Scores and performances from around the NBA
On an NBA night filled with trade rumors and actual trades going on during games, the most shocking result and performance happened in Minnesota. There were also a lot of boos in Staples Center last night for a former Laker making his return to LA. Check out our NBA Wednesday recap.
Timberwolves 104, Pacers 91
The Pacers took a rare loss last night as they had no answer for all-star forward Kevin Love. With trade rumors swirling around Love and talk of him making a move to the Lakers before the 3 pm deadline, the Timberwolves big man didn’t let that have any impact on his game. Love had another monster game of 42 points and 16 rebounds, which is his league leading 45th double-double in 51 games. Ridiculous.
Paul George filled up the stat sheet for the Pacers with 35 points, 11 rebounds, two assists and three steals.
The Timberwolves improve to 26-28 and the Pacers drop to 41-13.
Rockets 134, Lakers 108
Dwight Howard made his return to Hollywood last night and there was no warm welcome waiting for him. The Lakers fans booed as loud as they could every chance they got, but that had no impact on Howard or the Rockets because the Lakers are flat out terrible right now.
Howard finished the game with 20 points and 13 rebounds and even helped the crowd in the, “Howard sucks!” chants to add insult to injury. James Harden finished the game with 29 points and 11 assists. Kendall Marshall led the Lakers with 20 points and 16 assists.
The Rockets improve 37-17 and the Lakers drop to 18-36.
Knicks 98, Pelicans 91
After another disappointing loss in Memphis, the Knicks didn’t hang their heads and picked a much needed road win in New Orleans last night. Iman Shumpert left the game with an injury so that will most likely quiet the trade talks he was involved in.
All-star forward Carmelo Anthony put the team on his back and dropped 42 points on the Pelicans. Eric Gordon led the Pelicans with 28 points.
The Knicks improve to 21-33 and the Pelicans fall to 23-30.
Nets 105, Jazz 99
The Brooklyn Nets are quietly sitting in the six spot in the Eastern Conference and they picked up a much needed victory in Utah last night. The Nets were also involved in a trade yesterday as they received Marcus Thornton from the Sacramento Kings for Jason Terry and Reggie Evans.
Joe Johnson led the Nets with 27 points and six assists. Alec Burks led the struggling Jazz with 23 points.
The Nets improve to 25-27 and the Jazz fall to 19-34
Spurs 111, Trail Blazers 109
Every time any of the top five teams in the West matchup, it is a showdown. None of these teams like losing to each other as they use these games against each other as gauges for the NBA playoffs and a test to see where they are currently at. The Spurs got the job done at the Rose Garden in Portland with a huge road win.
Patty Mills had another great performance in the absence of All-Star point guard Tony Parker. Mills finished with 29 points off of the bench as the Blazers had no answer for him. Damian Lillard finished the game with 31 points and six assists to lead Portland.
The Spurs improve to 40-15 and the Blazers drop to 36-18.
Warriors 101, Kings 92
Another team impacted by trades, the Warriors were dealing with two of their rotation players being shipped off yesterday to the Lakers in Marshawn Brooks and Kent Bazemore. The Warriors didn’t let the trades have any affect on the game as they picked up a road win in Sacramento last night.
David Lee led the Warriors with 23 points and 11 rebounds. Isaiah Thomas led the Kings with 26 points and seven assists as his name was swirled in trade rumors throughout yesterday as well.
The Warriors improve to 32-22 and the Kings drop to 18-36.
Suns 100, Celtics 94
After an overtime victory Tuesday night in Denver and a Wednesday filled with trade rumors, the Phoenix Suns kept the momentum going by picking up an expected victory over the depleted Celtics.
Goran Dragic led the Suns with 17 points and six assists. Rajon Rondo led the Celtics with 18 points and 10 assists.
The Suns improve to 32-21 and the Celtics fall to 19-36.
Bulls 94, Raptors 92
This Chicago team wins the award for the most resilient team in the league. After the second season without former league MVP Derrick Rose, the Bulls continue to pick up wins against worthy foes with their defense. They also currently sit in the fourth spot in the East playoff picture.
Carlos Boozer led the Bulls with 20 points and eight rebounds. All-star guard Demar DeRozan dropped 32 points on the Bulls.
The Bulls improve to 28-25 and the Raptors drop to 29-25
Wizards 114, Hawks 97
The Atlanta Hawks are on the most surprising skid of the NBA season as they took their seventh straight loss last night in Atlanta. The Wizards bounced back after a loss to the Raptors on Tuesday and picked up a much needed road victory last night.
All-star point guard John Wall led the Wizards with 21 points and 12 assists. All-star forward Paul Millsap led the Hawks with 21 points and 11 rebounds.
The Wizards improve to 26-28 and the Hawks drop to 25-28.
Bobcats 116, Pistons 98
To describe this Pistons team in one word: disappointing. The Bobcats are no pushover as they are having some surprise success this season as well, but there is still no excuse for this Pistons squad to take an 18 point loss.
Kemba Walker had a big game for the Bobcats with 24 points and 16 assists. Brandon Jennings led the struggling Pistons with 20 points.
The Bobcats improve to 25-30 and the Pistons fall to 22-32.
Cavaliers 101, Magic 93
All-star game MVP Kyrie Irving led the Cleveland Cavaliers with 22 points, seven rebounds and seven assists in a much needed home victory over the Orlando Magic. It’s crazy to think that a 22-33 team has an outside chance of making it to the playoffs if they can get on a run in their remanding 27 games.
The Cavaliers improved to 22-33 and the struggling Magic drop to 16-40.
-Patrick Hazel (@pattywack25)
