Scores and performances from around the NBA.
Making his return to the Heat line up, LeBron James looked and played like a menace as he donned the black mask. We took a look back at some of the best face masks in recent NBA memory yesterday and a masked James lived up to the hype last night against the Knicks. You know it’s one of those years in the NBA when the best game on a Thursday night isn’t Heat vs Knicks as the Raptors and Wizards stole the show last night in Toronto.
Check out our NBA Thursday recap.
Heat 108, Knicks 82
This game was a foregone conclusion before the ball tipped off. Carmelo Anthony tried to make it interesting by giving James everything he had on the offensive end. Anthony finished with 29 points and shot 11-20 from the field.
As usual, Melo didn’t get much help from the rest of the Knicks in attendance as they shot 37 percent from the field as a team. The Heat shot 61 percent and if you play like that against a masked King James and the Heat in South Beach, you lose.
For Miami, James dominated the Knicks on both ends of the floor and finished the game with 31 points. Dwayne Wade contributed to the rout with 23 points. The Heat also picked up their sixth straight win as they continue to chase the Indiana Pacers for the top spot in the East.
The Heat improve to 41-14 and the Knicks drop to 21-37.
Wizards 134, Raptors 129
In a sure first for TNT, the broadcast team switched from the Knicks vs the Heat in Miami to the conclusion of the Wizards Raptors game in Toronto. You read that right, and these two Eastern Conference teams were going at it in a triple overtime battle.
The Wizards put 134 points on the board and picked up their fifth straight win in dramatic fashion. After controversial calls and clutch threes, Washington came out on top in the longest game in Raptors history at 3 hours and 22 minutes. All-star guard John Wall put on another show as he led the Wizards to victory. It will be interesting to see what these two competitive teams do in the playoffs this year.
Wall finished the game with 31 points and nine assists. Marcin Gortat fouled out of the game but scored a career-high 31 points and 12 rebounds for the Wizards. DeMar DeRozan finished the game with 34 points and six assists for the Raptors.
The Wizards improve to 30-28 and the Raptors fall to 32-26.
Nets 112, Nuggets 89
The Nets bounced back after a 44 point loss in Portland Wednesday night. Brooklyn put the embarrassing loss behind them and came out ready to make a statement. Unfortunately, the Nuggets were on the receiving end of Brooklyn’s retaliation in Denver.
Paul Pierce led the Nets with 18 points and six rebounds. Randy Foye finished with 15 points for the Nuggets.
The Nets improve to 27-29 and the Nuggets fall to 25-32.
Pacers 101, Bucks 96
The Bucks put up a good fight against the best team in the East. The Pacers know that the Miami Heat are on their heels and they need to keep winning in order to clinch the top seed. Their championship aspirations wouldn’t let this home game against the worst team in the league slip and they finished the game strong for the victory.
Roy Hibbert had a big game for the Pacers with 24 points and 12 rebounds. Brandon Knight led the Bucks with 23 points.
The Pacers improve to 44-13 and the Bucks drop to 11-46.
-Patrick Hazel (@pattywack25)
