Boston Celtics 100, Miami Heat 98 (2-OT)
Playing without Rajon Rondo, Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett proved that they still got it, at least for this game. Pierce made the go-ahead basket at the top of the key to give the Celtics their final lead of the game, while also getting a triple-double (17 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists.) Garnett added 24 points and 11 rebounds.
In his first return to Boston as, rival Ray Allen had 21 points and five rebounds. LeBron James ended up with 34 points while Dwyane Wade added 14 for the Heat. Miami now has their four-game win-streak snapped, while Boston snapped a six-game losing-streak.
Los Angeles Lakers 105, Oklahoma City Thunder 96
With Kobe Bryant now starting to share the ball, the Lakers seem to be on a roll. Bryant came close to having another triple-double, scoring 21 points, grabbing nine rebounds and dishing out 14 assists.
After being tied at the end of three quarters, the Lakers outscored the Thunder 30-21 in the final period. Even after having a new approach, Bryant was still able do to what he does best. His jumper with 37 seconds remaining put the Lakers up seven to clinch the win. Pau Gasol added 16 off the bench.
Kevin Durant scored 35 points to lead the Thunder, but his teammate Russell Westbrook struggled as he shot 6-of-22 from the field, scoring only 22 points.
Detroit Pistons 104, Orlando Magic 102
With the Magic trailing by four and with six seconds remaining in the game, Orlando point guard Jameer Nelson got fouled on a three-point attempt by Will Bynum. Nelson made the first two shots, missed the third one as Orlando had three attempts at getting the rebound but failed to tip it in.
Brandon Knight scored a career-high 31 points for the Pistons. J.J. Redick tied his career-high with 31 points for Orlando. The game had as many as 20 lead-changes.
New Orleans Hornets 91, Memphis Grizzlies 83
Both teams were even for most of the game, except in the final five minutes. New Orleans used a 17-6 run to get away with the victory. as Eric Gordon and Jason Smith each had four points during the run. Forward Ryan Anderson had a three-pointer.
Anderson finished the game with seven three-pointers, getting 22 points in total. Smith had 16. For Memphis, power forward Zach Randolph led the way with 20 points and 13 boards.
New York Knicks 106, Atlanta Hawks 104
Carmelo Anthony made nine three-pointers, finishing for 42 points, but no shot was bigger than his and-one layup with 12 seconds left in the game that gave the Knicks a two-point lead over the Hawks. Atlanta had the final shot to tie/win the game, however, Josh Smith attempted a three that didn’t go down and New York survived.
With nine three-pointers by Anthony, the All-Star tied a Knicks franchise-record that was set by Latrell Sprewell, Toney Douglas and John Starks. The Hawks had won three game in a row before losing to New York.
Dallas Mavericks 110, Phoenix Suns 95
The Mavericks got the lead late in the first quarter and they never looked back. Dallas led by 15 in the first half, as the Suns got as close as seven before trailing big again.
Dirk Nowitzki’s three-pointer at the top of the key in the fourth quarter helped him pass Allen Iverson for 18th place on the NBA’s scoring-list. Also, Shawn Marion reached a milestone of 1,000 NBA games played. Both players had 18 points for the Mavericks. Goran Dragic had 18 points and eight assists for the Suns.
Los Angeles Clippers 96, Portland Trail Blazers 83
After losing to the Trail Blazers on Saturday, the Clippers weren’t going to do so again. Blake Griffin had 24 points, five rebounds and nine assists. Eric Bledsoe, who started the game for the injured Chris Paul, played 36 minutes without a turnover and had 10 points, five rebounds and five assists. The Clippers snapped their four-game losing-streak.
The Clippers outscored the Blazers by eleven in the third period, which turned out to be the big difference in the game. Portland never lead in the second half, losing by as many as 15. LaMarcus Aldridge led the Blazers with 21 points and 11 rebounds.
