Hornets Rally, Top Hawks At Home
The Charlotte Hornets defeated the Atlanta Hawks, 113-102, at Spectrum Center on Tuesday evening.
The Hornets (6-5) and the Hawks (3-7) locked horns for the first time this season and while the Hawks looked surprisingly good during the first two quarters, eventually the Hornets tightened things up on defense and that was enough to give them their sixth win of the 2018-19 season, while moving them up one game over .500. Atlanta jumped to a 25-23 lead after the first quarter and finished the first half on top by three points (54-51), but the Hornets delivered an impressive second-half effort to secure a strong win in front of their crowd. A 30-23 third quarter put Charlotte up by four heading into the final 12 minutes of action, and they didn't look back since a 32-25 win during the final 12 minutes was enough to close the game out with ease.
Kemba Walker was the biggest scoring threat for the Hornets in this game since he finished with 29 points, but he also added seven assists, three rebounds and three steals. Marvin Williams contributed with 20 points and eight boards, Jeremy Lamb added 13 points, and Nicolas Batum filled the stat sheet with 10 points, five rebounds and four assists. Malik Monk chipped in with 13 points and six assists coming off the bench.
Jeremy Lin led all Hawks in this game with 19 points coming off the bench, and he also added two assists and two steals in only 18 minutes of action. Trae Young had a double-double of 18 points and 10 assists, but he went 0-for-7 from three-point range. Kent Bazemore contributed with 16 points and Alex Len added 12 with three boards.
The Hornets (6-5) and the Hawks (3-7) locked horns for the first time this season and while the Hawks looked surprisingly good during the first two quarters, eventually the Hornets tightened things up on defense and that was enough to give them their sixth win of the 2018-19 season, while moving them up one game over .500. Atlanta jumped to a 25-23 lead after the first quarter and finished the first half on top by three points (54-51), but the Hornets delivered an impressive second-half effort to secure a strong win in front of their crowd. A 30-23 third quarter put Charlotte up by four heading into the final 12 minutes of action, and they didn't look back since a 32-25 win during the final 12 minutes was enough to close the game out with ease.
Kemba Walker was the biggest scoring threat for the Hornets in this game since he finished with 29 points, but he also added seven assists, three rebounds and three steals. Marvin Williams contributed with 20 points and eight boards, Jeremy Lamb added 13 points, and Nicolas Batum filled the stat sheet with 10 points, five rebounds and four assists. Malik Monk chipped in with 13 points and six assists coming off the bench.
Jeremy Lin led all Hawks in this game with 19 points coming off the bench, and he also added two assists and two steals in only 18 minutes of action. Trae Young had a double-double of 18 points and 10 assists, but he went 0-for-7 from three-point range. Kent Bazemore contributed with 16 points and Alex Len added 12 with three boards.
Mavericks Defeat Wizards, 119-100
The Dallas Mavericks defeated the visiting Washington Wizards, 119-100, at American Airlines Center on Tuesday,
In a battle between two struggling teams, Dallas prevailed with a dominating win. In fact, they led for all but one minute, as they held a double-digit lead for over half of this fixture. The Mavericks ended the game strong, finishing on a 20-7 run. Aside from a 29-17 third quarter in advantage of the Wizards, the Mavericks ended up outscoring them by 31 points in the other three quarters. Rebounding was the difference for Dallas, as they outrebounded Washington, 49-33. Three-point shooting was also key, with the Mavericks hitting 15-of-34 from long range and the Wizards connecting on just 11-of-35. Free-throw shooting was also critical, as Dallas connected on 26-of-27 while Washington hit just 15-of-20.
The Wizards (2-8) were led by John Wall, as he tallied 24 points, four rebounds, 10 assists and three steals. Bradley Beal finished with 19 points, six rebounds, four assists and two blocks. Otto Porter Jr. accrued 19 points, six rebounds, four assists, two steals and two blocks. Dwight Howard amassed eight points and 11 boards.
The Mavericks (3-7) were led by Luka Doncic, as he accumulated 23 points, six rebounds and three assists. Wesley Matthews totaled 22 points and two boards. Harrison Barnes had his best game of the year, generating 19 points, 14 rebounds, three assists and two steals. Dennis Smith Jr. finished with 19 points, four rebounds and seven assists.
On deck for Dallas is road matchup versus the Utah Jazz on Wednesday. As for Washington, they're off until Friday when they travel to face the Orlando Magic.
In a battle between two struggling teams, Dallas prevailed with a dominating win. In fact, they led for all but one minute, as they held a double-digit lead for over half of this fixture. The Mavericks ended the game strong, finishing on a 20-7 run. Aside from a 29-17 third quarter in advantage of the Wizards, the Mavericks ended up outscoring them by 31 points in the other three quarters. Rebounding was the difference for Dallas, as they outrebounded Washington, 49-33. Three-point shooting was also key, with the Mavericks hitting 15-of-34 from long range and the Wizards connecting on just 11-of-35. Free-throw shooting was also critical, as Dallas connected on 26-of-27 while Washington hit just 15-of-20.
The Wizards (2-8) were led by John Wall, as he tallied 24 points, four rebounds, 10 assists and three steals. Bradley Beal finished with 19 points, six rebounds, four assists and two blocks. Otto Porter Jr. accrued 19 points, six rebounds, four assists, two steals and two blocks. Dwight Howard amassed eight points and 11 boards.
The Mavericks (3-7) were led by Luka Doncic, as he accumulated 23 points, six rebounds and three assists. Wesley Matthews totaled 22 points and two boards. Harrison Barnes had his best game of the year, generating 19 points, 14 rebounds, three assists and two steals. Dennis Smith Jr. finished with 19 points, four rebounds and seven assists.
On deck for Dallas is road matchup versus the Utah Jazz on Wednesday. As for Washington, they're off until Friday when they travel to face the Orlando Magic.
Nets Earn Wire-to-Wire Win Over Suns
The Brooklyn Nets defeated the Phoenix Suns, 102-84, at Talking Stick Resort Arena on Tuesday.
The Nets (5-6) managed to make light work of the Suns on the road, as they essentially led Tuesday's contest from start to finish. Caris LeVert put together another strong performance for Brooklyn, scoring a game-high 26 points on 10-of-16 shooting in 32 minutes. It was his third straight game with at least 20 points and his seventh such performance of the season. It wasn't the prettiest of performances from the Nets, as they shot just 44.6 percent from the field and 25 percent from behind the arc, but five players scoring in double figures was enough for them to get it done Tuesday night.
As for the Suns (2-8), they just couldn't get out of their own way. As a team, Phoenix committed 20 turnovers Tuesday, with the starting backcourt of Isaiah Canaan and Devin Booker accounting for seven of those. Booker did finish with a team-high 20 points, but he shot just 6-of-21 from the field. The struggles shooting the ball went far beyond beyond Booker, however, as the Suns as a whole shot a miserable 34.6 percent from the field. In fact, they did better shooting from behind the arc, where they hit 36 percent of their shots. The Suns have now lost eight of nine games since they won their season opener, and things aren't exactly looking up for the young squad in Phoenix.
The Nets (5-6) managed to make light work of the Suns on the road, as they essentially led Tuesday's contest from start to finish. Caris LeVert put together another strong performance for Brooklyn, scoring a game-high 26 points on 10-of-16 shooting in 32 minutes. It was his third straight game with at least 20 points and his seventh such performance of the season. It wasn't the prettiest of performances from the Nets, as they shot just 44.6 percent from the field and 25 percent from behind the arc, but five players scoring in double figures was enough for them to get it done Tuesday night.
As for the Suns (2-8), they just couldn't get out of their own way. As a team, Phoenix committed 20 turnovers Tuesday, with the starting backcourt of Isaiah Canaan and Devin Booker accounting for seven of those. Booker did finish with a team-high 20 points, but he shot just 6-of-21 from the field. The struggles shooting the ball went far beyond beyond Booker, however, as the Suns as a whole shot a miserable 34.6 percent from the field. In fact, they did better shooting from behind the arc, where they hit 36 percent of their shots. The Suns have now lost eight of nine games since they won their season opener, and things aren't exactly looking up for the young squad in Phoenix.
C.J. Lifts Portland
By Dan Bruno
The Portland Trail Blazers defeated the visiting Milwaukee Bucks, 118-103, at Moda Center on Tuesday evening.
The Trail Blazers got out to a good start and held the lead early on. The Bucks tied it up at 21 late in the first quarter, but Portland squeezed back in front, to take a 33-31 lead into the second. The Trail Blazers kept the momentum, as they pushed their lead to 11, halfway through the quarter, and hung on to a 57-51 advantage by halftime. The home team brought the same energy in the third, as the Trail Blazers pushed their lead back to double digits, outscoring the Bucks, 34-26, in the quarter, to take a 91-77 lead into the fourth. The Bucks only managed to cut the deficit to single digits a couple of times in the final quarter, as the Trail Blazers stayed comfortably ahead, en route to their second win in a row.
C.J. McCollum was on fire for Portland, as he led the way with 40 points on 17-of-26 shooting, six assists, five rebounds and four steals, in 35 minutes. Evan Turner was good off the bench, with 16 points, 11 rebounds, four assists and one steal, in 31 minutes of action. Damian Lillard chipped in 13 points, six rebounds, three assists and one block. The Trail Blazers shot 53 percent from the field, including 17-of-43 from long range.
Meanwhile, Giannis Antetokounmpo led the Bucks with 23 points, nine rebounds, and six assists, in 37 minutes. Khris Middleton and Brook Lopez added 22 points each, while Tony Snell chipped in eight points off the bench. The Bucks shot 44 percent from the field, including 16-of-42 from long range.
The Bucks (8-2) will look to bounce back as they take on the Warriors in Golden State on Thursday. The Trail Blazers (8-3) play host to the Clippers on Thursday.
The Trail Blazers got out to a good start and held the lead early on. The Bucks tied it up at 21 late in the first quarter, but Portland squeezed back in front, to take a 33-31 lead into the second. The Trail Blazers kept the momentum, as they pushed their lead to 11, halfway through the quarter, and hung on to a 57-51 advantage by halftime. The home team brought the same energy in the third, as the Trail Blazers pushed their lead back to double digits, outscoring the Bucks, 34-26, in the quarter, to take a 91-77 lead into the fourth. The Bucks only managed to cut the deficit to single digits a couple of times in the final quarter, as the Trail Blazers stayed comfortably ahead, en route to their second win in a row.
C.J. McCollum was on fire for Portland, as he led the way with 40 points on 17-of-26 shooting, six assists, five rebounds and four steals, in 35 minutes. Evan Turner was good off the bench, with 16 points, 11 rebounds, four assists and one steal, in 31 minutes of action. Damian Lillard chipped in 13 points, six rebounds, three assists and one block. The Trail Blazers shot 53 percent from the field, including 17-of-43 from long range.
Meanwhile, Giannis Antetokounmpo led the Bucks with 23 points, nine rebounds, and six assists, in 37 minutes. Khris Middleton and Brook Lopez added 22 points each, while Tony Snell chipped in eight points off the bench. The Bucks shot 44 percent from the field, including 16-of-42 from long range.
The Bucks (8-2) will look to bounce back as they take on the Warriors in Golden State on Thursday. The Trail Blazers (8-3) play host to the Clippers on Thursday.