Pacers 118 (29-34), Magic 86 (21-44)
The Orlando Magic suffered a couple quarters of doom last night when they visited the Indiana Pacers. After leading by 2 at the end of the first quarter, Orlando was outscored by the Pacers in the second 12 minutes 33-19. The score at halftime was 59-47. The Pacers again outscored the Magic by double digits in the fourth quarter 32-16, which gave ‘em the huge 32-point win.
Rodney Stuckey led Indiana with a season-high 34 points on 13-19 shooting, plus 6 rebounds and 7 assists. Four more Pacers contributed double-figures in the victory—Indiana’s sixth straight.
Pelicans 111 (36-29), Nets 91 (25-37)
After the Brooklyn Nets took a 4-point lead by the end of the first quarter, the Pelicans made up the difference in 2Q and took a 9-point lead at halftime when they outscored the Nets 32-19. They worked off that momentum in the third quarter, holding the Nets to just 15 third quarter points. Also in that third quarter:
Anthony Davis finished with 15 points, 6 boards, 5 assists, and 3 blocks. Omer Asik threw in the 12-point, 15-rebound double-double, and a total of six Pels scored double-digits in the win that brings New Orleans closer to the Playoffs picture.
Cavaliers 127 (41-25), Mavericks 94 (41-25)
LeBron James hit another milestone last night in the Cavaliers’ win over the Dallas Mavericks. He became Cleveland’s all-time assists leader with 4,207—that’s his 16th franchise record. LeBron also had the game-high 27 points plus 7 rebounds and 8 assists as the Cavs blew out the Mavs by 33 points.
All five of the Cavs’ starters scored at least 17 points. Kevin Love finished with a 21-point, 14-board double-double. Chandler Parsons was the high-scorer for the Mavericks with 18.
Spurs 117 (40-23), Raptors 107 (38-26)
The NBA defending champions won their last six straight games. They hosted the Toronto Raptors last night and were up by as many as 26 points. In the final quarter, the Raps cut the lead to 7, but they were unable to come back all the way.
Timmy Duncan finished with a 12-point, 13-board double-double, Tony Parker added 23 points and 9 assists, and Kawhi Leonard led the Spurs with 24 points and 11 rebounds. The reigning Finals MVP also threw down this monstrous jam:
The Raps’ starting backcourt of Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan combined for 53 points, but ‘twas not enough to take out the Spurs.
Jazz 87 (27-36), Knicks 82 (12-51)
Another game, another loss. This one was actually kind of close. The New York Knicks trekked out to Utah last night to take on the hometown Jazz. Gordon Hayward was out due to a back strain, but Derrick Favors was ready to go—as indicated by his game-high 29 points and 12 boards.
At halftime, the Jazz led by 8. In the third, the Knicks made up those 8 points, outscoring Utah 30-22. Heading into the fourth, the game was all tied up at 65. But there was still a final 12 minutes to go, and the Jazz made use of it. They held Alexey Shved (21 points, 10 boards, 7 assists) and the Knicks to 17 points in the final quarter and earned their third straight win.
Lakers 93 (17-46), Pistons 85 (23-40)
The Los Angeles Lakers ended their 5-game losing streak with their win over the visiting Detroit Pistons last night. The victory was quite a team effort. All nine Lakers who saw minutes yesterday contributed to the final score, and seven of them were in double-figures. Jordan Hill led ‘em all with 16. The game remained close throughout—within single-digits for all 48 minutes of play.
Although they were officially eliminated from the Playoffs race earlier in the evening with the Pelicans’ win, the Lakers still fought despite Greg Monroe’s game-high 24 points and Andre Drummond’s 14-point, 21-rebound performance.
Guess there’s always next year, L.A. (although in the West, it’s probably not gonna get any easier). For now though, enjoy the win.
