The race for the bottom three spots in the Eastern Conference might be the most interesting race as we close in on the last three weeks of the season. With wins by the Pacers and Nets, four teams are within 1/2 game for the 8th and final spot. With 11 or 12 games to go, the season is on the line for all four of these teams as we come down the stretch.
Let’s get to the games:
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Indiana Pacers | 103 | (31-40) |
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Washington Wizards | 101 | (40-32) |
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Washington jumped out to the early lead in the first quarter and it was a tight second quarter up until the half. The second half started out close and Indiana stretched the Wizards in the fourth quarter to get the win. Indiana was led by George Hill with 29 points, 9 assists, C.J. Miles with 16 points, and David West with 10 points, 11 rebounds. The Wizards were led by John Wall with 34 points, and Marcin Gortat with 16 points.
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Los Angeles Clippers | 111 | (47-25) |
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New York Knicks | 80 | (14-58) |
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New York ran out in the first and the Clippers dominated in the second quarter. The Clippers outscored New York in the third while the fourth quarter was nearly even, but the damage was already done. New York shot a mere 35.4% from the field. Los Angeles shot 35.4% from the field, but the game was never in doubt. The Clippers dominated with 39 team assists. Los Angeles was led by Austin Rivers with 21 points, DeAndre Jordan with 14 points, 10 rebounds, and Chris Paul with 11 points, 16 assists. The Knicks were led by Cleanthony Early with 18 points, and Jason Smith with 8 points.
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Chicago Bulls | 116 | (44-29) |
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Toronto Raptors | 103 | (42-30) |
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Toronto jumped out to the early lead in the first quarter and it was a tight second quarter up until the half. The second half started out close and Chicago stretched the Raptors in the fourth quarter to get the win. Chicago shot 47% from the field and the Bulls shot 47% from behind the arc. Chicago was led by Jimmy Butler with 23 points, Tony Snell with 17 points, and Pau Gasol with 18 points. The Raptors were led by Greivis Vasquez with 22 points, and Lou Williams with 18 points.
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Brooklyn Nets | 91 | (30-40) |
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Charlotte Hornets | 88 | (30-40) |
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The game started out close and it was a tight second quarter up until the half. The Nets outscored Charlotte in the third while the fourth quarter was nearly even and the Nets hung on to get the win. Charlotte shot a mere 39.6% from the field. Brooklyn was led by Brook Lopez with 34 points, 10 rebounds, Deron Williams with 10 points, 14 assists, and Alan Anderson with 13 points. The Hornets were led by Al Jefferson with 23 points, 10 rebounds, and Gerald Henderson with 23 points.
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Atlanta Hawks | 95 | (54-17) |
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Orlando Magic | 83 | (22-51) |
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Orlando jumped out to the early lead in the first quarter and it was a tight second quarter up until the half. The second half started out close and Atlanta stretched the Magic in the fourth quarter to get the win. Atlanta was led by Paul Millsap with 25 points, 11 rebounds, Jeff Teague with 16 points, 9 assists, and Kyle Korver with 13 points. The Magic were led by Nikola Vucevic with 16 points, 12 rebounds, and Elfrid Payton with 19 points, 9 rebounds.
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Miami Heat | 93 | (33-38) |
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Boston Celtics | 86 | (31-40) |
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Boston ran out in the first and the Heat dominated in the second quarter. The second half started out close and Boston finished with a strong fourth quarter but were unable to catch the Heat. Miami was led by Goran Dragic with 22 points, Udonis Haslem with 12 points, 12 rebounds, and Tyler Johnson with 12 points. The Celtics were led by Phil Pressey with 11 points, and Tyler Zeller with 10 points.
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Los Angeles Lakers | 101 | (19-51) |
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Minnesota Timberwolves | 99 | (16-55) |
| Final – OT | |||
Minnesota ran out in the first and it was a tight second quarter up until the half. The second half started out close and Minnesota finished with a strong fourth quarter to tie the game in regulation. Los Angeles got the win in the first overtime period. Los Angeles was led by Jeremy Lin with 19 points, Ed Davis with 14 points, 9 rebounds, and Jordan Clarkson with 20 points. The Timberwolves were led by Andrew Wiggins with 27 points, and Chase Budinger with 22 points.
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Houston Rockets | 95 | (48-23) |
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New Orleans Pelicans | 93 | (37-34) |
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New Orleans jumped out to the early lead in the first quarter and the Rockets dominated in the second quarter. The Rockets outscored New Orleans in the third and New Orleans finished with a strong fourth quarter but it wasn’t enough to get the victory. Houston was led by Trevor Ariza with 22 points, 9 rebounds, James Harden with 25 points, 10 assists, and Donatas Motiejunas with 21 points. The Pelicans were led by Anthony Davis with 24 points, 14 rebounds, and Tyreke Evans with 28 points.
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Cleveland Cavaliers | 111 | (47-26) |
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Memphis Grizzlies | 89 | (50-22) |
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The game started out close and the Cavaliers dominated in the second quarter. The Cavaliers outscored Memphis in the third while the fourth quarter was nearly even but the Cavs held the comfortable lead. Memphis won the rebounding battle handily, 49 to 32, while the Cavaliers dominated with 49 assists. Memphis held on to the ball much better, giving away only 18 turnovers to 8 for Cleveland. Cleveland was led by Kevin Love with 22 points, 10 rebounds, LeBron James with 20 points, and J.R. Smith with 13 points. The Grizzlies were led by Marc Gasol with 18 points, and Beno Udrih with 15 points.
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Portland Trail Blazers | 92 | (45-25) |
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Utah Jazz | 89 | (31-40) |
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Utah jumped out to the early lead in the first quarter and the Trail Blazers dominated in the second quarter. The third quarter was owned by the Jazz and Portland stretched the Jazz in the fourth quarter to get the win. Portland was led by Damian Lillard with 23 points, 12 assists, Dorell Wright with 15 points, and LaMarcus Aldridge with 19 points, 9 rebounds. The Jazz were led by Derrick Favors with 26 points, 13 rebounds, and Trey Burke with 22 points.
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Philadelphia 76ers | 99 | (18-54) |
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Denver Nuggets | 85 | (27-45) |
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The game started out close and it was a tight second quarter up until the half. The third quarter was owned by the Nuggets and Philadelphia stretched the Nuggets in the fourth quarter to pick up the win. Denver shot a mere 34.5% from the field. Philadelphia was led by Nerlens Noel with 14 points, 15 rebounds, Robert Covington with 25 points, and Isaiah Canaan with 15 points. The Nuggets were led by Ty Lawson with 19 points, and Wilson Chandler with 16 points, 11 rebounds.
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Oklahoma City Thunder | 91 | (41-31) |
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San Antonio Spurs | 130 | (45-26) |
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The game started out close and the Thunder were outscored in the second quarter. The second half started out close and San Antonio finished with a strong fourth quarter to get the blow-out win. San Antonio shot 58% from the field and shot 58% from behind the arc. Oklahoma City won the rebounding battle handily, 50 to 36, but he Spurs dominated with 50 assists. San Antonio was led by Tony Parker with 21 points, Kawhi Leonard with 14 points, and Boris Diaw with 19 points. The Thunder were led by Dion Waiters with 14 points, and Russell Westbrook with 16 points.
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Sacramento Kings | 108 | (26-45) |
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Phoenix Suns | 99 | (38-34) |
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The game started out close and it was a tight second quarter up until the half. The Kings outscored Phoenix in the third while the fourth quarter was nearly even and the Kings held on to win. The Kings dominated with 43 assists. Sacramanto was led by DeMarcus Cousins with 24 points, 11 rebounds, Ray McCallum with 14 points, and Nik Stauskas with 13 points. The Suns were led by Markieff Morris with 24 points, and Marcus Morris with 19 points.