handler in the game, being able to carry out different plays for our team, it was good.”
The Clippers played without Chris Paul, who was sidelined by a hamstring injury, and Blake Griffin, who is recovering from right knee surgery. Brandon Bass and Marreese Speights each had 18 points, and Austin Rivers finished with 14 on 3-for-11 shooting.
Oladipo and Kanter each had nine points in the first quarter as Oklahoma City jumped out to a 33-12 lead. Alex Abrines drilled a half-court shot at the halftime buzzer, giving the Thunder a 69-40 lead at the break.
TIP-INS
Clippers: C DeAndre Jordan finished with nine points and 11 rebounds. … Los Angeles shot 41 percent (31 for 75) from the field.
Thunder: Abrines had 12 points, and Steven Adams scored 11.
UP NEXT
Clippers: Host the Phoenix Suns on Monday night.
Thunder: Travel to Milwaukee to take on the Bucks on Monday night.
Westbrook had 17 points, 14 assists and 12 rebounds for his NBA-best 16th triple-double of the season, leading the Thunder to a 114-88 victory over the depleted Los Angeles Clippers on Saturday night.
Westbrook played just 28 minutes as Oklahoma City put away Los Angeles with a big first half. Enes Kanter had 23 points and eight rebounds, and Victor Oladipo added 15 points.
The Thunder lost 114-80 to the Grizzlies on Thursday night, with Westbrook going 6 for 19 from the field and committing six turnovers before he was ejected when he was whistled for two technical fouls with 6:41 left in the third.
But they managed to turn it around in a hurry against Los Angeles.
”Obviously tonight they were undermanned and without a few key guys,” Thunder coach Billy Donovan said. ”I thought coming out of the Memphis game there were some things we talked about wanting to do better and I thought we did that tonight.”
Oladipo was 4 for 9 from the field and 5 for 5 at the free-throw line in his return from a right wrist injury.
”It was good. The pace was high,” Westbrook said. ”Vic was wonderful. The opportunity of having another ball handler in the game, being able to carry out different plays for our team, it was good.”
The Clippers played without Chris Paul, who was sidelined by a hamstring injury, and Blake Griffin, who is recovering from right knee surgery. Brandon Bass and Marreese Speights each had 18 points, and Austin Rivers finished with 14 on 3-for-11 shooting.
Oladipo and Kanter each had nine points in the first quarter as Oklahoma City jumped out to a 33-12 lead. Alex Abrines drilled a half-court shot at the halftime buzzer, giving the Thunder a 69-40 lead at the break.
TIP-INS
Clippers: C DeAndre Jordan finished with nine points and 11 rebounds. … Los Angeles shot 41 percent (31 for 75) from the field.
Thunder: Abrines had 12 points, and Steven Adams scored 11.
UP NEXT
Clippers: Host the Phoenix Suns on Monday night.
Thunder: Travel to Milwaukee to take on the Bucks on Monday night.
Harden scores 53 in triple-double, Rockets beat Knicks
HOUSTON (AP) Minutes after collecting 53 points, 17 assists and 16 rebounds in his second straight triple-double, Houston’s James Harden was asked what it has been like to play in new coach Mike D’Antoni’s system.
”It’s been a dream so far,” Harden said.
It looked more like a nightmare to the short-handed New York Knicks after Harden powered the Rockets to a 129-122 win on Saturday night.
”It was like NBA 2K numbers,” New York’s Brandon Jennings said, comparing Harden’s performance to the video game. ”I just told him afterward to just go and get the MVP and keep balling and doing what he’s doing.”
Harden became the first player in NBA history to have at least 50 points, 15 assists and 15 rebounds in a single game, according to information provided by the Rockets from the Elias Sport Bureau. He also tied Wilt Chamberlain for most points in a triple-double, set career highs for points and 3-pointers with nine, and matched his career best for assists.
He passed his previous career best of 51 points on a 3 with 1:16 left, leading to a standing ovation.
”It looked very effortless,” teammate Ryan Anderson said. ”But it just goes to show how great of a player he is.”
Harden has thrived as the point guard in D’Antoni’s fast-paced system. He is averaging 28.5 points and an NBA-best 12 assists per game.
”He’s an unbelievable player,” D’Antoni said.
The Knicks got within three several times in the fourth quarter, with the last time coming on a layup by Joakim Noah with about four minutes left. Harden responded to Noah’s basket with three free throws before dishing to Anderson for a 3-pointer that made it 119-111.
Another 3 by Anderson with less than two minutes left extended the lead to 124-113.
Harden, who had 30 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists in Friday night’s 140-116 victory against the Clippers, completed his eighth triple-double this season when he grabbed his 10th rebound with about 10 minutes left in the third quarter.
It was his 17th career triple-double and his fourth career 50-point game.
The Knicks played without starters Kristaps Porzingis (sore Achilles tendon) and Courtney Lee (sore right wrist) due to injuries. They lost another one at halftime when Carmelo Anthony was sidelined by a sore left knee. He had seven points in the first half.
”I just decided at the last minute to just go out there and play and try to get going and the more I played the (more sore) it got … I don’t think it’s that serious,” Anthony said.
Anderson added 25 points for the Rockets, who have won four in a row.
Jennings had a season-high 32 points for New York, which has dropped four straight.
A 3-pointer by Harden extended Houston’s lead to 18 points with about seven minutes left in the third. Jennings then had nine points in a 15-5 run that trimmed Houston’s lead to 88-80 with less than four minutes remaining in the quarter.
Harden made two foul shots in the final seconds to lift Houston to a 99-92 lead after three.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY
D’Antoni took a minute out of his pregame talk with reporters to wish his father Lewis D’Antoni a happy birthday. The elder D’Antoni was celebrating his 103rd birthday on Saturday.
The coach was asked about the best lesson he had learned from his father.
”Probably how to stay alive,” he said with a chuckle.
Then he got serious.
”There’s just so many (lessons) … just the way he approached life was remarkable,” he said.
THEY SAID IT
D’Antoni on the Rockets going 15-2 in December: ”We’re good but we need to get a lot better because we’ve got more aspirations. We’ve got a lot of things we’ve got to do.”
TIP-INS
Knicks: F Kyle O’Quinn sat out because of an illness. … Willy Hernangomez received a flagrant 1 foul in the fourth quarter after elbowing Anderson in the stomach. … Derrick Rose finished with 21 points.
Rockets: G Patrick Beverley missed the game with pain in his right wrist. … Friday and Saturday marked the first time Houston had played home games on consecutive days since February 2012. … The Rockets have scored at least 66 points in the first half of the last four games. … Eric Gordon added 15 points.
UP NEXT
Knicks: Host Orlando on Monday.
Rockets: Host Washington on Monday.
”It’s been a dream so far,” Harden said.
It looked more like a nightmare to the short-handed New York Knicks after Harden powered the Rockets to a 129-122 win on Saturday night.
”It was like NBA 2K numbers,” New York’s Brandon Jennings said, comparing Harden’s performance to the video game. ”I just told him afterward to just go and get the MVP and keep balling and doing what he’s doing.”
Harden became the first player in NBA history to have at least 50 points, 15 assists and 15 rebounds in a single game, according to information provided by the Rockets from the Elias Sport Bureau. He also tied Wilt Chamberlain for most points in a triple-double, set career highs for points and 3-pointers with nine, and matched his career best for assists.
He passed his previous career best of 51 points on a 3 with 1:16 left, leading to a standing ovation.
”It looked very effortless,” teammate Ryan Anderson said. ”But it just goes to show how great of a player he is.”
Harden has thrived as the point guard in D’Antoni’s fast-paced system. He is averaging 28.5 points and an NBA-best 12 assists per game.
”He’s an unbelievable player,” D’Antoni said.
The Knicks got within three several times in the fourth quarter, with the last time coming on a layup by Joakim Noah with about four minutes left. Harden responded to Noah’s basket with three free throws before dishing to Anderson for a 3-pointer that made it 119-111.
Another 3 by Anderson with less than two minutes left extended the lead to 124-113.
Harden, who had 30 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists in Friday night’s 140-116 victory against the Clippers, completed his eighth triple-double this season when he grabbed his 10th rebound with about 10 minutes left in the third quarter.
It was his 17th career triple-double and his fourth career 50-point game.
The Knicks played without starters Kristaps Porzingis (sore Achilles tendon) and Courtney Lee (sore right wrist) due to injuries. They lost another one at halftime when Carmelo Anthony was sidelined by a sore left knee. He had seven points in the first half.
”I just decided at the last minute to just go out there and play and try to get going and the more I played the (more sore) it got … I don’t think it’s that serious,” Anthony said.
Anderson added 25 points for the Rockets, who have won four in a row.
Jennings had a season-high 32 points for New York, which has dropped four straight.
A 3-pointer by Harden extended Houston’s lead to 18 points with about seven minutes left in the third. Jennings then had nine points in a 15-5 run that trimmed Houston’s lead to 88-80 with less than four minutes remaining in the quarter.
Harden made two foul shots in the final seconds to lift Houston to a 99-92 lead after three.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY
D’Antoni took a minute out of his pregame talk with reporters to wish his father Lewis D’Antoni a happy birthday. The elder D’Antoni was celebrating his 103rd birthday on Saturday.
The coach was asked about the best lesson he had learned from his father.
”Probably how to stay alive,” he said with a chuckle.
Then he got serious.
”There’s just so many (lessons) … just the way he approached life was remarkable,” he said.
THEY SAID IT
D’Antoni on the Rockets going 15-2 in December: ”We’re good but we need to get a lot better because we’ve got more aspirations. We’ve got a lot of things we’ve got to do.”
TIP-INS
Knicks: F Kyle O’Quinn sat out because of an illness. … Willy Hernangomez received a flagrant 1 foul in the fourth quarter after elbowing Anderson in the stomach. … Derrick Rose finished with 21 points.
Rockets: G Patrick Beverley missed the game with pain in his right wrist. … Friday and Saturday marked the first time Houston had played home games on consecutive days since February 2012. … The Rockets have scored at least 66 points in the first half of the last four games. … Eric Gordon added 15 points.
UP NEXT
Knicks: Host Orlando on Monday.
Rockets: Host Washington on Monday.
Antetokounmpo scores 35 as Bucks beat Bulls 116-96
CHICAGO (AP) Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 35 points, Jabari Parker added 27 and the Milwaukee Bucks used a huge fourth quarter to beat the Chicago Bulls 116-96 on Saturday night.
The Bucks outscored the Bulls 36-20 in the fourth to break open a tight game and come away with a lopsided win after dropping four of six.
Antetokounmpo dazzled with an array of layups and dunks. He also had nine rebounds and seven assists in another strong all-around performance.
Parker scored 18 in the second half. Malcolm Brogdon finished with 15 points, 12 assists and 11 rebounds. Greg Monroe scored 15, and the Bucks pulled away in the fourth quarter after pounding the Bulls on back-to-back nights two weeks ago.
Chicago held out struggling point guard Rajon Rondo, hoping Michael Carter-Williams could provide a spark. But the Bulls lost for the eighth time in 11 games.
Jimmy Butler scored 26 points for Chicago, and Robin Lopez added 12 points and 10 rebounds. Dwyane Wade had eight points on 3-of-13 shooting.
The Bucks let an 11-point lead in the third quarter shrink to one early in the fourth, but put it away from there.
Chicago closed to 80-79 on a 3 by Nikola Mirotic in the opening seconds of the quarter. But Milwaukee responded with a 10-0 run.
Antetokounmpo started the decisive stretch by driving for a 3-point play and finished it with a free throw that bumped the lead to 90-79 with 8:33 remaining.
TIP-INS
Bucks: G Matthew Dellavedova missed his second straight game because of a strained right hamstring. His status for Monday’s matchup against Oklahoma City was unclear. With Dellavedova out, Brogdon started his second game in a row. … C Miles Plumlee sat out with a sprained right index finger.
Bulls: Rondo was out of the lineup after being benched for poor play in Friday’s loss at Indiana. The four-time All-Star sat out the second half against the Pacers after struggling in a big way in the first two quarters.
UP NEXT
Bucks: Host Oklahoma City on Monday.
Bulls: Host Charlotte on Monday.
James, Love help Cavs end 2016 with 121-109 win over Hornets
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) LeBron James scored 17 of his 32 points in the first quarter, and the Cleveland Cavaliers beat the Charlotte Hornets 121-109 on Saturday night.
Kevin Love added 28 points and 10 rebounds for Cleveland, who played without Kyrie Irving after the point guard injured his right hamstring during Thursday’s 124-118 victory over Boston. Jordan McRae had 20 points and Kay Felder finished with 13.
James was 6 for 7 from the field in the first quarter, including a perfect 3 for 3 from beyond the arc. Love scored 15 points in the second, helping Cleveland to a 71-59 lead at the break.
James was 12 for 25 from the field in 35 minutes. He also had nine assists and six rebounds.
Kemba Walker scored 37 points for the Hornets, who had won five of six. Frank Kaminsky added 15 points and Nicolas Batum finished with 13 points and eight assists.
TIP-INS
Cavaliers: McRae, who got the start with Irving out of the lineup, was 8 for 12 from the field. … The Cavs’ 71 first-half points were their third-most of the season. . Since James returned to Cleveland prior to the 2014-15 season, the Cavs are 9-1 against Charlotte.
Hornets: Walker’s 37-point effort marked his 31st game of 30 points or more. The only Hornets player with more such games in team history is Glen Rice with 54. … Charlotte went 20 for 23 at the free-throw line. … Marco Belinelli missed his fourth straight game with a sprained left ankle.
UP NEXT
Cavaliers: Return to Cleveland on Monday night to host the Pelicans in the first game of a two-game homestand.
Hornets: Travel to Chicago on Monday night to play the Bulls.
Conley scores 22 to lead Memphis past Kings 112-98
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) Marc Gasol tweaked his ankle in the third quarter, and that was it for the night.
No big deal for the Memphis Grizzlies, who are used to losing key players to injuries.
Mike Conley had 22 points and eight rebounds, leading the Grizzlies to a 112-98 victory over the Kings on Saturday.
Conley and Gasol each missed significant chunks of last season, part of a long list of injuries for Memphis, but the Grizzlies still made the playoffs. They showed off their resiliency again while avenging an earlier home loss to the Kings.
An ineffective Gasol, who had two points and two rebounds, got tangled up with DeMarcus Cousins. The injury is not considered serious.
”We have a mental mindset, an old-school mentality,” Conley said. ”We have a toughness that feeds off one another. It’s not about one person (on this team). It’s about the group.”
JaMychal Green made four of Memphis’ 17 3-pointers and finished with 18 points. Zach Randolph and Vince Carter each scored 14, and Tony Allen and Troy Daniels had 11 points apiece.
The Grizzlies went 17 for 35 from long range in their second straight win.
”Offense was not our problem. We can’t give up that many points to a team that averages 95 points per game,” Sacramento’s Garrett Temple said. ”We just can’t give up that many 3s and allow them to shoot that well from behind the 3-point line on top of giving up offensive rebounds.”
Cousins had 26 points, eight assists and five steals for Sacramento, which has dropped two in a row after winning a season-high four straight. But Cousins was 7 for 18 from the field and had just four rebounds. He also got called for his eighth technical this season in the third quarter.
”You know that makes me happy when I see us getting after it like that (on defense),” Memphis coach David Fizdale said. ”We were really connected, working with our voices. Guys were backing each other up when there was a breakdown. I thought our leadership was great tonight.”
Matt Barnes made five 3-pointers and scored 20 points for the Kings, and Anthony Tolliver and Darren Collison each had 16 points.
Conley sparked the Grizzlies in the third, scoring 11 points. Memphis used 11 unanswered points to outscore the Kings 32-22 in the quarter and carried an 82-67 lead into the final period.
”They were a very focused group tonight, and came out and just dominated the game from start to finish,” said Kings coach Dave Joerger, who was the head coach at Memphis the previous three seasons. ”There was a five-minute stretch where we made a little run in the second quarter, but by-and-large they just lined up and beat us position by position.”
IFFY GASOL
Even before the injury, it was a difficult game for Gasol. He went 0 for 6 from the field and connected on two free throws late in the second quarter for his only points of the game.
Gasol rolled his ankle going for a loose ball in the third and quickly departed for the locker room. It was diagnosed as a sprained ankle and X-rays were negative.
”It hurts, but it’s not broken,” Gasol said. ”It’s tender right now so we will take it day to day just like always.”
TIP-INS
Grizzlies: Green closed the third with the final eight points for Memphis, including a pair of 3s. … Memphis’ four-game road trip ends Friday at Golden State. … The Grizzlies improved to 9-7 on the road.
Kings: Former Grizzlies F Rudy Gay sat out for the eighth time in nine games with a hip flexor injury. … The Kings begin a seven-game homestand Wednesday against Miami. … Reserve PG Ty Lawson left in the second quarter after taking a blow to the nose.
UP NEXT
Grizzlies: A rough West Coast trip continues for Memphis, which faces the Lakers on Tuesday night.
Kings: Travel to Denver for Tuesday’s game against the Nuggets, who are coached by former Kings head coach Michael Malone.
NBA Capsules (December 31, 2016)
BOSTON (AP) Isaiah Thomas scored 29 of his career-high 52 points in the fourth quarter, setting a club record for points in a period and leading Boston to a 117-114 victory over the Miami Heat on Friday night.
Thomas hit six 3-pointers and converted a three-point play in the fourth quarter and broke the franchise record of 24 points in a quarter set by Larry Bird in 1983 and matched by Todd Day in 1995. Thomas also topped his career high of 44 points he scored on Dec. 20 at Memphis.
He entered the fourth period with 23 points and scored the first 11 of the quarter for Boston.
Thomas left between the foul shots and received a standing ovation from Boston fans, who chanted ”M-V-P!” throughout his run in the fourth quarter. He was 9 for 13 from the field in the fourth period and made all 13 of his free throws in the game.
Thomas was 15 of 26 from the field, 9 of 13 from 3-point range and made all 13 of his free throws.
James Johnson scored 22 points for Miami. The Heat have lost four straight and seven of eight.
ROCKETS 140, CLIPPERS 116
HOUSTON (AP) – James Harden had a triple-double with 30 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists and Houston routed Los Angeles.
Clippers guard Austin Rivers and father/coach Doc Rivers were both ejected in the second quarter as Los Angeles dropped its fifth straight.
It’s the seventh triple-double this season for Harden and his third straight 30-point game. Montrezl Harrell added a career-high 29 points to help Houston win its third in a row.
Raymond Felton had a season-high 26 points to lead the Clippers.
WARRIORS 108, MAVERICKS 99
OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) – Kevin Durant had his first triple-double for Golden State with 19 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists and first in more than a year, leading the Warriors past Dallas.
Durant’s eighth career triple-double was his first since Dec. 10, 2015, against Atlanta. Klay Thompson scored 17 of his 29 points in the third quarter and finished with five 3-pointers.
Harrison Barnes, who spent the past four seasons in a key role with Golden State, scored 25 points for Dallas against his old team.
Spurs 110, Trail Blazers 94
SAN ANTONIO (AP) – Danny Green and Tony Parker each had 18 points and the San Antonio Spurs overcame another listless first half to beat Portland.
LaMarcus Aldridge was held to eight points on 2-for-3 shooting, but Jonathon Simmons added 19 points for the Spurs. San Antonio has won four straight and 13 of 15.
C.J. McCollum led Portland with 29 points.
76ERS 124, NUGGETS 122
DENVER (AP) – Ersan Ilyasova had a career-high 23 points and 13 rebounds and Philadelphia survived a flurry in the final seconds to beat Denver.
Joel Embiid returned after sitting Thursday in Utah to score 23 points and hit key free throws down the stretch. The Sixers ended their four-game trip with just their third win away from home.
Nikola Jokic had a game-high 25 points for the Nuggets.
The Nuggets had a chance to tie it during a frantic ending. After Embiid hit two free throws to put the Sixers up four, Jokic was fouled on a 3-point attempt. Jokic made the first two free throws and intentionally missed the third. Denver’s Gary Harris grabbed the rebound but missed a short bank shot, and Kenneth Faried’s tip-in try was off as time expired.
PELICANS 104, KNICKS 92
NEW ORLEANS (AP) – Anthony Davis had 23 points and 18 rebounds, and New Orleans beat New York for its fourth straight victory.
Carmelo Anthony had 26 points and 13 rebounds, but couldn’t prevent the Knicks from dropping their third straight.
Pelicans reserve guard Tyreke Evans scored 16 points, his best output in seven games since returning from right knee surgery last season. Jrue Holiday had 12 points and 11 assists.
TIMBERWOLVES 116, BUCKS 99
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) – Andrew Wiggins scored 31 points and Karl-Anthony Towns had 18 points and 16 rebounds to help Minnesota beat Milwaukee.
Zach LaVine added 24 points and Shabazz Muhammad had 22 points in 18 minutes off the bench for the Wolves. They shot 55.8 percent from the field and hit 13 of 25 3-pointers. LaVine hit 6 of 9 from deep and Giannis Antetokounmpo had 25 points, seven rebounds and five assists for the Bucks, and Jabari Parker scored 20 points. They played the first of at least two games without starting point guard Matthew Dellavedova because of a strained hamstring.
WIZARDS 119, NETS 95
WASHINGTON (AP) – Trey Burke scored a season-high 27 points, John Wall had another double-double and Washington beat Brooklyn to win its third straight game and reach .500 for the first time this season.
With fellow guard Bradley Beal out with a sprained ankle, Wall took over with 19 points and 14 assists for his eighth double-double in nine games. Burke was 10 of 12 from the floor, making his first seven shots and scoring 20 points in the first half.
Trevor Booker had 16 points and seven rebounds for the Nets.
PACERS 111, BULLS 101
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) – Paul George scored 11 of his 32 points in the final 4 1/2 minutes to help Indiana beat Chicago to snap four-game losing streak.
George broke a 97-97 tie by making a jumper with 4:07 left, then made three free throws on Indiana’s next possession and a layup with 2:52 left for a 102-99 lead. The Pacers sealed the win with a 9-2 spurt.
Jimmy Butler scored 25 points, and Dwyane Wade had 20 for the Bulls.
HAWKS 105, PISTONS 98
ATLANTA (AP) – Paul Millsap scored 26 points and Kyle Korver had a season-high 22 to lead Atlanta past Detroit.
Dwight Howard added 10 points and 15 rebounds for the Hawks. Jon Leuer led the Pistons with a career-high 22 points.
Thomas hit six 3-pointers and converted a three-point play in the fourth quarter and broke the franchise record of 24 points in a quarter set by Larry Bird in 1983 and matched by Todd Day in 1995. Thomas also topped his career high of 44 points he scored on Dec. 20 at Memphis.
He entered the fourth period with 23 points and scored the first 11 of the quarter for Boston.
Thomas left between the foul shots and received a standing ovation from Boston fans, who chanted ”M-V-P!” throughout his run in the fourth quarter. He was 9 for 13 from the field in the fourth period and made all 13 of his free throws in the game.
Thomas was 15 of 26 from the field, 9 of 13 from 3-point range and made all 13 of his free throws.
James Johnson scored 22 points for Miami. The Heat have lost four straight and seven of eight.
ROCKETS 140, CLIPPERS 116
HOUSTON (AP) – James Harden had a triple-double with 30 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists and Houston routed Los Angeles.
Clippers guard Austin Rivers and father/coach Doc Rivers were both ejected in the second quarter as Los Angeles dropped its fifth straight.
It’s the seventh triple-double this season for Harden and his third straight 30-point game. Montrezl Harrell added a career-high 29 points to help Houston win its third in a row.
Raymond Felton had a season-high 26 points to lead the Clippers.
WARRIORS 108, MAVERICKS 99
OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) – Kevin Durant had his first triple-double for Golden State with 19 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists and first in more than a year, leading the Warriors past Dallas.
Durant’s eighth career triple-double was his first since Dec. 10, 2015, against Atlanta. Klay Thompson scored 17 of his 29 points in the third quarter and finished with five 3-pointers.
Harrison Barnes, who spent the past four seasons in a key role with Golden State, scored 25 points for Dallas against his old team.
Spurs 110, Trail Blazers 94
SAN ANTONIO (AP) – Danny Green and Tony Parker each had 18 points and the San Antonio Spurs overcame another listless first half to beat Portland.
LaMarcus Aldridge was held to eight points on 2-for-3 shooting, but Jonathon Simmons added 19 points for the Spurs. San Antonio has won four straight and 13 of 15.
C.J. McCollum led Portland with 29 points.
76ERS 124, NUGGETS 122
DENVER (AP) – Ersan Ilyasova had a career-high 23 points and 13 rebounds and Philadelphia survived a flurry in the final seconds to beat Denver.
Joel Embiid returned after sitting Thursday in Utah to score 23 points and hit key free throws down the stretch. The Sixers ended their four-game trip with just their third win away from home.
Nikola Jokic had a game-high 25 points for the Nuggets.
The Nuggets had a chance to tie it during a frantic ending. After Embiid hit two free throws to put the Sixers up four, Jokic was fouled on a 3-point attempt. Jokic made the first two free throws and intentionally missed the third. Denver’s Gary Harris grabbed the rebound but missed a short bank shot, and Kenneth Faried’s tip-in try was off as time expired.
PELICANS 104, KNICKS 92
NEW ORLEANS (AP) – Anthony Davis had 23 points and 18 rebounds, and New Orleans beat New York for its fourth straight victory.
Carmelo Anthony had 26 points and 13 rebounds, but couldn’t prevent the Knicks from dropping their third straight.
Pelicans reserve guard Tyreke Evans scored 16 points, his best output in seven games since returning from right knee surgery last season. Jrue Holiday had 12 points and 11 assists.
TIMBERWOLVES 116, BUCKS 99
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) – Andrew Wiggins scored 31 points and Karl-Anthony Towns had 18 points and 16 rebounds to help Minnesota beat Milwaukee.
Zach LaVine added 24 points and Shabazz Muhammad had 22 points in 18 minutes off the bench for the Wolves. They shot 55.8 percent from the field and hit 13 of 25 3-pointers. LaVine hit 6 of 9 from deep and Giannis Antetokounmpo had 25 points, seven rebounds and five assists for the Bucks, and Jabari Parker scored 20 points. They played the first of at least two games without starting point guard Matthew Dellavedova because of a strained hamstring.
WIZARDS 119, NETS 95
WASHINGTON (AP) – Trey Burke scored a season-high 27 points, John Wall had another double-double and Washington beat Brooklyn to win its third straight game and reach .500 for the first time this season.
With fellow guard Bradley Beal out with a sprained ankle, Wall took over with 19 points and 14 assists for his eighth double-double in nine games. Burke was 10 of 12 from the floor, making his first seven shots and scoring 20 points in the first half.
Trevor Booker had 16 points and seven rebounds for the Nets.
PACERS 111, BULLS 101
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) – Paul George scored 11 of his 32 points in the final 4 1/2 minutes to help Indiana beat Chicago to snap four-game losing streak.
George broke a 97-97 tie by making a jumper with 4:07 left, then made three free throws on Indiana’s next possession and a layup with 2:52 left for a 102-99 lead. The Pacers sealed the win with a 9-2 spurt.
Jimmy Butler scored 25 points, and Dwyane Wade had 20 for the Bulls.
HAWKS 105, PISTONS 98
ATLANTA (AP) – Paul Millsap scored 26 points and Kyle Korver had a season-high 22 to lead Atlanta past Detroit.
Dwight Howard added 10 points and 15 rebounds for the Hawks. Jon Leuer led the Pistons with a career-high 22 points.
Friday, December 30, 2016
Curry brothers face off as Mavs visit Warriors
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OAKLAND, Calif. — The Curry brothers, Seth and Stephen, will duel for the second time this second time this season and the fifth time in their NBA careers when the Dallas Mavericks visit the Golden State Warriors on Friday night.
The teams, 2007 playoff combatants, currently reside at the opposite end of the spectrum in the Western Conference standings, with Dallas (10-23) owning a mark tied for the worst record in the West this season, while Golden State (28-5) is at the top.
That disparity was well represented in the clubs’ first meeting of the season, with the Warriors exploding into a 33-point lead late in the first half en route to a 116-96 home romp.
Warriors fans got their first look that night at Dallas’ version of Harrison Barnes, Golden State’s 2012 first-round pick who was instrumental in the club’s run to the 2015 championship and repeat trip to the NBA Finals last June.
Barnes left for the Mavericks’ four-year, $94 million free agent offer in the offseason shortly after the Warriors got Kevin Durant to agree to a two-year, $54.3 million deal that exhausted almost all their available funds.
Barnes responded to a warm reception in his homecoming with a team-high 25 points in the lopsided loss.
“I wish we had gotten a win,” Barnes, the Mavericks’ leading scorer at 20.3 points per game, said after the game. “But I’m proud of how we fought.”
Barnes took 20 shots in the game, which was only three more than Seth Curry, who started for the Mavericks at point guard.
Seth Curry missed 13 of his 17 shots, including seven of his nine 3-pointers, in a rare head-to-head with his brother Stephen, the Golden State point guard.
Seth Curry finished with 10 points and nine assists, while brother Stephen, the two-time NBA Most Valuable Player, countered with 24 points and six assists.
“Extremely weird, but it’s also fun,” Stephen Curry said of the duel with his younger brother. “Tough night for him tonight, but he’s confident. He knows who he is.”
In head-to-heads with his brother, Seth Curry came up on the short end both on the scoreboard and in the stats all four times.
In leading the Warriors to three straight wins over Seth Curry’s Sacramento Kings during the 2015-16 season and the Nov. 9 thumping of Dallas, Stephen Curry contributed an average of 26 points and 8.3 rebounds to the Golden State cause, while Seth totaled just 26 points and 15 points for the opposition.
Seth Curry hasn’t started a game since Nov. 23, but he is displaying the most consistent form of his career off the bench in recent games. He had seven points and three steals Thursday in Dallas’ 101-89 win over the Los Angeles Lakers, giving him a 10.3 scoring average in 15 games and double-figure scoring in 10 of the 15 since his return to the bench.
Dallas will be playing a back-to-back for the seventh time this season when it faces the Warriors. The Mavericks have lost on the second night on all six previous occasions, falling by an average of 14.5 points.
The 21-point loss at Golden State in November also occurred on the second night of a back-to-back.
The Warriors haven’t played since a 121-111 home win over the Toronto Raptors on Wednesday.
The teams, 2007 playoff combatants, currently reside at the opposite end of the spectrum in the Western Conference standings, with Dallas (10-23) owning a mark tied for the worst record in the West this season, while Golden State (28-5) is at the top.
That disparity was well represented in the clubs’ first meeting of the season, with the Warriors exploding into a 33-point lead late in the first half en route to a 116-96 home romp.
Warriors fans got their first look that night at Dallas’ version of Harrison Barnes, Golden State’s 2012 first-round pick who was instrumental in the club’s run to the 2015 championship and repeat trip to the NBA Finals last June.
Barnes left for the Mavericks’ four-year, $94 million free agent offer in the offseason shortly after the Warriors got Kevin Durant to agree to a two-year, $54.3 million deal that exhausted almost all their available funds.
Barnes responded to a warm reception in his homecoming with a team-high 25 points in the lopsided loss.
“I wish we had gotten a win,” Barnes, the Mavericks’ leading scorer at 20.3 points per game, said after the game. “But I’m proud of how we fought.”
Barnes took 20 shots in the game, which was only three more than Seth Curry, who started for the Mavericks at point guard.
Seth Curry missed 13 of his 17 shots, including seven of his nine 3-pointers, in a rare head-to-head with his brother Stephen, the Golden State point guard.
Seth Curry finished with 10 points and nine assists, while brother Stephen, the two-time NBA Most Valuable Player, countered with 24 points and six assists.
“Extremely weird, but it’s also fun,” Stephen Curry said of the duel with his younger brother. “Tough night for him tonight, but he’s confident. He knows who he is.”
In head-to-heads with his brother, Seth Curry came up on the short end both on the scoreboard and in the stats all four times.
In leading the Warriors to three straight wins over Seth Curry’s Sacramento Kings during the 2015-16 season and the Nov. 9 thumping of Dallas, Stephen Curry contributed an average of 26 points and 8.3 rebounds to the Golden State cause, while Seth totaled just 26 points and 15 points for the opposition.
Seth Curry hasn’t started a game since Nov. 23, but he is displaying the most consistent form of his career off the bench in recent games. He had seven points and three steals Thursday in Dallas’ 101-89 win over the Los Angeles Lakers, giving him a 10.3 scoring average in 15 games and double-figure scoring in 10 of the 15 since his return to the bench.
Dallas will be playing a back-to-back for the seventh time this season when it faces the Warriors. The Mavericks have lost on the second night on all six previous occasions, falling by an average of 14.5 points.
The 21-point loss at Golden State in November also occurred on the second night of a back-to-back.
The Warriors haven’t played since a 121-111 home win over the Toronto Raptors on Wednesday.
76ers look for different finish against Nuggets
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The Philadelphia 76ers were ready to celebrate a rare road win last season. They led the Nuggets in Denver by two March 23 and needed to prevent a desperation shot from going in.
The way their season played out last year, the Sixers had no such luck. Denver rookie Emmanuel Mudiay hit an improbable shot near halfcourt at the buzzer and the Nuggets walked off the floor with a 104-103 victory.
“Give Mudiay a lot of credit,” Philadelphia coach Brett Brown said after that game. “I thought he had a great game, and for him to hit that circus shot at the end to win it, it was a cruel way to lose a game.”
Philadelphia (7-24) gets a shot at redemption when it plays in Denver on Friday night. The Sixers are coming off a 100-83 loss at Utah on Thursday, so the task will be tougher against a suddenly resurgent Nuggets squad.
Denver (14-18) is 5-2 since suffering a 20-point loss in Dallas on Dec. 12. The key to the turnaround has been the return to full health and a lineup change that has the offense flowing. Guard Gary Harris missed 16 games with a foot injury but his insertion into the starting lineup is making a difference.
So has Nikola Jokic, who has come close to a triple-double twice in the last two weeks. In a rematch with the Mavericks on Dec. 19 he finished an assist shy of the milestone, and came up two rebounds short in a thrilling victory over Minnesota on Wednesday.
Jokic has been the biggest reason for Denver’s uptick. The 21-year-old Serbian is shooting 67 percent since returning from a left wrist sprain Dec. 7 and he has been the Nuggets’ do-all player. Among his career-high 11 assists Wednesday were some highlight reel passes for layups, including one to Wilson Chandler for a dunk.
“I don’t know if there’s a ceiling or not, I just know I would love to play with him,” Denver coach Michael Malone said after the win over the Timberwolves. “If you listen to our bench we are always yelling ‘cut, cut.’ If you cut, he will find you, and there’s a good chance that when he finds you you’re going to have a layup.”
Jokic will have a tough challenge in Philadelphia rookie Joel Embiid. After sitting out for two years because of injury, Embiid is showing why he was the No. 3 overall pick in 2014 out of Kansas. He leads the team at 18.7 points, 7.4 rebounds and 2.38 blocks a game, the last of which ranks fourth in the NBA.
He has delivered on his promise, but is still working on his stamina. He sat out Thursday’s game against the Jazz to rest his sore right foot, which gave third-string center Nerlens Noel a chance to play extended minutes.
“Never really knowing how many minutes you are going to get is a little different,” Noel, who scored 14 points in 22 minutes, told The Philadelphia Inquirer. “So I try to prepare the same for every game, whether it’s five or 15.”
The Sixers are being careful with Embiid’s minutes. He missed 10 games this season, eight of which have been scheduled off days coming during back-to-back games.
“My body has been kind of tired,” Embiid told The Philadelphia Inquirer. “So that played a part of making that decision (to rest Thursday as opposed to Friday). … I can get some rest, but I’ll be fine.”
The way their season played out last year, the Sixers had no such luck. Denver rookie Emmanuel Mudiay hit an improbable shot near halfcourt at the buzzer and the Nuggets walked off the floor with a 104-103 victory.
“Give Mudiay a lot of credit,” Philadelphia coach Brett Brown said after that game. “I thought he had a great game, and for him to hit that circus shot at the end to win it, it was a cruel way to lose a game.”
Philadelphia (7-24) gets a shot at redemption when it plays in Denver on Friday night. The Sixers are coming off a 100-83 loss at Utah on Thursday, so the task will be tougher against a suddenly resurgent Nuggets squad.
Denver (14-18) is 5-2 since suffering a 20-point loss in Dallas on Dec. 12. The key to the turnaround has been the return to full health and a lineup change that has the offense flowing. Guard Gary Harris missed 16 games with a foot injury but his insertion into the starting lineup is making a difference.
So has Nikola Jokic, who has come close to a triple-double twice in the last two weeks. In a rematch with the Mavericks on Dec. 19 he finished an assist shy of the milestone, and came up two rebounds short in a thrilling victory over Minnesota on Wednesday.
Jokic has been the biggest reason for Denver’s uptick. The 21-year-old Serbian is shooting 67 percent since returning from a left wrist sprain Dec. 7 and he has been the Nuggets’ do-all player. Among his career-high 11 assists Wednesday were some highlight reel passes for layups, including one to Wilson Chandler for a dunk.
“I don’t know if there’s a ceiling or not, I just know I would love to play with him,” Denver coach Michael Malone said after the win over the Timberwolves. “If you listen to our bench we are always yelling ‘cut, cut.’ If you cut, he will find you, and there’s a good chance that when he finds you you’re going to have a layup.”
Jokic will have a tough challenge in Philadelphia rookie Joel Embiid. After sitting out for two years because of injury, Embiid is showing why he was the No. 3 overall pick in 2014 out of Kansas. He leads the team at 18.7 points, 7.4 rebounds and 2.38 blocks a game, the last of which ranks fourth in the NBA.
He has delivered on his promise, but is still working on his stamina. He sat out Thursday’s game against the Jazz to rest his sore right foot, which gave third-string center Nerlens Noel a chance to play extended minutes.
“Never really knowing how many minutes you are going to get is a little different,” Noel, who scored 14 points in 22 minutes, told The Philadelphia Inquirer. “So I try to prepare the same for every game, whether it’s five or 15.”
The Sixers are being careful with Embiid’s minutes. He missed 10 games this season, eight of which have been scheduled off days coming during back-to-back games.
“My body has been kind of tired,” Embiid told The Philadelphia Inquirer. “So that played a part of making that decision (to rest Thursday as opposed to Friday). … I can get some rest, but I’ll be fine.”
Spurs F Aldridge in hot streak as former Portland mates arrive
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San Antonio forward LaMarcus Aldridge looks to keep a recent torrid shooting stretch going against his former team when the Spurs battle the Portland Trail Blazers on Friday at the AT&T Center in San Antonio, Texas.
Aldridge scored 27 points hit 10 of his 12 shots from the floor on Wednesday in the Spurs’ 119-98 win over hapless Phoenix. That sterling offensive performance followed up a 15-for-20 shooting, season-high 33-point performance on Sunday in a victory against Chicago.
“Yeah, I’ve been in a good rhythm and just playing with some confidence,” Aldridge said. My shot is going in and my teammates are doing a good job of finding me out there, so they make it easy on me. I’m just trying to be more involved. I’m trying to look for my shot more and it’s been paying off.”
The Spurs (26-6) won on Wednesday despite the absence of leading scorer and two-time defending NBA Defensive Player of the Year Kawhi Leonard, who was scratched due to illness just before the game. It was the first game Leonard missed this season.
Leonard is expected back in the lineup for Friday’s game versus Portland. The Spurs have won three straight games and eight of their past 10 contests.
San Antonio continues to be one of the best and most consistent teams in the NBA. There are stretches in games when the Spurs seem to lose some of their focus — like in the win against the Suns when they gave up 65 first-half points — but San Antonio usually finds a way to get back in the groove. The Spurs allowed just 34 points in the second half on Wednesday as their defense went to work.
“The whole game for us was picking up the defensive pressure in the third and fourth quarters,” San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich said. “That’s what you have to have to be a good basketball team, so I was pleased with that. A lot of our passes were ridiculous and we were not very solid with the ball tonight in a lot of situations, which was disappointing.”
Portland heads to the Alamo City off a 126-121 win at home against Sacramento on Wednesday that allowed the Trail Blazers (14-20) to end a six-game losing streak.
“It was good to get off the schneid,” Trail Blazers coach Terry Stotts said after the win over the Kings. “We played a pretty solid game, start to finish. Our defense was solid.”
Portland has lost 10 of it past 12 outings and has been forced to play its past two games without star guard Damian Lillard, who is nursing an ankle injury and whose availability is listed as day-to-day.
“We just need wins right now,” Portland forward Mason Plumlee said. “Home, road, whatever.”
Guard C.J. McCollum had a team-high 20 points for the Trail Blazers in the win versus the Kings while Maurice Harkless (12 points), Plumlee (12 points, 14 rebounds), Allen Crabbe (13 points) and Evan Turner (11 points) all reached double figures for Portland.
The Spurs and Trail Blazers played in Portland a week ago with San Antonio handing the Trail Blazers a 110-90 defeat. Leonard scored a game-high 33 points and Patty Mills added 23 points off the bench.
The Spurs have won four consecutive games against Portland, its longest winning streak against the Trail Blazers since winning a franchise-best 12 straight games from April 12, 2005 to April 6, 2008. The Trail Blazers have failed to score 100 or more points in four of its past five games against the Spurs.
Aldridge scored 27 points hit 10 of his 12 shots from the floor on Wednesday in the Spurs’ 119-98 win over hapless Phoenix. That sterling offensive performance followed up a 15-for-20 shooting, season-high 33-point performance on Sunday in a victory against Chicago.
“Yeah, I’ve been in a good rhythm and just playing with some confidence,” Aldridge said. My shot is going in and my teammates are doing a good job of finding me out there, so they make it easy on me. I’m just trying to be more involved. I’m trying to look for my shot more and it’s been paying off.”
The Spurs (26-6) won on Wednesday despite the absence of leading scorer and two-time defending NBA Defensive Player of the Year Kawhi Leonard, who was scratched due to illness just before the game. It was the first game Leonard missed this season.
Leonard is expected back in the lineup for Friday’s game versus Portland. The Spurs have won three straight games and eight of their past 10 contests.
San Antonio continues to be one of the best and most consistent teams in the NBA. There are stretches in games when the Spurs seem to lose some of their focus — like in the win against the Suns when they gave up 65 first-half points — but San Antonio usually finds a way to get back in the groove. The Spurs allowed just 34 points in the second half on Wednesday as their defense went to work.
“The whole game for us was picking up the defensive pressure in the third and fourth quarters,” San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich said. “That’s what you have to have to be a good basketball team, so I was pleased with that. A lot of our passes were ridiculous and we were not very solid with the ball tonight in a lot of situations, which was disappointing.”
Portland heads to the Alamo City off a 126-121 win at home against Sacramento on Wednesday that allowed the Trail Blazers (14-20) to end a six-game losing streak.
“It was good to get off the schneid,” Trail Blazers coach Terry Stotts said after the win over the Kings. “We played a pretty solid game, start to finish. Our defense was solid.”
Portland has lost 10 of it past 12 outings and has been forced to play its past two games without star guard Damian Lillard, who is nursing an ankle injury and whose availability is listed as day-to-day.
“We just need wins right now,” Portland forward Mason Plumlee said. “Home, road, whatever.”
Guard C.J. McCollum had a team-high 20 points for the Trail Blazers in the win versus the Kings while Maurice Harkless (12 points), Plumlee (12 points, 14 rebounds), Allen Crabbe (13 points) and Evan Turner (11 points) all reached double figures for Portland.
The Spurs and Trail Blazers played in Portland a week ago with San Antonio handing the Trail Blazers a 110-90 defeat. Leonard scored a game-high 33 points and Patty Mills added 23 points off the bench.
The Spurs have won four consecutive games against Portland, its longest winning streak against the Trail Blazers since winning a franchise-best 12 straight games from April 12, 2005 to April 6, 2008. The Trail Blazers have failed to score 100 or more points in four of its past five games against the Spurs.
Clippers, Rockets prioritize rest as December ends
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HOUSTON — With the calendar set to flip to 2017 and teams throughout the league approaching the midpoint of their schedules, coaches are making concerted efforts to maintain the health and vigor of their heavy-rotation players.
For the Los Angeles Clippers, who will visit the Houston Rockets on Friday night at Toyota Center, it means deferring to the big picture and avoiding further risk to hobbled starters.
Clippers guard J.J. Redick has missed two games with a hamstring injury, including a 102-98 loss at the New Orleans Pelicans on Wednesday night despite his improved shooting and running pregame. His backcourt mate, Chris Paul, returned from a three-game hiatus due to a hamstring injury and posted 21 points, eight rebounds and six assists in the Clippers’ fourth straight loss.
Paul was not on the floor down the stretch of a tightly-contested game as Clippers coach Doc Rivers opted to adhere strictly to a minute restriction for Paul. Even with the game in the balance and his team already down two other starters (forward Blake Griffin remains sidelined following knee surgery), Rivers resisted the urge to insert Paul into the game in pursuit of a victory. One win in late-December was not worth the risk of losing Paul for an extended stretch of games given the team results of the three previous games without him.
“He wasn’t going to play anymore,” Rivers said of Paul, who played 30 minutes against the Pelicans. “It didn’t matter. One step and he’s hurt and you’re yelling at me for keeping him on the floor.”
Ranked fifth in the NBA in both offensive and defensive rating, good health appears to be the only thing keeping the Clippers from elite status.
The Rockets (24-9) understand the value of preserving their regulars, a big reason why their starters sat in the fourth quarters of back-to-back blowout wins over the Phoenix Suns and Dallas Mavericks on Monday and Tuesday.
With the Rockets hosting the Clippers and New York Knicks on Friday and Saturday, it will mark their sixth set of back-to-back games this month and fourth over the past two weeks. With their 123-107 win over the Mavericks, the Rockets improved to 7-0 in the second game of back-to-backs this season.
After leading by as many as 34 points in their 16-point home win over the Suns on Monday night, the Rockets led by as many as 29 before cruising to victory at Dallas. Establishing those sizable advantages has enabled Houston coach Mike D’Antoni to rest his high-minutes starters, an added bonus given that Houston is without center Clint Capela (leg) and played against the Mavericks without guard Patrick Beverley (thigh). Beverley is expected to return to the lineup against the Clippers.
“I like it a lot,” Rockets forward Ryan Anderson said of the late-game rest. “It’s important for us obviously. That means we’re starting games our pretty well. We’re handling our business.
“At the beginning of the season there were stretches where we let a lead go. We’d start the third quarter cold or not ready to go. The last few nights to be able to play a complete, full game and sit out the fourth is huge.”
For the Los Angeles Clippers, who will visit the Houston Rockets on Friday night at Toyota Center, it means deferring to the big picture and avoiding further risk to hobbled starters.
Clippers guard J.J. Redick has missed two games with a hamstring injury, including a 102-98 loss at the New Orleans Pelicans on Wednesday night despite his improved shooting and running pregame. His backcourt mate, Chris Paul, returned from a three-game hiatus due to a hamstring injury and posted 21 points, eight rebounds and six assists in the Clippers’ fourth straight loss.
Paul was not on the floor down the stretch of a tightly-contested game as Clippers coach Doc Rivers opted to adhere strictly to a minute restriction for Paul. Even with the game in the balance and his team already down two other starters (forward Blake Griffin remains sidelined following knee surgery), Rivers resisted the urge to insert Paul into the game in pursuit of a victory. One win in late-December was not worth the risk of losing Paul for an extended stretch of games given the team results of the three previous games without him.
“He wasn’t going to play anymore,” Rivers said of Paul, who played 30 minutes against the Pelicans. “It didn’t matter. One step and he’s hurt and you’re yelling at me for keeping him on the floor.”
Ranked fifth in the NBA in both offensive and defensive rating, good health appears to be the only thing keeping the Clippers from elite status.
The Rockets (24-9) understand the value of preserving their regulars, a big reason why their starters sat in the fourth quarters of back-to-back blowout wins over the Phoenix Suns and Dallas Mavericks on Monday and Tuesday.
With the Rockets hosting the Clippers and New York Knicks on Friday and Saturday, it will mark their sixth set of back-to-back games this month and fourth over the past two weeks. With their 123-107 win over the Mavericks, the Rockets improved to 7-0 in the second game of back-to-backs this season.
After leading by as many as 34 points in their 16-point home win over the Suns on Monday night, the Rockets led by as many as 29 before cruising to victory at Dallas. Establishing those sizable advantages has enabled Houston coach Mike D’Antoni to rest his high-minutes starters, an added bonus given that Houston is without center Clint Capela (leg) and played against the Mavericks without guard Patrick Beverley (thigh). Beverley is expected to return to the lineup against the Clippers.
“I like it a lot,” Rockets forward Ryan Anderson said of the late-game rest. “It’s important for us obviously. That means we’re starting games our pretty well. We’re handling our business.
“At the beginning of the season there were stretches where we let a lead go. We’d start the third quarter cold or not ready to go. The last few nights to be able to play a complete, full game and sit out the fourth is huge.”
Pelicans look to stay hot against Knicks
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NEW ORLEANS — The New Orleans Pelicans have spent most of the last seven weeks trying to atone for an 0-8 start, and could take another step up the ladder Friday night when they host the New York Knicks at the Smoothie King Center, capping a five-game homestand.
A victory over the Knicks (16-15) would give the Pelicans (13-21) four consecutive wins and a 4-1 record during the home stretch, which New Orleans coach Alvin Gentry described as critical in making up for their abysmal early-season play.
“I didn’t know what to expect,” Gentry said after practice Thursday following the Pelicans’ 102-98 victory over the shorthanded L.A. Clippers on Wednesday night. “I just knew that this homestand was going to be very important, any way you look at it, for us to have any semblance of trying to work our way back in. When you start (0-8), and four of those games you lose are at home, you have to make them up on the road. … I think we’ve done a pretty good job of starting to dig ourselves out.”
The Pelicans have used a smaller starting lineup, with 6-foot-10 forward Anthony Davis starting at center, in their last two games, and figure to go small again despite the presence of the Knicks’ 7-foot-3 center Kristaps Porzingis.
Davis averaged 24 points and 10 rebounds in the last two games — slightly below his season averages — but the Pelicans were able to hurt Dallas and Los Angeles with their running game. They held an enormous 29-2 edge in fast break points against the Clippers, and guards Jrue Holiday, Buddy Hield, Langston Galloway and Tyreke Evans combined to score 52 points on 21-of-42 shooting and dished out 14 assists.
One of the most encouraging signs was the play of Evans, who missed 11 months after undergoing knee surgery in early 2016. Evan played 16 minutes against the Clippers and looked decisive in his cuts to the basket, finishing with 12 points and five assists. He also made a pair of open 3-pointers, usually not his strong suit.
“It was good,” Davis said of Evans. “He was getting back into the rhythm of things, and he made some big plays for us, some big threes. He made some right plays — some great passes for our shooters. As he finds a way to get back into the rhythm of things and get his legs back, we’re going to try to help him as much as possible.”
The Knicks dropped consecutive games, the latest a 102-98 overtime loss on the road to the Atlanta Hawks on Wednesday night. They played short-handed most of the night because Carmelo Anthony was ejected just before halftime when he committed a Flagrant 2 Foul by swinging his forearm into the jaw of Thabo Sefolosha while battling for a rebound.
At practice Thursday in New Orleans, Knicks coach Jeff Hornacek defended Anthony by saying the contact did not merit a flagrant foul.
“I don’t blame him for what happened, honestly,” Hornacek said. “Watch the replay, watch the action. The guy had his arms wrapped around his neck. It’s like: I want to sometimes go up to a referee and wrap my arms around their neck. What are you going to do? Just stand there or you going to get the guy off you? It’s a natural reaction. You’re not going let a guy grab you around your neck. It’s inadvertent and a reaction.”
Anthony issued a challenge to his teammates to stop the two-game losing streak with a victory over the Pelicans.
“It’s a game we have to win,” Anthony said after practice. “We have to go get it. I thought we gave ourselves a chance to win (against the Hawks). (Friday) is something we have to go get.”
This will be the first of two meetings this season. Each team won on its home court last season. Anthony averaged 25.5 points and 9.0 rebounds for New York. Davis posted 36 points and 11 rebounds in a losing effort at Madison Square Garden but did not play in the second game in March while rehabbing a knee injury.
A victory over the Knicks (16-15) would give the Pelicans (13-21) four consecutive wins and a 4-1 record during the home stretch, which New Orleans coach Alvin Gentry described as critical in making up for their abysmal early-season play.
“I didn’t know what to expect,” Gentry said after practice Thursday following the Pelicans’ 102-98 victory over the shorthanded L.A. Clippers on Wednesday night. “I just knew that this homestand was going to be very important, any way you look at it, for us to have any semblance of trying to work our way back in. When you start (0-8), and four of those games you lose are at home, you have to make them up on the road. … I think we’ve done a pretty good job of starting to dig ourselves out.”
The Pelicans have used a smaller starting lineup, with 6-foot-10 forward Anthony Davis starting at center, in their last two games, and figure to go small again despite the presence of the Knicks’ 7-foot-3 center Kristaps Porzingis.
Davis averaged 24 points and 10 rebounds in the last two games — slightly below his season averages — but the Pelicans were able to hurt Dallas and Los Angeles with their running game. They held an enormous 29-2 edge in fast break points against the Clippers, and guards Jrue Holiday, Buddy Hield, Langston Galloway and Tyreke Evans combined to score 52 points on 21-of-42 shooting and dished out 14 assists.
One of the most encouraging signs was the play of Evans, who missed 11 months after undergoing knee surgery in early 2016. Evan played 16 minutes against the Clippers and looked decisive in his cuts to the basket, finishing with 12 points and five assists. He also made a pair of open 3-pointers, usually not his strong suit.
“It was good,” Davis said of Evans. “He was getting back into the rhythm of things, and he made some big plays for us, some big threes. He made some right plays — some great passes for our shooters. As he finds a way to get back into the rhythm of things and get his legs back, we’re going to try to help him as much as possible.”
The Knicks dropped consecutive games, the latest a 102-98 overtime loss on the road to the Atlanta Hawks on Wednesday night. They played short-handed most of the night because Carmelo Anthony was ejected just before halftime when he committed a Flagrant 2 Foul by swinging his forearm into the jaw of Thabo Sefolosha while battling for a rebound.
At practice Thursday in New Orleans, Knicks coach Jeff Hornacek defended Anthony by saying the contact did not merit a flagrant foul.
“I don’t blame him for what happened, honestly,” Hornacek said. “Watch the replay, watch the action. The guy had his arms wrapped around his neck. It’s like: I want to sometimes go up to a referee and wrap my arms around their neck. What are you going to do? Just stand there or you going to get the guy off you? It’s a natural reaction. You’re not going let a guy grab you around your neck. It’s inadvertent and a reaction.”
Anthony issued a challenge to his teammates to stop the two-game losing streak with a victory over the Pelicans.
“It’s a game we have to win,” Anthony said after practice. “We have to go get it. I thought we gave ourselves a chance to win (against the Hawks). (Friday) is something we have to go get.”
This will be the first of two meetings this season. Each team won on its home court last season. Anthony averaged 25.5 points and 9.0 rebounds for New York. Davis posted 36 points and 11 rebounds in a losing effort at Madison Square Garden but did not play in the second game in March while rehabbing a knee injury.
Pistons, Hawks trending in different directions
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ATLANTA — Earlier this month the Detroit Pistons handed the Atlanta Hawks one of their worst defeats of the season. The Pistons were headed on an upward trajectory, having won five of six, while the Hawks were in the throes of a seven-game losing streak.
When the teams meet for the second time on Friday at Philips Arena in Atlanta, the situations are quite different from that encounter on Dec. 2, when Detroit whipped the Hawks 121-85.
Detroit (15-19) has lost six of its last seven, including Wednesday’s 119-94 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks. Atlanta (16-16) has stopped its freefall and won six of its last 10, including Wednesday’s 102-98 overtime win against the New York Knicks.
Coach Stan Van Gundy turned the heat on himself after the Pistons were handed their 12th double-digit loss of the season.
“This is entirely on me,” he said. “We have had too many games where we are getting buried. I’m embarrassed right now and I have a lot of thinking to find a way to get this fixed. This is brutal.”
Van Gundy’s decision to use forward Tobias Harris off the bench has worked. Harris had 23 points and 12 rebounds on Wednesday. Harris has led the team in scoring in each of the three games he has played since taking the sixth-man role.
The Pistons tried to use only eight men in the first half against the Bucks. Van Gundy also tried a lineup that included both point guards, Reggie Jackson and Ish Smith, in the game at the same time; it resulted in a 14-10 advantage during the first six minutes of the second quarter.
Van Gundy will also need to find a way to neutralize Atlanta center Dwight Howard, whom he previously coached at Orlando. The Pistons did a good job frustrating Howard in the first game and he finished with two points and six rebounds, easily his least productive game of the season.
Atlanta didn’t have forward Paul Millsap in that first game and Detroit took advantage on the boards, outrebounding the Hawks 54-32.
The Hawks might be weary after its physical encounter with the Knicks. Coach Mike Budenholzer relied heavily on six players, with four of the starters going nearly 40 minutes. Point guard Dennis Schroder had 27 points and five assists to lead the win.
“That’s big time,” Schroder said. “I’m glad we won the game. Everybody fought for 48 minutes and in overtime, the extra five minutes. I’m happy we won the game.
Howard’s back issues, which forced him to miss three starts, appear to be resolved; he had 16 points and 22 rebounds against the Knicks. He ranks third in the league with 13.3 rebounds.
But Atlanta’s Tim Hardaway Jr. continues to struggle with a right groin injury that kept him out of two games. He played 13 minutes against the Knicks but was 0-for-7 from the floor.
Atlanta is 12-3 in its last 15 home meetings with the Pistons.
When the teams meet for the second time on Friday at Philips Arena in Atlanta, the situations are quite different from that encounter on Dec. 2, when Detroit whipped the Hawks 121-85.
Detroit (15-19) has lost six of its last seven, including Wednesday’s 119-94 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks. Atlanta (16-16) has stopped its freefall and won six of its last 10, including Wednesday’s 102-98 overtime win against the New York Knicks.
Coach Stan Van Gundy turned the heat on himself after the Pistons were handed their 12th double-digit loss of the season.
“This is entirely on me,” he said. “We have had too many games where we are getting buried. I’m embarrassed right now and I have a lot of thinking to find a way to get this fixed. This is brutal.”
Van Gundy’s decision to use forward Tobias Harris off the bench has worked. Harris had 23 points and 12 rebounds on Wednesday. Harris has led the team in scoring in each of the three games he has played since taking the sixth-man role.
The Pistons tried to use only eight men in the first half against the Bucks. Van Gundy also tried a lineup that included both point guards, Reggie Jackson and Ish Smith, in the game at the same time; it resulted in a 14-10 advantage during the first six minutes of the second quarter.
Van Gundy will also need to find a way to neutralize Atlanta center Dwight Howard, whom he previously coached at Orlando. The Pistons did a good job frustrating Howard in the first game and he finished with two points and six rebounds, easily his least productive game of the season.
Atlanta didn’t have forward Paul Millsap in that first game and Detroit took advantage on the boards, outrebounding the Hawks 54-32.
The Hawks might be weary after its physical encounter with the Knicks. Coach Mike Budenholzer relied heavily on six players, with four of the starters going nearly 40 minutes. Point guard Dennis Schroder had 27 points and five assists to lead the win.
“That’s big time,” Schroder said. “I’m glad we won the game. Everybody fought for 48 minutes and in overtime, the extra five minutes. I’m happy we won the game.
Howard’s back issues, which forced him to miss three starts, appear to be resolved; he had 16 points and 22 rebounds against the Knicks. He ranks third in the league with 13.3 rebounds.
But Atlanta’s Tim Hardaway Jr. continues to struggle with a right groin injury that kept him out of two games. He played 13 minutes against the Knicks but was 0-for-7 from the floor.
Atlanta is 12-3 in its last 15 home meetings with the Pistons.
Timberwolves look to finish off game against Bucks
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It’s beginning to sound like a broken record for the Minnesota Timberwolves, who face the Milwaukee Bucks in Minneapolis on Friday.
Gain a big lead. Let the lead slip away. End with a loss. Rinse and repeat.
The latest such instance came Wednesday when Minnesota fell 105-103 to Denver. It was the 10th time this season the Timberwolves have lost a game in which they led by 10 points or more.
Wednesday’s loss meant the first career triple-double for Minnesota’s Karl-Anthony Towns went to waste as Towns’ team fell to 10-22 on the season. Towns scored 15 points, grabbed 11 rebounds and had 10 assists.
“We played like our lives were on the line, that’s really all we did,” Towns told the Minneapolis Star Tribune after Wednesday’s loss. “We played with such energy and intensity and sense of — I don’t know how to say it — just a sense of determination that we wanted to come out with a ‘W.'”
Milwaukee, meanwhile, is coming off a convincing road win over the Detroit Pistons. Jabari Parker’s 31 points fueled the Bucks to a 119-94 win to bring Milwaukee’s record back to .500 (15-15) after a loss to Washington two days earlier.
The Bucks are in the midst of a four-game road trip that will conclude Saturday in Chicago, one night after their game in Minneapolis. Like Minnesota, the Bucks have had trouble sealing games in which they held big leads.
“We feel pretty good that we’re competing and we’re really close to winning,” Bucks forward Tony Snell told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. “We’ve just got to capitalize and finish it off.”
Friday’s game features two of the more versatile big men in the NBA. Milwaukee star Giannis Antetokounmpo is listed at 6-foot-11 but can handle the ball like a point guard. Antetokounmpo is averaging 23.4 points and 9.0 assists, but also has an impressive 5.9 assists per game.
Meanwhile, Minnesota’s Towns — one year younger than Antetokounmpo — is averaging a double-double of 22.0 points and 11.3 rebounds a game. Though he doesn’t play any point guard like Antetokounmpo, Towns can hold his own when it comes to ballhandling.
Neither big man made much of an impact the first time the two squared off last year; Towns was held to eight points, while Antetokounmpo scored just 11. Both topped the 20-point mark in their second meeting. However, both games were wins for Antetokounmpo and the Bucks.
Both Minnesota and Milwaukee have been inconsistent in the first few months of the season. The Bucks haven’t won more than four straight, while Minnesota’s longest winning streak is just two games.
The calendar will soon turn to 2017, and these two young teams hope the best is yet to come.
“Here of late we’ve been playing very well, not turning the ball over and finishing plays on both ends,” Bucks coach Jason Kidd told the Journal Sentinel. “Hopefully we can finish ’16, going into ’17, on a high note.”
Gain a big lead. Let the lead slip away. End with a loss. Rinse and repeat.
The latest such instance came Wednesday when Minnesota fell 105-103 to Denver. It was the 10th time this season the Timberwolves have lost a game in which they led by 10 points or more.
Wednesday’s loss meant the first career triple-double for Minnesota’s Karl-Anthony Towns went to waste as Towns’ team fell to 10-22 on the season. Towns scored 15 points, grabbed 11 rebounds and had 10 assists.
“We played like our lives were on the line, that’s really all we did,” Towns told the Minneapolis Star Tribune after Wednesday’s loss. “We played with such energy and intensity and sense of — I don’t know how to say it — just a sense of determination that we wanted to come out with a ‘W.'”
Milwaukee, meanwhile, is coming off a convincing road win over the Detroit Pistons. Jabari Parker’s 31 points fueled the Bucks to a 119-94 win to bring Milwaukee’s record back to .500 (15-15) after a loss to Washington two days earlier.
The Bucks are in the midst of a four-game road trip that will conclude Saturday in Chicago, one night after their game in Minneapolis. Like Minnesota, the Bucks have had trouble sealing games in which they held big leads.
“We feel pretty good that we’re competing and we’re really close to winning,” Bucks forward Tony Snell told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. “We’ve just got to capitalize and finish it off.”
Friday’s game features two of the more versatile big men in the NBA. Milwaukee star Giannis Antetokounmpo is listed at 6-foot-11 but can handle the ball like a point guard. Antetokounmpo is averaging 23.4 points and 9.0 assists, but also has an impressive 5.9 assists per game.
Meanwhile, Minnesota’s Towns — one year younger than Antetokounmpo — is averaging a double-double of 22.0 points and 11.3 rebounds a game. Though he doesn’t play any point guard like Antetokounmpo, Towns can hold his own when it comes to ballhandling.
Neither big man made much of an impact the first time the two squared off last year; Towns was held to eight points, while Antetokounmpo scored just 11. Both topped the 20-point mark in their second meeting. However, both games were wins for Antetokounmpo and the Bucks.
Both Minnesota and Milwaukee have been inconsistent in the first few months of the season. The Bucks haven’t won more than four straight, while Minnesota’s longest winning streak is just two games.
The calendar will soon turn to 2017, and these two young teams hope the best is yet to come.
“Here of late we’ve been playing very well, not turning the ball over and finishing plays on both ends,” Bucks coach Jason Kidd told the Journal Sentinel. “Hopefully we can finish ’16, going into ’17, on a high note.”
No rest for Celtics, Heat
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BOSTON — After their valiant comeback in Cleveland came up just short Thursday night, the Boston Celtics return home to try to beat the lowly Miami Heat for the third time this season Friday night.
Both teams played road games Thursday, with the Celtics (19-14) almost coming all the way back from 20 points down before losing 124-118 to the champion Cavaliers. The Heat (10-23) dropped their third straight and eighth in their last 10, falling 91-82 at Charlotte.
The loss was only the second in the past eight games for the Celtics, who have been better on the road. Their victory over the Memphis Grizzlies on Tuesday night raised their home record to just 7-6. The Heat are 5-11 on the road.
Boston fell into a big deficit at Cleveland before the Celtics’ bench sparked a fourth-quarter comeback. Still, coach Brad Stevens was not pleased with the Celtics’ defense earlier in the game.
“If they have 100 points after three quarters, you don’t have a real chance to beat them,” Stevens said. “We’ve got to play a lot better than that. Our guys did a great job in the comeback, but I was disappointed in the first three quarters.”
Isaiah Thomas again led the Celtics, this time with 31 points and nine assists, his 17th straight 20-point game — the longest current NBA streak. He has scored under 20 once this season, and he had 18 in that game.
Avery Bradley, who needed X-rays on his left hand and hurt both hands during the game, scored 23 points, but Al Horford had just six points and four rebounds and was a minus-18 in 29 minutes.
Bradley finished the game after the X-rays and said afterward he was fine.
In Miami’s loss at Charlotte, Heat guard Josh Richardson scored 20 points, two shy of his career high, while Tyler Johnson had 18 points, seven rebounds and five assists off the bench.
“There were some good things when we weren’t turning the ball over,” said Heat coach Erik Spoelstra, whose team gave away possession 17 times. “So if that’s more in the 10- or 12-turnover range then you would like to see what the rest of the offense would have looked like.
“They are a very good, well-schooled, veteran experienced defensive team, so you’re not going to score 130 points against them. We wanted to make it a possession game going down the stretch, but the turnovers just made it too tough.”
Spoelstra used his 12th different starting lineup of the season in the loss.
“During the course of the game, particularly the first half, I really liked the efforts,” Spoelstra said. “You could see the energy, the multiple efforts on possessions, contesting shots, gang rebounding, things of that nature. We’re building habits.
“This group is learning how to win and what it takes. There’s some pain that’s going along with that. In the second half, for the most part we defended. There were some stretches where we didn’t, we had some breakdowns. You add that to the turnovers, a good experienced team makes you pay for that.”
Boston is looking for its sixth consecutive win over Miami. Two of those contests came this season in Florida — Thomas with 25 points and eight assists and Bradley scoring 18 in a 112-104 win Nov. 28, and Thomas scoring 23 and Bradley 20 in a 105-95 victory Dec. 17.
Heat guard Goran Dragic, who missed a Tuesday home loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder because of back spasms and then played 32 minutes and finished with five points and eight assists Thursday night, led the Heat in both games against Boston. He had 27 points and 17 assists in the first game and 31 points in the second. Hassan Whiteside pulled down 17 rebounds in both games.
The Heat, who are off to their worst start since 2007-08, found out Tuesday they would be without Josh McRoberts indefinitely because of a foot stress fracture.
The Celtics are 3-3 on the back end of back-to-backs, while the Heat are just 1-5.
Both teams played road games Thursday, with the Celtics (19-14) almost coming all the way back from 20 points down before losing 124-118 to the champion Cavaliers. The Heat (10-23) dropped their third straight and eighth in their last 10, falling 91-82 at Charlotte.
The loss was only the second in the past eight games for the Celtics, who have been better on the road. Their victory over the Memphis Grizzlies on Tuesday night raised their home record to just 7-6. The Heat are 5-11 on the road.
Boston fell into a big deficit at Cleveland before the Celtics’ bench sparked a fourth-quarter comeback. Still, coach Brad Stevens was not pleased with the Celtics’ defense earlier in the game.
“If they have 100 points after three quarters, you don’t have a real chance to beat them,” Stevens said. “We’ve got to play a lot better than that. Our guys did a great job in the comeback, but I was disappointed in the first three quarters.”
Isaiah Thomas again led the Celtics, this time with 31 points and nine assists, his 17th straight 20-point game — the longest current NBA streak. He has scored under 20 once this season, and he had 18 in that game.
Avery Bradley, who needed X-rays on his left hand and hurt both hands during the game, scored 23 points, but Al Horford had just six points and four rebounds and was a minus-18 in 29 minutes.
Bradley finished the game after the X-rays and said afterward he was fine.
In Miami’s loss at Charlotte, Heat guard Josh Richardson scored 20 points, two shy of his career high, while Tyler Johnson had 18 points, seven rebounds and five assists off the bench.
“There were some good things when we weren’t turning the ball over,” said Heat coach Erik Spoelstra, whose team gave away possession 17 times. “So if that’s more in the 10- or 12-turnover range then you would like to see what the rest of the offense would have looked like.
“They are a very good, well-schooled, veteran experienced defensive team, so you’re not going to score 130 points against them. We wanted to make it a possession game going down the stretch, but the turnovers just made it too tough.”
Spoelstra used his 12th different starting lineup of the season in the loss.
“During the course of the game, particularly the first half, I really liked the efforts,” Spoelstra said. “You could see the energy, the multiple efforts on possessions, contesting shots, gang rebounding, things of that nature. We’re building habits.
“This group is learning how to win and what it takes. There’s some pain that’s going along with that. In the second half, for the most part we defended. There were some stretches where we didn’t, we had some breakdowns. You add that to the turnovers, a good experienced team makes you pay for that.”
Boston is looking for its sixth consecutive win over Miami. Two of those contests came this season in Florida — Thomas with 25 points and eight assists and Bradley scoring 18 in a 112-104 win Nov. 28, and Thomas scoring 23 and Bradley 20 in a 105-95 victory Dec. 17.
Heat guard Goran Dragic, who missed a Tuesday home loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder because of back spasms and then played 32 minutes and finished with five points and eight assists Thursday night, led the Heat in both games against Boston. He had 27 points and 17 assists in the first game and 31 points in the second. Hassan Whiteside pulled down 17 rebounds in both games.
The Heat, who are off to their worst start since 2007-08, found out Tuesday they would be without Josh McRoberts indefinitely because of a foot stress fracture.
The Celtics are 3-3 on the back end of back-to-backs, while the Heat are just 1-5.
Improved Wizards face Nets and seek eighth straight home win
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WASHINGTON — When one of the NBA’s hottest teams faces the team with the league’s second-worst record, John Wall and the Washington Wizards will get a chance to show the Brooklyn Nets just how much they’ve improved.
The Wizards (15-16) look to sweep a three-game homestand and win their eighth straight at home Friday night in their second meeting against the Nets (8-23) this season.
Washington triumphed in Brooklyn by rallying from a 16-point halftime deficit to get a victory 118-113 on Dec. 5. The Wizards had not found their groove yet as evidenced by a 124-116 loss to the Orlando Magic in the next game.
Since then, the Wizards are 8-3. That includes Wednesday’s 111-105 win over the Indiana Pacers.
With Bradley Beal sitting out the second half with an ankle injury suffered in the first quarter, Wall stuffed the stat sheet with a near triple-double. He scored 23 of his 36 points after halftime to go with 11 rebounds and nine assists.
“Well, for me, I was kinda just still trying to be aggressive, but get everybody involved,” Wall said. “Coach (Scott Brooks) said he would be back and was just getting tape but then like a couple minutes went by and I said What is he doing? Is he coming back? And he said ‘No, he’s out.’ I think took a mindset approach of being more aggressive and trying to get to the basket.”
The three-time All-Star is averaging 24.9 points and 10.4 assists in December, but Wall is receiving ample help of late. Otto Porter’s breakout season included 32 points in Monday’s win over the Milwaukee Bucks and 22 against Indiana. Washington collectively outrebounded the Pacers 54-34. Simply winning without one of their starters available wasn’t a realistic thought a few weeks back.
“I think we’re just playing better,” said center Marcin Gortat who is averaging 14.9 points and 11.7 rebounds. “I mean we understand the rotation, we understand the system, we understand what we got to do. The bench is playing much better.”
Beal (right ankle sprain) is “questionable” to face the Nets, Brooks said Thursday.
Brooklyn’s last two games were decided at the buzzer. Randy Foye’s 3-pointer dumped the Charlotte Hornets 120-118 on Monday, but Chicago’s Jimmy Butler played the hero role with a step-back jumper as the Bulls won 101-99 on Wednesday. The Nets fell to 3-11 in December and dropped their 12th straight road game since Nov. 12.
“We gave ourselves a shot,” Nets center Brook Lopez said after scoring 33 points in the road loss. “We need to play like that every night.”
Defense remains the primary concern. Brooklyn and the Phoenix Suns allow a league-high 114.3 points.
Jeremy Lin (strained left hamstring) will not face the Wizards. The point guard is expected to miss his second consecutive game after playing six games following a 17-game absence with the same injury from Nov. 4 to Dec. 12.
“I’ll say this, the severity of it is not the same as the first one. This injury is not as severe,” Nets general manager Sean Marks said to reporters before Wednesday’s game. “He was evaluated 1/8Wednesday 3/8 by our doctors and some other sources on what’s going on with him. It is a left hamstring strain, a different area to the first one, so it is not the same injury.
“They’re not linked. We will not give a timeline simply because you never know. Every player’s different. Some guys recover quicker than others.”
Lin’s absence leaves Foye, rookie Isaiah Whitehead and Spencer Dinwiddie to face Wall. Forward Joe Harris (hip pointer) is questionable for the Nets.
The Wizards (15-16) look to sweep a three-game homestand and win their eighth straight at home Friday night in their second meeting against the Nets (8-23) this season.
Washington triumphed in Brooklyn by rallying from a 16-point halftime deficit to get a victory 118-113 on Dec. 5. The Wizards had not found their groove yet as evidenced by a 124-116 loss to the Orlando Magic in the next game.
Since then, the Wizards are 8-3. That includes Wednesday’s 111-105 win over the Indiana Pacers.
With Bradley Beal sitting out the second half with an ankle injury suffered in the first quarter, Wall stuffed the stat sheet with a near triple-double. He scored 23 of his 36 points after halftime to go with 11 rebounds and nine assists.
“Well, for me, I was kinda just still trying to be aggressive, but get everybody involved,” Wall said. “Coach (Scott Brooks) said he would be back and was just getting tape but then like a couple minutes went by and I said What is he doing? Is he coming back? And he said ‘No, he’s out.’ I think took a mindset approach of being more aggressive and trying to get to the basket.”
The three-time All-Star is averaging 24.9 points and 10.4 assists in December, but Wall is receiving ample help of late. Otto Porter’s breakout season included 32 points in Monday’s win over the Milwaukee Bucks and 22 against Indiana. Washington collectively outrebounded the Pacers 54-34. Simply winning without one of their starters available wasn’t a realistic thought a few weeks back.
“I think we’re just playing better,” said center Marcin Gortat who is averaging 14.9 points and 11.7 rebounds. “I mean we understand the rotation, we understand the system, we understand what we got to do. The bench is playing much better.”
Beal (right ankle sprain) is “questionable” to face the Nets, Brooks said Thursday.
Brooklyn’s last two games were decided at the buzzer. Randy Foye’s 3-pointer dumped the Charlotte Hornets 120-118 on Monday, but Chicago’s Jimmy Butler played the hero role with a step-back jumper as the Bulls won 101-99 on Wednesday. The Nets fell to 3-11 in December and dropped their 12th straight road game since Nov. 12.
“We gave ourselves a shot,” Nets center Brook Lopez said after scoring 33 points in the road loss. “We need to play like that every night.”
Defense remains the primary concern. Brooklyn and the Phoenix Suns allow a league-high 114.3 points.
Jeremy Lin (strained left hamstring) will not face the Wizards. The point guard is expected to miss his second consecutive game after playing six games following a 17-game absence with the same injury from Nov. 4 to Dec. 12.
“I’ll say this, the severity of it is not the same as the first one. This injury is not as severe,” Nets general manager Sean Marks said to reporters before Wednesday’s game. “He was evaluated 1/8Wednesday 3/8 by our doctors and some other sources on what’s going on with him. It is a left hamstring strain, a different area to the first one, so it is not the same injury.
“They’re not linked. We will not give a timeline simply because you never know. Every player’s different. Some guys recover quicker than others.”
Lin’s absence leaves Foye, rookie Isaiah Whitehead and Spencer Dinwiddie to face Wall. Forward Joe Harris (hip pointer) is questionable for the Nets.
Pacers shoot to end four-game skid when facing Bulls
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INDIANAPOLIS — The Indiana Pacers will host the Chicago Bulls on Friday night at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. These two teams have already met three times this season, including a Bulls’ win over Indiana in Chicago on Monday of this week.
The home teams have won each of the three contests between these teams so far. The Pacers (15-18) have dropped four straight games, their longest losing streak of the season. On the bright side, they’ve been a much better team at home (11-5) compared to the road (4-13) this year.
Both of these teams played on Wednesday, with Indiana losing to Washington 115-111, as the Bulls defeated the Nets 101-99 behind Jimmy Butler’s 40 points.
Both teams are also getting healthier. Monta Ellis returned to action for the Pacers for the first time since Decmeber 10th, in limited minutes off the bench on Wednesday. For Chicago, Michael Carter-Williams is back and the Bulls have their full roster healthy for the first time since the first week of the season.
Paul George has been in the headlines a lot recently after getting fined for comments against officiating. He scored 34 points on Wednesday, but is still searching for answers for his team.
“I owe this team more,” George told the Indianapolis Star. “I’m going to give more, regardless of what’s going on on that court. We have to understand we’re a smaller team, so everybody has got to be tied together. We’re not a big team like we used to be here. We’ve all got to have each other’s back on the defensive glass.”
Not only did Butler score 40 points for the Bulls in Wednesday’s victory, he also hit the game-winning shot. “Everything y’all see me do, I do every night. Over and over again,” Butler told ESPN Chicago. “That’s where the confidence comes from, is the work that you put in every single day that y’all don’t see. But yeah, that’s in the repertoire.”
Butler has been extremely valuable once again this season. When he’s on the court, the Bulls shoot 45 percent and outscore their opponents by four points per 48 minutes. When he’s on the bench, the Bulls get outscored by 10 points per 48 minutes.
Between Butler and Dwyane Wade, the Bulls have multiple late-game options to go to. It was Wade who made the big play over Indiana in their last meeting.
The Pacers and Bulls are just 18th and 23rd, respectively, in the NBA in scoring so far this season. Their game on Monday was a low-scoring affair, but this one figures to see more points as both teams had an off-day on Thursday.
One thing that will be worth watching is how many 3-point attempts the Bulls take. They are last in the NBA in 3-point attempts per game (19.5), but the Pacers give up the 3rd most 3-point attempts (30.1) in the NBA this season.
It will be the final regular season matchup between these two teams this season.
The home teams have won each of the three contests between these teams so far. The Pacers (15-18) have dropped four straight games, their longest losing streak of the season. On the bright side, they’ve been a much better team at home (11-5) compared to the road (4-13) this year.
Both of these teams played on Wednesday, with Indiana losing to Washington 115-111, as the Bulls defeated the Nets 101-99 behind Jimmy Butler’s 40 points.
Both teams are also getting healthier. Monta Ellis returned to action for the Pacers for the first time since Decmeber 10th, in limited minutes off the bench on Wednesday. For Chicago, Michael Carter-Williams is back and the Bulls have their full roster healthy for the first time since the first week of the season.
Paul George has been in the headlines a lot recently after getting fined for comments against officiating. He scored 34 points on Wednesday, but is still searching for answers for his team.
“I owe this team more,” George told the Indianapolis Star. “I’m going to give more, regardless of what’s going on on that court. We have to understand we’re a smaller team, so everybody has got to be tied together. We’re not a big team like we used to be here. We’ve all got to have each other’s back on the defensive glass.”
Not only did Butler score 40 points for the Bulls in Wednesday’s victory, he also hit the game-winning shot. “Everything y’all see me do, I do every night. Over and over again,” Butler told ESPN Chicago. “That’s where the confidence comes from, is the work that you put in every single day that y’all don’t see. But yeah, that’s in the repertoire.”
Butler has been extremely valuable once again this season. When he’s on the court, the Bulls shoot 45 percent and outscore their opponents by four points per 48 minutes. When he’s on the bench, the Bulls get outscored by 10 points per 48 minutes.
Between Butler and Dwyane Wade, the Bulls have multiple late-game options to go to. It was Wade who made the big play over Indiana in their last meeting.
The Pacers and Bulls are just 18th and 23rd, respectively, in the NBA in scoring so far this season. Their game on Monday was a low-scoring affair, but this one figures to see more points as both teams had an off-day on Thursday.
One thing that will be worth watching is how many 3-point attempts the Bulls take. They are last in the NBA in 3-point attempts per game (19.5), but the Pacers give up the 3rd most 3-point attempts (30.1) in the NBA this season.
It will be the final regular season matchup between these two teams this season.
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