Scores and performances from around the NBA.
Is there cause for concern in Oklahoma City? Are the Houston Rockets a legit contender? Or will they fizzle out when it matters most: the postseason against the top teams out West?
The games from last nights schedule will give you an opportunity to speculate. There were also five blowouts out of ten games last night, so some teams will get called out in this recap. Each NBA squad has a little over 20 games left in their season, and we are learning a lot about the contenders and the pretenders down the stretch.
Check out our NBA Wednesday recap.
Clippers 101, Rockets 93
The Clippers continue to show that they are a legit threat to the Spurs and the Thunder in the West. They took it to the 1-2 punch of James Harden and Dwight Howard. The Clippers hit the Rockets with a scoring assault from inside and from long range, and the Rockets came up short in a tough battle in LA.
This Houston roster is relatively new as Harden, Howard and company are still getting used to each other. Most see the Rockets as a contender for the West crown, but it may be a little unfair to place championship or bust expectations on this them. If the playoffs started today, the Rockets would match up with the Clippers and it would be interesting to see who would come out on top.
Blake Griffin finished the game with 23 points and 16 rebounds for the Clippers. Howard led the Rockets with 23 points and 11 rebounds.
The Clippers improve to 40-20 and the Rockets drop to 39-19.
Cavaliers 114, Thunder 104
Uh oh.
Here’s an interesting stat. The Thunder haven’t lost three straight home games since April 2009. Who returned to the Oklahoma City line up last Thursday? All-star guard Russell Westbrook.
There is no need to panic Thunder fans, but the numbers don’t lie in this situation. Westbrook is still finding his way back into the line up, but three straight home losses since his return and the third loss to a struggling Cleveland team, especially after the incredible individual and team success that Kevin Durant and the Thunder had without Westbrook throughout the past three months (20-7 record), an eyebrow has to be raised.
On the other hand, lets hope this Cavs team can pick up some consistent wins down the stretch, so we can see the All-Star game MVP Kyrie Irving in playoff action. He was unstoppable as he scored 14 of his 31 points in the 4th to lead the Cavs to a big road win in Oklahoma City.
Irving finished with 31 points and nine assists. Durant led the Thunder with 28 points, 10 rebounds, and was an assist shy of a triple double with nine.
The Cavs improve to 23-36 and the Thunder drop to 43-15.
Bulls 103, Warriors 83
The Bulls are one of the best defensive teams in the league. They showed why last night as they contained one of the hottest teams and it’s superstar, Stephen Curry. Curry struggled last night as he shot 2-10 and the Warriors couldn’t rally against the tough Bulls team in Chicago.
This is a cause for concern for Golden State. In the playoffs, it will be hard for the Warriors to rely on jump shots and expect Curry to lift them every game against other tough defenses. When they go up against the best of the West in late April and May, they will need to figure out how to play defense to solve poor shooting nights or they will be a pretender.
Taj Gibson led the way for the Bulls with 21 points. Jordan Crawford finished the game with 16 points for the Warriors.
The Bulls improve to 31-26 and the Warriors drop to 35-23.
Blazers 124, Nets 80
Another surprising result on last nights NBA schedule, the Brooklyn Nets were absolutely dismantled in Portland. The Blazers were without most of their frontline (most notably LaMarcus Aldridge and Thomas Robinson) and this would have been a good opportunity for Brooklyn to pick up a confidence building road win against one of the best in the West. Instead, the Nets came out lifeless and didn’t stand a chance in this one.
The score was 82-59 after the third and the Blazers sat their starters in the fourth. This is no small bump in the road for Brooklyn, as they sit at the seven spot a game ahead of the Atlanta Hawks. Brooklyn has 27 games remaining and will need to focus in or they will meet the Pacers or Heat in the first round. Or worse, miss the playoffs with the highest payroll in the NBA.
Mo Williams led the Blazers with 21 points and seven assists. Deron Williams scored 12 points for the Nets.
The Blazers improve to 40-18 and the Nets drop to 26-29.
Spurs 120, Pistons 110
This was an expected home victory for the Spurs over a Pistons team that has lost three straight. The Spurs might want to watch some defensive clips in the film room after letting the Pistons put 110 on the board.
Marco Bellineli led the Spurs with 20 points. Andre Drummond had a big game for the Pistons with 16 points and 17 rebounds.
The Spurs improve to 41-16 and the Pistons drop to 23-35.
Jazz 109, Suns 86
This was the most shocking score of the night, as the Phoenix Suns have been the surprise team of the Western Conference this season. They matched up with a motivated Jazz team last night in Utah and got routed, making this their third straight loss.
Like the Nets, this Phoenix team will have to lock in with 25 games remaining. The Suns currently sit a half a game ahead of the Grizzlies for the eight spot in the West playoff picture.
Gordon Hayward almost picked up a triple double for the Jazz with 17 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists. Gerald Green led the Suns with 17 points.
The Jazz improve to 21-36 and the Suns fall to 33-24.
Grizzlies 108, Lakers 103
Although inconsistent, Memphis has been on a bit of a roll lately. The Grizzlies picked up a necessary home win over a struggling Lakers squad. Los Angeles tried to stay in the game with their three point shooting as they shot 15-28 from long range, but the Grizzlies hung on and finished strong for the victory.
Marc Gasol finished the game with 14 points and 12 rebounds for the Grizzlies. Wesley Johnson led the Lakers with 18 points
The Grizzlies improve to 32-24 and the Lakers fall to 19-39.
Mavericks 108, Pelicans 89
The Mavericks picked up their fourth straight victory last night in Dallas over a struggling Pelicans squad. There were some injury scares for all-stars Dirk Nowitzki and Anthony Davis in this one, but Nowitzki returned to the action and Davis finished the game on the bench.
Monta Ellis led the Mavs with 23 points and seven assists. Eric Gordon finished with 19 points for the Pelicans.
The Mavericks improve to 36-23 and the Pelicans fall to 23-34.
Celtics 115, Hawks 104
It’s been an awful month of February for the Atlanta Hawks. At one point, they were losers of eight straight but picked up the slack with a win over the New York Knicks. They are back in a slump after losing two straight, with their latest coming in Boston against a tanking Celtics squad.
Rajon Rondo finished with 22 points and 11 assists for the Celtics. DeMarre Carroll led the Hawks with 24 points and seven rebounds.
The Celtics improve to 20-39 and the Hawks drop to 26-31.
Magic 101, Sixers 90
The Sixers continue their campaign as the worst of the worst in the NBA this year. The Philly squad has gone an abysmal 0-11 in the month of February and they are putting on a tanking of epic proportions. They are getting closer and closer to the worst record in the league that will put them in a good position for the first pick in the draft lottery, but that will be a tough task to catch up to (or fall behind?) the 11-45 Milwaukee Bucks.
Nikola Vucevic led the Magic with 21 points and 13 rebounds. Thaddeus Young scored 19 points for the Sixers.
The Magic improve to 18-42 and the Sixers fall to 15-43.
-Patrick Hazel (@pattywack25)
