Daily Zap 26-11-14

Atlanta Hawks (7-5) @ Washington Wizards (9-4)

Paul Pierce passed Jerry West for 17^th 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

Daily Zap 22-11-14

Orlando Magic (6-8) @ Charlotte Hornets (4-9)

The Charlotte Hornets are currently struggling after falling to their fourth straight defeat in the league. They should have won this one as well; holding a 23 point lead going into the final quarter. However, the Magic used a four guard line-up to great effect, wiping out this deficit nine minutes later, and then going into a lead of their own.

Magic 105 -100 Hornets

Key Performers

Tobias Harris - 17 points, 16 rebounds, 2 blocks

Nikola Vucevic - 14 points, 10 rebounds

Al Jefferson - 24 points, 11 rebounds

Kemba Walker - 15 points, 12 rebounds, 8 assists

Phoenix Suns (8-5) @ Philadelphia 76ers (0-12)

The worst team in the league kept their record up as they fell at home to the Phoenix Suns. The 76ers were dominated all game, with a 41-17 second quarter meaning they could never get near the lead. If Philadelphia keep going like this, the Kentucky Wildcats may be looking for a match…

Suns 122 - 96 76ers

Key Performers

Eric Bledsoe - 13 points, 7 assists

Isaiah Thomas - 23 points, 8 assists

Michael Carter-Williams - 18 points, 6 rebounds, 6 assists

Alexy Shved - 15 points, 5 assists

Detroit Pistons (3-10) @ Atlanta Hawks (6-5)

The Detroit Pistons are another team who are on a four game losing streak after leading just once in this game. Atlanta’s Jeff Teague led by example on both ends of the court, even managing two blocks, despite being just 6’2”. The Pistons shot poorly as usual, scoring just four three-pointer attempts from 21 attempts.

Pistons 89 - 99 Hawks

Key Performances

Andre Drummond - 13 points, 16 rebounds

Josh Smith - 16 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists

Paul Millsap - 15 points, 12 rebounds

Jeff Teague - 28 points, 6 assists, 2 blocks

 

Milwaukee Bucks (7-6) @ Toronto Raptors (10-2)

The best team in the East continued their dominance as last night, with another blow out. They were better than the Bucks in every way, leading by 52 at one point, while the Bucks biggest lead was one. The Raptors scored 15-25 from deep in this game, an impressive percentage led by Lou Williams’ efforts.

Bucks 83 - 124 Raptors

Key Performers

Jabari Parker - 15 points, 6 rebounds

Kyle Lowry - 20 points, 9 rebounds

Lou Williams - 22 points, 5-7 shooting from three-pointers

Jonas Valanciunas - 18 points, 12 rebounds

Boston Celtics (4-7) @ Memphis Grizzlies (11-2)

The league’s best record was improved once again by a Memphis Grizzlies side who defeated the Boston Celtics at home. Boston never led the game and only the tied the score once; three minutes into the first quarter. The Grizzlies are now 7-0 at home this season.

Celtics 100 - 117 Grizzlies

Key Performers

Jared Sullinger - 13 points, 3 blocks

Kelly Olynyk - 18 points, 6 rebounds

Zach Randolph - 16 points, 16 rebounds

Marc Gasol - 32 points, 8 rebounds

San Antonio Spurs (8-4) @ Minnesota Timberwolves (3-8)

The old boys blew out the new pretenders in Minnesota, to win their third game in a row. The Spurs’ rotation worked brilliantly, with bench players like Aron Baynes and Jeff Ayres contributing to this win as well. The Spurs got past 20 turnovers by shooting well; 55% from the field and 62% from deep. 

Spurs 121 - 92 Timberwolves

Key Performers

Austin Daye - 13 points, 11 rebounds

Tony Parker - 28 points, 3-3 from three-pointers

Gorgui Dieng - 9 points, 10 rebounds, 3 blocks

Anthony Bennett - 20 points

Brooklyn Nets (5-7) @ Oklahoma City Thunder (3-11)

The Thunder’s woes deepened last night, as their depleted squad lost again. They were trailing by two points with 4.9 seconds left, and had a chance to win the game when Reggie Jackson shot a buzzer beater three-pointer.  Unfortunately his shot was off meaning the Thunder have now lost five in a row.

Nets 94 - 92 Thunder

Key Performers

Brook Lopez - 16 points, 10 rebounds

Jarrett Jack - 23 points, 5 assists

Serge Ibaka - 16 points, 10 rebounds

Reggie Jackson - 21 points, 8 assists

Cleveland Cavaliers (5-6) @ Washington Wizards (8-3)

Things are still rocky in Cleveland, as they fell to Eastern Conference rivals the Wizards. Even Head Coach David Blatt and star player Lebron James admitted the team was bad, as they turned the ball over 19 times in the game.

Cavaliers 78 - 91 Wizards

Key Performers

Kyrie Irving - 22 points, 6 rebounds

LeBron James - 22 points

John Wall - 28 points, 7 assists, 6 rebounds

Nene - 10 points, 7 rebounds

Los Angeles Lakers (3-10) @ Dallas Mavericks (10-3)

The worst defence in the league were up to their old tricks again last night, as they shipped 140 points to the Dallas Mavericks. The Mavs took full advantage of this, as they played all of their available players, with none of them playing for more than 30 minutes. Eight Dallas players ended with double figures in scoring.

Lakers 106 - 140 Mavericks

Key Performers

Kobe Bryant - 17 points, 7 assists

Jordan Hill - 16 points, 10 rebounds

Monta Ellis - 20 points, 10 assists

Dirk Nowitzki - 23 points

New Orleans Pelicans (6-5) @ Denver Nuggets (5-7)

Anthony Davis couldn’t lift his team to another win as Denver won their fifth game in their past six attempts. Six players scored double digits for each side, but Denver’s field goal percentage (52%) was superior to New Orleans’ (40%).

Pelicans 97 - 117 Nuggets

Key Performers

Anthony Davis - 18 points, 9 rebounds, 2 blocks

Alexis Ajinca - 12 points, 8 rebounds

Kenneth Faried - 19 points

Ty Lawson - 11 points, 9 assists

Utah Jazz (5-8) @ Golden State Warriors (9-2)

Utah never led in this game against the Warriors, who had a four day rest before this game. This break evidently worked in Golden State’s favour, as their players looked fresh and raring to go, winning the first quarter by 15 points. After that there was no real competition as Golden State continued their dominance of the Pacific division.

Jazz 88 - 101 Warriors

Key Performers

Enes Kanter - 18 points

Derrick Favors - 10 points, 9 rebounds, 2 blocks

Harrison Barnes - 14 points, 11 rebounds, 2 blocks

Andre Igoudala - 17 points

Chicago Bulls (8-5) @ Portland Trail Blazers (9-3)

The Bulls were under-staffed in this game, missing Pau Gasol, Kirk Hinrich and Derrick Rose. It proved to be costly as their offence looked poor - aside from Nikola Mirotic’s efforts. Portland on the other hand were impressive from the floor as their starting five shot 63%.

Bulls 87 - 105 Trail Blazers

Key Performers

Nikola Mirotic - 24 points, 11 rebounds

Aaron Brooks - 12 points

Damian Lillard - 21 points, 9 assists

LaMarcus Aldridge - 16 points, 9 rebounds