Raptors 104 (30-15), Pacers 91 (16-31)
The Indiana Pacers played host to the Toronto Raptors last night, and they started the game off strong, scoring 9 points to their opponents’ 0. But in the second quarter, Indiana’s gold swagger crumbled. The Raps went on a 20-0 run, outscoring Rodney Stuckey (22 points) and the Pacers 29-16 for a 6-point advantage at halftime.
DeMar DeRozan (24 points) and Kyle Lowry (19 points and 8 assists) led the way for the Raptors, winners of three straight. And now, we look to Jonas Valanciunas for the celebration:
DeRozan 24 pts, Lowry 19 pts, 7 reb, 8 ast to help #Raptors earn a 104-91 #VictoryBaby vs. Pacers: http://t.co/8Mnzm4Y6Yo #WeTheNorth #RTZ
— Toronto Raptors (@Raptors) January 28, 2015
Cavaliers 103 (26-20), Pistons 95 (17-29)
The Cleveland Cavaliers are on a roll. In their visit to Auburn Hills last night, the Cavs claimed their seventh straight win thanks to Kyrie Irving’s 38 points and LeBron James’ 32.
The Land successfully maintained its 8-point advantage at the break throughout the latter half of the game. The Pistons were never able to fully catch up, but the home team had its moments—like this shot from DJ Augustin (19 points and 9 assists):
Greg Monroe finished with 17 points and 12 rebounds, and Andre Drummond added 12 points and 17 boards. Despite six Pistons in double-figs and every roster man who saw minutes contributing to their final score, Cleveland’s Irving and James were simply too much.
Bucks 109 (23-22), Heat 102 (20-25)
No one can even pretend that “Bucks > Heat” is a false statement this year. Last night, Milwaukee beat Miami for the third time this season to create a three-game difference between the two teams in the Eastern Conference standings. Brandon Knight and Kris Middleton each scored 17 points to lead the Bucks. A total of seven Milwaukee players scored double-figures for a total team effort in Miami last night. Every other Buck who saw minutes contributed as well. Chris Bosh finished with 26 to lead the Heat and Hassan Whiteside added a 16-point, 16-rebound double-double. Unfortunately for the Heat, Dwyane Wade again caught the injury bug yesterday, as he headed to the locker room in the third quarter with a strained right hamstring.
Grizzlies 109 (33-12), Mavericks 90 (30-16)
Yo, Z-Bo! Congrats on the tenth consecutive double-double, man. In the Grizzlies’ visit to Dallas last night, Zach Randolph scored 22 points and grabbed 10 boards to help lead his team to its fourth straight victory. Marc Gasol added 15, Courtney Lee and Nick Calathes both had 13, and Vince Carter contributed 12 in the W. After a 20-20 split in the first quarter, Memphis outscored Dallas by 10 in the second quarter and won both subsequent quarters. Chandler Parsons and Monta Ellis each scored 19 for the Mavericks, but that wasn’t enough to avoid a third straight loss.
Bulls 113 (30-17), Warriors 111 (36-7) OT
Following a flawless and history-making 37-point quarter by Klay Thompson last week, he again showed out in the first quarter of last night’s Bulls and Warriors match-up. Shooting 6-8, Thompson (30 points and 10 boards) dropped 15 points in seven minutes. After the first quarter, the Warriors were up by 6. In the second quarter, Derrick Rose (30 points and 7 rebounds) and the Bulls went on a 10-0 run to keep the game close. Rose committed 11 of Chicago’s 21 turnovers, but his game-winning shot in OT made up for it (if those other 28 points weren’t satisfactory enough):
Pau Gasol (18 points and 16 rebounds) and Joakim Noah (18 points and 15 rebounds) both added double-doubles. Every player on Chicago’s squad who saw minutes contributed to that final 113 score, and six were in double-figs. Six of the Warriors were in double-figs too, including Stephen Curry (21 points and 9 assists) and David Lee (24 points, 9 boards, 6 assists), both of whom can be seen in this pretty play:
With the win last night, Chicago ended Golden State’s 19-game home winning streak and gave the team with the best record in the NBA their seventh loss of the season.
Wizards 98 (31-15), Lakers 92 (12-34)
The Los Angeles Lakers looked like they finally had things going their way last night after losing eight straight games. They took the lead in the first quarter, outscoring the visiting Washington Wizards 31-24. At the break, the Lakers held an 11-point advantage thanks to Wayne Ellington’s 20 points in the first half. Then in the third, LA went up by as many as 16.
That’s when the Wizards had enough. They went on a 11-0 run in the third, and finished 29-19 to head into the fourth down a single point. John Wall (21 points, 13 assists, 9 rebounds) and the Wizards closed out like any good team does, holding the Lakers to just 16 points to steal a win on the road.
