Cavaliers Rally To Defeat Magic Away From Home
The Cleveland Cavaliers defeated the Orlando Magic, 118-94, at Amway Center on Thursday.
The Cavaliers (51-30) had to overcome a slow start to get past the Magic (34-46), but their dominance in the second half was enough to get the job done. Orlando raced out to a 42-33 score in the first quarter and seemed in control in the early going. However, the Cavaliers responded with a dominant 34-15 score in the second quarter, turning a nine-point deficit into a 10-point lead at halftime. The Cavaliers didn’t step their foot off the gas in the second half and won the third quarter by a 28-16 score. Cleveland later closed things out with a 23-21 score in the final 12 minutes of action, ultimately cruising to a 24-point win that didn’t fully reflect how the game happened. With the win, the Cavaliers moved to 20-21 on the road, while the Magic fell to 20-21 at home.
Danny Green led the Cavaliers in scoring despite coming off the bench after recording 21 points across 26 minutes. Green also connected five of nine threes while adding three rebounds, three assists and three steals. Cedi Osman finished with 19 points, five rebounds and four assists. Lamar Stevens finished with 13 points, six rebounds and two steals. Isaiah Mobley had 18 points, four rebounds and three steals. Mamadi Diakite had 13 points and eight boards.
Jalen Suggs led the Magic with 22 points, five rebounds and four assists. Bol Bol ended with 18 points, eight rebounds and three assists. Jay Scrubb finished with 11 points while coming off the bench. Moritz Wagner recorded nine points, four boards and two assists as well.
The Cavaliers (51-30) had to overcome a slow start to get past the Magic (34-46), but their dominance in the second half was enough to get the job done. Orlando raced out to a 42-33 score in the first quarter and seemed in control in the early going. However, the Cavaliers responded with a dominant 34-15 score in the second quarter, turning a nine-point deficit into a 10-point lead at halftime. The Cavaliers didn’t step their foot off the gas in the second half and won the third quarter by a 28-16 score. Cleveland later closed things out with a 23-21 score in the final 12 minutes of action, ultimately cruising to a 24-point win that didn’t fully reflect how the game happened. With the win, the Cavaliers moved to 20-21 on the road, while the Magic fell to 20-21 at home.
Danny Green led the Cavaliers in scoring despite coming off the bench after recording 21 points across 26 minutes. Green also connected five of nine threes while adding three rebounds, three assists and three steals. Cedi Osman finished with 19 points, five rebounds and four assists. Lamar Stevens finished with 13 points, six rebounds and two steals. Isaiah Mobley had 18 points, four rebounds and three steals. Mamadi Diakite had 13 points and eight boards.
Jalen Suggs led the Magic with 22 points, five rebounds and four assists. Bol Bol ended with 18 points, eight rebounds and three assists. Jay Scrubb finished with 11 points while coming off the bench. Moritz Wagner recorded nine points, four boards and two assists as well.
Heat Blasts 76ers, 129-101
The Miami Heat defeated the Philadelphia 76ers, 129-101, at Wells Fargo Center on Thursday night.
The Heat (43-37) checked into the night still fighting for a chance to move up to the No. 6 seed, and they played like a team with no shortage of urgency during a first half in which they built a 67-46 lead. The 76ers (52-28) played their best offensive quarter in the third period while compiling 32 points, but that only made a three-point dent in their deficit. Miami shot 55.7 percent, including 46.2 percent from three-point range, and outrebounded Philadelphia by a 42-32 margin.
Jimmy Butler and Tyler Herro co-led the Heat with 24 points apiece while adding six and five assists, respectively. Bam Adebayo delivered 14 points, eight rebounds and one assist. Max Strus matched Adebayo's scoring and recorded four dimes. Caleb Martin supplied 13 points, seven rebounds and five assists. Kyle Lowry totaled 11 points, seven assists, five rebounds and one steal.
Joel Embiid paced the 76ers with 21 points, complementing them with six rebounds, two assists and two blocks. James Harden registered 14 points, four rebounds and four assists. Tobias Harris and Shake Milton generated matching 11-point tallies while posting five rebounds and 10 assists, respectively. Jalen McDaniels furnished 10 points, one assist and four steals.
The Heat remains on the road and visits the Washington Wizards on Friday night, while the 76ers hit the road and visit the Atlanta Hawks on Friday night as well.
The Heat (43-37) checked into the night still fighting for a chance to move up to the No. 6 seed, and they played like a team with no shortage of urgency during a first half in which they built a 67-46 lead. The 76ers (52-28) played their best offensive quarter in the third period while compiling 32 points, but that only made a three-point dent in their deficit. Miami shot 55.7 percent, including 46.2 percent from three-point range, and outrebounded Philadelphia by a 42-32 margin.
Jimmy Butler and Tyler Herro co-led the Heat with 24 points apiece while adding six and five assists, respectively. Bam Adebayo delivered 14 points, eight rebounds and one assist. Max Strus matched Adebayo's scoring and recorded four dimes. Caleb Martin supplied 13 points, seven rebounds and five assists. Kyle Lowry totaled 11 points, seven assists, five rebounds and one steal.
Joel Embiid paced the 76ers with 21 points, complementing them with six rebounds, two assists and two blocks. James Harden registered 14 points, four rebounds and four assists. Tobias Harris and Shake Milton generated matching 11-point tallies while posting five rebounds and 10 assists, respectively. Jalen McDaniels furnished 10 points, one assist and four steals.
The Heat remains on the road and visits the Washington Wizards on Friday night, while the 76ers hit the road and visit the Atlanta Hawks on Friday night as well.
Spurs Edge Trail Blazers In San Antonio
By Dan Bruno
The San Antonio Spurs defeated the visiting Portland Trail Blazers, 129-127, at AT-and-T Center on Thursday evening.
The game got out to a high-scoring start as the Trail Blazers led, 37-32, after one quarter. The Spurs picked up momentum in the second and outscored the visitors, 37-24, to carry an eight-point advantage into the break. The Trail Blazers came out on fire in the third and poured in 39 points, which was enough to gain a two-point edge heading into the final frame. The score stayed close through the fourth, but the Spurs came up clutch in the end to close out the home win.
Keita Bates-Diop led the Spurs with 25 points, six rebounds, four assists and a block, in 26 minutes. Julian Champagnie tallied 24 points, five rebounds and two steals, while Keldon Johnson finished with 24 points, five rebounds, four assists and a steal. The Spurs shot 44.3 percent from the field, including 10-of-35 from long range.
Meanwhile, Kevin Knox led the Knicks with 24 points, three rebounds and two assists, in 24 minutes. Drew Eubanks followed up with 23 points, nine rebounds, two assists and five blocks, while Trendon Watford added 16 points, six rebounds, three steals and a block. The Trial Blazers shot 53.1 percent from the field, including 10-of-28 from deep.
The Trail Blazers (33-47) will look to bounce back as they take on the Clippers in L.A. on Saturday. The Spurs (21-59) play host to the Timberwolves on Saturday.
The game got out to a high-scoring start as the Trail Blazers led, 37-32, after one quarter. The Spurs picked up momentum in the second and outscored the visitors, 37-24, to carry an eight-point advantage into the break. The Trail Blazers came out on fire in the third and poured in 39 points, which was enough to gain a two-point edge heading into the final frame. The score stayed close through the fourth, but the Spurs came up clutch in the end to close out the home win.
Keita Bates-Diop led the Spurs with 25 points, six rebounds, four assists and a block, in 26 minutes. Julian Champagnie tallied 24 points, five rebounds and two steals, while Keldon Johnson finished with 24 points, five rebounds, four assists and a steal. The Spurs shot 44.3 percent from the field, including 10-of-35 from long range.
Meanwhile, Kevin Knox led the Knicks with 24 points, three rebounds and two assists, in 24 minutes. Drew Eubanks followed up with 23 points, nine rebounds, two assists and five blocks, while Trendon Watford added 16 points, six rebounds, three steals and a block. The Trial Blazers shot 53.1 percent from the field, including 10-of-28 from deep.
The Trail Blazers (33-47) will look to bounce back as they take on the Clippers in L.A. on Saturday. The Spurs (21-59) play host to the Timberwolves on Saturday.
Thunder Defeat Jazz, 114-98
The Oklahoma City Thunder defeated the host Utah Jazz, 114-98, at Vivint Arena on Thursday.
There were only five ties and two lead changes in this game, with Oklahoma City kicking things off with a 32-25 first quarter. The key stretch spanned between the third and fourth quarters, with a 19-2 run giving OKC its largest lead of the game. The Thunder shot 15-of-45 from three-point range and 21-of-26 from the free-throw line while holding the Jazz to 5-of-31 from long range and 11-of-16 from the charity stripe. OKC also out-rebounded Utah, 60-50, while outscoring them in second-chance points, 24-10.
The Thunder (39-42) were led by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, accruing 22 points, seven rebounds and seven assists. Josh Giddey generated 17 points, eight rebounds, eight assists and three steals. Jalen Williams amassed 11 points, six rebounds and two assists, while Aaron Wiggins led the bench with 15 points, four rebounds, three assists and three steals. Dario Saric also provided 14 points, 10 rebounds and two blocks off the pine.
The Jazz (36-44) were led by Kris Dunn, collecting 22 points, seven rebounds and eight assists on 9-of-10 shooting. Kelly Olynyk compiled 16 points, 14 rebounds and eight assists. Udoka Azbuike totaled 12 points and seven rebounds, while Simone Fontecchio led the bench with 11 points and three boards.
Oklahoma City will play their season finale on Sunday, welcoming the Memphis Grizzlies to OKC. As for Utah, they stay home to face the Denver Nuggets on Saturday before their finale on Sunday.
There were only five ties and two lead changes in this game, with Oklahoma City kicking things off with a 32-25 first quarter. The key stretch spanned between the third and fourth quarters, with a 19-2 run giving OKC its largest lead of the game. The Thunder shot 15-of-45 from three-point range and 21-of-26 from the free-throw line while holding the Jazz to 5-of-31 from long range and 11-of-16 from the charity stripe. OKC also out-rebounded Utah, 60-50, while outscoring them in second-chance points, 24-10.
The Thunder (39-42) were led by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, accruing 22 points, seven rebounds and seven assists. Josh Giddey generated 17 points, eight rebounds, eight assists and three steals. Jalen Williams amassed 11 points, six rebounds and two assists, while Aaron Wiggins led the bench with 15 points, four rebounds, three assists and three steals. Dario Saric also provided 14 points, 10 rebounds and two blocks off the pine.
The Jazz (36-44) were led by Kris Dunn, collecting 22 points, seven rebounds and eight assists on 9-of-10 shooting. Kelly Olynyk compiled 16 points, 14 rebounds and eight assists. Udoka Azbuike totaled 12 points and seven rebounds, while Simone Fontecchio led the bench with 11 points and three boards.
Oklahoma City will play their season finale on Sunday, welcoming the Memphis Grizzlies to OKC. As for Utah, they stay home to face the Denver Nuggets on Saturday before their finale on Sunday.
Suns Defeat Shorthanded Nuggets, 119-115
The Phoenix Suns defeated the visiting Denver Nuggets, 119-115, at Footprint Center on Thursday.
Denver rested all of their starters in this game, but it was much closer than Phoenix would have hoped. The Nuggets actually led 107-106 with four minutes remaining, but the Suns ripped off a 10-0 run to take control of this game. There were 14 ties and 23 lead changes in total, with neither team grabbing a double-digit lead. Neither team led by more than six points until that 10-0 run by the Suns in the closing minutes to give them a game-high nine-point lead. Phoenix shot 17-of-36 from three-point range, while Denver connected on just 8-of-23.
The Nuggets (52-28) were led by Bruce Brown, finishing with 31 points, six rebounds and four assists. Reggie Jackson registered 20 points, three rebounds, six assists and two steals. Christian Braun totaled 15 points, four rebounds, three assists and two steals, while Deandre Jordan amassed 12 points and 11 rebounds.
The Suns (45-35) were led by Kevin Durant, collecting 29 points, seven rebounds and four assists. Chris Paul provided 25 points, six rebounds and two assists. Deandre Ayton accrued 16 points, five rebounds, two assists and two blocks, while Devin Booker had 15 points and eight assists. Torrey Craig led the bench with 11 points, three rebounds and two assists.
Phoenix has to play again on Friday, traveling to face the Los Angeles Lakers. As for Denver, they return to action on Saturday in a road matchup with the Utah Jazz.
Denver rested all of their starters in this game, but it was much closer than Phoenix would have hoped. The Nuggets actually led 107-106 with four minutes remaining, but the Suns ripped off a 10-0 run to take control of this game. There were 14 ties and 23 lead changes in total, with neither team grabbing a double-digit lead. Neither team led by more than six points until that 10-0 run by the Suns in the closing minutes to give them a game-high nine-point lead. Phoenix shot 17-of-36 from three-point range, while Denver connected on just 8-of-23.
The Nuggets (52-28) were led by Bruce Brown, finishing with 31 points, six rebounds and four assists. Reggie Jackson registered 20 points, three rebounds, six assists and two steals. Christian Braun totaled 15 points, four rebounds, three assists and two steals, while Deandre Jordan amassed 12 points and 11 rebounds.
The Suns (45-35) were led by Kevin Durant, collecting 29 points, seven rebounds and four assists. Chris Paul provided 25 points, six rebounds and two assists. Deandre Ayton accrued 16 points, five rebounds, two assists and two blocks, while Devin Booker had 15 points and eight assists. Torrey Craig led the bench with 11 points, three rebounds and two assists.
Phoenix has to play again on Friday, traveling to face the Los Angeles Lakers. As for Denver, they return to action on Saturday in a road matchup with the Utah Jazz.