Mavericks 107 (8-3), Hornets 80 (4-7)
Another game, another milestone for Dirk Nowitzki. In the Mavericks’ blowout over the Hornets last night, Dirk (13 points) hit the 27,000-point mark with the same franchise—only the fourth player in history to do so. Dallas brought their game right from the start, outscoring Charlotte 32-24 in the first quarter, and they kept up the pace throughout the game. They shot 51.2 percent from the field, made possible by a perfect first half from Chandler Parsons (17 points, 9 rebounds, 6 assists) and a perfect game from Tyson Chandler (14 points on 7-7 shooting, 9 rebounds). The visiting Mavs beat the Hornets in multiple categories, outrebounding the home team 50-35 and points in the paint 50-24…including this poster dunk on Bismack Biyombo, courtesy of Al-Farouq Aminu:
Nuggets 106 (3-7), Cavaliers 97 (5-4)
Aside from the Denver Nuggets tweeting back at a bunch of fans in a very entertaining fashion, the squad in Colorado hasn’t exactly had the best season so far. But when they arrived at the Q, the team that lost seven of their last eight games were prepared to win. Led by Arron Afflalo (23 points) and Ty Lawson (24 points and 12 assists), the Nuggets claimed their third win of the season to end the Cavs’ four-game winning streak. LeBron James (22 points and 9 rebounds) battled a cold on Monday, and despite the double-figures from him, Kyrie Irving (20 points and 8 assists), Kevin Love (20 points and 11 rebounds), and Dion Waiters (20 points), the home team walked away with a loss.
Suns 118 (6-5), Celtics 114 (3-6)
Yesterday’s stat line went to Markieff Morris, and it was clearly well-deserved.
#StatLineOfTheNight Markieff Morris drops 30 points (career-high), 7 rebounds, 5 assists, and 4 steals in the Phoenix win.
— NBA.com/Stats (@nbastats) November 18, 2014
Besides the Suns’ 14-point lead in the third quarter, which was cut down quickly with a 19-6 Celtics run, this game remained relatively close throughout and had to go down to the wire. Eric Bledsoe’s (15 points and 7 assists) steal and basket with just under 30 seconds remaining in the game put the Suns up by 2. In the very final seconds, Alex Len (19 points and 7 rebounds) fouled Rajon Rondo (14 points, 10 rebounds, 9 assists) on a 3-point shot attempt. He missed all of the free throws, and the Suns earned their second road win of the season.
Heat 95 (6-5), Nets 83 (4-6)
Heading into the game last night, both the Miami Heat and the Brooklyn Nets were on a three-game skid. With solid performances from Chris Bosh (15 points and 9 rebounds) and Mario Chalmers (22 points and 5 assists), the visiting Heat were crowned the victors. Down by 5 at the half, Miami went on an 11-0 run in the third, which concluded with this pass from Norris Cole (12 points and 3 assists) to James Ennis (10 points and 8 rebounds):
The Nets’ Bojan Bogdanovic had a team-high (22 points) and Deron Williams (14 points and 7 assists) created opportunities for his squad, but the Heat maintained some form of their third quarter lead until the buzzer sounded at the end of the game.
Magic 107 (5-7), Pistons 93 (3-8)
The Orlando Magic handed the Detroit Pistons their second loss in a row, with a road win last night. The Magic players handed each other the ball—a lot—and had 33 assists on the night as a team. Each of the players who saw minutes recorded at least one assist. The majority of clock saw a close game, as both teams shot well from the arc. But the Magic pulled away for good at the end of the fourth with a 3-point shot from Tobias Harris (24 points and 5 steals), one of Orlando’s 13 successful downtown baskets. Caron Butler (20 points and 6 rebounds) had a strong game off the bench for Detroit and Brandon Jennings (18 points and 6 assists) was hot from the arc, but their performances were not enough to prevent the Magic from snagging their fifth win of the season.
Grizzlies 119 (10-1), Rockets 93 (9-2)
The Memphis Grizzlies had to share the honor of having the best record in the NBA season so far with the Houston Rockets, but as you and I already know, that changed last night. The Grizz attacked on their home floor right from the first quarter, outscoring their opponents 34-18. They never surrendered that lead. Instead, they built on it, going up by as many as 36 in the fourth. Seven of Memphis’ players scored double-digits, including Mike Conley (19 points and 6 assists), who had the game-high. Vince Carter had only 2 points on the night, but it was an awesome two points:
Crank it up, Memphis!
Spurs 100 (6-4), Sixers 75 (0-10)
Last season’s NBA Champions made sure their guests at the AT&T Center didn’t forget who they were up against. The Spurs gave the winless Sixers their 10th straight loss. Each of the 12 Spurs contributed to the team’s 100 points at one point or another, but they were led by none other than Matt Bonner (18 points on 7-10 shooting). The Sixers only shot 32.5 percent from the field, and actually outscored the Spurs in the second quarter 21-16, but obviously that didn’t cut it against the proven, veteran, champs.
Trail Blazers 102 (8-3), Pelicans 93 (5-4)
Entering the fourth quarter with a deficit hasn’t presented a problem for the Blazers yet, as they won all three games this season in which that was the case. Last night in particular, hot scoring from the arc (4-6) in the final period gave Damian Lillard (24 points and 7 assists), LaMarcus Aldridge (22 points and 9 rebounds), and the rest of Portland’s squad the edge. They earned their eighth win of the year and fifth in a row, despite a double-double from Anthony Davis (31 points and 11 rebounds) and a 16-point Pelican lead in the third quarter.
Bulls 105 (8-3), Clippers 89 (5-4)
No Rose. No Gasol. But Chicago still serves up some serious competition. In their trip to the Staples Center to face the Clippers last night, the Bulls ran away with a win to maintain a perfect road record. Chicago was down two points heading into the locker room after the first half, but they exploded in the third to outscore the Clips 31-14. Led by Jimmy Butler (22 points, 6 rebounds, 8 assists) and with six of their nine available players in double-digits, the Bulls did just fine stopping Blake Griffin (19 points and 10 rebounds), DeAndre Jordan (10 points and 17 rebounds), and Co. in Lob City on Monday night.
