The Los Angeles Clippers are seizing the moment to make a run at the Los Angeles Lakers, sitting five games back after their convincing win over the Houston Rockets last night. The Lakers will get tested when the league leading Milwaukee Bucks visit the Staples Center tonight.
Denver avoided two ghastly losses by beating the Charlotte Hornets. The Hornets were seeking another big upset like their big win over Toronto last week, but fell short on their last second attempt. Denver had lost to Golden State by 16 in their last outing.
Philadelphia crowned the Kings, and Toronto won again in Golden State’s arena. Different venue, same result.
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Denver Nuggets 114
Charlotte Hornets 112
If the Denver Nuggets had lost to both the Golden State Warriors and then the Charlotte Hornets, there would start to be question marks about their ability to survive the Western Conference playoffs. But Jamal Murray didn’t let that happen when he hit the game winner last night against a Hornets team that was anything but a 10th place team for 47 minutes and 48 seconds. Devonte’ Graham led all scorers with his 24 point, 53.3 percent performance last night. P.J. Washington added 20 and Terry Rozier finished with both 19 points and disappointment as his attempt at a game winning upset shot clanged off the rim and he sat on the hardwood realizing what opportunity had slipped away. Charlotte is six games back of eighth place in the Eastern Conference with 20 games remaining. Work to do.Denver had seven players in double figures, led by Murray (18), Will Barton (16), Monte Morris (15), while it was 14 apiece for both Nikola Jokic and Gary Harris, and 11 each from Paul Millsap and Jerami Grant.
| NUGGETS (42-20) 3rd in the West | HORNETS (21-41) 10th in the East |
| Jamal Murray 18 points – three rebounds – six assists – one steal | Devonte’ Graham 24 points – one rebound – seven assists – one steal |
| Will Barton 16 points – seven rebounds – two assists | P.J. Washington 20 points – six rebounds – three assists – one steal |
| Monte Morris 15 points – one rebound – four assists – one steal – one block | Terry Rozier 19 points – three assists |
NEXT GAMES
Denver at Cleveland – Saturday
Houston at Charlotte – Saturday
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Los Angeles Clippers 120
Houston Rockets 105
“Come at me with that sh*t” … They did, James. And they won. Bigly. The Los Angeles Clippers shot 46 percent to Houston’s paltry 36 percent on the Rockets’ home floor to take the 15 point win and position themselves as the second best team in the Western Conference, behind their Staples Center roomies by five games with 20 games to go. Kawhi Leonard led L.A. with 25 points as the Clippers held James Harden to 23.5 percent from the field, making him eat his words. Meanwhile, last night, Giannis Antetokuonmpo let his game do the talking if you’re keeping score in this MVP feud. Leonard does the same, which is why he should be in the MVP conversation as well, if he didn’t take off a third of the season in load management. Russell Westbrook led the trio of former 2011 Oklahoma City Thunder alumni, like he used to do in 2011. Westbrook had 29 and 15. Jeff Green and Harden finished with 17 and 16, respectively, and just like they did in OKC in 2011, they lost.
| CLIPPERS (43-19) 2nd in the West | ROCKETS (39-22) 4th in the West |
| Kawhi Leonard 25 points – six rebounds – five assists – two steals – one block | Russell Westbrook 29 points – 15 assists – five assists – one steal |
| Montrezl Harrell 19 points – 10 rebounds – two blocks | Jeff Green 17 points – two rebounds – one steal |
| Ivica Zubac 17 points – 12 rebounds – one block | James Harden 16 points – seven rebounds – four assists – one steal |
NEXT GAMES
Los Angeles at Los Angeles – Saturday
Houston at Charlotte – Saturday
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Philadelphia 76ers 125
Sacramento Kings 108
If the Philadelphia 76ers could only play the Sacramento Kings for the final 19 games. Alas, the Kings might win nine of those. Last night, fortune was on Philadelphia’s side as they took the Kings by 17 points for their 38th win of the season. For now, the nine game road losing streak is over. #VFL Tobias Harris shot 50 percent and 66.7 from downtown to lead the Sixers with 28 points and 14 rebounds and Shake Milton continued his shine at the top level by adding 20 to the cause. A couple of former Utah Jazz men, Alec Burks and Raul Neto, combined for an impressive 33 points off the Philadelphia bench. De’Aaron Fox led the Kings with 23 points.
| SIXERS (38-25) 5th in the East | KINGS (27-35) 10th in the West |
| #VFL Tobias Harris 28 points – 14 rebounds – three assists – one block | De’Aaron Fox 23 points – three rebounds – seven assists – one steal – one block |
| Shake Milton 20 points – three rebounds – three assists – one steal – one block | Buddy Hield 22 points – one rebound – one assist – three steals |
| Al Horford 18 points – eight rebounds – six assists | Harrison Barnes 15 points – six rebounds – five assists |
NEXT GAMES
Philadelphia at Golden State – Saturday
Sacramento at Portland – Saturday
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Toronto Raptors 121
Golden State Warriors 113
It was scheduled and billed as a 2019 NBA Finals rematch. That was long before Stephen Curry injured his hand and had to sit most of the 2019-20 season. Curry returned last night, much to the delight of Golden State fans, Curry fans, and fellow Warriors teammates. But the excitement was short lived as the Warriors once again fell to the champs much like the last time that Toronto was in the Bay Area. That score, back on June 13, 2019 was 114-110, a four point win. Last night, the Raptors doubled that up, winning by eight. Curry scored 23 in his return to lead the Warriors. Norman Powell showed up with 37 points to lead all scorers, Kyle Lowry added 26 points and 10 assists, and Pascal Siakam had 17. The Raptors, ironically, clinched their spot in the playoffs against the team they beat for their first championship. Now they’re guaranteed a spot and a chance to defend their title. Thank you, Golden State. They beat them in the old place, they beat them in the new place.
| RAPTORS (44-18) 2nd in the East | WARRIORS (14-49) 15th in the West |
| Norman Powell 37 points – three rebounds – two assists – three steals | Stephen Curry 23 points – seven rebounds – seven asists |
| Kyle Lowry 26 points – five rebounds – 10 assists – two steals | Damion Lee 23 points – five rebounds – three assists – one steal (fouled out) |
| Pascal Siakam 17 points – five rebounds – five assists – one steal – one block | Andrew Wiggins 21 points – nine rebounds – two assists – one block |
NEXT GAMES
Philadelphia at Golden State – Saturday
Toronto at Sacramento – Sunday
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FRIDAY’S LINEUP
(All Times Eastern)
| 7 p.m. Atlanta Hawks Washington Wizards NBC Sports Washington | 7:30 p.m. San Antonio Spurs Brooklyn Nets YES | 7:30 p.m. Oklahoma City Thunder New York Knicks Fox Sports Oklahoma |
| 8 p.m. Utah Jazz Boston Celtics ESPN | 8 p.m. Miami Heat New Orleans Pelicans Fox Sports New Orleans | 8 p.m. Indiana Pacers Chicago Bulls NBC Sports Chicago |
| 8 p.m. Orlando Magic Minnesota Timberwolves Fox Sports North | 8:30 p.m. Memphis Grizzlies Dallas Mavericks Fox Sports Southeast | 9 p.m. Portland Trailblazers Phoenix Suns Fox Sports Arizona |
| 10:30 p.m.Milwaukee Bucks Los Angeles Lakers ESPN |
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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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