Cavaliers 97 (30-20), Sixers 84 (10-39)
There’s a new longest active streak in the NBA now. With their win against the Philadelphia 76ers last night, the Cleveland Cavaliers earned their eleventh straight victory. LeBron James (18 points and 11 assists), Kyrie Irving (24 points) and the rest of the Cavs had built up to a 20-point third quarter lead. But Jerami Grant (career-high 18 points) and his Philly squad didn’t give up. They ended the third on a 14-2 run and cut the deficit to 2 early in the fourth. The Cavs weren’t having any of that, as they outscored their opponents 28-19 in that final period to close.
Hornets 92 (21-27), Wizards 88 (31-18)
The Charlotte Hornets won six of their last eight games. With the W last night over the Washington Wizards, they sit in the Eastern Conference’s eighth spot, a game and a half ahead of the Brooklyn Nets. Al Jefferson scored 18 points and grabbed 12 boards to lift the Hornets past the Wiz, despite both Bradley Beal (18 points and 11 rebounds) and John Wall (16 points and 10 assists) earning double-doubles. Down 6, Washington scrambled in the final minute of the game to try to steal the win. They made up some points, but Wall missed a layup that could’ve changed the outcome of the game at the end. The Hornets walked away with their second straight victory, as they continue to improve even without Kemba Walker in the lineup.
Nets 102 (19-28), Clippers 100 (33-16)
‘Twas a close game in the Barclays yesterday between the Nets and the Clippers, but ultimately the home team came out on top. With about a minute left in the game and the Clips up 5, Blake Griffin (13 points, 6 rebounds, 7 assists) stood at the stripe for two shots. He missed both. On the next play, Joe Johnson (22 points and 6 assists) was fouled, and he also missed both for the Nets. But Brook Lopez (24 points and 7 rebounds) tipped the ball back to Johnson who then nailed a 3-pointer to cut the Nets’ deficit to 2. Then, this went down, as Brooklyn beat Los Angeles in thrilling fashion:
The Nets’ Deron Williams added 15 points in his return after missing 11 games. DeAndre Jordan recorded 22 points and 20 boards for the Clippers.
Bucks 82 (26-22), Raptors 75 (33-16)
The short-handed Milwaukee Bucks took care of business on the road in Toronto. Khris Middleton scored a season-high 25 points and grabbed 9 boards in the Bucks’ 82-75 win. In the fourth, the Bucks went cold for 11 straight field goals, until there was 2:11 left on the clock and Jerryd Bayless sank a shot from the arc. He scored another 3 with 30 seconds left to put Milwaukee up by 7, and that was that. Four of the nine Bucks who saw minutes scored double-figures. The team from Wisconsin held the Raps to just 32.1 percent from the field and forced 16 turnovers to get their fourth win in a row.
Pelicans 115 (26-22), Hawks 100 (40-9)
It had to end eventually. The Atlanta Hawks’ hot 19-game winning streak finally saw its death last night in New Orleans, at the hands of Anthony Davis (29 points and 13 rebounds):
Five other Pelicans scored in double-figures as New Orleans went up by 19 in the game. The Pels outrebounded the Hawks by 20 and had 6 more points from fast breaks. Despite the loss, the Hawks are still having fun over on Twitter…that’s for sure.
@PelicansNBA pic.twitter.com/5hUbNgbc7r
— Fun while it lasted! (@ATLHawks) February 3, 2015
Thunder 104 (24-24), Magic 97 (33-17)
Russell Westbrook earned his second tripe-double of the season as the Oklahoma City Thunder handed the Orlando Magic their ninth consecutive loss last night.
Westbrook finished with 25 points, 11 rebounds, and 14 assists plus 4 steals, a block, and only two turnovers. Twelve of his points came in the first quarter alone, as OKC took an early 7-point lead. Later on, the lead extended to as many as 22. Four other Thunder players scored in double-figs as the Kevin Durant-less OKC took care of things at home despite respectable double-figure performances from five guys on the Magic.
Mavericks 100 (33-17), Timberwolves 94 (8-40)
The Dallas Mavericks earned their third win in a row yesterday, spoiling Ricky Rubio’s return to action. But still, here are some Rubio appreciation Vines:
Monta Ellis led the Mavs with 23 points, 14 of which came in the third quarter. Chandler Parsons added 18, and Dirk Nowitzki had 16 on the night. JJ Barea finished with 10 points and 8 assists, playing an important role as Dallas had their first game without the injured Rajon Rondo.
The Wolves had five players in double-figs, as they crawled all the way back from a 21-point deficit. They took a 2-point lead in the fourth quarter, only to have Barea tie the game and then sink two free throws to crush Minnesota’s hopes for the W.
Grizzlies 102 (36-12), Suns 101 (28-22)
The game in Phoenix last night between the Suns and the Grizzlies came down to the wire. It was a 7-point advantage for the Suns with a minute and a half left on the game clock. Memphis was down on the road, but they scored enough in those final 90 seconds to earn the win. Jeff Green’s (12 points and 7 rebounds) 3-point play was the eventual game winner. Markieff Morris (14 points) tried to win it at the final second, but Marc Gasol (15 points, 6 rebounds, 8 assists, 3 blocks) was having none of that:
Isaiah Thomas was the high-scorer for Phoenix with 24, 16 of which came in the fourth quarter. Four more Suns were in double-figs, but that wasn’t enough to stop Mike Conley (23 points) and the Grizz. Speaking of Conley…here’s his killer crossover from last night:
