Aided by the absence of Kyrie Irving/CLE, the Pacers narrowly beat the Cavaliers . The Heat held off the Raptors at home to end Toronto’s winning streak. In the nightcap, Pau Gasol/LAL and Kendall Marshall/LAL posted excellent stat lines, but the Lakers’ defense was non-existent and the Nuggets blasted them 137-115. The Thunder didn’t need Kevin Durant/OKC for much of the fourth quarter as they handled the visiting Celtics easily. Overall, the road teams won five out of the seven
I have been captivated by the roller coaster season of the Philadelphia 76ers. As most of you recall, the Sixers were tabbed by some the worst NBA team in decades entering the season and some expected a single digit win tally by season’s end. So it was a shock when they handed the Heat a loss on the strength of a remarkable debut from an intriguing rookie, Michael Carter-Williams/PHI. They continued their solid play until getting hammered by the Warriors
The Raptors continued their surge with a road win over the Wizards. Kyle Lowry/TOR and DeMar DeRozan/TOR have emerged as one of the top guard duos in the league; last night they were supported by 18 points off the bench from Patrick Patterson/TOR. The Warriors shrugged off fatigue and beat the Hawks by a point. Continuing the theme of close games, James Harden/HOU poured in 37 points leading the Rockets to a 102-100 win over the Knicks. The Clippers beat
Stephen Curry/GSW was unstoppable and led the Warriors to a win over a full-strength Heat squad in Miami. The Philadelphia 76ers continued to impress with another road win on the strength of great games from Thaddeus Young/PHI and Evan Turner/PHI. Carmelo Anthony/NYK returned and to everyone’s surprise the Knicks bested the Spurs. In the nightcap, Portland blasted the Bobcats by 30 points. Tonight the action begins at 7 PM EST with the Raptors visiting the Wizards and continues through to
On the first night of NBA action in 2014, the Philadelphia 76ers continued to surprise as they handed the Nuggets a loss in Denver. Evan Turner/PHI, Thaddeus Young/PHI, Spencer Hawes/PHI and rookie of the year frontrunner Michael Carter-Williams/PHI have formed an effective core, while James Anderson/PHI and Lavoy Allen/PHI have contributed with efficient minutes off the bench. The Sixers roll into Sacramento tonight and have to overcome a home and fatigue disadvantage against dynamic duo DeMarcus Cousins/SAC and Isaiah Thomas/SAC.
Happy New Year to all! Ten unlucky teams will have to rouse themselves after last night’s festivities and do battle on the hardwood. Yesterday, the Hawks rallied to beat the Celtics on the continued heroic play by Paul Millsap/ATL. James Harden/HOU rebounded from a poor outing, but the Rockets fell to the visiting Kings. The Spurs and Pacers registered expected wins, and the Raptors won a defensive battle over the Bulls. In the feature matchup, LaMarcus Aldridge/POR and Damian Lillard/POR led
As I anticipated yesterday, home court advantage wasn’t enough for the Pistons, as John Wall/WAS and Trevor Ariza/WAS led the Wizards to a road win. I also wondered if Portland’s impressive run was nearing an end, and what should happen but they lose their second straight game. Kevin Love/MIN had another solid game but it wasn’t enough to beat the visiting Mavericks. A hobbled LeBron James/MIA led the Heat to another road win, this time over the Nuggets. In the
Arron Afflalo/ORL was a questionable start against the Hawks, but he played and played well. Victor Oladipo/ORL has settled into the sixth man role and his contribution helped Orlando beat Atlanta. In Cleveland, Stephen Curry/GSW dueled Kyrie Irving/CLE and the Warriors won in overtime. The Thunder got enough production out of the supporting cast to support Kevin Durant’s/OKC brilliance and easily handle the Rockets. Despite the best efforts of DeMarcus Cousins/SAC and Isaiah Thomas/SAC, the Spurs defended their home court with