Seven games in the NBA last night, and no real surprises, unless you expected the Philadelphia-Milwaukee game to be closer.
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Sacramento Kings 112
Los Angeles Clippers 103
The Sacramento Kings jumped out to a quick lead and that was all they needed to stave off the Los Angeles Clippers at the Staples Center yesterday afternoon. Kent Bazemore, who spent most of the season getting garbage minutes in Portland, stepped up with a season high 23 points in 30 minutes off the bench for the Kings. Kawhi Leonard led all scorers with 31, and the Clippers were without Patrick Beverley’s and Paul George’s services, while Marcus Morris only had six and two, and newcomer Reggie Jackson only had eight and two. It’s nice when George and Leonard play together, but we’ve seen so little of that – maybe they’re saving it for the stretch run.
| KINGS (23-33) 12th in the West | CLIPPERS (37-19) 3rd in the West |
| Kent Bazemore 23 points – six rebounds – one assist – four steals – one block | Kawhi Leonard 31 points – eight rebounds – five assists – two steals |
| Bogdan Bogdanovic 20 points – five rebounds – two assists – one steal | Lou Williams 24 points – four rebounds – two assists – one steal |
| De’Aaron Fox 20 points – four rebounds – eight assists – one steal | Montrezl Harrell 16 points – 10 rebounds – two assists – two steals – one block |
NEXT GAMES
Memphis at Los Angeles – Monday
Sacramento at Golden State – Tuesday
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Brooklyn Nets 115
Charlotte Hornets 86
Without Kyrie Irving, the Brooklyn Nets had one of their best games to date, defeating the Charlotte Hornets at The Hive by nearly 30 points last night, behind a 33-18 third quarter burst, and eight players in double figures. Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot led all scorers with 21 points in a game that saw the Nets devour the Hornets on the boards, 54-45, with Garrett Temple grabbing 11 boards, all defensive. Brooklyn is playing eight of 10 games on the road and are 3-2 halfway through that 10 game span.
| NETS (26-29) 7th in the East | HORNETS (19-37) 10th in the East |
| Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot 21 points – four rebounds | P.J. Washington 16 points – seven rebounds – four assists – one steal |
| Caris LeVert 17 points – three rebounds – two assists – six steals | Malik Monk 15 points – four rebounds – two assists |
| Garrett Temple 15 points – 11 rebounds – three assists – one steal | Cody Zeller 14 points – nine assists |
NEXT GAMES
Orlando at Brooklyn – Monday
Charlotte at Indiana – Tuesday
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Dallas Mavericks 107
Atlanta Hawks 111
You have to wonder if the Atlanta Hawks ever regret trading Luka Doncic to the Dallas Mavericks for Trae Young. After all, Doncic was the No. 3 pick and Atlanta felt Young would be their future. Both ran neck and neck for last season’s Rookie of the Year award, with Doncic coming out on top. But long term, the Hawks love young Rayford. Especially when he combines with John Collins for 60 points in a Hawks home win. That’s right, everybody always overlooks the young kid from Layton, Utah who was drafted at No. 19 a year earlier as the Hawks started laying their foundation for the future. While they’re miles apart in the standings and playoff chances, the Mavs are on the decline right now while the Hawks have been putting some nice wins together. Doncic missed the game to rest an ankle and Kristaps Porzingis sat out to rest his knee. Sad for Atlanta ticket holders who’d hoped to see Young and Doncic compete.
| MAVERICKS (34-23) 7th in the West | HAWKS (17-41) 14th in the East |
| Tim Hardaway, Jr. 33 points – four rebounds – five assists | John Collins 35 points – 17 rebounds – two assists – one steal – two blocks |
| Seth Curry 22 points – six rebounds – five assists – two steals | Trae Young 25 points – six rebounds – 10 assists |
| Delon Wright 14 points – four rebounds – two assists – one steal | Cam Reddish 20 points – six rebounds – three assists – three steals |
NEXT GAMES
Minnesota at Dallas – Monday
Atlanta at Philadelphia – Monday
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Phoenix Suns 112
Chicago Bulls 104
Phoenix outscored the host Chicago Bulls by 13 in the third quarter to pull away and scorch the home team with an eight point win last night. The Suns win spoiled Coby White’s coming out party, as the rookie took the Bulls by the horns and dropped 33 points on the Suns. Zach LaVine added 20 points, but it was all Devin Booker and Deandre Ayton, combining for 57 points, 24 rebounds, and six assists to spoil the party. Ricky Rubio has put a hold on his AARP membership the past couple of games, scoring 18 points, seven rebounds, and dishing out 11 dimes last night.
| SUNS (23-34) 13th in the West | BULLS (19-38) 11th in the East |
| Devin Booker 29 points – five rebounds – five assists – one steal | Coby White 33 points – three rebounds – two assists – one steal |
| Deandre Ayton 28 points – 19 rebounds – one assist – three blocks | Zach LaVine 20 points – four rebounds – five assists – one steal – one block |
| Ricky Rubio 18 points – seven rebounds – 11 assists – two steals | Ryan Arcidiacono 13 points – five rebounds – three assists – one steal |
NEXT GAMES
Washington at Chicago – Tonight
Phoenix at Utah – Monday
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Cleveland Cavaliers 105
Miami Heat 124
It’s tough for anyone to guide the Cleveland Cavaliers to a win when they allow a 44-20 second quarter to happen. So keep your chin up, J.B. Bickerstaff. Besides, Miami needed to win one – they’d lost six of their previous 10 games. The Heat seemed inspired and motivated by the presence of Dwyane Wade and the opportunity to see his No. 3 retired at halftime. Cleveland seemed more inspired by load management, maybe resting up for the encore performance back in Cleveland on Monday night. Last night, it was the kids leading the way, with Kendrick Nunn leading all scorers with 24 points, Duncan Robinson added 19, Bam Adebayo had 15, and the guy with a forever asterisk by his name – alleged Slam Dunk champion Derrick Jones, Jr. – finished with 13 points. Andre Drummond only went for six and six.
| CAVALIERS (15-41) 15th in the East | HEAT (36-20) 4th in the East |
| Cedi Osman 19 points – seven rebounds – seven assists | Kendrick Nunn 24 points – two rebounds – eight assists – two steals – one block |
| Collin Sexton 17 points – two rebounds – nine assists – one steal | Duncan Robinson 19 points – one rebound – three assists |
| Tristan Thompson 16 points – seven rebounds – one assist | Kelly Olynyk 17 points – two rebounds – two assists – two steals – one block |
NEXT GAMES
Miami at Cleveland – Monday
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Philadelphia 76ers 98
Milwaukee Bucks 119
In a game that was purported to be the marquee matchup of last night’s schedule, you’d have had better entertainment value if you’d re-watched Rocky IV. The Philadelphia 76ers were Apollo Creed and the Milwaukee Bucks were Ivan Drago. But do the Sixers have enough Rocky Balboa in them to come back in the second half? No, not last night – they got hammered 63-48 in the second half. Of the season? That remains to be seen. The team seemed more together when they had Jimmy Butler last year. Head coach Brett Brown had better push these boys hard the last 25 games or they might be in the same boat as the Dallas Mavericks – near the bottom of their conference.
| SIXERS (35-22) 5th in the East | BUCKS (48-8) 1st in the East, NBA |
| Joel Embiid 17 points – 11 rebounds – four assists – one steal – one block | Giannis Antetokuonmpo 31 points – 17 rebounds – eight assists – one block |
| Furkan Korkmaz 17 points – five rebounds – one assist | Khris Middleton 25 points – nine rebounds – two assists |
| Shake Milton 17 points – two assists | Eric Bledsoe 12 points – four rebounds – eight assists |
NEXT GAMES
Atlanta at Philadelphia – Monday
Milwaukee at Washington – Monday
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Houston Rockets 120
Utah Jazz 110
The Utah Jazz could have gained some important ground on the visiting Houston Rockets last night, but let a 58-44 second half get in their way and instead finished with the same 36-20 record as the Rockets, with Houston having a slight edge in the seeding. James Harden and Russell Westbrook put together a 72 point clinic in Salt Lake City, combining for 55.2 percent shooting from the field and 52.2 from downtown. Harden hit six three pointers and Westbrook was perfect from the free throw line. Eric Gordon came off the bench for 12, a far cry from the 50 he dropped on Utah last month. Jordan Clarkson and Donovan Mitchell looked much better than their last outing, but a combined 53 wasn’t enough to defeat Houston’s GQ Magazine cover boys.
| ROCKETS (36-20) 4th in the West | JAZZ (36-20) 5th in the West |
| James Harden 38 points – five rebounds – seven assists – two steals – one block | Donovan Mitchell 31 points – seven rebounds – three assists |
| Russell Westbrook 34 points – six rebounds – four assists – one steal | Jordan Clarkson 22 points – seven rebounds – one assist – one steal |
| Ben McLemore 12 points – four rebounds | Mike Conley 13 points – seven rebounds – seven assists |
NEXT GAMES
New York at Houston – Monday
Phoenix at Utah – Monday
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SUNDAY’S LINEUP
(All Times Eastern)
| 3:30 p.m. Boston Celtics Los Angeles Lakers ABC | 6 p.m. Minnesota Timberwolves Denver Nuggets NBATV | 6 p.m. Indiana Pacers Toronto Raptors Fox Sports Indiana |
| 7 p.m. San Antonio Spurs Oklahoma City Thunder Fox Sports Southwest | 7 p.m. Washington Wizards Chicago Bulls NBC Sports Chicago | 8:30 p.m. New Orleans Pelicans Golden State Warriors NBATV |
| 9 p.m. Detroit Pistons Portland Trailblazers Fox Sports Detroit |
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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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