NBA
March 1, 2018

Post Up: Blatant Disrespect

Rockets 105 (48-13), Clippers 92 (32-28)

The Rockets beat the Clippers to finish a perfect February and win their 14th in a row. But what fans will really remember was a play in the first quarter when James Harden pulled off one of the most disrespectful moves you’ll ever see.

A closer look:

That shouldn’t be allowed. The Rockets jumped all over the Clippers early, and while L.A. was able to cut the deficit to a respectable margin in the second half, Houston was never truly threatened. Harden had 25 to lead the way and Tobias Harris had 24 for the Clippers.

Pistons 110 (29-32), Bucks 87 (33-28)

Andre Drummond had 15 points and 16 rebounds as the Pistons dominated the Bucks inside en route to a 23-point victory. Overall, Detroit out-rebounded Milwaukee 57-35 and outscored the Bucks 56-34 in the paint. Eric Bledsoe and Stanley Johnson each had 19 points to lead all scorers.

Raptors 117 (43-17), Magic 104 (18-43)

Toronto’s red-hot stretch continued as DeMar DeRozan scored 21 points to lead the Raptors to their 11th win in 13 games. Kyle Lowry had 17 more on 4-8 shooting from three and Toronto shot 54 percent from the field overall. In a game that was close most of the way, the Raptors closed on a 20-8 run. Evan Fournier and Mario Hezonja each had 17 to lead the Magic.

Hawks 107 (19-43), Pacers 102 (34-27)

After the Hawks mascot and Victor Oladipo engaged in a heated game of rock, paper, scissors, Atlanta pulled off a close win in a game that left Pacers coach Nate McMillan frustrated. McMillan said the Pacers got outworked, and to make matters worse, they committed 24 turnovers. Bojan Bogdanovic had 26 to lead the Pacers and John Collins had 16 for Atlanta.

Celtics 134 (44-19), Hornets 106 (28-34)

Kyrie Irving and Kemba Walker dueled in the first half, each putting up more than 20 points, but Irving and the Celtics got the better of Charlotte in the second half. The Celtics outscored the Hornets 36-20 in the third quarter to take control and they never looked back. Irving had 34 points on 13-18 shooting and Walker finished with 23. The Celtics are now 4-0 since the All-Star Break.

Warriors 109 (48-14), Wizards 101 (36-26)

Kevin Durant had 32 points in a homecoming game in DC to help the Warriors hold off the Wizards. Otto Porter Jr. had 29 to lead Washington, but as a team, the Wizards shot just 40 percent. Golden State has now won four in a row and seven out of eight.

Suns 110 (19-44), Grizzlies 102 (18-42)

It took until the last day of the month, but the Suns finally won a game in February. They snapped their 10-game losing streak behind 34 points from Devin Booker and 29 from Josh Jackson. On the other side, the Grizzlies have now lost 11 in a row and went 0-for-February. They were led by Marc Gasol, who had 22 points and 13 rebounds.

Thunder 111 (36-27), Mavericks 110 (OT) (19-43)

Dwight Powell sent the game to overtime on a put-back at the buzzer, but Russell Westbrook won it for the Thunder in the extra session on a three-point play. Westbrook finished with 30 points, 11 rebounds, and seven assists. Powell had a career-high 21 points and Harrison Barnes led Dallas with 26. Dirk Nowitzki had 12 more and became the sixth player in NBA history to surpass 31,000 points in his career.

Pelicans 121 (35-26), Spurs 116 (36-26)

The Pelicans trailed by as many as 15, but outscored the Spurs 34-21 in the fourth quarter to come back and win. Even worse for the already-short-handed Spurs, LaMarcus Aldridge went down with an ankle injury in the first half and did not return. Anthony Davis had 26 points and 15 rebounds to lead the Pelicans, who have now won seven in a row. Rudy Gay had 19 for the Spurs.

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