Welcome to PBT’s roundup of yesterday’s NBA games. Or, what you missed while choosing sides in the battle between Richie Sambora and Jon Bon Jovi …
Knicks 95, Hawks 82: The Knicks extended their league-best winning streak to 10 games on Wednesday, thanks to a dominant offensive performance from Carmelo Anthony for the second straight game.
Anthony finished with 40 points after dropping 50 on Miami just the night before, making him the first Knicks player since Patrick Ewing in the 1989-90 season to score at least 40 points in consecutive games.
This game was actually tied with under 10 minutes to play, and Anthony largely did his damage in the first three periods. New York got 10 points each from J.R. Smith and Raymond Felton in the final period, and the Knicks finished the game on a 23-10 run to seal it.
Raptors 88, Wizards 78: John Wall was just OK in this one, and didn’t get much help on a night the Wizards managed to shoot just over 32 percent from the field for the game. He finished with 20 points, five rebounds, and five assists, but after Washington led by 11 at the half, the Raptors locked down in the final two periods to hold the Wizards to just 28 points the rest of the way.
DeMar DeRozan led the way for Toronto with 25 points, and Jonas Valanciunas finished with 24 points and 10 rebounds, and did it on just seven shots thanks to a 16-18 effort from the free throw line.
Bobcats 88, Sixers 83: A dismal 2-24 night shooting from Jrue Holiday doomed the Sixers in this one, but because they were playing the league-worst Bobcats, they still had a chance. Gerald Henderson put an end to all that, however, with a key steal and a breakaway dunk that extended his tam’s lead to three with under 30 seconds remaining.
Nets 113, Cavaliers 95: Games like this are why Byron Scott is on the hot seat in Cleveland, despite the injuries this season and the youth present on the Cavaliers roster. The Nets led by as many as 34 points, and Cleveland allowed both Jerry Stackhouse and Deron Williams to get loose for dunks in the same game.
Celtics 98, Pistons 93: Boston needed some big baskets down the stretch to hold off a late Pistons rally, who came back to within three after trailing earlier in the game by as many as 18 points. Jeff Green continued his strong play with 34 points and four blocked shots, and hit the key three-pointer with under a minute to play that helped seal the victory by extending his team’s lead to five.
Charlie Villanueva managed to get 17 shots up in under 24 minutes for the Pistons, and made just two.
Timberwolves 107, Bucks 98: Minnesota isn’t playing for anything but pride at this stage of the season, after injuries robbed the team of its playoff chances some time ago. But after beating the Bucks, the Timberwolves have won three of four, all against playoff teams.
It was a 13-34 night of shooting combined from Brandon Jennings and Monta Ellis, while Ricky Rubio finished with 19 points, 12 assists and eight steals, which helped to cancel out his eight turnovers. The Bucks are essentially locked into the eighth seed in the playoffs, but with eight games left in the regular season, they may want to focus a little bit considering that first round matchup with the Heat which looms in the distance.
Nuggets 113, Jazz 96: Utah had been playing better lately, but thy’re still a fringe team fighting to sneak into the playoffs. Denver, meanwhile, is on the fringe of the West’s elite tier, so the result of this one wasn’t exactly a surprise.
Denver shot better than 56 percent on Utah’s home floor, and saw seven of its players finish in double figures, led by 21 points on 10 shots from Danilo Gallinari.
The loss dropped the Jazz to ninth in the Western Conference standings, a half-game back of the Lakers.
Spurs 98, Magic 84: In a game without Tony Parker, Kawhi Leonard, and Manu Ginobili, and one where Tim Duncan played less than 14 minutes, the Spurs got a win on the strength of their team defense. San Antonio held Orlando to under 39 percent shooting for the game, and got a team-high 20 points from Danny Green offensively on the way to the victory.
Rockets 112, Kings 102: Houston got a huge game from Chandler Parsons, who finished with 29 points on 12-18 shooting, to go along with five rebounds and four assists. The Kings shot just 39.1 percent for the game, “led” by a 3-16 effort from starting point guard Isaiah Thomas.
Grizzlies 94, Blazers 76: The Grizz are tough to beat if you can’t find a way to score, considering their defense ranks right near the top of the league in points per 100 possessions. Portland attempted to beat it by launching 29 three-point attempts, but they were able to make just four.
Mike Conley continued his strong play for Memphis, and out-dueled likely Rookie of the Year Damian Lillard by finishing with 20 points and five assists on 7-11 shooting.
Clippers 126, Suns 101: The Clippers needed to get right after losing three straight, all to playoff teams, and the Suns were more than happy to oblige. This one was over early, as L.A. jumped out to a 10-point lead by the time the first quarter was through.
Ryan Hollins provided some late-game fireworks for the fans who were still in the building, thanks to this idiotic play that saw him get ejected after appearing for all of nine minutes in garbage time.
Warriors 98, Hornets 88: New Orleans actually led this one by 11 early in the second quarter, before the Warriors woke up and finished the half on a 32-12 run to put this one in the win column. David Lee led the effort for Golden State with 23 points and 16 rebounds.
