Barclays Center in Brooklyn was fully packed on Wednesday night with more than 17,000 fans, as the Brooklyn Nets hosted the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Nets entered this matchup after losing to the Orlando Magic on Tuesday night, while the Cavs won against the Bulls, also on Tuesday. The Cavaliers were seen as the heavy favorites to win this game, even though they played without Dwyane Wade and Derrick Rose. The Nets were also shorthanded, as they were without the services of Jeremy Lin and D'Angelo Russell.
Stunning win for the Nets
Brooklyn opened up the game showing no fear to the defending Eastern Conference champions.
They outscored Cleveland 26-23 in the first quarter and continued playing well in the second period as well. The Nets held a 55-52 lead at halftime. Midway through the third quarter, the home team had an 11-point lead at 75-64 as the Cavaliers just couldn't stop them. Heading into the final period of the game, Brooklyn held an 84-73 lead. The Cavaliers attempted their comeback in the fourth quarter, as they even regained the lead early in the period at 94-92. But with Cleveland leading 104-103 late in the fourth quarter, the Nets closed out the game with a 9-3 run and won the game 112-107.
Spencer Dinwiddie led the Nets in scoring with 22 points. He also added six assists and five rebounds. Allen Crabbe added 19 points, while DeMarre Carroll finished with 18 points and seven rebounds for the home team.
For the Cavaliers, it was LeBron James once again who led them in scoring. James finished the game with a triple-double of 29 points, 13 assists, and 10 rebounds. Kyle Korver scored 22 points in 30 minutes of action for Cleveland.
Westbrook leads Oklahoma to the win
The Oklahoma City Thunder played against the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday night in Oklahoma.
The home team opened up the game with a 30-point first quarter, outscoring the visitors 30-27 in the period. The Thunder held a 54-48 lead at halftime. They went on to score 32 points in the third quarter, as the Pacers trailed 86-74 heading into the fourth quarter of this game. Oklahoma had no trouble in closing out the game as they outscored the Pacers 28-22 in the final 12 minutes of the game, and celebrated a 114-96 victory.
Russell Westbrook was the focal point once again for the Thunder. He finished the game with 28 points, 16 assists, and 10 rebounds in 35 minutes of action. Carmelo Anthony added 28 points and 10 rebounds for the home team, while Steven Adams scored 17 points and grabbed 11 rebounds.
Victor Oladipo led the Pacers in scoring in this one with 35 points on 11-of-18 shooting. He also added five rebounds. Darren Collison scored 18 points, while Thadeus Young contributed with 14 points and four rebounds for Indiana.