Pistons 90 (35-41), Nets 89 (16-59)
On March 21, the Nets beat the Pistons at the buzzer. Then the Pistons dropped their next four games. But, against the Nets, they snapped that five-game slide tonight.
Both teams played hard, with eight ties and eleven lead changes. Shots didn’t fall for either squad, with the Nets shooting 38% and the Pistons shooting 41%. They combined to shoot 17-49 from three-point range.
Ish Smith, who finished with 21 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists, gave the Pistons an 87-86 lead with 28.5 seconds left by hitting a three-ball. Brook Lopez missed a 3-pointer on the Nets’ ensuing possession, and Detroit sealed it at the free-throw line. Marcus Morris had 28 and 13 for Detroit.
Bulls 99 (36-39), Cavs 93 (47-27)
The Cavs have yet another three-game losing streak, their fourth of the season. With their loss to the Bulls tonight, they finished 0-4 against Jimmy Butler and crew.
Butler scored 25 points, Nikola Mirotic had 28 and Rajon Rondo had 15 assists, 9 rebounds and 7 points. The Bulls fought back from an 11-point deficit to get a big win, moving them within one game of eighth place.
In the loss, LeBron James moved into seventh place on the all-time scoring list. He had 26 points tonight.
Wolves 119 (30-44), Lakers 104 (21-54)
Ricky Rubio caught fire, going off for a career-high 33 points. Rubio led the young Wolves, who held onto the lead after the second quarter. Karl-Anthony Towns scored 32 and Andrew Wiggins had 27 points. Gorgui Dieng had 11 points, 15 rebounds and 6 assists. The Wolves had 30 assists on 43 buckets.
Clippers 124 (46-31), Suns 118 (22-54)
Blake Griffin scored 31 points, Chris Paul added 29 points and 10 assists and the Clippers held on to hand the Suns their 10th loss in a row. Phoenix fought hard, trailing 114-112 with 3:43 remaining. They couldn’t get over the hump though, when Devin Booker (33 points and 9 assists) fouled out.
Yo! Jamal Crawford is filthy! pic.twitter.com/Pbsu9ySC9f
— SLAM (@SLAMonline) March 31, 2017
Blazers 117 (37-38), Rockets 107 (51-24)
This one was tied at 105 with just over 2:29 remaining. Then the Rockets went cold and the Trail Blazers found their offense. Damian Lillard had 31 points and 11 dimes to hold off James Harden’s 30 (11-30 shooting) and 8 assists. Jusuf Nurkic added 19 points and 11 boards.
Dagger in Portland. Blazers win 117-107, go NBA-best 13-3 in March. Lillard had 31 points, Nurkic had 19 points. pic.twitter.com/acd5OjAW54
— SLAM (@SLAMonline) March 31, 2017
