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Monday, February 23
Cavaliers continue to be a red-hot bet
LeBron James made it known before the start of the season that his return to Cleveland wouldn't be a completely seamless transition. It took some time, but now that the Cavs are firing on all cylinders they're quickly becoming a fantastic play for sports bettors.
The Cavaliers started off the season with a 19-20 straight-up record while only averaging 99.8 points per game. In their last 18 contests, they've gone 16-2 SU and have averaged 108.6 PPG.
During that 18 game span, the Cavs have cashed 14 times after squeaking out a cover in Sunday's 101-83 victory over the New York Knicks.
King James' squad's next matchup will be Tuesday against the Detroit Pistons in the Motor City.
NBA roundup: Love's double-double leads Cavs
NEW YORK -- Cleveland forward Kevin Love recorded a team-best 29th double-double, leading the Cavaliers to a 101-83 win over the New York Knicks on Sunday at Madison Square Garden.
Love scored 16 points and grabbed 16 rebounds in the Cavaliers' 16th win in their last 18 games to move their record to 35-22. He eclipsed the 5,000-rebound barrier early in the first quarter and has 5,014 for his career. Love is seventh in the league in double-doubles.
Forward LeBron James and point guard Kyrie Irving each scored 18 points in three quarters of work. James surpassed Allen Iverson for 22nd on the NBA's all-time scoring list in the first quarter. He was four points shy of the former Philadelphia guard. James has accumulated 24,383 points in his career.
It was the first time James failed to score at least 25 points in the last 13 road games.
Shooting guard J.R. Smith scored 17 points in his first return to the Garden since being traded by the Knicks on Jan. 5. Fellow guard Iman Shumpert, who came over to Cleveland in that trade, registered seven of the Cavaliers' 22 assists.
Pistons 106, Wizards 89
AUBURN HILLS, Mich. - Guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope poured in 26 points, including 13 during the third quarter, and Detroit pulled away to a victory over Washington at The Palace.
Center Andre Drummond supplied 18 points and 16 rebounds for the Pistons (23-33), who are 2-0 since the All-Star break. Point guard Reggie Jackson, acquired in a trade with Oklahoma City on Thursday, overcame a slow start in his Pistons debut to contribute 17 points and five assists.
Power forward Greg Monroe added 15 points and 15 rebounds and reserve forward Anthony Tolliver chipped in 13 points for Detroit.
Center Marcin Gortat's 24 points and 10 rebounds led the Wizards (33-23), who have lost three straight, including a 38-point thumping by Cleveland in their first game after the All-Star break.
Hawks 97, Bucks 86
MILWAUKEE -- Forward Paul Millsap scored 23 and shooting guard Kyle Krover got nine of his 12 in the final quarter as Atlanta snapped a two-game losing streak with a victory over Milwaukee at the Bradley Center.
Korver had battled with his shot all night and was just 1-of-5 from the field and 1-of-4 on 3-point attempts heading into the final quarter, as Milwaukee had whittled a 15-point deficit down to two.
But Korver hit three 3-pointers in the first 2:30 of the quarter, as the Hawks used a 13-4 run to go back up by 11.
Atlanta only shot 40.2 percent for the game but scored 18 points off 24 Milwaukee turnovers and was dominant on the boards, getting 14 offensive rebounds which the Hawks converted into 19 points.
Thunder 119, Nuggets 94
OKLAHOMA CITY -- Russell Westbrook scored 21 points and dished out a career-high 17 assists to lead Oklahoma City to a victory over Denver at the Chesapeake Energy Arena.
The Thunder played without forward Kevin Durant for the second consecutive game after he had surgery on his right foot earlier in the day. Despite that, they improved to 31-25 on the season have won eight of their last nine contests.
The Nuggets' slide continued as they have now lost eight of their last nine games. At 20-35, they are still third in the Northwest Division.
Oklahoma City forward Serge Ibaka posted 20 points, eight rebounds and eight blocked shots. In his second game with the Thunder, Enes Kanter scored 20 points and grabbed 12 rebounds. Guard Dion Waiters came off the bench to score 17 points on 7-of-15 shooting. Guard Ty Lawson led Denver with 17 points on 6-of-12 shooting. Forward Danilo Gallinari added 16 points.
Pacers 104, Warriors 98
INDIANAPOLIS -- Guard Rodney Stuckey, playing on a sprained left ankle, scored a season-best-tying 30 points Sunday night, leading Indiana to a victory over short-handed Golden State in Bankers Life Fieldhouse.
Golden State (43-10) got 39 points from guard Klay Thompson but played without its leading scorer, All-Star guard Stephen Curry, who has a sprained right ankle.
Indiana led 89-84 with 6:27 remaining, but six consecutive points from Thompson, including four free throws, gave Golden State a 90-89 lead with 4:05 left. Consecutive baskets from Stuckey and forward David West pushed the Pacers in front 93-90 with 3:11 to play.
Magic 103, 76ers 98
ORLANDO -- Center Nikola Vucevic scored 31 points and grabbed 14 rebounds to lead Orlando to a victory over lowly Philadelphia.
The Magic (19-39) won their third consecutive game, their longest winning streak since February of last season. They are 4-2 under interim coach James Borrego, who replaced Jacque Vaughn earlier this month. The Sixers (12-43) lost their third consecutive game.
Magic forward Channing Frye had 15 points and hit three of his seven 3-point attempts. Guard Victor Oladipo had 17 points. Point guard Elfrid Payton had 10 points, seven assists and eight rebounds. Reserve guard Willie Green had 16 points.
Mavericks 92, Hornets 81
DALLAS -- Dallas hopes forward Amar'e Stoudemire is another piece in a potential championship puzzle. The fit looked pretty good Sunday night.
Stoudemire made his Dallas debut and scored 14 points off the bench in a victory over slumping Charlotte at American Airlines Center.
The Mavericks (38-20) improved to 11-0 all-time in Dallas against the current Charlotte franchise. The Hornets (22-32) are still in the Eastern Conference playoff race in ninth place despite dropping their fifth game in a row.
Grizzlies 98, Trail Blazers 92
PORTLAND, Ore. -- Center Marc Gasol scored 21 points, and Memphis came back from a 13-point deficit after three quarters to beat Portland at the Moda Center.
Guard Courtney Lee added 19 points, and point guard Mike Conley collected 15 points, eight assists and six rebounds for the Grizzlies, who won for the 15th time in 18 games.
Guard Damian Lillard scored 18 points with seven assists and forward Nicolas Batum contributed 17 points, 10 rebounds and five assists for the Trail Blazers, who made four of 23 shots from the field and were outscored 34-15 in the fourth quarter.
Lakers 118, Celtics 111 (OT)
LOS ANGELES -- Guard Jeremy Lin scored 25 points and forward Wesley Johnson had 22 as Los Angeles ended a seven-game skid with an overtime victory over Boston at Staples Center.
Guard Nick Young added 19 points for the Lakers (14-41).
Forward Jae Crowder had 22 points to lead the Celtics (20-33), who lost for the third time in four games. Boston guards Isaiah Thomas and Avery Bradley had 21 and 20 points, respectively.
Los Angeles held a 103-94 lead with 1:28 remaining in regulation after a fadeaway by Young, but failed to close the deal. Boston scored seven consecutive points to close to 103-101 on a 3-pointer by Bradley with 18.7 seconds remaining, but two free throws by Young with 12.4 seconds left gave Los Angeles a four-point cushion. Crowder's layup cut the deficit to two again with 8.5 seconds left before Young missed one of two free throws with 8.2 seconds.
Monday, February 23
Cavaliers continue to be a red-hot bet
LeBron James made it known before the start of the season that his return to Cleveland wouldn't be a completely seamless transition. It took some time, but now that the Cavs are firing on all cylinders they're quickly becoming a fantastic play for sports bettors.
The Cavaliers started off the season with a 19-20 straight-up record while only averaging 99.8 points per game. In their last 18 contests, they've gone 16-2 SU and have averaged 108.6 PPG.
During that 18 game span, the Cavs have cashed 14 times after squeaking out a cover in Sunday's 101-83 victory over the New York Knicks.
King James' squad's next matchup will be Tuesday against the Detroit Pistons in the Motor City.
NBA roundup: Love's double-double leads Cavs
NEW YORK -- Cleveland forward Kevin Love recorded a team-best 29th double-double, leading the Cavaliers to a 101-83 win over the New York Knicks on Sunday at Madison Square Garden.
Love scored 16 points and grabbed 16 rebounds in the Cavaliers' 16th win in their last 18 games to move their record to 35-22. He eclipsed the 5,000-rebound barrier early in the first quarter and has 5,014 for his career. Love is seventh in the league in double-doubles.
Forward LeBron James and point guard Kyrie Irving each scored 18 points in three quarters of work. James surpassed Allen Iverson for 22nd on the NBA's all-time scoring list in the first quarter. He was four points shy of the former Philadelphia guard. James has accumulated 24,383 points in his career.
It was the first time James failed to score at least 25 points in the last 13 road games.
Shooting guard J.R. Smith scored 17 points in his first return to the Garden since being traded by the Knicks on Jan. 5. Fellow guard Iman Shumpert, who came over to Cleveland in that trade, registered seven of the Cavaliers' 22 assists.
Pistons 106, Wizards 89
AUBURN HILLS, Mich. - Guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope poured in 26 points, including 13 during the third quarter, and Detroit pulled away to a victory over Washington at The Palace.
Center Andre Drummond supplied 18 points and 16 rebounds for the Pistons (23-33), who are 2-0 since the All-Star break. Point guard Reggie Jackson, acquired in a trade with Oklahoma City on Thursday, overcame a slow start in his Pistons debut to contribute 17 points and five assists.
Power forward Greg Monroe added 15 points and 15 rebounds and reserve forward Anthony Tolliver chipped in 13 points for Detroit.
Center Marcin Gortat's 24 points and 10 rebounds led the Wizards (33-23), who have lost three straight, including a 38-point thumping by Cleveland in their first game after the All-Star break.
Hawks 97, Bucks 86
MILWAUKEE -- Forward Paul Millsap scored 23 and shooting guard Kyle Krover got nine of his 12 in the final quarter as Atlanta snapped a two-game losing streak with a victory over Milwaukee at the Bradley Center.
Korver had battled with his shot all night and was just 1-of-5 from the field and 1-of-4 on 3-point attempts heading into the final quarter, as Milwaukee had whittled a 15-point deficit down to two.
But Korver hit three 3-pointers in the first 2:30 of the quarter, as the Hawks used a 13-4 run to go back up by 11.
Atlanta only shot 40.2 percent for the game but scored 18 points off 24 Milwaukee turnovers and was dominant on the boards, getting 14 offensive rebounds which the Hawks converted into 19 points.
Thunder 119, Nuggets 94
OKLAHOMA CITY -- Russell Westbrook scored 21 points and dished out a career-high 17 assists to lead Oklahoma City to a victory over Denver at the Chesapeake Energy Arena.
The Thunder played without forward Kevin Durant for the second consecutive game after he had surgery on his right foot earlier in the day. Despite that, they improved to 31-25 on the season have won eight of their last nine contests.
The Nuggets' slide continued as they have now lost eight of their last nine games. At 20-35, they are still third in the Northwest Division.
Oklahoma City forward Serge Ibaka posted 20 points, eight rebounds and eight blocked shots. In his second game with the Thunder, Enes Kanter scored 20 points and grabbed 12 rebounds. Guard Dion Waiters came off the bench to score 17 points on 7-of-15 shooting. Guard Ty Lawson led Denver with 17 points on 6-of-12 shooting. Forward Danilo Gallinari added 16 points.
Pacers 104, Warriors 98
INDIANAPOLIS -- Guard Rodney Stuckey, playing on a sprained left ankle, scored a season-best-tying 30 points Sunday night, leading Indiana to a victory over short-handed Golden State in Bankers Life Fieldhouse.
Golden State (43-10) got 39 points from guard Klay Thompson but played without its leading scorer, All-Star guard Stephen Curry, who has a sprained right ankle.
Indiana led 89-84 with 6:27 remaining, but six consecutive points from Thompson, including four free throws, gave Golden State a 90-89 lead with 4:05 left. Consecutive baskets from Stuckey and forward David West pushed the Pacers in front 93-90 with 3:11 to play.
Magic 103, 76ers 98
ORLANDO -- Center Nikola Vucevic scored 31 points and grabbed 14 rebounds to lead Orlando to a victory over lowly Philadelphia.
The Magic (19-39) won their third consecutive game, their longest winning streak since February of last season. They are 4-2 under interim coach James Borrego, who replaced Jacque Vaughn earlier this month. The Sixers (12-43) lost their third consecutive game.
Magic forward Channing Frye had 15 points and hit three of his seven 3-point attempts. Guard Victor Oladipo had 17 points. Point guard Elfrid Payton had 10 points, seven assists and eight rebounds. Reserve guard Willie Green had 16 points.
Mavericks 92, Hornets 81
DALLAS -- Dallas hopes forward Amar'e Stoudemire is another piece in a potential championship puzzle. The fit looked pretty good Sunday night.
Stoudemire made his Dallas debut and scored 14 points off the bench in a victory over slumping Charlotte at American Airlines Center.
The Mavericks (38-20) improved to 11-0 all-time in Dallas against the current Charlotte franchise. The Hornets (22-32) are still in the Eastern Conference playoff race in ninth place despite dropping their fifth game in a row.
Grizzlies 98, Trail Blazers 92
PORTLAND, Ore. -- Center Marc Gasol scored 21 points, and Memphis came back from a 13-point deficit after three quarters to beat Portland at the Moda Center.
Guard Courtney Lee added 19 points, and point guard Mike Conley collected 15 points, eight assists and six rebounds for the Grizzlies, who won for the 15th time in 18 games.
Guard Damian Lillard scored 18 points with seven assists and forward Nicolas Batum contributed 17 points, 10 rebounds and five assists for the Trail Blazers, who made four of 23 shots from the field and were outscored 34-15 in the fourth quarter.
Lakers 118, Celtics 111 (OT)
LOS ANGELES -- Guard Jeremy Lin scored 25 points and forward Wesley Johnson had 22 as Los Angeles ended a seven-game skid with an overtime victory over Boston at Staples Center.
Guard Nick Young added 19 points for the Lakers (14-41).
Forward Jae Crowder had 22 points to lead the Celtics (20-33), who lost for the third time in four games. Boston guards Isaiah Thomas and Avery Bradley had 21 and 20 points, respectively.
Los Angeles held a 103-94 lead with 1:28 remaining in regulation after a fadeaway by Young, but failed to close the deal. Boston scored seven consecutive points to close to 103-101 on a 3-pointer by Bradley with 18.7 seconds remaining, but two free throws by Young with 12.4 seconds left gave Los Angeles a four-point cushion. Crowder's layup cut the deficit to two again with 8.5 seconds left before Young missed one of two free throws with 8.2 seconds.
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