After a brief intermission for a jaunt out to the college basketball triangle of Winston-Salem/Greensboro, Raleigh, and Chapel Hill, and a side trek to Charlotte, The Rundown is back with last night’s nine games and the scores of Saturday and Sunday as well.
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Charlotte Hornets 87
Detroit Pistons 76
The Charlotte Hornets finished last night’s game nearly mirroring the way they started it. After opening with a 21-11 first quarter, they ended with a 21-17 fourth quarter in a game you’d swear was coached by Mike Fratello on both sides of the ball, as they stung the Detroit Pistons on the road. In the second half of the season, the mantle of the team seems to be transitioning from Terry Rozier and Devonte’ Graham to Miles Bridges and Malik Monk, though Graham had the nicest line of the night last night. Charlotte’s win snaps a five game losing streak, and they’ve won 10 straight over the Detroit Pistons.
| HORNETS (17-36) 12th in the East | PISTONS (19-37) 11th in the East |
| Miles Bridges 18 points – seven rebounds – one assist | Thon Maker 12 points – 12 rebounds – one assist – one steal – two blocks |
| Malik Monk 17 points – three rebounds – one assist – three steals | Bruce Brown 10 points – 12 rebounds – five assists |
| Devonte’ Graham 14 points – seven rebounds – 11 assists – two steals – one block | Christian Wood 10 points – eight rebounds – one assist |
NEXT GAMES
Charlotte at Minnesota – Wednesday
Detroit at Orlando – Wednesday
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Brooklyn Nets 106
Indiana Pacers 105
The Indiana Pacers have lost six straight games. So much for getting Victor Oladipo back, huh? The Brooklyn Nets beat the Pacers for the first time this season last night on a last second shot by Spencer Dinwiddie, though the lead changed hands three times in the final 27 ticks. Malcolm Brogdon had a chance to do the same for Indiana, but he missed, giving the Nets the win and Indiana their sixth loss. Oladipo had 12 points.
| NETS (24-28) 7th in the East | PACERS (31-23) 6th in the East |
| Spencer Dinwiddie 21 points – 11 rebounds – six assists – one block | Domantas Sabonis 23 points – 10 rebounds – 11 assists – one steal |
| Joe Harris 15 points – eight rebounds – two assists | T.J. Warren 19 points – one rebound – two assists – two steals |
| Taurean Prince 14 points – three rebounds – one block | Myles Turner 15 points – five rebounds – three assists – one steal |
NEXT GAMES
Toronto at Brooklyn – Wednesday
Milwaukee at Indiana – Wednesday
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Atlanta Hawks 126
Orlando Magic 135
After going double overtime in a win over the New York Knicks on Sunday night, it seemed the momentum favored the Atlanta Hawks going into Orlando last night. And through three quarters, it did, with the visiting Hawks up 96-93 heading into the fourth. That’s when it all caught up with them, and the Magic took advantage, scoring 42 points to Atlanta’s 30 and taking the nine-point win outright. Trae Young outscored everyone in vain, as the starting lineup for the Magic combined for 93 of their 135, making a 79 point second half work in their favor to win their first game at home in their last six attempts.
| HAWKS (15-40) 14th in the East | MAGIC (23-31) 8th in the East |
| Trae Young 29 points – one rebound – nine assists | Aaron Gordon 26 points – nine rebounds – four assists – one block |
| John Collins 22 points – eight rebounds – two assists – one block | Nikola Vucevic 24 points – nine rebounds – nine assists – one block |
| Dewayne Dedmon 14 points – nine rebounds – one assist – two blocks | Evan Fournier 22 points – three rebounds – two steals – one block |
NEXT GAMES
Atlanta at Cleveland – Wednesday
Detroit st Orlando – Wednesday
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Minnesota Timberwolves 126
Toronto Raptors 137
The Milwaukee Bucks may only have half the losses that the Toronto Raptors have, but right now, the reigning NBA champs are the hottest team in the Eastern Conference, having just nailed down their franchise best 15th consecutive win over the visiting Minnesota Timberwolves, who were destined to lose. The T’Wolves have not won a game north of the border since January 21, 2004. Karl-Anthony Towns and new bestie D’Angelo Russell combined for 45 points, but the starting lineup of the Raptors was a combined 123 of Toronto’s 137 as the champs went small to outrun the Wolves.
| TIMBERWOLVES (16-36) 14th in the West | RAPTORS (40-14) 2nd in the East |
| Karl-Anthony Towns 23 points – 10 rebounds – seven assists – one steal – one block | Pascal Siakam 34 points – five rebounds – six assists – two steals – one block |
| D’Angelo Russell 22 points – five assists – one steal | Kyle Lowry 27 points – seven rebounds – 11 assists – one steal – two blocks |
| Juancho Hernangomez 15 points – five rebounds – one assist | O.G. Anunoby 25 points – 12 rebounds – three assists – three steals – one block |
NEXT GAMES
Charlotte at Minnesota – Wednesday
Toronto at Brooklyn – Wednesday
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Sacramento Kings 111
Milwaukee Bucks 123
Milwaukee shellacked the Sacramento Kings by 14 points in both the first quarter and the fourth quarter to take the 12 point win on the road last night, to win their fifth straight, improve their road record to 21-4, and win their ninth game in their last 10. The only team better than that is the aforementioned Toronto Raptors, who have won 15 straight and are 6.5 games back of the Bucks in the overall standings. And all of this without Giannis Antetokuonmpo, who missed the game to attend to the birth of his first child. Khris Middleton and Eric Bledsoe combined for 56, with 28 apiece, while Brook Lopez added 20, Sterling Brown had 11, and Wesley Matthews added 10 points. Harrison Barnes and De’Aaron Fox combined for 40 in the loss.
| KINGS (21-32) 12th in the West | BUCKS (46-7) 1st in the East, NBA |
| Harrison Barnes 23 points – three rebounds – three assists – one steal | Khris Middleton 28 points – 11 rebounds – eight assists – one steal |
| De’Aaron Fox 17 points – eight rebounds – 11 assists – one block | Eric Bledsoe 28 points – eight rebounds – eight assists – one steal |
| Bogdan Bogdanovic 16 points – five rebounds – two assists – one block | Brook Lopez 20 points – two rebounds – two assists – three blocks |
NEXT GAMES
Sacramento at Dallas – Wednesday
Milwaukee at Indiana – Wednesday
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Utah Jazz 123
Dallas Mavericks 119
The win that the NBA officiating crew handed the Utah Jazz over the Portland Trailblazers last weekend seemed to have breathed new life into the Jazz, who won their third straight game last night in Dallas against the suddenly struggling Mavericks. Dallas has competed mightily, but in vain, without Luka Doncic, only winning four of their last 10 games. No last second bail outs or last second shots from Bojan Bogdanovic in last night’s game. Just good, honest, blue collar basketball where Tim Hardaway, Jr. shot the lights out for Dallas, but Jordan Clarkson and Donovan Mitchell were more consistent for the Jazz, combining for 48 points.
| JAZZ (35-18) 4th in the West | MAVERICKS (32-22) 7th in the West |
| Jordan Clarkson 25 points – five rebounds – eight assists – one block (fouled out) | Tim Hardaway, Jr. 33 points – three rebounds – three assists – one steal |
| Donovan Mitchell 23 points – four rebounds – two assists | Kristaps Porzingis 28 points – five rebounds – one assist – one steal – two blocks |
| Bojan Bogdanovic 23 points – three rebounds – two assists | Seth Curry 15 points – three rebounds – two assists – one steal |
NEXT GAMES
Miami at Utah – Wednesday
Sacramento at Dallas – Wednesday
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San Antonio Spurs 120
Denver Nuggets 127
The San Antonio Spurs may have jumped out on the Denver Nuggets 40-30 in the first quarter last night in the Pepsi Center, but that seems to be a common theme for the Nuggets – feel the team out in the first quarter, and then counterattack, which the Nuggets did for their 38th win in 54 games. Denver came back from a 23 point deficit to take the seven point win on the shoulders of Jamal Murray, who scored 14 of his 26 points in the fourth quarter. DeMar DeRozan was out for the Spurs with back spasms.
| SPURS (22-31) 10th in the West | NUGGETS (38-16) 2nd in the West |
| LaMarcus Aldridge 33 points – six rebounds – five assists – one steal | Jamal Murray 26 points – two rebounds – six assists – one steal |
| Derrick White 15 points – two rebounds – four assists | Paul Millsap 22 points – seven rebounds – three assists – two steals – one block |
| Dejounte Murray 14 points – six rebounds – nine assists – one steal | Nikola Jokic 19 points – eight rebounds – 13 assists – one block |
NEXT GAMES
San Antonio at Oklahoma City – Tonight
Los Angeles at Denver – Wednesday
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Miami Heat 113
Golden State Warriors 101
Miami, struggling on this Western swing, put together a 38-23 second quarter to push themselves past the host Golden State Warriors, and ensure that their 53rd game of the season came out as a win. It was the first win on this six game sojourn, which had included losses at Los Angeles, Sacramento, and Portland prior to last night’s win. They still have Utah in Salt Lake City on Wednesday and Atlanta on Thursday before they break for All Star and head home. Jimmy Butler returned to lead the Heat, while Damion Lee led all scorers with 26 points for Golden State.
| HEAT (35-18) 4th in the East | WARRIORS (12-42) 15th in the West |
| Jimmy Butler 21 points – 10 rebounds – five assists – four steals – one block | Damion Lee 26 points – two rebounds – one assist |
| Jae Crowder 21 points – eight rebounds – three steals | Andrew Wiggins 18 points – two rebounds – four assists |
| Duncan Robinson 17 points – one rebound – three assists | Marquese Chriss 17 points – nine rebounds – two steals – one block |
NEXT GAMES
Miami at Utah – Wednesday
Golden State at Phoenix – Wednesday
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Phoenix Suns 100
Los Angeles Lakers 125
L.A. turned on the juice in the second half, outscoring the visiting Phoenix Suns, 64-48, to take the 25 point win, their 40th win of the season. Milwaukee and Toronto had reached the 40 win plateau already. It was the veterans combining for 65 of the Lakers’ 125 that led the way for L.A. It also helped that Devin Booker shot a paltry 18 percent on the Staples Center floor and that Kelly Oubre, Jr. came off the bench, only scoring 10 points. And, of course, it helps that they’re the Lakers, seemingly coming together in the second half of the season when it matters.
| SUNS (21-33) 13th in the West | LAKERS (40-12) 1st in the West |
| Mikal Bridges 18 points – six rebounds – three assists – one steal – one block | Anthony Davis 25 points – 10 rebounds – five assists – one steal – one block |
| Cheick Diallo 15 points – four rebounds – three assists – one block | Rajon Rondo 23 points – four rebounds – six assists – one steal |
| Ricky Rubio 13 points – three rebounds – five assists – one steal | LeBron James 17 points – eight rebounds – nine assists – one steal |
NEXT GAMES
Golden State at Phoenix – Wednesday
Los Angeles at Denver – Wednesday
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TUESDAY’S LINEUP
(All Times Eastern Standard Time)
| 7 p.m. Los Angeles Clippers Philadelphia 76ers TNT | 7 p.m. Chicago Bulls Washington Wizards NBC Sports Chicago | 8 p.m. Portland Trailblazers New Orleans Pelicans Fox Sports New Orleans |
| 8 p.m. San Antonio Spurs Oklahoma City Thunder Fox Sports Southwest | 9:30 p.m. Boston Celtics Houston Rockets TNT |
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SUNDAY’S SCORES
| Utah Jazz 114 Houston Rockets 113 | Los Angeles Clippers 133 Cleveland Cavaliers 92 | Miami Heat 109 Portland Trailblazers 115 |
| Boston Celtics 112 Oklahoma City Thunder 111 | New York Knicks 135 Atlanta Hawks 140 (2OT) | Chicago Bulls 111 Philadelphia 76ers 118 |
| Memphis Grizzlies 106 Washington Wizards 99 |
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SATURDAY’S SCORES
| Milwaukee Bucks 111 Orlando Magic 95 | New York Knicks 95 Detroit Pistons 92 | Dallas Mavericks 116 Charlotte Hornets 100 |
| New Orleans Pelicans 124 Indiana Pacers 117 | Brooklyn Nets 118 Toronto Raptors 119 | Los Angeles Clippers 115 Minnesota T’Wolves 142 |
| Los Angeles Lakers 125 Golden State Warriors 120 | Denver Nuggets 117 Phoenix Suns 108 | San Antonio Spurs 102 Sacramento Kings 122 |
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Tracy Graven is a Senior NBA Analyst for BackSportsPage.com.
He has written the NBA, and done NBA radio, for the last two decades for HoopsWorld, Swish Magazine, and HoopsHype, the Coach Scott Fields Show and NBARadioShow.com, and is also tackling the NFL, NCAA, and will be pinch-hitting on some Major League Baseball coverage for BackSportsPage.
He’s spent 20 years in locker rooms in
- Orlando
- Boise (G League)
- San Antonio
- Phoenix
- Denver
- Oklahoma City
- Atlanta
A corporate trainer by day, he currently resides in SEC Country near Knoxville, Tennessee.
Reach him on Twitter at @RealTMoneyMedia
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