Our nightly roundup of all the action in the NBA. Or, what you missed while watching the Andrew Bynum bowling gif over and over.
Lakers 119, Rockets 108: Two straight games with big point totals for the Lakers — 114 last game, 119 this one — and two wins. And that’s with Mike D’Antoni not even on the bench yet. Kobe Bryant fueled this one and Brett Pollakoff broke it down for us.
Pistons 103, Celtics 83: Well, this was ugly for Boston. On a lot of levels. Mostly that they came in against a weak team on the second night of a back-to-back and played like they wanted to be anywhere else. A little secret is that Boston’s defense hasn’t been that great this season — they were 19th in the league in points per possession before the Pistons lit them up shooting 54 percent. And scoring 44 points in the paint. Greg Monroe had 20 points and 13 boards.
Then came the fourth quarter sham where the Celtics kept Rajon Rondo on the court trying to get him to 10 assists to keep his streak alive. It felt like Wilt’s 100 point game (where his team started fouling to stop the clock and get the ball back so they could feed him). It was just ugly.
Sixers 86, Cavaliers 79: Jrue Holiday deserves the credit for this win — his defense on Kyrie Irving was fantastic all night, holding Irving to 9 points on 4-of-14 shooting, with 4 assists and 5 turnovers. Holiday was Irving’s blanket. Still the Cavs hung in until late in the game the Sixers hit five straight — two from Evan Turner (who finished with 19), two corner threes from Spencer Hawes, and that was enough. It wasn’t just Irving, Dion Waiters struggled in Philly with five points on 2-of-13 shooting and not a rebound or assist.
Nets 99, Kings 90: That would be five straight wins for the Nets, heading into a good test with the suddenly run-and-gun Lakers Tuesday. Andray Blatche was the star, dropping 29 points, 11 in the fourth quarter when they needed it. This was a two-point game early in the fourth quarter until a 13-2 Brooklyn run changed the dynamic. This was also the Kings fifth straight loss but they actually played better than in recent efforts. Maybe that was a new starting lineup, maybe a players-only meeting. Who knows? But it was a step in the right direction, led by DeMarcus Cousins’ 29 points.
Thunder 119, Warriors 109: Kevin Durant has his first ever career triple-double, Russell Westbrook dropped 30 and when that’s going on beating the Thunder is almost impossible. The Warriors made a go of it, they were getting balanced scoring (five guys in double figures) and Curry had 22. But it wasn’t enough because, well, the Thunder are just really good.
Knicks 88, Pacers 76: This is a game where the winning team shot 36.7 percent from the floor. You wouldn’t use the word pretty. The Knicks took control with a 13-3 run in the second quarter (they won the period 20-12) and that was enough. The Pacers offense without Danny Granger to create shots or as a safety valve late in the clock can just struggle. Carmelo Anthony had 26 to lead all scorers and still looks great when he gets the ball on the block.
Trail Blazers 102, Bulls 94: This game was tied up 73-73 but an 8-0 run gave Portland a lead they never let go of. Wesley Matthews and Nicolas Batum each scored 21 points; LaMarcus Aldridge added 18 points and 13 rebounds. Maybe the best player on the floor was Joakim Noah, who had 16 points, 15 rebounds and 8 assists. Both teams are now 5-5.
Raptors 97, Magic 86: Toronto is simply the more athletic, longer, more skilled squad and it showed in a couple runs. There was a 14-2 first quarter run sparked by DeMar DeRozan (11 points in the first quarter, 20 for the game), but to the Magic’s credit they fought back. Until the fourth quarter when a 19-4 Toronto run sealed it. Orlando shot just 26.3 percent and hit one three in the fourth. That won’t cut it. Meanwhile the Raptors bench took over — Amir Johnson had 14 in the fourth, Linas Kleiza 10. Quick shout out to former Celtic E’Twaun Moore who had 16 points and four assists.
