Atlanta Hawks (7-5) @
Washington Wizards (9-4)
Paul Pierce passed Jerry West for 17th on the all
time scoring list last night, but it wasn’t enough to prevent his Washington
Wizards from falling to the Atlanta Hawks. There were 14 lead changes
throughout this game but a 12-0 run by Atlanta in the fourth helped them beat
their Eastern Conference rivals.
Hawks 107 - 102
Wizards
Key Performers
Paul Millsap - 17 points, 11 rebounds
Mike Scott - 17 points, 8 rebounds
John Wall - 21 points, 13 assists, 7 rebounds
Marcin Gortat - 12 points, 11 rebounds
Golden State Warriors
(11-2) @ Miami Heat (8-7)
The Warriors are looking more like contenders for the title
this year with every game they play, and a comfortable win over last year’s
finalists can only help their confidence. The Warriors played well, but they wouldn’t
have won this game without Stephen Curry who had possibly his best performance of
the season. He shot 12-19 from the field, 8-11 from deep and 8-9 from the
charity stripe on his way to 40 points, his highest points total this year.
Warriors 114 - 97
Heat
Key Performers
Stephen Curry - 40 points, 7 assists
Klay Thompson - 24 points
Chris Bosh - 26 points, 9 rebounds
Luol Deng - 16 points
Sacramento Kings (9-5)
@ New Orleans Pelicans (7-6)
There was a battle between two rising stars in the NBA, as
DeMarcus Cousins and the Sacramento Kings took on Anthony Davis and New Orleans
Pelicans. Cousins was the winner of this match-up as not only did his team win,
but he put up the best stats of anyone on the court. The Kings lost the lead
just once, and even when head coach Mike Malone was ejected, the Pelicans still
struggled to find a way into the game.
Kings 99 - 89
Pelicans
Key Performers
DeMarcus Cousins - 22 points, 12 rebounds, 5 assists
Ramon Sessions - 15 points, 6 assists
Tyreke Evans - 22 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists
Ryan Anderson - 20 points, 5 rebounds
Detroit Pistons (3-11)
@ Milwaukee Bucks (8-7)
The Pistons picked up their fifth straight loss, and also
had their worst offensive performance of the season. They may have shot a good
46% from the field, but were hampered by Josh Smith’s free throw attempts, who
made just 2-10 in the game. They were in contention for most of the contest but
lacked a clinical edge as they were dominated in the third quarter.
Pistons 86 - 98 Bucks
Key Performers
Josh Smith - 11 points, 10 rebounds, 8 assists, 3 blocks
Andre Drummond - 23 points, 10 rebounds
Brandon Knight - 20 points, 8 assists
Eryan Ilyasova - 13 points, 9 rebounds
Chicago Bulls (9-6) @
Denver Nuggets (7-7)
The Chicago Bulls didn’t just lose the game in the Mile High
City as Derrick Rose hobbled off the court (with a suspected hamstring injury)
after under ten minutes of play. This departure - paired with big men Joakim
Noah and Taj Gibson already being out - proved too much for Chicago as they
never led in this contest. They looked like they could be in with a chance with
ten seconds left as they trailed by just three, but Ty Lawson’s step back jumper sealed the victory. Denver’s fifth straight
win means they are at .500 for the first time this season.
Bulls 109 - 114
Nuggets
Key Performers
Pau Gasol - 22 points, 11 rebounds
Jimmy Butler - 32 points, 9 rebounds
Ty Lawson - 20 points, 12 assists
Kenneth Faried - 12 points, 9 rebounds