Heat Mounts Late Comeback To Defeat Clippers
The Miami Heat defeated the Los Angeles Clippers, 115-110, at FTX Arena on Thursday.
The Heat (12-14) have been struggling badly with injuries all season long, but they found a way to get the job done here as they continue to move closer to the .500 mark with a tight win over the Clippers (14-13), another team that has delivered up-and-down performances all season long. The Clippers got off to a strong start and were up by a 28-20 score in the first quarter, but the Heat responded and grabbed a two-point lead at the break with a 36-26 score in the second quarter. The Clippers responded with a 33-28 score in the third quarter and were up by just three points with 12 minutes left to go, but they couldn’t sustain their lead and Miami took advantage of that. The Heat won the final quarter by a 31-23 score, and that was enough to escape with the win. Miami grabbed the lead midway through the fourth quarter and never looked back, with Jimmy Butler icing the game after scoring Miami’s final eight points.
Jimmy Butler scored 26 points and added eight assists, five rebounds and four steals to lead the Heat, but the top scorer was Bam Adebayo, who ended with 31 points, 10 rebounds, four assists and a steal. Caleb Martin had 17 points, eight rebounds, two assists and two steals. Tyler Herro finished with 19 points, nine rebounds, three assists and two steals. Miami shot 51.1 percent from the field and 37.5 percent from deep.
Paul George led the way for the Clippers with 29 points, eight rebounds and seven assists, while Reggie Jackson finished with 20 points, four rebounds and three assists. Nicolas Batum had 11 points and five rebounds, and Marcus Morris Sr. finished with 11 points and four boards. The Clippers shot 46.3 percent from the field and 47.2 percent from three-point range.
The Heat (12-14) have been struggling badly with injuries all season long, but they found a way to get the job done here as they continue to move closer to the .500 mark with a tight win over the Clippers (14-13), another team that has delivered up-and-down performances all season long. The Clippers got off to a strong start and were up by a 28-20 score in the first quarter, but the Heat responded and grabbed a two-point lead at the break with a 36-26 score in the second quarter. The Clippers responded with a 33-28 score in the third quarter and were up by just three points with 12 minutes left to go, but they couldn’t sustain their lead and Miami took advantage of that. The Heat won the final quarter by a 31-23 score, and that was enough to escape with the win. Miami grabbed the lead midway through the fourth quarter and never looked back, with Jimmy Butler icing the game after scoring Miami’s final eight points.
Jimmy Butler scored 26 points and added eight assists, five rebounds and four steals to lead the Heat, but the top scorer was Bam Adebayo, who ended with 31 points, 10 rebounds, four assists and a steal. Caleb Martin had 17 points, eight rebounds, two assists and two steals. Tyler Herro finished with 19 points, nine rebounds, three assists and two steals. Miami shot 51.1 percent from the field and 37.5 percent from deep.
Paul George led the way for the Clippers with 29 points, eight rebounds and seven assists, while Reggie Jackson finished with 20 points, four rebounds and three assists. Nicolas Batum had 11 points and five rebounds, and Marcus Morris Sr. finished with 11 points and four boards. The Clippers shot 46.3 percent from the field and 47.2 percent from three-point range.
Spurs End 11-Game Slide
By Dan Bruno
The San Antonio Spurs defeated the visiting Houston Rockets, 118-109, at AT&T Center on Thursday evening.
The game got out to a tight start and after a few lead changes, the Rockets took a five-point lead into the second. The score stayed tight in the second while the hosts trimmed it to a three-point game by halftime. The Spurs picked up the pace in the third and outscored the Rockets 39-23 in the quarter to earn a 13-point lead heading into the final frame. The Spurs held strong through the fourth and closed out the win to end an 11-game slide.
Keldon Johnson led the Spurs with 32 points and seven rebounds, in 35 minutes. Tre Jones followed up with 26 points, three rebounds and five assists, while Doug McDermott and Josh Richardson chipped in 12 points each. The Spurs shot 55 percent from the field, including 13-of-36 from long range.
Meanwhile, Jabari Smith led the Rockets with 23 points, four rebounds and a block, in 34 minutes. Alperen Sengun followed up with 16 points, 11 rebounds and two assists, while Jalen Green and Eric Gordon added 14 points each. The Rockets shot 45 percent from the field, including 10-of-29 from distance.
The Rockets (7-18) will look to bounce back as they play host to the Bucks on Sunday. The Spurs (7-18) take on the Heat in Miami on Saturday.
The game got out to a tight start and after a few lead changes, the Rockets took a five-point lead into the second. The score stayed tight in the second while the hosts trimmed it to a three-point game by halftime. The Spurs picked up the pace in the third and outscored the Rockets 39-23 in the quarter to earn a 13-point lead heading into the final frame. The Spurs held strong through the fourth and closed out the win to end an 11-game slide.
Keldon Johnson led the Spurs with 32 points and seven rebounds, in 35 minutes. Tre Jones followed up with 26 points, three rebounds and five assists, while Doug McDermott and Josh Richardson chipped in 12 points each. The Spurs shot 55 percent from the field, including 13-of-36 from long range.
Meanwhile, Jabari Smith led the Rockets with 23 points, four rebounds and a block, in 34 minutes. Alperen Sengun followed up with 16 points, 11 rebounds and two assists, while Jalen Green and Eric Gordon added 14 points each. The Rockets shot 45 percent from the field, including 10-of-29 from distance.
The Rockets (7-18) will look to bounce back as they play host to the Bucks on Sunday. The Spurs (7-18) take on the Heat in Miami on Saturday.
Nuggets Defeat Blazers, 121-120
The Denver Nuggets defeated the host Portland Trail Blazers, 121-120, at Moda Center on Thursday.
There were seven ties and 20 lead changes in this game, with neither team leading by more than 11 points. There were actually 14 lead changes in the closing seven minutes, with each of the final nine made shots being a lead change. Jamal Murray was the hero for Denver, making a stepback game-winning three with 0.9 seconds remaining. That capped off a 32-21 fourth quarter for the Nuggets. Denver ended up out-rebounding Portland, 54-44, while outscoring them in the paint, 64-46. The Nugs also shot 52 percent from the field while holding the Trail Blazers to 48 percent shooting.
The Nuggets (15-10) were led by Nikola Jokic, collecting 33 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists. Murray amassed 21 points, five rebounds and eight assists. Aaron Gordon accrued 20 points and five rebounds on 8-of-12 from the field. while Bones Hyland led the bench with 13 points, five rebounds and four assists.
The Trail Blazers (13-12) were led by Damian Lillard, tallying 40 points, four rebounds, 12 assists and two steals. Jusuf Nurkic finished with 21 points, nine rebounds, two assists, two steals and two blocks. Jerami Grant totaled 18 points, three rebounds and three assists, while Josh Hart had 12 points, six rebounds, three assists and three steals.
Both teams return to action on Saturday, with Denver returning home to play the Utah Jazz and Portland remaining home to face the Minnesota Timberwolves.
There were seven ties and 20 lead changes in this game, with neither team leading by more than 11 points. There were actually 14 lead changes in the closing seven minutes, with each of the final nine made shots being a lead change. Jamal Murray was the hero for Denver, making a stepback game-winning three with 0.9 seconds remaining. That capped off a 32-21 fourth quarter for the Nuggets. Denver ended up out-rebounding Portland, 54-44, while outscoring them in the paint, 64-46. The Nugs also shot 52 percent from the field while holding the Trail Blazers to 48 percent shooting.
The Nuggets (15-10) were led by Nikola Jokic, collecting 33 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists. Murray amassed 21 points, five rebounds and eight assists. Aaron Gordon accrued 20 points and five rebounds on 8-of-12 from the field. while Bones Hyland led the bench with 13 points, five rebounds and four assists.
The Trail Blazers (13-12) were led by Damian Lillard, tallying 40 points, four rebounds, 12 assists and two steals. Jusuf Nurkic finished with 21 points, nine rebounds, two assists, two steals and two blocks. Jerami Grant totaled 18 points, three rebounds and three assists, while Josh Hart had 12 points, six rebounds, three assists and three steals.
Both teams return to action on Saturday, with Denver returning home to play the Utah Jazz and Portland remaining home to face the Minnesota Timberwolves.