document stringlengths 723 3.88k | summary stringlengths 35 2.47k |
|---|---|
The San Antonio Spurs (17 - 4) held off the Boston Celtics (11 - 9) 108 - 105 to keep their home court undefeated streak alive. The Spurs came into this game 100 at home with a dominating 17 - point differential average and they were fortunate to keep that streak alive here. This game came down to the wire, even though the Spurs led by 17 points late in the third quarter. San Antonio outrebounded Boston 48 - 39 and outshot them 52 percent to 45 percent. Even though it goes down as a loss in the record book, this is a game the young Celtics can build off of. Boston came into this game as double - digit underdogs and nearly escaped with an impressive win. They were trailing big, but fought back to make it a two - point game with 10 seconds left. They couldn’t quite pull it off, but it was a great effort all - around. Boston was led by Isaiah Thomas, who tallied 23 points, eight assists and four rebounds in the loss. The team had four players score 16 or more points and that’s indicative of this teams nature, as they play team - ball in an individualized sport. The Celtics will look to rebound when they take on the disappointing New Orleans Pelicans on Monday. The Spurs did not have a single player who scored more than 17 points, but that's not a huge surprise with this San Antonio team. The bench was spectacular, as they combined for 54 points, 22 rebounds and 11 assists in the win. The high - scorer for the Spurs on this evening was LaMarcus Aldridge, who collected 17 points and eight rebounds. The Spurs are quietly putting together another fantastic start to the season and they are going to be tough to beat at home come playoff time. Up next for San Antonio is the one - win Philadelphia 76ers on Monday, in what could very well be a lopsided game. | ["TeamStat(G,'Spurs') has 4 Percentage of field goals ,has 108 Losses ,has 17 Total points ."
"TeamStat(G,'Celtics') has 45 Percentage of field goals ,has 9 Losses ,has 105 Total points ,has 11 Wins ."] |
In a battle between two injury - riddled teams, the Pelicans were able to prevail for their second win. Both teams shot just 29 percent from three - point range, but the Celtics took 41 attempts to the Pelicans 21. New Orleans took advantage of the happy whistle, as they went 30 - of - 36 from the free - throw line, to Boston's 17 - of - 20. Avery Bradley's 18 points and 10 rebounds continued a rare feat, as he now has four double - doubles this season, while leading the Celtics in rebounding. Isaiah Thomas carried the load though, as he scored a game - high 37 points and dished out seven assists. Anthony Davis had to do even more than Thomas, as his 25 points and 16 rebounds left him as the only Pelican starter with more than 10 points or four boards. Terrence Jones and Langston Galloway were a huge spark off the bench, as they combined for 36 points, 11 rebounds, four assists, three steals and two blocks in the win. In contrast, the six players who came off the Boston bench combined for just 20 points, 12 rebounds, three assists and four steals. | ["TeamStat(G,'Pelicans') has 29 Percentage of 3 points ,has 2 Wins ."
"TeamStat(G,'Celtics') has 29 Percentage of 3 points ."] |
The visiting Minnesota Timberwolves defeated the Houston Rockets, 119 - 105, Wednesday at Target Center. The Timberwolves (13 - 26) were without one of their young stars in Zach LaVine (hip) in Wednesday's showdown with one of the NBA's best teams, but it ended up not mattering, as Minnesota managed to lead from start to finish on the backs of their other two stars, Andrew Wiggins and Karl-Anthony Towns. Wiggins led the way scoring, putting up 28 points in 38 minutes, while Towns managed to post a monster double - double of 23 points and 18 rebounds. Shabazz Muhammed also added a stellar performance off the bench, as he scored 20 points and grabbed seven rebounds in 30 minutes as a reserve. As a team, it was a great all - around effort for the Wolves, as six players managed to score in double - figures Wednesday night. As for the Rockets (31 - 10), the loss ended their nine - game win streak, but even in defeat, MVP-candidate James Harden still managed to put up spectacular numbers, posting 30 points, 12 assists and six rebounds in 39 minutes. Their problems stemmed from their lack of bench production, however, as without Eric Gordon (toe) for the second straight game, the bench lacked its usual luster and produced just 29 total points. The loss is just a minor scratch on the Rockets' season however, as the team has now put win streaks of nine and ten games together over the past month and remain just a half - game behind the Spurs for first place in the Southwest Division. Up next, the Timberwolves will look to extend their win streak to three games when they take on the Thunder on Friday, while the Rockets look to start a new win streak Friday against the Grizzlies. | ["TeamStat(G,'Timberwolves') has 26 Losses ,has 119 Total points ,has 13 Wins ."
"TeamStat(G,'Rockets') has 10 Losses ,has 105 Total points ,has 31 Wins ."] |
Tim Hardaway Jr. is easily having the most productive season of his young NBA career this year, and he has had plenty of standout performances as a result. However, those performances have not always translated to wins for his team, and Wednesday was yet another example. Hardaway Jr. finished with a game - high 29 points on an efficient 9 - of - 16 shooting from the field, but his team fell short against the Wizards 104 - 100. In the 18 games this season where Hardaway Jr. has scored at least 20 points, the Hawks are just 9 - 9 and have lost three of their last four contests when the shooting guard reaches that milestone of 20 points. That should not take away from the fact, however, that Hardaway Jr. has those 18 performances of at least 20 points after scoring at least 20 points just twice all of last season. | ["TeamStat(G,'Wizards') has 104 Total points ."
"TeamStat(G,'Hawks') has 100 Total points ,has 20 Points in 1st quarter ."] |
All five starters scored in double - digits for the Timberwolves. Andrew Wiggins led the way as he broke - out of a cold streak with 25 points on 7 - of - 18 shooting, including 1 - of - 3 from long distance. Wiggins went 10 - of - 11 from the free throw line. Karl-Anthony Towns was solid with 22 points on 8 - of - 19 shooting, including 2 - of - 6 from long range, along with 10 rebounds, four assists, one steal and one block. Minnesota went 23 - of - 25 from the free throw line. The Suns on the other hand went 15 - of - 21 from the free throw line and struggled from three - point range, shooting 6 - of - 26. Eric Bledsoe led the way for Phoenix with 23 points, 10 assists, six rebounds and three steals but gave up an ugly seven turnovers. Alex Len tallied six points and 11 rebounds, while Tyson Chandler went 3 - of - 3 in 11 minutes off the bench on his way to six points in addition to seven rebounds. | ["TeamStat(G,'Suns') has 23 Points in 3rd quarter ."
"TeamStat(G,'Timberwolves') has 5 Points in 3rd quarter ."] |
The Atlanta Hawks (9 - 6) demolished the Charlotte Hornets (4 - 15) with a 105 - 75 victory at Phillips Arena on Saturday. With Marvin Williams (shoulder), Gary Neal (shoulder) and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist (foot) still out of the Hornets rotation, the Hawks front - court was easily able to take control of the game. The offensive onslaught was lead by Paul Millsap who finished with a 18 points (7 - 10 FG, 4 - 5 FT) and six rebounds. Millsap's front - court partner, Al Horford, also contributed 11 points (5 - 6 FG, 1 - 1 3PT) and five rebounds. Atlanta had six players that finished in double - digit scoring. The Hornets' leading scorer was rookie P.J. Hairston who finished with a career - high 15 points (5 - 13 FG, 3 - 7 3Pt, 2 - 2 FT). Charlotte will look to redeem themselves as they'll go back home to face the Chicago Bulls on Wednesday, while the Hawks will stay home to face the Celtics on Tuesday. | ["TeamStat(G,'Hawks') has 6 Losses ,has 105 Total points ,has 9 Wins ."
"TeamStat(G,'Hornets') has 75 Losses ."] |
The Denver Nuggets (14 - 20) beat the Memphis Grizzlies (24 - 9) 114 - 85. Zach Randolph (knee) missed his seventh consecutive game, and teammate Beno Udrih (leg contusion) was a late scratch. Nate Robinson was limited to five minutes after spraining his right wrist. Rookie Jusuf Nurkic recorded his second straight double - double (11 points, 10 rebounds) in just 23 minutes. He also blocked a career - high five shots and earned a technical foul. Arron Afflalo scored 14 of his 23 points in the penultimate quarter, and Ty Lawson paced the Nuggets with 25 points (10 - 14 FG, 3 - 4 3Pt, 2 - 3 FT), 11 assists, five rebounds, two steals and two blocks in 37 minutes. Eleven different Grizzlies played at least 15 minutes but no more than 27 in the route. Marc Gasol scored 10 of his 18 points in the first quarter, and Jordan Adams scored 12 points (5 - 6 FG, 1 - 1 3Pt, 1 - 2 FT) in just six minutes off the bench. Jon Leuer was the only starter to play in the fourth quarter. The team finished 2 - of - 14 from downtown. The Grizzlies return home Monday from a two - game road trip to take on the New York Knicks (5 - 30), losers of ten straight. Denver will travel to Minnesota (5 - 27) on Monday to face the team with a league - leading eleven straight losses. | ["TeamStat(G,'Nuggets') has 20 Losses ,has 114 Total points ,has 14 Wins ."
"TeamStat(G,'Grizzlies') has 9 Losses ,has 85 Total points ,has 24 Wins ."] |
The Washington Wizards (34 - 26) snapped a six - game losing streak while extending the Detroit Pistons’ (23 - 36) streak to three straight losses in their 99 - 95 victory. Bradley Beal and Paul Pierce returned to the lineup after lengthy injury absences. Beal played 33 minutes after missing the previous eight games due to a stress reaction in his foot, compiling eight points, six rebounds, five assists and three steals on 2 - of - 10 shooting. Pierce jumped back into the starting lineup after missing two games with knee soreness, helping the Wizards with 14 points, five rebounds, five assists, and four three - pointers in 34 minutes. Marcin Gortat grabbed a season - high 17 rebounds in 39 minutes. Rookie Spencer Dinwiddie led the Piston with 20 points, eight assists, four rebounds, and one steal in 25 minutes one game after receiving a DNP-CD. His performance relegated recently acquired Reggie Jackson to bench the final quarter. Greg Monroe recorded his 28th double - double, finishing with 21 points, 10 rebounds, one steal, one block and six turnovers in a team - high 33 minutes. The Pistons have three days off before battling the Pelicans in New Orleans. The Wizards take on the Chicago Bulls on Tuesday. | ["TeamStat(G,'Wizards') has 26 Losses ,has 99 Total points ,has 34 Wins ."
"TeamStat(G,'Pistons') has 36 Losses ,has 95 Total points ,has 23 Wins ."] |
The Detroit Pistons (6 - 5) defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers (8 - 3) 104 - 99 on Tuesday. At this rate, anything less than a monster double - double will be a disappointment for Andre Drummond. The Pistons’ superstar center tallied his 11th straight performance with double - digit points and boards, meaning he’s achieved the feat in each of Detroit’s contests this season. He contributed a team - high 25 points and 18 rebounds Tuesday to spearhead an impressive victory, which featured Detroit rallying after entering the fourth quarter trailing 81 - 75. The Cavs were led by LeBron James, who contributed a game - high 30 points. The remaining four starters accounted for virtually the rest of the Cleveland offense, as the bench could only pitch in 10 points overall. Kevin Love backed up James’ effort with a 19 - point, nine - rebound outing, while J.R. Smith and Mo Williams notably pitched in 15 points apiece. Cleveland fell to 8 - 3 but remains in first place in the Eastern Conference’s Central Division. They head home to face the Bucks on Thursday. Drummond wasn’t the only Piston lighting up the scoreboard Tuesday, as Reggie Jackson bounced back from a tough outing Sunday versus the Lakers by contributing a double - double of his own. The Detroit point guard poured in 23 points while handing out 12 assists, several to teammate Ersan Ilyasova, who posted a season high 20 points of his own. The streaky Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and the dependable Marcus Morris made it a perfect five - for - five in double - digit scoring for the Pistons starters, with 13 and 14 points, respectively. The Pistons improved to 6 - 5 and reside in third place in the Eastern Conference’s Central Division. They now travel to Minnesota for a Friday date with the Timberwolves. | ["TeamStat(G,'Pistons') has 5 Losses ,has 104 Total points ,has 20 Points in 3rd quarter ,has 13 Turnovers ,has 6 Wins ."
"TeamStat(G,'Cavaliers') has 3 Losses ,has 99 Total points ,has 8 Points in 3rd quarter ."] |
The Phoenix Suns defeated the Boston Celtics, 109 - 106, at Talking Stick Resort Arena on Sunday. Boston appeared to be the heavy favorite on paper, but Phoenix has been a much better team over recent weeks. The fourth quarter was especially tight, as there were five ties and eight lead changes alone in the fourth quarter. It was a hectic last 15 seconds, as Phoenix hit a lay - up with 12 seconds left to tie and then recorded a steal to eventually win on a game - winning three at the buzzer by Tyler Ulis. Defense was key for the Suns, as they held the Celtics to 38 percent shooting, while winning the turnover battle. Scoring in the paint was a huge factor as well, with Phoenix winning that battle, 52 - 32. The Celtics (40 - 23) had to play this game without Al Horford and Avery Bradley, as they did n't have enough bullets in the arsenal to hold off the Suns. Isaiah Thomas carried the load, as he tallied 35 points, two rebounds, five assists and two steals. Jae Crowder finished second on the team, totaling 16 points and 10 rebounds, while Jaylen Brown and Amir Johnson scored 13 points apiece. Terry Rozier led the bench with 14 points and four rebounds. On deck for Boston is a road matchup against the Los Angeles Clippers on Monday. The Suns (21 - 42) achieved their first three - game winning streak of them season with this victory, as this stretch gives them some hope for the future. Eric Bledsoe was the star, as he collected 28 points, six rebounds and nine assists. Tyler Ulis provided 20 points and five assists off the bench, including the game - winning three. Alan Williams also had a nice game off the bench, amassing 11 points and 15 rebounds. Devin Booker scored 16 points to go along with five rebounds, while T.J. Warren accrued 14 points and seven rebounds. Phoenix will host the Washington Wizards for their next game on Tuesday. | ["TeamStat(G,'Suns') has 42 Percentage of field goals ,has 109 Losses ,has 21 Total points ."
"TeamStat(G,'Celtics') has 38 Percentage of field goals ,has 23 Losses ,has 106 Total points ,has 40 Wins ."] |
It was a big night for Minnesota's three young 20 point per game scorers on Monday, as all three scored in the 20s once again. Reigning Rookie of the Year Karl-Anthony Towns led the team with 22 points on perfect shooting. Towns went 8 - of - 8 from the field with three three - pointers and shot a perfect 3 - of - 3 at the free - throw line. Meanwhile, Zach LaVine and Andrew Wiggins scored 21 points each. LaVine had six of the Timberwolves' 15 three - pointers. As a whole, the team shot a respectable 45 percent. Atlanta shot just 42 percent and turned the ball over 19 times, two issues that contributed to the Hawks falling behind early in the game. Center Dwight Howard traded blows with Towns, scoring 20 points on perfect shooting himself. However, the effort was not enough to carry the struggling Hawks to victory, as the team hit only eight threes and made just 70 percent of its free - throws. | ["TeamStat(G,'Hawks') has 42 Percentage of field goals ,has 19 Turnovers ."] |
While this game was tight throughout the first half, the Celtics really took it to the Magic in their 30 - point win. In fact, Orlando had a one - point lead at the half, but were outscored in the second half, 68 - 37. Shooting was the big difference, with Boston shooting 52 percent and Orlando hitting just 37 percent of their shots. The rebounding and assisting numbers were lopsided as well, with the Celtics recording 48 rebounds and 29 assists, while the Magic grabbed just 37 rebounds and 20 assists. Seven players scored in double figures for Boston, as Avery Bradley leading the team with 23 points. Al Horford scored just 10 points on 3 - of - 9 shooting, but provided six rebounds and eight assists in the victory. Jae Crowder recorded a double - double for the Celtics, totaling 17 points and 10 rebounds. No player on the Magic had more than 15 points or five assists, as D.J. Augustin led the team with his 15 points. Nikola Vucevic came off the bench to record 12 points and 10 rebounds on 5 - of - 14 shooting. | ["TeamStat(G,'Magic') has 20 Number of team assists ,has 37 Percentage of field goals ,has 37 Points in 2nd quarter ."
"TeamStat(G,'Celtics') has 29 Number of team assists ,has 23 Percentage of field goals ."] |
The San Antonio Spurs (50 - 9) became the second team in the NBA this season to reach 50 wins Saturday, defeating the Houston Rockets (29 - 30) 104 - 94. Despite a close final score, San Antonio had its way with Houston from the get - go, leading by as much as 31 at points in the game. The Spurs new duo of top scorers, Kawhi Leonard and LaMarcus Aldridge, paved the road to the win with 27 and 26 points respectively. Aldridge added 16 total rebounds in what was one of his best statistical performances of the night. Aging veteran Tim Duncan contributed an unfortunate box score of 6 points, 6 rebounds, and 6 assists, but provided playmaking that helped bolster the Spurs' blowout win. The team remains second in the Western Conference behind the historic Golden State Warriors, despite still boasting a superior point differential and an undefeated home record. The Rockets are now in ninth place despite reaching the Western Conference Finals in 2014 - 15. The team has hovered around .500 for the majority of the season, and dips back below the mark with the loss to their division rival. Shooting guard James Harden, who remains second in the league in points per game, led the effort against the Spurs with 27 points, but no other starter topped 11. As a whole, the team shot a weak 42 percent from the field. The outcome also holds significance for the playoff picture as Houston's loss makes the conference - leading Warriors the first team in the NBA to clinch playoff berth. San Antonio has three days of rest before hosting the Detroit Pistons on Wednesday. Houston, meanwhile, will visit Milwaukee on Monday. | ["TeamStat(G,'Rockets') has 30 Losses ,has 94 Total points ,has 29 Points in 1st quarter ."
"TeamStat(G,'Spurs') has 9 Losses ,has 104 Total points ,has 26 Points in 1st quarter ,has 50 Wins ."] |
The Denver Nuggets (25 - 41) defeated the Golden State Warriors (51 - 13) 114 - 103 on Friday at the Pepsi Center in Denver. With the Warriors resting Klay Thompson, Stephen Curry, Andrew Bogut and Andre Iguodala, the Nuggets were able to come out and end the Warriors' five - game win streak. Despite the loss, the Warriors remain six and a half games ahead of the Grizzlies for the number one spot in the Western Conference standings. Helping pull off the win for the Nuggets was their shooting, as they went 50 percent from the field and 47 percent from the three - point line, while the Warriors finished at 42 percent from the floor and 42 percent from deep. The Nuggets continued to use their small lineup during Friday's game, with Kenneth Faried getting the start at center. He was quite successful this time around, finishing with 24 points (10 - 18 FG, 4 - 6 FT) and 17 rebounds in 34 minutes. It marked his second double - double over his last three games, a stretch where he's averaging 19 points and 11 rebounds, while shooting over 55 percent from the field. Danilo Gallinari matched Faried with 24 points (7 - 16 FG, 1 - 3 3Pt, 9 - 11 FT) of his own, to go along with seven rebounds in 34 minutes. He's on a nice two - game stretch where he's combined for 47 points and 12 rebounds. Randy Foye was the third memeber of the starting lineup to reach the 20 - point mark, as he went 6 - for - 12 from the field and 4 - for - 9 from the three - point line to score 20 points, while adding eight assists. He's been very inconsistent with his scoring, as he's posted anywhere between three and 20 points over his last five games. Jameer Nelson chipped in with 17 points (7 - 12 FG, 3 - 4 3Pt) and seven assists as well. With Curry and Thompson on the bench, Shaun Livingston and Justin Holiday got the start at the guard spots. Holiday finished with a team - high of 23 points (9 - 16 FG, 5 - 7 3Pt), while Livingston added 12 points (5 - 13 FG, 2 - 2 FT) and eight assists as well. This was just the sixth time Holiday has reached double figures in points this season, and a nice surprise for the Warriors, as he's averaging just 4 points on the season. Also helping to keep the Warriors in the game was a couple of their bench players. Rookie James Michael-McAdoo went 6 - for - 10 from the field and 4 - for - 6 from the free throw line to score 16 points, to go along with five rebounds in 28 minutes. It was just his fifth game of the season, as he's spent the majority of his time in the NBA D-League since being signed for the rest of the season by the Warriors in mid - February. It was a career - high in points for the guard. Leandro Barbosa chipped in with 14 points (5 - 13 FG, 3 - 4 3Pt, 1 - 2 FT) and nine assists as well. The Nuggets' next game will be on the road against the New Orleans Pelicans on Sunday, while the Warriors will be at home against the New York Knicks on Saturday. | ["TeamStat(G,'Nuggets') has 47 Percentage of 3 points ,has 50 Percentage of field goals ,has 41 Losses ,has 114 Total points ,has 25 Wins ."
"TeamStat(G,'Warriors') has 42 Percentage of 3 points ,has 42 Percentage of field goals ,has 13 Losses ,has 103 Total points ,has 51 Wins ."] |
The Oklahoma City Thunder (13 - 14) defeated the Los Angeles Lakers (8 - 18) 104 - 103 on Friday. Oklahoma City made their way quickly back into the win column after losing 114 - 109 to the Golden State Warriors on Thursday. Kevin Durant sat out the game as a precautionary measure. He sprained his ankle in Thursday's game, and while Durant wanted to play, the Thunder do n't want him trying to compensate for his sprained ankle, putting himself at risk of reinjuring his surgically repaired foot. Russell Westbrook and Reggie Jackson carried the weight for the Thunder. Westbrook scored a game - high 31 points, and Jackson had 25 points off the bench. Oklahoma City will return home to host the New Orleans Pelicans on Sunday. Los Angeles has dropped two straight. Though Kobe Bryant scored just nine points in 35 minutes, the Lakers matched up well with the Thunder in nearly every relevant statistical category. Where the Thunder gained an advantage was at the free - throw line. Los Angeles sent the Thunder to the charity stripe 29 times, with the Thunder converting 22 of their attempts. The Lakers only earned 15 trips to the line, making 11 of their attempts. Ed Davis had his best game of the season, putting up 18 points and nine rebounds in 32 minutes. Los Angeles will go to Sacramento on Sunday to play the Kings. | ["TeamStat(G,'Lakers') has 18 Losses ,has 103 Total points ,has 8 Points in 4th quarter ."
"TeamStat(G,'Thunder') has 14 Losses ,has 104 Total points ,has 22 Points in 4th quarter ,has 13 Wins ."] |
The Toronto Raptors (21 - 6) defeated the Detroit Pistons (5 - 22) 110 - 100 on Friday. Toronto has won five straight games, knocking down most of the Eastern Conference's lottery contingent over the last week. Six players scored in double figures for the Raptors. Jonas Valanciunas scored a team - high 17 points and pulled down seven rebounds. They continue to win even without DeMar DeRozan (adductor) in the lineup, maintaining their seat atop the Eastern Conference standings, but a scary injury happened to Landry Fields in Friday's game. Fields took a bad fall and had his head hit the court, causing him to suffer a cut in his head that required eight stitches. Considering the serious potential of the situation, Fields came out OK, even passing a concussion test. The Raptors will play the New York Knicks on Sunday. Detroit has lost their last three games, as they were navigating a murder's row of the Clippers, Mavericks and Raptors. Brandon Jennings scored a game - high 22 points, and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope backed his play with 18 points in 27 minutes. Jodie Meeks played 25 minutes off the bench but finished with just four points in 25 minutes. Detroit will try to right the ship when they travel to Brooklyn to take on the Nets on Sunday. | ["TeamStat(G,'Pistons') has 22 Losses ,has 100 Total points ,has 5 Wins ."
"TeamStat(G,'Raptors') has 6 Losses ,has 110 Total points ,has 21 Wins ."] |
The Indiana Pacers evened their Eastern Conference first - round playoff series against the visiting Toronto Raptors on Friday with a 101 - 83 victory in Game 6 at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. The Pacers rebounded from a four - point deficit at halftime by outscoring the Raptors 61 - 39 in the second half, including an 180 run. The Raptors did not score a point for more than six minutes beginning from 1:49 left in the third quarter until 7:13 left in the fourth. All five starters scored in double digits for Indiana, led by Paul George who finished with a game - high 21 points (5 - 14 FG, 1 - 5 3Pt, 10 - 10 FT). George struggled shooting in the first half especially, but contributed across the board with 11 rebounds, six assists, two steals and one block, in 40 minutes. Myles Turner was big, finishing with 15 points (6 - 11 FG, 3 - 3 FT), nine rebounds, four blocked shots, and one steal, in 33 minutes. George Hill chipped in 12 points, five rebounds and four assists, while Monta Ellis added 14 points, five assists and four steals. The Pacers shot 46 percent from the field and 23 - 26 from the free throw line, to avoid elimination. The Raptors started out strong but fell apart in the second half, where they really struggled offensively. The Raptors shot 37 percent from the field, 16 - 25 from the free throw line and gave up 17 turnovers in the game. Kyle Lowry logged a double - double with 10 points (4 - 14 FG, 1 - 7 3Pt, 1 - 2 FT) and 10 assists, along with five rebounds and two steals, in 38 minutes. DeMarre Carroll and Cory Joseph each tallied a team - high 15 points, while Jonas Valanciunas added 14 points and nine rebounds. The Pacers managed to shut down DeMar DeRozan, who finished with only eight points (3 - 13 FG) in 37 minutes. The series now heads back to Toronto for Game 7. The Raptors will have to lay it all on the line if they want to avoid a third - straight first - round playoff exit. | ["TeamStat(G,'Pacers') has 46 Percentage of field goals ,has 101 Total points ."
"TeamStat(G,'Raptors') has 37 Percentage of field goals ,has 83 Total points ."] |
The Milwaukee Bucks (20 - 18) beat the Minnesota Timberwolves (5 - 30) 98 - 84 on Friday. Andrew Wiggins continued his recent surge, finishing with 20 points, seven rebounds, five assists and two steals in 39 minutes. Wiggins has scored 20 points in eight of the last nine games after scoring 20 just four times in his first 26 games. Zach Levine had six points, six rebounds, four assists and one steal starting in place of Mo Williams (ankle) while Ricky Rubio (ankle) continues to sit out. The Timberwolves only lost one quarter in this game, unfortunately it was by 18 points in the second. They have not won a game since Dec. 10, losing 14 games in that span. The Milwaukee Bucks won their first home game since Dec. 13, going nearly a month between home victories. Kenyon Martin made his Bucks debut, reuniting with former point guard and now head coach Jason Kidd. Martin had six points, two rebounds, one block and three fouls in eight minutes. Milwaukee was lead in minutes by Giannis Antetokounmpo with 29. Nate Wolters was waived Friday to make room for Martin on a 10 - day contract. Backup point guards Jerryd Bayless and Kendall Marshall combined to have 13 points, five rebounds, 14 assists and three steals. The Bucks will move on to play Chicago on Saturday, and the Timberwolves will head home to face the San Antonio Spurs on Saturday. | ["TeamStat(G,'Bucks') has 18 Losses ,has 98 Total points ,has 20 Wins ."
"TeamStat(G,'Timberwolves') has 30 Losses ,has 84 Total points ,has 5 Wins ."] |
The host Dallas Mavericks beat the New York Knicks on Wednesday, 103 - 95. Dallas (16 - 29) has now won five of its last seven contests and is looking like a team that could cause trouble in the wide - open eighth seed race in the Western Conference. After a 49 - point drubbing of the Lakers on Sunday, the Mavs handed a loss to another big - market team when the Knicks came to town. Forward Harrison Barnes contributed heavily to the win, leading the team with 23 points. The team also saw encouraging play from veteran big man Dirk Nowitzki, who contributed 19 points in one of his better performances in what has been an up - and - down season. The Mavs put together a stellar offensive night from the floor, shooting 47 percent, despite an abysmal performance from beyond the arc. The Knicks (20 - 27) have been sliding lately, having now dropped five of their last seven. Amidst rumors that he was shopped around to teams such as Cleveland, aging star Carmelo Anthony led the team with 30 points on Wednesday. The stellar outing was not enough for the win, however, as New York's struggles continued to show. New York posted an abysmal turnover differential, coughing the ball up 18 times while forcing only seven turnovers from Dallas. Additionally, the team shot just 42 percent and hit only seven three - pointers. The Mavericks will play in OKC on Thursday, while the Knicks will host the Hornets on Friday. | ["TeamStat(G,'Mavericks') has 29 Losses ,has 103 Total points ,has 7 Turnovers ,has 16 Wins ."
"TeamStat(G,'Knicks') has 27 Losses ,has 95 Total points ,has 18 Turnovers ,has 20 Wins ."] |
The Toronto Raptors (40 - 27) defeated the Indiana Pacers (30 - 36) 117 - 98 on Monday in Indianapolis. The Raptors were led by their All-Star point guard, Kyle Lowry, who recorded a triple - double of 20 points on 7 - of - 13 shooting, 11 rebounds and 10 assists in 38 minutes. He also had three steals. It was Lou Williams, however, who led the team in scoring, putting up an efficient 24 points on 8 - of - 17 shooting in just 23 minutes. DeMar DeRozan was not far behind, scoring 22 points on 6 - of - 19 shooting in 37 minutes. Jonas Valanciunas recorded his first double - double in six games, recording 14 points on 7 - of - 12 shooting and 12 rebounds in 26 minutes. Valanciunas' partner in the front court, Amir Williams, also had a solid night, posting 11 points and nine rebounds in 19 minutes. Terrence Ross left the game with back spasms after just 21 minutes on the court. For Toronto, the win brings them within 3 games of the Cavaliers for second place in the Eastern Conference standings with just 15 games left on the schedule. The Pacers were led in the losing effort by starting point guard George Hill. Hill scored 23 points on 9 - of - 15 shooting in 34 minutes, while the effort was his second game in a row scoring 20 - plus points. Four of the five Indiana starters scored in double figures, with Roy Hibbert (17), C.J. Miles (12) and Solomon Hill (11) rounding out the four. Rodney Stuckey also continued his strong play as of late, scoring 20 points on 9 - of - 16 shooting off the bench. Stuckey has scored 20 - plus points in three of his last four games now. Despite recording 21 assists to just four turnovers, the Pacers still fell short, and the loss leaves them tied with the Hornets for the eigth seed in the East, with Miami just a half game behind them. Up next, the Raptors will head home Wednesday to take on the Timberwolves, while Indiana will travel to Chicago and go up against the Bulls on Wednesday. | ["TeamStat(G,'Pacers') has 21 Number of team assists ,has 36 Losses ,has 98 Total points ,has 17 Points in 4th quarter ,has 4 Turnovers ,has 30 Wins ."
"TeamStat(G,'Raptors') has 27 Number of team assists ,has 117 Losses ,has 40 Total points ."] |
Despite this finishing as a five - point game, Chicago led for the final 45 minutes to take control. What really won them the game was the assist - to - turnover ratio, as they committed nine less turnovers than Washington, while recording six more assists. Chicago could only muster up 26 percent shooting from three - point range and 67 percent from the free - throw line. Jimmy Butler carried the Bulls, as he collected 28 points, five rebounds, five assists and three steals. Robin Lopez went 12 - of - 16 from the field to total 25 points and 12 rebounds. John Wall scored only 14 points, but dished out a career - high 20 assists in the win. Bradley Beal led the team in scoring, as he amassed 24 points and four rebounds Jason Smith started and accumulated 17 points, two assists, seven rebounds, two steals and two blocks. | ["TeamStat(G,'Bulls') has 26 Percentage of 3 points ."] |
The Washington Wizards (14 - 14) defeated the Brooklyn Nets (8 - 22) 111 - 96 on Saturday. Washington entered Saturday's contest without the services of starters Bradley Beal (leg) and Otto Porter Jr. (thigh) once again, meaning that another heavy offensive load was likely in store for veteran leaders John Wall and Marcin Gortat, and to a lesser extent, the injured pair's replacements, Garrett Temple and Kelly Oubre, Jr. As has been the case in several recent games, all four made notable contributions of varying degrees to help secure another victory for the surging Wizards. Gortat led the way scoring - wise with 25 points, and added seven rebounds, three assists, a block and a steal. Meanwhile, Wall racked up his fifth straight game with double - digit assists, dishing out 13 dimes and also posting 22 points of his own. Just as important, the 25 - year - old emerged from a 9 of 33 shooting funk over the preceding two games to drain 53 percent of his 17 attempts from the field. Overall, the Wizards' relentless attack allowed them to wear down Brooklyn, and they won going away on the strength of a final period in which they outscored the home team by the sizable margin of 32 - 19. Oubre's tally of 12 points, six rebounds, an assist, a block and a steal were especially welcome on a night when frontcourt mate Jared Dudley considerably underwhelmed with only three points. Temple was a bit more understated than in recent games, but still pitched in nine points, three assists, a rebound, two steals and a block. Jarrell Eddie, just signed on Tuesday, paced the Washington bench with 12 points in his debut, while Kris Humphries poured in 10 of his own and added eight rebounds. The Wizards evened their record at 14 - 14 but remain in last place in the Eastern Conference's Southeast Division. They head home to face the Clippers on Monday. Brooklyn received a trio of impressive double - doubles from their most dependable players, making the double - digit defeat even more frustrating. Brook Lopez (19 points, 11 rebounds) and Thaddeus Young (16 points, 14 rebounds) were a major reason the Nets outrebounded the Wizards 50 to 39, and both extended a streak of particularly strong recent play. It was the third double - double for Lopez in the last four games, while Young's performance qualified as the fourth time in the last five contests that he's posted double - digit points and boards. Meanwhile, Jarrett Jack was outstanding in his own right, contributing 15 points and dishing out 11 assists. Second-year forward Bojan Bogdanovic pitched in with his fourth straight double - digit scoring effort, managing 14 points and adding five rebounds and a pair of assists. Despite the strong contributions from most of the starters and the aforementioned advantage on the glass, the Nets were largely done in by a poor shooting night from three - point range (29 percent over 17 attempts) and the 20 total team turnovers they were guilty of. The Nets fell to 8 - 22 and remain in fourth place in the Eastern Conference's Atlantic Division. They head to Miami to take on the Heat in a Monday night matchup. | ["TeamStat(G,'Nets') has 29 Percentage of 3 points ,has 22 Percentage of field goals ,has 96 Losses ,has 19 Total points ,has 50 Points in 4th quarter ,has 8 Rebounds ."
"TeamStat(G,'Wizards') has 50 Percentage of 3 points ,has 14 Percentage of field goals ,has 111 Losses ,has 32 Total points ,has 39 Points in 4th quarter ,has 14 Rebounds ."] |
The Denver Nuggets defeated the visiting Los Angeles Clippers 123 - 98, at Pepsi Center on Saturday evening. The Nuggets led wire to - wire as they controlled this one right from the start. Denver took a nine - point lead after one quarter and went on to win each of the remaining three quarters. They managed to build up a 35 - point lead by the mid - point of the fourth quarter, which was their biggest lead at any point this season. Six players scored in double digits for the Nuggets (18 - 24), but none of them scored more than 20, as this was truly a team effort. Nikola Jokic had the line of the night for the Nuggets, as he double - doubled with 19 points and 10 rebounds, in 21 minutes. Danilo Gallinari, Wilson Chandler and Will Barton each added 18 points, to help push the Nuggets to a solid win. Unfortunately for Denver, Emmanuel Mudiay went down early in the game, and left with an aggravated back. He is ruled out for the Nuggets' next game on Sunday. The Nuggets will look to build off this win, as they head straight to Minnesota to take on the Timberwolves on Sunday, for their second game in as many nights. Meanwhile, the Clippers (29 - 16) struggled in this one, shooting only 42 percent from the field. Nonetheless, five players scored in double digits for Los Angeles, including DeAndre Jordan, who finished with 14 points and 13 rebounds. Marreese Speights was the high - point man for the Clippers, as he finished with 18 points, in 28 minutes as a starter. The Clippers hope to have Blake Griffin back soon, as they look ahead to their next game, which will take place in Atlanta on Monday. It will be the second game of their current five - game road trip. | ["TeamStat(G,'Nuggets') has 24 Percentage of field goals ,has 123 Losses ,has 18 Total points ."
"TeamStat(G,'Clippers') has 42 Percentage of field goals ,has 16 Losses ,has 98 Total points ,has 18 Points in 1st quarter ,has 29 Wins ."] |
The Cleveland Cavaliers defeated the visiting Los Angeles Lakers, 119 - 108, at Quicken Loans Arena on Saturday evening. It was the second night of a back - to - back and fourth game of a seven - game road trip for the Lakers (11 - 19) and despite leading 31 - 26 after one quarter they were out - scored in the following three quarters, leading to their ninth loss in 10 games. Meanwhile the Cavs (19 - 6) rested their big three during their last game on Wednesday and it paid off as they all turned in monstrous nights. Cleveland owned the paint, where they out - scored the Lakers 50 - 30. Both teams tallied 30 assists and shot over 40 percent from long range in the back - and - forth contest. Kevin Love came up big as he finished with 27 points on 11 - of - 20 shooting, along with 17 rebounds, four assists and one steal, in 33 minutes. LeBron James added an equally impressive 26 points, including 16 in the fourth quarter, to go along with nine assists, seven rebounds, two steals and two blocks. Kyrie Irving joined the party with 21 points, 12 assists, six rebounds and three steals. The Cavs sit atop the East and are 6 - 4 on the road as they go on to play in Milwaukee on Tuesday. D'Angelo Russell sat this one out for rest but nonetheless, five players scored in double figures for the Lakers, including Nick Young who drained a career - high eight three - pointers, on his way to a game - high 32 points, on 12 - of - 19 shooting, in 38 minutes. Julius Randle chipped in 16 points on 8 - of - 15 shooting and dished seven assists, in 28 minutes, while Jordan Clarkson tallied 20 points, in 31 minutes off the bench. The Lakers will take on the Hornets in Charlotte on Tuesday, while they are 5 - 12 on the road so far this season. | ["TeamStat(G,'Cavaliers') has 6 Losses ,has 119 Total points ,has 26 Points in 1st quarter ,has 19 Wins ."
"TeamStat(G,'Lakers') has 19 Losses ,has 108 Total points ,has 31 Points in 1st quarter ,has 11 Wins ."] |
The New Orleans Pelicans (22 - 21) defeated the Minnesota Timberwolves (7 - 35) 92 - 84 on Friday. The Pelicans went into halftime with a 45 - 44 lead that was never relinquished in the second half as they picked up their third victory in their last four games. Anthony Davis recorded 21 points and 12 rebounds in his second game back from a toe injury that forced him to miss three games. Davis is averaging 25 points, 10 rebounds, 3 blocks and 3 steals in 40 minutes per game since returning, and the Pelicans are 20 in that span. Tyreke Evans has been filling in at point guard for New Orleans while Jrue Holiday (ankle) recovers from injury. Evans had 17 points and eight assists, while Eric Gordon chipped in 20 points and five helpers. Nate Wolters, whom the Pelicans signed to a second 10 - day contract earlier this week, had five points in 14 minutes off the bench. Minnesota has now lost three - straight games and has dropped its last 10 road games, including seven in the month of January. The Wolves' last home victory came against the Trail Blazers on Dec. 10. In his second game back from injury, Nikola Pekovic had 13 points and nine rebounds off the bench. Pekovic is averaging 14 points and 7 rebounds in 22 minutes per game since his return. Gorgui Dieng finished with 14 points and 15 rebounds, and Thaddeus Young had 15 points on 7 - of - 15 shooting. Andrew Wiggins, who has been red - hot this month, cooled down a bit, scoring just 13 points to go with two boards. The Timberwolves still hold the NBA's worst overall record. Up next, Minnesota will travel to Atlanta to take on the Hawks, who are riding a 15 - game winning streak. The Pelicans will return home to face the Dallas Mavericks on Sunday. | ["TeamStat(G,'Timberwolves') has 35 Losses ,has 84 Total points ,has 7 Wins ."
"TeamStat(G,'Pelicans') has 21 Losses ,has 92 Total points ,has 22 Wins ."] |
The Heat (14 - 9) locked down the Hawks (14 - 12) in a 100 - 88 victory at Philips Arena on Monday. Playing their second game in as many nights, the Heat turned in a dominant defensive performance, particularly on Hawks' guards Jeff Teague and Kyle Korver, who combined to shoot 4 - of - 24 from the field. Miami also did nice work on the boards, outrebounding Atlanta 54 - 37, perhaps the biggest difference in the game. Chris Bosh led the way for the Heat, scoring a team - high 24 points to go along with 10 rebounds for his second double - double in three games. But the MVP of the game was Gerald Green, who came off the bench to score 20 points on 9 - of - 14 shooting over 31 minutes. It was the fourth straight game that Green reached double - digit scoring, as the veteran guard has taken advantage of the absence of Tyler Johnson, who missed his third straight game due to a shoulder injury. The Hawks were really hurt by a poor first half, scoring just 38 points over the first two quarters of the game. Aside from the poor guard play, Paul Millsap and Al Horford had a tough time down low and were held in check by Bosh and Hassan Whiteside. That left just one starter left, Kent Bazemore, who had a monster game with a season - high 28 points on 11 - of - 18 shooting along with three 3 - pointers over 40 minutes - - which was also a season high. The Heat travel to Brooklyn to face the Nets on Wednesday; the Hawks will look to end a three - game losing streak against the 76ers. | ["TeamStat(G,'Hawks') has 12 Losses ,has 88 Total points ,has 37 Rebounds ,has 14 Wins ."
"TeamStat(G,'Heat') has 9 Losses ,has 100 Total points ,has 54 Rebounds ,has 14 Wins ."] |
Clint Capela has quietly been having a solid season in his first year as the Rockets' full - time starting center despite being in a Mike D'Antoni-led offense that does n't utilize big men as much. Following Capela's 13 - point, 14 - rebound game against the Thunder on Wednesday, Capela notched his third double - double of the season and his seventh game with at least nine rebounds. He also shot 5 - of - 8 against Oklahoma City, making Wednesday his eighth game this season where he has made over 50 percent of his field goal attempts. For the Thunder's Victor Oladipo, his monster 29 - point night is just the second time in the last nine games where the shooting guard has managed to score over 20 points. He also made 67 percent of his shots Wednesday, which was just the third time he was able to do so this season. As of now, the Thunder are 4 - 1 when Oladipo scores over 20 points, with the one loss coming at the hands of the Warriors, so if he can get going, he gives Oklahoma City a shot to win. | ["TeamStat(G,'Thunder') has 20 Points in 3rd quarter ,has 20 Points in 4th quarter ."] |
The Toronto Raptors defeated the host Boston Celtics, 101 - 94, at TD Garden on Friday. In a battle between two Eastern Conference contenders, both squads left it all on the floor. The third quarter was the decisive one for the Raptors, as they outscored the Celtics, 33 - 18. In fact, Boston won or tied the other three quarters, but could n't quite make the full comeback in the fourth. Defense was key for Toronto, as they held Boston to 37 percent shooting and forced them to fire up 42 three - pointers in their loss, making just 17 of them. The Raptors also won the points in the paint battle, 38 - 22, and won the fastbreak points, 14 - 5. Amazingly, the Celtics doubled up the Raptors in assists, winning that, 24 - 12. Toronto (16 - 7) continues to ride their backcourt to wins and they did that yet again here. Kyle Lowry was the star in this one, tallying 34 points, seven rebounds and three steals. DeMar DeRozan was n't far behind, finishing with 24 points and five rebounds on 9 - of - 25 shooting. Norman Powell got the start for the resting DeMarre Carroll and totaled 20 points, three rebounds and five steals on 7 - of - 10 from the field. Patrick Patterson and Jonas Valanciunas both failed to reach double figures in scoring, but snatched down 10 boards a piece. The Raptors are off until Monday, when they host the surging Milwaukee Bucks. Boston (13 - 10) had to play this game without Isaiah Thomas and it really hurt them late when they needed a clutch basket. Al Horford did all he could to keep Boston hanging around, as he accumulated 19 points, seven rebounds and six assists in the defeat. Avery Bradley matched Horford with 19 points and five rebounds on 7 - of - 11 from the field. Marcus Smart and Jae Crowder really struggled shooting, as they combined to go 5 - of - 22 from the field. Boston will look to bounce back on Sunday in a road matchup against the Oklahoma City Thunder. | ["TeamStat(G,'Celtics') has 24 Number of team assists ,has 37 Percentage of field goals ,has 10 Losses ,has 94 Total points ,has 18 Points in 2nd quarter ,has 13 Points in 3rd quarter ."
"TeamStat(G,'Raptors') has 12 Number of team assists ,has 7 Percentage of field goals ,has 101 Losses ,has 17 Total points ,has 33 Points in 2nd quarter ,has 16 Points in 3rd quarter ."] |
The Denver Nuggets blew out the Los Angeles Lakers 129 - 101 at Staples Center on Monday. Denver (32 - 35) inches closer to a .500 record for the season and more importantly, show cased their ability to blow out the bottom tier teams while also staving off the Portland Trail Blazers for the 8 - seed in the Western Conference playoffs picture. Depth was on display for the Nuggets in the rout, as they went up 67 - 43 at the half and handed over much of the work to the bench, who also flexed their scoring prowess in the win. The Lakers (20 - 47) were unable to match the shooting efficiency the Nuggets had going, and finished 30 percent from three point range and 43 percent from the field, compared to the lights out 54 percent effort by Denver. Nikola Jokic and Danilo Gallinari each scored 18 points, and combined for 12 rebounds and nine assists. Mason Plumlee scored 15 points and added 10 rebounds across 36 minutes. Jamal Murray and Will Barton each pitched in 22 points and each played 30 minutes, and combined for nine three - pointers. Lakers Ivan Zubac drew the start at center and offered a bright spot in the box score. Zubac scored 25 points, grabbed 11 rebounds and dished out an assist in 30 minutes. Jordan Clarkson added 19 points on 7 - of - 18 shooting, while Brandon Ingram pitched in 14 points, one rebound and two assists. Next up, the Lakers visit the Houston Rockets on Wednesday, while the Nuggets host the Los Angeles Clippers on Thursday. | ["TeamStat(G,'Nuggets') has 54 Percentage of 3 points ,has 35 Percentage of field goals ,has 129 Losses ,has 32 Total points ."
"TeamStat(G,'Lakers') has 30 Percentage of 3 points ,has 43 Percentage of field goals ,has 47 Losses ,has 101 Total points ,has 20 Wins ."] |
The Washington Wizards (10 - 5) defeated the New Orleans Pelicans (7 - 8) 83 - 80 at the Verizon Center on Saturday. Washington got back onto the winner's list, snapping a two - game losing streak when Tyreke Evans' game - tying three - point shot hit the front of the rim in the dying seconds. Marcin Gortat led the Wizards with 24 points and 13 rebounds, and also was a big presence defensively, blocking a season - high four shots to go with two steals. Kris Humphries started in place of the injured Nene (foot) and was a beast on the glass, pulling down 11 rebounds of his own in just 26 minutes. After starting the first 13 games of the season in place of Bradley Beal, Garrett Temple failed to get into the game, logging his first healthy scratch of the season. The Wizards take on the visiting Miami Heat on Monday. The Pelicans tried desperately to break their own two - game losing streak, but fell short, and have now lost four out of their last five contests. Emerging superstar Anthony Davis carried his team with 30 points and 13 rebounds and was joined by only two other teammates in scoring in double digits, Ryan Anderson (11 points) and Jrue Holiday (17 points). Notably, it was the first game all season that Davis failed to block a shot, as he is averaging 3 blocks per game. Austin Rivers got his second consecutive start in place of Eric Gordon, but scored just four points, adding three assists in his 29 minutes. The Pelicans are off until Tuesday, when they take on the Thunder in New Orleans. | ["TeamStat(G,'Wizards') has 5 Losses ,has 83 Total points ,has 10 Wins ."
"TeamStat(G,'Pelicans') has 8 Losses ,has 80 Total points ,has 7 Wins ."] |
The Chicago Bulls defeated the visiting Indiana Pacers, 118 - 101, on Saturday night at United Center. The Bulls made a statement once again by defeating another formidable conference rival and defending their home court for the second time in a row, to remain undefeated at home and in their 2016 - 17 season. The Bulls have defeated the Celtics and now the Pacers, after many people questioned how this new look team would gel. Chicago (20) came ready to play in this one as they poured in 62 points in the first half, while holding Indiana to only 41. Chicago then held on to maintain the lead for the entire second half. The Bulls had good contribution throughout their roster as they were dominated the rebounds and had six players scoring in double figures. Doug McDermott was the high - point man, with 23, while Rajon Rondo dished 13 assists to get his guys going. The Bulls will be back in action on Monday, when they visit Brooklyn. The Pacers (1 - 2) were perhaps fatigued on the second night of a back - to - back, which began with a loss against Brooklyn on Friday night. Paul George and Myles Turner both dropped 20 points but they did not have a ton of support in terms of scoring. The Pacers added some great pieces like Al Jefferson and Thaddeus Young over the offseason but have not been able to get things together in a consistent way yet this season. Indiana will enjoy a couple days rest before it hosts the Lakers on Tuesday. | ["TeamStat(G,'Bulls') has 118 Losses ."
"TeamStat(G,'Pacers') has 2 Losses ,has 101 Total points ,has 20 Points in 1st quarter ,has 1 Wins ."] |
The Los Angeles Lakers (13 - 51) upset the league - leading Golden State Warriors (55 - 6) on Sunday, 112 - 95. The difference between LA's .190 and Golden State's .911 win percentages was the largest in NBA history headed into Sunday's matchup. Seven Lakers reached double digits in scoring, with the young backcourt duo of sophomore Jordan Clarkson and rookie D'Angelo Russell combining for 46 points. Russell, less than a week removed from his career - high 39 points on Tuesday, scored 21 while dishing out five assists. The rookie was also a pest on the defensive end, grabbing four steals. European rookie Marcelo Huertas led the team with nine assists off the bench, giving fire to the second unit in the stunning upset. Coach Byron Scott said Huertas was "probably [the team's] MVP" when asked for comment on the rookie's impressive showing.The Lakers smoked Golden State in terms of shooting, hitting nine three - pointers to the Warrior's four, and shooting an efficient 47 percent from the field. Though LA maintains the league's second - worst record, they were able to expose the Warriors, dealing them their sixth and second - largest loss of the season. Normally the best three - point shooting team in the league, Golden State hit just four from deep in Los Angeles. After one of the most impressive individual weeks in recent memory last week, Steph Curry went just 1 - for - 10 from three - point land on Sunday. Curry was one of just two Warriors to reach double digit scoring, as seemingly nothing would fall for the NBA's top team. Turnovers also presented an issue, as the team coughed the ball up 20 times as a whole. Seven of those turnovers came from first - time All-Star Draymond Green, who also failed to prevent sophomore Julius Randle from crashing the board 14 times by the day's end. Golden State will now need a record of at least 18 - 3 to finish the season in order to be in sole possession of the best single season in NBA history. The Warriors will hope for a comeback on Monday when they host the Orlando Magic. The Lakers will host the Magic the next day. | ["TeamStat(G,'Lakers') has 47 Percentage of field goals ,has 51 Losses ,has 112 Total points ,has 13 Wins ."
"TeamStat(G,'Warriors') has 6 Percentage of field goals ,has 95 Losses ,has 55 Total points ."] |
A back - and - forth affair came down to the buzzer, with Bradley Beal missing a 22 - foot three - point jumper that would have given the Wizards the win. Both teams boasted four double - digit scorers among their respective starting fives. Beal led the way with 22 points, but was only 3 - of - 11 from behind the arc. Marcin Gortat delivered a 21 - point, 13 - rebound double - double, while John Wall went for 19 points and 10 assists. Otto Porter, Jr. registered 17 points and nine boards. Paul George tallied a game - high 27 points for the Pacers, while Jeff Teague filled out the stat sheet with 23 points, 10 assists, four rebounds and three steals. Myles Turner registered 20 points, eight boards and five blocks. Young posted 12 points but hauled in 11 rebounds. C.J. Miles and Al Jefferson had matching 10 - point efforts off the bench. | ["TeamStat(G,'Wizards') has 22 Points in 3rd quarter ."] |
The Blazers needed to win this game to stay in contention for the eight - seed in the west and they did just that. It took a late run by the Blazers, as they ended the game on a 11 - 4 run to pull away. Shooting was the difference in the game, with Portland shooting 50 percent to Phoenix's 44 percent. The Trail Blazers also took care of the glass, winning the rebounding differential, 49 - 42. Damian Lillard carried the load for Portland, as he led the team with 39 points and six rebounds. C.J. McCollum finished with 26 points, four rebounds and four assists. Jusuf Nurkic totaled 12 points, 11 rebounds and three blocks. Al-Farouq Aminu came off the bench to provide nine points and 12 boards. Devin Booker led the way for the Suns, as he tallied 28 points, five rebounds and three assists. Eric Bledsoe collected 19 points, three rebounds and five assists. | ["TeamStat(G,'Suns') has 44 Percentage of field goals ."
"TeamStat(G,'Trail Blazers') has 50 Percentage of field goals ."] |
The Washington Wizards (2 - 1) escaped with a 103 - 101 victory over the Atlanta Hawks (1 - 2). In his 155th career playoff game, Paul Pierce banked in the game - winning stepback jumper over three defenders at the buzzer to give the Wizards a Game 3 win. The Wizards’ non - All - Stars won their first game without John Wall this postseason. Five different players scored in double figures, and coach Randy Wittman utilized nine players in his rotation. Nene Hilario finally made his first basket of the series, exploding for a team - high 17 points. Otto Porter matched Hilario by scoring playoff career - high 17 points and grabbed a team - high nine rebounds in a game - high 40 minutes off the bench. Wall’s replacement, Ramon Sessions, was unable to duplicate his Game 2 performance, connecting on 2 - of - 10 shots. Bradley Beal rounded out the Wizards’ 17 - point scorers with a team - high eight assists. The Hawks faltered early in the first quarter and nearly recovered, outscoring the Wizards 35 - 18 in the fourth quarter. Coach Mike Budenholzer pulled his starters with seven minutes remaining, only to have his third string unit dwindle a 20 - point deficit to within three points in less than four minutes. Mike Muscala hit the game - tying three - pointer with 14 second on the game clock. Al Horford left the game early in the fourth quarter with a right leg injury. Even though he never returned, the Hawks reported no long - term concerns. Pero Antic started over an ill Paul Millsap, who started the second half in place of Antic. Kyle Korver didn’t hit a field goal after the four - minute mark of the first quarter, finishing the night 2 - of - 5 from the field. Jeff Teague was assessed a Flagrant Foul 1 after swiping Bradley Beal across the head on a layup attempt. He was later nailed with a technical foul after Beal covertly retaliated on a Teague fast break. Game 4 will air on TNT this Monday in Washington. | ["TeamStat(G,'Wizards') has 1 Losses ,has 103 Total points ,has 18 Points in 4th quarter ,has 2 Wins ."
"TeamStat(G,'Hawks') has 2 Losses ,has 101 Total points ,has 35 Points in 4th quarter ,has 1 Wins ."] |
The Mavs fell behind by a 30 - 22 score after one quarter and never could catch up against a suffocating Raptors defense that limited them to 38 percent shooting overall and a 25 percent mark from three - point range. DeMar DeRozan and Serge Ibaka co - led Toronto with matching 18 - point efforts. P.J. Tucker drew the start and produced a near double - double with nine points and nine rebounds. Jonas Valanciunas matched Tucker's scoring total and added six rebounds. Cory Joseph generated eight points, while Patrick Patterson's 14 led the bench. Harrison Barnes' 23 points led Dallas. Seth Curry poured in 11 points and Dirk Nowitzki registered nine. Wesley Matthews (four points, six rebounds, five assists, two steals and two blocks) and Nerlens Noel (three points, eight rebounds, a block) provided modest but solid performances. Yogi Ferrell's 10 points led the bench. | ["TeamStat(G,'Mavericks') has 22 Points in 1st quarter ."
"TeamStat(G,'Raptors') has 30 Points in 1st quarter ."] |
The Minnesota Timberwolves (15 - 36) defeated the Los Angeles Clippers (32 - 17) 108 - 102 at Staples Center on Wednesday. A controversial Wednesday at Staples Center went down after Austin Rivers was ejected for arguing a call and Chris Paul was issued a technical foul with under one minute to play, which stretched the Timberwolves lead to four points. The ensuing possession in crunch time was a mishandled inbound pass off of J.J. Reddick’s foot, all but putting the nail in the coffin for the Clippers, especially after Ricky Rubio dropped a pass between the legs of DeAndre Jordan to an awaiting Karl-Anthony Towns, who finished at the rim. The Timberwolves were led by Andrew Wiggins, who put forth his second back - to - back 30 - plus point performance of his career, and finished with 31 points, four rebounds and three assists on 12 - of - 21 shooting in 36 minutes. Wiggins was on fire in the first half, scoring 21 points and helping the Timberwolves break out of a five game losing streak. Karl-Anthony Towns totaled 17 points and 12 rebounds, which marked his 27th double - double of the season, while Gorgui Dieng added 12 points and 10 rebounds alongside Towns in the frontcourt. The Clippers have owned the Timberwolves over the past few years and took a 14 game winning streak against Minnesota into the contest. It ended up being a frustrating night for Los Angeles, who had two controversial calls go against them in the game. Austin Rivers ejection is up for debate, as arguing with a referee is always going to hover a thin line, while Chris Paul’s technical foul late in the fourth quarter was simply a bad call. Paul was clicking with DeAndre Jordan in the pick - and - roll all night long, resulting in monstrous Jordan slam dunks, as the point guard finished with 22 points, eight assists and four rebounds, while Jordan added 18 points and 15 rebounds. JJ Reddick had a difficult time finiding a rhythm and totaled a lowly five points on 1 - of - 9 shooting, but Jamal Crawford bailed him out with a strong performance off the bench to the tune of 21 points, most of which coming from the free throw line, where he drained all 10 attempts. The Clippers will vist the Orlando Magic (21 - 27) on Friday, while the Timberwolves will host the Chicago Bulls (27 - 21) on Saturday. | ["TeamStat(G,'Clippers') has 17 Losses ,has 102 Total points ,has 32 Wins ."
"TeamStat(G,'Timberwolves') has 36 Losses ,has 108 Total points ,has 15 Wins ."] |
The Houston Rockets (38 - 18) defeated the Minnesota Timberwolves (12 - 43) 113 - 102 on Monday at the Toyota Center in Houston. The Rockets shot well in this game, going 42 percent from the field and 32 percent from the three - point line, while the Timberwolves went 33 percent from the floor and just 28 percent from beyond the arc. While the game was tied 56 - 56 at half, the Rockets went off in the third quarter, out - scoring the Timberwolves 28 - 19, which eventually set them up to secure the win in front of their home crowd. Exploding for his second triple - double of the year, James Harden showed again why he's one of the best players in the league. He shot 7 - for - 20 from the field and 5 - for - 11 from the three - point line to finish with a game - high of 31 points, while adding 11 rebounds, 10 assists and four blocked shots. Coming out of the All-Star break he's looked very well rested, averaging 26 points, 8 rebounds and 7 assists over his last three games. He did receive plenty of help though, starting with Terrence Jones, who posted 15 points (6 - 9 FG, 3 - 5 FT) and 15 rebounds in 32 minutes. It was one of his most productive games of the short season he's had, including a new season - high in rebounds. He's also now had at least two blocks in each of his last three games. Coming off the bench, Josh Smith had a strong performance, posting 17 points (7 - 15 FG, 2 - 6 3Pt, 1 - 1 FT), four rebounds and three steals before fouling out. He's now scored 15 or more points in five of his last six games, despite averaging 12 points per game on the season. Trevor Ariza added 10 points (4 - 11 FG, 2 - 8 3Pt), eight rebounds and four steals as well. The Timberwolves were able to keep it close, having all five starters reach double figures in points. They just did n't have enough of a bench presence though, as their bench was out - scored 36 - 10 by the Rockets. Doing everything he could to keep the Timberwolves in the game, Andrew Wiggins finished with 30 points (12 - 24 FG, 1 - 3 3Pt, 5 - 5 FT) and six rebounds. He's gone a combined 21 - of - 39 from the field to score 50 points over his last two games since returning from the All-Star break, as his confidence is through the roof. Kevin Martin had a solid showing as well. He recorded 21 points (5 - 18 FG, 3 - 7 3Pt, 8 - 8 FT) and two assists, but did turn the ball over six times. He has scored 20 or more points in each of his last five games, pushing his average to 21 points per game on the season. Ricky Rubio nearly had a triple - double, scoring 14 points (2 - 9 FG, 0 - 4 3Pt, 10 - 10 FT), to go along with nine rebounds, seven assists and four steals, while Nikola Pekovic posted a double - double of his own with 16 points (6 - 18 FG, 4 - 4 FT) and 13 rebounds. The Rockets' next game will be at home against the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday, while the Timberwolves will be at home against the Washington Wizards on Wednesday. | ["TeamStat(G,'Rockets') has 32 Percentage of 3 points ,has 42 Percentage of field goals ,has 18 Losses ,has 113 Total points ,has 28 Points in 3rd quarter ,has 38 Wins ."
"TeamStat(G,'Timberwolves') has 28 Percentage of 3 points ,has 33 Percentage of field goals ,has 43 Losses ,has 102 Total points ,has 19 Points in 3rd quarter ,has 12 Wins ."] |
The Miami Heat (21 - 26) defeated the Boston Celtics (16 - 30) 83 - 75 on Sunday at the TD Garden in Boston. The Heat got off to a strong start in this one, out - scoring the Celtics 44 - 31 in the first half alone. They were superior shooters in this game, going 42 percent from the field, while the Celtics went just 37 percent from the floor. The Heat also secured a 46 - 40 rebounding advantage. For the Heat, Hassan Whiteside just kept on going Sunday, recording another impressive performance. In 29 minutes, Whiteside finished with 20 points (10 - 17 FG), nine rebounds and three blocks. He came just one rebound shy of notching his fourth double - double in a row, a stretch where he's averaging 17 points, 16 rebounds and four blocks over those four games. Chris Bosh also had a solid showing, posting 18 points (6 - 19 FG, 1 - 4 3Pt, 5 - 7 FT), seven rebounds and two assists. It was n't his best day shooting the ball, but he still did enough to help secure the victory, even with both Dwyane Wade (hamstring) and Luol Deng (calf) sitting out with injuries. Coming off the bench, Tyler Johnson was the only other player in double figures, fininshing with 13 points (4 - 9 FG, 1 - 3 3Pt, 4 - 6 FT), nine rebounds, four assists and two steals in 27 minutes. This was only his third game of the season, while the points, rebounds and assists were all season - highs for the rookie. The Celtics saw their biggest production from the duo of Avery Bradley and Tyler Zeller. Bradley finished with 17 points (8 - 15 FG, 1 - 4 3Pt), four rebounds and two assists, while Zeller had 17 points (6 - 13 FG, 5 - 8 FT), six rebounds and four assists. Bradley shot a combined 8 - for - 27 from the field over his last two games, so it was good to see him shoot the ball a little better on Sunday. Zeller is only averaging 9 points per game so far this season, so his points totals were a nice surprise for the Celtics, despite the loss. The only other Celtic to reach double figures in points was Brandon Bass, who went 7 - for - 14 from the field to record 15 points, while also adding six rebounds and two blocked shots. He's started to heat up, as he's combined for 32 points and 14 rebounds over his last two games. The Heat's next game will be on the road against the Detroit Pistons on Tuesday, while the Celtics will travel to New York to play the Knicks on Tuesday. | ["TeamStat(G,'Celtics') has 37 Percentage of field goals ,has 30 Losses ,has 75 Total points ,has 40 Rebounds ,has 16 Wins ."
"TeamStat(G,'Heat') has 42 Percentage of field goals ,has 26 Losses ,has 83 Total points ,has 46 Rebounds ,has 21 Wins ."] |
The Dallas Mavericks defeated the Washington Wizards, 112 - 107, at Verizon Center on Wednesday night. The Mavericks (29 - 38) came into Wednesday's contest with only eight victories over 39 road contests this season, while the Wizards (41 - 26) had prevailed in 26 of their 35 home games. As the old adage goes, "that's why they play the games." Dallas overcame an early 39 - 32 first - quarter deficit to stay close through the next two quarters before outscoring Washington by a 39 - 27 margin in the final 12 minutes. The Mavs did it with stellar shooting, as they tallied a 51 percent success rate from the field and 44 percent mark from three - point range. Their effort was just enough to overcome those of the dynamic duo of John Wall and Bradley Beal, who combined for 50 of the Wizards' 107 points. Harrison Barnes led the way for the Mavs with a near - double - double of 22 points, nine rebounds and two assists. Dirk Nowitzki was close behind him with 20 points, four rebounds and two assists. Seth Curry pitched in with 19 points, one assist and two steals. Nerlens Noel led the bench with 12 points, three rebounds, one assist and one block. Nicolas Brussino stepped up with 11 points, nine boards and two steals in 23 minutes, while Devin Harris was also productive as a reserve with 10 points, one rebound, one assist and one steal. Wall paced the Wizards with 26 points, which he supplemented with 11 assists, one rebound and three steals. Beal was right behind him with 24 points, five dimes and a pair of boards. Bojan Bogdanovic continued his stellar work off the bench with 19 points, three rebounds and one assist. Otto Porter, Jr. posted a 14 - point, 10 - rebound double - double that also included five assists. Marcin Gortat mustered a modest eight points but did haul in 10 rebounds. The Mavericks next head to Philadelphia where they'll take on the Sixers in a Friday night showdown, while the Wizards remain home to tangle with the Chicago Bulls on Friday evening as well. | ["TeamStat(G,'Wizards') has 26 Percentage of 3 points ,has 107 Percentage of field goals ,has 39 Losses ,has 27 Total points ,has 41 Points in 1st quarter ."
"TeamStat(G,'Mavericks') has 44 Percentage of 3 points ,has 51 Percentage of field goals ,has 38 Losses ,has 112 Total points ,has 32 Points in 1st quarter ,has 39 Points in 4th quarter ,has 29 Wins ."] |
The Cleveland Cavaliers defeated the Toronto Raptors, 116 - 78, on Wednesday night at Quicken Loans Arena to take a 3 - 2 lead in the Eastern Conference finals. Likely a bit spooked by both their performance over the last two games, and the throttling suffered by the other postseason presumptive favorite down in Oklahoma City in their last pair of contests, the Cavaliers came out with impressive tunnel vision in Game 5. They ambushed the visiting Raptors right out of the gate, winning the first quarter by a margin of 37 - 19. The rout was on, as Cleveland took a massive 65 - 34 advantage into halftime, a lead that eventually ballooned to 100 - 60 by the end of the third period. A major difference Wednesday night was the return to prominence of Kevin Love, who'd shot 5 - for - 23 over the previous two games. Love exploded for a game - high 25 points, and supplemented the scoring with two assists, two rebounds, two blocks and a steal. As the final score would indicate, the Cavs outclassed Toronto in every offensive category. They shot 57 percent from the field while holding their guests to a 39 percent figure, and drained 48 percent of their three - point attempts while limiting the Raptors to a 18 percent success rate from beyond the arc. The domination continued down low, where they outrebounded Toronto by a 48 - 27 margin and outscored them in the paint, 46 - 32. The Raptors were led by DeMar DeRozan, who compiled 14 points, three rebounds, three assists, two steals and a block. Kyle Lowry followed with 13 points, six assists, three rebounds and a steal. Bismack Biyombo was held in check, as he supplied a modest seven points, four rebounds and a block. DeMarre Carroll and Luis Scola, the other two members of the starting five, could only combine to supply 12 points. One bright spot for Toronto in the lopsided loss was Jonas Valanciunas' return, as he collected nine points and an assist in just over 18 minutes on the court to lead the second unit. LeBron James was second to Love on Cleveland with a 23 - point tally, which he complemented with eight assists, six rebounds, two steals and a blocked shot. Kyrie Irving was next with 23 points, and he added three rebounds, three assists, three steals and a block. Tristan Thompson provided a near double - double with nine points, 10 boards, a steal and a block. Reggie Jefferson paced the reserves with 11 points, six rebounds and an assist in 20 minutes. With the comfortable margin of victory, the Cavs were able to give their first unit plenty of rest, as James' 31 minutes served as the highest allotment of playing time among the starters. The series returns to the Air Canada Centre in Toronto for Game 6 on Friday night, as the Raptors will try to stave off elimination. | ["TeamStat(G,'Cavaliers') has 2 Percentage of 3 points ,has 116 Percentage of field goals ,has 37 Losses ,has 48 Total points ,has 3 Points in 1st quarter ."
"TeamStat(G,'Raptors') has 18 Percentage of 3 points ,has 39 Percentage of field goals ,has 78 Losses ,has 19 Total points ,has 27 Points in 1st quarter ,has 2 Rebounds ."] |
The Dallas Mavericks (19 - 8) went on the road and knocked off the Detroit Pistons (5 - 21) 117 - 106 on Wednesday. The Mavericks have a knack for defeating the teams who they're supposed to defeat, and that showed once again on Wednesday, with another double - digit victory. The "big four" for the Mavericks all chipped in by doing their part, as Chandler Parsons had a huge game, scoring 32 points (10 - 17 FG, 4 - 6 3Pt, 8 - 9 FT) to go with seven rebounds, two assists and two steals. Monta Ellis was at it again, scoring 25 points (11 - 20 FG, 1 - 2 3Pt, 2 - 4 FT), with eight assists, while Dirk Nowitzki posted a double - double with 18 points and 10 rebounds. Tyson Chandler fell just short of his own double - double, posting 16 points and nine rebounds. The Pistons gave the game away at the foul line, putting the Mavericks at the charity stripe for 27 easy points on 35 free throw attempts. The only starter who played over 28 minutes was Andre Drummond (41). The bench saw four players go over 20 minutes, showing that the Pistons are trying to find any lineup that can produce consistently. Drummond put up a stellar line, scoring 19 points (9 - 16 FG, 0 - 1 3Pt, 1 - 6 FT) to go with 24 rebounds, four steals, three blocks and an assist. Aside from that though, no one lit up the box score, and both Brandon Jennings and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope struggled shooting the ball on Wednesday. | ["TeamStat(G,'Pistons') has 21 Losses ,has 106 Total points ,has 5 Points in 1st quarter ."
"TeamStat(G,'Mavericks') has 8 Losses ,has 117 Total points ,has 32 Points in 1st quarter ,has 19 Wins ."] |
On Monday, the Mavericks' offense was almost entirely dependent on two players: Seth Curry and Harrison Barnes. Curry neared his career high, scoring 29 to lead the team and hitting 5 - of - 7 from beyond the arc. Barnes, meanwhile, shot 9 - of - 18 overall, good for 24 points on the night. Veteran star Dirk Nowitzki, meanwhile, led the team with 12 rebounds despite scoring only eight points. As a team, Dallas hit only 43 percent of its shots but made 50 percent from beyond the arc. Meanwhile, Miami's Hassan Whiteside scored 19 points and came down with a whopping 19 rebounds. Still, Miami finished with an advantage of only four rebounds over the Mavs. Point guard Goran Dragic also had a solid night, shooting 10 - of - 21 for 24 points to go along with five rebounds and six assists. | ["TeamStat(G,'Mavericks') has 50 Percentage of 3 points ,has 43 Percentage of field goals ."] |
The San Antonio Spurs (22 - 5) remained unbeaten at the AT & T Center with a 114 - 95 victory over the Washington Wizards (10 - 14) Wednesday night. The Spurs hit six of their eight three - point baskets in the second half, as they used a 31 - point third quarter to open the gap and run away from the Wizards. The Wizards led by as many as six in the first quarter, but went dreadfully cold, as they finished 3 - 15 (20 percent) from three - point land and 35 - 84 (42 percent) shooting overall. Forward Kawhi Leonard continues to show an improved all - around offensive game, as he poured in 27 points on a slick 9 - 15 shooting, including four three - pointers. Tony Parker finished with a 10 - point, 10 - assist double - double. In the resting Tim Duncan's absence, Manu Ginobili (11 points, eight assists in 18 minutes) and Boban Marjanovic (seven points, six rebounds two blocks in 15 minutes) both stepped up with efficient performances as the Spurs shot 53 percent from the floor. The Wizards offense stalled out despite 20 point games from both Marcin Gortat (9 - 15 shooting) and John Wall (6 - 18 shooting). Both finished with double - doubles, as Gortat nabbed 10 rebounds (and three blocks) and Wall dished out 11 assists (despite five turnovers). Kelly Oubre Jr. was a bright spot off the bench, as he scored a quick 18 points in 25 minutes, but the Wizards just could n't overcome their cold shoooting. Washington has lost four of their last five and will look to turn things around with their next contest at home Saturday against Charlotte. The Spurs are now on a four - game winning streak and have won eight of nine. They'll look to keep their undefeated home record going Friday against the Clippers. | ["TeamStat(G,'Spurs') has 53 Percentage of 3 points ,has 5 Percentage of field goals ,has 114 Losses ,has 31 Total points ,has 22 Points in 1st quarter ."
"TeamStat(G,'Wizards') has 20 Percentage of 3 points ,has 42 Percentage of field goals ,has 14 Losses ,has 95 Total points ,has 31 Points in 1st quarter ,has 10 Points in 3rd quarter ."] |
The Toronto Raptors defeated the Indiana Pacers, 116 - 91, at Air Canada Center on Sunday. In this potential playoff preview, Toronto showed just how good they can be in their home building. It was a near wire - to - wire win for the Raptors, as they led for the final 42 minutes. In addition, Toronto held a double - digit lead for the entirety of the second half. Shooting was decisive, with the Raptors hitting 49 percent from the field and 44 percent from three - point range. The Pacers shot just 41 percent from the field and 26 percent from long range. Rebounding was a glaring difference as well, with Toronto winning that battle, 51 - 33. The Pacers (35 - 34) have now traded off wins and losses across their last 13 games, as they continue their pursuit for mediocrity. Paul George led the way for Indiana, as he tallied 18 points, four rebounds and two assists. Thaddeus Young finished with 16 points and four rebounds on 7 - of - 9 shooting. Jeff Teague accrued 16 points and seven assists. Monta Ellis was the only other Pacer in double figures, as he provided 10 points and three assists off the bench. On deck for the Pacers is a home matchup against the Utah Jazz on Monday. The Raptors (41 - 29) have been struggling without Kyle Lowry, but this was a huge win over a conference rival. DeMar DeRozan was the player of the game, as he accumulated 22 points, three rebounds and four assists. Serge Ibaka totaled 16 points and five rebounds. Jonas Valanciunas recorded a double - double, amassing 11 points and 13 rebounds. Cory Joseph started for Lowry and collected 11 points, four rebounds and nine assists. Norman Powell and Jakob Poeltl each scored in double figures off the bench. Toronto will look to build off this win on Tuesday against the Chicago Bulls. | ["TeamStat(G,'Raptors') has 44 Percentage of 3 points ,has 29 Percentage of field goals ,has 116 Losses ,has 41 Total points ."
"TeamStat(G,'Pacers') has 26 Percentage of 3 points ,has 41 Percentage of field goals ,has 34 Losses ,has 91 Total points ,has 18 Points in 4th quarter ,has 13 Turnovers ,has 35 Wins ."] |
The Detroit Pistons (20 - 16) defeated the Boston Celtics (19 - 16) 99 - 94 on Wednesday. Detroit pulled out the impressive road victory by dominating the Celtics in the fourth quarter, an unlikely scenario considering how the Boston defense had effectively stymied them over the first three periods. The Pistons trailed 75 - 66 entering the final 12 minutes, but were able to prevail on the offensive efforts of Reggie Jackson (nine points) and Andre Drummond (six points) while turning the tables on the home team by limiting them to 19 points with outstanding defense. The Pistons were led by Jackson's game - high 24 points, and he added six assists and a pair of rebounds. It was Jackson's third double - digit scoring game against Boston this season, and the second of those three contests where he's scored over 20 points. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope made it a strong night for the Detroit backcourt by tallying 20 points, four rebounds, an assist and a steal. Andre Drummond had a rare sub - par outing, managing 13 points, five rebounds, a pair of steals and a pair of blocks. Stanley Johnson was outstanding off the bench, posting an 11 - point, 10 - rebound double - double over just 23 minutes to lead the Pistons' reserves. The Pistons improved to 20 - 16 and remain in fourth place in the Eastern Conference's Central Division. They head home to face the Brooklyn Nets on Saturday. Boston enjoyed a stellar night from their starting five, and Isaiah Thomas led the way with a 22 - point, 10 - rebound double - double, his second outstanding game against the Pistons this season. Evan Turner had another solid effort in place of Avery Bradley (hip), tallying 17 points and hauling in six boards. Amir Johnson and Jae Crowder pitched in with a pair of 16 - point efforts, with the former making it a double - double by posting 11 rebounds, and the latter adding four rebounds and a pair of steals. Kelly Olynyk contributed 10 points, five rebounds and four assists to round things out for the front - line players, and Jared Sullinger led the reserves with eight points. The Celtics fell to 19 - 16 and remain in second place in the Eastern Conference's Atlantic Division. They head to Chicago to take on the Bulls on Thursday. | ["TeamStat(G,'Celtics') has 16 Losses ,has 94 Total points ,has 22 Points in 1st quarter ,has 20 Points in 2nd quarter ,has 19 Points in 3rd quarter ,has 19 Points in 4th quarter ."
"TeamStat(G,'Pistons') has 16 Losses ,has 99 Total points ,has 24 Points in 1st quarter ,has 24 Points in 2nd quarter ,has 20 Points in 3rd quarter ."] |
The New York Knicks (31 - 46) took down the neighboring Brooklyn Nets (21 - 55) at Madison Square Garden on Friday night, 105 - 91. Both teams sit firmly out of the playoffs and neither owns its own pick in the 2016 draft, making Friday's matchup fairly inconsequential for both teams in the grand scheme of things. However, Madison Square Garden saw a hard - fought game with big performances from young players on both sides. For the Knicks, rookie Jerian Grant took the reigns as a starter and rolled with them, scoring 14 points and dishing out four assists while commiting just two turnovers. While lottery pick Kristaps Porzingis sat out with a shoulder injury, the team saw promise in the form of Grant's command of the floor. Guard Langston Galloway also had a big night off the bench, contributing a team - high 18 points as well as seven assists and six rebounds. For the Nets, meanwhile, young power forward Thomas Robinson exploded for a 14 - point, 13 - rebound double - double. With no Thaddeus Young, the youngster showed promise on both ends, also nabbing five steals on the defensive side of things. Ultimately, however, the Nets shot just a dismal 36 percent from the field and an even more paltry 17 percent from beyond the arc. The team remains fourteenth in the East with almost no chance of upping its standing before the season's end. Brooklyn will host the New Orleans Pelicans on Sunday, while New York will play host to the Indiana Pacers. | ["TeamStat(G,'Knicks') has 46 Percentage of 3 points ,has 105 Percentage of field goals ,has 31 Losses ."
"TeamStat(G,'Nets') has 17 Percentage of 3 points ,has 36 Percentage of field goals ,has 55 Losses ,has 91 Total points ,has 21 Wins ."] |
The Houston Rockets (20) defeated the Dallas Mavericks (0 - 2), 111 - 99, in Game 2 on Tuesday at the Toyota Center. The Rockets had several opportunities to pull away throughout the game, but Dallas always seemed to find an answer. That is, until the fourth quarter, when Dallas stopped being able to counter Houston's haymakers. The Rockets were able to space the floor and find open cutters throughout the fourth, which led to them outscoring the Mavericks 30 - 19 to close out the game. Josh Smith led the charge in the fourth with his passing as he dished out seven assists, including a couple alley - oops, in the final period. Smith matched his playoff career - high for assists with nine and also added 15 points and eight rebounds to help Houston hold serve on its home court. The series will transition to Dallas on Friday for Game 3. Dallas was short - handed coming into Game 2 with Chandler Parsons (knee) and Devin Harris (toe) sidelined, but things were made worse by Rajon Rondo's unimpactful outing. In just 10 minutes on the floor, Rondo picked up four fouls, including a technical foul, and four points before being replaced by a combination of J.J Barea and Raymond Felton. Coach Rick Carlisle said after the game that it was his decision to hold Rondo out of the game after picking up four fouls. Dirk Nowitzki finished with just 10 points on an uncharacteristically poor 3 - of - 14 shooting performance. Al-Farouq Aminu provided a spark off the bench on the defensive end with two steals and three blocks. The Mavericks will look to get back into the series Friday on their home floor. Houston looks to be a more formidable team now that Dwight Howard has gotten back into a rhythm. Howard played 33 minutes Tuesday and led the Rockets with 28 points while also adding 12 rebounds and two blocks. A healthy Howard helps alleviate some of the scoring pressure on MVP Candidate James Harden, who hit all of his 13 free throws en route to scoring 24 in the game. The Rockets have a chance to take a commanding 30 lead in the series Friday in Dallas. | ["TeamStat(G,'Rockets') has 30 Percentage of 3 points ,has 111 Losses ,has 30 Total points ,has 28 Points in 2nd quarter ,has 30 Points in 3rd quarter ,has 2 Points in 4th quarter ."
"TeamStat(G,'Mavericks') has 2 Percentage of 3 points ,has 99 Losses ,has 19 Total points ,has 0 Points in 2nd quarter ."] |
The Memphis Grizzlies (30) defeated the Charlotte Hornets (1 - 1) 71 - 69 on Saturday. Tayshaun Prince was given the start at small forward with Courtney Lee out due to a concussion that he suffered in Friday's game. Lee will be reevaluated before Monday's game to determine if he's past any symptoms that would exclude him from playing. Prince finished with just two points in 18 minutes. This was a gritty game between two defense - first teams, and it showed in the box score. The Grizzlies shot 36 percent from the field and 27 percent from beyond the arc. Michael Kidd-Gilchrist capitalized on the teams' shooting woes to corral 12 rebounds to go with 11 points in recording his first double - double of the season. The Hornets shot 36 percent from the field and 29 percent from beyond the arc, matching the Grizzlies' futility on offense. Bismack Biyombo was once again left on the bench for the entire game, and if the Hornets are n't going to use the young athletic big man against a large frontcourt like the Grizzlies who stress getting their offense close to the rim, Biyombo may find himself tied to the bench for most of the season. The Grizzlies' next game is at home Monday against the New Orleans Pelicans. The Hornets will complete a back - to - back set on the road Sunday against the New York Knicks. | ["TeamStat(G,'Hornets') has 29 Percentage of 3 points ,has 36 Percentage of field goals ,has 1 Losses ,has 69 Total points ,has 1 Wins ."
"TeamStat(G,'Grizzlies') has 27 Percentage of 3 points ,has 36 Percentage of field goals ,has 71 Losses ."] |
The Los Angeles Clippers defeated the host Charlotte Hornets, 107 - 102, at Spectrum Center on Saturday evening. The Clippers led by two at half time and boosted that lead, as they took a seven - point advantage into the fourth. The Hornets gave it a push in the fourth but were not able to make up the full difference. Jamal Crawford was the high - point man for the Clippers (33 - 21), as he led the way with 22 points on 6 - of - 11 shooting, in 27 minutes off the bench. Blake Griffin filled the stat sheet with 20 points, 12 rebounds, eight assists and one block, in 35 minutes, while Austin Rivers chipped in 18 points on 7 - of - 12 shooting, including 4 - of - 6 from downtown. The Clippers won the rebounding battle and outscored the Hornets by 14 in the paint. The Clippers will look for their third straight win, as they go on to visit Utah to take on the Jazz on Monday. Meanwhile, the Hornets (24 - 30) struggled from the field, shooting only 43 percent. Kemba Walker was the main contributor to Charlotte's poor shooting percentage, as he went 4 - of - 18 from the field, including 1 - of - 9 from long range, on his way to only 10 points. Nicolas Batum was the high - point man for the Hornets, with 25, to go along with eight assists, six rebounds and one block, in 37 minutes. Frank Kaminsky came up big, as he got the start in place of the injured Cody Zeller. Kaminsky finished with 20 points, eight rebounds, five assists, two blocks and one steal, in 36 minutes. The Hornets will look to snap a two - game losing streak, as they go on to host the 76ers on Monday. | ["TeamStat(G,'Hornets') has 30 Losses ,has 102 Total points ,has 24 Wins ."
"TeamStat(G,'Clippers') has 21 Losses ,has 107 Total points ,has 33 Wins ."] |
The Denver Nuggets defeated the host Sacramento Kings, 105 - 92, at Golden One Center on Saturday. This was a game that meant a lot more to Denver than Sacramento, as they really took control from start to finish. In fact, the Kings held just one one - point lead in the first quarter, with Denver leading for 47 minutes of this game. Free-throw shooting was decisive, with the Nuggets going 16 - of - 18 from the charity stripe, while the Kings could only go 12 - of - 20. Denver ended up shooting 47 percent from the field, while Sacramento fell just shy of 44 percent. The Nuggets (31 - 35) are barely holding on to the eight - seed in the west, so to say this win was needed is a drastic understatement. Gary Harris led the way for Denver, as he tallied 24 points, three rebounds, two assists and two steals on 10 - of - 15 shooting. Nikola Jokic finished second on the team, totaling 20 points, 14 rebounds, two assists and two steals. Danilo Gallinari accrued 15 points, five rebounds and two assists. Jamal Murray led the bench with 14 points, three rebounds and two steals, while Mason Plumlee provided eight points, seven rebounds and eight assists of his own off the pine. On deck for Denver is a home matchup with the Los Angeles Lakers on Monday. The Kings (25 - 41) continue to struggle without DeMarcus Cousins, as they have now lost eight - straight games. Buddy Hield led Sacramento in scoring, as he amassed 17 points, six rebounds and three assists on 6 - of - 8 shooting. Tyreke Evans finished second on the team with 16 points, three rebounds and two assists off the bench. Willie Cauley-Stein collected 13 points, five rebounds and five assists. Sacramento will look to snap this slide on Monday in a home matchup with the Orlando Magic. | ["TeamStat(G,'Kings') has 44 Percentage of field goals ,has 41 Losses ,has 92 Total points ,has 25 Wins ."
"TeamStat(G,'Nuggets') has 47 Percentage of field goals ,has 35 Losses ,has 105 Total points ,has 31 Wins ."] |
In a battle between two defensive - minded teams, offense was on display in this lopsided game. The Magic's offense was especially good, as they shot 51 percent from the field and 50 percent from three - point range. This game was well out of hand early, as Orlando led by 25 at halftime in their wire - to - wire win. Mike Conley was the only starter to play well for the Grizzlies, as he tallied 17 points, two rebounds and four assists on 6 - of - 8 shooting. Troy Daniels led the bench in scoring, as he collected 16 points and four rebounds. Aaron Gordon was the player of the game, as he approached a career - high with 30 points on 11 - of - 15 shooting. Elfrid Payton was huge off the bench for Orlando, accumulating 16 points, four rebounds and seven assists in the win. All five starters scored in double figures for Orlando, as they outscored the Memphis starters, 79 - 48. | ["TeamStat(G,'Magic') has 50 Percentage of 3 points ,has 51 Percentage of field goals ,has 16 Points in 4th quarter ."] |
The Indiana Pacers defeated the Detroit Pistons, 121 - 116, at Palace of Auburn Hills on Tuesday. In a battle between two middling Eastern Conference teams, the Pacers were able to prevail, thanks to a big fourth quarter. Indiana outscored Detroit 29 - 24 in the fourth quarter and held them to just 13 points through the first nine minutes of that period. The Pacers offense was on point all evening, as they shot 58 percent from the field, 87 percent from the free - throw line and 56 percent from three - point range. Detroit lost despite winning the rebounding, assisting and turnover battles. Indiana (18 - 18) had just four road wins headed into this matchup, so a fourth quarter surge to grab their fifth is just what they need to find some momentum. Paul George was the player of the game, as he scored a game - high 32 points on 10 - of - 17 shooting. George actually scored 12 of his 32 points in the final six minutes to secure the win for Indiana. Jeff Teague accrued 17 points, three rebounds and eight assists. Myles Turner totaled 17 points, seven rebounds, two blocks and two steals. Monta Ellis was a huge spark off the bench, dropping 17 points on 6 - of - 6 shooting. The Pacers have another favorable matchup in their next game, when they host the Brooklyn Nets on Thursday. Detroit (16 - 21) are now just 3 - 8 across their last 11 games and fourth quarter collapses like this are par for the course right now. The good news is that Reggie Jackson had one of his best games of the year, as he accumulated 20 points, seven rebounds and 12 assists. Andre Drummond recorded another double - double, amassing 20 points, 14 rebounds and two blocks. Tobias Harris led the team in scoring off the bench, as he scored 22 points on 9 - of - 14 shooting to go along with five boards. Jon Leuer and Marcus Morris scored 14 points a piece, while Kentavious Caldwell-Pope added 16 points and five assists. The Pistons will look to get out of this slide on Thursday against the Charlotte Hornets. | ["TeamStat(G,'Pistons') has 21 Percentage of 3 points ,has 116 Percentage of field goals ,has 24 Losses ,has 16 Total points ."
"TeamStat(G,'Pacers') has 56 Percentage of 3 points ,has 58 Percentage of field goals ,has 18 Losses ,has 121 Total points ,has 29 Points in 4th quarter ,has 11 Turnovers ,has 18 Wins ."] |
The Memphis Grizzlies defeated the Phoenix Suns, 110 - 91, on Wednesday at FedExForum. This was a wire - to - wire win for the Grizzlies (33 - 22), as they have now won three straight games and six of their last seven. Mike Conley led the way for Memphis, shooting an impressive 4 - of - 5 from behind the arc and 7 - of - 10 from the field overall. Marc Gasol added 19 points, seven rebounds and three assists, and six total Grizzlies ended up scoring in double - figures. As a team, Memphis managed to do heavy damage from long range, shooting a hot 14 - of - 24 (58 percent) from behind the arc. The victory did come, however, with a bit of recklessness, as the Grizzlies recorded 22 total turnovers on just 24 assists. For the Suns (16 - 37), their struggles continued, as Wednesday's loss was their third in a row and eighth in the last nine games. And this one was one of the more forgetful outings, as the team shot just 33 percent from the field and 22 percent from behind the arc. They also managed to play rather recklessly, recording just 13 assists to their 15 total turnovers. Devin Booker ended up leading the way with a team - high 20 points, while Eric Bledsoe had a disastrous night shooting from the field, going just 3 - of - 15 en route to scoring 16 points. Up next, the Grizzlies will look to keep rolling at home against the Warriors on Friday, while the Suns will look to turn things around Friday at home against the Bulls. | ["TeamStat(G,'Grizzlies') has 24 Number of team assists ,has 58 Percentage of 3 points ,has 22 Losses ,has 110 Total points ,has 22 Points in 2nd quarter ,has 22 Turnovers ,has 33 Wins ."
"TeamStat(G,'Suns') has 37 Number of team assists ,has 91 Percentage of 3 points ,has 16 Losses ."] |
Andre Drummond notched his second straight and third 20/20 game of the season, with 22 points on 10 - 13 shooting and 22 rebounds, in 28 minutes. All five starters scored in double digits for the Pistons, including Reggie Jackson with 16 points, and Tobias Harris and Marcus Morris with 15 each. John Leuer was solid off the bench as he finished with 17 points on 5 - of - 10 shooting and 7 - of - 8 from the foul line, in 28 minutes. Ish Smith only played 15 minutes and finished with eight points and six assists. The Pistons shot 14 - of - 29 from downtown and 50 percent from the field. The Timberwolves struggled shooting from distance, going 3 - of - 16. All five starters scored in double figures for the Timberwolves, led by Andrew Wiggins with 16 points. Minnesota continues to lack bench production as seven players combined for 91 minutes but only 23 points off the bench for the Timberwolves. | ["TeamStat(G,'Timberwolves') has 23 Percentage of field goals ."
"TeamStat(G,'Pistons') has 50 Percentage of field goals ."] |
The Miami Heat defeated the Charlotte Hornets, 108 - 101, at American Airlines Arena on Wednesday. These are two teams battling for a playoff spot in the East and it had that sort of atmosphere. This was tight throughout, as there were eight ties and 11 lead changes, with neither team leading by more than 12 points. Miami took care of business in the fourth quarter, outscoring Charlotte, 27 - 15. Rebounding was a huge factor, with the Heat winning that battle, 46 - 39. They also dominated the assists differential, winning that, 22 - 14. The Hornets (28 - 36) have just four wins in their last 11 games and losses like this are crucial to their pursuit of a playoff berth. Kemba Walker did all he could, leading the team with 33 points and four rebounds. Nicolas Batum finished second on the team, accumulating 16 points, seven rebounds and four steals. Marvin Williams amassed 14 points, 12 rebounds, three assists and three steals. On deck for Charlotte is a home matchup against the Orlando Magic on Friday. The Heat (31 - 34) have now gotten their winning streak to three games, as they continue their incredible run, now sitting within a game of the eight - seed in the East. Dion Waiters led the team with 24 points, three rebounds and five assists. Goran Dragic accrued 22 points, six rebounds and 10 assists. Hassan Whiteside recorded a double - double, totaling 10 points, 15 rebounds, two steals and four blocks. James Johnson was a nice spark off the bench, collecting 10 points, six rebounds and five assists. Miami will look to keep rolling on Saturday in a home matchup with the Toronto Raptors. | ["TeamStat(G,'Heat') has 22 Number of team assists ,has 34 Losses ,has 108 Total points ,has 27 Points in 4th quarter ,has 31 Wins ."
"TeamStat(G,'Hornets') has 14 Number of team assists ,has 36 Losses ,has 101 Total points ,has 15 Points in 4th quarter ,has 28 Wins ."] |
The New Orleans Pelicans (10 - 10) defeated the New York Knicks (4 - 19) 104 - 93 on Tuesday at the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans. The Pelicans had only a two - point lead heading into halftime, but were able to out - score the Knicks 50 - 41 in the second half, allowing them to coast to a victory in front of their home crowd. The Pelicans secured a heavy rebounding advantage, as they out - rebounded the Knicks 43 - 30, only furthering the advantage to the Pelicans in this one. While Anthony Davis is usually relied upon to guide the Pelicans, it was Tyreke Evans who took the lead on Tuesday. Evans shot a fantastic 11 - for - 15 from the field and 1 - for - 2 from the three - point line to score a game - high of 27 points, while also handing out six assists. It was nice bounce back game for him after shooting only 33 percent against the Lakers on Sunday. While Davis did n't have the most points, he still contributed 18 points (6 - 14 FG, 6 - 9 FT), eight rebounds and three blocks. While his totals were well below his season averages of 25 points and 11 assists, it was still enough to get the Pelicans a victory. Omer Asik chipped in with 16 points and 14 rebounds, giving him his fifth game in a row with at least 10 rebounds. It was also his fifth double - double of the year. Jrue Holiday was the only other Pelican to reach double figures in points, as he finished with 13 points (6 - 10 FG, 0 - 1 3Pt, 1 - 1 FT), seven assists and six rebounds. As has been the case over the last few weeks, the Knicks received most of their production from Carmelo Anthony and Amare Stoudemire. Stoudemire led all scorers with 26 points (11 - 18 FG, 4 - 6 FT), while also grabbing five rebounds. It was a season high for Stoudemire, who's only reached the 20 - point mark one other time this season. Anthony on the other hand shot 6 - for - 11 from the field and 2 - for - 4 from the three - point line to score 17 points and added eight rebounds. He did n't get nearly as many shots off as he has most of the season so far, so it resulted in scoring less than his season average of 23 points per game. With the other starters struggling to make an impact, the only other player to reach double figures was Jason Smith, who came off the bench to score 17 points (6 - 18 FG, 2 - 6 3Pt, 3 - 4 FT). He's now combined for 37 points in the last two games, as he's been a big factor off the bench for the Knicks. The Pelicans next game will be on the road against the Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday, while the Knicks will travel to San Antonio to play the Spurs on Wednesday. | ["TeamStat(G,'Pelicans') has 10 Losses ,has 104 Total points ,has 43 Rebounds ,has 10 Wins ."
"TeamStat(G,'Knicks') has 93 Losses ,has 30 Total points ."] |
Despite a tough start to the season, veteran Pau Gasol seems to have found his groove in San Antonio. The All-Star big man has scored in double digits and recorded at least seven rebounds in each of his last four games. Wednesday's matchup against the Kings saw Gasol's biggest output of the season thus far, as the big man posted 24 points, nine rebounds, and two blocks. The veteran lead San Antonio in both scoring and rebounding, while his frontcourt partners LaMarcus Aldridge and Kawhi Leonard trailed not far behind him. Aldridge scored 21 and Leonard scored 20, while both contributed six rebounds. For the Kings, meanwhile, the frontcourt was more of a one - man show. Dominant center DeMarcus Cousins lead the game with 26 points and 17 rebounds while also dishing a team - high six assists. Cousins also reached the free - throw line 14 times, growing his average of 11 attempts per game. | ["TeamStat(G,'Kings') has 24 Points in 2nd quarter ."] |
The Raptors tallied success rates of 46 and 44 percent, respectively, from the field and three - point range, while holding their visitors to under 40 percent shooting overall. Lowry contributed 23 points, eight assists, four rebounds, three steals and a block. DeMarre Carroll's 17 points came on the strength of a 7 - of - 11 shooting effort. DeMar DeRozan had a modest 15 points, while Jonas Valanciunas stepped up with a 10 - point, 14 - rebound double - double. Terrence Ross led the second unit with a season - high 21 points and added five steals. Rondae Hollis-Jefferson's 19 points in 20 bench minutes led the Nets. Spencer Dinwiddie was second with 14 points, and Jeremy Lin paced the first unit with 12 points. Trevor Booker supplied 11 points, but Luis Scola (nine points), Sean Kilpatrick (eight points) and Bojan Bogdanovic (five points) notably underperformed. | ["TeamStat(G,'Raptors') has 44 Number of team assists ,has 46 Percentage of 3 points ."
"TeamStat(G,'Nets') has 20 Number of team assists ,has 20 Percentage of 3 points ."] |
The New York Knicks (11 - 46) defeated the Detroit Pistons (23 - 35) 121 - 115 on Friday at the Palace of Auburn Hills. While currently riding an eight - game losing streak, the Knicks were able to overcome the drought and secured a victory in a double - overtime thriller. With just six seconds left in regulation, Langston Galloway came up clutch for the Knicks and hit a three - point shot to tie the game. Anthony Tolliver had a shot to win it at the buzzer, but instead it went into overtime. In the first overtime, it was the Pistons who came up with the clutch bucket at the end of the period, as Greg Monroe made a layup to even the score with 12 seconds left, eventually pushing it to a second overtime. The Knicks took off in the second overtime though, and finished off the surprising six - point victory on road, which marked just their eleventh total win on the season. The Knicks saw a huge contribution from Andrea Bargnani, who posted a team - high of 25 points (10 - 20 FG, 1 - 2 3Pt, 4 - 5 FT), to go along with 12 rebounds and four assists. He has only played eight games so far this season, and this was far - and - away his most productive showing. The point, rebound and assist numbers were all season - highs, while the double - double was his first of the year as well. Posting a double - double of his own, Lou Amundson was very effective, finishing with 17 points (8 - 16 FG, 1 - 1 FT), 14 rebounds and three blocked shots. Despite averaging just 4 points per game, he's now posted double figures in points in three straight games, after previously hitting that mark only once so far this year. Tim Hardaway Jr was dialed in with his shot, going 7 - for - 14 from the field and 2 - for - 5 from the three - point line to score 18 points, while also adding four assists. He shot a combined 7 - for - 24 from the field over his last two games, so it was refreshing to see him find increased succes during Friday's matchup. Coming off the bench, Shane Larkin added 16 points (5 - 9 FG, 1 - 3 3Pt, 5 - 5 FT) and three assists. For the Pistons, the frontcourt duo of Greg Monroe and Andre Drummond were a huge reason for their success. Each recorded a double - double, as Monroe posted 28 points (9 - 13 FG, 10 - 15 FT), 13 rebounds and two blocked shots, while Drummond finished with 21 points (9 - 11 FG, 3 - 7 FT), 15 rebounds and four blocked shots. Drummond has been on an absolute tear of late, posting four double - doubles in a row, while averaging 19 points and 15 rebounds over that span. He's averaging 13 points and 13 rebounds on the season. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope gave the frontcourt some help as well and recorded 19 points (7 - 18 FG, 3 - 11 3Pt, 2 - 2 FT) and six rebounds. Like Drummond, he's playing at a very high rate, averaging 21 points over his last three games. Both Reggie Jackson and Jodie Meeks reached double - digit points as well. Jackson finished with 16 points (5 - 24 FG, 1 - 5 3Pt, 5 - 5 FT) and five assists, while Meeks notched 16 points (5 - 8 FG, 2 - 4 3Pt, 4 - 6 FT) and two assists. The Pistons just could n't limit the Knicks enough to secure a win. The Knicks' next game will be at home against the Toronto Raptors on Saturday, while the Pistons will travel to Washington to play the Wizards on Saturday. | ["TeamStat(G,'Pistons') has 35 Losses ,has 115 Total points ,has 23 Points in 3rd quarter ."
"TeamStat(G,'Knicks') has 46 Losses ,has 121 Total points ,has 25 Points in 3rd quarter ,has 11 Wins ."] |
The Los Angeles Clippers (54 - 26) improved their chances of hosting a series in the playoffs with a 94 - 86 win over the Memphis Grizzlies (54 - 26). Marc Gasol suffered a left ankle injury and tried to play through it. He left early in the first half and his availability moving forward is unknown. The Clippers climbed to the three seed in the Western Conference with their fifth straight win. They’re tied with the Grizzlies and five seed San Antonio Spurs. Matt Barnes left briefly with a right foot injury and returned to start the second half. DeAndre Jordan converted an impressive 4 - of - 5 free throws, supplemented by 16 points, 16 rebounds, three steals and two blocks in 37 minutes in his attempt to win the Defensive Player of the Year vote. Chris Paul, the league’s leading assist man, recorded 15 points, 14 assists, five rebounds, one steal and one block in 35 minutes. Blake Griffin and J.J. Redick each scored a team - high 18 points, and Jamal Crawford added 11 points off the bench in his second game back from a calf injury. The Grizzlies are still locked into the two seed after the unfortunate loss, possessing the same record as the three seed Clippers and five seed Spurs. Mike Conley missed his second straight game due to a right foot sprain. He participated in warmups, but ultimately didn’t play. Beno Udrih scored 14 points and added three assists in 29 minutes. Zach Randolph did the heavy lifting without Conley and Gasol with team - highs of points (21), rebounds (13), assists (5) and steals (3) in 39 minutes. The Clippers end the season with a back - to - back set beginning Monday against the Denver Nuggets, their final home game of the regular season. The Grizzlies conclude a three - game road trip Monday against the Golden State Warriors. | ["TeamStat(G,'Clippers') has 26 Losses ,has 94 Total points ,has 54 Wins ."
"TeamStat(G,'Grizzlies') has 26 Losses ,has 86 Total points ,has 54 Wins ."] |
While the Rockets took 13 more shots than the Spurs, they made seven less baskets. That led to San Antonio shooting over 50 percent and Houston shooting under 40 percent. Three-point shooting is the only reason Houston hung around, as they went 15 - of - 47 in the loss. Pau Gasol and Tony Parker have really struggled this season, but they stepped up here. In fact, they both scored in double figures together for the first time all season. While Leonard recorded just two rebounds and no assists, he led the team with 20 points scored in the victory. James Harden's 25 points, 11 rebounds and 13 assists added to his already ridiculous averages of 31 points, 8 rebounds and 13 assists per game. Ryan Anderson had a historically bad game, going just 1 - of - 13 from the field, en route to a six - point, eight - rebound line. Eric Gordon's 27 points off the bench marks a season - high. There were just two ties and two lead changes, as the Spurs led for nearly the entirety of the game. | ["TeamStat(G,'Spurs') has 7 Wins ."] |
The Dallas Mavericks (4 - 2) defeated the Utah Jazz (2 - 4) 105 - 82 on Friday. Dirk Nowitzki was coming off a subpar game in the Mavericks' 108 - 87 loss to the Portland Trail Blazers on Thursday, and he made sure he had a better game Friday. He put up 27 points to go with 10 reboudnds and five three - pointers in collecting his first double - double of the season, doing all of his damage in just 28 minutes. Tyson Chandler also corralled a double - double, posting 15 points and 13 rebounds in 30 minutes. Chandler Parsons struggled with his shot, finishing 1 - for - 11 from the field, but his defense was on point Friday as he had a plus - 21 rating. The Jazz were riding a high after coming away with a 102 - 100 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Wednesday, which came on the back of a Gordon Hayward buzzer - beater to win the game as time expired. Utah had 21 turnovers Friday, dooming all their other efforts against a determined Mavericks team that was agressive on defense, collecting 12 steals. The Mavericks have Saturday off before taking on the Miami Heat at home Sunday. Utah will travel to Detroit to face the Pistons on Sunday. | ["TeamStat(G,'Jazz') has 4 Losses ,has 82 Total points ,has 21 Turnovers ,has 2 Wins ."
"TeamStat(G,'Mavericks') has 2 Losses ,has 105 Total points ,has 4 Turnovers ."] |
The Miami Heat (25 - 31) defeated the Orlando Magic (19 - 40) 93 - 90 in overtime Wednesday. Luol Deng has stepped up his point production since the team lost Chris Bosh for the remainder of the season due to blood clots in his lung. Over his last two games, Deng has averaged 25 points, 5 rebounds and 2 assists. Hassan Whiteside continued his breakout season with 15 points, 13 rebounds and three blocks. Dwyane Wade went 6 - for - 19 but had a huge assist on Henry Walker's three - pointer that sent the game into overtime, overcoming an eight - point deficit with 42 seconds remaining in regulation. It looked like the Magic had wrapped up their fourth straight victory until they gave up a Walker three - pointer with less than three seconds to go, forcing the game into an extra session. Nikola Vucevic led the Magic in points with 26 and scored all five Orlando points in overtime, but it was n't enough to stop Wade and the Heat from stealing a victory at the Amway Center. Victor Oladipo did n't have a great shooting night, going 4 - for - 13 from the field for 13 points. However, he led Orlando in rebounding with 13 to go along with four assists in 42 minutes. Aaron Gordon left Wednesday's game with an ankle sprain and did n't return after recording six points in nine minutes of action in the first half. Miami will travel to New Orleans to take on the Pelicans on Friday. The Magic will face the Eastern Conference-leading Atlanta Hawks from Phillips Arena on Friday. | ["TeamStat(G,'Magic') has 40 Losses ,has 90 Total points ,has 19 Wins ."
"TeamStat(G,'Heat') has 31 Losses ,has 93 Total points ,has 25 Wins ."] |
This was not the Spurs-Warriors game everyone was looking forward to, as Kawhi Leonard, Tony Parker, LaMarcus Aldridge, Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Kevin Durant and Draymond Green all sat out this game. The Spurs capitalized though, as their B-unit is the far superior one over the Warriors second - unit. It was a near wire - to - wire win, with San Antonio leading by double - digits for the entirety of the second half. The Warriors really struggled on offense, hitting just 36 percent from the field and 29 percent from three - point range. Ian Clark was the lone bright spot for Golden State, as he led the team with 36 points on 15 - of - 21 shooting off the bench. Matt Barnes led the starters, as he collected 14 points, nine rebounds and five assists. Patty Mills was San Antonio's best player, as he accumulated 21 points, two rebounds and four assists. Kyle Anderson tallied 13 points, eight rebounds and six assists. | ["TeamStat(G,'Spurs') has 21 Percentage of 3 points ."
"TeamStat(G,'Warriors') has 29 Percentage of 3 points ,has 36 Percentage of field goals ."] |
The Rockets launched 51 three - point attempts and converted on 17 of them. Three players scored 20 or more points for Houston, led by James Harden, who finished with 28 points, along with 13 assists, nine rebounds, two blocks and one steal, in 43 minutes. Ryan Anderson poured in 28 points of his own, on 9 - of - 19 shooting, including 7 - of - 16 from long range. Eric Gordon continued his strong play as he chipped in 20 points, six rebounds, four assists and two steals, in 36 minutes off the bench. Meanwhile, Karl-Anthony Towns came up with the line of the night as he dropped 41 points on 15 - of - 28 shooting, to go along with 15 rebounds and five assists, in 43 minutes. Zach LaVine added 24 points but had a troublesome eight turnovers, while Andrew Wiggins struggled shooting, going 5 - of - 17 from the field, on his way to 13 points. | ["TeamStat(G,'Rockets') has 28 Points in 1st quarter ,has 28 Points in 4th quarter ."] |
The host Toronto Raptors defeated the Memphis Grizzlies, 120 - 105, at Air Canada Center on Wednesday. Despite the final scoreline, this game was tight throughout. In fact, neither team had more than a nine - point lead until the final six minutes, as there were nine ties and 15 lead changes in total. The second half is where the Raptors really turned it on, outscoring Memphis, 65 - 48 over the final 24 minutes. Toronto was lights - out from the field, shooting 55 percent from the field and 50 percent from three - point range. Rebounding was huge as well, with the Raptors grabbing 42 boards to the Grizzlies 30. Memphis (11 - 8) had to play this game without Mike Conley and Zach Randolph and that was simply too much to overcome. Andrew Harrison was great filling - in for Conley though, tallying 21 points, four assists and three steals in the defeat. JaMychal Green finished the game with 16 points, five rebounds and five steals. Much of the offense was run through Marc Gasol, as he totaled 18 points, eight rebounds and three assists. Troy Daniels was a nice spark off the bench, dropping 19 points on 6 - of - 12 shooting. Memphis will finish their back - to - back set on Thursday, when they host the Orlando Magic. Toronto (12 - 6) allowed a beat - up Memphis team to hang around longer than they'd hope, but they got the result they needed. Kyle Lowry was the player of the game, accumulating 29 points, three rebounds, eight assists and two steals in the victory. DeMar DeRozan took just nine shots, but still finished with 24 points, nine rebounds and six assists. Those two combined to go 19 - of - 21 from the free - throw line and 14 - of - 22 from the field. Cory Joseph and Patrick Patterson were huge off the bench. Joseph accrued 16 points and eight rebounds, while Patterson amassed 14 points and 13 boards. On deck for the Raptors is a home matchup against the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday. | ["TeamStat(G,'Raptors') has 50 Percentage of 3 points ,has 55 Percentage of field goals ,has 6 Losses ,has 120 Total points ,has 30 Points in 2nd quarter ,has 12 Rebounds ."
"TeamStat(G,'Grizzlies') has 8 Percentage of 3 points ,has 105 Percentage of field goals ,has 30 Losses ,has 11 Total points ."] |
The Orlando Magic (23 - 53) snapped their four - game losing streak against the worst team in the Western Conference, defeating the Minnesota Timberwolves (16 - 60), 97 - 84. They matched their win total from last season. Nikola Vucevic scored a career - high 37 points and grabbed 17 rebounds in 40 minutes. Restricted free agent to be, Tobias Harris, added 25 points, 12 rebounds and four three - pointers. Rookie of the Year hopeful Elfrid Payton missed a triple - double by four rebounds or six steals. He made both free throws and has made 13 of his last 15 freebies. Fellow rookie Aaron Gordon played a career - high 30 minutes and Channing Frye received his second straight DNP-CD. Last year’s Rookie of the Year runner - up Victor Oladipo was held to 4 - of - 19 shooting and missed all six three - pointers. The Timberwolves are two games behind the New York Knicks for the worst record in the league. Kevin Martin returned to the starting lineup after missing six games with a strained hamstring. He was one of six Timberwolves to score at least 10 points, producing 12 points on 12 shots to go along with three steals and three assists. Andrew Wiggins, the Rookie of the Year frontrunner, scored 22 points in 37 minutes. He’s played in all 76 games this season and is tied for third in total minutes played (2,720). Justin Hamilton helped out in almost every category, registering 14 points, a team - high nine rebounds, two assists, two steals and one block in 38 minutes as he continues to start for the concussed Gorgui Dieng. The Magic play their second road game in as many days when the face the Milwaukee Bucks on Saturday. The Timberwolves have three days off before a grueling, four road games in five nights excursion commencing against the Sacramento Kings on Tuesday. | ["TeamStat(G,'Timberwolves') has 60 Losses ,has 84 Total points ,has 16 Wins ."
"TeamStat(G,'Magic') has 53 Losses ,has 97 Total points ,has 23 Wins ."] |
The Washington Wizards defeated the Phoenix Suns, 131 - 127, Tuesday at Talking Stick Resort Arena. It was a back - and - forth game between these teams, as after the Wizards (38 - 24) opened up the game early with a 13 - point lead after one quarter, the Suns (21 - 43) chipped away and ultimately opened up their own lead of 11 points in the third quarter. From there, after Washington countered, the game was neck and neck until the very end. With two minutes to go, the Wizards gained a 10 - point lead, which then dropped to an eight - point lead with 30 seconds left. Phoenix's Devin Booker would n't let his team go away, however, and managed to score nine points over the next 26 seconds, but ultimately, it was not enough, and the Suns could n't extend their win streak to four games. The Washington backcourt led the way all night for the Wizards, as Bradley Beal scored 27 points in 33 minutes, while John Wall notched 25 points and 14 assists in 37 minutes. The most important for Washington, however, came from one of their newest members, as Bojan Bogdanovic scored a team - high 29 points in 29 minutes off the bench. Most of those came at the free throw line, as Bogdanovic hit an impressive 16 - of - 16 shots from the charity stripe. It was a similar story for the Suns, as the starting backcourt of Eric Bledsoe and Devin Booker carried the team to the bitter end. Bledsoe finished with a game - high 30 points on 50 percent shooting in just 27 minutes. Booker, after his late - game spurt, scored 25 points to go along with six assists and four rebounds in 38 minutes. As a team, Phoenix shot very well, as they hit 50 percent of their shots overall from the field. In the end, it was their carelessness with the basketball that resulted in 19 team turnovers that cost them Tuesday's outing. | ["TeamStat(G,'Suns') has 50 Percentage of field goals ,has 43 Losses ,has 127 Total points ,has 21 Points in 2nd quarter ."
"TeamStat(G,'Wizards') has 24 Percentage of field goals ,has 131 Losses ,has 30 Total points ,has 26 Points in 2nd quarter ,has 38 Points in 3rd quarter ."] |
The Charlotte Hornets (42 - 31) defeated the Milwaukee Bucks (30 - 44) 115 - 91 on Saturday. The recent form of these teams would have indicated a result like this and it was well out of hand early. In fact, the Hornets had a 26 - point lead headed into the fourth quarter. Charlotte was unconscious from the field, as they hit 55 percent of their shots and 55 percent of their three's in their blowout win. The Hornets have been playing some great ball and wins like this puts an exclamation point on their season. Nicolas Batum was fantastic, as he tallied 25 points, seven rebounds and eight assists. Marvin Williams continued his underrated season, as he amassed 21 points, eight rebounds and three blocks. Up next for the Hornets is another favorable matchup against the Philadelphia 76ers on Tuesday. This ugly loss now gives Milwaukee four - straight losses and the season is now officially lost. Jabari Parker had a nice game though, as he totaled 15 points, seven rebounds and four assists. The bench was a lone bright spot in this game, as John Henson led the team with 19 points and Tyler Ennis dished out a career - high 12 assists. The Bucks do n't play again until Wednesday, when they host the Phoenix Suns in their next game. | ["TeamStat(G,'Bucks') has 44 Percentage of 3 points ,has 91 Percentage of field goals ,has 30 Losses ."
"TeamStat(G,'Hornets') has 55 Percentage of 3 points ,has 55 Percentage of field goals ,has 31 Losses ,has 115 Total points ,has 26 Points in 2nd quarter ,has 42 Wins ."] |
The Memphis Grizzlies defeated the San Antonio Spurs, 104 - 96, at FedEx Forum on Saturday. In this potential playoff preview, Memphis showed San Antonio just how hard it is to win in FedEx Forum. The first 26 minutes were tight, as there were six ties and 15 lead changes in total. The Grizzlies took control from there, as they led for the final 22 minutes. Three-point shooting was the only true advantage for Memphis, as they went 13 - of - 30 from long range, while San Antonio struggled at 9 - of - 28. The assist - to - turnover ratio was decisive as well, with Memphis recording two more assists than San Antonio, while committing five less turnovers. The Spurs (52 - 16) had a tough task here against a hot Grizzlies team, as they simply did n't have enough in the arsenal to win this game. Kawhi Leonard led the way, as he tallied 22 points, seven rebounds and three assists. LaMarcus Aldridge was the only other starter with more than four points, as he finished with 21 points, nine rebounds and four assists. Jonathan Simmons was a nice spark off the bench, dropping 14 points in 17 minutes. On deck for San Antonio is a home matchup against the Sacramento Kings on Sunday. The Grizzlies (40 - 30) have extended their winning streak to four games, with this win being the most impressive of the bunch. Mike Conley was the player of the game, as he collected 19 points, seven rebounds and six assists. Marc Gasol totaled 16 points, five rebounds and seven assists. Zach Randolph was huge off the bench, providing 18 points and seven rebounds. The Grizzlies are off until Tuesday, when they take on the New Orleans Pelicans on the road. | ["TeamStat(G,'Grizzlies') has 30 Losses ,has 104 Total points ,has 40 Wins ."
"TeamStat(G,'Spurs') has 16 Losses ,has 96 Total points ,has 52 Wins ."] |
The Orlando Magic defeated the Memphis Grizzlies, 112 - 102, at Amway Center on Monday. While this scoreline looks moderately close, the Magic had this game well in hand early on. In fact, they led by 25 points at the half in a rare wire - to - wire win, as it took a 30 - 16 fourth quarter for Memphis to make the scoreline respectable. Orlando's offense was extremely efficient, as they shot 51 percent from the field and 50 percent from three - point range, while committing just nine turnovers and 23 assists. Rebounding was also a huge factor, with Orlando winning that battle, 44 - 35. Memphis (20 - 13) have thrived off their dominant defense all season, but they simply did n't have it tonight. Mike Conley had one of his best games since returning from injury though, as he tallied 17 points, twp rebounds and four assists. The bench was one of the only bright spots, as Zach Randolph, Troy Daniels and James Ennis III all scored in double figures. The Grizzlies will look to play better on Tuesday in a road matchup with the Boston Celtics. Orlando (15 - 18) have really struggled on the offensive end this season, but they had one of their best games here against a stifling Grizzlies defense. Aaron Gordon had one of the best games of his career, as he led the Magic with 30 points on 11 - of - 15 shooting. Bismack Biyombo recorded a double - double in the win, totaling 10 points and 12 boards in just 23 minutes. Elfrid Payton continued his great form off the bench, as he accumulated 16 points, four rebounds and seven assists. The Magic will look to keep rolling on Wednesday in a home matchup against the Charlotte Hornets. | ["TeamStat(G,'Magic') has 23 Number of team assists ,has 50 Percentage of 3 points ,has 51 Percentage of field goals ,has 18 Losses ,has 112 Total points ,has 9 Points in 2nd quarter ,has 15 Turnovers ."
"TeamStat(G,'Grizzlies') has 13 Number of team assists ,has 102 Percentage of 3 points ,has 25 Percentage of field goals ,has 20 Losses ."] |
The New Orleans Pelicans (6 - 4) defeated the Sacramento Kings (6 - 5) 106 - 100 on Tuesday at Sleep Train Arena in Sacramento. The Kings continue to struggle and have now lost four of their last five games, after starting the season 5 - 1. Despite out - rebounding the Pelicans 52 - 32 in this one, the Kings were out - scored 31 - 15 in the third - quarter, setting up the Pelicans victory. The Pelicans shot 49 percent from the field and 37 percent from behind the three - point line. Anthony Davis was unstoppable Tuesday, as he went 11 - for - 19 from the field and 6 - for - 8 from the free - throw line to score 28 points, while also coming one rebound short of his eigth double - double. He's now averaging 25 points and 12 rebounds on the season. Ryan Anderson also had himself a night. He finished with 22 points (9 - 17 FG, 4 - 12 3Pt) off the bench, while also grabbing four rebounds. Eric Gordon came alive, after having a relatively quiet season up to this point. He scored 17 points and dished out four assists in 37 minutes. The only other Pelican to reach double figures was Tyreke Evans, who contributed 18 points (5 - 11 FG, 1 - 2 3Pt, 7 - 8 FT). DeMarcus Cousins did everything he could to keep the Kings in position for a victory. He finished with another characteristic monster line, scoring 24 points (10 - 18 FG, 4 - 7 FT) and grabbing 17 rebounds. It was Cousins' fourth straight double - double, giving him his eigth total on the year. Despite dealing with an Achilles injury, Rudy Gay was able to start and played 36 minutes, while scoring 15 points and tallying five assists. He showed no signs of being slowed by the injury. At the point, Darren Collison contributed 13 points (3 - 10 FG, 2 - 3 3Pt, 5 - 6 FT) and 11 assists, giving him his first double - double of the year. The largest contribution off the bench came from Omri Casspi, who notched 27 minutes and scored 13 points. The Pelicans' next game will be on the road Friday against the Denver Nuggets, while the Kings will remain at home to play the Chicago Bulls on Thursday. | ["TeamStat(G,'Kings') has 5 Percentage of field goals ,has 100 Losses ,has 15 Total points ,has 52 Points in 3rd quarter ,has 6 Rebounds ."
"TeamStat(G,'Pelicans') has 49 Percentage of field goals ,has 4 Losses ,has 106 Total points ,has 31 Points in 3rd quarter ,has 32 Rebounds ,has 6 Wins ."] |
The Denver Nuggets took down the host Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday, 127 - 121. The Nuggets (17 - 23) have now won three straight games. One of the key components of Denver's win streak has been the play of sophomore big man Nikola Jokic. Jokic came off a career - high 30 points against the Magic for 29 on Tuesday, also recording 15 rebounds and three blocks. Seven of Jokic's rebounds came on the offensive end, as the young center made a major impact for the Nuggets' offense. Although starting shooting guard Gary Harris (ankle) missed the tilt in Los Angeles, Denver seemingly had no trouble making up for his missing offensive output. Versatile wing Will Barton slid into the starting lineup in Harris's place and contributed 26 points to go with eight assists. Barton was just one piece of a well - oiled Denver offense, as the team dished out 29 assists and shot over 56 percent on the night. The Lakers (15 - 31) very nearly came back from a double - digit deficit in the fourth quarter. Despite trailing by just two with under a minute to play, Los Angeles was unable to come away with a much - needed home win. One of Los Angeles's main issues on Tuesday was one that has plagued the team throughout the season - disappointing play from the starting five. Four Lakers came off the bench for double digit points, including 24 for former Sixth Man of the Year Lou Williams and 19 for guard Jordan Clarkson, who was listed as questionable with an ankle injury prior to the game. Nevertheless, struggles from the starters ended up burying the Lakers. Big man Julius Randle shot just 2 - of - 8 for seven points and had five turnovers, while point guard D'Angelo Russell had only five points and three assists. The Nuggets will play in San Antonio on Thursday, while the Lakers will host the Pacers on Friday. | ["TeamStat(G,'Lakers') has 31 Number of team assists ,has 121 Losses ,has 15 Total points ."
"TeamStat(G,'Nuggets') has 29 Number of team assists ,has 23 Losses ,has 127 Total points ,has 17 Wins ."] |
The Golden State Warriors defeated the host New Orleans Pelicans on Friday, 122 - 114. The Warriors (1 - 1) bounced back from a nationally - televised 29 - point loss to the San Antonio Spurs on opening night. High-profile free agency acquisition Kevin Durant was the difference maker for Golden State on Friday, leading the team with 30 points and 17 rebounds. The Warriors depth also showed, as the team was able to pull away with the lead during Anthony Davis's rest at the end of the third quarter. All-Stars Steph Curry and Klay Thompson made major contributions in the points column as well, scoring 23 and 28 respectively. The team displayed impressive ball movement, recording 32 assists on the night. While the Warriors saw major top - down contributions, the Pelicans (0 - 2) were able to stay in contention on the back of Anthony Davis. After opening the season with a 50 - point, 16 - rebound, near - five - by - five, Davis continued to dominate with a game - high 45 points and 17 rebounds.'The Brow 'was able to convert on a whopping 17 of 31 field goal attempts, including one of two tries from beyond the arc. Davis did see help from guard Tim Frazier, who posted a 21 - point, 10 - assist double - double. Outside of Davis and Frazier, however, no Pelicans starter scored more than four points. Sixth overall pick Buddy Hield particularly struggled, scoring just two points on 16 percent shooting with two turnovers in 19 minutes. The Pelicans will see the Spurs in San Antonio on Saturday, while the Warriors will visit Phoenix on Sunday. | ["TeamStat(G,'Pelicans') has 2 Losses ,has 114 Total points ,has 0 Points in 4th quarter ."
"TeamStat(G,'Warriors') has 1 Losses ,has 122 Total points ,has 30 Points in 4th quarter ,has 1 Wins ."] |
The Chicago Bulls defeated the Toronto Raptors, 123 - 118, in overtime at United Center on Saturday. The Bulls (19 - 18) survived a difficult second quarter and two last - second game - winning shot attempts by Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan at the end of regulation to eventually secure the overtime win. Jimmy Butler spearheaded the victory with a game - high 42 points, which he supplemented with 10 rebounds, five assists and three steals. He also put matters away for good with a 25 - foot jumper with 17 seconds remaining in overtime that gave Chicago a 121 - 116 lead at the time. The Bulls also played some solid defense against one of the best offenses in the league, limiting the Raptors (24 - 12) to 44 percent shooting overall, and a 26 percent tally from three - point range. Toronto was led by DeRozan's 36 points, which he supplemented with eight rebounds, two assists, two steals and a block. His scoring haul included a 16 - for - 17 performance from the foul line. Lowry followed with a 27 - point, 12 - assist double - double that also included nine rebounds, three steals and a block. Jonas Valanciunas contributed 14 points, seven boards and a pair of blocks, while Cory Joseph led the bench with 14 points, three rebounds, an assist and a steal. Dwayne Wade checked in second behind Butler with 20 points, seven assists, four rebounds and a block. Taj Gibson (eight points, six rebounds), Robin Lopez (six points, five rebounds) and Michael Carter-Williams (five points, five rebounds, four assists) turned in modest performances, but Doug McDermott checked in with a 17 - point, 10 - rebound double - double off the bench that also included an assist and a steal, and Nikola Mirotic supplied 12 points, nine rebounds, two assists, a steal and a block in a reserve role as well. The Raptors return home to face off with the Houston Rockets on Sunday, while the Bulls remain home to take on the Oklahoma City Thunder on Monday evening. | ["TeamStat(G,'Bulls') has 25 Number of team assists ,has 18 Percentage of 3 points ,has 123 Percentage of field goals ,has 19 Losses ."
"TeamStat(G,'Raptors') has 26 Number of team assists ,has 44 Percentage of 3 points ,has 12 Percentage of field goals ,has 118 Losses ,has 24 Total points ."] |
The Houston Rockets (4 - 1) defeated the Dallas Mavericks (1 - 4) 103 - 94 on Tuesday at the Toyota Center in Houston. Coming out with just their second playoff series win in the last 18 years, the Rockets were able to close out the Mavericks in front of their home crowd. Houston got off to a quick start Tuesday, out - scoring the Mavericks 31 - 22 right away in the first quarter. The Mavericks were able to slowly make their way back throughout the game though, eventually coming to within five points with just over two minutes left in the game. The Rockets never let off the gas pedal though and closed out strong for the series clinching nine - point victory. The Rockets finished at 45 percent from the field and 32 percent from the three - point line, while the Mavericks shot 38 percent from the floor and just 19 percent from deep. Superstars James Harden and Dwight Howard were the biggest reasons that the Rockets were finally able to take the next step in the playoffs. Howard finished with 18 points (7 - 14 FG, 4 - 10 FT), 19 rebounds and four blocked shots, while Harden recorded a game - high of 28 points (9 - 19 FG, 4 - 8 3Pt, 6 - 6 FT), to go along with eight assists. Howard was a force on the boards, helping the Rockets secure a 53 - 47 rebounding advantage. It marked his 32nd career playoff game with at least 15 rebounds. Harden, on the other hand, did what he does best and that's score the ball at a very high rate. The Mavericks just did n't have an answer for him on the defensive side of the ball and he continued his season dominance. The Rockets also continued to reap the benefits of their Josh Smith pickup this season. He shot an impressive 7 - for - 12 from the field and 2 - for - 6 from the three - point line to score 20 points off the bench, while also adding eight rebounds over 22 minutes. He averaged 17 points and 6 rebounds during this five - game series. Monta Ellis and Dirk Nowitzki did everything they could to keep the Mavericks' alive in the playoffs. Ellis finished with 25 points (11 - 26 FG, 2 - 7 3Pt, 1 - 1 FT), seven assists and four steals, while Nowitzki had 22 points (8 - 23 FG, 0 - 6 3Pt, 6 - 8 FT) and 14 rebounds. Nowitzki really struggled with his shot early in the game, as he was never really able to get himself into a groove, but he played with a lot of heart and continually tried to bring his team back. Ellis, on the other hand, had a nice game shooting the ball. He did seem to bang up his knee late in the fourth quarter, so that's something to watch heading into the offseason. Al-Forouq Aminu had a solid showing as well, finishing with 14 points (3 - 8 FG, 1 - 1 3Pt, 7 - 8 FT), nine rebounds and five steals. He's been a pleasant surprise for the Mavericks all series long, and it looks as if he has established himself as a valuable player moving forward into next season. The Rockets will now await the winner of the Los Angeles Clippers/San Antonio Spurs series, which is currently tied at 2 - 2. | ["TeamStat(G,'Rockets') has 32 Percentage of 3 points ,has 45 Percentage of field goals ,has 1 Losses ,has 103 Total points ,has 31 Points in 1st quarter ,has 53 Rebounds ,has 4 Turnovers ."
"TeamStat(G,'Mavericks') has 19 Percentage of 3 points ,has 38 Percentage of field goals ,has 4 Losses ,has 94 Total points ,has 22 Points in 1st quarter ,has 47 Rebounds ,has 18 Turnovers ,has 1 Wins ."] |
The Cleveland Cavaliers defeated the Philadelphia 76ers, 112 - 108, at Wells Fargo Center on Sunday. Considering the Cavs (13 - 2) came in to Sunday as one of the hottest offensive teams in the league, the start to the contest could hardly have been more auspicious. Cleveland misfired on their first 14 shots and the Sixers (4 - 13) capitalized to build a 30 - 24 lead after one quarter. The visitors began to claw their way back in the second period, but still entered halftime trailing by a surprising 58 - 52 margin. However, they used intermission to regroup, as they outscored their hosts in the second half by a 60 - 50 margin, doing just enough to overcome their deficit and hang on to a slim advantage. Kyrie Irving was superb in keying the win, scoring a team - leading 39 points that he supplemented with four rebounds and two assists, while LeBron James and Kevin Love combined for 51 points of their own. James compiled 26 points, 13 assists and 10 rebounds for his second triple - double of the season, both of which have come in the last three games. Love tallied 25 points, 11 rebounds and an assist. Tristan Thompson culled together a 12 - point, 12 - rebound double - double. J.R. Smith's epic shooting struggles continued, as he went scoreless (along with five rebounds and an assist) over 39 minutes on an 0 - for - 11 shooting tally, making him 1 - of - 22 from the field over his last two games. The Sixers were paced by Joel Embiid, who supplied 22 points, nine rebounds, four assists and three blocks. Ersan Ilyasova and Gerald Henderson managed a pair of 13 - point efforts, with the former adding six rebounds and an assist and the latter contributing five rebounds, four assists, a steal and a block. Sergio Rodriguez got the start at point guard and registered 12 points, seven assists, two rebounds and two steals. The bench was highly productive as well, posting a collective 40 points. They were led by Jahlil Okafor's 14 - point total, while Nik Stauskas and Dario Saric totaled 11 and 10 points, respectively. The Cavs now travel to Milwaukee for a Tuesday night tilt versus the Bucks, while the Sixers head north of the border to face the Toronto Raptors on Monday night. | ["TeamStat(G,'76ers') has 108 Total points ,has 30 Points in 1st quarter ."
"TeamStat(G,'Cavaliers') has 112 Total points ,has 24 Points in 1st quarter ."] |
The Miami Heat (47 - 33) took care of business in a 118 - 96 win over the Orlando Magic (34 - 46) on Sunday. This game was meaningful to one team and not the other and that was evident with the on the court result. The Heat just slowly took it to the Magic, as they won all four quarters and took a 20 - point lead into the fourth. Miami's offense was on point, as they shot 56 percent from the field and recorded 28 assists on their 43 made baskets. Orlando had very little to play for here and they simply didn’t play well in this meaningless game. The injuries to Victor Oladipo and Aaron Gordon were a huge difference, as their fill - ins really struggled. Evan Fournier did play well though, as he led the team with 21 points and five assists. Nikola Vucevic had a nice game too, as he totaled 19 points and eight rebounds. Up next for Orlando is a matchup with the Milwaukee Bucks on Monday. Miami is only one game out of landing the three - spot in the east and this win was a big step to that goal. Hassan Whiteside got his first start in months and amassed 18 points and 15 rebounds in another dominating performance. Goran Dragic, Dwyane Wade and Luol Deng all scored at least 17 points in their win as well. On deck for Miami is a matchup with the Detroit Pistons on Tuesday. | ["TeamStat(G,'Heat') has 28 Number of team assists ,has 56 Percentage of field goals ,has 33 Losses ,has 118 Total points ,has 47 Points in 2nd quarter ."
"TeamStat(G,'Magic') has 46 Number of team assists ,has 96 Percentage of field goals ,has 21 Losses ,has 20 Total points ,has 34 Points in 2nd quarter ."] |
The Denver Nuggets (20 - 31) came back to beat the Chicago Bulls (27 - 22) 115 - 110 on Friday. This was a tight game throughout the first half, but the Nuggets put together an unbelievable fourth quarter to win. Chicago outscored Denver 32 to 18 in the third quarter, but the Nuggets outscored the Bulls 42 - 21 over the last 12 minutes. This marked the Bulls ninth - straight loss in Denver, but they lost more than that. Jimmy Butler had to be carted off seconds before the half and that just adds to a myriad of injuries the Bulls are suffering from at this time. The most surprising stat was the rebounding, as Denver snatched down 48 boards to Chicago’s 40. The Bulls had to play this game without Pau Gasol, Joakim Noah and Nikola Mirotic and it was obvious they missed all of them equally. Jimmy Butler's injury appeared to spark the Bulls in the third quarter, but they couldn’t muster up enough to hold off the Nuggets in the fourth. Derrick Rose was the star for Chicago, as he nearly triple - doubled in a 30 - point, nine - rebound and eight - assist line in the loss. Taj Gibson also played well, as he amassed 18 points, seven rebounds and three blocks in the defeat. The Bulls have now lost 10 of their last 15 and will try to improve on that Saturday against the Minnesota Timberwolves. This game seemed well out of hand to start the fourth, but Denver made one of their biggest comebacks in franchise history to win. Danilo Gallinari once again carried the load, as he scored 33 points and went 18 - for - 18 from the free - throw line. Emmanuel Mudiay also scored 22 of his own and dished out five assists in the victory. Nikola Jokic and Kennth Faried both double - doubled in the comeback as well. Up next for the Nuggets is a matchup against the New York Knicks on Sunday. | ["TeamStat(G,'Nuggets') has 31 Losses ,has 115 Total points ,has 18 Points in 3rd quarter ,has 42 Points in 4th quarter ,has 48 Rebounds ,has 20 Turnovers ."
"TeamStat(G,'Bulls') has 22 Losses ,has 110 Total points ,has 32 Points in 3rd quarter ,has 21 Points in 4th quarter ,has 10 Rebounds ,has 27 Turnovers ."] |
The Phoenix Suns defeated the host Indiana Pacers, 116 - 96, at Bankers Life Fieldhouse on Friday. Most home teams thrive in the first and fourth quarters due to home field advantage, but the Suns took it to the Pacers in that stretch. In fact, they outscored Indiana by 22 points in that 24 - minute period and held them to just 32 points. The bench was huge for Phoenix, as they had all six bench players score at least seven points in their win. The Suns also dominated the rebounding and turnover differential, as they won the rebounding battle 46 - 35 and the turnover differential 18 - 11. The Suns (4 - 9) had just one road win coming into this game, but they let their frustrations out on an injury - riddled Indiana team here. The bench was spectacular, as they had six bench players combine for 78 points. Brandon Knight led the team in scoring off the bench, totaling 17 points and five assists. Alan Williams recorded a double - double off the pine, amassing 15 points and 15 rebounds on 6 - of - 7 shooting. Jared Dudley turned back the clock, as he accumulated 16 points, five rebounds and six assists in 31 minutes of action. Phoenix will look to build off this win on Saturday, when they travel to Philadelphia to face the Sixers for their next game. Indiana (6 - 7) came into this game as a huge favorite, but they simply could n't overcome some notable injuries. Not only did Paul George miss this game with an ankle injury, C.J. Miles had to depart in the first quarter due to a knee injury. Myles Turner carried the load for the Pacers, as he tallied 22 points, six rebounds and two blocks in the loss. Jeff Teague was second on the team, as he finished with 21 points, four rebounds and seven assists. No other player scored in double figures, as Thaddeus Young and Monta Ellis finished with nine points apiece. Indiana will return to action on Sunday, when they play the Oklahoma City Thunder on the road. | ["TeamStat(G,'Pacers') has 7 Losses ,has 96 Total points ,has 35 Points in 3rd quarter ,has 18 Rebounds ,has 6 Turnovers ."
"TeamStat(G,'Suns') has 9 Losses ,has 116 Total points ,has 32 Points in 3rd quarter ,has 46 Rebounds ,has 11 Turnovers ,has 4 Wins ."] |
In any game with Hassan Whiteside on the floor, viewers can expect to see plenty of blocked shots. This was the case on both sides in Friday's Grizzlies-Heat showdown. Whiteside, the league's leading shot blocker, sent just two shots back, but his team joined the party, rejecting eight shots in total. Memphis, meanwhile, was even more aggressive on defense, blocking a whopping 15 shots. Former Defensive Player of the Year Marc Gasol sent back an impressive five shots, while rookie Deyonta Davis blocked two. Guards Andrew Harrison and Tony Allen surprisingly rejected two shots each. Due in large part to the block party, both teams struggled when shooting from the floor. Miami ended up shooting just over 38 percent as a team, while Memphis finished around 35 percent on the night. For Memphis, Harrison and point guard Mike Conley shot a combined 5 - of - 23 from the floor, while Miami saw an abysmal 1 - of - 11 from its starting frontcourt. | ["TeamStat(G,'Grizzlies') has 35 Percentage of field goals ."] |
The Hawks (32 - 8) got 22 points from Al Horford and held off the Raptors (23 - 16) 110 - 89 on Friday in Toronto. The win was Atlanta’s 11th in a row since falling to Milwaukee on Dec. 26 and its fourth consecutive win by at least 10 points. All five starters scored in double - figures, led by Horford’s 22. The big man also had five rebounds and five assists in 28 minutes after sitting out to rest Wednesday. Kyle Korver, who was also rested against Boston, returned to the lineup and added 11 points in 29 minutes. Jeff Teague pitched in 13 points and nine assists, and Paul Millsap added 16 points, eight rebounds, four assists and three steals. The Hawks were out - rebounded by Toronto and committed 17 turnovers but shot a scorching - hot 61 percent from the floor. Toronto, losers of six of its last eight, matched Atlanta’s 17 turnovers but managed only 43 percent shooting. DeMar DeRozan, in his second game back from injury, led all scorers with 25 points on 11 - of - 18 shooting. His backcourt mate, Kyle Lowry, struggled, finishing with only 11 points (5 - 13 FG). Terrence Ross and Jonas Valanciunas combined for nine points on 2 - of - 12 shooting, and Amir Johnson added eight points in 23 minutes. James Johnson had a productive night off the bench, finishing with 17 points on 7 - of - 11 shooting. Up next, the Raptors finish off a six - game homestand Sunday against New Orleans. Atlanta ends its four - game road swing Saturday night in Chicago. | ["TeamStat(G,'Raptors') has 43 Percentage of field goals ,has 89 Losses ,has 17 Total points ."
"TeamStat(G,'Hawks') has 61 Percentage of field goals ,has 8 Losses ,has 110 Total points ,has 17 Turnovers ,has 32 Wins ."] |
While the Los Angeles Clippers have struggled since the All-Star Break, their three All-Stars helped them earn a convincing win on Monday. Star big man Blake Griffin led the team with 30 points, shooting 12 - of - 19 from the field and pulling down six rebounds. Superstar point guard Chris Paul helped run the offense effectively, scoring 13 points on 5 - of - 11 shooting while dishing out a whopping 13 assists and pulling down another five rebounds. Center DeAndre Jordan was the team's top rebounder, pulling down 10 rebounds along with 14 points and three blocks. It was an excellent overall team performance from LA. The Clippers shot over 49 percent from the field and dished out 25 assists. They also sank 10 three - pointers on the night and also limited themselves to nine turnovers. | ["TeamStat(G,'Clippers') has 25 Number of team assists ,has 49 Percentage of field goals ,has 9 Turnovers ."] |
The Blazers backcourt got off to a strong start in the scoring department early, but a fourth quarter that belonged mostly to Damian Lillard last season, has been shifted to Boston's Isaiah Thomas, who poured in another big 15 points in the final period in leading the Celtics to victory. The Blazers backcourt still finished with a good scoring effort, as they combined for 48 points on 38 shots, while Al-Farouq Aminu poured in 26 points on 8 - of - 12 shooting off the bench. Portland out shot the Celtics from both the field and behind the arc, but Boston held a major advantage on steals (8 - 4) and turnovers (8 - 15). A standout performance came from Celtics rookie Jaylen Brown in a starting role, where he logged 33 minutes and finished with 14 points, seven rebounds, two assists and two three - pointers made. | ["TeamStat(G,'Trail Blazers') has 15 Turnovers ."
"TeamStat(G,'Celtics') has 8 Turnovers ."] |
The Utah Jazz (25 - 25) defeated the Phoenix Suns (14 - 38) 98 - 89 at Talking Stick Arena on Saturday. The Suns overcame a double digit deficit to pull the game within striking distance in the fourth quarter after a pair of free throws and a three - point bucket from Markieff Morris had Phoenix down nine points, but Rudy Gobert was rock solid from the free throw line, draining six straight to aid the Jazz in what could have been a tight game down the stretch. Devin Booker put the nail in the coffin after dunking home the last needed basket with just over :30 remaining. The Jazz were led by both Rodney Hood and Gordon Hayward, who combined for 47 points 16 - of - 35 shooting. Hayward added six rebounds, three assists and two blocks to round out the box score, while Hood pitched in four boards and three baskets from behind the arc. Rudy Gobert did the majority of his damage from the charity stripe down the stretch and finished with 13 points, 13 rebounds and four blocks on 9 - of - 12 free throw shooting in 34 minutes. Derrick Favors and Raul Neto each finished in double figures to round out an all around strong performance from the Utah starters. The bench was stretched a bit thin as Trey Burke (illness) did not play and Trey Lyles only saw five minutes of court time. The Jazz will visit the Dallas Mavericks (28 - 25) on Tuesday. The Suns were handed their seventh straight loss and continue to look sloppy on both ends of the floor. With Brandon Knight (groin) sidelined, Phoenix turned to Archie Goodwin and Devin Booker to lead the backcourt, but neither player has Knight’s impact and that was evident in Saturday’s matchup. Booker pitched in 18 points and Goodwin scored 14, but they combined for a lowly four assists, as the frontcourt was unable to finish at the rim. Markieff Morris was given a volume shooting role, but was inefficient throughout the game, scoring 17 points on 22 shots, to go along with seven rebounds and eight assists. The Suns will look to bounce back when they host the Oklahoma City Thunder (38 - 14) on Monday. | ["TeamStat(G,'Suns') has 38 Losses ,has 89 Total points ,has 14 Wins ."
"TeamStat(G,'Jazz') has 25 Losses ,has 98 Total points ,has 25 Wins ."] |
Karl-Anthony Towns became only the sixth player since 1973 - 74 to record at least 1,400 points, 850 rebounds and 100 blocks in his rookie season, as the Minnesota Timberwolves (29 - 53) crushed the visiting New Orleans Pelicans (30 - 52) on Wednesday night, 144 - 109, at Target Center. The Timberwolves' 144 points is a franchise high. After a close first couple of minutes the Timberwolves ran away with this one, beginning with a 40 - point first quarter. Karl-Anthony Towns recorded a game - high 28 points (12 - 17 FG, 2 - 5 3Pt, 2 - 2 FT) on stellar shooting, along with 14 rebounds, three assists, two blocked shots and one steal. This was Towns' 51st double - double of the season. Shabazz Muhammad also had a great shooting night as he poured in 28 points (12 - 16 FG, 1 - 3 3Pt, 3 - 3 FT) of his own. Tyus Jones dished a career - high 12 assists, along with nine points and no turnovers, in 26 minutes off the bench. Although their season comes to an end, the Timberwolves have plenty to look forward to with their solid young core. James Ennis led the way for the Pelicans, with 28 points (10 - 20 FG, 6 - 11 3Pt). Omer Asik put up big numbers with 24 points and 11 rebounds, in 32 minutes, while Toney Douglas added 22 points, five assists, four rebounds and four steals, in 42 minutes. This has been an injury - riddled season for the Pelicans, who can only hope for better luck next year. | ["TeamStat(G,'Timberwolves') has 53 Losses ,has 144 Total points ,has 40 Points in 1st quarter ,has 29 Wins ."
"TeamStat(G,'Pelicans') has 52 Losses ,has 109 Total points ,has 30 Points in 1st quarter ."] |
The visiting Boston Celtics took down the New York Knicks, 119 - 114, in a classic Christmas rivalry matchup at Madison Square Garden. Boston (18 - 13) has heated up since the return of star point guard Isaiah Thomas, and is now 5 - 1 in its last six games. The Celtics are now 12 - 7 on the road, having won more road games than any other team in the Eastern Conference. On Sunday, the Celtics staved off a late comeback effort from the Knicks. With the game tied and under a minute to go, guard Marcus Smart hit a clutch three - pointer from the corner to take the lead. Smart had a terrific game off the bench, scoring 15 points on 5 - of - 9 shooting and dishing out seven assists. Boston doubled down on the defensive end, with a clutch steal from shooting guard Avery Bradley and a game - ending block from All-Star center Al Horford. Horford finished with 15 points, seven rebounds, five assists, three steals, and two blocks. Thomas, the Celtics' leader in scoring average, led the team once again with 27 points. New York (16 - 14), meanwhile, made a valiant comeback in the last three minutes of the game. The Knicks went on a 16 - 3 run to tie the game after trailing by double digits. Much of the comeback was due to the play of star forward Carmelo Anthony, who had 22 points in the second half. Despite the clutch play, Melo ended up committing a costly crunch - time turnover when switched onto Avery Bradley. Sophomore big man Kristaps Porzingis had 22 points and 12 rebounds, while point guard Derrick Rose contributed 25. The Cavs will visit Detroit on Monday, while Golden State will host Toronto on Wednesday. | ["TeamStat(G,'Knicks') has 14 Losses ,has 114 Total points ,has 16 Wins ."
"TeamStat(G,'Celtics') has 13 Losses ,has 119 Total points ,has 18 Wins ."] |
The Denver Nuggets (5 - 7) defeated the New Orleans Pelicans (6 - 5) 117 - 97 on Friday. Denver started off the season jittery as a June bug, losing six of their first seven games, but over their last five games, they've stolen four wins. It's hard to get a read on where the team is headed, but the narrative right now has at least a glimmer of hope for their prospects going forward. Kenneth Faried paced the Nuggets, finishing with 19 points and eight rebounds in 27 minutes. Denver will go on the road to face the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday. New Orleans has had a tough schedule to start the season, so the fact they're still able to breathe above the .500 mark is impressive. They had six players finish in double - digits, but the team shot just 40 percent from the field, making it hard to secure the win. The Pelicans have one more game left on their current four - game road trip. They'll travel to Utah to take on the Jazz on Saturday. | ["TeamStat(G,'Nuggets') has 7 Percentage of field goals ,has 117 Losses ,has 5 Total points ."
"TeamStat(G,'Pelicans') has 40 Percentage of field goals ,has 5 Losses ,has 97 Total points ,has 6 Wins ."] |
The Boston Celtics defeated the Orlando Magic, 128 - 98, at TD Garden on Friday evening. The Celtics (28 - 18) came in to Friday fresh off a big victory over the Houston Rockets on Wednesday night, a win spearheaded by an explosive 38 - point effort from Isaiah Thomas. Their offensive momentum carried over into Friday and generated even better results overall, as Boston posted success rates of 56 and 47 percent from the field and three - point range, respectively. Instead of Wednesday's top - heavy scoring effort, the Celtics saw six players hit double digits in the scoring column, and played superbly on the defensive end as well, holding the Magic (18 - 30) to just 65 points through three quarters. The Magic were led by a pair of 14 - point efforts from Nikola Vucevic and Damjan Rudez, with the latter providing his scoring off the bench. Vucevic added seven boards, two assists and a steal, while Rudez provided an assist, two steals and a block. Aaron Gordon went for 13 points, five boards and a steal. Bismack Biyombo generated 10 points, seven rebounds and three assists in 25 minutes on the second unit. C.J. Watson went for nine points, four assists, a rebound and a steal. The Celtics were paced by Thomas' 21 points, a total he supplemented with eight assists, three rebounds and two steals. Rookie Jaylen Brown totaled a career - high 20 points, along with eight boards and two assists. Jae Crowder contributed a full stat line of 19 points, six boards, four assists, two steals and a block. Amir Johnson made the start for Al Horford (groin), managing 10 points, four rebounds, three assists and a block. Kelly Olynyk led the second unit with 16 points, five rebounds and an assist, while Tyler Zeller provided 10 points, three rebounds, two assists, a steal and a block, his first game action since Dec. 29. The Magic travel to Toronto to take on the Raptors on Sunday evening, while the Celtics head to Milwaukee to face the Bucks on Saturday night. | ["TeamStat(G,'Celtics') has 47 Percentage of 3 points ,has 56 Percentage of field goals ,has 18 Losses ,has 128 Total points ,has 28 Wins ."
"TeamStat(G,'Magic') has 30 Percentage of 3 points ,has 98 Percentage of field goals ,has 18 Losses ."] |
The Boston Celtics defeated the Houston Rockets, 120 - 109, at TD Garden on Wednesday evening. The Celtics (27 - 18) could n't quite keep up with the fast - paced Rockets (34 - 15) in the first half, but they made up for it after intermission. Boston outscored their visitors by a 68 - 51 margin over the third and fourth periods, despite the game being knotted at 98 as late as the 5:12 mark of the final quarter. That's when Isaiah Thomas drained two clutch free throws after a flagrant - 1 foul on James Harden for hitting Jonas Jerebko in the face, and then followed those points with a jumper and a driving hook. The Celtics then scored 16 points the rest of the way while holding the Rockets to 11, sealing the double - digit home win. Both teams had a hard time hanging on to the ball, as Houston was guilty of 17 turnovers while Boston gave it away 18 times. James Harden led the way for the Rockets with a 30 - point, 12 - assist double - double that also included six rebounds, a steal and a block. Ryan Anderson produced 19 points, five rebounds, an assist and a steal. Trevor Ariza and Clint Capela followed with matching 12 - point efforts, with the former adding two rebounds, two assists and a steal, and the latter registering seven boards, an assist and two blocks. All of Ariza's points notably came on four three - pointers. Sam Dekker paced the second unit with 15 points, four rebounds, a steal and a block, while Montrezl Harrell tallied 11 points, three assists, two rebounds and a steal in a reserve role as well. Isaiah Thomas continued his stellar play while leading the Celtics with 38 points, nine assists, five rebounds and a steal. With Avery Bradley (Achilles) still out, his usage continues to be at a sky - high rate, as evidenced by Wednesday's 27 shot attempts. Jae Crowder stepped up with a 23 - point, 10 - rebound double - double that also included four assists and a steal. Al Horford supplied a near double - double of 20 points, nine assists, three rebounds, three steals and two blocks, and had a first - half ending buzzer - beating three - pointer. Jonas Jerebko and Jaylen Brown, making starts in place of Amir Johnson and Bradley, respectively, could only combine for nine points and took just seven shot attempts between them. Marcus Smart, who went to the bench in favor of Brown, and Gerald Green led the second unit with matching seven - point tallies. The Rockets next travel to Philadelphia to do battle with the Sixers on Friday night, while the Celtics remain home to tangle with the Orlando Magic on Friday evening as well. | ["TeamStat(G,'Celtics') has 18 Losses ,has 120 Total points ,has 18 Turnovers ,has 27 Wins ."
"TeamStat(G,'Rockets') has 15 Losses ,has 109 Total points ,has 17 Turnovers ,has 34 Wins ."] |
The Houston Rockets (13 - 14) took down the Los Angeles Lakers (4 - 22) by a 107 - 87 final Thursday night at the Staples Center. The Rockets nailed five three - pointers in the first quarter to jump out to a 29 - 18 lead after the first frame. They would hold that lead for the entire game, as the Lakers were never closer than six points down in the second half. James Harden’s 25 points led all scorers despite a rough shooting night (7 - 24 field goals, 2 - 9 three - pointers), and he added six assists and six rebounds. Clint Capela (10 points, 12 rebounds) and Dwight Howard (16 points, 15 rebounds) both recorded double - doubles out of the Houston front court. Houston’s size advantage was a factor all game long, as the Rockets pulled down a ridiculous 23 offensive rebounds, over 40 percent of their missed shots on the offensive end. The Lakers weren’t competitive despite one of Kobe Bryant’s most effective games of the season, as he scored a team - high 22 points on 9 - 16 shooting and added eight rebounds. Julius Randle was active off the bench, scoring 18 points (6 - 15 shooting) and grabbing 10 rebounds. The Lakers couldn’t shoot themselves out of their early deficit, as they went just 5 - 24 from three - point land as a team. The Lakers have lost seven of eight and will face a difficult test in their next contest Sunday in Oklahoma City. Houston ended a two - game losing streak with Thursday’s victory and will look to make it a winning streak Sunday at home against the Clippers. | ["TeamStat(G,'Lakers') has 22 Losses ,has 87 Total points ,has 18 Points in 1st quarter ,has 4 Points in 2nd quarter ."
"TeamStat(G,'Rockets') has 14 Losses ,has 107 Total points ,has 29 Points in 1st quarter ,has 23 Points in 2nd quarter ,has 13 Wins ."] |
The Detroit Pistons (32 - 50) ended the season with an 112 - 90 victory over the New York Knicks (17 - 65). Seven Pistons finished with at least 10 points in the season finale. In what may be his final game in a Pistons uniform, Greg Monroe compiled 10 points and four steals as he heads into the offseason an unrestricted free agent. Impending restricted free agent Reggie Jackson performed marvelously, supplying 24 points, 11 assists, four rebounds and three steals in 32 minutes. Andre Drummond scored 17 points and grabbed 12 rebounds. He completed the season second to the Los Angeles Clippers’ DeAndre Jordan in rebounds per game while leading the league in offensive rebounds per game. Jodie Meeks sank both free throws and ends the season behind only the Golden State Warriors’ Stephen Curry in free - throw percentage. The Pistons head into the offseason with the eighth - worst record in the league. The Knicks ended the season with their worst record in franchise history. Their futility gives them the second - worst record in the league and a 20 percent chance of winning the NBA Draft Lottery. They’re guaranteed at least a top - five pick. Langston Galloway ended the year second in minutes per game and scoring average among rookies. He also connected on a rookie high 1 three - pointers per game. Cole Aldrich scored a career - high 24 points and grabbed 15 rebounds in 27 minutes, taking advantage of garbage time. Tim Hardaway Jr. scored 14 of his season - high 25 points in the first quarter and hit five three - pointers, ending the season as the Knicks’ leading scorer. Jason Smith was the only Knick to play every game this season. | ["TeamStat(G,'Knicks') has 65 Losses ,has 90 Total points ,has 17 Wins ."
"TeamStat(G,'Pistons') has 50 Losses ,has 112 Total points ,has 32 Wins ."] |
The Golden State Warriors (28 - 5) defeated the Indiana Pacers (14 - 23) 117 - 102 on Wednesday at Oracle Arena in Oakland. Despite a close first half, the Warriors got hot in the second half, out - scoring the Pacers 67 - 52 to close out the game at home in front of their home crowd. They were the superior shooters, going an impressive 50 percent from the field and 43 percent from the three - point line, while the Pacers went 46 percent from the floor and just 23 percent from beyond the arc. The Warriors were able to force the Pacers into 17 turnovers. Klay Thompson was unstoppable in this one. He went 14 - for - 25 from the field and 6 - for - 11 from the three - point line to score a game - high of 40 points. It was his second 40 - point game of the year, after torching the Lakers for 41 points back in early November. Stephen Curry had a strong showing of his own, scoring 21 points (8 - 17 FG, 4 - 8 3Pt, 1 - 1 FT) while adding 15 assists and four steals. The assists matched a season - high for him, while the double - double was his second in the last three games. It was also his second game in a row with four steals, as he keeps getting it done on the defensive side of the ball as well. Filling in as the starting center, Marreese Speights went 8 - for - 12 from the floor to score 18 points. Even with a six point outing on Monday, Speights is averaging 18 points over his last four games as he continues to roll with a hot hand. David Lee had 13 points (6 - 10 FG, 1 - 2 FT) off the bench. With Roy Hibbert going down with an ankle injury after only five minutes, the Pacers were even further out - matched. Solomon Hill did everything he could to keep them in the game, going 8 - for - 15 from the three - point line and 2 - for - 5 from beyond the arc to score 21 points. It was his best offensive showing since back in mid - November, so it was good to see him having success. David West did a little bit of everything in this game, as he finished with 16 points (6 - 11 FG, 4 - 4 FT), seven rebounds and six assists. The assists matched a season - high for West. Coming off the bench both Donald Sloan (6 - 11 FG, 0 - 3 3Pt, 2 - 2 FT) and Luis Scola (5 - 12 FG, 4 - 4 FT) pitched in 14 points of their own. The Pacers just did n't have the scoring power to keep up with an excellent Warriors squad. The Warriors' next game will be at home against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday, while the Pacers will be at home against the Boston Celtics on Friday. | ["TeamStat(G,'Warriors') has 43 Percentage of 3 points ,has 50 Percentage of field goals ,has 5 Losses ,has 117 Total points ,has 28 Turnovers ."
"TeamStat(G,'Pacers') has 23 Percentage of 3 points ,has 46 Percentage of field goals ,has 23 Losses ,has 102 Total points ,has 17 Turnovers ,has 14 Wins ."] |
The Houston Rockets defeated the New York Knicks, 129 - 122, at Toyota Center on Saturday. This has been the year of the triple - double, but there has n't been a performance like this in quite some time. James Harden accumulated 53 points, 16 rebounds and 17 assists on the way to his best game of his career. His game carried this offense to some gaudy numbers too, as they recorded 30 assists and went 21 - of - 55 from three - point range. There were no ties and only one lead change, as the Rockets never relinquished the lead after the second quarter. New York (16 - 17) had to play this game extremely shorthanded and they did a good job of hanging around against a potent Houston attack. Kristaps Porzingis sat this game out with an Achilles injury and Carmelo Anthony had to depart early due to renewed knee soreness. That put Brandon Jennings in the starting lineup and he did n't disappoint, as he led the team with 32 points, five rebounds and seven assists. Derrick Rose also played well, accumulating 21 points, five rebounds and seven assists. Joakim Noah recorded a 15 - point, 16 - rebound double - double in the loss. On deck for the Knicks is a home matchup against the Orlando Magic on Monday. Houston (26 - 9) have gotten some unbelievable performances from James Harden this season, but this one tops them all. Harden finished the game with 53 points, 16 rebounds and 17 assists in the best game of his career. Ryan Anderson helped him get those assists up, as he was second on the team with 25 points and six rebounds on 8 - of - 12 shooting. Montrezl Harrell got a rare start at center and amassed 13 points, four rebounds and four assists on 6 - of - 7 shooting. They'll look to keep rolling on Monday against the Washington Wizards. | ["TeamStat(G,'Rockets') has 9 Losses ,has 129 Total points ,has 26 Wins ."
"TeamStat(G,'Knicks') has 17 Losses ,has 122 Total points ,has 16 Wins ."] |
The Toronto Raptors (41 - 27) defeated the Minnesota Timberwolves (14 - 53) 105 - 100 on Wednesday at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto. By securing this victory, the Raptors remained within two games of the Cleveland Cavaliers, who sit in the second projected playoff seed in the Eastern Conference standings. The Cavaliers took down the Brooklyn Nets on Wednesday as well, so the Raptors avoided dropping another game back with a loss. The Timberwolves have now tied the New York Knicks for the worst record in the league, so they'll battle it out to see who will give themselves the best chance of landing the number one overall pick in this year's draft from here on out. DeMar DeRozan really struggled with his shot in this game, going just 4 - of - 14 from the field. He made up for it at the free throw line though, as he forced his way into 12 attempts, while converting on all 12 of those attempts to push his scoring total to a team - high of 21 points. DeRozan continues to score at a very high rate, considering he's surpassed the 20 - point mark in eight of his last nine games. Over his last 10 games, he's now averaging 22 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists. Jonas Valanciunas put in a good effort as well, notching a double - double with 15 points (7 - 9 FG, 1 - 2 FT) and 15 rebounds in just 23 minutes. It was his second double - double in a row, as he's combined for 29 points and 27 rebounds over his last two games. Terrence Ross was dialed in with his shot as well. He went 6 - for - 9 from the field and 3 - for - 5 from beyond the arc to score 15 points. Unfortunately for the Raptors, Kyle Lowry had to leave the game during the third quarter with what looked like a lower back injury and was not able to return. While they were unable to pull off the win, Kevin Martin had himself a game. He went 14 - for - 28 from the floor and 5 - for - 9 from the three - point line to score a game - high of 37 points, while also adding seven rebounds. He's picked up his scoring of late with so many injuries affecting this team, as he's averaging 18 points while shooting 45 percent from the field during his last four games. Andrew Wiggins also did his best to keep his team close. He went 6 - for - 9 from the field and 3 - for - 4 from the free throw line to score 15 points. After shooting 40 percent or lower in each of his last three games, it was good to see the forward get back on track Wednesday. Coming off the bench, Chase Budinger matched a season - high of 19 points (9 - 18 FG, 1 - 5 3Pt, 0 - 1 FT), to go along with eight rebounds. It was his second solid showing in a row, after scoring 18 points Monday. Ricky Rubio returned after missing two games, but had just two points (1 - 4 FG, 0 - 1 3Pt) and eight assists in 30 minutes. The Raptors' next game will be on the road against the Chicago Bulls on Friday, while the Timberwolves will travel to New York to play the Knicks on Thursday. | ["TeamStat(G,'Raptors') has 27 Losses ,has 105 Total points ,has 41 Wins ."
"TeamStat(G,'Timberwolves') has 53 Losses ,has 100 Total points ,has 14 Wins ."] |
The Indiana Pacers (42 - 36) have nearly secured playoff berth after dismantling the Cleveland Cavaliers (56 - 23) on Wednesday, 123 - 109. Cleveland star LeBron James rested during the contest. Indiana now simply needs a win or a Bulls loss to secure playoff berth. Superstar forward Paul George elevated his play for one of his biggest performances of the season, dropping in a massively efficient 29 points on the first - seeded Cavaliers. Backcourt star Monta Ellis, meanwhile, chipped in 13 points and dished out eight assists. As a team, Indiana simply shot the lights out, converting on 56 percent of shots from the field and draining 16 three - pointers. Indiana's massive shooting night was bolstered in part by 21 points and six threes from C.J. Miles off the bench. Cleveland, meanwhile, failed to take the record for most consectuive games with 10 or more made three - pointers. With eight threes and 47 percent from the field, the team still shot respectably, but clearly suffered on the defensive end in LeBron's absence. All-Star Kyrie Irving led the way with 26 points, but overall the team could not get it done against the playoff - hungry Pacers. The Cavs have a chance to formally eliminate the Bulls on Saturday. Indiana, meanwhile, will take the court on Friday in Toronto. | ["TeamStat(G,'Pacers') has 56 Percentage of field goals ,has 36 Losses ,has 123 Total points ,has 26 Points in 3rd quarter ,has 42 Turnovers ."
"TeamStat(G,'Cavaliers') has 23 Percentage of field goals ,has 109 Losses ,has 10 Total points ,has 56 Points in 3rd quarter ."] |
The Washington Wizards defeated the Philadelphia 76ers, 109 - 93, at Verizon Center on Saturday. The Wizards were expected to win this game rather easily and they took care of business after the first quarter. Philadelphia actually led, 30 - 21 after the first quarter, but it was all Washington from there. In fact, they outscored the Sixers by nine in the second quarter and 15 in the third quarter to eventually pull away. Defense was key for the Wizards, as they held the Sixers to 41 percent from the field, 52 percent from the free - throw line and 32 percent from three - point range. Washington were very efficient on their end, as they shot 48 percent from the field and 47 percent from three - point range. The Sixers (12 - 26) had to play this game without Joel Embiid, as they clearly could n't make up for his absence. Jahlil Okafor got the start for Embiid and led the team with 26 points and nine rebounds. Ersan Ilyasova was n't far behind, totaling 18 points and seven rebounds. The other three starters really struggled, as Nik Stauskas, Robert Convington and T.J. McConnell combined for 13 points on 5 - of - 23 shooting. Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot was a nice spark off the bench, collecting 12 points, six rebounds and two assists. The Wizards (20 - 19) were in a must win against a shorthanded Sixers team and they did n't disappoint with an easy victory. John Wall was the player of the game, as he accumulated 25 points, seven rebounds and seven assists. Bradley Beal was second on the team, as he dropped 20 points to go along with four rebounds. Markieff Morris and Marcin Gortat did a great job down low, combining for 26 points and 19 rebounds. All five starters scored in double figures, despite none of them playing the final eight minutes. | ["TeamStat(G,'Wizards') has 47 Percentage of 3 points ,has 48 Percentage of field goals ,has 19 Losses ,has 109 Total points ,has 21 Points in 1st quarter ,has 20 Points in 3rd quarter ."
"TeamStat(G,'76ers') has 32 Percentage of 3 points ,has 41 Percentage of field goals ,has 26 Losses ,has 93 Total points ,has 30 Points in 1st quarter ,has 15 Points in 3rd quarter ,has 12 Wins ."] |
The Cleveland Cavaliers (6 - 2) defeated the Chicago Bulls (6 - 4) 86 - 84 in Game 4 of their second - round playoff series on Sunday at the United Center. The series is now tied at two games a piece, and this meeting came down to the wire once again. After LeBron James was called for an offensive foul with the Cavaliers up two, Derrick Rose came back down the other way for the Bulls and hit a shot to tie things up at 84. Then, after James’ game - winning attempt was blocked out of bounds, Cleveland had one last shot with 2 seconds remaining to win the game. Lebron cut to the corner and buried a long - range jumper at the buzzer, giving the Cavaliers the victory and tying the series. James did not shoot particularly well, as he shot 10 - for - 30 from the floor and 1 - of - 7 from behind the arc, but it ultimately did not matter, and he finished with 25 points, 14 rebounds and 8 assists in 43 minutes to lead his team to victory. Timofey Mozgov played effective in the paint, as he posted 15 points (4 - 5 FG, 7 - 8 FT), nine rebounds and three blocks in 38 minutes. Tristan Thompson and Kyrie Irving each scored 12 points as members of the starting lineup, while J.R. Smith came off the bench in this game and scored 13 points (5 - 10 FG, 3 - 6 FT), including a hot streak of shots that kept Cleveland in the game. As for the Bulls, Rose continues to lead the way for them, as he scored 31 points on 11 - of - 23 shooting in 41 minutes. Rose has now scored a combined 61 points in his last two outings. Beyond Rose, however, Chicago did not get much help, with Jimmy Butler serving as the only other Bull to score in double figures, finishing with 19 points (8 - 21 FG, 3 - 5 3Pt) and five rebounds in 45 minutes.The other three starters shot a combined 7 - of - 26 from the field and scored just 18 points in the losing effort. Chicago, however, was without Pau Gasol (hamstring) in their starting lineup and he is considered day - to - day at this point. Game 5 will be on Tuesday, giving Gasol one day to rest, but he will remain questionable until then. The series will move back to Cleveland for Game 5, with tip - off scheduled for 7 p.m. EST. | ["TeamStat(G,'Bulls') has 2 Losses ,has 84 Total points ,has 2 Points in 3rd quarter ."
"TeamStat(G,'Cavaliers') has 2 Losses ,has 86 Total points ,has 12 Points in 3rd quarter ,has 2 Wins ."] |
The Golden State Warriors (61 - 13) overcame a big deficit to pull out a 110 - 106 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers (49 - 26) on Tuesday at the Staples Center. The final regular season meeting between the Clippers and Warriors did not disappoint. After the Clippers opened up a 17 point lead in the second quarter, the Warriors woke up and started chipping away at the deficit. Los Angeles took a six point lead into the fourth, but Golden State's reserves opened the period on a 90 run to grab the lead. The Clippers, who had 88 points through three quarters, went cold from the floor in the fourth, hitting just three of their 13 field goal attempts. The Warriors clinched the season series 3 - 1. Golden State withstood an offensive barrage from Los Angeles to make a run of its own to notch its 61st victory of the season. Klay Thompson had a quiet first half, but started to heat up in the third with 13 points on 5 - of - 6 shooting from the floor. Thompson finished with 25 points. While the "Splash Brothers" combined for 52 points, the Warriors' role players were key in keeping them in the game. Marreese Speights had 13 points in 15 minutes off the bench and David Lee, who started in place of the injured Draymond Green, scored 17. The Warriors will look to extend their winning streak to 11 on Thursday when they host the Suns. Los Angeles did everything right through the first 36 minutes of this contest, but a fourth quarter collapse cost the Clippers a signature win over their rival. Blake Griffin had a tremendous game with 40 points (16 - 25 FG) to go with 12 rebounds and three blocks. Griffin was automatic on his mid - range and turnaround jumpers for the majority of the game, but only made one field goal in the fourth. The Clippers have another tough test on the docket Wednesday with a matchup against the Trail Blazers. | ["TeamStat(G,'Clippers') has 26 Losses ,has 106 Total points ,has 49 Wins ."
"TeamStat(G,'Warriors') has 13 Losses ,has 110 Total points ,has 61 Wins ."] |
Subsets and Splits
No community queries yet
The top public SQL queries from the community will appear here once available.