Welcome to PBT’s roundup of yesterday’s NBA games. Or, what you missed while watching the two-hour season premiere of Mad Men ...
Knicks 125, Thunder 120: When the Knicks are knocking down threes they can beat anyone — and they hit 10 threes in the first half as they pulled away. But more impressive was the late 11-2 run to take the game behind Carmelo Anthony, who had 36 points and nine offensive rebounds. He and the Knicks bullied the Thunder and we broke it down in more detail here.
Clippers 109, Lakers 95: The Clips used a killer combination of depth and athleticism to dismantle the Lakers on Sunday, and we broke down their division-title clinching victory in greater detail here.
Pistons 99, Bulls 85: Chicago had beating the Pistons 18 straight times but that streak came to end Sunday night as the Bulls just didn’t have the defensive energy. After the first half the Pistons led 50-46 and that was in part due to Charlie Villanueva coming in off the bench and knocking down a couple of threes (he finished with 13 points). Noah was back but the Bulls transition defense wasn’t good and the Pistons took advantage.
In the third quarter Brandon Knight came out and just started taking Nate Robinson to the hole and smothering him on defense. Knight had a dozen of his 20 for the game in the third and was key to the Pistons snapping the streak.
—Kurt Helin
Celtics 107, Wizards 96: Kevin Garnett returned to the Boston lineup after missing his team’s last eight games, and finished with 12 points and six rebounds in 24 minutes of action. A 14-3 Celtics run over the first half of the third quarter sealed this one for Boston, and the Jordan Crawford revenge effort was uneventful at best, as Crawford finished with just six points, two assists, and two steals in 16 minutes of action off the bench.
Cavaliers 91, Magic 85: It doesn’t do either of these teams any good to come away with a victory at this point in the season, but Cleveland finished strong despite a dismal 3-15 shooting performance from Kyrie Irving, who finished with just nine points and 10 assists in 36 minutes of action.
The Magic, meanwhile, remain competitive to close out the season, even if they seem to know precisely when to fold the effort to secure the loss. A 26 point, 12 rebound performance from Mo Harkless, along with 21 points and 21 rebounds from Nik Vucevic were bright spots for Orlando as they ride out the regular season.
Mavericks 96, Trail Blazers 91: Mavs scored on 12 of first 18 trips down the court, raced out to a 15-3 lead. That lead grew to 26 at one point. Chris Kaman was the first half key with 16 points on 7-of-11 shooting. Dallas was the aggressor, they played loose and looked like they were on their way to a romp. But Dirk Nowitzki was out for the fourth quarter with a minor foot injury, the Mavs scored just 15 points, and a 19-2 run late we had a ballgame. But a Shawn Marion fast break layup (he had 20 points on the night) proved to be the dagger for Dallas.
Once again the beards are in jeopardy — if Dallas can beat the Suns Wednesday in Big D they will be a .500 team and razors will be passed out around the locker room.
—Kurt Helin
Grizzlies 89, Kings 87: This was the kind of win that playoff teams obtain, on the road against an inferior opponent who has packed it in for the remainder of the season. Mike Conley led the way with a game-high 25 points, while Quincy Pondexter posted 17 for the Grizzlies off the bench.
Hornets 95, Suns 92: The Suns have proven to be able to compete at times with its end-of-season lineup, but against New Orleans on Sunday, a third quarter in which Phoenix was outscored 35-19 doomed its chances. The Suns closed the gap a bit in the fourth, but didn’t ever threaten the game’s final outcome. This was lottery team basketball at its finest, and New Orleans wanted the win more than Phoenix did, plain and simple.
Jazz 97, Warriors 90: A couple weeks ago it looked like the Jazz were going to stumble right out of the playoffs, but the scheduled softened up and they have taken advantage — even over a not soft opponent in Golden State. Utah played like a team desperate (and with the win and the Lakers loss they move half a game ahead of Los Angeles for the eight spot). Golden State played like a team that would live to another day — and they will, they can clinch a playoff spot with a win over the Lakers Tuesday.
Utah took control of the game with a 24-3 run in the second quarter. Golden State wouldn’t go away and it took 25 points from Mo Williams including a dagger three late to get them win. Al Jefferson added 19 points and 12 boards; Stephen Curry led the Warriors with 22.
—Kurt Helin