Another busy night in the NBA featured seven early games, including the marquee matchup of the night (Spurs vs. Thunder). LeBron James had another incredible performance, but Dwyane Wade also turned back-the-clock to help with the win. Kemba Walker did just about everything he could to pull off a victory but fell just short.
Spurs (10-6) defeat (Thunder (7-8) 104-101
It's been an uneven start for Oklahoma City, but they raced out-the-gate to a 32-15 lead against San Antonio behind 10 points by Russell Westbrook. But even without Kawhi Leonard, it's tough to keep the Spurs down; they outscored the Thunder by 10 in the second period.
The Thunder came out after halftime and looked like the dominant first quarter team that had played earlier. But despite pushing the lead back up into double digits, by the end of the third, the Spurs had tied the game.
San Antonio scored the first six points of the fourth quarter. A Russell Westbrook free throw tied the game at 91, but the Thunder would never reclaim the lead. Down by three with five seconds left, Carmelo Anthony hit a deep shot, but his toe was touching the three-point line, preventing the game from going into overtime. LaMarcus Aldridge led the Spurs with 26 points and nine rebounds. Carmelo Anthony had a team-high 20 points.
Cavaliers (9-7) defeat Clippers (5-9) 118-113 in OT
The Clippers raced out to a 12-0 lead to open the game. Cleveland didn’t get their first bucket until 7:15 in the first quarter on a Kevin Love layup. But by the end of the opening frame, the Cavs were down by just three. LeBron James scored nine points and hauled down five rebounds in the quarter.
While James brought the first punch, Dwyane Wade brought the second in the next period. Wade scored 19 points in the first half to help tie the score by halftime. A 25-22 third quarter gave the Clippers a three-point edge, but that's when things went wild.
Los Angeles extended their lead to ten with 8:23 to go. But from that moment on, James scored 12 points, including a three-pointer to tie the score with 47 seconds left to send the game into OT.
The overtime was all Cleveland. They opened with a 9-2 run and never looked back. James finished with 39 points, 14 rebounds, and six assists. Blake Griffen led the Clippers with 23 points and 12 rebounds.
Heat (7-8) defeats Wizards (9-6) 91-88
The Wizards and Heat tipped-off the back end of a home-and-home matchup Friday night (Nov. 17). The Wizards beat the Heat in DC on Wednesday (Nov. 15), but Miami came out on fire on their home floor. James Johnson (seven points, four rebounds) led the Heat to a 26-17 first quarter advantage. Whether the Wizards just didn’t have it or they went out on South Beach the previous night, Miami continued their stellar play and extended their lead to 21 by halftime.
Washington finally woke up somewhat in the third quarter, outscoring the Heat 28-16 to reduce the deficit to nine. That margin got down to one with 11 seconds left. James Johnson made a free throw and missed one to give the Wizards a chance to tie or win. But Bradley Beal bricked a 17-foot jumper out of a timeout. Hassan Whiteside had 22 points and 16 rebounds for the Heat. Wizards' guard Bradley Beal had a game-high 26 points, while John Wall had just eight (all in the fourth quarter).
Pacers (8-8) defeat Pistons (10-5) 107-100
The Pistons came into the game, losing to Milwaukee on Wednesday (Nov. 15), but prior to that, Detroit had won eight of their previous nine. The Pacers continue to play hard each and every night and recently earned a hard-fought victory over the Grizzlies.
Detroit jumped out to a 32-23 after one, but Indiana went on an immediate second-quarter run to cut the lead to three. But that was just a momentary blip as the Pistons turned their offense back on and grabbed a nine-point edge before the break. Luke Kennard came off-the-bench for Detroit to score 10 first-half points.
The Pistons held on to a double-digit advantage heading into the fourth quarter, but another Indiana run to cut the deficit to one. This time, the Pacers claimed the lead with 5:23 left. The two teams exchanged buckets until Indiana went on a 12-3 run to finish the game. Victor Oladipo had 21 points and 15 rebounds for the Pacers. Detroit guards Reggie Jackson and Avery Bradley each had 16.
Raptors (10-5) defeat Knicks (8-7) 107-84
After impressive back-to-back road victories over the Rockets and Pelicans, the Raptors were back in Toronto to take on the Knicks. The Raptors continued their strong play versus New York, starting off the game with a 30-18 lead. New York’s backcourt struggled defensively against Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan. The two Raptors' All-Stars combined for 22 points, 10 rebounds, and nine assists as Toronto took an 18-point halftime lead. The Knicks reduced that number to 14 after the third quarter and were down by 10 with 8:07 left, but that was as close as New York would get. Over the next five minutes, the Raptors would take the lead back up to over 20. Lowry and DeRozan each finished with 22 points in the blowout.
Nets (6-9) defeat Jazz (6-10) 118-107
With the Nets’ leading scorer, D'Angelo Russell, out with a knee injury, one might think that Brooklyn’s offense would struggle. But against Utah, the Nets exploded for 39 points in the first quarter to take a 14-point lead. Brooklyn added two more points to that number in the second period and held a 65-49 advantage at the half. The Jazz showed some fight following intermission. They outscored Brooklyn by seven in the third quarter to make the game 89-80, but couldn't get any closer. Spencer Dinwiddie, starting in place of Russell, had 25 points and eight assists. Raul Neto came off-the-bench for Utah to drop 22 points.
Bulls (3-10) defeat Hornets (5-9) 123-120
Considering this game involved two bad teams, it was pleasantly entertaining. After the Bulls got destroyed by the Thunder on Wednesday (Nov. 15), it was a wonder if it'd be a while before Chicago won a game. But they hung with Charlotte in the first half, and despite 22 points from Hornets’ guard Kemba Walker, the score was tied 60-60 at halftime.
Charlotte played like they were going to run away with the game in the third quarter, going up by double digits. However, the Bulls showed a lot of heart on their home court and came back to pull off a three-point win. Walker did everything he could for the Hornets, scoring until the very end on his way to 47 points. Justin Holiday had 27 points for Chicago, while Kevin Dunn added 22 off-the-bench in the victory.
