Friday night’s NBA action.
MEMPHIS GRIZZLIES 110 HOUSTON ROCKETS 105
HOUSTON – Tony Allen dropped a season-high 22 points to lead the Grizzlies (25-17) past the Rockets (31-11). Memphis has proven to be a tough team to beat, going 5-0 against the NBA’s top four teams including two wins against Houston.
Houston looked to be well in control of this game, as they led 64-51 at halftime, and by as many as 15 early in the third quarter. But the Grizzlies went on to outscore the Rockets 32-21 in the third to cut the deficit to two at the end of the period. Troy Daniels (VCU) proceeded to sink two free-throws with 11:00 minutes left in the fourth, and Memphis would never trail again.
Daniels finished with 13 points including 3-of-6 shooting from behind the arc. Mike Conley added 17 points, nine assists and six rebounds. Marc Gasol scored 14 points, grabbed six boards, and handed out six dimes. Zach Randolph came off the bench to post a double-double – 16 points and 12 rebounds.
James Harden had 27 points and nine assists for Houston. Four other Rockets’ players finished in double-figures.
TORONTO RAPTORS 132 BROOKLYN NETS 113
TORONTO – DeMar DeRozan paced the Raptors (26-13) with 28 points. Kyle Lowry added 20 points, six rebounds and six assists. Bojan Bogdanovic and Brook Lopez had 23 and 20 points, respectively, for the Nets (8-31). Toronto outscored Brooklyn 42-24 in the fourth quarter.
PHILADELPHIA 76ers 102 CHARLOTTE HORNETS 93
PHILADELPHIA – Joel Embiid heard “MVP!” chants as he went on to score 24 points, grab eight rebounds and block three shots to lead the Sixers (12-25) to their first three-game winning streak since they won four straight from Dec. 29, 2013 – Jan. 4, 2014. Cody Zeller had 16 points and 10 rebounds for the Hornets (20-20).
MILWAUKEE BUCKS 116 MIAMI HEAT 108
MILWAUKEE – Giannis Antetokounmpo netted 19 points, grabbed eight rebounds and handed out six assists for the Bucks (20-18). Jabari Parker added a game-high 24 points. Hassan Whiteside had 19 points and nine boards for the Heat (11-30).
MINNESOTA TIMBERWOLVES 96 OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER 86
MINNEAPOLIS – Karl-Anthony Towns (29 points and 17 rebounds) earned a double-double in the Wolves’ (14-26) victory. Russell Westbrook posted his 19th triple-double of the season – 21 points, 12 assists and 11 boards for the Thunder (24-17). Westbrook’s 19 are the most triple-doubles in a season since Wilt Chamberlain‘s 31 in the 1967-68 season.
BOSTON CELTICS 103 ATLANTA HAWKS 101
ATLANTA – Isaiah Thomas finished with 28 points including the game-winning shot with two seconds left to go along with nine assists for the Celtics (25-15). Al Horford had 10 points, six rebounds and six dimes in his return to Atlanta. Horford was booed many times throughout the night, but received a standing ovation following a video tribute between the first and second quarters. Paul Millsap compiled 23 points, six assists and five boards for the Hawks (22-17).
ORLANDO MAGIC 115 PORTLAND TRAIL BLAZERS 109
PORTLAND – Nikola Vucevic led the Magic (17-24) with 30 points and 10 rebounds. Damian Lillard dropped 34 points and hauled in eight rebounds for the Blazers (18-24). C.J. McCollum (Lehigh) added 26 points.
CLEVELAND CAVALIERS 120 SACRAMENTO KINGS 108
SACRAMENTO – LeBron James (16 points and 15 assists) and Kevin Love (15 points and 18 rebounds) helped the Cavs (29-10) get back to their winning ways after losing the last two games. Kyrie Irving chipped in with 26 points. DeMarcus Cousins put in 26 points, dished out 11 assists and grabbed eight rebounds for the Kings (16-23).
UTAH JAZZ 110 DETROIT PISTONS 77
SALT LAKE CITY – Rodney Hood (27 points), George Hill (22 points) and Gordon Hayward (20 points) combined to score 69 points for the Jazz (25-16). Andre Drummond finished with nine points and 19 rebounds for the Pistons (18-24).
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