Charlotte, NC (Sports Network) - Taj Gibson scored 17 points off the bench as
the Chicago Bulls defeated the Charlotte Bobcats, 105-75, on Friday at Time
Warner Cable Arena. Gibson, one of eight Bulls to score in double-digits, was
8-of-11 from the field for Chicago, which came into the game off a loss
against Miami on Thursday. Luol Deng had 14 points and five rebounds, while
Nate Robinson, Jimmy Butler and Marco Belinelli scored 12 points apiece.
Carlos Boozer recorded a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds. Kemba
Walker had a game-high 27 points for the Bobcats, who lost their second
straight and 10 of their past 12 games. Walker was 9-of-17 from the field,
including 4-of-6 from behind the arc.
Final Score: Indiana 114, Detroit 82
Indianapolis, IN (Sports Network) - David West posted team-highs of 18 points
and eight rebounds as the Indiana Pacers cruised to another blowout victory,
this time crushing the Detroit Pistons, 114-82, at Bankers Life Fieldhouse.
The Pacers have won eight of their last 10 and have taken their last three by
a combined 90 points, including a 34-point win over the Knicks on Wednesday.
Indiana passed New York in the Eastern Conference standings on Friday and sits
alone in second place behind the Miami Heat. All five Indiana starters scored
in double figures, while rookie reserve Orlando Johnson netted all 14 of his
points in the first half. The Central Division leaders shot 56 percent from
the floor, held Detroit to 35 percent shooting and led by as many as 43
points. Detroit had four players finish with double-digit scoring efforts, as
Will Bynum led the way with 17 points.
Final Score: Toronto 100, New York 98
Toronto, ON (Sports Network) - Rudy Gay scored 26 of his season-high 32 points
during the second half in his most prolific performance in a Toronto uniform,
and the Raptors hung on down the stretch for a 100-98 victory over the
sputtering New York Knicks at Air Canada Centre. DeMar DeRozan chipped in 18
points and Kyle Lowry had 15 along with seven assists for the resurgent
Raptors, who are winners in six of their last seven outings and are 7-3 since
acquiring Gay from the Memphis Grizzlies on Jan. 30. Carmelo Anthony matched
Gay with a 32-point effort and helped rally the Knicks back from a 13-point
third-quarter deficit to grab a two-point lead with six minutes to go, but
Lowry hit a clutch jumper with 28 seconds left to snap a 95-95 tie and the
Raptors held on. The defeat was New York's fourth in a row, its longest losing
streak since a six-game skid last March that triggered the dismissal of then-
head coach Mike D'Antoni. J.R. Smith and Amar'e Stoudemire finished with 19
and 14 points, respectively, for the Knicks.
Final Score: Washington 119, Denver 113
Washington, DC (Sports Network) - Bradley Beal and Emeka Okafor led seven
Washington players in double-figures as the Wizards used a balanced attack to
take down the struggling Denver Nuggets, 119-113, on Friday at Verizon Center.
Beal and Okafor each netted 17 points, while Okafor grabbed 13 rebounds and
Beal had 12 boards and four assists for the Wizards, who snapped a two-game
losing streak. Trevor Ariza and Martell Webster scored 16 and 15 points,
respectively, while John Wall added a double-double with 14 points and 10
assists in the victory. Ty Lawson had a game-high 27 points and 12 assists and
Wilson Chandler registered 22 points for the Nuggets, who have lost four of
their last five games.
Final Score: Atlanta 122, Sacramento 108
Atlanta, GA (Sports Network) - Josh Smith remained a member of the Hawks after
the trade deadline and had 18 points in Atlanta's 122-108 victory over the
Sacramento Kings on Friday. Smith was expected to be the biggest chip moved on
Thursday. However, Atlanta decided to keep him as the 3 p.m. deadline passed.
The Hawks did make a pair of minor moves, shipping Anthony Morrow to the
Dallas Mavericks in exchange for Dahntay Jones and acquiring Jeremy Tyler and
cash considerations from the Golden State Warriors for future draft
considerations. Jeff Teague had 20 points and 12 assists for the Hawks, who
have won 10 in a row against Sacramento. Al Horford and DeShawn Stevenson
tallied 24 and 17 points, respectively. DeMarcus Cousins ended with 26 points
and 13 rebounds for the Kings, who have lost four straight. Isaiah Thomas
donated 30 points and nine assists.
Final Score: Houston 106, Brooklyn 96
Brooklyn, NY (Sports Network) - James Harden and Carlos Delfino paced the
Rockets with 22 points apiece and Houston continued its recent dominance over
the Nets with a 106-96 victory at Barclays Center on Friday. The Rockets were
deadly from 3-point range, especially Harden and Delfino, who combined for 10
of Houston's 16 makes from long distance and each nailed one down the stretch
to seal the victory. Omer Asik compiled a double-double with 10 points and 11
rebounds in the triumph. Brooklyn had its four-game winning streak halted as
they dropped a 13th consecutive game to the Rockets. Brook Lopez tallied a
game-high 27 points for the Nets, while Deron Williams added 15 points with 13
assists in the setback. C.J. Watson scored 17 points in a starting role for
Brooklyn, as Joe Johnson missed his first game of the season while battling
plantar fasciitis in his heel.
Final Score: Memphis 88, Orlando 82
Memphis, TN (Sports Network) - Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph each recorded
double-doubles and the Memphis Grizzlies earned their sixth straight win with
an 88-82 decision over the short-handed Orlando Magic. Gasol finished with 19
points and 13 rebounds, while Randolph chipped in 16 and 14 for Memphis, which
won the battle in the paint, 40-32 and had 12 more fastbreak points. The Magic
will almost surely miss the playoffs for the first time in seven seasons,
forcing them to build for the future at Thursday's trade deadline by dealing
sharpshooter J.J. Redick to the Milwaukee Bucks. The three players Orlando
received in the six-player deal -- Beno Udrih, Doron Lamb and Tobias Harris --
as well as Hakim Warrick, who was acquired from the Bobcats, were not
available Friday, leaving the Magic with seven healthy bodies.
Final Score: Dallas 104, New Orleans 100
New Orleans, LA (Sports Network) - Dirk Nowitzki registered 25 points and
seven rebounds, leading the Dallas Mavericks to a 104-100 win over the New
Orleans Hornets on Friday. Nowitzki was 10-of-17 from the field for the
Mavericks, who have won three straight games. Vince Carter recorded 22 points
and nine rebounds off the bench and Elton Brand added 13 points. Eric Gordon
and Jason Smith scored 23 and 22 points, respectively, for the Hornets, who
have lost three straight games. Ryan Anderson recorded a double-double with 20
points and 12 rebounds, as did Anthony Davis, who had 10 points and 11
rebounds.
Final Score: Oklahoma City 127, Minnesota 111
Oklahoma City, OK (Sports Network) - Russell Westbrook amassed a season-high
37 points and Kevin Durant added 27 as the Oklahoma City Thunder got back on
track with a 127-111 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves at Chesapeake
Energy Arena. Westbrook made good on 13-of-22 field goal attempts to go along
with nine assists and seven rebounds in a terrific all-around display that
helped the Northwest Division leaders halt a season-long three-game losing
streak. Kevin Martin contributed 19 points off the bench for the Thunder, who
shot a sharp 57.8 percent from the floor and finished a perfect 22-of-22 from
the foul line. Alexey Shved paced seven Minnesota players in double figures
with 17 points, but the Timberwolves failed to build off Wednesday's home win
over Philadelphia in their first outing after the All-Star break. Andrei
Kirilenko and Dante Cunningham each registered 15 points in defeat, with Ricky
Rubio compiling 13 points and nine assists for Minnesota.
Final Score: Boston 113, Phoenix 88
Phoenix, AZ (Sports Network) - Jeff Green had a game-high 31 points on 11-
of-14 shooting to go along with seven rebounds, four assists and five blocks,
as the Boston Celtics downed the Phoenix Suns, 113-88, picking up their first
road win in eight tries versus Western Conference foes this season. Chris
Wilcox had 14 points and eight boards for the Celtics, who picked up their
first victory following the All-Star break en route to snapping a two-game
skid. Avery Bradley and Jason Terry each scored 13 points and newly-acquired
Jordan Crawford donated 10 in the victory. Goran Dragic totaled 19 points and
10 assists for the Suns, who have lost two straight and six of their last
seven games overall. Markieff Morris scored 11 points and Marcin Gortat
registered 10 in the setback.
The Sports Network