NBA Wrap: Detroit smash Hornets, Rockets down Suns, Bulls too strong for Kings, Grizzlies defeat Nets
CHECK out what went down in the day’s NBA games in our wrap.
CHECK out what went down in the day’s NBA games in our wrap.
PISTONS 106 — HORNETS 78
The Detroit Pistons may be 11 games under .500, but they’re starting to think about the postseason — something that is a very real possibility when playing in the Eastern Conference.
Monroe had 23 points and 12 rebounds, D.J. Augustin added 18 points and Detroit handed the Charlotte Hornets their third straight loss 106-78 on Tuesday night.
The Pistons are 16-9 over their last 25 games.
Monroe, who had 14 double-doubles in January to tie a franchise record, was dominant inside and on the drive when the Pistons (21-32) built a 23-point lead at the end of the third quarter and were never challenged again.
Monroe has recorded at least 20 points and 10 rebounds 48 times since the 2011-12 season, the most 20-10 games in the Eastern Conference during that span. Andre Drummond had 14 points and nine rebounds as the Pistons outrebounded the Hornets 48-38.
Pistons coach Stan Van Gundy’s game plan was to pack the low post and control Jefferson and make the Hornets beat them from the outside.
It appeared early on that strategy would backfire after the Hornets knocked down 8 of 11 3-pointers in the first half. Rookie P.J. Hairston had 16 points on four 3s. The Hornets would only make 1 of 13 3-pointers after intermission, and Detroit pulled away in the third, outscoring Charlotte 29-14 in the quarter. Jefferson was held to 6 of 14 shooting.
The Hornets had no answer for Monroe, who had 11 points in the third quarter.
The Pistons scored 50 points in the paint and got to the foul line 30 times. They made 27.
Gerald Henderson had 17 points, and Al Jefferson added 13 points and 10 rebounds for the Hornets (22-30). Charlotte enters the All-Star break on a three-game skid and in dire need of rest to get some players healthy.
When they return, they will have Mo Williams running the offense. The veteran point guard was acquired from Minnesota on Tuesday along with Troy Daniels in exchange for Gary Neal and a second-round draft pick in 2019.
Williams will split time with Brandon Roberts while Kemba Walker continues to recover from knee surgery. The Hornets also expect to get Michael Kidd-Gilchrist and Bismack Biyombo back from injuries after the break.
ROCKETS 127 — SUNS 118
The Houston Rockets blew an early 18-point lead and were down by one after three quarters in Phoenix. Then, as he so often does, James Harden took over.
The NBA’s leading scorer got 20 of his 40 points in the fourth quarter, and the Rockets pulled away to beat the Suns 127-118 on Tuesday night.
Josh Smith added 20 in the highest-scoring game of the season for the Rockets, who trailed 89-88 at the end of the third.
Bledsoe scored 32, one shy of his career high, for the Suns, who enter the All-Star break losers of five of six. Bledsoe had 12 points in the fourth quarter.
Harden — who will have his number retired by Arizona State on Wednesday night — ended the first and second quarters with a 3-pointer, then opened the fourth with a four-point play that put the Rockets ahead for good. He scored eight in a row during a 2 1/2-minute stretch late in the fourth.
Harden has 85 points in his past two games. He scored 45 — one shy of his career high — in a loss to Portland on Sunday and has six games of at least 40 points this season.
Harden came off the court with his left arm dangling in the third quarter but wasn’t out of the game long. Houston, winner of seven of nine, has one game before the break, Wednesday night against the Clippers in Los Angeles.
In the fourth quarter, Harden, who averages more than 27 points per game, made seven of 10 shots — most on drives to the basket. He was 1-for-3 on 3-pointers and sank all five of his free throws in the period. He also matched his season high with 12 rebounds in the game.
The Rockets shot 75 per cent (15-for-20) in the fourth.
The 127 points were the most Phoenix has allowed in a non-overtime game this season.
Goran Dragic added 20 points for the Suns.
With Phoenix leading 89-88 to start the fourth, Harden sank a 3 from the top of the key and fell on his behind, as he does on almost every jumper, and Marcus Morris was called for the foul. Harden made the free throw, and the four-point play put Houston up by three.
Bledsoe’s 3 cut the Houston lead to 96-95, then Smith and Corey Brewer made 3s, Brewer scored on a rebound, Harden made three free throws after being fouled on a 3-point try, and the Rockets were up 104-95.
Down by 18 at the end of the first quarter and nine at the half, the Suns opened the second half with a 20-3 outburst, including 16 straight at one point. The Rockets missed nine shots in a row, and Bledsoe’s 19-footer put the Suns up 81-73 with 5:38 left in the quarter.
Houston regrouped for a 15-5 run, and Smith’s dunk on a pass inside from Harden put the Rockets back on top 85-83.
NUGGETS 106 — LAKERS 96
Ty Lawson had season-highs of 32 points and 16 assists, leading Denver to a 106-96 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday night that snapped the Nuggets’ six-game skid.
Darrell Arthur added 15 points, and Wilson Chandler and J.J. Hickson had 13 points each for the Nuggets, whose four-game road losing streak ended.
Carlos Boozer scored 15 of his 21 points in the second half and grabbed 10 rebounds, and Wayne Ellington added 18 points for the Lakers, who fell to 0-5 this month.
The Kobe Bryant-less Lakers were coming off an 0-4 trip away from Staples Center because of the Grammy Awards. Jeremy Lin and Wesley Johnson added 12 points each.
BULLS 104 — KINGS 86
A lack of consistent playing time can send a young player into a funk, but Tony Snell claims not to care how much he’s on the floor.
The second-year guard was ready Tuesday night, pumping in a career-high 24 points on 9 for 11 shooting to help the Chicago Bulls to a 104-86 rout of the Sacramento Kings.
Pau Gasol continued his strong play with 26 points and 16 rebounds — his NBA-best 34th double-double of the season and 13th straight — and Derrick Rose added 23 points in a turnover-free performance.
But it was Snell’s play that stood out. Besides his scoring, Snell started the second half in place of Jimmy Butler (strained right shoulder) and played strong defence on Sacramento’s Rudy Gay.
The Kings (18-33) have dropped 12 of 14. Gay led Sacramento with 24 points, but was held to nine points on 3 for 8 shooting in the second half.
Snell was 4 for 6 on 3-pointers. His previous high was 20 points.
The trio of Snell, Gasol and Rose combined to go 30 for 43 (69.8 per cent) from the field as Chicago (33-20) won its third straight.
The Bulls, who had a 57-49 half-time advantage, broke the game open in the third, beginning the second half with a 23-8 run for an 80-57 advantage with just under three minutes left in the quarter. Gasol had 13 points during the run. The Bulls took an 84-64 edge into the final quarter. Sacramento rallied to trim the deficit to 13 at 92-79 with 5 1/2 minutes to play, but that was as close as it got.
GRIZZLIES 95 — NETS 86
Memphis Grizzlies fans gave Lionel Hollins an enthusiastic standing ovation. The team even showed a video tribute to the coach.
Then the current version of the team he once led to the Western Conference Finals jumped to an early lead and maintained a double-digit advantage through much of a 95-86 victory Tuesday night over the his new squad, the Brooklyn Nets.
That hope slipped away early as Memphis built an early lead and barely relinquished the double-digit advantage the rest of the night.
Zach Randolph had 19 points to lead the Grizzlies, while Marc Gasol added 14 and 11 rebounds, part of six Grizzlies reaching double figures as Memphis won its 14th in the last 16.
The Nets lost for the seventh time in their last 10.
Plumlee and Alan Anderson each had 15 points for the Nets, with Plumlee also grabbing 14 rebounds. Jarrett Jack and Brook Lopez had 12 points apiece and Joe Johnson scored 11.
The Nets tightened it up in the fourth quarter, but didn’t have enough to overtake Memphis, which led by as many as 22.
The Nets never recovered from a poor-shooting first quarter. The Nets normally shoot well in the opening frame — at a clip just under 50 per cent. But they were limited to 33 per cent, leading to an early 19-point deficit.
There were times Brooklyn made little runs at the deficit, but only when the Grizzlies became careless with big leads.
Brooklyn never got close enough to make Grizzlies fans feel threatened.
Only a handful of Grizzlies remain with the team from the 2013 season when Memphis, with Hollins at the helm, made it to the Western Conference Finals and lost to the San Antonio Spurs.
Originally published as NBA Wrap: Detroit smash Hornets, Rockets down Suns, Bulls too strong for Kings, Grizzlies defeat Nets
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