This is the Hangover. We get basketball-wasted all the time. Yes, we recap the NBA every night in our own way.
(PHOTO CREDIT: Mark J. Terrill/AP.)
Yes, I know there were important games in another sport. But the NBA had seven to keep us basketball addicts satiated.
01/09/2016
THE GAMES
CHARLOTTE HORNETS 83 (17-19) @ LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS 97 (24-13)
The Clippers woke up from a slumber in the second quarter as their pesky defense helped Charlotte to under 37 percent shooting. They broke to a double-digit lead late in the game and the Hornets couldn’t stop their slide in L.A.
These two teams are going on opposite directions. Clippers have won 8 in a row. Charlotte has lost six straight.
BEHIND THE LINES
Chris Paul (LAC): 25 pts, 7 rebs, 7 assts.
DeAndre Jordan (LAC): 11 pts, 19 rebs, 4 blks.
Jeremy Lamb (CHA): 18 pts, 13 rebs.
Jeremy Lin (CHA): 26 pts.
CHICAGO BULLS 105 (22-12) @ ATLANTA HAWKS 120 (23-15)
The Bulls came back from a 19-point first half deficit and cut it down to two. But Al Horford had a big game. He helped the Hawks break away in the fourth, scoring 12 points in that period. Horford scored 33 points and no Hawk scored a 30-point game all of last season. The Bulls’ six-game winning streak was snapped.
(PHOTO CREDIT: John Bazemore/AP.)
BEHIND THE LINES
Al Horford (ATL) 33 pts, 10 rebs, 6 assts, 4 blks.
Jimmy Butler (CHI): 27 pts, 8 rebs.
Nikola Mirotic (CHI): 24 pts, 10 rebs.
WASHINGTON WIZARDS 105 (16-19) @ ORLANDO MAGIC 99 (20-18)
The Wizards looked like the Wizards of the past few years as they pretty much took control from the jump. Washington shot over 56 percent from behind the arc as they snapped out of the funk they’ve had over the past couple of weeks. Before this win, Washington had lost five of six games.
BEHIND THE LINES
John Wall (WAS): 24 pts, 5 rebs, 10 assts, 4 stls.
Otto Porter, Jr. (WAS): 16 pts, 4 stls.
Marcin Gortat (WAS): 12 pts, 10 rebs.
Aaron Gordon (ORL): 10 pts, 10 rebs.
Nikola Vucevic (ORL): 23 pts, 9 rebs, 5 assts.
BROOKLYN NETS 89 (10-27) @ DETROIT PISTONS 103 (21-16)
The Pistons broke away in the fourth quarter and it was the Pistons bench that did it. The Nets’ lack of offense didn’t help matters as the Pistons have now won three straight games.
BEHIND THE LINES
Ersan Ilyasova (DET): 19 pts, 13 rebs.
Reggie Jackson (DET): 23 pts, 8 assts.
Andre Drummond (DET): 23 pts, 11 rebs, 3 stls.
Donald Sloan (BRK): 15 pts, 10 assts.
Brook Lopez (BRK): 19 pts, 7 rebs, 3 blks.
TORONTO RAPTORS 108 (24-15) @ PHILADELPHIA 76ERS 95 (4-35)
(PHOTO CREDIT: Matt Slocum/AP.)
Philly got off to a 12-0 start but that lead was gone in a flash. The Sixers found themselves by 15 in the third quarter and could get no closer than six points as the Raptors shot just under 55 percent in the win. Philly is now 4-35. Ouch.
BEHIND THE LINES
Kyle Lowry (TOR): 25 pts, 6 rebs, 5 assts.
Ish Smith (PHI): 28 pts, 5 rebs, 3 stls.
MIAMI HEAT 83 (22-15) @ UTAH JAZZ 98 (16-20)
The Heat went through prolonged scoring droughts in the second half. And then Gordon Hayward scored 18 of his 34 points in the third quarter. Utah would win by double digits as they limited Miami to 34 points in the second half.
BEHIND THE LINES
Gordon Hayward (UTA): 34 pts, 8 TOs.
Rudy Gobert (MIA): 9 pts, 5 rebs, 4 blks.
Hassan Whiteside (MIA): 10 pts, 11 rebs, 4 blks.
Chris Bosh (MIA): 24 pts, 7 rebs.
GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS 128 (35-2) @ SACRAMENTO KINGS 116 (15-22)
The Warriors attempted to break away in the third quarter but the Kings hung in there until the last few minutes. I mean, who else are you going to blame but the MVP? Seth Curry should’ve been assigned to lock his big brother in a room or something. Just so Stephen Curry wouldn’t go off for eight three-pointers.
(PHOTO CREDIT: Ezra Shaw/Getty Images.)
BEHIND THE LINES
Draymond Green (GS): 25 pts, 9 rebs.
Stephen Curry (GS): 38 pts (8/14 3FG), 6 rebs, 11 assts.
DeMarcus Cousins (SAC): 33 pts, 10 rebs, 3 stls.
Rudy Gay (SAC): 23 pts, 9 rebs.
GETTING SOCIAL
Hey @Al_Horford whatever you had for lunch today, have that before every game.
— Lang Whitaker (@langwhitaker) January 10, 2016
Great road win tonight!!! #dubnation
— Marreese Speights (@Mospeights16) January 10, 2016
Big win today! Way to go #ATLHawks!
— Paul Millsap (@Paulmillsap4) January 10, 2016
Ive never seen a crazier ending to a Playoff game…absolutely insane. SMH. #SteelersVSBengals
— Anthony Tolliver (@ATolliver44) January 10, 2016
Steeler Nation
— Cameron Payne (@campayne) January 10, 2016
DJ is really stepping up in Blake's absence. The Clippers have won 8 consecutive games.
— Tamara Latta (@TamaraLatta) January 9, 2016
WATCH THIS PLAY
The Magic may have lost but this dunk by Aaron Gordon is a 50 in the 1985 Dunk Contest.
(VIDEO CREDIT: NBA.)
THE TAKEAWAY
The Clippers keep going as they have won eight straight. Are they on that elite level like the Spurs and the Warriors? They’re still not there but, of course, they currently don’t have Blake Griffin. They seem to be still up and down from three but they are shooting .400 from behind the arc in the seven games without Blake.
Speaking of the Spurs and the Warriors, they have won seven and six straight games, respectively. So it’s not like the Clippers are gaining ground at all. Whoops.
I don’t know if the Hawks are really good or not. Maybe it’s because the East is so packed outside of Cleveland. I mean, you can say the same thing about Chicago, Toronto, and Miami. I’m still not too convinced about Indiana, Detroit, Boston, and Orlando but they’re just right there. Still, I wouldn’t pick the last four teams I mentioned in a playoff series. Yet.
Lastly, I wish I was this confident in shooting.
He has done this multiples times over his career but Stephen Curry not even seeing the ball go in after shooting never gets old and is a pretty under-the-radar disrespectful move. And I love it.
Follow Rey-Rey on Twitter at @TheNoLookPass for all tweets about the NBA and terrible pop music. Also, check out his podcast, Rey-Rey Is Fundamental.
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