The Hangover: Kawhi Leonard Sinks Magic; Warriors Now At 48-4

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This is the Hangover. We get basketball-wasted all the time. Yes, we recap the NBA every night in our own way.

(PHOTO CREDIT: USA Today.)

Teams are pretty much getting their last games before the break starts. Twelve games happened in the league. Here we go…

02/10/2016

THE GAMES

CHARLOTTE HORNETS 117 (27-26) @ INDIANA PACERS 95 (28-25)

(PHOTO CREDIT: Daron Cummings/AP.)

The Pacers couldn’t hit from three and the buzz had a huge second quarter by outscoring them, 35-17. The only negative thing here was that Michael Kidd-Gilchrist reinjured his shoulder. And he’s only been back seven games, too. Let’s hope he’s okay.

BEHIND THE LINES
Cody Zeller (CHA): 11 pts, 11 rebs.
Kemba Walker (CHA): 25 pts, 7 rebs.
Paul George (IND): 22 pts, 8 rebs, 6 assts.

SAN ANTONIO SPURS 98 (45-8) @ ORLANDO MAGIC 96 (23-29)

You can never keep the Spurs down. The Magic were up by 14 with 10 minutes left before Kawhi Leonard and Patty Mills put it on fifth gear. LaMarcus Aldridge‘s jumper eventually gave the Spurs the lead. Evan Fournier tied the game with a three-pointer with 13 seconds left in the game. But then if you get left with Kawhi in an island, bad things are going to happen. Kawhi Leonard made a jumper at the top of the key with 0.9 seconds left. Magic actually had a nice play to try to tie the game as Elfrid Payton got ahead of the pack but he missed the lay-up that he had to rush.

The Spurs win again because you know.

BEHIND THE LINES
Kawhi Leonard (SA): 29 pts, 7 rebs.
LaMarcus Aldridge (SA): 21 pts, 7 rebs.
Evan Fournier (ORL): 28 pts, 5 assts.
Nikola Vucevic (ORL): 20 pts, 13 rebs, 5 assts.

SACRAMENTO KINGS 114 (22-31) @ PHILADELPHIA 76ERS 110 (8-45)

We’ve seen this movie with Philly so many times. Sixers led by 17 before royalty set in. The Kings scored 39 in the fourth quarter as they overwhelmed the very young Sixers at the end.

But the ending was pretty predictable. It was like Brandon Walsh always getting the girl in an early episode of 90210.

BEHIND THE LINES
DeMarcus Cousins (SAC): 28 pts, 12 rebs, 5 assts.
Rudy Gay (SAC): 22 pts, 3 blks.
Rajon Rondo (SAC): 14 pts, 8 rebs, 15 assts, 3 stls.
Darren Collison (SAC): 25 pts.
Jahlil Okafor (PHI): 26 pts, 10 rebs, 5 assts.
Jerami Grant (PHI): 7 pts, 6 rebs, 6 assts, 4 blks.
Robert Covington (PHI): 29 pts, 5 rebs, 6 stls.

LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS 134 (35-18) @ BOSTON CELTICS 139 (32-23) (OT)

(PHOTO CREDIT: Charles Krupa/AP.)

A little homecoming for Paul Pierce and Doc Rivers here.

The Clippers were hanging on to the lead but it was free throws that cost them in regulation. Isaiah Thomas took advantage and tied the game with a teardrop with five seconds left. Chris Paul missed a jumper and they went to overtime.

It got even worse for the Clippers as guys like J.J. Redick, Jamal Crawford, and CP3 missed foul shots. Evan Turner made three straight buckets to give the Celtics a three-point lead. Crawford missed a 30-footer with 12 seconds left and the Celtics get a big win over their old coach.

But you’ll probably never see Redick, Crawford, and CP3 miss clutch foul shots in the same game anytime soon.

BEHIND THE LINES
Isaiah Thomas (BOS): 36 pts, 11 assts.
Jared Sullinger (BOS): 21 pts, 11 rebs, 7 assts.
J.J. Redick (LAC): 27 pts.
Chris Paul (LAC): 35 pts, 5 rebs, 13 assts, 3 stls.
DeAndre Jordan (LAC): 21 pts, 16 rebs.

MEMPHIS GRIZZLIES 109 (31-22) @ BROOKLYN NETS 90 (14-40)

Memphis was missing Marc Gasol. Brooklyn has been missing a professional basketball team for most of this season. The third quarter was all Grizzlies as they outscored the Nets, 39-18. So Memphis is good. For now.

BEHIND THE LINES
Mike Conley (MEM): 20 pts, 5 assts.
Brook Lopez (BRK): 20 pts.

DENVER NUGGETS 103 (22-32) @ DETROIT PISTONS 92 (27-27)

This was an emotional night for the Detroit Pistons organization as they retired Chauncey Billups‘ jersey at halftime. But this was unlike the time when the Pistons beat down the Warriors after they retired Ben Wallace‘s jersey. Billups’ other former team, the Nuggets, went on a 14-2 run in the fourth. Will Barton scored the last nine points on that run. There wasn’t enough motor in the Motor City to halt the Nuggets after that.

BEHIND THE LINES
Jusuf Nurkic (DEN): 16 pts, 11 rebs.
Will Barton (DEN): 20 pts, 5 rebs.
Marcus Morris (DET): 19 pts, 6 assts.
Andre Drummond (DET): 15 pts, 17 rebs, 5 blks, 3 stls.

LOS ANGELES LAKERS 111 (11-44) @ CLEVELAND CAVALIERS 120 (38-14)

(PHOTO CREDIT: Jason Miller/Getty Images.)

This game was dominated by the Cavs and the final score doesn’t indicate that. This was billed as the last time Kobe Bryant and LeBron James play each other… and it’s probably a good thing because the Lakers are awful. The Lakers looked listless, lethargic, and looked like they would rather listen to Carly Rae Jepsen all night.

Yeah, the Cavs won. Because it would be news if the Lakers won this game. Or any game.

BEHIND THE LINES
LeBron James (CLE): 29 pts, 7 rebs, 11 assts.
Tristan Thompson (CLE): 15 pts, 13 rebs.
Kyrie Irving (CLE): 35 pts, 7 assts.
Lou Williams (LAL): 28 pts.
Jordan Clarkson (LAL): 22 pts, 6 rebs, 7 assts.

ATLANTA HAWKS 113 (31-24) @ CHICAGO BULLS 90 (27-25)

While there are rumbles about the Hawks being torn down, the Bulls already seem torn down. Remember when the Bulls were once the second best team in the East? Well, I feel like every team in the East was once the second best.

BEHIND THE LINES
Jeff Teague (ATL): 17 pts, 5 rebs, 8 assts, 3 stls.
Dennis Schroder (ATL): 18 pts.
Pau Gasol (CHI): 20 pts, 10 rebs, 5 assts.
Bobby Portis (CHI): 12 pts, 10 rebs.

TORONTO RAPTORS 112 (35-17) @ MINNESOTA TIMBERWOLVES 117 (17-37)

(PHOTO CREDIT: Stacy Bengs/AP.)

The Raptors played such a clean game… except on the fouls department. If I watched the Wolves shoot 53 free throws in a game, I would probably die of boredom.

Karl-Anthony Towns had a career game with 35 and 11 in a stunner. Whatever it takes, right, Minnie?

BEHIND THE LINES
Karl-Anthony Towns (MIN): 35 pts, 11 rebs, 3 blks.
Gorgui Dieng (MIN): 14 pts, 10 rebs, 6 assts.
Andrew Wiggins (MIN): 26 pts.
DeMar DeRozan (TOR): 35 pts.

UTAH JAZZ 96 (26-26) @ NEW ORLEANS PELICANS 100 (20-32)

Anthony Davis made a three-pointer to give the birds a four-point lead with 35 seconds left. No miracles this time for the Jazz as the Pelicans held on after the foul game.

I think we jinxed the Jazz. When we noticed that they had a seven-game win streak, they lost. Way to go, us.

BEHIND THE LINES
Jrue Holiday (NO): 21 pts, 6 rebs, 9 assts.
Rudy Gobert (UTA): 12 pts, 14 rebs.
Gordon Hayward (UTA): 21 pts.
Derrick Favors (UTA): 29 pts, 6 rebs.

GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS 112 (48-4) @ PHOENIX SUNS 104 (14-40)

Stephen Curry nearly got a triple-double and he didn’t even play in the fourth quarter. Meanwhile, Markieff Morris continues to provide drama as he got physical with his teammate Archie Goodwin. Yeah, the Suns just continue to set.

Trust me. The game wasn’t as close as the final score indicated.

(PHOTO CREDIT: Christian Petersen/Getty Images.)

BEHIND THE LINES
Stephen Curry (GS): 26 pts, 9 rebs, 9 assts.
Klay Thompson (GS): 24 pts, 5 stls.
Devin Booker (PHX): 15 pts, 7 rebs, 10 assts.
Tyson Chandler (PHX): 13 pts, 10 rebs.
Archie Goodwin (PHX): 20 pts.

HOUSTON ROCKETS 103 (27-28) @ PORTLAND TRAILBLAZERS 116 (27-27)

Dwight Howard and James Harden had great games, stat-wise, but you couldn’t tell with their body language, especially Harden’s. The Rockets turned the ball over 20 times as the Blazers seemingly broke Houston. We’ll tell you all more about it later.

BEHIND THE LINES
Maurice Harkless (POR): 19 pts, 13 rebs.
Damian Lillard (POR): 31 pts, 9 assts, 3 stls.
Dwight Howard (HOU): 28 pts, 13 rebs.
James Harden (HOU): 34 pts, 9 rebs, 11 assts.

GETTING SOCIAL

WATCH THIS PLAY

Kawhi takes care of the Magic.

(VIDEO CREDIT: NBA.)

THE TAKEAWAY

Chauncey Billups became one of my favorite players after he won the Finals MVP in 2004. It sounds like bandwagon-jumping or whatever but the journey he took to get there was something. He couldn’t stick with a team for years before finally finding a home in Detroit. Then he became the point guard of that title team that wasn’t supposed to beat the Lakers. When he got traded to Denver, he made the Nuggets a title contender and got close to beating the Lakers in 2009. Through it all, Billups exuded professionalism and a will to win that could never be counted out. Congrats to Chauncey.

The Rockets seem broken. They’re no longer the 8th seed in the West. And now Dwight Howard is being shopped. As some people would say, life comes at you fast. Last year, they were Western Conference finalists. Now they’re having trouble staying in the playoff picture and are on a verge of a possible blow-up.

It also should be a matter of time before Markieff Morris gets traded. Good grief. That’s just a bad situation in Phoenix.

Lastly, my condolences to Monty Williams’ wife, Ingrid. She passed away at the age of 44 due to a head-on car accident. That is so awful and it’s never good when someone this young passes away. She is someone’s mother, daughter, wife, and friend… and they all lost her. My thoughts and prayers to everyone affected by this.

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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